DPW Spotlight Interview: Neil Carroll

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Neil's painting, "Carnations" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Neil's DPW Gallery:

I am a self-taught artist from London. My wish to become an artist was always blocked by real life commitments but the desire never left me. With the required time now available I am pursuing this ambition, painting in oils since 2011.

"I don't try to paint what is in front of me, I try to paint something with atmosphere and interest based on the subject. I remove as much detail as possible and paint as broadly as my mood allows." (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have always wanted to paint but never had the time available to give it a good go. Having dabbled here and there I realised I would need a significant amount of time to achieve anything satisfactory. About six years ago, I stumbled on the work of Qiang Huang which I was drawn to and followed his work. This lead me to discovering David Leffel who's work inspired me to take up Still Life. I had never considered Still Life to this point.

So I merged the inspiration of David with the Daily Painting of Qiang and decided to become a Still Life Daily Painter and have been doing this now for about five years. I have used Daily Painting as a method of self learning.

Carnations
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing Neil's interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

I have over the years attempted to get into painting so yes but have no intention of having any further stops. As far as I am concerned, I will be painting until I drop.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I painted with watercolour many years ago and tried out oil paints for a couple of paintings and knew that was for me so when I started painting again it was oil paint all the way.

Cup and Apple
(click to view)

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

Watercolour has fallen away. I don't have a hunger to use any other paint but who knows what the future will bring.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Charcoal and pencil.

Who or what inspires you most?

David Leffel is the overriding inspiration but I admire many other artists. Although I have never met David, through studying his paintings and watching his films he has provided the knowledge and I have supplied the effort.

Rabbit
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

I don't worry about procrastination. If I need to step away from the easel I do and if I know I am slacking I let it run its course. The mind must be right or the painting will suffer. If the mind wants to do something else I generally allow it. Instead of doing something like surfing the net, I try to do something else connected with painting, tidying the studio space, research etc.

If I have to force myself to paint I will only do so if I have enough reserve of energy. Non-painters may see this as puzzling, but the energy is not the same energy as carrying a load of bricks somewhere, it's the emotional energy to create which is in short supply on some days. There are days it feels like I have no ability to paint and I wonder how I have managed to produce what I have to date.

Carnation in Glass
(click to view)

What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

I have all the time I need to maintain my current output as I made time five years ago. I did this by dropping everything I was doing that was not a priority. You either commit to painting or you don't.

I intend to be as good as I possibly can be and this requires time, lots of time.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

A mix of visualising a subject in my imagination, thumbnail sketches or just plonking objects in my light box and pushing them about until something appears.

Orange with Upturned Vase
(click to view)

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

Procrastination prevents burnout and a deep well of desire keeps me moving forward.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

My limitations.

What makes you happiest about your art?

The achievement and the creative process.

Thanks, Neil!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Salvatore Greco

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Salvatore's painting, "On the Beach" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

I begun painting professionally in 1984 and since then have never stopped.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

At the beginning, I was painting in oil paints. I later switched to acrylic and have been painting with it for the last ten years.

On the Beach
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing Salvatore's interview.

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

Acrylic has stuck. :)

Who or what inspires you most?

Cézanne, Monet, Nicolas de Staël.

After the Rain
(click to view)

What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

My trick is painting a little bit every day... "daily painting".

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I sketch every day and later turn these sketches into my paintings.

In the Mountains
(click to view)

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I am constantly learning as an artist and continuously evolving. We must move forward.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Nothing makes me happier than to be able to spend my days painting and creating.

