From Lisa's DPW Gallery Page:
Creative expression has always been a part of my life but oil painting didn't take hold until my early 30's. About seven years in came kids and a blip in the radar...
Now, I paint because I need to, satisfying something inside. Iconic and ordinary subject draw me, whether it's a gadget, an animal or landscape. Sunlight and cast shadows, reflective and rusty surfaces, angles and curves. I'm passionate about all of these things. They make me want to paint.
I have studied at Scottsdale Art School under Susan Diehl and Henry Stinson as well as San Francisco Bay Area artists Timothy Horn, Barbara Bailey-Porter and Keith Wicks. In 2010, I began showing my work at Scottsdale Fine Art, AZ and Wright Gallery-Kona, Hawaii in 2014.
Raised in Southern California, I now make home in Santa Cruz on the Monterey Bay where I'm fortunate to be surrounded by natural beauty. Family, friends, volunteering, traveling and painting satisfy my soul... And great food!
Please follow me on my instagram account; lisasoterofineart.
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.
We always had art and crafts going on in our home. Woodworking in the garage with my Dad, sewing, drawing, screen printing. But my great aunt, is the one who inspired my painting, she was a SF Bay Area artist active in the 60’s and 70’s. In college I took many art classes while studying design and architecture but it wasn’t until the late 80’s that oil painting entered my life.
Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?
I had no easel time when my kids came along but they were the perfect reason to bust out poster paints, watercolors, paper and glue etc., introducing them to the arts early on. Those valuable times filled a void and helped develop my children into incredibly talented artists. About 5 months ago I got the green light to pursue my painting passion more fully, that’s when I joined Daily PaintWorks.
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| Vanilla Creams (click to view) Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing Lisa's interview. |
What mediums and genres have you experimented with?
I will try just about anything but primarily, oil, watercolor, acrylic. Screen printing, mono-printing, paper making, ceramics, photography, welding, woodworking, jewelry, even basket making. I love being a “maker”.
Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?
Oil is my favorite, I love the texture of the paint, how it blends. And even though it’s not a good thing, when the lid is cracked on my brush washer the smell of mineral spirits gives me a charge. Watercolor “fell away” but my niece recently treated me to a workshop in hand-mixing watercolors from raw pigment. It’s revitalized my interest and daily sketching is becoming a habit.
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| Vintage Dresses (click to view) |
Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?
Non-representational work has always interested me and to feel natural, comfortable working in this genre is a goal.
What or who inspires you most?
The old axiom, “It’s not what you paint, it’s how you paint it”, makes just about anything worthy of painting. Artists who inspire me are my sister, Beth Lauterbach (my foremost critic and owner of Scottsdale Fine Art), my great-aunt, Sorolla, Bongart, Rothko, Diebenkorn, Hockney, the Society of Six, many of the Daily Painters and on and on.
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| Golden Gate (click to view) |
Watching YouTube videos of artists at work.
What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?
Even though painting can consume my thoughts, I‘ve marked specific days on my calendar. Otherwise distractions draw me away.
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| 1950's Triumph (click to view) |
How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?
I’m visually stimulated by small, ordinary subjects to grand vistas. Whether it's an iconic gadget, an animal or landscape, color, patterns, sunlight, cast shadows, reflective and rusty surfaces, angles and curves. I'm passionate about all of these things, they make me want to paint.
How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?
Taking occasional workshops, online tutorials, and visiting other artists on DPW.
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| Charlie (click to view) |
What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?
In technique, I’m trying to loosen up. Sometimes I simply have to paint left handed to lose the edges. I’m also learning about the way the internet and social media is changing the art market.
What makes you happiest about your art?
Just doing it, creating!!! It’s definitely a bonus when others appreciate what I’ve done.
Thanks, Lisa!
© 2018 Sophie Marine
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