DPW Spotlight Interview: Kirsten Elson

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

From Kirsten's DPW Gallery Page: 

In another lifetime, I was a weather forecaster.

I ended up there by my love of the thunderstorms I grew up watching in Colorado, and the ever-present need to make ends meet in life. But my heart was elsewhere, listening to thunder and drawing everything I see around me. Feeling that "line-to-mind" connection with objects, people, and nature is vital to me. 

I am currently a math tutor for middle and high school students. I love doing it, but after about 10 years, my introvert self aches to be in the paint room at my house, sun splayed across my desk, dog beside me in his cozy cave, planning another painting. It's my heaven on earth and I thank God for letting me feel that.

Along came Carol Marine's daily painting movement and it is exactly what I needed. It has made the difference in getting me to pick up a paintbrush and get going! 

Oh, and I love a good podcast for accompaniment to painting!

Prickly Situation
(click to view)

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

What did you want to be growing up?  

Geez. I can’t remember that, it’s been eons. Early on, I wanted to be Elvis Presley’s girlfriend but time and wisdom have helped me realize I dodged a bullet there! I always loved expression through art though. As a senior in high school, I decided to go to my local Art Institute because I had no idea what to do. I loved that experience; I graduated and started at the bottom in an advertising profession. Lack of confidence and low pay turned me toward college again, and I was driven by my love of a good thunderstorm to get my degree in atmospheric sciences. Art and creativity were always in my heart though.

When did your artistic journey begin?  

Most likely, my artistic journey began in second grade. Mrs. Shively wanted us to make stick puppets for a class performance of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” She would choose the best puppets for the play. She kept saying “make them big; they need to be big.” I made this big fat billy goat. She chose him for the play, and that first sense of “wow, I got chosen” possessed me.

Hayden Flies
(click to view)

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

I have had long periods without artistic expression. Being a person who tends toward depression at times, I have to remind myself to get drawing as a way to get out of a hole. I always felt I was not a painter, though, and that has only changed in the past couple of years. Carol Marine’s method and book, Daily Painting have helped me immensely. I wouldn’t be painting if I hadn’t stumbled across it. Primarily, I prayed to God to let me do well at this thing I love. So, for the record, thank you Mrs. Shively, Carol Marine, and God. You all helped bring me to this awesome place of considering myself a painter.

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

I love oil painting. I used acrylics briefly but was drawn back to oils when I discovered the odorless solvents really were odorless! I was on a long stint of drawing with ball-point pens, and I still love the challenge of making something nice from an ordinary medium that is literally pennies to purchase. I dabbled with encaustics too, and will do that again. I can’t do pastels. I love the results they give, but I have some sensory “freak outs”, and I can’t stand the dust on my hands. Genre-wise, I love just about everything. Abstracts usually have to work hard to catch my eye though.

Aaron
(click to view)

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

I’m still in that process, so I can’t really say in a definitive way. I’m trying to loosen up but I tend to veer back to more realistic, so that’s always a struggle. I did portraits of my immediate family with close-ups of them making goofy faces. I like a non-conventional approach and want to stick to the fun side of representing people and things, but I also work with what people ask me to paint. I don’t know if I really see a specific style yet, but I ‘m working on it.

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

I love Z.Z. Wei’s work. His paintings are magical. He has focused on a geographical area that I adore, the Palouse region of eastern Washington. His paintings are friendly and they go about their business, but somehow…they like you back at the same time that you are liking them. There is so much personality in a Z.Z. painting! I have several framed gallery posters of Wei’s work but have had them up so long, they are fading. I have loved them into the realm of the Velveteen Rabbit!

Pico
(click to view)

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

Do competitions, take the time to paint, give up the cheesy television shows that you will forget in a month! Paint, paint, paint! If you love it, you’ve got to do it always! And don’t be afraid to show people.

