It’s OK to be an artist…Interview with an Artist, part 5

Atypical for me, I didn’t have a goal or objective when I started this blog. As a result of subscriber feedback and my personal beliefs, I do now. Simply…to celebrate and support those who have chosen to become “artists” and to encourage those who are exploring the occupation…

While attending a Tom Kelley seminar, author of The Ten Faces of Innovation, Tom references author/artist Gordon MacKenzie’s experience while giving lectures to grade school children (K-6). In short, when Gordon asks “Anybody here an artist?” to a kindergarten class, everyone raises their hands with great animation and enthusiasm. As the lectures continue throughout the day, Gordon experiences significant attrition with only two hands being raised in the six grade. Transcript can be read here:http://ventureswell.com/innovation-made-personal-tom-k

Tom’s message for his lecture: “..it’s OK to be an artist. It’s OK to be an innovator. It’s OK to be a design thinker even if it causes people around you to raise their eyebrows.”

I agree. It’s my creative thinking that made me an effective corporate leader, CEO, small business consultant and a sculptor.

Here are a few that I’m sure would agree that it’s OK to be an artist……

Carolanne Leslie, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY

When did you first discover your creative talents? When I was a child I endlessly wrote poetry. I discovered poetry as a means to express myself abstractly.  I was afraid someone might see my nightly journals about my life and I had a sense my words were too revealing. Then one day in a quiet moment of “no mind” my hand began to write poems.  Poetry was my secret language, my quiet expression of an inner world I was only beginning to discover.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. The name of the piece was “Surrender”. It was hanging on a wall in a Downtown Brooklyn Bar. One night I was at the bar and I watched a man take pictures of all of my art hanging on the wall. I asked him why and he said his friend in the corner wants to buy “Surrender”. I told him I was the artist and he introduced me to  Azim Ramelize who bought the painting off the wall that night.

Azim understood my art on the most intimate level. We discussed the spiritual sentiments in the title  “Surrender” and other concepts such as transformation for hours before I realized Azim was paralyzed from the waste down because he was shot at the age of 17 at the base of his spine…Azim grew up in the worst of the Brooklyn ghettos.  But what I didn’t realize at first was the scope of what Azim overcame in his life.

Azim managed not only to survive the gunshot wound but he pulled himself up and out of the insidiously difficult world he lived in and “transformed” it into something wonderful. He became a lawyer.  The commissioner of Children Services helping inner city kids with their struggles.  “From Gangster to Guardian”… Azim Ramelize, I am proud to say was moved by my artwork and I felt understood. What a beautiful exchange.

Who are your favorite artists? Gaudi, Bouguereau, Frida Kahlo, Antony Gormley, Marina Abromovic, Julian Schnabel, Ayala Serfaty, Gustav Klimt,Camille Claudel,

Odd Nerdrum, Dan Corbin, Elin Christopherson

Artist: Carolanne Leslie
Title: Passage to Consciousness
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 36×74 inches
Website: http://carolanneleslie.com/

Cheryl Faligowski, Detroit, MI

When did you first discover your creative talents? I started exploring photography at a young age with cameras you would find as a prize in cereal boxes. Although my concept of composition and lighting had not been discovered yet, I loved the feeling of capturing what I saw. While in high school I started experimenting with the idea of conceptual photography with models (my friends) and self portraiture. I loved photographing the human body in all it’s shapes and forms.By the time I was 16 I had found my heart belonged to portraiture, performance and fine art photography and also came to the realization that I can help others see the beauty in themselves and others with these photos.
For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. There is no one photo (sold or unsold) that takes precedence over all the others. I still am finding to this day that each new shoot I do I learn something new about my technique, my style, myself, and the people I’m shooting. It’s a growing process always and I love that about all artistic endeavors! My studies in the nude human body are still some of my favorites over-all but it’s too hard to pin-point one shot that meant more than the others.

