DPW Spotlight Interview: Kent Sullivan

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

To enter to win Kent's painting, "Smokestack on the Channel" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Kent's DPW Gallery page:

Orlando, Florida, USA. I started painting in 1972. I have always loved painting the natural world. I have had the incredible good fortune of painting and selling hundreds of paintings throughout my career. From NASA to Jimmy Buffet to The Mayo Clinic, I have participated through art as a way to express my love for the world God has given us to enjoy and protect.

The Award winning book "Art of the National Parks" is the most recent publication for me. Check it out at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, or any national book chain.

I have been challenged to create affordable paintings available to more people. Sketches, color studies, plein air, and small studio pieces. Special works of art, because the places they represent are special to me.

I hope you find that unique work of art that is perfect for your special place.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

When I was in 9th grade, my art teacher introduced me to oil paints. I painted a ship out on the ocean, copying another artist’s painting. The school purchased the piece ( I went back several years later and found it was still on the office wall). It was terrible. The cool thing about that is this: someone saw potential and encouraged me by buying that painting. It made a huge impact on a young kid who had an interest in art.

Smokestack on the Channel
(click to see original image)

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

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

Oh yeah. Until around 1991 or so, I had this really mercurial relationship with my passion for art, and the fundamental need to provide for my family, who I might add, were wonderfully supportive - especially my wife Cathy. I drove taxi, worked as a waiter (for about a week!), sold leases, painted houses, and eventually went to commercial art school and landed a job as an art director. Which was okay, but still not my true passion. Then, I had a great break when a leading art gallery took me on. Things changed, opportunities became more available, and I have been blessed with the capability to paint professionally now for about 20 years.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, and of course oil.

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

I paint almost exclusively with oil paints now. I say almost, because I do from time to time use acrylic as an underpainting for an oil painting.

Gap of Dunloe
(click to see original image)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I’m sticking with oils. I find new ways to apply the principles of oil painting interesting, and consuming. Even though I have been painting with oils for 35 years, I still find new ways of exploiting what can be done with the medium almost every day.

Who or what inspires you most?

I hope without sounding too corny I can say the Lord inspires me the most. Humanly speaking, I have always been greatly influenced by the Hudson River School artists, especially Thomas Moran, Herman Herzog, and Albert Bierstadt. Among the living artists, are Joseph McGurl, and Don Demers.

What does procrastination look like for you?

I do not have a problem with procrastination when it comes to creating art, but in doing the things I need to do to keep moving along in marketing. I really have to force myself to be disciplined.

Early Snow
(click to see original image)

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

I think the process I have keeps me interested in the “next step”. I normally wake up thinking about what I started on the day before. I work on several pieces at the same time, and they are always at different stages. These might be small paintings like the ones I do for DPW, or huge paintings like commissions for places like hospitals, NASA, Government Buildings, or medium sized paintings for galleries. If one doesn’t just grab me today, there is always another one that does. I guess you could call that a technique.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Those ideas come from several sources. Painting outside, sketching, studying previous paintings, taking a day or sometimes a week to photograph regions, even noticing a scene from a movie, and sometimes just starting from scratch, and letting my imagination create a landscape.

Solitary Cardinal
(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 like that question, because I never think in those terms. The idea of keeping art “fresh” can be taken two ways. Fresh for the observer, or fresh for me?

So.. fresh for me. When you look at my landscapes you will immediately notice I paint a wide variety of places. Every place, every region has it’s own special light, sky, colors, flora, even earth, that to it are innate. That keeps me keenly aware of what I am painting. In fact when I paint Ireland for instance, I am back there while I am painting. People take so many pictures while on vacation in order to remember the places they enjoy. Artists take in more than the casual observer, so there is a wonderful sense of “being” when we recount those places while painting them. That keeps me pretty astonished.

Fresh for the observer? I am not sure how to address that, since many people may be seeing a painting - at an event, online, gallery, or whatever- I finished a week, a month, or even a year ago. I hope they have the sense of unique, awesome, fresh that I had at the time of painting it.

Virgin Islands
(click to see original image)

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

I am learning more about what I allow the viewer to fill in. I have the tendency to paint too much. It is a lesson that requires me to intentionally not place detail where it is more distracting than helpful. I am also employing a technique of “shape welding” in the early composition of a painting. Keith Bond shared this in a recent blog article. It is a very efficient way to see the value shapes - the abstract pattern under all the color and detail.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Several years ago I was commissioned to do three paintings for the Mayo Clinic. They were a marshy, calm, triptych. A couple of years later I was contacted by a woman from South America whose father was at the Mayo Clinic, and eventually lost his battle there, and died.

She told me she and her two sisters spent hours in the room where my paintings were, and that the healing calm of those paintings was a comfort to them during this difficult time. She asked if I could do three small paintings like the ones at Mayo so that they could have one in each of their homes.

I am always happy to get a new big commission, but I experienced more joy in that little commission than any other painting I have ever done.

