Friday, March 30, 2012

DPW Interviews: Diane Hoeptner


From Diane Hoeptner's DPW Gallery page:
Diane Hoeptner's paintings feature poetic arrangements of flowers, fruit and sometimes cats. Her work has been featured by Kohl's, Obaji, Saks Fifth Ave and American Greetings. She currently resides with her husband and two cats in Cleveland.
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting. 

I can't remember when I didn't paint or draw.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career? 

I'm the queen of stops and starts! It was worse when I was single and dating. Finding my husband late in life has been a blessing. He's incredibly supportive and I've found an amazing freedom and peace of mind to focus on my art.

(click here to see original image)
Sharing my paintings through blogging has really helped too. I don't think it's unique to have a lot of stops and starts though. Projects fall through and we try things that don't work, it's part of the journey.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring? 

Oh gosh, I could write a book on that!

I worked as an animator/3D modeller for years. I also used a combination of watercolor and color pencil for a long time, even had lesson packs on my technique published. When I started painting in oils, that definitely stuck.

Regarding genre: When I was using color pencil and watercolor, I painted a series called "Children at Play." Figurative painting is very close to my heart, landscapes not so much. I LOVE the track I'm on now. Painting my snarky cats on decorative patterns fits my abilities and provides amazing challenges.

(click here to see original image)
I love the richly textured backgrounds in many of your paintings. What inspires those? And how do you make your cats look so realistic that I actually want to sneeze (since I'm allergic to them)? 

Thank you!  Cats don't make great live models, so I work from photographs. I have literally thousands of photos of our cats...  Included in the photos, of course is my house - and that means the vacuum cleaner, occasional piles of laundry, newspapers etc. So I paint that stuff out.

Then it occurred to me that floors and walls are perfect for pattern, something I had experimented with in my florals. I love old Art Nouveau posters, William Morris wallpapers, Victorian patterns, the paintings of Klimt. Those flat patterns that so inspire me are the perfect compliment to the sculptural beauty that I see in cats.

(click here to see original image)
What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art? 

When I dive headlong into "networking," "marketing" and "marketing materials," it becomes depressingly apparent that I am avoiding studio time. That's what procrastination looks like for me.  I'm not saying the business side of art is un-necessary. But if I do it for more than two days at a time, it's overkill.

The reward of doing good work is that the right people eventually find you. Concrete, short term, written goals are a must have. They might include "x number of paintings" by a particular date, etc...

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings? 

My painting ideas are like a cumulative recollection of what's working and what I can do to up the ante and make it more interesting. Keeping things simple helps. I know I'm on cats right now, so that helps sift out the million other things I want to paint.

(click here to see original image)

How do you keep art "fresh"? What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging? 

It's not always going to be fresh. Sometimes you have to paint a thing a few more times before you genuinely realize you are over it. Having a bad day painting is still better than a day without painting!  Painting through second thoughts is necessary.

When "all cylinders are firing" I try to eat right, take regular breaks and remember to play with the cats and shower. LOL. Whenever that happens, my work is better because of it.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist? 

I'm learning that having every light value in every painting is not necessary. What you paint can be as important as how you paint it. Lately, I'm painting a little bigger which requires attention to drying times, so I'm learning how to pace everything to look cohesive.

(click here to see original image)
What makes you happiest about your art? 

As an art collector myself, I know the deep joy that a painting you love can bring into your life.  I cherish my time in the studio, but when collectors and fellow artists connect with what I do, that's what makes me "happiest."

Thanks, Diane!


© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the Marketing and Community Manager of Daily Paintworks. She's an author and blogging and marketing coach.


Friday, March 23, 2012

DPW Interviews: William Hoshal


From William Hoshal's DPW Gallery page:
For twenty-five years, William has been a much sought-after commercial musician, composer and producer including over a decade as a staff musician/orchestrator/composer for the Walt Disney Company. Shortly after re-locating to the Sedona, Arizona area, a life-long desire to paint took over. Putting the life he had known on hold, and with the blessing of his wife, a photographer, he began studying and working on his own.
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I first picked up a brush about two years ago. I had wanted to learn to draw and paint all my life, but music had been an all-consuming life and I kind of never got around to it. My wife and I had just gone through a huge change in our lives -- new town, down-sized lifestyle, etc.

When the economy crashed, the music business went with it for many of us in the jazz and commercial realm. While I figured out how to approach the kind of shift I was facing, I decided to start painting, almost as therapy. It was more like an exercise; a “do something different for forty days” kind of thing.