Who are your favorite artists? I do not have many consistent favorite artists anymore. I look at all genres, new and old, and I go through phases with liking some more than others. It’s always changing because I like to be able to always change. It’s almost as though I have favorite peices, rather than artists. Even if I do a series, I rarely stick with it for longer than a few months to a year because I like change and evolution and allowing for that to happen naturally as I discover new inspirations. If I had to name some names, then some of my inspirations have been Jan Saudek, David La Chappelle, Richard Avedon, George Hurrell, and even young up-and-comings like Lara Jade who took the online photography world be storm before she even 16, and locals AJ Kahn and Gary Mitchell who I have even had the pleasure to work with as a model. There are countless others but these are just the few that come to mind right now.

Artist: Cheryl Faligowski aka Spilt Sugar
Title: Nude Frame
Medium: Digital photo converted to black and white can be converted up to 11×14 inches
Website: http://www.spiltsugar.com/

Mary Ann Wakeley, Wynnewood, PA

When did you first discover your creative talents? I seem to have several recollections that qualify as first discoveries. Like so many children, it was natural for me to make things whether it was creative structures with wooden blocks and crafts or painting, drawing or playing piano …. it is inherent so as children we take those things for granted and don’t consider what we do is special or a talent. As we mature, we are singled out for what others perceive as unique. I remember how amazed I was that I did so well in a design class I took as a continuing education student yet I had been rearranging colors and forms in space in so many ways for years beginning as a toddler that I don’t know how I could have been surprised. Every time I am aware of a new form of expression making its way through is a first discovery for me.
For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. Even though it wasn’t the first time I sold a painting I remember the first piece I sold via the internet and consider it my first official sale. This may be due to the fact that prior to internet sales most paintings were purchased by friends, family and friends of family. This was the first official sale from an unknown person via the web. It was a square abstract in acrylic on canvas that was in shades of muted pinks and orange and resembled a landscape but the colors took it out of that realm and the buyer connected. It was 2004 when I made the sale after reading an article in Art Calendar magazine about artists selling on the internet and especially having success on ebay. The piece sold within minutes of being listed and I was hooked! The sale of that piece along with the lovely personal note that was sent by the woman who purchased it was very memorable.

Who are your favorite artists? Joan Mitchell, Robert Rauschenberg, Franz Kline, Elizabeth Peyton, Howard Hodgkin, Patrick Heron, Louise Bourgeois, Matisse, Bernard Dufour.Favorite painters of today whom I have personally connected with via the web are Michel Guerin, Diane Kramer, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Sharon Barfoot, Goro Endow, Mayako Nakamura, Gerard Stricher, Bertrand Eberhard, Anne Buffum, Anne-Laure Djaballah to name but a few.

Artist: Mary Ann Wakeley
Title: Manifesto
Medium: Acrylic and pastel on canvas, 40×40 inches
Website: http://www.maryannwakeley.com/

Ivy Jacobsen, San Francisco, CA

When did you first discover your creative talents? From as early as I can remember I’ve always gravitated towards drawing, painting, and other crafty things as a means to self expression and fun.But it wasn’t until 1997, when I was 23, that I took my first college level painting class and became a painting addict! Something just clicked when I began oil painting and it’s been my passion ever since.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. In 1999 I was studying painting and printmaking at San Francisco State University and at night working at a restaurant/bar in Oakland’s Jack London Square. I had the fortune of having my very first art show at this restaurant. One of the regulars came in one night and we got to talking about my paintings. He asked me which of these pieces was my favorite and I told him it was “Long Necks”. He said he’d buy it! I was so excited, I couldn’t believe it! A few years later he started a new gallery in Oakland and I had my first solo gallery show there.

Who are your favorite artists? I have a lot of favorite artist. Some current ones are Ruth Oshawa, Darren Waterston, and Eyvind Earle.