Thanks, Kent!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Dorothy Jenson

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

To enter to win Dorothy's painting, "I Can See My House From Here" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Dorothy's DPW Gallery page:

I just love using color to describe this beautiful and interesting world! Art has been part of my life forever. Every where I go I see the landscape as a "painting" and analyze how I would interpret the scene. I have worked in colored pencil, watercolor, pastel, and I'm currently enjoying acrylics on canvas, specializing in landscapes and animals. My view of the world is somewhat whimsical, and I hope it brings a smile. :)

You can follow me on Facebook by looking for Dorothy Jenson Art.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I started by drawing! I scribbled and doodled on everything as a child. One of my grade school teachers actually wrote “Dorothy spends too much time drawing” on a report card home to my parents. I may have been a tiny bit of a distraction when I was drawing cartoonish caricatures of the kids in my class in 4th grade and they often gathered around my desk to see the latest creations.

My family often went to the Oregon coast to play, and my favorite thing to do was drag a stick through the wet sand to draw very large imaginative creatures that all who passed by would stop and admire. It really wasn’t until high school that I experimented with a paintbrush, much to my mother’s dismay. My medium then was acrylic and somehow there were always little spots of it ending up on my clothing. For good, of course! (My Mom is now one of my best fans!)

I Can See My House From Here
(click to see original image)

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

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

The story of my life! Even though I have always loved art, it has often taken a backseat to the important career of raising my five children and adventuring with my husband. We love road trips, camping, hiking, and canoeing and our summers are full! Now my own five kids have grown and married, but there are 13 grandchildren to spend time with. On top of that we are very active in our Church community.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I’ve been all over the place with my artistic expression! Through it all I have been largely self taught. I took a few community classes, but mostly explored each medium by reading everything printed about the subject that I could find, and then experimenting on my own when I could.

For years I enjoyed watercolor, then moved on to colored pencil. When rock painting was popular, I scoured river banks for perfectly shaped “canvases” and created wonderful curled up animals in acrylic that I sold in local bazaars. It was a lot of fun, but the weight of the rocks began bothering my wrists, so it was time to move on.

River View
(click to see original image)

My next obsession was with pastels. So many beautiful colors, and it’s a very satisfying “hands on” kind of creativity, but having to frame everything for protection has sent me in another direction to do works of acrylic that can be hung, as is, on the wall without framing. I’m also playing around a bit with ink and watercolor again. We have lots of camping coming up this summer and I just purchased a tiny little watercolor kit that is going to come along on my adventures.

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

I don’t know the answer to that one yet! Everything I have done has been a pleasure, and I know I will still be bouncing back and forth between new mediums and old favorites in the years to come.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I haven’t tried oils yet, and I wonder if it might be nice to have paint on my palette that doesn’t dry out so quickly. On the other hand, I might get impatient waiting for my work to dry!

Opinionated
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

Studying the work of other artists! Seeing the interesting and beautiful works of other artists really fires up my desire to be creative myself.

What does procrastination look like for you?

The computer, thinking about art, household work and errands, thinking about art, spending time with family in person or chatting on the phone, thinking about art, crocheting thread snowflakes, reading, all the while thinking about the art I ought to be working on!

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

I will admit, I haven’t mastered that discipline yet. My best times to create are in the middle of the day, when there are fewer distractions. I try to paint every day, but it doesn’t always happen. Still working on this!

Happy Camp
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Everywhere I go, I see potential paintings in the community and landscape. I carry around a small point and shoot camera to gather references, plus I look through references on the Paint My Photo website. During my procrastination time, when I’m thinking about art, generally one or two references will stand out in my mind and I know that’s what I’ll be working on next.

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

Being willing to change my mind and bounce around between mediums and techniques! I’ve had many people comment on how much they enjoy my “style”, but inwardly I know that it is subject to change!

For instance, lately my work is sprinkled with lots of little dots, and I can’t explain why other than it just keeps happening. For now... in a few months, maybe not. I am enjoying painting funny little animals, but sometimes I feel like a landscape or two. In the last week I’ve also played with ink lines and watercolor.

On Guard
(click to see original image)

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

It took me a long time to feel like my art was marketable. I was a DPW lurker for a couple of years, admiring and learning from the amazing artists that posted every day, until one day I realized that I could do the same thing, and I signed up! That was a turning point for me, and still is.

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, posting regularly on a blog and Facebook page, as well as doing some outdoor art shows. With each painting I do, the medium itself teaches me what works and what doesn’t, while at the same time I see a little more of my own true nature in the finished pieces. I’m a work in progress, but now I’m not so afraid to let others share the ride with me as I continue to learn and grow as an artist.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I enjoy painting things that are beautiful and uplifting. It could be a landscape, or an amusing critter, but I always try to bring in a feeling of light-heartedness and joy about the world we live in. I’m happiest when people tell me that my work makes them smile, and then I feel like I’ve made a small difference for good in the life of that person. Knowing that my artwork has the capacity to lighten the heart of my viewers is the best feeling of all.