After the first month, I was hooked.

(click here to see larger image)

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

Since I’m pretty new to this, there hasn’t really been a time that I haven’t been working and studying. I can be a bit of a fanatic about things once I get started.

After the first month, I put myself on a pretty intense course of self-study. I started researching atelier programs at academies around the country and tried to create one for myself based around how I know that I work.

I approached it in a fashion similar to the way I learned music – get the basic foundations down, no matter what. I started monochromatic studies, history, color theory, etc.

Fortunately, I get very excited about studying and practicing, and the more I do, the more I want to do....I’m twisted that way. I still hope for the chance to get some formal training, either a good program or in an apprentice situation.

(click here to larger image)

Since you're an accomplished musician, how would you describe your process for "distributing" your creative energy between music and art?

I’m an enormous believer in the idea that creativity comes from work.

For me, discipline gives birth to freedom. The more I know about what I’m doing and the more technique I develop, the more the mind is free to try new things without having to worry about the execution.

The similarities in the way I approach music and the way I approach art are so numerous the lines often blur. Music has always had a visual component for me because I “see” colors in harmonic structures; it’s a form of synesthesia. Many of my favorite artists speak about the rhythm and harmony in art, so I think there is a very high correlation for most people.

The more I develop as a visual artist, in terms of abilities, the easier it becomes for me to open pathways between the two. I hope this will result in more depth to my artwork. Recently, I’ve begun to notice that I’m building paintings in the same way that I build musical compositions… it’s very exciting.


(click here to see larger image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

My first experiments were with acrylic landscapes. Bold colors; big, flat strokes. I had seen several paintings by Oscar Bluemner and Marsden Hartley and was trying (unsuccessfully) to emulate the American Modernists for a short time.

A few kind and generous artist friends kept asking me if I was using oils because of the way I was applying the paint – what I later learned was impasto technique. One of them encouraged me to try oils and loaned me a book of Van Gogh images. He also got me to think about a limited palette and gave me a book by Edgar Payne.

I was obsessed – fiddled around with color mixing, studying American Impressionism, tonalism, the luminists…. This was when I thought I better slow down and come up with some kind of logical approach if I really wanted to understand painters like Cole, Inness, Whistler, and Sargent.

I started the monochromatic studies, and then doing color charts after reading Richard Schmid’s book, Alla Prima. I knew that drawing and painting still-lifes would be great training and practice; I didn’t know that I would fall in love with them. They’re very meditative and they’ve caused me to rethink what I want to get out of my landscapes; that I’m more interested in the moment of emotion than an absolutely accurate representation of the scene.

That said, I want to constantly work on technique, drawing and fine-tuning interpretation – incidentally, I still work on these aspects of music after more than twenty years.

(click here to see larger image)

I’m looking forward to much more plein-air work and also studying figurative – every time I see a painting by Dan Beck or one of Sargent’s portraits, I think “I really need to start working on that!”

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

This is kind of a funny question. If you ask my wife about me, procrastination looks like everyday. She is very organized in all aspects, detail oriented; a multi-tasking fiend. And yet she creates her own art of great emotion. I can procrastinate about everything…except art and music.

Kim sees it as this large, calm oasis surrounded by a fringe of sometimes barely controlled chaos – she wishes that I would let some of the calm out into the fringe to balance things out a bit. But I’ve realized I need the separation.

In the past, when the two worlds have intermingled too much, it takes me too long to get in and out of the mindset. I don’t think that it’s as much that I’m a flake about the outside world as it is that when my mind is occupied with the creative process, I have to set everything else aside for that time period. I can’t log in and out of things like she does and still be effective.

How do you arrive at ideas for your paintings?

A piece usually starts with a particular scene, a shape, or a color; the same elements that trigger musical ideas. If I’m doing a plein-air piece, I just try to react and not over-think. I will try to hold a couple of conceptual things in mind over the course of the ninety minutes or so that I’ll spend on the study, but much of that will be worked out later in the studio if I move forward with the piece.

(click here to see larger image)

Much of the time, with still-lifes and studio pieces, I’ll sit and think about the initial component and see where the idea takes me. This can take awhile. I’ll put on music, daydream a bit, even read something to let the idea work in the background. At some point, and I can’t really tell you when this is, I’m ready to start working from the study or the set-up. From then on, I’ve got a fairly good plan and stay with it, give or take a few adjustments.