Artist: Ivy Jacobsen
Title: Sanctuary
Medium: Oil, bronzing powder, & mixed media on canvas, 38×52 inches
Website: http://www.ivyjacobsen.com

NEXT UP…..

Greg Orfanos ~ Danielle Ezzo ~ Amy Guidry ~ Meg Dwyer

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An art attack? Interview with an Artist, cont….

As the interviews continue,  here are some notables from last year:

• “What I love the most is when someone finds something I didn’t see in my work.  Then I know I’ve done my job.” ~  Peggy Guichu, Phoenix, AZ
• “I remember sitting at the easel, smelling the paint, and feeling the way it felt on the brush, under my fingers. It was instantaneous – that knowledge that I had found my calling” ~ Jana Ireijo, Solvang, CA
• “ I was discussing my major options with my father & he said, “Why don’t you major in art?…You have always been creative.” I decided to give it a try. I changed my major to Fine Art & never looked back.”~ Anna Marie Francesco, Upland, CA
• “My art doesn’t speak to the intellect but to the soul and to the feelings.” ~ Diana Chelaru, Torino, Italy
• “Daily life is very interesting and fun if we just take the time to look.” ~ Laura Barbosa, New Jersey
  
• “…she was reviewing my work on the walls in my studio… after about 20 minutes of looking in silence she turned to me and said “I’m going to buy this one “Weed” and take it with me today. Bring those three (pointing to others on the wall) to the gallery next week and I’ll put you into the next group show”. I practically had a fucking heart attach” ~ Mark Van Wagner, Kauai, HI
• “…then I realized… I was the only student who had given her breasts (denoted by one W-shaped line). I felt it was completely unfair since I was just being accurate, and tried not to cry – until I got home.” ~ Kara Joslyn, Oakland, CA

Thank you all for taking the time and for opening your inner worlds, making this a one-of-a-kind artist blog.

Thank you. ~Paul Shampine

More to come…

It’s all in the eyes…

A knight has his armor. A monk has his tricivara.  And a craftsman has his tool.

At some point in our lives, we develop a very special relationship with something of the  inanimate that far exceeds our expectations and crosses that invisible but clear, intimate line.  A trusted listener who knows our story because it’s part of it.

For me, the New Year marks a decade of an understanding with mine. Trust and sacrifice. A silent partner with battle scars of crime, passion and pain.  And, oh what they have seen, felt and heard.

A mile they say.  Well these border to border boys will spit you out at step one and tell none.
A tone signals the next adventure.  I glance down with clarity and sureness and see the hidden smile.  How?- It’s all in the eyes…

“Art is not…” Interview with an Artist, part 4

“Inspired” by Mr. Sadler’s comments below, I’ve found what others have to say what “art is not…”  I open with my friend Pablo and close with some reality:

“Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs.” ~ Pablo Picasso

“Art is not an investment” – VIDEO – Arne Glimcher, founder of Pace Gallery.

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”  ~ Edgar Degas

One of many collections – daughter Samantha @ 7, now 12 years old

“Start by remembering that teaching children about art is not just about showing them how to recognize a van Gogh or Picasso, it’s about preparing young minds for a future of invaluable experiences—art related or otherwise.” by Andrea Mulder-Slater (http://www.kinderart.com/artspeak/important.shtml)

“Art is not a luxury.” Fresh Artists (http://www.freshartists.org), a non profit 501(c)(3) organization, created to help save art making in K-12 public schools.

The interviews continue….
Best, Paul
Paul Shampine

Roger Sadler, Temple TX

I am never inspired. Art is work. And I work. Within the process of work I may get excited about an idea and follow it out. Work and ideas. No inspiration: that is a late 19th early/ 20th century concept. Sorry to contradict you but making art is not magic; and inspiration bespeaks of magic. To conclude, art is work and ideas.

