Artspan Spotlight in VL with Katharine Cartwright

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? My parents recognized I was an artist before I entered kindergarten, and provided me with opportunities to learn about color theory and design beginning at age 3. Therefore, I’ve always self-identified as an artist and have never lost my love for creating art. Because I think in pictures rather than in words, drawing and painting come naturally to me and are the way I prefer to communicate with myself and others. 

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date?  Susan Webb Tregay, a superb artist and instructor has been the greatest influence on my work. She taught me the importance of concept in creating art. Without that, artistry does not occur because it is the intended concept that makes art “art.”

Who is another living artist you admire and why?  The artists that I admire most are those whose work is authentic – the ones who bravely express themselves with honesty and integrity without the motivation of popularity and sales. Thankfully, there are many that fall into this category.

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? Primarily, I use Arches watercolor paper, cold press 140 pound because it can take a lot of “abuse” and stand up to it very well. 

What are your favorite materials to use? Although I was trained in oils, I now prefer watercolors above any other medium. My favorite brand is Daniel Smith.

Do you have a favorite color palette? No. For me, it’s more important to assemble a palette for each painting based upon the mood, values, and temperatures that I need to employ to best express my concept. That always changes from painting to painting.

How often do you work on your artwork? How many hours a week? When I’m not traveling, I walk to my studio at 4:30 AM and work from between 4 to 10 hours in a single day. I try to do this seven days a week unless I have appointments and other matters that interfere. However, I’m always able to work in the studio between 4:30 and 8:30 AM. I like the discipline, but I’m also eager to get into the studio and work. I love to paint!

What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for? The things I would like to be remembered for is what I’ve deemed to be important: my dedication to family and community; integrity as an artist and a human being; creating art that is both meaningful and unique, that contributed to the global dialogue in the visual arts, and, effective teaching. 

There are many culprits that can crush creativity, such as distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure. What tends to stand in the way of your creativity? How do you overcome these obstacles? As you noted, distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure are the usual culprits for most artists and were for me as well. Learning to ignore all that and trust my own intuition and imagination took a long time, but I finally got there. I learned to listen only to my inner voice. That liberated me use my own voice to create work that’s original rather than imitative or derivative. 

What are your inspirations for your work? Because my work relies upon my imagination and not physical references, I suppose my greatest inspiration is my internal vision of the world. That internal vision is influenced by my psychology (which filters and interprets my surroundings) and my life experiences. 

What is your favorite way to get your creative juices flowing?  Wake up and walk to my studio. The juices are flowing by the time I open the studio door. It’s Pavlovian.

Which work of yours is your favorite?  Always, the one I’m presently working on. I must be in love with and cherish the piece I’m creating in order to complete it. So, it becomes the most precious at the time.

Getting to know you Q&A

What is your favorite color in your closet? If you looked at my closet you’d see a full palette of colors without one that is dominant. I love all colors and tend to wear the one that best reflects my mood at the moment.

What book are you reading this week? I love to read women’s travel and homesteading accounts. Right now, I’m reading a number of books on Maine and Alaskan women homesteaders.

Do you have a favorite television show? Not really, but I do manage to follow “Project Runway.” I like the challenges and creative solutions by the designers.

What is your favorite food? Pie (any fruit flavor).

What color sheets are on your bed right now? Aneegoine

What are you most proud of in your life? My son.

Who would you love to interview?An “undiscovered” artist who is naturally gifted and struggling to keep her integrity while attempting to rise through the ranks. Someone who’s truly undaunted by the art scene and perseveres would, in my opinion, be worth knowing about.

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting? What is it? Yes. I love to sail and kayak.

Who would you love to portray in mixed media? I don’t know. I guess I don’t think that way.

If you were an animal what would you be and why? A well-loved and cared-for Labrador retriever would be my choice because they have a wonderful temperament and are very loyal. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be?  A machete, striking steel, and a very long rope. 

Share something with us that few people know about you.  Although I don’t come across this way, I’m actually very shy.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Since I’ve already made that choice, it’s easy: Midcoast Maine, where I live  right now. It’s a slice of heaven.

Visit Katharine's website: www.kacartwright.com

Studio Visit with Colorado Artist Carol Nelson

I wasn’t always an “artist.”  I put that word in quotes because, to me, an artist is one who works at his or her craft diligently every day.  Besides spending time at the easel, in today’s times, being an artist also involves networking, researching, marketing, and spending a great deal of time on the computer.  It is far more involved than sitting at your kitchen table and painting a pretty picture once in a while.

Going way back in my art career, I can see the embryonic form of the artist I have become.  I’ve always been attracted to vibrant color, and my earliest memory of anything artistic is that extra-large box of Crayola crayons I treasured.  When I colored a page, I put on LOTS of color, pushing the crayon deeply into the paper for a saturated color.  

In high school, my favorite subject was art.  I loved everything we did in class, and it was a straight-A subject for me.  As a college freshman, it was natural for me to declare an art major. However, sometime during that freshman year – maybe during a biology class or chemistry 101 – it dawned on me that perhaps I should think about how I would support myself when I graduated.  My right and left brains were in a battle for dominance.  The left brain won, and I graduated with a scientific degree and a profession (medical technology) that would prove to be both satisfying and supportive.

