DPW Spotlight Interview: Janis McCarty

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Janis' painting, "A Good Year for Turquoise" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Janis' DPW Gallery page:

am an artist and a high school art teacher. I have a fine arts degree and have studied with many artists over the years including Carol Marine, Camille Prezwodek, Frank Webb, and Mary Hetherington. Although I am not a full time painter, I am a full time artist, teaching, analyzing, and discussing art every day with the young women I teach. I paint in oils and watercolor and am most inspired by things that evoke memories like houses, cars, and places I have visited.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have thought of myself an artist since my second grade teacher took my drawing from class to class, bragging on my skills and abilities. Also my mother was a wonderful encourager and was very proud of my talent. Later I majored in art at the University of Memphis and became a high school art teacher. After college I took painting classes off and on for years. I wanted to master watercolor, but life got in the way - marriage, family, working. Finally after my children were older and I was living in Texas, I found a wonderful teacher in San Antonio, Mary Hetherington, who was the painting teacher I had always wanted and needed. She gave me the skills and confidence I needed to paint full time, sell my work, and enter contests.

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

Boy, did I? I tried so many times after college to learn to paint beyond what I had learned in from my professors. But like I mentioned before, life happened, and my priorities were family and home. I lacked confidence and was filled with too many fears and uncertainties. When my children were in high school, I finally made the time to get serious about painting and tried to approach it as a career. In Texas I showed my work in galleries and in art shows for several years. But in 1999, my husband's career took a turn and we moved back to Memphis, our home town. I went back to work as a teacher and had to put the painting on the back burner. But the passion was there, and I eventually found the time and the energy to balance teaching high school art and making my own art. I also found myself wanting to move from watercolor to oil. So, once again, I found a teacher and I fell in love with oil, the richness of the color, the feel of the paint, and the forgiving nature of the medium. Also, the advent of blogs and the Internet brought me inspiration, encouragement, and instruction that I never had before.

A Good Year for Turquoise
(click to see original image)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Watercolor was my one and only for a very long time. Even though I paint with oils now, I do paint with watercolor occasionally. As a high school art teacher, I have to know and understand many mediums and techniques. So I feel like a Jack of all trades, and a master of a few. It is fun to work with my students in all of the mediums that are part of my curriculum - printmaking, charcoal, conte, scratchboard, pastels, colored pencil, acrylic. They all have that one favorite medium that inspires them and motivates them. Aren´t we all like that?

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

Oil paint and watercolor of course. And I love to draw with graphite pencils.

Fins Were In
(click to see original image)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I have done some work in colored pencil and loved it. I know that there is some serious work with colored pencil in my future. AND don´t even get me started about altered books. I have one planned and the pages in the book are already marked and ideas written down. I wish I had time to tell you about the altered books my students do- pages that are filled with paintings and NOT collage. It is one of the ways my students learn to master acrylic. I have never created an altered book myself so I am going to try to meet the same project deadlines that I give my students this school year.

Who or what inspires you most?

My students inspire me every day. The work that they do is amazing, fresh, and fun. They also encourage me as much as I encourage them. They sometimes challenge me and give me deadlines to meet and hold my feet to the fire to meet those deadlines. They think that all of my artwork is wonderful so that raises the bar for me! I teach in an all girls school and have a close relationship with my students.

Carol Marine also has a been a huge inspiration. I have been fortunate enough to take two of her workshops in Texas. Although I don´t consider myself a still life artist, her technique, her approach, and her story as an artist, and especially her blog, have made me wish that I could paint every day. I love how she finds ordinary objects and gives them drama, importance, and a story. It is amazing what she can do with 36 square inches.

Very Vespa
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

It looks like a daily calendar to me. I fight that beast each and every day when it comes to painting. But I find that when I MAKE myself paint I can work through those excuses and create a momentum that can carry me along for quite awhile.

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

Because I have a full time job for 9 months out of the year, I have to plan for time to paint. I´m an early riser so I sometimes start painting early in the morning, before I have time to consider my to do list. Also, I often just have to decide that painting is more important to me at that time than the everyday mundane tasks of daily life. So what if don´t load the dishwasher or clean that bathroom? I´ve also realized that my husband is more than willing to do some of those things when I want to paint.

Shark Week
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I look at a lot of art every day, at school and on my own. (I spend too much time on the Internet.) I know that I often get ideas from the artwork of others. I don´t necessarily think that is a bad thing. As artists, we always give our work our "own voice." I also love to paint things that evoke memories for me - a way of life, a car, a house, a place I have visited.

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

I don´t really experience burnout. I fight for time to paint and cherish every moment that I have behind the paint brush. If I were a daily painter or a full time painter, I´m sure it would be an issue. I do take LOTS of photos - a few of them are of my family, but hundreds of them are of things that I might want to paint someday. Also the fresh, deliberate techniques I learned from Carol Marine have improved my ability to finish a painting in a timely manner. I find that using her approach frees me up from overworking and trying to put in ever tiny detail. I´m not exhausted and discouraged by trying to solve unnecessary problems.