When did you first discover your creative talents? 14 years old.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. Selling The Leaving for 600 dollars was my biggest sell and biggest painting and most dear to me. THE LEAVING is not a horror painting despite appearances. It is about pain. The pain of a relationship breaking up and the child being abandoned, or being left with the clan behind the fence. The male is exiting the front of the picture. He is slumped with grief and depression. The women stays behind with the child, holding her hand. The characters are so depressed and in so much pain that “the flesh is stripped from their bones.” The painting is medium large, 5 ft x 5 ft.

The other painting is PURPLE PAINTING. It is an example of my current painting style. My previous painting style was realististic/impressionistic. My present style is abstract. The size is 16 x 20 inches.

Who are your favorite artists? My present (and they change) favorite artists are Brice Marden and Sean Scully.

Artist: Roger Sadler
Title: The Leaving and Purple Painting
Website: http://www.rogersadler.com/

Ruby Farias, Scottsdale, AZ

When did you first discover your creative talents? I was passionate about art as long as I can remember… I loved doing crafts with my mother as a child. In school, I doodled a lot and in high school I think I took every art class that was available. Although in my adult life I took somewhat of a hiatus to work on my “corporate career”, I came full circle in 2001 and reconnected with my passion. It was then that I promised myself that I would never put my brush down again.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. It was my first piece that I sold to someone I didn’t know. It was my first gallery show and I was thrilled to see the tab on the wall announcing to all that “Lavender Morning” was sold. It felt great and I was so happy that someone out there could love a piece of art that I created. It is a great feeling when the public enjoys my work. I want my work is to provide energy and to brighten up ones soul.

Who are your favorite artists? It is the works that are created with somewhat of an abstract technique, bright colors and details that make you wonder what is going on in that piece that attracts me. Of course, there are works done by familiar artists like Monet, Van Gogh, Kahlo, Klee and Matisse that I truly enjoy; not only in their work but in who they were and what their story was.

Artist: Ruby Farias
Title: Nights Magic
Medium: Acrylic, Gel on Canvas, 16″ X 20″
Website: http://www.rubyfariasdesigns.com

Courtney Jacobs, Pleasanton, CA

When did you first discover your creative talents? Drawing was one of my earliest ways to play.  My mom told me that my preschool teacher had contacted her out of concern for my “different” drawings…and for the fact that I spent so much of my time drawing.  Painting didn’t come until waaaay later in my teenage years.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. I had a large abstract painting (Big Bang) on display at a local theater event.  At the artist reception I was approached by TWO people who were interested in purchasing the painting.  I was completely ecstatic to be in such “demand”, and ended up selling the painting to the first buyer for over $1000 (big bucks for me at the time).  The buyer still comes to a few of my events each year to check out the progress.

Who are your favorite artists? I have become a big fan of Gerhard Richter.  He is so versatile, working between photo-realistic painting, and completely colorful non-figurative painting.  Jackson Pollock‘s action paintings were also a big inspiration for me.

Artist: Courtney Jacobs
Title: Trummerzackam
Medium: Acrylic on panel, 36×60 inches
Website: http://www.courtneyjanejacobs.com/

Patricia Corbett, Wallingford, CT

When did you first discover your creative talents? I was drawing figures, horses, etc. as a child and would win little awards in grammar school. In high school I was known for my art.  But after high school graduation and 3 years of night school, I went back to college majoring in music applied in voice.  My professional career as a singer was very satisfying. 10 years ago I retired from music and rekindled my art career.  It has been very enjoyable.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. I sold my first piece of art at Zoe & Floyd Art Gallery in CT.

Who are your favorite artists? Edgar Alwin Payne, Richard Schmidt, Mary Cassatt, John F. Carlson, and Franz A. Bischoff.

