DPW Spotlight Interview: Jenny Johansen

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

From Jenny's DPW Gallery Page:

Finding the sound within silence

Jenny became an artist after spending time entranced in Utah's landscapes. She believes that every landscape has soul and soundtrack, and works to convey those rhythms and notes through her paintings.

Fascinated by classic paintings on copper and the natural luminance, it became her preferred painting surface. The combination of bold color and copper light give her paintings a sound that is best experienced in person.

You will find Jenny on remote roads, happily lost in the desert, or on a mountain peak; observing the always changing light and taking in every breath of that harmonic high.

What did you want to be growing up?

I grew up in a household with a father who played guitar in a band through the late 60’s and 70s. I always wanted to be creative and thought of being a songwriter/singer, or interior designer. The idea of landscape painting had never crossed my mind.

When did your artistic journey begin?

My creative side really started to manifest itself in high school. First with poetry and later with visual arts.

Daydreamer
(click to view)

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

Did you have long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

I married after highschool and focused on family life. Even though I was not focused on oil painting, I was still very engaged artistically through restoring a Victorian home, photography and other creative pursuits throughout daily life. As my children grew up they became engaged in creative endeavors.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal? 

I never saw myself as a landscape painter; yet the more time I spent outdoors the more I grew to appreciate unique moments that can only be found in the wild. After signing up for a plein air workshop on a whim with my mother-in-law, who is a plein air landscape artist, I was surprised at how differently I viewed the landscape. I began to experiment in oil, basic values and composition. After seeing a painting on copper, I became very intrigued in the look of oil on copper. Copper became my preferred surface almost immediately. Post impressionist art has always been my favorite and I think that shows in my work and the use of copper gives my paintings an ethereal atmosphere.

Afternoon Layers
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?

Finding my artistic voice has been a long process, and at times frustrating. Pulling out oil paints and dedicating time to practice while raising 6 kids is not the most ideal way to find peace. I relied upon plein air festivals as incentive to motivate me to paint seriously at least a few times a year. Having always been drawn to vivid color, it felt natural when my preferences surfaced through paint choices. When I first started painting, I focused heavily on the use of a palette knife. It has been only the last few years that brush work has become my primary tool in painting. I’ve grown to love the effects of leaving bits of copper showing through on my paintings.

Name an artist (or artists), well known or not, you admire. Why?

You hear of Vincent Van Gogh a lot when artists reference influences, yet he is an inescapable influence on my love of landscape paintings. I love the movement in his paintings and the story of his struggles and being human. They speak to me, and I become rather emotional every time I get the opportunity to view his paintings in real life.

After the Storm
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self - what would that be?

Never underestimate the power of practice.

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?

A designated place for the creation of art is vital. Do not put your art supplies away, ever! It’s really hard to get them back out. Make a habit out of observing, seeing, and creating art.

Snapshot
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

I visited an art exhibit in an LA art gallery which was an old wash board with a dirty coat in water that had attracted lots of flies. I couldn’t really see the beauty in it, but it helped me to realize that everyone’s view of art is different. I also remind myself that people have enjoyed my paintings enough to buy them for themselves.

Even paintings that I think are failures, speak to people in important ways. The fact that people find meaning in my art, even if not what I see or intended, helps me find the motivation to share more.

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

It’s taken 16 years to get to the crossroad that I’m at now. I have a little more time and have simple goals: paint more. I have been able to set up a more reliable practice and share what I am creating. In doing so I have found that a lot more people are paying attention. My long term goals are to continue to share those moments I can capture in paint.

90% Chance of Rain
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?

It makes me happy knowing that people have found a connection in my work and have my art hanging in their homes. Knowing that something I made spoke to someone enough that they would put it in their personal space is enough.

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

There are many impactful moments for artists, but for me the opportunity to inspire my children to be creative, to see practice lead to art, is what makes all the mistakes and practice pay off.

Thanks, Jenny!

© 2021 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Steven Scheibe

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

From Steven's DPW Gallery Page: 

**Steven Scheibe's artworks physically embody things both seen and unseen.**

-   _Seen:_ Many of Steve's paintings simply celebrate the natural beauty and wonder of a thing, a place, or a moment_._

-   _Unseen:_ Other works by Steve gently amplify the voice of allegory he has discovered in nature's patterns. He says, "All that is visible is evidence of the invisible. Through art, I seek to make tangible the immeasurable realities of soul and spirit." 

Steve expresses his discoveries of the seen and unseen in a variety of media -including music, drawing, watercolor and oil painting, stone lithography, dye-painting silk, and art glass. He has created large, suspended murals in [dye-painted silk](http://www.visibleinvisible.com/pages/commission/hand-painted-silk.php) for public art. His sand-carved, mouth blown antique glass, and laminated [glass artworks](http://www.visibleinvisible.com/pages/commission/etched-glass-commissions.php) grace walls and windows of public spaces. His two-dimensional works are also included in many private, public, and museum collections. (click to read more)

What did you want to be growing up?

As a young child I wanted to be a research scientist in plants or animals or marine biology – and of course I wanted to be an artist.

When did your artistic journey begin?

