Thursday, April 30, 2020

DPW Spotlight Interview: Nathan Newell

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Nathans' painting "Green Bow" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.


Tell us a bit about how you first started drawing.

One morning in 2001, my dad was working in the yard while simultaneously keeping an eye on my twin brother and I while we played in the backyard with each other. It doesn't take much to distract two-year-old twin boys. After a while, my dad realized he couldn't hear the nonsense chatter of his kids. He quickly paused his gardening duties and rushed inside to find us. He followed dozens of Sharpie scribbles through the kitchen and up the stairs, to find us happily drawing away on the walls with permanent marker. As they say, they rest is history. Drawing became an essential part of who I was. From kindergarten to my Senior year of high school, I was known as "the kid who draws".

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

I've always been pretty constant in my desires to create art. In 2014, my brother and I made an account on Instagram to share our art with friends and family. That really motivated me to continue drawing because I loved seeing others' reactions to my art. In late 2017, I took a two-year break from my normal life to serve as a full-time missionary in the jungles of Peru for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I did a few watercolor pieces during that time but I was mostly focused on service projects and showing others how they can improve their lives through love, patience, and faith in Christ. Once I returned from Peru, I picked up just where I left off. I created a new account on Instagram (@nathan.newell.art) specifically for my art. I upload progress videos of my artwork as well as final products.

Green Bow
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I have always been fascinated by the simplicity and detail of hyperrealistic still-lifes. Rather than the classic arrangement of vases, fruit, and flowers, I enjoy painting colorful objects such as soda cans, gummy bears, and gift bows. I almost look at it as a branch of pop art because of the intense color against a white background, and the modern subject matter. Something that really catches my eye is shiny objects. If the reference or photograph itself glows with light, then once I recreate it as a drawing, my artwork will also radiate light. I enjoy working with colored pencils and oil paint to accomplish that.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Something that really catches my attention are large pieces of artwork. In the future I want to experiment with larger canvas sizes. Maybe a mural. Obviously it would take longer, but it allows for more detail to be included in the piece. Because we are all experiencing a pause in life, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, I think it's the perfect time to dedicate more to my artwork and develop my potential as an artist.

CRUSHED IT
(click to view)

Who or what inspires you most?

One of my favorite artists and inspirations is Cj Hendry. She draws similar colorful objects such as paint samples and flower petals. She also uses her artwork to benefit others, like the time she drew a massive pair of Nike sneakers, sold it for thousands of dollars, and used it to buy shoes for children in NYC. I may not have the ability right now to help with world poverty, however, I hope that my artwork can make people smile. We can accomplish seemingly impossible ideas if we move one step at a time. It's in the little things.

What does procrastination look like for you?

Sometimes when I've been working on a drawing for a long time, my eyes get so tired of looking at the same thing. I start to criticize my artwork and look for flaws. When that happens I end up taking a break. Usually when I come back, I'm amazed at all the progress I've made, and that motivates me to keep going. It's often hard to see how far we've come until we look back and see the progress.

Yellow Paint
(click to view)

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

When I find myself busy with school, or work, I try to find time for art. This usually means working on smaller projects that aren't so time consuming. What's important to me is that I always make time to practice, so that I can continue to magnify my potential and talent.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Because I mostly draw or paint still-life, I often take pictures with my phone whenever I come across something I know could turn into a glorious piece of art some day. Just this morning, I was painting the wall with my sister in her bedroom. As I dipped the paint brush in the can and watched as the paint seemed to melt off the bristles, I snapped a few shots for future artwork. I usually try to take my own reference photos so that I don't have to deal with copyright.

Gummy Bears
(click to view)

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

I keep a list on my phone of new ideas that I come up with. I always get excited about what I'm going to draw next. This keeps me motivated to finish my current project so that I can get going on the next one. It's kind of a cycle that just repeats itself.

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

Currently I am learning how to reach more people with my art and start up an actual business to sell it. I just created my website where I can sell prints. I'm trying to work out all the kinks and find the best way to make prints and send orders. It's a process, but I'm hoping to talk to other artists in my city and get suggestions for what works best in my area.