Artist: Patricia Corbett
Title: Summertime on the Merritt
Medium: Oil on canvas
Website: http://www.patriciacorbett.blogspot.com/

Eric Valdez, Alhambra, CA

When did you first discover your creative talents? I’ve been creative from as far back as I can remember. My earliest memory of doing anything creative is drawing an Easter bunny at a YMCA after school program when I was 5. From then on I kept drawing, but I never considered it a talent. It was just something I did. I still don’t consider my artistic abilities a talent. They’re more like skills that I’ve been honing for over 25 years.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. The first exhibition that I was ever in kind of set a pretty high benchmark for any other group shows that I’ve been a part of because during the opening I sold both of the pieces that I had submitted. I picked up painting in the early 2000s as a hobby and then stopped when my record collecting hobby took over. Getting back into painting a couple years later was dumb luck and becoming a visual artist was something that I had never set out to do, so it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I had sold two paintings in my first show. Those paintings were done to fit into the theme of the show so I didn’t have a personal connection to them beyond the work that I put into them, but having such strong reactions to pieces that I had painted motivated me to keep going.

Who are your favorite artists? One of my biggest influences is Neal Breton (Google him!), my friend and mentor who dragged me kicking and screaming into his studio and gave me the confidence to show my work off. I also really dig Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Shepard Fairey, and pop art and street art in general. Comic books also have had a huge influence on me and some of my favorite comic book artists are Frank Miller, Jack Kirby, Tim Sale, Bruce Timm, Jim Steranko and John Romita, Sr..

Artist: Eric Valdez
Title: Vicente Fernandez
Medium: Vinyl, acrylic, spray paint, 18×24 inches
Website: http://ericvaldezart.com/

 

Don’t talk to strangers! – Interview with an Artist, part 3

“Don’t talk to strangers!”  In American culture, that’s what you typically heard from your parents.  So, when can you start talking to strangers?  Some, well, all of my best friends were strangers and I recently met some really nice

Friendship

strangers that are showcasing some of my sculpture.  Ilsa Svendsen and Joseph Keller own and operate Garden of Ideas, one of New England’s finest nature destinations offering “beyond organic” produce, free range eggs and intimate woodland nature trails where your are guided by unique plant life and equally unique sculpture.

I share the grounds with some creative strangers including Sculptor Stephen Cote and Blacksmith Steven Bronstein. It’s a very special place to visit and to purchase locally grown organic produce from some great strangers: http://www.gardenofideas.com

For those of you that talk to strangers, here are a few great artists to get to know.

Carla Fache, Miami, Fl

When did you first discover your creative talents? I think that this is something you are always discovering and is endless. In my case, my first memories of recognizing I could do “magic” with common things, was when I was 5 years old and I discovered that I could use the flower’s petals as color painting and I started painting with them. That’s when the magic started…

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. The name of the painting was “blue sky” and a collector, in my first exhibition, purchased it. The next day, the same collector, came and bought me another painting, the biggest painting I had at that time. That was another of the signs that confirmed me that I was on the right track.

Who are your favorite artists? Salvador Dali,Mark Rothko,Frida Kahlo, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline,Roberto Matta,Gerard Richter, Joan Miró, Séraphine.

Artist: Carla Fache
Title: De amor y de sombras
Medium: Mixed media on wood, 50×50 inches
Website: http://www.carlafache.com/

Amanda Sage, Vienna, Austria

When did you first discover your creative talents? I was always into making things, but it wasn’t till i was 14 and didn’t have any money for xmas presents, so i painted on t-shirts for my family, which was the first time i really played with paint. I had always been into drawing, colored pencils, charcoal, etc… it was so much fun and a friend offered to buy one from me for a present for their father, this let off a light bulb in my head and from then on out I’ve made a living primarily from painting.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. My first real exhibition was at the Gallery at the Ernst Fuchs Museum in Vienna, Austria in 2001. It was a real success because I painted some life size nudes of his daughter and daughter in law who then organized the show, a few hundred people came to the opening. I sold a good amount of work and was told that i had to put a price on everything, but could keep my favorite piece, because selling as much as i could would help support me in producing more. I am so happy i did not sell that ‘one’ piece and is still the only piece that i have never put a price tag on. For some reason that story came up to that question.