The evaluation process for visual art is exactly like music for me. There comes a point where I step away and have to decide if the painting is going the right direction, if it has any hope of going a good direction that I didn’t foresee, or if it’s time to stop and regroup.

It’s also something that I’m constantly trying to get better at as I study and learn more. I know that I’m going to paint a lot of bad paintings. And I know that I’m going to paint a lot of paintings that I like now, but I’m going to think are bad paintings in the future. I’m okay with this….

How do you keep art "fresh"? What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

I’m exceedingly lucky to live in an area that constantly inspires me both visually and musically. The physical beauty of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah is so unique, it’s hard to drive to the grocery store and not feel the need to pull over and start painting.

Additionally, I’m fortunate to be married to a tremendous artist with whom I can sit and bounce ideas off any time. Working together outside, it’s always fascinating to observe how differently we see and interpret the same subject matter, and we’ve started to bring that element into works in the studio.

Beyond that, I always try to start with the question “what is the story I’m trying to tell here?” Why did I feel the need to paint this or that, and what do I want the viewer (and myself) to take away from this experience?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve stopped believing in burnout. There are some days it’s just about the work…because there is always something to work on. As a musician, I’ve told countless students, there are going to be days you just have to pick up the horn, or sit down at the piano, and do the work -- because this is what you do…it’s what you are. And you try to be worthy of it.

Charles Lloyd talked about striving to always be in service to the music. It’s the same for art; if the intent is there, the rest will take care of itself.

(click here to see larger image)

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

Everything! I have so much to learn about everything. I constantly need to work on drawing, color theory, composition, values, edges, story… the list is endless. And I will always need to work on these… that is very exciting to me.

I also need to learn about the business, which although somewhat similar to the music business, has its own idiosyncrasies. My wife and I are making our sole living from our art and although it’s a hard way to go, it’s what we’ve always done in our lives.

What makes you happiest about your art?

When my intent is true. When I walk away feeling that I’ve learned something new from the painting – even if the piece didn’t work.

When the colors and shapes take me back to the place that inspired the piece. When I lose myself in the scene and discover something in my memory that wasn’t in the photograph or study.

When a viewer tells me that the piece triggered an emotion.

When the paint dances off the brush.

Thanks, William!


© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the Marketing and Community Manager of Daily Paintworks. She's an author and blogging and marketing coach.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

DPW Interviews: Crystal Cook


From Crystal Cook's DPW Gallery page:
Crystal Cook is an award-winning watercolor artist who specializes in portraits, both human and animal. As a mother of three small sons, her children are a major focus of her work. ...Her paintings are included in private and corporate collections, as well as exhibitions in galleries and competitions throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I've pretty much always been painting or drawing. I was the kid in school who always turned in my homework with horses, or princesses drawn around the margins.

But I really got serious about honing my skills after my first son was born, ten years ago. The powerful emotions of motherhood took me by surprise, I didn't even know I was capable of loving someone like that. My days were spent holding my son and studying his sweet baby face, and I had this all-consuming love for him that I had never felt for anyone else. Painting my son, and working to improve at capturing a real likeness of him, was a way I felt I could express those emotions.

(click here to see original image) 


Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

I have three sons, so after my two youngest were born I took a break, but it wasn't ever for very long. Painting came to be my way to deal with the stresses involved in raising a young family. So even if I was super sleep-deprived, I still spent some time painting or drawing because I felt like I needed to be at my best for my family and if I spent too much time away from painting I wasn't very happy and I was a really big grouch.

You manage to capture so much feeling in so many of your paintings. How do you create that intangible sense of emotion in your subjects when you're working? And when do you know you "have it?"

First of all, thank you very much. And second: Oh boy, that's the magic question isn't it? I wish I had a concrete answer for you, as well as me.

Something that I try to do is to constantly be aware of how I feel in response to something I see. For example, one day I took my kids to the park, and it was one of those last beautiful days of fall right before the weather starts to get cold. The leaves on the trees were all red, and the sun was just about ready to set. I was pushing my son on one of the swings and I looked behind me and saw this young couple sitting under a tree. They were sitting next to each other, bodies angled towards each other, but they weren't really touching.

(click here to see original image)

I kept watching them and saw the girl reach out for just a moment to touch the boy's hand and suddenly I was remembering what it felt like to fall in love for the first time. I could not forget that image, or the memories it brought up. I had to paint that scene.

