DPW Spotlight Interview: Jessica Green

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

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

From Jessica's DPW Gallery:

I find joy in creating beauitful works of art; it is a refreshing and life-giving process. I love color and visible, vibrant brushstrokes. Thanks for visiting my Daily Paintworks Gallery, it's a joy for me to be a part of this community of artists! :)

My professional background is in art education and I worked full-time as an elementary art teacher (best job ever!) for seven years. I was laid off in 2011 due to budget cuts in my school district. It was hard to leave my students and a job that I loved, but that situation has actually been a blessing in hindsight as I've seen God provide new opportunities for me since that time! (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I went to college to become an art teacher and through that training was exposed to lots of art mediums and processes. After about eight years of being an elementary art teacher, I stopped working full-time to be at home with my two young children. It was around that time that I discovered the daily painting movement. I was attracted to the promise of growing my skills by painting frequently and on small surfaces. In 2013, I started my DPW journey with my goal of painting 500 paintings and also launched my blog which would chronicle my progress and growth along the way.

Backyard I
(click to view)

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

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

Finding time each week to paint is still sometimes a challenge for me. I teach art classes for children throughout the year and run art camps in the summer. I am also starting the adventure of homeschooling my two kids… so finding time to fit all of this in along with painting is tricky for sure. There are a few months of the year where my teaching commitments are less and I try to maximize those times with lots and lots of painting!

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

As an art teacher, I’ve been able to experiment with a variety of art materials. I started off painting with acrylic paints in college and the years following, but then transitioned to oils. I’ve always been drawn to Post Impressionism with its bright colors and brushstrokes. I also love subjects that are easy to relate to such as landscapes and still lifes.

Decisions
(click to view)

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

I like the easy clean-up of acrylics, and I still use them when leading painting classes. However, oils have won me over for the long haul due to their vibrancy, sheen, and ability to blend.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Someday, I’d like to try pastels in plein air and also some abstract encaustic wax work… but I feel like my hands are pretty full at the moment, maybe next decade!

Mark from Above
(click to view)

Who or what inspires you most?

I am inspired by paintings where the artist has a keen understanding of warm/cool colors, can nail values, and has fresh and fun brushwork. Carol Marine was one of the first artists I came across who had this effect on me. Some of my other favorites include: Troy Kilgore, Hollie Storlie, Liz Mullens, and Donna Shortt.

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

Scheduling set times during each week where my husband or my parents can watch the kiddos so that I can have some quiet space to paint. Also setting goals has really helped. I participated in the ‘30 Paintings in 30 Days’ challenge this past January and that really helped me get a lot done. I was posting each day on my social media outlets, so I had the accountability/pressure not to quit which really helped me push through.

Marina
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I generally use everyday landscapes that I observe everyday while driving around in the car. We live in Indianapolis and are only 15 minutes away from downtown. By driving the opposite direction, we are about 15 minutes to country fields… I enjoy the variety of urban and rural inspiration. I also am drawn to color and shapes from subjects like produce and flowers for my still life pieces.

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

Aiming to have most all of my pieces done alla prima (completed all in one session), which helps me not to overwork my paintings.  I also gather a lot of inspiration from artists that I follow on Instagram and they give me ideas on directions I can experiment with in my own style.

Trader's Tulips
(click to view)

What makes you happiest about your art?

For me, painting is like speaking a language and exercising a muscle. It feels great to exercise a gift that I’ve been given, to translate a beautiful scene or subject with my own voice or style. After I’m done with a painting, it’s satisfying to stand back and see the results; it keeps me coming back for more!

Thanks, Jessica!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Jessie Dodington

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

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

From Jessie's DPW Gallery:

Jessie Dodington is a visual artist working in oil, acrylic, watercolor and drawing media. She graduated with a BFA from Mount Allison University, New Brunswick, Canada in 2008 and moved to Portales, New Mexico in 2010 with her better half, a biochemistry professor.

Her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in the United States, Canada and the U.K. She enjoys multi-day hiking, camping and painting excursions around New Mexico is an active member of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, New Mexico Art League, Portales Art Guild, Pintores Art League and New Mexico Watercolor Society. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I really connected to the act of painting in grade six, around the age of twelve. I fell in love with the paintings of the famous Canadian “Group of 7” who painted rough en plain air studies of nature and the Canadian wilderness. I happened to have a great teacher at the time who introduced me to so much, as well as an encouraging family who appreciated art. Long before grade six though, when I was really small, my grandfather made me a really nice easel that I used regularly, so I suppose you could say I first started painting then.