1957 BelAir
(click to see original image)

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

I´m learning to paint for myself and not anyone or anything else. That feels very, very good.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I am just happy when I make art. I don´t have a lot of the angst that other artists do. Maybe the angst makes you a better artist, but I get an adrenaline rush when I am finished with a painting. Feels like Christmas morning. I have a great deal of gratitude about the talent God has given me. I did nothing to deserve it and it brings me and others a lot of pleasure.

Thanks, Janis!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Karen Robinson

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Karen's painting, "Brown Study 1 - Airedale Puppy" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Karen's DPW Gallery page:

I live on the border of Devon and Cornwall, UK with my dog Bilbo Baggins, cat Oscar and flock of hens. I started painting about a year ago but have loved art all my life and for many years made pictures with fabric, thread, collage, embroidery, pencils and ink. Presently, I paint mainly in oils, sometimes pastel. I love all animals and particularly love to paint dogs. To commission me to paint your pet, please e-mail me or visit my website - I would love to hear from you.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

Painting is a very recent discovery for me as up until now I have worked mainly with textiles and stitch. At school, I had a massive thing about Salvador Dali and painted lots of dark and depressing pieces in acrylics involving (wonky) chequered floors and droopy clocks! The next time I put a paintbrush to canvas was last summer when an on-line course I was doing required me to experiment with oils. Despite a disastrous first attempt (or two or three), I was more or less hooked and I have painted in oils every day since.

Brown Study 1 - Airedale Puppy
(click to see original image)

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

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

Mainly stops, to be honest. Discouraged from considering art college when I left school (“there’s no money in it”, I was told by my dear teacher, “and besides they only take people who are actually any good”): life, earning a living and children got in the way. But for many years I experimented with textiles and all forms of fibre art. The move to traditional art media came about because I could no longer achieve the degree of realism and expression in textiles and stitch that I sought. I found myself stitching less and painting on to the fabric more, until one day it dawned on me I might get better results using a more traditional support! As I was very keen to paint animals, I embarked on a pet portrait course and it all took off from there.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Stitching, weaving, dyeing, mixed media, collage. More recently, I have experimented with graphite, charcoal, gouache, acrylics and pastels. I was for a while very smitten with pastels, but oil challenged pastel for my affections and won.

3 Peppers
(click to see original image)

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

I only started painting in oils last year and they have stuck. I have recently bought some gouache to play with and like it: my attempts at painting en plein air with oils were very messy and unsatisfactory so I might use gouache outside.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Oils. I feel this is to be a lifetime journey of discovery and exploration. I only wish I had started sooner.

Who or what inspires you most?

David Hockney. He started it all, really, when I went to see his exhibition at the Royal Academy in London last March, A Bigger Picture. Wow - those trees! An entire wall of watercolours - a new medium for him!! And an entire gallery of iPad paintings - also a new medium for him!! Such innovation and courage blew me away: he is an established, famous, “name” in art history: yet he wasn’t satisfied with just doing more of the same or, indeed, nothing at all. He did all this in his very late 60s and early 70s.

What I took from this is that it is never too late and my previous excuses (“it’s too late, I’m over 50, should have gone to art school as a kid”) were just that - excuses.

As a Chinese proverb has it: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW.

Greyhounds Snoozing in the Sun
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

Something that happened in the past - 30 odd years of feeling that I missed out on art school and thus “it” was never going to happen. Far too busy to procrastinate now: so much to do and so little time.

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

I have a little file of encouraging quotes on my computer desktop and I read those if I feel any inner resistance to “getting on with it”. For example:

Question: Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left?

Answer: Five. Why? Because deciding and doing are not the same things. Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work (Chuck Close).

Polish Crested
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

To be honest, it’s not getting the ideas that’s tricky, it’s identifying the ones worth following up: eliminating the tired or cliched, the ideas that might work as a photo but will be rubbish as a painting, ideas that are essentially derivative and thus not worth pursuing. I have a long way to go.

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

I have found the work of daily painters very helpful - Julian Merrow Smith, Carol Marine and Qiang Huang especially. Also, looking at the work of Richard Schmidt and the Putney Painters. My numerous David Hockney books. Finally, I read James Gurney’s blog every day and hope his vibrancy and engagement will rub off on me by osmosis.

Greyhound 2 - Santa's Little Helper
(click to see original image)

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

What ‘my style’ might be; what sort of painter I am or might become. How to achieve some sort of balance between realism and expression. How to become technically good but not go down a photorealism pathway - any ideas on how to achieve any of this gratefully received!

What makes you happiest about your art?

I love it when that moment comes and the painting seems to paint itself, your hand and the brush it holds is somehow mediating the painting into being. This doesn’t happen often and when it does it is fleeting but when it happens it is exhilarating.