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

My pup, Jasper, wants to be in the sunny, warm studio while I paint. He is pushy and insistent. If I don’t get in there early enough, he comes up beside and me flips my elbow in the air with his nose - repeatedly. It’s incredibly annoying and the only way I can get him to stop is to get painting. On a more practical level, I suppose I compartmentalize. If I don’t feel like standing and painting, maybe I’ll watch a movie while transferring an idea to a board via grid. I try to break painting into more than one task to be done in more than one spot. Don’t want to clean the garage? There might be an unexpected still life just waiting to happen in there. You never know…

Jasper
(click to view)

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

If things just aren’t working for me, I make myself take a break even if I don’t want to. Conversely, if I’m not getting the time to myself to paint, I make some paint time for myself. I guess I’m just kind to myself as needed (and probably too often). I know there are going to be dry days. I can tell you this: I wipe a finished painting at least a couple times a week.

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

Short term goals include moving up in size to 10x10’s and then maybe 16x20’s (joking, but not entirely)! Long term, I would love to actually get some works into a real, storefront gallery. Also, I am relocating to the center of the country soon, and looking forward to trying some sweeping Great Plains landscapes.

Cool Stream
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?

Loving what I am doing (really LOVING IT) and being able to make others happy at the same time. It’s fun to surprise people with paintings. I love being alone in the sunny room with the dog, listening to a good podcast and making art that will please someone. 

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

I’m pretty sure that day in Mrs. Shively’s class was right up there! Actually, a good moment for me was when my dad asked me for the URL to my gallery page. He heard rumblings about it in the family and wanted to see it. That made me feel pretty good.

Thanks for the platform for those of us who are late bloomers and introverted about our work. DPW has changed a lot for me, and I appreciate it!

Patio Party 1
(click to view)

Thanks, Kirsten!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Sarah Maccario

 Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Sarah Maccario's painting "La Montagne Sainte Victoire bleu lilas" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

An Introduction from Sarah Maccario:

Hello I’m Sarah and I’m delighted to have been invited to be DPW’s Spotlight Artist. I’m British and I live in the South of France with my French husband, Georges, in a small village near Aix-en-Provence. Painting for me is a kind of creative visual diary, a way to express myself and share the poetry of life. We live near Cezanne’s famous muse, La Montagne Sainte Victoire. I’ve been enjoying documenting my surroundings through painting the beautiful countryside and also aspects of everyday life. I’m just building up a new body of work including some pieces which I will no doubt share on Daily Paintworks.

La Montagne Sainte Victoire bleu lilas
(click to view)

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

What did you want to be growing up?  

I didn’t think too much about it. I was interested in many things, nature, wildlife, existential questions, all sorts. I liked to be outside and experience things, the weather, places. I liked art, making things, colour, pattern and writing. 

 

When did your artistic journey begin?  

When I was very young, I liked colouring, making mud sculptures and miniature gardens. I remember enjoying basket weaving, natural dyeing and embroidery using neon colours! At school in the 1960s and 70s, I discovered how much I enjoyed painting, drawing and modelling clay. Applying paint, evoking a feeling, a place, being transported and totally immersed, losing sense of time for a while. I particularly remember a book cover project, I painted Gondolas in Venice. I dreamt of painting giant cheese plant leaves on my bedroom walls. I also wanted to fill my bedroom to the brim with gossamer or coloured silks or ferns.

I went to art school in my late teens and again twenty years later, which in fact is twenty years ago now! I loved doing the Foundation course and it was then I began to consider myself as an ‘Artist’ and really lived and breathed art for 4 life changing years at Winchester School of Art, part of the University of Southampton. I was so happy to finally get my Bachelors of Art Degree in Fine Art, Painting.

 

Songe
(click to view)

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

I’ve always found creative outlets. I have painted intermittently throughout my life but there are many forms of art and ways to be creative. I have enjoyed gardening and making clothes at different times, photography and frequently, just doodling on the back of an envelope. I love travel and exploring so I’m never short of inspiration. Actually, Daily Paintworks has been a real motivation to paint frequently again and I’m enjoying seeing my painting develop.

