DPW Spotlight Interview: Shannon Bauer

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

To enter to win Shannon's painting, "Don't Mind If It Rains" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Shannon's DPW Gallery:

My name is Shannon Bauer. I was born in Michigan and now live right outside of Cincinnati, OH. I've always had an interest in art and loved to draw and paint as a child. I took my first formal painting class when I was in college as an art major with a graphic design concentration. I've kept at it ever since, but now find myself most often painting with acrylics. I appreciate the quick-drying time, as a lot of my paintings have layers and layers underneath until the painting comes to a place I am happy with. Painting seems to be the most effective way for me to clear my thoughts. And now I just can't seem to stop!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram @sbauerart. Thank you! (click to view gallery)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I was always interested in art as a child. I transitioned into painting during my college years as an art major with a graphic design concentration. Studio courses for drawing and painting were my favorite and gave me the opportunity to discover a true passion.

Don't Mind If It Rains
(click to view)

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

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

I have had several periods of time where my work seems to come to a standstill.  Even though I enjoyed painting in college, I didn't make it a priority in my life until years later.  Now I try to paint at least a couple times a week, and the quality of the work that's produced on those days seems to greatly impact how eager I am to try another painting. I often have times of frustration, but I just push on!

Olive No. 13
(click to view)

Describe your journey through mediums and genres.

I've experimented with Oils, Acrylics, Pencil, and Pastel. Landscapes have always been my favorite to paint, but I try to branch out here and there, painting animals and still life subjects. I've been painting solely with acrylics for a few years now.  In the beginning, the drying time required quite an adjustment, but now I feel it helps me to paint faster and fuss less (on a good day).

Because it's been years since I've painted seriously with oils, I keep wanting to give it another try just to see what unexpected discoveries lie on that path! I'd also like to try to approach more cityscapes and larger projects.

Who or what inspires you most?

I'm inspired by vast spaces of clouds, hills, oceans, and all nature really.  When I feel that I need an extra boost of inspiration I like to look up the work of Stuart Shills, Jon Redmond, Eric Aho, Mark Bohne, Oliver Akers Douglas, Liza Hurst... and the list keeps growing.

First Things
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

Playing scrabble on my phone against my husband, checking out social media, and sometimes cleaning.

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

I always have a space in the weekend when my family knows I will be busy painting for a couple hours.  Sometimes at night I have enough energy to sketch out the bones of a painting and that gives me a little momentum for the next day if the baby decides to nap!

Sydney
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

A lot of my landscapes come from photos I snap on my phone when my husband is driving and I'm staring out the car window.  I do take artistic liberties... Sometimes the most beautiful cloud formation is hanging over an unappealing parking lot.

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

I am no master of this, but I can say when I start to feel burnout I usually switch to another subject.  If I haven't painted a landscape I'm happy with for awhile, I'll start taking pictures of my cat or buildings and go from there.

Later That Year
(click to view)

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

I always wanted to be able to paint loosely and somehow still have every stroke look intentional and flawless.  That approach hasn't worked out for me. Right now I feel I am learning to embrace imperfection. When my hand becomes tight and too controlling I am usually not very happy with the product. In contrast, sometimes the imperfections are the most interesting parts.

What makes you happiest about your art?

When I get in the zone and I'm listing to my music, I can forget about absolutely anything that was bothering me prior to painting. It's a nice escape that helps me feel more balanced as a person.  As an introvert, my art helps me to connect to people that I may not otherwise be able to connect to, and that always makes me feel good.

Thanks, Shannon!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Shari Buelt

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

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

From Shari's DPW Gallery:

I grew up surrounded by the beautiful, tropical colors unique to Hawaii. My love of the ocean continued after moving to the Pacific Northwest and discovering the Oregon coast and the Salish Sea. Many of my painting express the beauty I am surrounded by daily. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have always loved art, but mostly dabbled in drawing, ceramic sculpture, and decorative painting.  When our youngest daughter was about six months old, I decided to check out a local painting class.  That was fourteen years ago and my passion was ignited!