Thanks, Karen!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Guenevere Schwien

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Guenevere's painting, "Heat" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Guenevere's DPW Gallery page:

Over the last decade, I started to become known for my large photoreal motorcycle paintings for which I have won awards and honors. While I still love them and have not abandoned them, a new direction has emerged since the death of my father. As I started to change and grow from this event, I started to become more attracted to softer subjects that warm my heart. I more than ever have the desire to care for and indulge my inner child and have started painting things that appeal to her. Here on Daily Paintworks, I will be showcasing my tulips and other girlhood inspirations I come across on my new journey. I am also keeping a regular blog to express my thoughts and feelings about these paintings.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

Ever since 2nd grade, I had wanted to be an artist. We had a watercolor artist come in and do a demo and then we got to try it. I always thought it must be the best job in the world to make pictures for a living. Through school I took art classes whenever they were available. I actually became very inspired by sculpture in high school, but I also had some successes with gouache and pencil. I never actually started painting with oils until college. I have been hooked ever since.

Heat
(click to see original image)

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

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

I haven't fully stopped but over the past few years things slowed down for me. There were several events culminating in a hibernation period and personal journey that needed to happen. In January of 2010, I developed severe tendonitis in my rotator cuff of my painting arm (right) do to over working. I had been working extremely photoreal on dessert paintings and my body was telling me to stop. This compounded with the death of my Dad and a failing relationship brought about a darkness in my life. I started to question my career path and realized that the level of photorealism I was striving for was not working for my body. During my recovery from tendonitis, I had my arm in a sling and couldn't use it at all. It killed me not to paint. During this time, I actually started painting with my left hand. I took this opportunity to explore other subjects and styles. This takes us to your next question.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I had never used watercolor before. In college I had tried many things but never watercolor. So I decided to give it a shot since I had nothing to lose and because I couldn't work anyway. I also created a pseudonym to produce this work under. I did this because I had become known as the Moto Painter. My photoreal motorcycle oil paintings differed greatly from my new exploration. These new watercolors of cupcakes brought me joy and renewed inspiration. You can view them at www.celestrya.tumblr.com. It was a fun side project and I think it gave me some perspective. As the darkness began to subside and my body became whole again (thanks mostly due to the addition of yoga to my life), I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted from my career.

Spring Linens
(click to see original image)

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

Part of what "stuck" for me in the cupcakes was the color. I have always had a bold palette and this became very clear to me that I wanted to continue with this and also with subjects that are light hearted and fun. Thus I happened up on tulips. Also even though my current work is not photoreal I would say that that is not entirely gone from my work. I don't think I will ever shake a level of realism from my work, but I do like to have areas of softer focus in a composition. As for mediums, I am hooked on oil. I will never stop using it. I did enjoy the different method of watercolors as well as portability and easy clean up. I am sure I will continue to dable with watercolor but oils are my main addiction.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Tulips are still new for me and I have been enjoying them greatly. One thing I have learned about my inner child is that she gets bored once I feel I have mastered a subject. So I intend to keep exploring. The couple bow paintings I have done are my next area of exploration, as well as possibly revisiting cupcakes only in oil this time. As for other mediums, if I could have my way, I might get back into sculpture or screen printing. In my brief visits with those mediums, I excelled and enjoyed them both tremendously.

Who or what inspires you most?

I'd have to say other artists. There are so many great artists out there these days. I love discovering new artists and appreciating their work. But once I'm in the studio, color and composition are by far my greatest inspirations. I love designing new paintings and then once I'm painting it the colors keep me going.

Pig Tail
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

My social life. One thing I miss most about college is being in a room with other artists, all working on our own paintings. I loved being around other artists. I currently have my own studio and thus am alone all day. When I clock out for the night I can't wait to be with people. Most times this means I end up taking a day off from paintings to go recreate and socialize. Sometimes one day turns into three.

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

I live alone and have my studio at home so when I'm not out being social, my studio calls to me. When I come into my studio, it does take a little time to settle in and get down to business. I find that looking is key. If I'm having a hard time getting to work on a painting I've already started, I will sit and look at it for a while. After only a few minutes, I see areas I need to work on or things that need to change and so on. I also try to make deadlines for myself or production goals. Keeping my eye on a calendar helps a lot. I might take three days off to go out and play but then I make sure to have three days in the studio. I find that setting aside blocks like this works well for me. I like to play hard and work hard so alternating keeps me balanced.

Torch Light
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I work from photos so I will sift through my vast collection until something catches my eye. Lately with my blog I have been using my emotions or what is going on in my life to spark a composition. It might be a color or even a shape that lends itself to my feeling so I will go with that and use it.

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

This is a tricky one. I honestly can't say that I have an answer. I think changing subjects is going to be important for me going forward. I know my motorcycle audience doesn't want to hear that, but if I don't feel a connection to my subject I really can't paint it. Also, as my favorite teacher in college Carolyn Meyer used to say, "sometimes you gotta make some dogs." Not every paintings is going to be as vibrant or engaging as the next. But it is all subjective. I have had paintings I wasn't thrilled about and a client falls in love with it, so you just never know.