Who are your favorite artists? Mati Klarwein, Dorothea Tanning, Banksy, Pietro Annigoni, Werner Tubke, Ernst Fuchs, Salvador Dali, Alex Grey, Rene Margritte, Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Neo Rauch, A Andrew Gonzalez, Mars-1

Artist: Amanda Sage
Title: Sharing Rays
Medium: Acrylic, egg tempera, oil on canvas, 30×40 inches
Website: http://www.amandasage.com

Mark Van Wagner, Kauai, HI

When did you first discover your creative talents? At a very early age…. As soon as the tempera paints were introduced to me in kindergarten I was off and running. Back in New York my mother had some artist friends who entered me into my first group show at the age of five and remember going to the opening.  So, since I can remember, I’ve always loved doing artwork and thankfully my family has always been relatively supportive of it.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. It was going to be my first real pitch to get my artwork into an established and well-respected art gallery in Chicago. I had finally been able to schedule a studio visit with the owner, Nancy Lurie. I had been dreaming of getting into to her gallery for years and was really nervous of the visit. So there she was reviewing my work on the walls in my studio… after about 20 minutes of looking in silence she turned to me and said “I’m going to buy this one “Weed” and take it with me today. Bring those three (pointing to others on the wall) to the gallery next week and I’ll put you into the next group show”. I practically had a fucking heart attach….

Who are your favorite artists? Cézanne, Matisse, Van Gogh, Monet, Klee, Miro, Duchamp, Gorky, Cornell, Rothko, Dove,  Rauschenberg, Johns, Richter, A Tapies Artschwager, Penone, Westerman, Golub, A.Neel, N.Jenny, P.Halley, Tuttle, E.Hopper, Turrell, Twombly, Kiefer, Pollock, T.Friedman and so many more….

Artist: Mark Van Wagner
Title: Drawing From Nowhere #21
Medium: Acrylic and sand on board, 24 x 32 inches
Website: http://markvanwagner.com

Eric Kaepplinger, Chicago, IL

When did you first discover your creative talents? I was probably 6 years old and I watched my dad draw a birthday card for my mom using only the crayons and colored pencils that my younger brothers and I had on hand. It was a forest scene with deer and squirrels, and I was blown away. I guess that’s when I discovered that there was such a thing as creative talent and that was way more important, I think, than discovering my own talent.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. In 3rd grade my friend Robby and I started a little art business, specifically selling caricature drawings of made up people for 15 or 25 cents a piece. I don’t remember exactly what the drawing was but I do recall having to replicate it several times for other customers in class. I think in total we made $3 which was pretty cool, and we bought some baseball cards with our loot.

Who are your favorite artists? Martin Ramirez, Adolf Wolfli, Henry Darger, Joseph Yoakum, Kurt Seligmann, John Himmelfarb, Frederic Remington, Max Ernst, Olafur Eliasson.

Artist: Eric Kaepplinger
Title: My Chorizo Dreams
Medium: Digital collage of colored pencil and ink drawings mounted on a Masonite box frame. 30×40 inches
Website: http://erickaepplinger.blogspot.com/

Kristen van Diggelen, San Francisco, CA

When did you first discover your creative talents? I have been aware of my creative talents for as long as I can remember, which means a toddler drawing with and eating the heads off my markers.

For an artist, selling their first piece of work is a memorable moment. Tell us about your first piece or a special piece that was sold. I don’t really have a selling experience or a sold artwork that stands out amidst the group, however, each time I am utterly honored to sell a piece. It is also very cathartic, allowing me more space and funds to make new work.

Who are your favorite artists? David Friedrich, Sargent, Tiepolo, Julie Heffernan, Bernini, Turner, Vuillard

Artist: Kristen van Diggelen
Title: The Way of Negation (Battlescape #2)
Medium: Oil on canvas, 87×72 inches
Website: http://www.kristenvandiggelen.com