So my artistic side was buried for several years.  Actually, I “dabbled” a bit with artsy endeavors.  When my children were small, I had a stained glass business out of my basement.  I made custom stained glass windows for homeowners.  Although stained glass is one of the most beautiful mediums there is, it is also very expensive to produce.  When I figured out I was making less than 

$1/hour, I decided it was time to find a different outlet for my creative tendencies.

The momentous day that propelled me into a serious art career came in 1998, when I happened to be looking through the art book section at a Hobby Lobby store.  I picked up a copy of Maxine Masterfield’s, Painting the Spirit of Nature, and was instantly smitten with the images inside.  Looking at the beautiful poured ink abstract compositions, I KNEW I could do this.  I bought all the stuff and went home to start creating. 

Thus started a new passion.  I soon became aware of how much I didn’t know.  They say you don’t know what you don’t know, but at least I knew I had just scratched the surface of something huge and wonderful.  

Fast forward 15 years to where I am now.  I’ve taken many workshops in various painting media – from watercolor to oils and acrylics – and slowly my true love has emerged.  Although I can certainly appreciate the beauty of  rich oils and the flowing transparency of watercolor, it’s that “texture thing” with acrylics and all the acrylic mediums that pulls me back time and time again.

My studio, as you can see from the photo, is always in a state of chaos.  When your medium is mixed media, you have to save everything that might somehow end up in a painting.  I’m not above dumpster diving and picking up ephemera and junk off the streets.   

I love experimenting with new paints, materials and techniques.  Since I work in acrylic, the vast number of mediums available gives me unlimited options  in how I create.  Many of the techniques I’ve developed or practiced in my own work are of interest to other mixed media artists.  I love traveling around the country giving mixed media workshops – I meet the nicest artists!  I love their enthusiasm and delight at the things I present to them.

Last October, I completed a week of training with Golden Artist Colors. Golden chose 18 artists from around the country for advanced study in their Golden Art Educator Program.  Since I already was using Golden Fluid Acrylics in my work, the additional training with Golden’s many pastes, gels, and grits, was like a huge flood of information that I’m beginning to incorporate into my painting process.

Life as traveling artist is sometimes hectic – like when my plane is delayed by a blizzard – but the rewards of meeting and working with other artists makes it all worth it.

http://carolnelsonfineart.com

VL Studio Visit Slav Krivoshiev

“The Mythological Constructivism – this is each one of us”

Slav Krivoshiev

Member of :

ARTIST TRADE UNION OF RUSSIA

WORLD ART FOUNDATION- USA.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTIST (ISA)

Master of Culturology & Art Management  

 Teacher of Fine Arts.      

Freelance Artist.

© Slav Krivoshiev

Author of the “Mythological Constructivism” concept – a style in the modern art.  “The 21st century world is marked with active globalization processes in which a very important part is taken by the intercultural contacts. Through the language of the visual arts we build and share thought constructions, laying in our cultural archetype and defined by the instruments of the modern civilization. Realizing it or not, we are taking part and creating the myth of the global person. Each act of art is a part of the whole, part of the common story for us, the humanity, in the globalization era. This is why the sign of the new age is the Mythological constructivism which is made by us – doesn’t matter if we want it or not.”   S. Krivoshiev

Visit Slav Krivoshiev's website

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/

Artspan. Visual Language Magazine Studio Visit with Elizabeth Chapman

ADVENTURE...in one word that would be how I would describe my love for painting abstracts.  There is the original inspiration or spark that sets the whole process in motion, with the belief that a wonderful work of art will emerge, yet navigating without a plan. Think going on a vacation without an agenda! The challenge is in responding to each new element that emerges on the canvas, capturing a sense of beauty through the use of color, shape, line, values and texture. Realizing that this is all but a glimpse of the bigger picture.

© Elizabeth Chapman

As a modern abstract expressionistic painter, I work intuitively quickly making decisions as I am painting with each new mark leading to the next idea. The initial inspiration for a painting can come from many different sources, but once begun, following the creative flow is important to me.  My work is always in the process of evolving as I grow as an artist. Many times the hardest part of this growth is in the letting go.

I’ve always loved art. A strong passion for creating my own art begun and grew during the years that I worked as a high school art teacher. Through the encouragement of others I began to see the artist within me. Intuitively, I knew that I was an artist first and foremost. This required a huge step in faith in order to pursue working independently as an artist and to believe in myself.

© Elizabeth Chapman

A verse from God’s word that was given to me in those first days and is still tacked to my studio board, spoke to my heart in strengthening me for the task. It reads: Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plum line in Zerubbabel’s hand.  Zechariah 4:10  I am often lifted up by these words- in that they speak to me about using the talents that have been given to us. Success is in realizing the way that each of us are made and in working to the best of our abilities.

I am very thankful for the support I have received from my family, friends, fellow artists and last but certainly not least those who have financially invested in my efforts. For all these people have played a role in supporting the arts.

“It brings me much joy just to be the brush in the Master Painter’s hand and to realize that His creations are made to bring great joy to all.”  Elizabeth Chapman.

http://melizabethchapman.artspan.com/