Welcome to AllArtWorks Featured Artist Series!
1. What other profession is similar to being an artist and why?
As I told my granddaughter, as an artist you can be anything. To me an artist is a problem solver. How do I improve a scene? What values are these objects? Are these cool or warm colors? I was a pastoral associate for thirty years and I can say without a doubt my art helped me everyday. How to improve the environment in a church to set the stage for the liturgies? Actually everyone is an artist, we are born into this world and from day one we are creating who we will become. We can choose to be creative and solve problems as they come or we can become victims of our circumstances. By being creative we can strive to be the best we can be, or as my 96 year old mother would say, “I did the best I could.”
2. What’s the nicest thing you can remember someone said about your work, or an individual piece?
The nicest thing someone said about my art was “it’s beautiful and it makes me happy.” I want my art to make people happy. Some artists like to make political statements with their art and that’s ok, but I want people to see joy when they look at my work.
3. What’s one thing you’d like everyone to know about you as an artist?
The one thing I’d like everyone to know about me as an artist is that art has saved me so many times in my life. Through journaling and art I can see how my life has improved as I’ve gotten older. Life experiences happen to all of us, but those of us blessed with the creative gene have a wonderful powerful outlet that can transcend difficulties and help us grow. I still remember in first grade when I won the coloring contest and I got the 64 color box of crayons as a prize. I was over the moon. Doing artwork for publications, exhibits and now selling artwork through Allartworks.net is a dream come true.
4. What was the last piece of art that you saw that blew you away?
The last piece of art that blew me away was Michelangelo’s David. The size was impressive and how he had to improvise because of the faulty block of marble. A true genius.
5. What’s something you haven’t done but you want to do in art/painting?
I would like to do some abstract art. I love landscapes and I recently did some architecture while in Italy, but I think abstract art would or could be soul painting.
Between Ingres and Delacroix, I like Delacroix better. He was a precursor to the impressionists which I love and he seems to be able to add movement and emotions to his art. He also had a painterly style, some loose brush work and some tighter representation. I enjoyed his watercolor landscapes very much. Also love his quote, “Color always occupies me, but drawing preoccupies me.”
*The reason we ask about Delacroix and Ingres is because they were contemporaries with wildly different styles!