Thanks, Dorothy!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Joy Olney

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

To enter to win Joy's painting, "First Spring Iris" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Joy's DPW Gallery page:

Joy was born in Bordeaux, France. She began her formal training in earnest in 1966 when she attended Tyler College of Art while still a high school student. Immediately upon graduation from high school, she enrolled as a full time student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. There she studied under such notables as Will Barnett and Robert Beverly Hale. She has created a sensitive style truly her own.

As a master of the nearly lost art of fine drawing, she captures the essence of her subjects with a deft hand. Joy is accomplished in all media and all types of subject matter. In addition to creating individual pieces, Joy designed and executed theater stage sets in the New York Metropolitan area for eight years.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

My first painting lessons were a thirteenth birthday present. It was an adult class and the instructor just sat there and puffed on a pipe. A few months later I was enrolled in a drawing class with an excellent instructor who taught the Kimon Nicolaide's method, "The Natural Way to Draw." With a strong drawing foundation, I received a scholarship to a teen painting class at the Philadelphia's College of Art with a great teacher using the Cape School method. I then went on to college class of drawing at Tyler School of Art when I was sixteen. Then after high school, I went on to 5 years at the Pennsylvanian Academy of Fine Arts where I painted every day.

First Spring Iris
(click to see original image)

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

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

After art school, for a year I became the director of an art center where the demand of the job left me little time to paint. Later, I married and we moved to a new place; it took me a few months to find a place in time and space to paint and draw. After my second son was born and we moved across country, I took time off to be a full time mother of two. After about two years, my husband encouraged me to go back to my art.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Soon after art school, I started teaching ceramics and selling ceramics in galleries around Philadelphia and in New Jersey. The pots I made had figures and faces on them. I also designed and painted scenery sets for almost nine years. Painting large and loose was a great exercise for me. When my children were small, I tried watercolor, gouache, pastels, and colored pencils. Anything that was fast to set out and easy to clean up. I hadn't painted many landscapes until we moved to the Northwest. I went out on my own to paint until I found groups that did that also.

Sailing Lessons
(click to see original image)

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

My sons were in highschool before I went back to oils full time. I don't want to paint with any other medium. I love painting in oils. But, once in a while someone will ask me to give a watercolor class, so I pull them out and start to use them again. A wise decision was to not spread myself too thin. So I haven't touched ceramics in years, and I will never will go back to scenery painting.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

A love a challenge. I find painting outside with oils a challenge. How fast I can paint the changing light, the sea colors, the cloud formations. How fast I can paint this man mending his fishing net. So I have to say, I have plenty of exploration still to do with just painting with oils.

Who or what inspires you most?

I'm inspired when I see fine paintings by artist in books and museums like John Singer Sargent, or paintings by the impressionist and others. I am inspired by looking a local art as well. Tapes and books by contemporary artists like Richard Schmid are inspiring. Driving around our local farm area, the sea, and the mountain inspires me. Sometimes a walk through my garden inspires me. I find beautiful music inspiring. When I see a person that I know will make a fantastic subject to paint, I bravely approach them to see if they will model for me.

Preparations
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

From experience I find it easier to do something that I may think is hard, then to think and fret about doing it. Getting it done and freeing myself allows me to go on to the next thing that needs to be done.

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

When the boys were in school, I went out to groups where we would hire models to draw and paint on a set day and time each week. I still go out to paint and draw models in a group setting. I took over our breakfast room by the kitchen where I could paint until the boys walked in the door. Now I have a studio/carriage house on our lot where I go every afternoon to paint. Putting on my painting clothes and classical music transitions me into painting time.

Rocks Along Larrabee Coast
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I arrive at ideas for paintings by looking over photos that I've taken over the years. A composition or subject will pop out at me. If there is a Gallery Show with a theme, I work on that theme for a while. Sometimes looking through art books will give me an idea. It could also be a flower from my garden or a neighbor's cat or car. I am also part of a critique group where we suggest constructive criticism and share ideas.

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

I recently read on Daily Paintworks that someone had challenged themselves to do thirty-five brush stokes to a painting. I thought that was a great idea and a way to not overwork a painting or put unnecessary brush strokes on a painting. I haven't tried it yet but I will. I think to keep art fresh you have to know when to stop. Finding balance in my life keeps me from burnout. For me, I need family and friends time, fresh air and exercise. I also find time to do volunteer work. It's good for me to think about what others may need and help out. The area where I live has a strong, supportive art community as well.

Winter Flowers
(click to see original image)

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

Right now, I'm studying color. It is easier for me to look at my older art work and see what I have learned since that piece was made, than to look at my art work today and say this is what I'm learning right now.

What makes you happiest about your art?