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

I had a few detours in my painting career. I wanted to see if there was a career other than art that could make me happy because art as a career is such a challenging and uncertain path. I have enjoyed these detours; I have been a web-design intern, knitting designer and then school librarian, but found they did not leave me with enough time and energy for painting. And without enough painting in my life, I discovered I was unhappy.

Sandy Cliffs
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

I think I’ve at least tried most mediums either in art school or on my own. The ones that have stuck with me are oils in the studio and watercolor when traveling. As soon as I discovered oils, I stopped using acrylics for over a decade. I am beginning to experiment with acrylics again though because of how quickly I can create layers upon layers as they dry so rapidly.

As for genre, I most enjoy creating landscapes and any paintings with nature as the main subject matter. I find it easiest to connect to my immediate outdoor surroundings so that is often the content of my work. I have an affinity for animals as well, and they will likely continue to make appearances in my paintings for a long time to come.

Which mediums are you looking forward to exploring? 

I have painted in oil for thirteen years but still feel I have so much more to explore within the medium.

Fox and I
(click to view)

Who or what inspires you most?

I love witnessing the output of prolific artists, regardless of their styles or subject matter. Seeing that fever-to-create in others is thrilling. Reading about Vincent Van Gogh and how much he created, how he couldn’t resist making painting after painting every day is awe-inspiring.

What does procrastination look like for you?

Procrastination is sneaky! For me it takes on the guise of other jobs and interests. I am interested and enjoy so many different activities (tennis, reading, yoga, writing, brewing kombucha and growing keifer, hiking, crafting… to name a few) that it is VERY easy to be distracted and busy all the time. When I am honest with myself I realize that what would make me happiest is to focus on painting more, and that includes putting in the necessary time getting my paintings out into the public eye.

February Desert
(click to view)

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

The internet has been great in helping me feel like there is an audience for what I make and that I need to keep making it. Sometimes, if you live in a remote location like I do, or you haven’t found an audience for your art, you can forget why you work so hard to produce art that only you see. Blogging has held me accountable to create and reflect back to the public on a regular basis. I think the Daily Paintworks website is a brilliant way to motivate painters to keep up regular production and posting.

Lately, it has been my involvement with artist organizations that keeps me committed. As a part of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM), I take part in regular “paintouts” in beautiful locations around the state. I also wrote myself a letter and taped it to my studio wall to remind myself why I keep at it.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I keep sketchbooks and write about ideas with no filter that I peruse later. I also take a LOT of photographs for their potential as reference material. I decide on most of my plain air subjects based on the light. If the light catches my eye the next thing I’ll think is, “do I have time to make a painting of this?”

Doug
(click to view)

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

I’m not sure I’ve learned how to avoid burnout… but I cope with burnout by putting the series I’m working on (and often the medium too) on hold and switching to drawing or watercolor. It’s the eggs-in-one-basket issue. As long as I have a variety of interests, I can always switch between them when I feel bored or uninspired in one area. No matter how often I’ve felt I’d never regain interest in a particular series, I usually do. I also tend to have even better ideas when I revisit the series after a period of avoiding it. Ongoing research, reading and just having other interests informs my work and keeps it fresh for me.

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

Right now, I’m learning about the business side of being an artist. I know how to paint and keep up the desire to paint but I’m still learning how to view my work as an outsider, see the bigger picture and make tough decisions about my future and career goals. I’m beginning my Masters of Fine Arts at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas and am counting on learning a lot more about my art and the art world in the next few years.

Galisteo Basin Preserve
(click to view)

What makes you happiest about your art?

Art feels like a best friend I met when I was twelve. We go through everything together and she’ll always be there for me.

Thanks, Jessie!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Karleen Kareem

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

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

From Karleen's DPW Gallery:

The historical town of Sanford, FL. is where I call home. This town has a lot of art and culture, and I love it. I live in a historical house and from there is where I do my artwork. Most of my work is Contemporary/Naive/ Folk Art / Whimsical. Recently, I started doing Abstract, which I enjoy very much. Since doing Abstract Art, I found it to be much harder to do than what I previously thought, therefore, I have a new admiration for those that are successful at it. My favorite medium is acrylic, but I do use watercolors, as well. I use either stretched canvas or quality canvas paper and for the watercolors, quality watercolor paper. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.  

