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Um... I like it all. Usually my favorite food is something I haven't had in a long time. Like right now I'm craving some steamers and beer. Mmmm!
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Yes, I varnish my paintings. In the past, I never framed my canvases. I used to paint past the front panel so that the painting continued onto the top and sides of the canvas. That way the painting didn’t need a frame. I think I did that not only because of the look of the piece but also because I didn’t want to be bothered with frames and I couldn’t afford ones at the time that I felt would enhance the work in the way I wanted. Lately I feel like my paintings will benefit from frames and help to give them a more finished look so I’m learning more about the process and trying to find resources and perhaps start creating my own. :)
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It’s all a natural progression. When I was a kid, I just smeared paint around and experimented and didn’t know or care about techniques or styles. It was free and fun. During college, I learned how to draw and paint in the traditional way and honed my techniques. When I started to feel more practiced and confident in that style, painting became mundane and I started to get bored. I wanted to get back that feeling I had as a kid of creating just because it was fun and free but I also wanted to utilize the skills I had learned and challenge myself. I found those things by creating highly detailed technical drawings and then experimenting and splattering around color and doing whatever comes naturally or feels right during the painting process. I like the challenge of painting on top of a drawing that took me weeks to create. It could ruin the whole thing or it could make the whole thing. That risk keeps me on my toes and keeps things fresh and exciting for me which I think is so important as an artist.
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Yes, I do. Please visit http://clicky.me/cCG for some of my favorites. :)
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Making enough money off of art to survive can be very easy for some and it can be very difficult for other depending on all sorts of things - talent, drive, exposure, luck... but I don't really believe that financial stability exists in any profession. You can feel secure in a steady 9 to 5 job and then suddenly get laid off. Or you can loyally work at the same company for 30 years and only get enough of a raise each year to cover the rising costs of living. As an artist, you can have a month where you make lots of money and another where you make nothing. That is life. It is the unknown. Artists must accept that more than anyone because they are staring it in the face each day. That can be very scary but it can also be very exciting. When you work for yourself, you are allowed many freedoms that others are not. There is no structure except the one you are creating yourself through hard work and self-discipline and passion. There is no one way to succeed or make money and yet there is every possibility that you could. This means that you are taking a risk, but you are taking a risk and believing in the most important thing in the entire world – yourself.
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The time it takes me to complete a painting varies so it’s difficult to say. If I’m really into a painting, I might work nonstop on it and complete it in a couple of days, or I might have a bunch of projects going on at once and work on something sporadically for a couple of weeks. “Drift” took about a month of working everyday to complete; “Onawa” took about two days. So it varies depending on scale, attention, etc. And so much more than painting is involved in the creation of each piece like research, sketching, prep time, graphite work, drying time, promotion, etc. The longest part of the creation process for me is the graphite work.
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I sink into a deep depression. No, just kidding. ;) What I do is I take a break.
One of my favorite painters, Andrew Wyeth, said "I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious." That sentiment is very true for me as well. So I lay down and relax my mind and body as much as I can, letting my thoughts wander and do what they will while lightly holding the intent of creation. I find that when I'm relaxed it makes it easier for stuff in the subconscious to bubble up to the surface. And when it does surface, I make sure to write or sketch the ideas down. Works every time. :) -
It's always changing but some of my favorite musical artists are Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Why?, Neutral Milk Hotel, Led Zeppelin, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cloud Cult, Elliot Smith, Modest Mouse, The Beatles, Interpol, Beck, and Iron&Wine... there's so many more. I've recently started to get into Laura Marling and Warpaint.
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I am drawn to artists who take risks and allow themselves to be fearless in the expression of their work. And like most people, I want the work to invoke a strong emotion in me.
I have many artists that I can call favorites, inspirations, influences...
Some of the great masters include Leonardo DaVinci, Ingres, and Jan Van Eyck. Other influences include Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, Klimt, John William Waterhouse, Dali, Frida, Jackson Pollock, MC Escher, Lucien Freud, Ralph Steadman, Chuck Close, and Andrew Wyeth.
As for my favorite artists today, I really dig the work of Jenny Saville, Andrew Hem, Mark Ryden, Jonathan Viner, Jeremy Geddes, Ron Muek, Sam Weber, Tamara Muller, and Brad Kunkle. Check them out. :) -
Music is definitely a huge inspiration for me. I am also inspired by different cultures and belief systems. Native Americans have always held a special place for me and influence my art. The truth is that anything can be inspiring really. It could be a person’s energy or a look or a place or even a story I hear. Most often it’s just fragments of the world waiting around to be captured and expressed in my own unique way. My eyes and ears are always open to something mind and soul awakening or emotionally arousing. Those things have allowed me to go forward, along with the esteem of all those who admire my work. :)
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