When I see someone look at my art and fall in love with it, or see how happy someone is about the work I've made. I'm happy to see my art bring joy into someone's life. I am also happy when my painting or drawing flows out of me with ease and just seems right and complete.

Thanks, Joy!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Nicoletta Baumeister

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

To enter to win Nicoletta's painting, "My Little Bird" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Nicoletta's DPW Gallery page: 

I have had a full time studio practice for over thirty years, both painting and teaching drawing, watercolour and acrylic. My work has been exhibited in an extensive assortment of exhibitions and has garnered many awards to date. My work has evolved from photo realism to pure abstraction with the underlying pursuit of understanding perception. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

As a child, my entire household was always in a state of making something. My Father, an architect, taught us to draw very early, and my Mother was the most able person I know, capable of making anything. We spent our long northern winters making crafts for the church bazaar, clothes for ourselves and our stuffed toys, Christmas decorations for the house, the list is endless. Pursuing an education in art was a natural evolution.

My Little Bird
(click to see original image)

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

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

A few. I always kept painting, but in lesser volume. After university, for about four years I deviated from painting to learn and practice gold smithing. I have also run the office for a commercial company for about four years. I find I use much of what I learned about business from both experiences in my art practice and am thankful for the skills.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

Hmm. I have foundations in fabric art, photography, printmaking, sculpture, wood carving, ceramics, design and the gold smithing. However, I would say my 'serious work' stems from my early love for complex graphite works composed of sixty hours or more of work. This activity morphed into painting in dry-brush watercolour over a period of about twenty years.

In 2002, I began working with acrylics and now, just this year, I am wrestling my way through oil. My overriding genre is realism, however, it is the concept of 'what is real' rather than the appearance of real which is at the heart of my investigations. I am supremely interested in the processes of perception, from how the senses work, to the brain functions, to making meaning, to the construction of visual and verbal languages, to communication and apprehension.

Camelia Study, Bold
(click to see original image)

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

All have 'stuck'. Each medium has unique properties that are best suited to express particular ideas, sensations, expressions. Nothing makes a mark as beautifully as graphite or ink. Watercolour is supreme at interpreting the luminous colour and depth of nature's surfaces. Acrylic is amazing at keeping it's consistency over large areas. Oil seems to be handy because of the duality of it's transparent and opaque pigments at creating depth in addition to revealing brushstrokes.

Add in the cultural and historical applications of the mediums and you have a whole other layer of meaning. For example fabric is intertwined with women's history while photography speaks intimately of time and place and photographers viewpoint. Each medium carries with it's own story and associations.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I would like to learn glass blowing. To have light, transparency, colour and form to play with! The ability to create, essentially on three different levels, the outer form, the inner form and then the whole! I imagine the potential for creating metaphorical meanings to be limitless with that many possibilities.

Gerbera Study Two
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

Nature is overwhelmingly the most enduring reservoir of delight and wonder for the senses. She brings our senses to life. In humans, I could list an entire army of amazing 'mensch': artists, poets, philosophers, activists, leaders, housewives, workers, teenagers, small children. It is truest to say that I am inspired and awed by the moments when you are witness to a humans exercising their humanness; to be vulnerable and trusting, to acknowledge ignorance and be open to explore and question, to share and to receive, to love and be loved.

What does procrastination look like for you?

I prefer to call procrastination, cleaning up the small stuff so that the big stuff can happen. There is a lesson to be learned from the farmers who allow fields to lie fallow so that they can be refreshed for the following year of planting, we too need to leave space in our schedules. In fallow periods I do the 'winter work'; clean the studio, house and garden, answer neglected phone calls, tend to avoided business, pet the cats, gaze at the flowers and -- PRESTO! I am unencumbered and ready to go again.

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

I awarded art making the status of a regular job. My hours are from 9:30 to 5, 6, 7 or 8. Everything else is arranged around the studio hours. Phone and emails are handled before 9:00, at lunch, or in the evening after the studio. Dishes are done at the end of the day. Teaching and social things are slotted in after work, or on rare occasions after 3:00. My best hours are in the morning, so I truly try to hold the 9am to 1pm slot inviolate.

Lost and Found
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

As my work stems from questions about perception, all ideas are part of this continual theme. Each painting stems from the one before. There never is a shortage of ideas, just time. Whenever I am learning a new medium however, like this years pursuit of oil painting, I will fall back on observing nature. One always finds something new to learn in natural objects.

How do you keep art "fresh?"

Hmm. That is the question. Do we? Can we escape our own shadows? Studying historical artists and also myself, I see that we all tend to repeat ideas and themes that are set early in life. I suspect that our 'lens', the way we view our world, is set very early on and all else is just a permeation of the values, ethics and interests that are set in that early experience.

What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

It has been invaluable to understand myself and to develop compassion for my weaknesses. All work cannot be amazing, however all work is a part of your journey somewhere. I have some catch phrases for the moments of doubt, the moments when you realize your boat is in an eddy. Try to fail spectacularly! Play is vital. Aim for authenticity. Feel first, sort it out later.

