The following is an email interview from a young fan & my response.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to interview you. I
appreciate your courtesy. As you know, I am very passionate about
painting, and aim to establish a career from my talent. I have some
questions regarding to how I may fulfill this dream.
How did you begin your career as an artist?
What medias do you work with?
Do all your paintings typically try to demonstrate the same messages
of acceptance, hope, and beauty?
Some people can be extremely critical of artists. How do you respond
to criticism?
What would you say is a more fulfilling career money wise, morality
wise, passion wise: your career as a teacher, or as an artist?
Do you believe painting is a talent you are born with, or a talent
that can be obtained and molded?
What do you wish the observer to feel when they look at your paintings?
I would love to make a living as a painter. How would I go about
getting my work discovered and getting myself known?
Some people use art as a healing tool or as a spiritual guidance.
Does your art have a deeper purpose than what the typical observer
cannot see by a glance?
You have a distinct style in your paintings. Do you think this is an
important quality for an artist to be discovered?
Do you believe an artist should have a college education to be successful?
Do you have any other advice or anything else you would like to include?
Thank you so much for letting me interview you. Your responses I'm
sure will bring me closer, if not all the way, to my goal of being an
accomplished painter and artist much like yourself.
Thank you, Leah
I have tried to answer your questions in the order they were asked. More or less.
I knew I wanted to be an artist by the time I was 5, being lucky to have
found an avocation so early, I began learning.
I love drawing, it is foundational to painting. I work with oil paint now, though
I learned with acrylics. There are advantages with each type of paint.
The Magic Kinder series is certainly about exploring the positive or
spiritual side of being human. As perceptual beings, I believe that
aesthetics enhance living if by no other means than to calm the senses. The
philosophy of aesthetics is more immense than this email, & is a life long
personal learning experience.
Art is a subjective media. ( One persons favorite color is another person's
bird cage lining... ) As individuals we must seek a path of expression which
satisfies an inner directive & ignore negative criticism. That is not to say
ignore all criticism, listen closely to the few you will choose to trust,
especially if you admire their work. Perfection is a journey of discovery &
experiment, not a stagnant destination. I still learn with each new painting,
either how to push pigment around a flat surface or how to express myself.
If I am "discovered" tomorrow I could become financially solvent, yet would
still find a way to work with short people. Being an artist allows me to
express my inner voice & world. Being a teacher allows me to connect with &
perhaps shape small people on their journey to becoming an adult. Both of
these occupations are morally & passionately fulfilling in different ways.
Both, I was born with a talent to draw accurately. I know people who learned
the hard way with diligent practice. A very good friend from college, who
can not draw accurately, loves art, his work is about ideas, not form. He is
a VERY successful illustrator in New York city .
When someone looks at my work I would like the experience to be about
communication, of being open & relaxed enough to see more than a 30 second
sound bite. I would love it if the observer would connect with their own
inner child & be comforted. Or at least see that the future is growing
before us, what will we contribute to it.
The trail to having a career as an artist is individual. Standard operating
procedures are to promote yourself any which way you can. Get your work
shown in alternative space ( Coffee shops, classy restaurants, real estate
offices, etc. ) & get your shows advertised, the arts section of your local
paper, cheap postcards to everyone & their brother, etc. Enter contests
which are relevant to your work, send nice postcards to magazine or book
editors ( illustration work ), comb the internet for galleries that sell
work similar, but, not the same as your work & interview with them. Have a
beautiful portfolio of work. Draw an apple 75 different ways ( as an
exercise in creativity... ) Do a web search for Art consultants. They often
have articles on how to improve your chances of being "discovered".
The artists you most admire may influence your style. Style is the personal
touch that each individual has automatically. As you develop your talents,
your style will emerge. It is as natural as how you walk.
A college education was beneficial to me, it laid a foundation of what is
already known about the process of creating art. Art History gives depth,
why recreate the color wheel? Working in the same room with other artists
increases creativity exponentially. Any chance to be in the same room with
compatible artists is beneficial.
Extraneous advice - fill up at least 2 drawing pads ( in a year ) with
sketches of hands & feet. You have some models on you, in the mirror or
while waiting for the bus... Reduce them to geometric shapes & angles. Draw
large to small. Keep practicing.
I hope this answers you appropriately. Please contact me again if you need
more information or even just clarification.
I would love to see some of your work, any chance?