When I was very young, my family’s television broke. My parents decided to intentionally not replace it. And so without that typical, on-demand entertainment available, my siblings and I invested all our spare time in creating and doing. We invented games, wrote music and plays, hosted contests with neighbors, learned many crafts, raised animals, and enjoyed discovering the great outdoors in the nearby woods, horses, fields, and lake. All of this fueled my love of nature and nurtured creative thinking. My first successful visual art was drawing a black-capped chickadee. It looked real, and I was hooked on drawing.

Windy Winding Waldrick Road
(click to view)

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

Did you have long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

I’m a creative. So even when I’m not painting, I’m cooking, gardening, or remodeling—everything done as an artist. Except when coping with stress, loss, or pain, creativity doesn’t ever “turn off.” That said, there have been seasons where I had to spend more time generating income by non-art related work. I found a growing tension within me until I was back in visual art again.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I create in dye-painted silk, glass, drawing, stone lithography, watercolor, oils, and pastels. Each medium embodies well different subjects. 

Acrylics are my least favorite to paint in because they are less forgiving. I’ve tried re-wettable acrylics with some success. I have painted successfully in acrylics at university, but now I use acrylics mainly in underpaintings and for toning canvases. I admire those who make them work so well. 

Watercolor is the most difficult but also the most fluid/dynamic, so their challenge keeps me curious. Oils are the most forgiving and offer the deepest deeps and endless mixing possibilities. Pastels are quick, with immediate color choices and a variety of mark-making options. In this chapter, I’m really enjoying the transparency and opacity of oils, and the luminosity and immediacy of pastels. They’re my current favorites. Next year, who knows?

Maple Dapple Trail
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?

You know how when you hear your own voice recorded and played back, it sounds different – maybe even unfamiliar? Similarly, it’s not easy for me to fully identify my own visual artistic voice. But I naturally gravitate toward representational art and realism. Within that, I suspect my artistic voice is always changing (our speaking/singing voices do change throughout life) because I’m forever learning and adding something new. The possibilities are limitless!

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?

There are very few artists whose works I don’t appreciate. Each artist I encounter – in print or in person –offers me another dimension of inspiration and art wisdom (which is seemingly endless). I’m particularly grateful for the living artists online today who share their work and processes. I’ve learned so much by watching numerous others create and listening to their interviews. And for that reason, I’ve begun making and sharing simple videos of my own art making.

Offut Summer
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?

Don’t wait to create. If you don’t make it, it won’t become.

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?

My version of procrastination usually stems from a fear that the result won’t turn out (fail). Separating my personal worth from the outcome of an artwork is essential. Even if a particular project flops, I’m still me. That’s a challenge when we pour our souls into our work, but differentiation is key.

The main challenge for me is starting. And so preparing helps. When possible, I prepare reference photos and sketches in advance of anticipated studio time. And I leave my easels and supplies always set up to make beginning a little easier. I try to keep supplies and tools clean and ready. Once I start, I get in the zone and I wonder why I didn’t start sooner.

Another tip is consistency – keep painting regularly. I find that when I pause for even a week, I begin to lose confidence, and I hesitate to start.

One more tip: Once when I was young, a wise artist woman advised me, “Steve, if you paint commissions, be sure to do your own studio work as well, to keep up your confidence.”

Remembering Summer
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

Self-doubt and adversity certainly do come. 

Sometimes I take a break. Removing the pressure often makes the work joyful again.

I also solicit input from other trusted artist friends when I feel stuck on a particular painting. Their fresh eyes often help me find solutions.

And I pray - pretty much all the time, stuck or not. I see creating as a physical and spiritual collaboration. 

Oh, and music often helps me focus and relax and create. Music is a great motivator.

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

Short term – I want to paint more. I want more studio time and less admin.

Long term – I want to be a painter and a writer and a friend.

(And somewhere along the way, I have a glass innovation/invention I want to develop more and share with the world).

Cape D. Lighthouse (delight house)
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?

Success is always moving toward my goal. Even if a project fails, if I’m moving toward my destiny, that is success. Money and recognition are sure helpful, but they’re not an accurate measure of artistic success.

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

The accomplishments of solo shows and musical presentations and receptions in our State Capitol, and also at the Washington Center for Performing Art were biggies. I’m also super pleased with my public art waterfall for Liberty Middle School in Spanaway, Washington. It’s over three hundred square feet of dye-painted silk in a suspended sculpture, illuminated by water-effect lighting. 

Ok, that’s more than one proudest moment… but…

And lately, my heart jumps every time I begin to see my small landscape painting emerging from 2-D paper to an illusion of depth. Each one is a wonder to me!

Cycling Duo
(click to view)

Thanks, Steven!

© 2021 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Evan Wilson

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Evan's painting "12am" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

What did you want to be growing up?

To be honest, I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I did have an answer prepared for when people would ask me. I always said that I wanted to be a brain surgeon. I think I came up with that answer because it was the most complicated career path I could imagine and I wanted to impress people.

When did your artistic journey begin?