I think the key to capturing emotion with your paintings is being emotionally invested yourself, as the artist, in whatever it is you're painting and trying your best to communicate that through the unique way that you paint.

As far as when do I know I "have it?" Sometimes I just know right from the beginning that I'm truly expressing what it is I'm feeling. Other times, I don't really know until I hear the response from others, and the different stories of their own that they're interpreting from my painting.

And then, of course, sometimes I just don't "have it" at all, and I can usually tell when that is when I ask my husband what he thinks of my latest painting, and instead of hearing his usual reply of "It's great," all I hear is crickets chirping while he thinks of a tactful response.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Mediums I've tried are watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, acrylic, and gouache. And for genres, I've painted portraits, landscape, floral, still life, animals, and figures. Watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencil seem to be the mediums that have 'stuck,' and portraits, animals and still life have been my favorite genres so far. But my first and real love will always be watercolor portraits.

(click here to see original image)

I'm excited to try oils one day, when I have more of a real studio, instead of the dining room table. And right now I'm really excited to explore some themes for figure paintings of couples I've had in my mind for quite a while. I'd also like to start a series of young mothers interacting with their children, and portraits with people wearing sunglasses or masks too.

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

Procrastination looks like fear to me. And I try to banish fear from my artistic life as much as possible. Whenever I am procrastinating painting it's usually because I'm afraid I will fail, that my idea is too big for my current skills, or that my latest painting will not be as good as the last one I did.

Making time for my art is always a challenge, but a doable one. Painting is essential to my well-being and my family knows this (All too well! No painting = majorly grouchy mom), so they're very good about helping me find time for it. I might wake up a little earlier, or stay up later.

I keep my sketchbook with me most of the time so I always have a chance to draw if I don't get to paint, and I make sure to take advantage of any free time I have by getting started painting right away, instead of procrastinating by cleaning the house, or playing Angry Birds.


(click here to see original image)

How do you arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Usually just by being aware of what's going on around me. Or I might read a book, with an unforgettable character, or see some gorgeous light in a movie and I'll try and recreate that mood or person in some way. And browsing through the art magazines at the bookstore, and seeing some new and fantastic art, is a great way for me to be inspired. Of course, the bookstore is the best place to do this since they have a cafe and then I can have my hot chocolate fix and get ideas at the same time!

How do you keep art "fresh"? What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

Changing the way I usually work is a great way for me to beat burnout. Sometimes I'll change subject matter, medium, or the surface that I'm working on. Or I might just approach my painting in a new way, like instead of constantly painting close-ups of the face, I'll paint a smaller figure in a landscape. Trying new things is very helpful for me to stay excited about painting.

(click here to see original image)
What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

That I don't have to paint like someone else, or follow all the rules to be a happy and successful artist. If I paint something I'm passionate about, in a way that feels right to me, in my own style, that's when I do my best work, and that's what resonates with other people as well.

What makes you happiest about your art?

Just painting. The act of painting, of tackling a challenging subject, mixing colors, and painting light makes me the happiest.

Thanks, Crystal!



© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the Marketing and Community Manager of Daily Paintworks. She's an author and blogging and marketing coach.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A New Dedicated Database Server...

Okay, so this is likely meaningless to most of you, however I just finished migrating DPW to a new dedicated database server.

Previously we were sharing a server with many other websites, which was contributing to the sporadic slowness of the site recently.

Having a new whole database server to ourselves resolves this.

Happy Painting!

- David

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Site Slowness - we are working on it!

As you have likely noticed, DPW has been sporadically very slow over the last several days and is even slower today.

This is the first time we have had such issues and are working hard with our site hosting company to resolve them.

We do apologies for any inconvenience or frustration the slowness causes.

Thank you,

- David

Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Success Story: DPW Interviews Erin Dertner


From Erin Dertner's DPW Gallery Page:
She has been exhibiting in galleries for the past 31 years and original works are represented in Mendocino, Napa, Ojai, Sacramento, Sutter Creek, Lahaina and Boulder, as well as in her own gallery and frame shop in Fort Bragg California. Watercolors, oils and acrylics have all made their way into her studio, with her current focus being light-infused, impressionistic landscapes in oil or “open” acrylics.
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I’ve painted throughout my life, but took part in joint shows at ages 18 and at 22. I landed my first official gallery in 1982 in Mendocino, California where I now live. I presently show in 7 different galleries around the country and have also had my work licensed for a myriad of gift items over the past 20 years.

