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.
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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Lune on the Big Chair (click to view) |
Thanks, Ferial!
© 2020 Sophie Marine
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