Blossoms from the Farm
(click to see original image)

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

Most of my thinking these days is about how to support ART in our society. I am certain of the value it has had to my life and to those around me and I would like to do something to spread that around. I believe that our senses awaken us to being alive, they literally connect us to our world, natural and manmade. Music, dance, theatre, and visual art stimulate those same senses and provide information on who we are and what we are capable of.

This is vitally important as our technological world is exponentially increasing both the complexity and the speed in which that complexity is being launched at us. We suffer daily losses of entire cultures and languages which translate to massive loss of the diversity of responses to the environment which we once had. We also incur an accelerated divorce from the understanding of the natural world in which those cultures developed. Creativity is possibly the best tool that a human has to apprehend and respond to her/his environment. It is vital to our wellbeing.

What makes you happiest about your art?

That I am able to practice it.

Thanks, Nicoletta!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Jennifer Beaudet

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

To enter to win Jennifer's painting, "Symphony for Spring" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Jennifer's DPW Gallery page:

I grew up by the beach, in beautiful Southern California, and now live in the mountains of Northern California. My inspiration comes from the beauty that surrounds me. I paint mostly in oils with an occasional watercolor and like to keep my paintings loose and painterly. I'm primarily self-taught in oils, but also earned my degree in Studio Art quite a few years ago. Life took me on a different journey, but I'm happy to finally be living my dream creating art.

My work is currently on display at Fringe in Redondo Beach, CA, Weaverville, CA and in private collections around the world, from Australia to Japan, Canada, Paris and all over the United States.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

Like so many artists, I've been an artist as far back as I can remember (sometimes that's not that far! haha). It wasn't until my daughter was about to enter college that I decided I couldn't wait any longer to express myself through paint!

When I stumbled upon the original dally paintings site, I was so inspired. Seeing other artists actually making money from their art, inspired me to immediately set up a blog and start painting. My blog was called, "My Life As a Starving Artist" and is no longer called that because I'm no longer starving! I was never really starving from hunger, it was the urge inside me to create that had been put on hold for so long. I was raising my daughter on my own and had no idea how to make enough through my art. She's all grown up and lives away now, so I have been able to put everything into creating art!

Symphony of Spring
(click to see original image)

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

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

Yes, for most of my life, my art was put on hold while I raised my daughter as a single mom. It wasn't until about five years ago that I really started painting daily, well almost every day. If I'm not painting, I'm doing something having to do with my art business -- 24/7 it seems! But I'm not complaining, I love what I do!

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I use mostly oils, but used to use watercolors years ago. I also experiment with acrylics now and then, but get frustrated and go back to oils. I haven't been able to get the same look and feel as I can with oils, and they dry so fast, so I'm sticking with oils. As far as genre, I love vintage fashions and have done several paintings of vintage ladies and just beautiful dresses in general. I'm also very passionate about Hawaii and dream about living there someday. So painting it is the next best thing! I also do other landscapes of beautiful places that either I've been, or a relative has been. I always tell them to take lots of photos for me.

Birch Tree Challenge
(click to see original image)

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

I would say, my watercolors haven't stuck. I don't use them very often anymore and when I do I end up using them in a very organic way, just letting it "happen".

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I definitely want to focus more on figures. I had two semester of life drawing when I first started college, right out of high school. That was quite sometime ago now so I'd really like to refresh my skills by painting more figures. But, I live in a very small town and haven't found a life drawing class yet. Finding a model is the hard part. I've had my daughter pose for reference photos but since she doesn't live at home anymore having her sit is not possible.

Dance of the Tulip
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

I'm inspired by beauty, but that's kind of vague. I think it's the color and light that certain objects and scenes possess that intrigue me the most. Even in folds of fabric (which I love painting) it's the form created by the light that attracts me. In a landscape, it's the light and atmosphere of a scene that inspires me, but I always love to add extra punches of color with beautiful flowers, which I love as well! This is a hard question. So many things inspire me, like learning and discovering new ways to paint! That really inspires me!

What does procrastination look like for you?

Me on my computer, sunning outside, talking on the phone, then back to my computer.

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

I try to have a routine, but don't always stick to it! I like to spend mornings doing computer related social media, promoting tasks. After that, I should just put the computer (and my phone) away, so I don't get distracted. I would probably get a lot more done! I do errands and try to make it to the gym, so I start painting around 2:00 and usually stop around 7:00.

Redondo Beach Pier
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

It might be something I see in my daily life that gives me an idea or some place that I've been. I just took a trip to L.A. and drove home up the coast. I took a ton of photos, so I might get a few out of that. Some of my paintings are commissions, so it's someone else's idea and my vision combined. Those are always fun to do.

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

I don't know if it's "fresh" or not, but I'm always learning new things by reading books, browsing the Internet, and taking a few online workshops. So I feel my work is always improving. I haven't yet experienced burnout and hope I don't ever get there, but if I do I think traveling somewhere new or maybe taking a new workshop might help.

