When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? Although I have loved music, theater and the visual arts my entire life, I did not come to learn
Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date?
My husband, Kurt – who perceived my talent and pushed me to take art classes. And Wade Schuman: master artist (of both painting and music!) and the most influential teacher in my life.
drawing and painting as a youngster– it was at the urging of my husband, Kurt, that I began to take lessons, first in drawing, then expanding to paint. Once I got into it, I knew I would never stop!
Who is another living artist you admire and why? Besides Wade Schuman, who will always be uppermost in any catalog of my inspirations, I deeply admire the work of Jamie Wyeth,
What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? I usually paint on pre-stretched, pre-primed canvas. I use both linen and cotton. I also occasionally also work on panels. I further set up these ready-made surfaces by preparing a tinted ground on the canvas, and then I paint on this.
Bo Bartlett, Vincent Desiderio, Natalie Holland and Odd Nerdrum. More, I am sure, but these come to mind first.
What are your favorite materials to use? I described the surfaces above – and I use linseed oil as my medium, with oil paints from several manufacturers (preference is based on particular colors), the manufacturers include Gamblin, Maimeri, Holbein, and Williamsburg. I use both boar bristle and sable or sablette brushes from a number of manufacturers, predominantly filberts and rounds in a variety of sizes. I also occasionally use a palette knife for certain effects.
I actually have another career: I work as a Human Resources Consultant, which has me traveling with some regularity for selected projects. When I am not on a consulting project, and so, not traveling, I like to work in my studio about four or five hours each day, sometimes all seven days. I feel bereft at the moment, since I have been engaged on a particularly long consulting project that has kept me away from my studio for more than three months!
What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for? Being a loyal and loving daughter, wife and friend.
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?
I spent many years building a career as an executive before I had any inkling of my talent for and love of art. It wasn’t until I was in my forties that, at my husband’s urging, I began to pursue my art education through classes, including at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, where I met Wade Schuman. It was Wade who inspired me to believe in myself as an artist. That’s a long way to come to the “culprit” in my creative life, which is: my fear of letting go of my original career. Although I no longer work full-time, I still take consulting engagements, and when I take on these projects, I don’t manage the required mindset shifts well enough to use my free time effectively for art. For example, by the time I get out of my “business” mind set, my weekend is nearly over and little time is left for the art.
The ultimate triumph will be when I sever the past, non-art related work from my life. I have not had the fortitude to do that yet. Meanwhile, I sketch and make notes as ideas come to me, even while I travel (right now I am sitting on a backlog of five “paintings” that are merely a collection of idea notes and thumbnails of compositional sketches…nowhere near a canvas yet!). I have also recently started meditation. Just a beginner, I am hoping as I learn, this will allow me to keep my mind more integrated between my “art” mind and my “business” mind, if that makes sense!
What is your favorite way to get your creative juices flowing?
I go into my studio… select music (I have many playlists, mixes of jazz, oldies, classics – I never play a full opera when I paint because that takes my attention too much away from my work), and I just start SOMETHING. Since I work in a layered paint technique, I often have various pieces in different stages of development. So, frequently I pick up one of these and move to the next stage with it. Sometimes, if I don’t have the courage to tackle any of these… (“So far, looks pretty good… better not ruin it…or “What did I really mean to do next?”) In those instances, I start a new one. I almost always have several ideas that I have jotted down. To turn one of these thumbnails into a fully realized work, I typically start with an under painting: either on a toned canvas or by “washing” the canvas with raw umber and linseed oil thinned with mineral spirits. Then I wipe this off, leaving a tone similar to a ‘chamois‘ toned ground. On this still wet surface, I draw/paint in raw umber, getting the darks and main shapes in, and wiping out the lights to achieve a monochrome image that looks a bit like an old sepia-toned photograph: similar to a grisaille.
Janine Kilty
www.janinekilty.com
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