Pommier du Japon
(click to view)

Thanks, Salvatore!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Holly Storlie

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Holly's painting, "Honeycrisps" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Holly's DPW Gallery:

Born in Saginaw, Michigan, and raised in rural Minnesota, Holly currently resides in Kentucky. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ringling College of Art and Design, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her award winning paintings have been exhibited widely throughout the state of Pennsylvania, as well as Florida, and are in private collections throughout the United States. She has taught drawing and painting workshops, as well as weekend family classes, at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. (click to view bio)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

My first paintings were made when I was very young. I grew up in rural Minnesota and, looking back, it seems like I always had my hands in some sort of art or craft project. While I was in high school, I had an art teacher who encouraged me to pursue a career in art, but I hadn't seriously considered it myself until I was in my mid-twenties. When I was 23, I took a few art classes at the local community college and fell in love with painting. Soon thereafter, I applied to the Illustration Department at Ringling College of Art and Design and started attending in the Fall of 2000.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

After graduating from the M.F.A. program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, it took me a while to figure out how to make a living as an artist. I was painting consistently during that time, but I wasn't very confident in the paintings that I was producing. Although I had gained a little experience showing my work as a student, I still had a lot to learn about getting my work out there and making a career for myself. So, the first few years after graduation were a little slow going, but then things gradually started to pick up. Opportunities have been opening up lately, and I believe that discovering the practice of daily painting has been a big part of that shift.

Honeycrisps
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing Holly's interview.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I majored in Illustration as an undergrad and experimented with just about every painting medium under the sun. At that time, I preferred to work with acrylics. It wasn't until I entered grad school that I fell in love with oils, and I've been hooked ever since. Although, I would love to get back to working with both acrylics and gouache.

Which ones have stuck and which ones have fallen away?

Oils have stuck for the longest period of time but, unfortunately, watercolors have fallen away. I still have a small watercolor sketch set that has been collecting dust in my studio that I'm hoping to use soon for some outdoor sketching.

Peonies
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I would love to explore oil pastels. Also, I would like to experiment more with printmaking techniques, specifically monotype and lithography.

Who or what inspires you most?

There are so many great painters that inspire me daily. A few painters that have been continual sources of inspiration are Edouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, and Euan Uglow. Also, daily painting has been incredibly inspiring to me. Working quickly and often really helps to keep me in a place where I'm inspired and not prone to discouragement.

Little Sandals
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like to you?

Either cleaning the house or playing with our dogs in the backyard. We have an Australian Shepherd and a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix who absolutely love to be outdoors, and it's easy to lose track of time with them when the weather is nice.

What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

Having a gallery on Daily Paintworks has helped me tremendously with time management, because I do feel a sense of obligation to post a new painting as often as I can. Also, keeping a list of upcoming exhibition opportunities gives me short term goals to work towards.

Cup and Crayons
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Lately, I've been working almost exclusively from still life set ups, with the exception of a few plein air pieces that I made on a recent outing. Sometimes I'll have an object or set of objects in mind, while other times I'll stumble across something that strikes me in a particular way, whether it be the way light is hitting an object, or the color relationships between objects, etc. When I have a particular object in mind, their significance to me is often nostalgic in nature. I'm drawn to things that are colorful and playful; that remind me of my childhood. I'm also very attracted to flowers. I paint from life and feel that observation is absolutely essential to my painting process.

How do you keep your art fresh? What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

Forcing myself to work quickly has been most helpful in keeping freshness and life in a painting. I still struggle with knowing when to stop painting before I "overcook" a piece, and there are quite a few that end up in the scrap pile as a result, but having invested a short amount of time keeps me from getting too disappointed if one doesn't work out. If I feel a burnout coming on, sometimes I'll take a break for a bit and switch my focus to something else. I have a tendency to want to paint through a burnout, hoping that I can paint my way out of it, so I have to be mindful of that and force myself to take a breather.

Clementines
(click to view)

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I feel that I am learning more about the business side of making a living as an artist. It's fascinating and, although I have discovered some new, interesting things about self promotion within the last year, I still have so much more to learn.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Sharing it with others and seeing how they react and respond. I think I am happiest about my art when I hear that it has brought happiness to someone else.