(Click here to see original image)
Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

I’ve been steady at it for 32 years now with great success, having raised two (artistic/musical) kids via the art business, along with the help of my husband’s marketing/picture framing expertise. I’ve been pretty energized all along, though the economy has gone up and down. The most recent economic downturn had me pretty discouraged and I’d begun contemplating other ways to make a living.

You've experienced a real uptick in sales lately. To what do you attribute this?

I learned about the Daily Painters movement and attended a workshop with Carol (Marine) in January in San Antonio. Since our finances were truly suffering, I decided I had nothing to lose (other than 3 properties!) and launched my own blog connected to dailypaintworks.com.

The little paintings have been selling like wildfire and out of the 28 that I’ve posted, only one doesn’t have at least one bid. I had honestly been thinking about doing a series of smaller pieces before I attended the workshop, because I figured that people always have space in their homes and pocketbooks for those, but had no idea that this many could sell this fast in such a short amount of time!

(Click here to see original image)


What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I have painted in watercolor, oils, acrylics and pastels and have discovered open acrylics most recently. I have pretty much let the pastels go because I’m a bit of a neat-nick, but still have them in my cupboard for when the urge strikes again. I love using oils with a palette knife, but with the tiny paintings I am feeling best using brushes.

As far as exploring new avenues, I’d like to do a series of paintings with various values being dominant. I tend to use all the values in proportions that are too similar and would like some of my paintings to have more drama and simplicity.

I have worked in landscape, seascape, still life, floral, interiors, abstracts, figure and portraiture genres.

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

Procrastination is me being my hyper-active self, doing the other 100 things that NEED doing. We have these 3 properties and 2 businesses that all need attention that only I can give them, so I tend to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. We are also involved in the lives of many people, both socially and within our community of faith, so most every night is occupied with visiting, helping, counseling and cooking. This aspect shortens the work day and as a result I have a ‘closet full of hats’ that I wear during different times of the day.

I like to get up early and spend time reading and in prayer, then hit my studio. I get the music cracking and brew a nice a cup of tea, flip through one of the erratic stacks of photos and see which ones speak to me. I narrow them down to one or two, answer a few emails and then hit the easel. My art is my job and though I’ve wondered how a people-person could end up with such a solitary profession, have gratefully come to terms with it. I shake things up with jaunts to the local coffee house across the street, receiving frequent guests and taking brisk walks around town.

(Click here to see original image)

How do you arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I love what I see around me, plus I love to travel, so there is never a lack of inspiration. I am crazy about plein air painting, but when I’m unable due to weather constraints or particular demands, I have umpteen thousands of photos that I’ve taken all over the world. I could honestly spend most of my time organizing my photos so that they’re easier to snag when a certain urge strikes, but that would take up another huge piece of each day. I pretty much just close my eyes and point to a stack or click away within my digital files until a spark flies, then I settle in.

How do you keep art "fresh"? What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

I simply adore this new small format and was ready for a change of some kind. It is a challenge to make strong paintings that are tiny, so I feel like I’m in a ‘fresh’ phase. I’ve always gravitated toward the impressionistic paintings within galleries and museums, so my constant aim is to loosen up and say more with less. Traveling to inspirational places also gives me a change of pace, so I organize painting holidays and take people to various places or just go with another artist friend.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I am learning that selling small original art online is a happening venue. Painting fast and furious on small panels is stretching me to be more intuitive, loose and focused. Since I am pretty hyper, this format and time frame are a perfect fit!

(Click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

Painting images that make people happy is a huge thrill. Connecting with literally hundreds of people this past month via my blog, DPW and Facebook has infused me with a new sense of purpose that I was sorely in need of right now. I truly feel like I have a new lease on life and am grateful that God led me in just the right direction when I hopped that plane to Texas. I almost cancelled the trip due to lack of funds….


Thanks, Erin!

© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the Marketing and Community Manager of Daily Paintworks. She's an author and blogging and marketing coach.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Make It Easy for Buyers to Buy From You


Are there any tasks you’re avoiding when you post your art that inadvertently create a negative experience for your buyer?

Not pricing your art
When you don’t price your art, a potential buyer has to go through the hassle of contacting you to ask how much a painting they're simply considering actually costs. The yes/no question comes out of sequence in the buying process because they don't even know if your painting is in the running.

If you put yourself in the buyer’s shoes, they may also be worried about a couple of things...

Will entering into an email exchange with you make them feel obligated to buy, even if the piece is out of their price range? Will it be awkward and embarrassing to say no? That’s assuming they actually take action and write to you! Many potential buyers will simply delay contacting you “until later,” adding the task of emailing you to their to-do list. And then… they never do. 