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

When we lived in Southampton, UK, I belonged to an art collective and had a large studio space for a few years alongside 15 or 20 artists. At that time, I made big works on wood panels or canvas using acrylic paints. I also made a lot of sculptures from found objects. When I was at art school, (for the second time around in 2002-6) I made lots of 3D work from plastic debris collected on the beach. Quite unusual at the time but our impact on the planet became concerning to me. Some of my sculptures were included in exhibitions in the South of England. I enjoy conceptual art too, sometimes you can get a big idea across without making an enormous artwork but then I like enormous artworks too! Currently I’m trying to find what appeals to others and aligns with my own ideas for Daily Paintworks. I’ve been quite experimental, using oils and trying different techniques but I’ve also started using acrylics again as I feel at home with them. I really would like to use eco-friendly paints. A few years ago, I made a collection of artworks on my iPhone, just using a basic painting app, for an exhibition about my home town, Southampton. It was fun drawing on my phone ‘en plein air’. I sometimes use watercolours or biros or markers or whatever’s around. Sand or pebbles on the beach. Fallen twigs in the park. An arrangement of wildflowers from a walk. Not all art lasts forever or even a day.

Les Trois Sages
(click to view)

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

I don’t think about it too much. It’s probably embedded anyway. I don’t really want to be defined as ‘the person who paints such and such….’ I like the freedom that art gives you if you take it. It’s interesting that famous artists are often known for a particular thing but actually they have a whole repertoire if you look deeper. Usually, I prefer to paint semi-abstract but for Daily Paintworks I was teaching myself to paint in oils again after using acrylics for so long so I tried a range of subject matter and style. I’ve always been quite experimental with techniques and approaches. Sometimes the work is just about an idea. I would be interested to know if viewers can see a connection in my Daily Paintworks paintings. Please do let me know.

Now that we are living in the south of France again and near the majestic mountain St Victoire, Cezanne’s muse, I feel compelled to go out and sketch and paint some of the beautiful scenery. My artwork is a kind of visual diary, sharing some of my thoughts, favourite places and things around me in my daily paintings. Daily Paintworks is like Instagram or Twitter for Painters! Love seeing what others are up to.

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

There are so many artists I admire and I find new ones every week but broadly it's more 19th and 20th century painters British and French painters including John Singer Sargent, Gwen John, Toulouse Lautrec, French Impressionists, Matisse and Les Fauves, The Nabis, St Ives Artists, Prunella Clough and of course all the American Abstract Expressionists … I like them for different reasons, the brush strokes, the portrayal of light, the semi abstract forms, the outrageous or subdued use of colour or just the feeling I get looking at their work. I love very contemporary art too in all its forms and go to as many exhibitions as I can. At Art School we visited Paris and New York. I’ve been to the Venice Biennale twice and it’s awesome! So much art in all genres, film, installations, sculpture, drawing, performance. I loved Phyllida Barlow’s ‘Folly’ at the British Pavilion. Always good to champion women artists and there are plenty to choose from! There are many good artists on Daily Paintworks and I enjoy seeing the progression of another artist. I do buy artworks from other artists as do many of my artist friends. It’s important to support each other and also a privilege to have their work on my wall!

Jaune de Cadmium
(click to view)

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

‘Do an apprenticeship to get qualified in a creative profession so that you can fall back on that when you need to earn money!’ I’ve had endless, not very well-paid, part-time jobs to support my artistic career and haven’t been able to always offer myself the studio space or the amount of time needed to make my art. Mind you, I have had some interesting part time jobs, Grape Picker, CBS Records Receptionist, English as a Foreign Language Teacher, Railway Station Staff at Monaco, Librarian, Contemporary Art Gallery Assistant, Seamstress, to name a few. I’ve met some amazing people along the way. Sometimes I wish I was a qualified gardener/architect/clothes designer/graphic designer.

 

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

Try to get started early in the day on the creative mission. Don’t get distracted by the admin until later in the day! But here I am typing at 9am! Being a full-time artist involves about 10 different roles to support your art. It feels like you are doing 10 jobs simultaneously. Record keeping, photographer, social media, supplies coordinator, packaging and mailroom assistant, secretary… and that’s before you’ve picked up a paintbrush! It’s very difficult to stick to a strict routine making artwork.

 

Belle vue méditerranée
(click to view)

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

Either take a break or just keep going!

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

So it feels like I’ve been what they call an ‘emerging artist’ for years and I’m ready to become ‘established’ but realistically, I need a studio space again to do that. As my (French) husband and I moved back to France two years ago, I have had to start making new friends and finding my feet again in the French art world. I have artwork in a Gallery in Aix-en-Provence and I belong to two local art groups. I just participated in an exhibition (which generated sales) in our village, part of several related events on the theme of Water. Integrating into French life and becoming established as an artist are my main goals. There is a fair amount of paperwork involved too!