Surfer Boy
(click to view)

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

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

Definitely!  The longest "stop" was when we began home schooling our girls and moved onto our sailboat.  That was about seven years of very little painting.  When we weren't schooling the girls and the weather was nice, I'd get out my easel and paint outside on the back deck of our boat.  Also, while we were living aboard, my husband gave me a "vacation" for Christmas every year.  I would go away for a few days and stay somewhere by the sea, and paint my heart out.  So I had little plugs of painting to keep the embers of creativity warm.  Four years ago, we moved off our boat and into our house in Olympia, Washington.  It didn't take long for me to start painting again on a semi- regular basis. About a year and a half ago, while browsing through various art magazines, I saw an article about Carol Marine's Daily Painting.  It was like a light bulb went off in my head! Painting small and often... Genius!  I ordered her book and the rest is history.

Heron of the Sea
(click to view)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

My first few paintings I did back in 2002 were done in acrylics.  It didn't take long for me to give oils a try and fall head over heals in love with their buttery consistency and richness of color.  When we decided to move onto our sailboat, I knew I would not be able to continue my love affair with oils;  The dry time would be ridiculously slow as well as not having space to store them as they dried.  I also didn't want to subject our kids to the odors of the various solvents.  Soooo, back to acrylics I went.  Through the years, I learned to love the flexibility of acrylic paints and the dry time can't be beat!  I fantasize of painting with oils again, so it's definitely something that could be showing up in my paintings in the future.

The Sand Man and Beyond
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

Housework, laundry, and playing with the dog!  I am terrible about this.  I can't stand dirty clothes piling up or dust bunnies accumulating around the house.  A good friend of mine sent me this wonderful quote, "Don't let housework stop you from achieving your dreams".  I try to remember that when I'm vacuuming instead of painting.  As for our dog, Salty, I'm a sucker for him, so there's no helping that!

Plump Little Robin
(click to view)

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

The biggest thing for me is prioritizing my artwork.  It has to be on the top of my list, or I will whittle away my time with nonsense.  Getting a routine down really helps me too. After our girls are off to school and I've walked the dog, I make coffee and get to work.  If I put off painting until the afternoon... forget it!  It won't happen.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Most of my ideas come from my surroundings.  Whether it be when we are out sailing, walking about, volunteering at the dog shelter, watching our girls grow...

Dad and Daughter Beach Day
(click to view)

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

Striving to be better with each painting helps me as well as mixing it up.  I don't stick to one subject matter.  I paint what inspires me that day.  I always want to have fun and feel gratification from my work.  Once it becomes a chore, the spark is lost for me.

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

I am trying to loosen up a bit in my painting.   I want to be a little less realistic and a bit more impressionistic.

Thanks, Shari!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Nicki Ault

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


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

From Nicki's DPW Gallery:

Like many, I have loved art my whole life, but for various reasons I have only recently begun to pursue this passion. In August 2009, as an exploration of this artistic side, I began my blog "Nicki Ault: Me, Myself And Who Am I?". In Dec. 2009 I was fortunate enough to join the St.George Ave. Artists' Group in Saskatoon and happily set up my first studio space. In 2013 the building was sold and we had to move. Three months later a new studio location was established with eleven Saskatoon artists; I have been painting at Studio On 20th since early 2014. It has truly become a home away from home. I love working in the studio, but I am a huge fan of painting en plein air, in particular, I love painting in the northern Boreal forest of Saskatchewan. My 8" x 8" original oil paintings are carried exclusively by Darrell Bell Gallery in Saskatoon. My work can be found in private collections in Canada, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.A. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

When I turned thirty, I realized I didn’t want to let any more time pass without pursuing my love of art, so I actually started out by taking figure drawing classes. Two years later, I decided it was time to start painting so I chose to immerse myself in a week long class at a campus in northern Saskatchewan (Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus) using acrylics for the first time. I really didn’t know what I was doing; I didn’t even know what gesso was or why it was on my supply list. I learned a lot from the group critique sessions, discovered plein air painting and loved the instructor, but unfortunately I didn’t gain much technical help. Rather than feeling defeated, I came home with a burning desire to learn more and I immediately signed up for a technical painting class.

Road Closed
(click to view)

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

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

Yes. After two years of taking several classes to learn more about painting with acrylics, I discovered I was having my first baby. Once he arrived in 2002, painting was put on the back-burner and after his brother arrived in 2004 it was put on the back burner’s back burner! Being a new mother pretty much consumed me and I was very sleep deprived, so making art just seemed too impossible energy-wise. I ended up being away from art for five years until my husband encouraged me to return to the northern Saskatchewan art campus in 2007. That experience was transformative for me; I realized I had been ignoring a vital side of myself and one way or another art had to become a priority. Since then, there have been minor breaks in my painting journey, but I think they have just been the ebb and flow of a creative life.