Sincerely, Gemma
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to interview you. I
appreciate your courtesy. As you know, I am very passionate about
painting, and aim to establish a career from my talent. I have some
questions regarding to how I may fulfill this dream.
How did you begin your career as an artist?
What medias do you work with?
Do all your paintings typically try to demonstrate the same messages
of acceptance, hope, and beauty?
Some people can be extremely critical of artists. How do you respond
to criticism?
What would you say is a more fulfilling career money wise, morality
wise, passion wise: your career as a teacher, or as an artist?
Do you believe painting is a talent you are born with, or a talent
that can be obtained and molded?
What do you wish the observer to feel when they look at your paintings?
I would love to make a living as a painter. How would I go about
getting my work discovered and getting myself known?
Some people use art as a healing tool or as a spiritual guidance.
Does your art have a deeper purpose than what the typical observer
cannot see by a glance?
You have a distinct style in your paintings. Do you think this is an
important quality for an artist to be discovered?
Do you believe an artist should have a college education to be successful?
Do you have any other advice or anything else you would like to include?
Thank you so much for letting me interview you. Your responses I'm
sure will bring me closer, if not all the way, to my goal of being an
accomplished painter and artist much like yourself.
Thank you, Leah
I have tried to answer your questions in the order they were asked. More or less.
I knew I wanted to be an artist by the time I was 5, being lucky to have
found an avocation so early, I began learning.
I love drawing, it is foundational to painting. I work with oil paint now, though
I learned with acrylics. There are advantages with each type of paint.
The Magic Kinder series is certainly about exploring the positive or
spiritual side of being human. As perceptual beings, I believe that
aesthetics enhance living if by no other means than to calm the senses. The
philosophy of aesthetics is more immense than this email, & is a life long
personal learning experience.
Art is a subjective media. ( One persons favorite color is another person's
bird cage lining... ) As individuals we must seek a path of expression which
satisfies an inner directive & ignore negative criticism. That is not to say
ignore all criticism, listen closely to the few you will choose to trust,
especially if you admire their work. Perfection is a journey of discovery &
experiment, not a stagnant destination. I still learn with each new painting,
either how to push pigment around a flat surface or how to express myself.
If I am "discovered" tomorrow I could become financially solvent, yet would
still find a way to work with short people. Being an artist allows me to
express my inner voice & world. Being a teacher allows me to connect with &
perhaps shape small people on their journey to becoming an adult. Both of
these occupations are morally & passionately fulfilling in different ways.
Both, I was born with a talent to draw accurately. I know people who learned
the hard way with diligent practice. A very good friend from college, who
can not draw accurately, loves art, his work is about ideas, not form. He is
a VERY successful illustrator in New York city .
When someone looks at my work I would like the experience to be about
communication, of being open & relaxed enough to see more than a 30 second
sound bite. I would love it if the observer would connect with their own
inner child & be comforted. Or at least see that the future is growing
before us, what will we contribute to it.
The trail to having a career as an artist is individual. Standard operating
procedures are to promote yourself any which way you can. Get your work
shown in alternative space ( Coffee shops, classy restaurants, real estate
offices, etc. ) & get your shows advertised, the arts section of your local
paper, cheap postcards to everyone & their brother, etc. Enter contests
which are relevant to your work, send nice postcards to magazine or book
editors ( illustration work ), comb the internet for galleries that sell
work similar, but, not the same as your work & interview with them. Have a
beautiful portfolio of work. Draw an apple 75 different ways ( as an
exercise in creativity... ) Do a web search for Art consultants. They often
have articles on how to improve your chances of being "discovered".
The artists you most admire may influence your style. Style is the personal
touch that each individual has automatically. As you develop your talents,
your style will emerge. It is as natural as how you walk.
A college education was beneficial to me, it laid a foundation of what is
already known about the process of creating art. Art History gives depth,
why recreate the color wheel? Working in the same room with other artists
increases creativity exponentially. Any chance to be in the same room with
compatible artists is beneficial.
Extraneous advice - fill up at least 2 drawing pads ( in a year ) with
sketches of hands & feet. You have some models on you, in the mirror or
while waiting for the bus... Reduce them to geometric shapes & angles. Draw
large to small. Keep practicing.
I hope this answers you appropriately. Please contact me again if you need
more information or even just clarification.
I would love to see some of your work, any chance?
Sincerely, Gemma