There's a workbook called 'The Artists' Way'.  It's not just for artists, but for everyone because everyone was born with creativity.  When some of us were very young, our creativity was crushed by one way or another.  This book has twelve chapters (exercises) for you to do which brings out your creativity, whatever it my be. It helps you find that creativity hidden inside. Through this workbook, at the age of sixty, I discovered that I LOVE to paint, so I started painting every day.

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

So far, I haven't had any stops, but I've only been painting since the beginning of 2013.  I've heard that all artists go through that 'stop' period, so maybe that will happen to me too, but, I hope not.

Summer Cottage
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I do acrylic and watercolor.  I've tried soft pastels and oil pastels, but I don't care too much for those. Haven't tried oils yet, but that may come later on. As far as the genres, I enjoy contemporary landscape, cityscape and seascape the best.

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

As far as mediums, I have to say the pastels have fallen away.  And as far as the genres, I guess I would have to say the still life has fallen away.  But, you never know.  I change my mind a lot. Ha!

Flower Garden on the Hill
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I look forward to someday exploring oils. I want to see the difference between acrylic and oil painting.        

Who or what inspires you most?

Color is what inspires me.  My favorite artists are the ones who paint with a lot of bright colors.
Colorful landscapes, colorful streets of the city, etc.

Spending Time on the Beach
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

I love painting so much that I procrastinate working on promoting my art.

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

Honestly, I need techniques to make time for other things like housework.  I do my housework while I wait for paint to dry.

Peaceful Mountain Living
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I might see some houses, or some buildings that I like and then I incorporate them into my painting. But, I have to say, that most of my paintings are from my imagination.

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

I don't do the same thing all the time, or the exact same style.  I like to try little things that make the art more interesting and a little different.  I see that some artists seem to do the same exact style on every painting, same medium, same colors.  I try to change my style a little and try different things.
But, I guess if an artist finds a style that they're really good at and it sells well, they might as well stick with it.

Sailboats and Fish
(click to view)

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

Well, since I'm a new artist, I still have a lot to learn and I'm learning all the time.  Right now, I'm learning how to place the color, what color I should place beside it and what, in my painting, I want to make as the focal point.

What makes you happiest about your art?

When I can finish a happy painting and it makes me smile, I'm happy because that's what I want my art to do... put a smile on the faces of people.

Thanks, Karleen!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Haze Long

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

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

From Haze's DPW Gallery:

I am a professional artist in my 30s living in Malaysia. I grew up loving art and would frequently draw portraits to ease my mind. As with any other chinese family, pursuing any sort of creative endeavours would result in a demotivating backlash. Looking back, studying something more academic would make more sense since I had the brains for it. Nevertheless, I insisted on furthering my studies on Film & Animation. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I started painting when I was in my teens, it was an outlet of expression and I would draw portraits all the time. Slowly they became better and more refined over the years.

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

Definitely, I stopped painting when I was in university in order to focus on my studies. It wasn't until after my father passed away that I've finally picked up a brush and started painting again. My best friend convinced me to pursue a career in art and fortunately for both of us, it went very well.

Potted Succulent III
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I first started out with sketches and was trained rigorously in pen sketches by one of my lecturers. I painted digitally often when I was young and that helped my business when we started a mural and arts company in my country. Since then, it has been 24/7 acrylics and mural painting. We did all sorts of art from pyrography to graffiti. My skills soon improved immensely and I was motivated to try oils. That's when I discovered Daily Paintworks.

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

Well, I enjoy every medium I have learned so far and mastering one leads to greater understanding of another. I think I am not suited for color pencils or pastels, nor am I inclined towards hyper realism. I simply do not have the patience for working on the same piece for a long period of time.

Asa II
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Right now, I am back to digital artwork, watercolor, charcoal and oils. Oils is such a difficult medium to master and I am expecting a life long learning process for that one.

Who or what inspires you most?

Steve Jobs.

Lemon in a Box
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

It can be very difficult, especially lately. There can be canvases and projects ongoing and I will just be sleeping the day off. The one thing I've learned is to know that things get easier once the wheels have started rolling.

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

1. The art doesn't have to be a masterpiece
2. I don't have to finish it today
3. Have someone else set a deadline for me
4. Watch tutorials and read books on art

Iris II
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

It usually comes when I am working on other art projects and other mediums.