Reds
(click to see original image)

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

I am learning about shadows and texture. The tulips are pretty different from the metal pipes and gas tanks I'm used to painting. The color of the shadows and the way the light plays across the petals has been a new challenge. Getting the tint and shade of the shadows just right is going to keep me learning for a while.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Hmm... Good question. I think it is the zone; when I get lost in painting. I often find that hours have slipped by unnoticed. It's almost as if I go into a trance. I come to and "look at that!" half my painting is done. When these blinks happen the feeling after is amazing. It is almost like a meditation. I feel content and fulfilled. I've had this through my whole career, and if for some reason I haven't been painting for a long stretch I start to get cranky and irritable, it's as if I need to get back to my meditations.

Thanks, Guenevere!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Mark Webster

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Mark's painting, "Abstract Geometric River" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing his interview.

From Mark's DPW Gallery page:

I wanted to convey the depth of motion of the human figure, landscape, or still life both active and at rest. The result became a form of sculptural abstract imagery of not only the subject itself, but rather the time and space that it occupies in a single moment, or several single moments reducing the form into less complicated shapes. After several drafts I begin developing areas to gain the effect of either greater tension or greater flow. This combined with an edge on edge effect is what gives my work a dimensional depth. The result is a juxtaposition of organic and artificial forms giving my work a sculptural presence.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have been drawing for most of my life. Most of my earliest work was mainly comic book related. It wasn't until I had taken a figure drawing class in college that I decided that I wanted to try painting as well. I took a few painting classes and while I did enjoy the classes, I didn't paint again for a few years. I started painting on a regular basis about 15 years ago. It was around 2002-2003 that I had decided to start painting with the intention of showing locally and at international juried exhibitions. In 2005, I had a large enough body of work to do a few shows and have been exhibiting my paintings ever since.

Abstract Geometric River
(click to see original image)

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

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

I was having a slow period when the gallery I was showing at asked me to do thirty paintings in thirty days. It was after this show that I felt daily painting was feasible. I knew that creating works in the "Futurist" style wouldn't be possible due to the fact that they take so long to create. I have been able to employ a number of different styles and techniques to at least post new work on a semi-regular basis.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Daily painting does allow for plenty of experimentation. I've used acrylic, oil, pen and ink, markers, charcoal, collage, pastel and watercolor. Some of the genres I've worked with include Impressionism, pointillism, cubism, futurism and I'm sure there were a few other “isms” as well.

Abstract Ocean Coast
(click to see original image)

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

I have a tendency to always return to oil as well as pen and ink for whatever style I'm working in at the time.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Lately I've been thinking about sculpture but just haven't got around to figuring out how to set up the studio for it, or even where to begin for that matter.

Who or what inspires you most?

As far as influential artists go I would definitely have to list Braque, Leger, and Boccioni.

Adrina
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

Many people will say that a blank canvas is the most daunting situation for an artist. I would add to that a halfway finished canvas as I've had a number of them sitting around the house for years.

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

I find that the time to work isn't too difficult to come by. Getting motivated to start working is sometimes. In fact, I generally find it easier to paint after I come home from work as I’m already active rather than starting up on a weekend morning.

Ocean Landscape with Sailboat
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Lots of sketching. Generally the larger paintings start as sketches then graduate to pen and ink drawings. If I like the way the ink drawing looks I’ll paint a scaled up version on canvas. For my smaller works (futurist landscapes in particular) I’ll usually draw in pencil/charcoal right onto the canvas panel, always keeping in mind a general sense of rhythm and color harmony while converting natural landscape into geometric compositions in my head.

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

I try not to spend too much time overworking a problem area in a painting. I had spent many years never really “finishing” a painting because I felt that something was not perfect. I had decided then that my previous work was now finished and whatever elements I felt were wrong with a composition that were going to require a major overhaul I would work out the best that I could without completely restructuring the painting. Then I would concentrate on what I felt needed more work in the next painting.

Abstract Geometric Rose #3
(click to see original image)

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

Lately I've been juxtaposing smooth and rough blending techniques to get a more dramatic effect.

What makes you happiest about your art?

It's in small doses and never any one thing in particular. It can be a color composition or design that turned out perfectly, or an acceptance letter to an exhibition.

Thanks, Mark!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Tahirih Goffic

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Tahirih's painting, "The King" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Tahirih's DPW Gallery page:

​Hmmm...What do I say about me?! I'm an artist (obviously), lol, and a mom of two incredible children, and I'm married to the love of my life! My life is full of too many blessings to count, one of them being able to pursue my passion for painting. I believe the world is already filled with enough turmoil, and I also believe that to give something our energy, gives it power, so I choose to paint what I find beautiful. I like to paint almost everything. Some days, it's tomatoes, other days it's my children, and sometimes it's the way the sun is setting behind a cow! I love romance, and traveling, and curling up in my favorite chair with a good book, and I'll paint anything that reminds me of my favorite things.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

Well, I clearly remember when I was six, deciding that I would be an artist. I was sitting on the brown shag rug at the coffee table, with my colouring book and a piece of tracing paper. I traced a picture of a dog, and it turned out so good! I was absolutely thrilled, and I decided then and there that I was going to be an artist when I grew up. And I never stopped drawing.