Angel Moroni
(click to view)

What makes you happiest about your art?

As I mentioned earlier, I find joy in the whole process of a project. I love seeing how photographing the subject, editing it on photoshop, sketching it out on the canvas, and shading all come together to create a work of art. There's a lot more to art than just drawing or painting. I think of it as a road trip sometimes. It's so important to enjoy the ride and not just the destination. Great things can be accomplished with hard work, dedication, and diligence.

Thanks, Nathan!

© 2020 Sophie Marine

Thursday, April 23, 2020

DPW Spotlight Interview: Susan McManamen

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Susan's painting "Carefully Stacked" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Susan's DPW Gallery Page:

I am a very grateful product of the daily painting movement. Almost eight years ago, I started painting daily. After a week of p
osting on DPW, I began to regularly sell my work. Hurrah!!! Since then I've sold many paintings, won several awards and now I teach weekly oil painting classes and the occasional workshop. I cannot believe my good fortune. To the people who started the daily painting movement and developed it into what it is today, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without you I would be currently working in the cafeteria of the local high school. Instead, I'm doing what I love.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have been playing with paint since I discovered my mom’s toolbox of acrylics around the age of six. Throughout school, I was fortunate to have many encouraging people in my life, including my mom and art teachers. Unfortunately, in college, a few teachers were less than helpful and sometimes downright discouraging. This ultimately derailed my passion for painting for years. When both of my daughters entered school, I decided to try it once again. It was at this time that I found Elizabeth Kincaid, an amazing watercolorist and wonderful teacher. I was off and running once again! My focus on watercolor lasted for several years before I fell in love with oil while plein air painting. Plein air painting has since become quite a passion of mine. My biggest strides as an artist occurred, however, when I decided to become a daily painter.

Carefully Stacked
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

If you can name it, I‘ve probably tried it. There was acrylic, charcoal, ink, and papier-mâché in high school and college. Paper sculpture had its moment after college. Then watercolor when I returned to painting. My current love is oil. Regarding genres, I love to work in all different types. I feel to maintain a daily painter's pace and not burn out, one needs to try every subject or genre under the sun.

Which genres and mediums have "stuck"?

Oil painting has definitely stuck for me in a major way. I find the texture and rich color are completely captivating. Regarding genres, I enjoy painting a wide variety, namely still life, floral, landscape, and urbanscapes.


Which media and genre are you looking forward to exploring?

There are many types of media I am excited to try! I’ve been telling myself for years that I will take up pastels in my sixties. It gives me something to look forward to. I’ve recently seen beautiful paintings created in gouache and decided to make that my “lockdown distraction.” I just signed up for an online class and purchased several tubes of lovely gouache. I’m so excited! Also would love to explore portraiture in the near future.

Who or what inspires you most?

That is so hard to narrow down! There are so many, many incredible artists past and present out there whom I find inspiring. A favorite from the past would be Mary Cassat, an Instagram favorite would be Adam Clague and a daily painting favorite would be Julien Merrow-Smith. I’m enchanted with the way each handles light, color and texture.


What does procrastination look like for you?

Procrastination is my middle name. I’m a master. And it explains why I’m often found painting very late in my studio or as the sun sets outdoors. Accountability keeps it from becoming a total crutch. Setting up a painting challenge where I post the results publicly is huge motivation to get working. My credit card bill is also another big motivator.

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

I often create painting challenges for myself, and this helps combat procrastination as well as gets me excited to do something new! Last year I participated in a “365 paintings in 365 days challenge” and created a YouTube channel to document my process. This year I decided to take on “365 plein air paintings in one year.” This one has been a bear of a challenge. It was especially difficult during the long, wet winter. Thank God for heated vests and big umbrellas! When I participate in a challenge, my first thought in the morning is when and where am I going to do my painting for the day. Then I build the rest of the day’s activities around that.