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

For me, I can't stop painting. Once I stop for a day, a long timeout occurs until I am motivated again. The busier I am, the more productive I am. My art works when I put less thought into it, I just need to focus on either the emotion or the objective of the artwork.  

Secret Waterfall at Serendah
(click to view)

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

I am still a painter. Loads to learn before I can consider myself an artist.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I am happy now that I am finally creating art for myself and slowly stepping away from signature-less art creation.

Thanks, Haze!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Heidi Malott

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

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

From Heidi's DPW Gallery:

Hello! I have been driven by art since I can remember. I studied art in college for a couple years. Life got a little tangled and I had to quit school and go to work. That did not deter me. My love for painting would always be a part of my life. A few years later I fell in love with "one of the good ones". We started out with little but we still managed for me to stay home and raise our 4 children which I am still in the thick of doing. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have enjoyed painting since I entered an art contest in the second grade. I really haven’t stopped drawing and painting since grade school. I attended college to study fine arts. Along came marriage and children. I attended a couple art workshops and had the privilege to plein air paint with a group of local artists. One whom I feel I owe such gratitude to, Dr. Fred Doloresco. For years, I had been painting but really struggling with the techniques of oil and color. I learned more painting en plein air with him than I ever did in the classroom.

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

Definitely, many times!  I am a wife and stay at home mom with four children.  When I was in the trenches of motherhood, painting at a career level was not possible so I put it on the back burner many times.  Creativity was always on my mind and would surface in an occasional commissioned piece, sketching, hand-quilting and many times watercolors with the kids or even sidewalk chalk.

A New Morning
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

In college, I was introduced to watercolor by a wonderfully talented professor.  I also worked with charcoal, pencil, pastels and three dimensional art.  I always put off trying oil as a student, knowing it was an expensive medium and that someday I would be ready. I finally bought some tubes of oil about eighteen years ago and haven’t used anything else since. I started with realism but love expressive impressionism.

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

I work exclusively in oil.   Impressionism has been my ultimate goal.  For years, I worked very detailed and longed to capture the essence and mood of a moment.  When I am inspired by something, I want to draw the viewer into one of my paintings and have them explore and “travel” around the painting and hopefully find some nice “resting” spots, hopefully seeing what inspired me to do so.  If a group of people paint the same scene it is amazing how differently it is interpreted.   This is exciting to me.

Farmer's Market
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I don’t know if I could ever be done exploring oil.  I am always learning what works and what doesn’t.

Who or what inspires you most? 

I am inspired by John Singer Sargent, Edgar Payne,  John F. Carlson, Robert Henri, Nicolai Fechin, Edward Potthast, Mary Cassatt, Kevin Macpherson,  Peggi Kroll,  Jennifer McChristian, William Wray, I could go on and on.  Plein air painting and alla prima painting.  I love the urgency of capturing a fleeting moment.

Floral Bouquet
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

Procrastination happens when I hit the dreaded artist block.  I usually check out other artists' work online.  This can be a good time to clean and organize my studio.  Sometimes I just take a break from painting and resume mundane household things like laundry.  Sometimes you just have to take a break.

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

I am fairly disciplined and very much a creature of habit.  I treat studio time like any job.  I have a certain amount of time carved out and if I don’t get started it won’t get done.  I start early in the morning.  Coffee, breakfast, and exercise help keep me moving forward.

Longhorns
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

This is the best and worst part of painting!  I am easily distracted by things I want to paint.  I can be driving to the grocery store and notice that the clouds in the sky are amazing.  I can’t tell you how many times I have pulled over to get out and take pictures, even with my phone (best part of a cell phone if you ask me.)  The hard part is when I feel I am in a rut.  I bounce from one subject to another or I get burned out.  That is why you may see four beach scenes that I have painted and then I move on to painting chickens or cows and so on.

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

Oops, I guess I started to answer that in the last question.  Plein air painting and small scale daily painting keep my work fresh.

Patient Partner
(click to view)

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

Hm… this may be due in part to getting older but being content with the process of creating art.  Not feeling anxious about whether a painting turns out or not.  I like being productive and having something to show for my effort but that doesn’t always work out, so I try to be content with the process as a journey.

What makes you happiest about your art? 

Every day that I am able to paint is a gift.  Ten years ago, I started posting paintings online.  I would have never guessed that my little paintings could make a connection with others across the globe.  I am so thrilled when someone says that my artwork touches them in some way, whether it reminds them of their hometown or just makes them happy.

Thanks, Heidi!

© 2016 Sophie Marine