I didn't actually start painting until I was in my twenties, other than a bit for art school. I was very good in pencil, and I was already selling my photorealistic portraits in graphite, so I was scared to venture into paint because I was afraid I wouldn't be any good. On a vacation in Mexico with my husband, I tried a little watercolour painting and it turned out great. I was hooked on colour, and I haven't turned back since.

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

Only when I have to eat, or go to the bathroom, or feed my family! But really, no. I paint whenever I can find the time. I have been consistently painting or drawing almost every day for over twenty years. I expected to have to slow down when my children were born, but I think I actually painted more. Having less time made me really utilize the time that I did have, and taught me a lot about time management and discipline.

The King
(click to see original image)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Well, I started out in high school with graphite. I drew very very detailed photorealistic portraits and figurative pictures, mostly on commission. They would take weeks of intense concentration, but I loved how people were so amazed by the finished product. When I broke into painting, I started in watercolour, because someone had told me that it would be the best transition, considering the level of detail that I used. I tried about four paintings in watercolour at that time, and found it frustrating and hard to control. I actually didn't like it at all, so I tried acrylic.

By then I had my first child, and was worried about the fumes and chemicals that I'd have to use with oil paint. During my acrylic stage, I painted a lot of wildlife, and I found acrylic very well suited for that genre. I stuck to my pain-stakingly detailed paintings, every hair on the bear and so on... Again, these paintings took so long, but the finished product was worth it.

Until I found water-soluble oils. Suddenly it was like someone had opened the door to a cage I hadn't even known I was trapped in! I found a freedom of expression that I hadn't found in any other medium. The colours were so rich, the paint so alive! I could suggest something with a stroke that would have taken me half an hour before. I could finish a painting in a day!

I started to paint people more often, my first love, and I found that I could capture an expression much more easily, and my paintings had a freshness that I couldn't achieve with the slow glazing of watercolour and acrylic. Now I paint almost exclusively in oils, and I love to paint both people and animals. I do venture off into landscape or still life once in a while when a particular scene screams to be painted, or when I feel I need a break from things with eyes.

Blanca
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

I think the people that inspire me most are the ones who are doing it. Living life as artists, and proving to the world that we don't have to fit the "starving artist" stereotype. They work so hard, and produce such beautiful work. Living artists whose work inspires me are Jeremy Lipking, Morgan Weistling, Scott Burdick, for their gorgeous portrayal of human life, and Robert Bateman for his incredible wildlife. Also, the deceased masters, John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla and Velasquez for their unmatched skill with edges and brushwork, and Rembrandt for his amazing portraits. I was completely floored when I saw an original like his. He had the ability to make a person "breathe". His paintings look like they're living people, like you're looking through a window at someone... Breathtaking!

What does procrastination look like for you?

Since I don't have a studio, it often takes the form of housework. My excuse is that I can't paint until the house is clean! Then it's, "Wow, I'm really hungry, I should fix myself a snack before I get comfortable at the easel." Then it's, "I haven't worked out yet, and I ate pizza and red wine last night!" So, off for a run I go! Then email, and of course email leads to Facebook, and Facebook leads to checking out other people's likes, and before you know it I'm on Pinterest, and I'm like, "Hey, I should sand my dresser and repaint it with that cool dead tree and bird motif!" and before you know it the kids are home from school... sigh! Lol!

Too Close and Very Afraid
(click to see original image)

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

So, to ensure that I actually get some work done, I try to clean the house the night before, exercise as soon as I get up, and then I allow myself to check my email briefly while eating breakfast. I try to only check Facebook during snack breaks or lunch, which I try to keep to fifteen minutes. Notice, I did say try a lot there... In reality, it's usually a combination of this and a lot of real procrastination. It's a work in progress. ;)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I think, like many other artists, ideas come from everywhere. Sometimes a scene reminds me of a famous painting, sometimes it might just be the way the light is falling across my child's face, and quite often it's from my huge collection of reference photos. I consider myself lucky to live in a very rural area, in fact it's one of the last places in North America which still has vast stretches of untouched wilderness.

I grew up on a farm and I feel a particular nostalgia and attraction to pastoral scenes. I miss the direct and real experience of living off the land, and painting it is a way to revisit it. I have friends with farm animals so I often visit and take lots of pictures. Bella Coola is also famous for its abundant wildlife. Deer cross the parking lot of the grocery store, and bears snack on the apples and plums in my yard, offering great photo ops. I've travelled extensively and always bring my camera.

The Shaggy Pony
(click to see original image)

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

I think I keep my art fresh by choosing subjects that I can paint alla prima (all at once). I find that if a work goes on too long, it loses the initial inertia and feeling that I started with and starts to look laboured. I love the opportunity daily painting affords for this very reason. I can finish a painting fairly quickly without losing interest. Painting these small works has taught me a lot, even when I choose to paint larger works.