Anemone Botanical
(click to see original image)

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

I feel like I'm always learning about everything! Color, light, value, you name it, I'm learning and practicing. I can't really say one particular thing that I'm learning, except that I've always worked on small and medium size canvases and have recently received two different commissions for very large, as in 30x60 inch canvas! So I've been learning about getting the same feel with this size as I do with the smaller pieces.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I finish a piece. It's a great feeling and I'm not going to lie, I love when someone likes my art enough to buy it and display it in their home! I've also been able to donate my art for several causes. That makes me very happy! I just love everything about painting and am grateful to be able to do it.

Thanks, Jennifer!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Sandra Spencer

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

To enter to win Sandra's painting, "Smooch II" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Sandra's DPW Gallery page:

Yay, I’m happy to be a member of Daily Paintworks! I have been a daily painter for the last 8 years, selling art work to customers around the world. I am glad you have found me here! I am mainly an animal painter -- pet portraits are a specialty. I also love to paint our local Eastern Oregon horses, and you will be seeing many of them here. I am always willing to paint requests, so if you would like me to paint something special for you, please just ask.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I was fooling around, trying to be creative with many different avenues, and realized that I was making too many things to actually keep or give away, so I should focus on creating something I could sell. That led me to painting, which fulfilled my desire to "make" something every day. I sold my first painting on ebay for more than I expected (it was a pretty rustic scene of bright yellow lemons on a cobalt background) and I was encouraged to keep at it.

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

No, I just kept painting or sketching almost every day, learning what worked for me (and did not). Creating things gives me pleasure in knowing I am leaving something fairly permanent behind after I am gone. I don't have to paint things the whole world loves, but just that one person loves. That's enough for me.

Smooch II
(click to see original image)

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

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I started out painting acrylic still lifes and landscapes, until the day someone asked me to paint her dog. That painting changed everything and I focused on pets after that. I continued in acrylics for eight more years, then switched to oils which I work in now. At the time, I loved acrylics and couldn't imagine ever changing, but now I can't imagine going back.

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

I like capturing the spark of life in an animal, in either its expression or its behavior. I love to capture a face full of joy. I don't think I have ever painted a landscape in the last ten years. I look at the terrain of where I live now (the high desert) and sometimes I think I should try to paint it. But I just don't see the color transitions of a landscape in my mind's-eye like I do animals.

Perry
(click to see original image)

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I want to paint more cowboys. There are so many rodeo events where I live that I've recently realized I need to seek them out and capture the participants. I'm sure the local landscape will all of a sudden "pop" into my head like the figures do. One day.

Who or what inspires you most?

Years ago, before I started painting, I met Ray Bradbury at a book signing. There were no other customers around and he had ten minutes to talk with just me. We talked about writing, but the philosophy applies to just about anything. He told me to wake up an hour early every day and write something even if I didn't know where it was going to go -- just let it flow out. Make the time to be creative. I applied that philosophy to painting, making sure I painted every night after work (up an hour early every morning didn't work for me). He told me to read his book, Zen and the Art of Writing, which I have since done. I'd recommend the book to anyone trying to follow a creative path, every chapter was good advice. Don't listen to nay sayers, and cut out the people who criticize you in your life. Practical advice.

Nuzzle
(click to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you?

My gosh, I don't procrastinate about painting. One day a week, I will sketch up what I intend to paint the next week. And even then some of the sketches get left unpainted, or I realize they won't work like I planned, so I am glad I sketched up five other things to choose from. I find that every day my head wraps differently around a painting, and sometimes something I had planned to work on just doesn't come together right -- the colors, or the shadows -- and that I need to work on something that is completely different. Having multiple things sketched and ready to go leaves me choices about what I feel like doing that day, instead of having to address one thing that I feel only so-so about.

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

I don't get distracted by the things left undone around home. If the house isn't burning, like the saying goes, it can wait a while. I make sure to sit down first thing in the morning and plan what I will do, and then paint for a half hour before taking a break. I do need frequent breaks, or else carpal tunnel is waiting in my future. I've had to buy a new painting table at the right height, because an earlier one was causing problems with my wrists. So I'll walk around or go fool in the garden for a few minutes, and then go paint some more. Taking small breaks helps me come back and look at what I'm working on with a fresh eye.

The Labs
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I take loads of photos, carrying my camera everywhere. I stop by the horses at the fence, and ask people at the park if I can take photos of their dog. I spend hours at the county fair visiting with the rabbits and goats. I am so grateful for digital cameras, because I know no one could have afforded to take as many photos as I do with the old system. Only one out of 10 photos results in something that will translate well into a painting. I look for shadows, and how the subject interacts with the viewer. If the sun is behind the horse making it appear all in shadow, I don't even bother stopping the car anymore.

