Here are the answers to some common questions I get asked by people to help you get to know me a bit more. If you have any further questions I love hearing from people! Feel free to leave a comment or message me.
Q: When/How did you begin your art?
A: According to my mom, I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon. As far back as I can remember I have enjoyed drawing. I got my first set of real art pencils and a "how to draw" book for Christmas when I was about 7 or 8, and I was SOOO excited! I mostly stuck with pencils until I started taking watercolor art classes around age 10 or 11. Although I wasn't fond of watercolors at first, I learned many valuable lessons about color, composition, and mixing paint. I did come to quite enjoy watercolors, but I became more attracted to acrylics for their bold colors and the sharp detail you could achieve with them. Even though I began dabbling a bit with acrylics around age 15, I still loved my pencils for their ease of use and simplicity. It wasn't until I won a national art contest and had an opportunity to personally meet and talk with my art hero Robert Bateman that I became more serious about pursuing acrylics.
Q: Why do you enjoy creating art?
A: I want to say, "because it's relaxing," but there are some times when it isn't relaxing! I guess it could be considered somewhat of an escape though. Sometimes it can be really hard to begin painting and get into it, but once I do I just kind of forget about everything else and focus on what I'm doing. I often play music while I paint and just enjoy the "me time." It's something that usually recharges me. It's also exciting to start a new piece, and I enjoy seeing it progress. I enjoy learning new things, and I find that I learn something new with each painting I complete. Painting is also a way that I can express the things I like and that are meaningful to me, and I think it allows people a glimpse into the way I see things.
A: According to my mom, I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon. As far back as I can remember I have enjoyed drawing. I got my first set of real art pencils and a "how to draw" book for Christmas when I was about 7 or 8, and I was SOOO excited! I mostly stuck with pencils until I started taking watercolor art classes around age 10 or 11. Although I wasn't fond of watercolors at first, I learned many valuable lessons about color, composition, and mixing paint. I did come to quite enjoy watercolors, but I became more attracted to acrylics for their bold colors and the sharp detail you could achieve with them. Even though I began dabbling a bit with acrylics around age 15, I still loved my pencils for their ease of use and simplicity. It wasn't until I won a national art contest and had an opportunity to personally meet and talk with my art hero Robert Bateman that I became more serious about pursuing acrylics.
Q: Why do you enjoy creating art?
A: I want to say, "because it's relaxing," but there are some times when it isn't relaxing! I guess it could be considered somewhat of an escape though. Sometimes it can be really hard to begin painting and get into it, but once I do I just kind of forget about everything else and focus on what I'm doing. I often play music while I paint and just enjoy the "me time." It's something that usually recharges me. It's also exciting to start a new piece, and I enjoy seeing it progress. I enjoy learning new things, and I find that I learn something new with each painting I complete. Painting is also a way that I can express the things I like and that are meaningful to me, and I think it allows people a glimpse into the way I see things.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: Everywhere and anywhere! It seems that I'm always subconsciously on the lookout for new painting ideas. When I look at things I notice the lighting, observe the colors, and imagine a composition in painting form. While many people would walk past a tree without taking much notice of it, I may walk past that same ordinary tree and see a particular branch jump out at me and notice the way the lighting is hitting it and envision a little chickadee perched there about to take flight. Or I might see a bushy hosta plant and picture what it would look like in a painting with a little green frog sitting on one of the leaves. I love nature , animals, and the outdoors, so these are what I like to draw and paint the most. I also enjoy looking at other people's art, and that often inspires me to get painting/drawing.
A: Everywhere and anywhere! It seems that I'm always subconsciously on the lookout for new painting ideas. When I look at things I notice the lighting, observe the colors, and imagine a composition in painting form. While many people would walk past a tree without taking much notice of it, I may walk past that same ordinary tree and see a particular branch jump out at me and notice the way the lighting is hitting it and envision a little chickadee perched there about to take flight. Or I might see a bushy hosta plant and picture what it would look like in a painting with a little green frog sitting on one of the leaves. I love nature , animals, and the outdoors, so these are what I like to draw and paint the most. I also enjoy looking at other people's art, and that often inspires me to get painting/drawing.