I try to visualize my finished product fully before I start. I decide on a colour scheme and I often premix my colours so that I don't get stuck in the middle of the painting by a colour or value problem. I find that if I do a colour study, or spend too much time in planning, I feel as if I've "already done this one," and I lose the initial passion of the idea, so I prefer to fix any problems on the fly. Apparently, this is not supposed to be the way to go, but it is what works for me. If I end up struggling with it, it may or may not work it out in the end. But if I lose the passion before I start the painting, the work is a lost cause anyway.

Signs of Spring
(click to see original image)

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

Right now, I'm learning about edges and colour. I'm reading James Gurney's "Color and Light", an amazing and well written book, and also Richard Schmidt's "Alla Prima". There is so much information in these two books. I believe they are must reads for every artist! I'm also learning a lot about what I respond to most as an artist, and about creativity; how to make a work "yours" and not just a copy of a photograph.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I am just happy that I can do it! I have a wonderful, supportive husband, who has allowed me to follow my passion. I'm happy that I can touch people with my art. When I hear from a collector that they just love a piece, or that it reminds them of their beloved pet, or that it takes them back to a special time in their life, then I feel that I am serving my purpose on this planet.

Thanks, Tahirih!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Linda Apple

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Linda's painting, "Musical Mickey Mouse" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Linda's DPW Gallery page:

Linda Apple has been a full-time artist for over 40 years. Growing up in the Appalachian hills of Southern Ohio, she was active in drawing and painting at an early age and received artistic support from creative and loving parents. Awarded a scholarship to the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1964 was her first step of a life-loving journey into the creation of art.

Always seeking new ideas and experiences led Apple to France, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Mexico, Canada and the U.S.A. southwest. Over the past 40 years, her work has gained international recognition being exhibited in Mexico, Canada and the U.S.A. while finding it's way into many prominent collections around the world. Life experiences have influenced and altered her work many times throughout her career. In addition to her painting, Apple has created sculpture for over 20 years. The earlier pieces were large, in a classic style, in wood, marble and welded metal. Now they are smaller figures in mixed media. Technical and personal aspects of her work have merged to produce touching and whimsical images that stir the imagination and inspire the viewer to notice the little everyday moments of our life.

"I would describe my work as a mix of realism and impressionism. The completed paintings have an authentic painterly representation of the subject, often with a touch of humor. I went online with my work and became part of the daily painters network in 2006." Over 1200 paintings have been sold to collectors in the United States and in countries around the world, such as the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia and Japan.

Musical Mickey Mouse
(click to see original image)

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

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I have been doing art as long as I can remember. My mother once told me that I started to draw as soon as I could hold a crayon but I have no memory of that. I do remember drawing and painting all the time. It was art or archeology for me so when I received a scholarship to the Art College, the decision was made.

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

Yes, but not by choice. In the early 80's, I was hit by a car while crossing a street and it took about 7 yrs. away.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Lets say that glass blowing is about the only medium I haven't tried. I use to do large stone sculpture - loved that. I still do small (usually humorous) mixed media sculpture and enjoy experimenting with different mediums. I never seemed to be able to settle on just one. I have actually wondered why anyone would do just one thing, when there are so many fun things to do.

Bicycle Blues
(click to see original image)

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

I stay mostly with oil painting because it's the easiest to sell and having art as my only income, that is important. Most of my art was very large for many years but now I reserve the larger work for galleries or commissions. I miss doing large stone sculpture but it has become physically too difficult for me, so I have tried to fill that gap with small sculptures.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I am exploring new ideas everyday in my painting and working on different subject matters and concepts. I think that when I work on sculpture it gives me a different perspective. Working in three dimensions gives me more insight into light, shadow and design. I think what draws me to do sculpture, is the fact that I can combine all the different skills I have learned over the years. Sculpting, design, painting and sewing all into one.

Have a Coke
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

Humor, people and animals. I love to put a bit of humor or a little twist of some sort into my work.

What does procrastination look like for you?

Awful! of course I do it, who doesn't? I usually procrastinate by doing my daily mundane chores that we all have to do and which rarely ever involve art. Art is the fun, easy part!

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

Well, I don't know if you would call eating a technique (more like motivation) but when you put it into the context of no art = no money = no food, works for me! Basically, I don't make time for my art, I do it all day, almost everyday!

Woman on Cell Phone
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I am a lurker. Watching people, looking at details, a lot of sketching, reading and movies. I also go to the museum and do a lot of online viewing of art. Keeping in touch with what others are doing can spark new ideas. For instance, my son is an avid cyclist and being around that gave the inspiration for my bicycle shadow series.