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

I take a day off now and then. I can tell when my creativity is flagging and the painting lacks life. If I am coming down with a cold, I also take a break. I have found that my mood is directly telegraphed in my paintings, and I only want to paint upbeat scenes. There's no reason to sit down and waste canvas and paints when I know I'm just going to be going through the motions and no spark.

A Smile a Day
(click to see original image)

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

I am finally recognizing why something does *not* work. I'd say one out of fifteen of my paintings is not entirely successful, and I am learning how to spot those before I even create them.

What makes you happiest about your art?

It's sort of bittersweet, but I like hearing from a customer five years later how their pet has passed away and they are so happy they have the painting to remember him by. I have heard that a lot over the years. So on the one hand of course it's hard to hear, but on the other hand I'm glad my customer has a happy memento to look at every day.

Thanks, Sandra!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Gary Westlake

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

To enter to win Gary's painting, "Pink Lotus" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Gary's DPW Gallery page:

I guess I am addicted to making art. Sometimes, I get distracted with the hurly burly, but I always seem to come back to it and at all times I have my antennas out looking for ideas on how to make it better. I have been painting off and on my whole life and that is a long, long, long time. In the past, I used various mediums in my paintings – mostly acrylic but some watercolour and even a couple of pastels, but the last few years, I have worked exclusively with oils which suits the images that I like to make. (click to read more)

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I could tell you that my Mom arranged for me to have painting classes as a child, which is true but she is ninety-eight and probably would not be able to remember to verify. I am getting up there myself, so some of the early years are getting a bit fuzzy. I am pretty sure about this. I have always been interested in art and have painted off and on most of my life.

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

“Career” is such a strong word for it. From the very beginning, I had a feeling that this was no way to make a living, so I did something else most of my life to put food on the table to raise a family. When I got a chance though, I would squeeze in a little painting, or a life drawing course, etc. I always seemed to find a way to use my art at work, illustrating reports, etc.

Pink Lotus
(click to see original image)

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

After retiring, I was able to set up a permanent studio which made a great difference, but still there were a lot of distractions, and life seemed just about as busy as it was when I was on the job. Then a couple of years ago, I was not allowed to do much physical work for a while and I turned to painting to fill the time. I tried a couple of the DPW challenges and enjoyed the experience. Then someone convinced me to sell her two of my paintings and that was just the kick in the back side that I needed to try painting almost every day and joining DPW.

Occasionally, I wonder what life might have been like if I had lived it as an artist full time (I would have been poor but - I could have been a contender). I have learned that at whatever age you are, expecting big things from yourself is much better than worrying about your limitations. One advantage I have now, is that I have a lifetime of experiences to paint about.

Blue Umbrella
(click to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

When it comes to genres, I cannot settle on any in particular. The images that interest me can come from just about anywhere. For quite a while, I designed with stained glass. The colours can be vibrant but the mechanics of realizing the final work requires a lot of time and attention to detail. I like the immediacy of paint. I also tried pastels and loved the pure colour that you could create with it, but quickly discovered, after framing one piece, that it was going to get very expensive for mats, glass, etc.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I have just purchased a number of water mixable oils and hope to try them when travelling this summer.

Barrel Cactus
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

I have a long list of artists whose work I look at daily, mostly that paint similarly to how I do, or hope to do. I have their work pop up on my Feedly newsreader and on the DPW site. When I see a painting I like, I try to deconstruct how the artist created the piece. I think this all gets incorporated into what I do somehow.

What does procrastination look like for you?

Looking at art instead of creating it (see above).

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

A personal commitment to posting daily for as long as I can, has kept me working at it more consistently. This has done wonders for learning how to paint and, more importantly, is giving me insight into what I need to work on. It helps me notice small irritations or details, and to work on them, like the lighting on my palette or what paints I use, or how to get the photo of a painting to actually look like the painting.

Paddleboats on the Lake
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I’ll be driving down the road and every time I pass a certain place at a certain time of day (bing!). I’ll be flipping through images on the internet or through my gazillion photos ( bing!). There is something about an image that sticks in my brain until I can get it out by painting it. Perhaps I am deluded, but I cannot remember staring at a blank canvas wondering what I was going to paint. There are always a lot of images, and the hard part is deciding which to do next.

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

I hop around from one subject to the next and it has not felt like burnout so far. It is for others to judge whether it is engaging or not. After a while of watching what people seem to like and not like, I am not sure that I completely understand what engages viewers.

Calm Before the Storm
(click to see original image)

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

I am trying to simplify colour schemes, think more in terms of value masses instead of detail and to incorporate more ambiance or meaning into my work (not just a pretty picture). I hope there are enough years in my life left to do this. Lately, I have been experimenting with various methods of toning my boards and of transferring my drawings.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Working on the answers to your previous question.