Figues de Barberie
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?  

I have a love/hate relationship with the artworld. I worked in a gallery where artworks by Gerhard Richter were individually worth more than my house. Special paintings. I had to make sure people didn’t touch them! That feels like a different world of celebrity and excessive wealth. I’m not in that league and not particularly keen to be. I consider myself lucky to be an Artist and spend time making art. I suppose then that I would like to be totally self-supporting in my artistic endeavours and that my art is considered ‘valuable’ but I would prefer that it is because it offers a particular and original view of the world.

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

A few years ago, my home city, Southampton in the UK, was starting the process of submitting a bid for UK City of Culture 2025. I was invited, as a local Artist, to participate and create an artwork in response. I wanted to inspire people to get on board with the idea and I created an interactive map with supporting artworks to encourage people to reflect on all the creativity at grass roots level already extant in the city and to build on that. I am proud of my initial contribution to this ongoing, city-wide project and happy to say that Southampton has been longlisted to final 8! Although I live in France now, I really hope Southampton achieves City of Culture 2025 and I hope to participate in building and being a part of a creative community locally here in France. Art, especially at grass roots level and in this difficult time, is a panacea and more vital than ever, for everyone.

Happy painting! Sarah x

Fleurs
(click to view)

Thanks, Sarah!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Tait Preis

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

From Tait's DPW Gallery Page: 

Hello There! I am so happy you are here. My name is Tait, pronounced Tyt, and I am an unschooled oil painter. My whole life I thought you had to be born with the gift of artistic ability. I am challenging that idea by making art every single day! I enjoy painting things in my everyday life, turning the mundane into magic.

In addition to my artistic pursuit, I am am wife to Mike and momma to Keira, Kylie and Ezra. I enjoying traveling with and without my kids, backpacking, hiking and reading.

Sun Bouquet
(click to view)

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

What did you ant to be growing up? 

I wasn’t the kind of kid that dreamed of what I wanted to be when I grew up. But I have done a few things. I was an elementary school teacher, then started having kids and was fortunate to stay at home with them. Once they started going to school, I went back to school to become a Registered Nurse. I worked for about 7 years but was finding it hard to find a work life balance and was missing out on a lot of my kids activities. I also found that I was not that passionate about it. At the end of 2019 I decided to step back and stay home to figure out what was next for me. Then the world shut down with the pandemic and I knew home is where I belong. I love being a mom.

 When did your artistic journey begin? 

Towards the end of 2019, when I left the workforce, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I enjoy doing outside of being a mom. I was devouring books and listening to a ton of podcasts about finding your passion. I came across a talk with Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic. She said not everyone is born with a passion and that you should follow your curiosities instead. Until I heard this I literally thought I was the only person in the world without a passion. So instead of searching for a passion, I set out to follow my curiosities instead. 

I embarked on a ton of creative projects. I decided I was going to remodel our guest bathroom and started a blog about that. I took a number of art classes, one on digital art, a photography class and did a 30 days 30 faces drawing challenge. I started to recognize that I really enjoyed being creative. 

During that time, I came across the artist Erika Lee Sears, an artist and a mom, who made a commitment to a daily art practice. She had an online course called Oil Painting Daily Challenge. The course was short daily painting lessons. I bought the supplies and completed the class in a week. I started reading her blog and saw her improvement over time and I thought maybe this is something I could do. She talks about oil paint and art in a way that makes it feel so accessible. 

I was also discovering all these self taught artists who believed in this idea that art is not a talent but rather a learned skill. It was an aha moment for me. I always believed that you were born with the talent for art and that I didn’t get that gene. That’s when I came across Carol Marine’s Daily Painting book and discovered there was a whole movement of daily painters. That’s when I thought maybe this is something I could do. 

On May 1, 2020, with a small mixed media sketchbook and some primary color oil paints I decided to start painting daily. At the time I didn’t think I would last a week, but I took it one day at a time, as I still do today. I decided to hold myself accountable and started a blog and a dedicated Instagram, @pronouncedtyt, to document my progress. 