My artistic journey began when I was a child. I still have drawings from when I was seven years old, so at least as far back as that. Luckily, my parents saved all of my art from when I was that young and it’s fun to look back and see what I came up with at that age.

12am
(click to view)

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

Did you have long periods without creative expression?

I’ve never really had a time in my life for more than a few months when I wasn’t creating something. Throughout my childhood, teenage years, and up until now, I’ve always done something creative. I’m not happy unless I’m creating something and that's always been the case.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I really gravitate towards oil paint more than anything. I also really enjoy looking at drawings and charcoal but my heart is always drawn to oil paint. The texture that oil paint can also create adds something very appealing that I don’t find with other mediums. I think that paintings of interiors and nocturne paintings really strike me the most. I’m not super interested in sculptures!

Storefront
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?

It’s a fun process! My taste changes and evolves the more art I look at, and I love incorporating different elements I discover into my paintings. Having been painting for only a few years means that I am still pinpointing my personal style but I know what I like to paint (and how) and I know what I don’t like, and that’s important.

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?

I really admire Richard Claremont at the moment. There is something very captivating about his style that draws you in and keeps you there. His style makes you think that what you are looking at is the spirit of the subject, not the form. Details are blurred, edges are fuzzy, and shapes are distorted. It all makes sense though and I never get tired of looking.

Passing Sun
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?

Start painting now and don’t wait until you’re older.

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?

I am always looking at art whether it’s on Instagram or Pinterest, and I usually am finding art that inspires me. Looking at beautiful art usually keeps me on my feet. Going to art stores to browse painting supplies also helps since I always want to buy new material and start new paintings.

Midnight Oil 2
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

Usually going to the gym and/or waiting until the next day makes me feel better. Feelings are fleeting and just knowing things will feel different tomorrow and in a week from now helps.

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

I don’t have any long term goals. My short term goal is to create art that I love and that people love. As long as I’m doing that, I’m good.

Drugs
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?

Success to me means doing what I want. If I have the freedom to do what I want then I am succeeding. Success is not a goal, it’s a process.

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

One of my proudest moments is when I sold my first painting. That feeling doesn’t come twice, but each sale is definitely a proud moment.

Cold Beer
(click to view)

Thanks, Evan!

© 2021 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: John Wallie

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

From John'a DPW Gallery Page:

I’m an acrylic artist based in Ohio. I’ve been painting since 2013.

What did you want to be growing up? 

Many things. I wanted to be a magician, a ventriloquist, a professional chess player, to name a few. Primarily though, I ended up wanting to be a professional game designer. I released many free games online through my teen years. I would make the graphics for the games myself, so in addition to being a hobbyist game designer, I was also what you might call a "digital painter."

When did your artistic journey begin?

Early childhood. I've been using pens and pencils to draw things on paper for about as long as I can remember.

Sliced Tomatoes and Vegetables
(click to view)

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

Did you have long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

I don't think I've ever had long periods without creative expression. I always find something to keep myself from being bored. There was one time I had no canvases or painting panels left so I came up with the idea to use paper mache to "sculpt" a tortoise and then I painted that.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

My favorite medium is acrylic paint. With acrylics I can mix any color I want and the cleanup process is easy. I also like to use alcohol markers, pens & pencils for sketches. 

My favorite genre in painting is impressionism. An impressionist painting for me is about escapism. Impressionist paintings act as windows that you can look through to see a world that is similar to the one you live in but different enough to be a fascinating new experience for your eyes. This is why hyper-realism, while it is a very skillful and respectable genre, does not appeal to me as much as impressionism.

I've experimented in abstract painting as well and never got too far. For me it seemed important to strike a balance between reality and abstraction, and impressionism is the best balance I've found.

Edge of Woods at Evening
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?

To find my personal style I try to experiment by painting a variety of different subjects and simultaneously using new tools & techniques. Sometimes I see interesting effects in paintings by other artists and I'll try to reproduce those same effects in my own work. One question I always try to ask myself before I start a painting is, "Does this subject bore you?" and if the answer is "Yes," then I know not to waste my time painting it. You should only paint something if it looks interesting to you.

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?

There are many artists who inspire me. Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Theodore Clement Steele. It's exciting to see how some of these first impressionists could simplify what they were observing in nature in order to put it onto canvas in the form of paint.

Scissors and Yarn
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?

Don't paint objects. Paint the shadows and the effects of light.

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?

At the end of every day I write a "to do" list of things I want to accomplish for the next day. I place this list in a prominent place where I will see it frequently.

Macaw II
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

When facing obstacles I remind myself to "Do your best, and let God do the rest." (Quote taken from Mr. T) 

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

I've only ever done plein air painting in Ohio, which is the state I live in. Eventually I'd like to go to some of the other states and create a bunch of plein air paintings while going around the country. My short term goals are usually just do a painting every day, or at least every other day.

Lemons and Metal Pots
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?

There are two important successes I strive for. Number one is to create a painting that I'm happy with. Number two is to earn a living through my artwork.

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

I have no singular proud moment. Many of my paintings turn out to be failures, so when I complete one that I'm happy with, you might call it a proud moment.

Thanks, John!

© 2021 Sophie Marine