Q: What is your favorite medium to work with?
A: My first love is graphite pencils. These are what I first started with and so have the most experience with. Using them feels the most natural to me, whereas with any other medium I feel like I am still a new student. I also love the fact that I can draw easily pretty much anywhere with very few materials, whether the kitchen table, on my lap in the living room while watching TV, or at a park or on the beach. I don't have to worry about spilling paint or water, or cleaning my brushes when I'm done. That being said, I still also really enjoy acrylic painting and continually experimenting and learning with colors.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: One of the hardest parts of creating a new piece is deciding what that new piece will be! It is also, however, one of the most exciting parts of creating a new piece. I will start out with some form of inspiration, whether it's from looking through pictures I've taken or from something I've seen lately and envisioned. After getting a general idea in my head, I will collect my reference pictures and start drawing out several small thumbnail sketches. This way I can experiment with placement and composition. After I finally choose the one I like best, I may need to do more research or gather more reference pictures in order to accurately represent what it is I want to paint. After I begin, it may go through several more revisions and tweaks as I paint and see things I need to change. Sometimes I also need to take a break from a piece for a few days or even a few months so that when I come back to it it feels fresh.
A: My first love is graphite pencils. These are what I first started with and so have the most experience with. Using them feels the most natural to me, whereas with any other medium I feel like I am still a new student. I also love the fact that I can draw easily pretty much anywhere with very few materials, whether the kitchen table, on my lap in the living room while watching TV, or at a park or on the beach. I don't have to worry about spilling paint or water, or cleaning my brushes when I'm done. That being said, I still also really enjoy acrylic painting and continually experimenting and learning with colors.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: One of the hardest parts of creating a new piece is deciding what that new piece will be! It is also, however, one of the most exciting parts of creating a new piece. I will start out with some form of inspiration, whether it's from looking through pictures I've taken or from something I've seen lately and envisioned. After getting a general idea in my head, I will collect my reference pictures and start drawing out several small thumbnail sketches. This way I can experiment with placement and composition. After I finally choose the one I like best, I may need to do more research or gather more reference pictures in order to accurately represent what it is I want to paint. After I begin, it may go through several more revisions and tweaks as I paint and see things I need to change. Sometimes I also need to take a break from a piece for a few days or even a few months so that when I come back to it it feels fresh.
Q: Describe the space/studio where you normally create.
A: My work space is always changing at this stage in life! I would love to one day have a "real" studio space that I can work out of, but what I have now does the trick. As I mentioned earlier, when it comes to pencil drawing I do it pretty much anywhere, but my main space for acrylic painting is a corner in my living room where I have my large easel set up, a couple of small tables where I can place whatever tools don't fit on my easel's tray, such as my laptop for reference pictures (and music!). My corner is across the room from a large window so that I get lots of natural light, but I also have a small lamp on my easel to help me see when it gets dark out.
A: My work space is always changing at this stage in life! I would love to one day have a "real" studio space that I can work out of, but what I have now does the trick. As I mentioned earlier, when it comes to pencil drawing I do it pretty much anywhere, but my main space for acrylic painting is a corner in my living room where I have my large easel set up, a couple of small tables where I can place whatever tools don't fit on my easel's tray, such as my laptop for reference pictures (and music!). My corner is across the room from a large window so that I get lots of natural light, but I also have a small lamp on my easel to help me see when it gets dark out.
Q: When not creating art, what other activities do you enjoy?
A: I really enjoy being outdoors in nature (except lately when it's been minus 20-35 almost every day plus windchill on top of that!). I love to go camping with my husband and friends, hiking, swimming, canoeing, and biking. I enjoy just getting away, slowing down, and observing the beauty that's all around. (It's also a great way to get inspiration for my art!) I also really enjoy reading books, jammin' on my guitar, and winning at board games. :)
A: I really enjoy being outdoors in nature (except lately when it's been minus 20-35 almost every day plus windchill on top of that!). I love to go camping with my husband and friends, hiking, swimming, canoeing, and biking. I enjoy just getting away, slowing down, and observing the beauty that's all around. (It's also a great way to get inspiration for my art!) I also really enjoy reading books, jammin' on my guitar, and winning at board games. :)
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