Between Artists: april edition

For this month’s Between Artists blog conversation, Jen Worden asked me 10 quickfire questions. Let’s see if I can answer quickly and not ponder too much which is what I tend to do. Also I installed this fun plugin to learn Gutenberg a little better on WordPress. Let’s see if I can figure out how to use the tool. Normally I wouldn’t animate text, but hey, why not? It’s the little things in life during a pandemic, right?

THE 10 QUESTIONS————————–

1. Favourite artist. Living or dead.

Ahhhh, already overthinking this one! Hmmm. There’s an artist I have followed a long time online that whenever she posts on flickr, my heart beats a little faster. Her work is conceptual, beautiful, haunting, the mark of her hand is evident in the work, and it always just pulls me in. Ines Seidel

2. What’s one thing in your studio you REALLY should throw out?

I have bins of saved textiles that I have dreams of turning into things….but yeah, they’re just taking up space.

3. Best studio snack. (creative nutrition is important!)

I don’t eat in the studio. Being in the studio is the only place where I forget about eating or thinking about food.

4. Favourite studio smell.

I actually love the smell of my studio when I am working on an oil painting.

5. Least favourite studio smell.

When I leave my Yes! Paste glue brush in a a cup of water and forget it for weeks….gross!

6. Most used art related app on your phone.

Other than Instagram, I use an app called PhotoToaster. I can do much more than IG on that and often will format my photos on that first before sending it to IG.

7. Top song in your studio.

I usually listen to podcasts. If I am listening to music, it’s usually my 14 year old practicing guitar or drums as we share space. RIght now he’s playing a lot of Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead.

8. Favourite art-related author, podcast(er), YouTuber.

I am prehistoric and generally don’t watch anyone or anything on YouTube, unlike my kids. I haven’t read an art related author in a long time so I’ll have to say Julia Cameron, because her book The Artist’s Way really helped me start my creative journey. For podcasts I recently started listening to this really good one called Being An Artist hosted by artist Tom Judd (whose work is also great) and I love it. I found it through an artist I have followed for a long time- Tim McFarlane and he was recently interviewed on this podcast. Follow Tim on Instagram and also read his blog. So good and insightful.

9. Least favourite part of art-making.

All the business aspects of it- marketing, selling, etc. The taxes!!! ugh. I just want to make things and for it to magically support me! Is that too much to ask? Well, I also want to live in a cute house on lots of wooded acres with a lake and mountains in the background, have some chickens and some goats, a separate studio, a vegetable garden and a fruit orchard… Also I really don’t like going to art show openings because I really don’t like being center of attention. I remember one of my children after an opening reception said, “Wow Mom, everyone wanted to talk you!” And I said, “I know! Weird, huh?” At other functions that my children have observed me at, I tend to like to just take things in and just talk quietly to a few people or just standing idly by the food table, awkwardly eating from a napkin or little plate and plotting my escape to leave early. The thing is when I go to the art receptions, it’s always a lot of fun and it’s so nice to see my work hanging together and celebrating that and making connections with other creatives and collectors and I am so grateful for the opportunity….but it truly is a part I dread. The anticipation of it, I guess, is actually just the bad part. The actual reception is great and I always have to remind myself of that.

10. Describe THE thing that would make you think: “I’ve Made It.”

Being a capricorn, I’m going to have to say financial stability (ie reliable income) solely through my artwork. Boring, but true. For me, my art journal entry below pretty much captures what success is for me.