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

Well, that's a good question. I think that when you do anything for many years, you are going to get burnout. I used to get upset when I felt like I didn't have a new idea in my head or couldn't seem to "do it" but now I think that it is a time when your brain is figuring out new things and processing information. So when it happens, I try to relax and go with the flow. I go out and do a bit of metal detecting or get away from it all, even if it is just a few hours. Also, I spend some time playing with other mediums; sculpture and sketching will almost always give me a new idea. It is one of my essentials to creating.

The Adventure
(click to see original image)

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

After forty-three plus years at this, I really have no idea. Most of the time, it comes as a surprise. Something just pops up and I think, "oh, that's new"!

What makes you happiest about your art?

The fact that at sixty-six years of age, I still love doing it. I also love to hear the joy from my buyers and how it touches them. I get a chuckle to know that a painting is hanging on a wall in Hong Kong or Australia. Going online was the best decision I ever made. Forty years ago, I would have never thought that would happen.

Thanks, Linda!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: James Coates

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win James' painting, "Port and Peach" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing his interview.

From James' DPW Gallery page:

James Coates is an artist working out of a studio in Sheffield, UK. He works mostly in oil paints and finds inspiration in reflections, surfaces and textures. In his paintings he aims to celebrate and capture the simple beauty that can be found even in ordinary everyday objects.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

As a child, I was always drawing and painting. I was always the best in the class and thought for most of my childhood that I would become an artist. I am not sure what happened to that ambition. I drew and painted often even into my late teens, but I think that at some point I realised that I wouldn't be able to pursue art as a career. Things were different then, there was no internet, no Daily Paintworks! I suppose I just didn't know where to start.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I didn't really make any art for over 20 years. I only picked up a pencil and paper occasionally when a flash of inspiration struck. I took the traditional year out to travel the world, which lasted seven years and then returned to the UK and studied law. I worked as a lawyer for many years.

Suddenly, last year the artist inside me could not take it any longer and I started drawing in my spare time, in pencil and charcoal. Then I tried painting with acrylics for the first time, with mixed results. Some artists do wonderful work with acrylic paint, and I shall try them again one day. However, I needed more control. I needed paint that didn't dry so quickly. I work slowly.

I think the idea of working with oil paints can be quite terrifying. There is so much mystery about them. Take it from me, there is no mystery, no magic involved.

What a revelation! Now I could do exactly what I wanted and because of the drying time of oils, take as long as I needed.

Some people are surprised to learn that I started painting in oils in October 2012. On 4th February 2013 I stopped being a lawyer and became a full time painter. So far, with the support of my wonderful wife, family and friends it is going very well. I only wish I had done it sooner.

Port and Peach
(click to see original image)

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

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

Not so far. Now that I have started I hope I never stop.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

As mentioned, charcoal, acrylics and oils. I tried watercolours recently which I enjoyed. As I usually work in oils I had to adapt my way of thinking for watercolours which was a challenge. I hope to do some more soon.

I love painting portraits and am hoping to expand in this area.

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

Oil paints have definitely stuck. They are by far the most versatile medium in my opinion. I guess that is why they have been around for so long.

Coffee Cup
(click to see original image)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

When it comes to materials, I am open minded. Everything has been used by artists. I often try to think of materials that have not been used by artists. Every material you think of has probably been used at some time by an artist somewhere. I really would like to experiment with as many materials as I can when I have the time. I am very keen to have a go at printmaking. In terms of genre, I would like to try some abstract painting.

Who or what inspires you most?

You could ask me that question every day and each time you would probably get a different answer. Firm favorites include Velazques, Hals, Sargent, Matisse, Titian, Chardin, Courbet, Rebrandt, Vermeer and Bacon to name but a few. I admire any painter that has mastered the craft and can also engage the viewer and successfully provoke thought or emotion. My latest favorite is Gerhard Richter. I like his figurative work and also his abstract work.

Lemon
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

I'm English so it looks like a cup of tea.

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

I always think it would be a good idea to plan my week in advance so I know exactly what I am painting. However, this never happens and I end up running around the house in the morning looking for inspiration. Luckily my kids are good at coming up with ideas for me. By the time I have taken them to school I usually have an idea. If not, then I go down to the shops and usually something catches my eye and hopefully it is some kind of cream cake.

Fruit Jellies
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

As above. However, I am becoming increasing fussy about the composition of my still life paintings. It can take me an hour or so to set it up perfectly.

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

Every time I sit in front of a blank canvas it feels as though I am painting for the first time. I hope this makes my paintings look fresh. From a practical point of view I think that the most important lesson I have learnt as a painter is to keep your brushes clean whilst you work to avoid colours getting where they should not be.

So far, I have not had a problem with burnout. I think that composition is important to make paintings engaging. I think about composition a lot and would like to create paintings with greater narrative . This is easier to do with figurative work, which I hope to do more of, but it can also be done with still life if you choose the right objects and compose them in the right way.

Three Peaches
(click to see original image)

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

Everything!

What makes you happiest about your art?

Painting is both the most frustrating and the most rewarding activity. Most of the time I spend many hours on a painting not knowing how it is going to turn out (and usually thinking that it is not going very well) until somewhere near the end when suddenly it all starts to come together.

