DPW Spotlight Interview: Sheila Marie

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

From Sheila Marie's DPW Gallery Page: 

I married young and we started our family a couple of years later. Creating fine art went to the back burner as I raised my kids and worked at multiple jobs that would allow me to be with my kids. Designing and fabricating stained glass for custom home builders, teaching stained glass, helping my husband build custom homes. When the kids were older I began working with a start-up company. There were three of us, the inventor/president, an accountant and myself. I started out helping with accounting and sales. As new challenges came up I volunteered to research and figure out the solutions. I ended up running operations and manufacturing. The first 14 years with this company, were incredibly exciting, fulfilling, boundless opportunities to grow, learn, create and be challenged every day. I'm still so thankful that the president of the company believed and had so much trust in me. An abrupt change almost 10 years ago changed my role dramatically. A role completely the opposite, sucking away the passion and joy that drove me. After several years of being very lost I found an old box of Grumbacher oils in my basement from 41 yrs. ago that I had played around with as a teen. I pulled those oils out, took a class at the Art League. I began to find my way. Slowly I began to dream again, to feel the excitement, fear, joy, challenge and strength of learning and growing again. Now almost 25 years later I have quit that job and will start again, another exciting journey. I work in oils painting plein air and in my studio. I love the outdoors and you'll see I lean towards landscapes. I do mix it up some with animals, still lifes and life drawing. Painting is all together exciting, challenging, frustrating, joyful, peaceful, leaving me exhausted and fulfilled. I'm continuously working on design, value relationships, soft and hard edges, and brush strokes. My goal, in the end, is to simplify, capture the mood, the essence and the emotion of that moment in time. Creating a work that will bring a beautiful statement to the home of its admirer.

Joshua Tree
(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? 

It wasn’t just one. I loved watching stage shows, musicals and variety shows as a kid. I thought it would be so much fun to be a dancer. 

When visiting the Natural History Museum and viewing the backdrops showing the natural surroundings of the animals I felt I could so easily walk in, feel the heat, the cold, hear the wind howling, birds singing and the insects chattering. How much fun that would be to go to those places to study, and come back to design and create those backdrops. 

And, of course doesn’t every little girl dream of being a fashion designer? Drawing lithe, graceful, beautiful women and men dressed in my creations.

 

When did your artistic journey begin? 

 

When I was in 5th grade I had a major crush on a boy in my class. He was really good at drawing and painting. The school would hang his pictures in the school hallways. I was extremely shy so I would never consider starting a conversation with him. But, maybe if I could be an artist he would like me and would ask me to go steady. Well, that didn’t work out but what I did discover is how much I enjoyed drawing.

 

Last Days of the Irises

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

I’ve always been involved in creative endeavors. Thankfully no dry spells. 

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

Oils and charcoal. I love the outdoors so landscapes are my main draw. I do also work on figures, still lifes, animals, just about anything as they bring much to my understanding of my practice.

 

I enjoy most genres. In the past, I just did not get abstracts. Over the past few years I have discovered a few abstract artist works that I enjoy. 

I do not care for works that are dark with a lot of angst and I definitely do not see a toilet bowl as a work of art, hah. 

Spreading Light
(click to view)

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

I’m still looking, lol. But really, I don’t even think about it. I kind of feel like it might stagnate me if I landed on a ‘style’.

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

Oh my gosh! There are at least a hundred and I’m sure hundreds more if I live long enough to discover them. A few off the top of my head, Len Chmiel, Walt Gonske, Nicolai Fechin, Jerry Jordan, Zoey Frank, Richard Schmid… I love their stories and their work which provides me hours of study. I never tire of looking at their work.

Tangerine Blues
(click to view)

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

 

Put away those photographs and paint and draw from life! It will expedite your learning and you will discover far more. After a few hundred paintings and drawings from life you'll begin to see what a photograph cannot. After another few hundred from life you'll be ready to pull out a photo every once in a while and refer to it to jog your memory. 

You will never reach the end of this journey and that is a wonderful thing. The more you learn, the more you learn what you still have to learn. This journey just gets more challenging, joyful and exciting.

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

 

Hah, I haven’t figured that one out yet!

Winter Park Spring
(click to view)

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

 

I just do. If not forward, it’s either standing still (boring) and I won’t even consider going backwards.

 

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

Both long and short I will simply continue to study and produce art. I will always be available to share, educate and mentor other artists.

 

Sipapu Cabins

What does success mean to you personally? 

 

Always pushing myself further and further. Completing works where I can see I reached higher and made it there. It builds my excitement to jump in right away and go even further. 

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

 

It is a joyful moment when a collector loves one of your works for the good memories or feeling that it brings them.

Moab Early Evening Light
(click to view)

Thanks, Sheila!

© 2022 Maddie Marine