How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

A lot of my painting subjects are seasonal in nature. In the spring I often paint a lot of flowers, in the summer I paint in the field doing landscapes, in the fall there’s pumpkins and sunflowers and in the winter there’s Christmas. My extensive prop collection is very helpful. I’ve gleefully collected from many an antique shop and thrift store over the years. My crowded, untidy, prop shelves can be quite inspiring. There are also my oil painting students and artist friends who often have wonderful ideas to share. Never underestimate the power of collaboration.

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

Easily the best way I have found to keep my art fresh is to take a class, either in person or online, with an artist I admire. The next best is to be willing to paint a large variety of subjects indoors and out. In the end, regardless of the subject, it’s all just shapes and colors, right?


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

Color, unquestionably. I am always striving to be more sensitive to color subtleties and be more expressive. Then of course there is value. So much power and poetry in properly handled values.

What makes you happiest about your art?  

Two things make me happy really, really happy about my art. First is the opportunity to spend so much time observing and soaking in something beautiful. Second is the thank you note I get from a collector who loves their newest painting. :)

I have to say a huge thank you to everyone at Daily Paintworks. It’s here that I was able to first consistently sell my work, giving me the confidence to keep painting and build the business I have today. You guys rock!!

Thanks, Susan!

© 2020 Sophie Marine

Thursday, April 16, 2020

DPW Spotlight Interview: Ferial Nassirzadeh

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Ferial's painting "Roses in Glass Vase" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Ferial's DPW Gallery Page:


I love living in So. California, very close to Laguna Beach! It is beautiful and inspiring with so many art related happenings! I paint in oils and I do a lot of studio paintings from life. Setting my still lifes are fun and it takes a long time for me to get the right composition, mood and effect, but certainly worth the time!

I love the play of light on objects and flowers. The shadows help to dramatize the paintings and are an important part. I have had quite a lot of artistic influences in workshops with such masters like David Leffel, Jeff Watts, John Cosby, Jackie Kamin, Daniel J. Keys and others whose work I admire. I study their works, I learn from them, they help me in my artistic journey. I am always a student of arts!


I have won several awards, have been featured in Southwest Art as "Artists to Watch" and I am represented by Artist Eye Gallery in Laguna Beach and Cottage Gallery in San Juan Capistrano. I love painting still life and floral paintings, but I also do figurative and landscapes.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have always been good with my hands. I did embroidery and crafty things for many years. About fifteen years ago I took art classes at the local college and then painting workshops and I was hooked! I have taken classes and workshops in atelier settings and from many artists whose work I love.

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

When I started painting it was just a hobby. I was working (still am part time) and didn’t have too much time, but since 2012, I became serious about my art, got representation in local galleries and now I paint a lot more.

Roses in Glass Vase
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I started with watercolors. I have worked with acrylics, oils, and charcoal. But I love oils. I love the way it moves and I can push it around. As far as genres go, I started with plein air painting and I loved it, but after a few years I had to stop because of physical difficulties.  I do portraits, figurative, landscapes, cityscapes and still life paintings. I love still life paintings and I paint from life.

Which ones have stuck and which ones have fallen away?

I love painting flowers. I also like still life arrangements. Most of my still lifes have flowers in them though!

English Roses in Antique Pitcher
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I think figurative and cityscapes.

Who or what inspires you most?

Masters like Fantin Latour, Sargent, Sorolla, Bischoff, Frans Mortelmans, Richard Schmid, David Leffel, Daniel Keys, Dennis Perrin... There are so many great artists past and present! I also get inspired by nature. Beautiful flowers, beautiful places, and just beauty!

Chinese Lanterns
(click to view)

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

It is so much easier to make time when you live by yourself! I don’t watch much TV, only enough to know what is going on in the world. I discipline myself to paint at least four days a week or more. Even if I come home in the evening, I will do a small study.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I am always studying art books and art magazines and watching art videos. I am always going to antique stores to look for something that grabs me and makes me want to put it in my paintings. I have fresh flowers in my house at all times and look for beautiful flowers with pretty colors and shapes. I love roses. I paint them a lot. They are a very complex flower and I am always experimenting with new ways to paint them. Beauty inspires me.