Thanks, Holly!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Peter Bain

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Peter's painting, "Cow No. 2" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Peter's DPW Gallery:

One of the reasons I love oil painting is because the paint itself is a pleasure to work with...oil paint is thick and buttery, the colors deep and rich, and the scent of linseed oil hovers above my palette while I work. It is wonderful thing to mix a vibrant, glistening color note and smear it across a canvas. The finished, varnished painting glows within its frame, the paint looks as though it is still wet. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

As a kid, I enjoyed making art and I had strong drawing abilities but never pursued it earnestly.  In 2010 (at age forty), I began taking lessons with a fantastic painter, Paul George, from Gloucester, MA.  Paul made painting fun and, more importantly, he made the process understandable and repeatable.

Cow No. 2

(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing Peter's interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

After taking classes on and off for two years, I was able to produce a decent painting once in a while.  But I realized that if I wanted to really become a good a painter, I needed to paint far more often. Painting once or twice a week wasn’t going get me to the next level.  So, in 2013, I committed myself to painting five, six, or seven times a week.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

It’s all been oils for me, I just love the colors and take great pleasure in mixing paint and the feel of applying it to a canvas.  I also keep a moleskine sketchbook with me and fill it with pencil and ink drawings. In terms of genres, I dabble in so many.  I gravitate towards landscapes, figures, and animals.  Truthfully, I am quite shameless about genres… if kittens and puppies are selling, that’s what I’ll paint!

Pt. Lobos
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I really enjoy plein air painting and look forward to improving my skills.  At this point I euphemistically consider my weekly efforts to be “sketches” or “studies” or “exercises”.  I paint with a couple of friends each Friday at a horse barn in the hills above Silicon Valley.  The scenery is spectacular and it’s always fun to be able to chat and get opinions from your peers while working.  It’s fun being outside and I’ve learned to enjoy the attention from passerby.

I’m also looking forward to returning home to the East Coast and painting New England with more experience and fresh eyes. My family is moving back to Lexington, Massachusetts this summer after two wonderful years in California.

Who or what inspires you most?

The masters in any field inspire me.  People who study and learn their craft and dedicate their lives to becoming exceptional in what they do inspire me.  I’ve just finished David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers, and was inspired by how they conquered the problem of flight not by luck or daring but by hard work, unbounded curiosity, and study… all in the face of public derision and skepticism.

Silence is Golden
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

After several moves for my wife’s career, I’ve become the “house dad” for our family.  So, procrastination for me can be folding laundry, mowing the lawn… some days I’ll do anything to avoid painting… because I find painting hard work!  It’s like exercising… you’ve got to push yourself to get the most out of it.  But it’s harder than exercise because each painting requires a thousand small decisions and problems to work through.  I also admit to spending hours looking at other artists’ work on DPW or browsing photos for a new painting.

What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

Committing myself to a schedule is the best technique to paint everyday. I tell myself; “Peter, you will paint from 9am to 10am every weekday morning.”  Unfortunately, that hour or two often gets shifted twelve hours later in the day!

Two Red Pears
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

My painting ideas are generally inspired by other artists.  Seeing their work in magazines, on Instagram, and here on DPW is a huge source of inspiration and ideas.  But, I’m also really inspired by the beauty of the world that is outside our doors; just walking my daughters to school, I’m able to come up with dozens of ideas for new paintings.

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

I bump around from genre to genre a lot.  While this is probably not great to build or keep a fan base, it does help me avoid burnout.  Last autumn, I challenged myself to paint thirty dogs in thirty days.  Once I finished, I never wanted to look at the furry beasts again!

Little Pigs
(click to view)

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I like my work best when it is fresh, loose, and “painterly”.  I’m constantly struggling with my tendency to try and work in as many details and hard edges as possible.  I want to be fast, accurate, and capture the essence of the subject.  I’m trying to push myself toward that goal.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I love sharing it with people, I love when a customer emails me to say how happy they are with my painting on their wall, that makes me happy.

Thanks, Peter!

© 2016 Sophie Marine