Single Lemon
(click to view)

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

With my commitment to daily painting I currently do not experience long periods without creative expression because I create daily. But a long period in my creative world amounts to hours in the day. I often try to get my painting done early in the day to avoid life’s obstacles from derailing my daily painting goal. Honestly, there are times that I just don’t want to do it. When these times come I ask myself, is today really the day you want to stop the streak? So far the answer has always been no. I remind myself that daily painting is not about painting a masterpiece every single day and sit down and paint something.

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

Right now I am gravitating towards oil paints. Oil paint feels so luxurious. But I have also explored gouache, acrylic and even house paints. I have mostly stuck to the still life genre. As a relative beginner everything appeals to me, I want to try it all! 

I have recently been interested in plein air painting and might start following that curiosity. I also have a love for digital painting on my iPad with my Apple Pencil using Procreate and the Art Rage apps. Adding digital painting to my practice has allowed me to have a no excuses approach to daily painting. I am a mom of three teenagers that all participate in competitive sports. Many of my afternoons and weekends are spent at a sports field for practice and games. I love that digital art allows me to have my “studio” with me anywhere and I can paint during warmups and practices.

Choke
(click to view)

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

I am still in the process of pinpointing my personal style and finding my voice. I am just trying to stay curious. When I look at my own art it is hard for me to recognize if I even have a style. What I am realizing is that I am my own worst critic. If I hadn’t committed to daily painting and sharing it online, I would be embarrassed to share anything. It takes me a while to like my own work. It’s something I am constantly bumping up against and working through. 

What I can say about personal style is, I don’t know if you have control over it. I am essentially copying styles I like and they never come out looking exactly alike so maybe that’s my style. Somewhere in between what I like and what I am capable of creating. My thoughts on this are constantly evolving as I gain more experience. 

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

I am aware of the well known artists such as Kahlo, Van Gogh, Picasso, which I do admire. Right now though I admire current working female artists. 

One of my favorite artists I discovered on Daily Paintworks is Teddi Parker. I love her style and her approach to art. This might sound silly, but in my head she is my imaginary mentor. I always think what would Teddi do? How would she approach this still life set up? I don’t know her at all but she seems very carefree and confident. I can feel that in her art. Her art feels like play and It’s just so happy. I admire that she is a mom, puts her family first, but makes a commitment to art most days. She is just so talented!

I also admire the artist Heather Ihn Martin. She paints in oil and gouache. I had the opportunity to take a gouache workshop with her. She is the first artist I have met in real life, I was starstruck! She is so humble. Her work captures the everyday and she is so prolific. Watching her paint was like watching magic. She is so fast!

Lastly, but certainly not least, Carol Marine. Her work looks so effortless and I admire her thoughts and approach to a daily practice. Her book, Daily Painting, sits on my desk and is like my painting bible. I have read it several times and every time I reread it I learn something new. I wish she still taught workshops. Even though she doesn't, I am so happy that she created all these Art Bytes about her process. One thing I have learned from Carol, that I carry with me, is when painting to think about it in terms of painting the poem not the dissertation. Every time I get caught up in the details I hear her mantra in my head. I am a huge fan!

Cracking Up
(click to view)

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

The one piece of advice I would offer to my younger creative self is follow your curiosities.

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

The one piece of advice I can give to combat distraction and procrastination is to lean into it. It’s trying to tell you something. It’s information. Maybe you need a break or maybe you’re just being lazy and that’s okay. But think about the why and feel the feelings, whatever they are. Then just start somewhere. This could mean looking at some art for inspiration, priming a panel, cleaning up your studio space. This often gets you back in the mindset to get to work. 

A great piece of advice I read from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits says, “Every action you take is the vote for the person you want to become.” The idea is that one bad day is not going to ruin everything but the days you vote for who you aspire to be add up and the goal is to have more of those votes. When I procrastinate I always think of this quote. 

Another idea I can offer is to make creating as easy as possible. I learned this from the artist Lisa Daria Kennedy, a daily painter who has been painting for 4600+ days in a row. She has paired down her set up to have absolutely no nonsense. She uses a limited palette, paints only flowers, uses one brush that sits in water so as to never have to wash it and even picks paint tubes that are easy to open. While you don’t have to be that extreme, think about how you can set things up to make it as easy as possible to show up and do the work. Removing obstacles tends to remove the excuses as well.