Brass Pot and Roses
(click to view)

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

There are so many flowers and each one has their own voice and beauty. I love to paint all of them, so I never get burned out. There are too many beautiful things to paint. I also try and paint different subjects and different sizes. I love the smaller paintings as I like to paint wet on wet and I can usually finish them in one day. Arranging my still life set ups and my flowers excite me.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I am always learning. I am a student of art. I like to try different approaches and when something works and I have a beautiful, solid painting, it makes me happy. I love what I do and it makes me happy if my viewer can feel what I felt when I painted that painting: excitement and love.

Lune on the Big Chair
(click to view)

Thanks, Ferial!

© 2020 Sophie Marine

Friday, April 10, 2020

DPW Spotlight Interview: Kevin Reisenbichler

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Kevin's painting "LaFrance" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

The first time I oil painted I was in high school. I later went to the University of Central Missouri and majored in commercial art with an emphasis on illustration, graduating in 2003. I took the required painting classes and maybe one or two others but mostly used acrylic paint until switching to oil after graduating.

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

I can’t count all of the stops and starts in my painting career. Some were months and some were years. After I graduated college I would consistently be thinking about painting but it seemed like there was always something more pressing to be done. I applied for a job on the fire department and I’ve been a Kansas City firefighter for fifteen years now. Along the way I would pick up painting for a few weeks and then fall back out of the habit for all of the same reasons most artists stop and start (family, work, home projects etc...) I recently turned forty and decided that I was going to make painting a priority. Since then I’ve been painting steadily every day that I’m not at the fire station.

LaFrance
(click to view)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?


I’ve experimented with most of the standard mediums at some point. I’ve used graphite, water color, acrylic, pastel and oil all at some point. It’s easy to want to try using a different medium after you have a long series of failed drawings or paintings. I’ve decided that oil paint is what I prefer to use because of its versatility and durability. I’ve experimented with abstract paintings at different points but really prefer to work flat boxes of color and gestural lines into representational shapes.

What ones have stuck and which ones have fallen away?

For the last six months I’ve been using oil exclusively with the exception of when I pick up my sketch book.

Crossroads Northbound
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I would love to try using gouache at some point and give pastel another shot. For the moment I’m pretty committed to oil and using different tools (squeegees, ink rollers, scrapers and different brushes) to get a desired effect.

Who or what inspires you?

As far as painting is concerned there are so many painters out there that inspire me. I recently started using social media (mainly Instagram) after keeping my distance from it for the last ten years. I follow different painters and hashtags and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of talent that’s out there.

Yellow Kicks
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

I’m most definitely a procrastinator but as I get older I’ve been able to find a little more discipline.  I’ll find myself cleaning or going through my news apps to avoid a painting when it’s at that point where it could go either way (success or failure). Once something feels like it’s going to be successful and it’s ninety percent finished it’s easy to return to the easel and put the finishing touches on. I recently deleted all of those news apps that absorb way too much of my time with little return.

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

I think what works the best for me is just making sure that I paint first before all of the other things that need to be done. There’s always mundane house chores that have to be done but lately I paint first. I’ll give myself till a certain time and then I’ll work on those other things or go to the gym. It makes for a pretty tight schedule every day but it’s really the only thing that works for me. If I wait till the end of the day to paint it usually won’t happen. Painting absorbs a lot of energy and if I put it off I don’t feel like I’m mentally there.

Untitled
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at the ideas for your paintings?

Lately, I’ll drive around the city looking for things that I feel have potential. I usually leave work around 7 or 8 am and the sun is coming up so the light is usually interesting. Sometimes I come across something that catches my eye and I’ll give it a shot and sometimes I’ll drive around for a couple hours and come up empty handed. Like most artists I’d prefer to work from life but sometimes that’s just not possible and an iPhone photo is all you have. They can be great tools and they’re super concealable and I always have mine with me.