It is a kind of magic that you can't get from anything else. There are, of course, times when it doesn't work out, but those times you have probably learnt a lesson. Other than making myself happy, I love it when my painting makes others happy. I get great feedback on my blog, Facebook page and Daily Paintworks. Keep it coming!

Thanks, James!

© 2013 Sophie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Mike Daymon

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings.

To enter to win Mike's painting, "Egg for One" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing his interview.

From Mike's DPW Gallery page:

Art is my life. As a kid I arrived at the idea that I'm an artist because I make art, and I make art because I'm an artist.

I'm drawn to a variety of styles, media and subject matter. I work primarily in acrylic on MDF.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I was in 3rd or 4th grade when I watched my mother draw a picture, and that totally fascinated me. I recall thinking, I want to do this. That was when I began drawing. A 5th grade girl showed me how to draw a squirrel using just one continuous line.

I started using oils early on. One day, in the 6th grade, I'd done a painting of the Flintstones and brought it to class to show my classmates. A few days later, a classmate also brought in a painting of the Flintstones, and it put mine to shame! It turned out that her father had painted it for her, and he was a commercial artist. I asked her what a commercial artist was. When she told me, I knew that was what I wanted to be.

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

One. I developed a tremor that became so bad I could no longer paint. I quit painting for 10 years; the only time in my life that I quit. Last January I decided to try again, but I have to work differently now, and much slower, than I have in the past.

Egg for One
(click to see original image)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Almost all of the usual favorites: oil paint, acrylic, pencil, colored pencils, pen and ink, oil pastels, pastel chalk, charcoal, gouache, watercolor, felt-tips, and silverpoint. I've also worked in collage, mosaic, clay and welding.

Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

I've stayed with oil and acrylic. I recently did 3 large charcoal works, my first in years. Welding is dangerous and requires a safe area to work, which is not in your garage (I still love welding but can't do it without a handy welding shop). Gouache was standard in commercial art, which I did for decades, but not lately; computer technology has replaced it. The tremor (focal hand dystonia) keeps me from doing any refined drawing, such as pen and ink, or colored pencil.

Eggplant and Fig Jam
(click to see original image)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I'm excited to learn more about working with acrylics, more in the way of technique. And collage is a medium that I'm sure I'll come back to at some point.

Who or what inspires you most?

Fascination with art inspires me continually. When I see a work of art, or a interesting technique, I want to be able to do those things. Great painters, with Van Gogh being at the top of the list, continue to inspire me.

What does procrastination look like for you?

I don't think I procrastinate very often with art. But if you see me doing domestic chores, cleaning, housekeeping, or even paying bills, then I'm probably procrastinating, and should be painting instead.

Paris Street Singer
(click to see original image)

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

I have been doing art daily for nearly my whole life. I've been a commercial artist for decades, which kept me not only doing graphic design, but also doing quite a bit of illustration work. Doing art is my default habit.

The primary underlying art of graphic design and advertising art used to be the ability to draw quickly, with style and precision. "Roughs," "layouts," and "comps" all required artistic skill. New technologies have changed commercial art, so that the recent generations of commercial artists (designers), typically can't draw at all. I saw this change in the industry firsthand, because I taught commercial art and visual communications for over 30 years as a part-time instructor at two colleges.

Anaheim and Fresco
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Ideas come from anywhere at any time. Sometimes I see something in the world, or in a photo or painting, that challenges me to attempt to paint whatever I'm seeing. Other times I'm inspired by a movie or novel, or a person in history, and I do paintings that relate to that inspiration. And I'm inspired by things that I like and that matter to me. The "Greek Fisherman's Cap" and "No Tea," are personal items that I'm fond of.

And, of course, being a commercial artist, I've often been asked by clients to do illustrations that I never would have thought to do myself. Such as a painting to promote the opera, "Carmen," or 36 ink drawings of hearing aids. My problem is not finding ideas, I generally have too many ideas.

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

Making sure to look at a lot of art. Daily Paintworks makes this easy to do, with so many artists represented. But before the Internet was around, I had collected a lot of books about art and painters, and explored art continually. Seeing a new show at the Fine Arts Center almost always gets me to try something different.

Put Me In, Coach!
(click to see original image)

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

Right now, I'm learning how to paint with a tremor. Things I used to be able to do easily, I find are more difficult, or worse, impossible. So, I'm rebuilding my skills. Also, I have not done many still life pieces, so I'm making an effort to understand some of the best practices involved in still life. My favorite part of still life is lighting. I'm enjoying using light and shadow in a controlled way.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Robert Frost says in "Two Tramps in Mud-Time": "My object in life, is to unite / My avocation and my vocation."

For me to have made my way in the world, through doing art, still amazes me every day. When others are affected by my art, it's icing on the cake. What more could a 6th grade kid wish for?

Thanks, Mike!

© 2013 Sophie Marine