Thanks, Gary!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse

DPW Spotlight Interview: Jessica Miller

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

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

From Jessica's DPW Gallery page:

Originally from northern Michigan, Jessica now makes her home in the Hudson River Valley. She is best known for her portraits, recognizable for their expressionist style and vibrant color. Particularly popular are her half-hour portraits, small paintings done in one quick sitting, which effectively capture likeness as well as mood.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Jessica studied at the School of Visual Arts and at the Art Students League in New York, with legendary painter Hananiah Harari, later continuing her studies with acclaimed portrait and landscape artist Andrew Lattimore.

Her work is shown regularly in galleries in New York and hangs in private collections throughout the U.S.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

Oh, I've always been painting. I didn't begin to find my "voice" until I moved to New York City and started taking classes with Hananiah Harari at the Art Students League. A tiny, sweet man, well into his eighties when I knew him; he was a giant of an artist. I am so lucky to have studied with him. He gave me the confidence to be brave in my painting. My style loosened up as I experimented with color and realized that I was free to paint however I wanted. It was during this time that I found myself gravitating to the face and started to focus on portraiture.

Tulips
(click to see original image)

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

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

Oh, sure. For a long time, I wouldn't have even called it a career. I had dreams of making a living from my art, but I didn't know how, and I didn't paint often enough. Eventually, I became more disciplined. The more I painted, the better I became, which I guess is true of anything.

Then, several years ago, I was asked to paint portraits for an event at the Katonah Museum of Art. The catch was, each portrait had to be completed in half an hour or less. I experimented in the weeks leading up to the event, until I found a size at which I could finish a portrait in half an hour. And it was amazing! Having to paint quickly forced me to paint loosely and freely, concentrating on the big things, like getting a likeness, value, and of course, color. Plus, people loved them. I've since painted hundreds of half-hour portraits, at gallery or museum events, and in my studio. I just love doing them.

Walking with Mayzie
(click to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with?

I wouldn't say that I've consciously tried different genres. It was more a subconscious progression from realism, because that's what I originally thought being a good artist was all about, to a more impressionist style, to whatever my style is now. I never set out to paint in a certain style, but I'm happy with how it's evolved.

I use oil paints for my landscapes, many of which are painted en plein air, and Golden Open acrylics for my portraits. A huge part of my evolution as a portrait artist is due to the advent of "open" acrylics, which stay wet for much longer than conventional acrylics. They allow me to mix all kinds of colors on my palette and come back to them over and over throughout a portrait session, something that was impossible before.

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

I simply cannot figure out pastels. They seem so handy and portable, but I always end up with a mess on the paper and all over me. So that may be one that has fallen away, but you never know. Watercolor still eludes me, but I hope to someday get better. I've really settled on oils and open acrylics for now.

Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I'd sort of like to try encaustic painting, but not yet.

Half-hour Portrait
(click to see original image)

Who or what inspires you most?

VAN GOGH! His paintings, not his life. Matisse's portraits. The Society of Six, Tom Thomson, The Group of Seven. Whenever I feel myself getting too tight, I look at their work.

What does procrastination look like for you?

It looks a lot like eating. Or making lists of things to do instead of actually doing them.

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

I plan for it. I look at my schedule for the week and note on which days I'll have a block of time for painting. Some weeks are better than others. I also pay close attention to the weather forecast, trying to leave time for plein air painting on nice days.

Lake Minnewaska
(click to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I like coming to a portrait session with no preconceived ideas, letting whatever I see in the face of that particular person determine the feel of the painting. For landscapes, I note views that I'd like to come back to and paint as I'm driving or running. In the winter, I bring a camera along with me when x-country skiing and take photos to use as references for paintings. I really love painting farmland, which is in short supply where I live. For that I drive north, something I should be doing more of.

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

As I mentioned before, I look at work of artists who inspire me. A trip to the Met is always good, too. I do find that I work in cycles--sometimes I feel as if I have suddenly lost any shred of talent that I ever had, and those are not fun days. I've found that I have to make myself keep painting, if not that day, then the next and the next. And at some point, just as suddenly, things change, and I hit a groove, and I've got a painting that makes me happy. Sometimes that process happens all within one painting, and sometimes it takes a lot longer.

Morning at the Beach
(click to see original image)

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

It's hard to put this one into words. With each painting, I learn a lot of little things, and painting after painting, those little things add up. Sometimes it's something concrete, like how to mix a certain color, or how to achieve a particular effect. But often I'm not even conscious of what I've learned; it's something more like muscle memory. Right now, much of what I'm learning has to do with capturing the light, airy feel of spring before the green of summer closes in.

What makes you happiest about your art?

There are some paintings that just don't go well at all. They start out simply awful, but occasionally, if I just keep painting and trying to figure it out, something suddenly clicks. Sometimes it's as simple as one good brush stroke that reveals what I need to do to fix things, and from that point on the painting just flows, and I end up loving it. It's a rare occurrence, but it does feel good. And a little magical.

Thanks, Jessica!

© 2014 Sophie Catalina Marine Cruse