Price your work so buyers can easily move forward with a purchase.

Leaving searchable terms blank
One “technical” mistake some artists make is not entering in a genre, medium or keywords when uploading their work for sale. What this means is that buyers will not be able to find your work using the powerful Search functions of DPW. If a buyer doesn’t see your painting on the day it comes out, or on your Facebook page or blog, then it’s not findable later.

Entering a genre or medium in your Art Tracking grid takes only seconds.

Using words to further bring your painting to life
One more missed opportunity that’s easily addressed: tell buyers a little bit about the painting itself in the painting's description and how it is you came to paint it. Some artists freeze up and think, “But I’m not a writer! What do I say?” and either attempt to write something that sounds like it came from an encyclopedia… or, again… nothing at all.

If you let potential buyers know about the inspiration behind your art, or perhaps expand upon random thoughts or impressions you had while painting, it gives them one more chance to connect and identify with your art - and perhaps make it their own.

Be yourself when writing a description - casual and friendly works best.

These three fixes are quick and easy. Give your paintings every possible opportunity to reach happy buyers!


© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the Marketing and Community Manager of Daily Paintworks. She's an author and blogging and marketing coach.

(photo credit: "gallery series 2" by brendan76)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

DPW Interviews: Bob Kimball


From Bob Kimball's DPW Gallery page:
I live in Las Vegas and I've been making art for about 30 years. Most of my paintings have been still life and landscapes. I also delve into abstract here and there....
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I first started painting seriously when I was about 16 years old. My earliest memory of an art experience came when I was about 6 years old in the first grade. I drew a picture of a pirate ship with all the stick men pirates, nets, sails and anything else I could think of. My teacher made such a big deal about it that it made an impression in my mind all this time.  I still have a few of my first paintings, starting from 1975. It's fun to look at them, which I thought at the time were near masterpieces! Now I look at them and say, Hmmm, what was I thinking? Anyway, they bring back lots of good memories.

(click here to see original image)

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

I had many starts and stops throughout my painting life, which mostly depended on the occupation I was in at any given time. No matter what job I had, I always somehow found time to at least do a little bit of art of some kind. I always knew that someday, I would be pursuing art as a full time career.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Before taking the plunge into painting, I experimented with many different mediums like charcoal, graphite pencil and conte and sculpture, which I enjoy very much. I tried acrylics and watercolors, but never really adjusted to the quick drying times. When it comes to painting, I like to have time to think about the next stages. The slower drying times of oil paint are perfect for me, since they let me make plans. If I could somehow combine oil painting and sculpting, I'd be perfectly happy!


Many of your images look like something from a dream. Just out of curiosity, do you paint from photos? Real life? Memory? How do you arrive at ideas for your paintings?
I get most of my ideas for my paintings from memory and/or imagination.  Some of my inspiration comes from photos I've taken from my travels to beautiful places, mostly from the central and southwestern U.S. If I had to pinpoint any area in particular, it would have to be the Southwestern mountain areas of southern Utah that I've found the most memorable.

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

I don't actually procrastinate with my art, but I do take a small break from it just like anything else. I would rather be relaxed with using my imagination, rather than "force" something to happen.  I tend to paint sometime after 2 in the afternoon, when most of the other things I have to take care of are done. That way, I can be more relaxed when I'm trying to create.

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How do you keep art "fresh"? What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

I try to keep my art fresh by switching from painting to drawing and sculpting frequently. I like to use drawing and sculpting as a break from painting, just to break it up a little, especially when using color mediums starts to get a little tedious. Drawing is a lot simpler for me, so I look at it as a kind of a break.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I've never reached a point where I'm satisfied with what I've learned about making art. Actually, I hope I never reach that point. The challenge of learning new things about making art is the best thing about it. Color temperature, value, harmony and composition are the most important things to me to keep in mind when I'm starting a painting. I would say that keeping all the variables balanced is the most challenging aspect to making a good painting.

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What makes you happiest about your art?

What makes me happiest about my art is when I make a piece that I like. If a painting is going right, it almost seems like it's painting itself. That's the stage in every painting that I'm waiting for every time I paint. I think that above all, it all boils down to being happy with the end result of a piece before I start a new one.

Thanks, Bob!




© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the Marketing and Community Manager of Daily Paintworks. She's an author and blogging and marketing coach.