Monday, July 21, 2014

Art Blog Hop!

This blog post is part of a series of posts called an artist blog hop. Think of a blog hop as blogging "chain mail." Someone links to me and I have to link to another, and each must find another art blogger. All of us must answer the same questions about our creative process.

Thanks to Miriam Schulman for asking me to participate.  You can visit her blog to see her responses to these same questions, along with some beautiful, fun and inspiring artwork.
Here are the questions we are answering in the Art Blog Hop:

 

1.  How does my creative process work?

My creative process can be very sporadic. I can be inspired in the middle of the day or dead of night. I usually have to grab the closest snippet of paper available to jot down whatever is floating through my mind--even if that means stopping in an aisle of the grocery store! My scribbles range from poetry to sketches and both can become featured in my paintings.
Because I have young children, this note taking helps me to "freeze" my idea until I can get at least an hour by myself. There are certain aspects of my art business that I can do with my kids in the studio with me, but painting is not one of them! I need good music (typically jazz or roots/folk), plenty of room and complete isolation (with the exception of my schnauzer). A cup of tea or wine helps to get the gears going as well.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

 To tell the truth, I sometimes have difficulty expressing to others just what 'genre' my work should be assigned. I love poring over collections of antique wallpaper design in the library, exploring with my children in our back woods and viewing photos of the clean sparse environs of Scandinavian home places. I take all of these elements and mix them together in my work to create a fresh but familiar aesthetic. My portraits can be thought of as traditional, but my larger scale canvas pieces give a shot of color and elegance that is not easily classified.

 

3. What am I working on?

Right now I am working on adding varied products to my shop that feature my images. I'd like to expand my audience and by offering physical, utilitarian and portable items I'm hoping to draw a new crowd to my shop that might not otherwise visit.

4. Why do I create what I do?


 I've always been compelled by some force within me to create. My expression has taken many forms over my life--theater, written word, painting, singing, guitar playing. It gives me an incredible level of peace and passion when I am able to momentarily abandon my responsibilities and lend my talents to a blank canvas. I take various elements that I encounter in my daily life and blend them to create something I find beautiful and enhancing to most interiors.

Let's keep hopping!


I've chosen the young artist, Jennifer Ou, to continue the hop. She counts her recent travels to Italy as her main inspiration in her paintings. You can find her blog at http://jenniferslifeadventures.blogspot.com/ and enjoy her lovely work in her Etsy shop here https://www.etsy.com/shop/JenniferOuPaintings.