The Ceremony of Fall
(click to view)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Mediums: graphite, charcoal, oil pastels, acrylic and oil paint
Genres: figure/portraits, landscapes, floral still lifes, abstract reflections

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

My main love is landscape painting- it has definitely stuck- and I seem to reach for my oils way more than acrylics now.

Golden Reflection, Lynx Lake
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I feel like my entire foray into floral still lifes was exploratory- the subject (flowers), the medium (I layered oil paint and oil pastels over acrylic washes!) and the support (terraskin paper). I feel like I have some unfinished business and would like continue to experiment with these ideas.

Who or what inspires you most?

My kids certainly inspire me to keep trying to make this art thing happen. I could make a very long list of who inspires me and it would include musicians and authors, but for the sake of a focused answer, I will say that I have been most significantly inspired by early 20th century Canadian painters Tom Thomson (my favourite) and the Group of Seven (especially A.Y. Jackson and Fred Varley). However, I am perhaps most inspired by the artists in my community- the “real” people I know who are actively engaged in making art and bravely sharing their work with the outside world. It is not an easy thing to do. My beloved Saskatchewan landscape provides endless inspiration for new paintings; the northern boreal forest, fresh lakes, big skies, open prairies and wild grasslands. Most recently my studio mate’s new acreage has inspired a whole new series that has me very excited about painting!

On the Edge of Canola
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

Scanning social media, chatting with my studio mate, eating Lindt Sea Salt dark chocolate bars.

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

Actually scheduling in painting time on the family calendar. Occasionally, sending lunch to school with my kids (rather than feeding them at home) so that I can spend longer stretches of time at the studio.

The Descent
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Ideas come to me by getting out into the landscape- drives in the country, hikes in the forest or on prairie trails, and even boat rides in the summer! I take tons of photos to use as resource back at the studio.

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

Hmmmm, I am not sure I have always been successful at this. When things feel stale or forced (this happened earlier this year) I have learned to allow myself to take a break from creating so I can recharge. Instead, I look at art books, visit with friends to “talk art”, I go out and experience the landscape to practice “seeing”… and I take naps!

Flutter By
(click to view)

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

Right now, I am learning to use neutrals in order to make colour really pop and I am experimenting with different layering and scratching effects in my underpaintings. I think right now I am learning to be more focused on the process of painting rather than being focused on the outcome.

What makes you happiest about your art?

That when I am making my art I feel like the most authentic me I know.

Thanks, Nicki!

© 2016 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Gilles Poulizac

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

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

Special note: This interview has been translated from French.

From Gilles' DPW Gallery:

A French painter born in 1970, I am a graduate of Fine Arts in 1999. I live and teach painting at Vannes in Brittany. I teach concepts of values, composition, light being important to make a "good painting" but it must also expresses spontaneity. I simplify the forms for an optimal atmosphere; "suggestion rather than detailing." (click to view gallery)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I started painting in a place called Saint Maur in Paris. I was a teenager and passionate about painting.

Wood Boat
(click to view)

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

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

Once I caught the virus, I never stopped painting.

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

I started by drawing a lot! My Fine Arts education emphasized the practice of drawing. I tried acrylic and collage but found that the mediums most suitable for me are watercolors and oil. I prefer oil for its "passages", its cast, its impasto. Watercolor allows me to work easily.

La Mobe Bleue
(click to view)

Right now, I practice mostly watercolor. I try to work in the studio, to translate the themes I usually find with oil. I watch a lot watercolor artists who are on the front stage (Joseph Zbukvic, David Taylor, Jhon Vardley, etc.) They are very inspiring.

Village
(click to view)

Who or what inspires you most?

In fact, I'm a real sponge. Many painters inspire me and influence in my work. My favorite has long been Edward Hopper. I also look up enormously to impressionist painters, Edgar Degas, Wislow Homer, and John Sargent.

À la Cuisine
(click to view)

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

I like to approach painting full of different themes to avoid monotony.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Light especially will trigger the subject, object or landscape work.

Fauteuil
(click to view)

What makes you happiest about your art?

It is the intoxicating side! I listen to music while painting in my studio. When everything works, it seethes, I cast off and I paint without difficulties, it's almost like an innate gesture.

Thanks, Gilles!

© 2016 Sophie Marine