 

Spark Bird
(click to view)

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

Self doubt is always lurking in the background for me. The secret is that battling this is brilliantly built into the daily painting practice itself. I show up daily, do the work, despite all the self doubt and/or adversity. Every piece is not a masterpiece but I promise you will learn something from that painting. You will soon realize that It becomes about the process rather than the outcome. 

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

My short term goal for my art is to paint daily, enjoy the process and continue to share my progress online.

My long term goal would be to continue to grow as an artist. I dream that I could make a living from my art, have a solo show one day, have my art in a museum and teach others that art is a skill that anyone can learn. 

Skulls
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally? 

Success means to me that I get to do the things I enjoy most everyday. 

 

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

The proudest moment in my creative life was selling my first painting on Daily Paintworks. When I started this journey I never thought anyone would be interested In purchasing my art. It’s a first I will never forget, it felt like possibility. 

Bloom
(click to view)

Thanks, Tait!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Scott Roebuck

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

From Scott's DPW Gallery Page:  

 I am an artist currently residing in the beautiful Boulder, Colorado. I love painting with oils and gouache, playing around with abstract shapes and brushwork.  I get a lot of my inspiration from plein air sketches and photographs taken on family holidays in the States and Europe. If you have any questions or would like a commission then please feel free to message me.

Boulder Buildings
(click to view)

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

What did you want to be growing up? 

First, like many kids probably, I wanted to be a scientist that studied dinosaurs or sharks. Then as a teenager I wanted to be a professional tennis player. I wasn’t far off, my first career was a tennis pro (teaching tennis) then a high school chemistry teacher.

When did your artistic journey begin?  

My grandfather was an artist, he loved cartooning but also painting so that was influential. Growing up I was mostly a doodler, mostly abstract patterns. In college I started to take drawing seriously and read many books about how to draw more realistically.

Winter Green
(click to view)

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

As a tennis pro, I had the day to focus on my art, but when I became a chemistry teacher, I was too tired day to day to devote time to my art. So during the school year I would go on stretches without working on my art. That being said I was being creative in developing my chemistry lessons plans and figuring out how to get students to understand chemistry.

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

I love the thickness and the malleability of Oil paint. I always seem to come back to scenes with people, not necessarily portraits but street scenes or landscapes. Digital doesn’t really appeal, at least not right now, probably because it is not a tactile medium. I can’t physically push it around with a brush, palette knife or my fingers.

Walking the Magnificent Mile
(click to view)

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

A lot of observation and experimentation. It was like having a vague idea of what I wanted but not exactly knowing what it is or how to get there. It is still a process but I feel like I am getting closer with every painting.

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

Nicolai Fechin, I like the roughness, brushwork, skill, abstract qualities and paint qualities. I admire a lot of painters, and there are not a lot of styles I don’t like, abstract to hyperrealism, but It always comes back to Fechin.

selfie
(click to view)

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

Just believe in yourself. It is very hard to create and be creative when you are in your head and filled with doubt. It is about enjoying the process.

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

Just start, it is all about momentum or inertia. It can seem very hard to start something, but once you start, it will just flow. The other thing is to make it a habit, I paint everyday Monday through Friday starting at 9am. The less I paint then the less likely I am to paint, but the inverse is true as well, to a point.

Marble Resting
(click to view)

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

Experiment, reflect and brainstorm ways to improve or express myself. If I focus on what I don’t like or my doubts I won’t be able to paint. So experimenting gets me out of that head space and gives me something to focus on.

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

My long term goal would just be to get my artwork out there and develop my audience. I am not really a short term goal person, it is just everyday being better and improving.

Sunbathing Trees
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What does success mean to you personally?  

Honestly I don’t know right now, maybe just the courage to push myself and not settle for the status quo.

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

This last year (2021) I won Best of Show at the Louisville (CO) Art Association National Fine Art Show. I feel like we all need external validation to know our journey is not in vain and it was great to know others appreciated my work to that extent.

Birds of a Feather
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Thanks, Scott!

© 2022 Maddie Marine