How do you keep your art fresh?  

Lately I’ve been working on a lot of cityscape paintings but sometimes I’ll need to take a step back from those and give some other subject a shot. I find myself doing that a lot the last six months but I’ll flip through Instagram and see someone else’s awe inspiring cityscape and I’ll come right back to it. Experimenting with different tools also helps keep it interesting for me.

Vintage John Deere #1
(click to view)

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

Honestly, everything. Color, light, value, color mixing, etc... Things that I’m sure some would consider fundamental painting skills present problems almost every time I paint. I just try and take a step back and work through all of those problems. More specifically though I’ve been working on a couple of paintings that I felt worked as small paintings and turned them into larger ones. It’s crazy how all you’re doing is putting the same image in a larger space and it’s a huge challenge. All of of the squiggly goop that worked well in the smaller painting doesn’t always work in the larger painting and it feels flat and boring.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Progressing! I couldn’t achieve the same effects that I can now a year ago and hopefully I’ll be able to say the same thing in 2021.

Thanks, Kevin!

© 2020 Sophie Marine

Thursday, April 2, 2020

DPW Spotlight Interview: Erin Rosen

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Erin's painting "Another Bright Idea" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Erin's DPW Gallery Page:


Los Angeles native, Erin Rosen has been a professional painter for over twenty years. As an art major in college, her focus was primarily on the figure. However, right after graduating, she discovered her love of the Impressionist landscape and quickly became known for her ability to capture light. Alongside the landscape and figurative genres, Erin finds inspiration in a multitude of subject matter including urban scenes, still life, and animals. As often as she hears "Paint larger!", Erin continues being pulled to paint miniature for the freshness that can be achieved in them. Erin has been in numerous gallery and juried art exhibits throughout the years and is an artist member of the prestigious California Art Club. When not painting, she enjoys local road-trip photography and caring for her dogs.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

Drawing and painting have always been as much a part of me as my eye color, so it’s hard to say when I started, but I can say that I went pro about three years after receiving my BA and subsequent teaching credential.

Another Bright Idea
(click to view)

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

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

I have worked with oils, acrylics, watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and pencil.

Although I built my career with oil paint, I have a deep love for gouache as well, so those two have stuck with me.

As far as genres, while I started my career mainly painting landscapes, I love exploring other genres as well, including figurative/portraits, urban scenes, animals, and still life.

I tend to become rather obsessed with each one for a given period of time, and rotate them all continuously… I am still trying to figure out if this is a blessing or a curse…

Hot Stuff
(click to view)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I am currently on a still-life kick, so I am looking forward to painting the various items I have lined up, as well as hunting for new objects to paint.

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

I have learned to say “No” to invitations from people I care about in order to prioritize studio time.  Of course, as I write this, we are all quarantined, so that is not a problem for me right now!

Pink Bungalow
(click to view)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I am very visual, so depending on what genre phase I am in, I will basically “hunt” for imagery that speaks to me. For example, while in my car-painting phase, I would go out driving at certain times of day and take tons of photos. Then I’d come home and peruse the photos until I saw something that struck a chord in me.

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

If I am inspired by my subject and am able to authentically paint it with decisiveness and without “fiddling,” I think freshness will naturally translate to the viewer. Rotating subject matter and staying authentic to what I truly want to paint definitely helps me from getting burnout.

Happy Hour

What is your biggest strength and your biggest challenge as an artist?

I would say my biggest strength is my ability to capture light. My biggest challenge is taking on the world of social media.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I am happiest when my art moves someone to want to hang it on their wall so that they can see it every day!

Vanilla Extract
(click to view)

Where do you see your art career heading?

I love to teach, so I plan to do more private teaching and coaching.

What three tips would you offer to people just starting out painting?

1. Try out a limited palette to simplify things, and then add only what is necessary to achieve your desired effect.

2. Experiment with different surfaces. Linen canvas is a world away from cotton.

3. Trust what you see; not what you *think* you see.

Thanks, Erin!

© 2020 Sophie Marine