TWENTY QUESTIONS

WHY DO YOU PAINT? Years ago I started buying children's books as a way to begin collecting art. One idea at a time. Of all the careers a person could have, I was most in awe of painters. I wanted to try and do it too. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? Storms. Sweet light. Shapes. Looking at original paintings by artists I admire. It takes a very long time to learn to handle paint. To see how others use brushwork or color combinations to represent a mountain or a cloud or a building gives me something to try. WHY DID YOU JOIN TRIO FINE ART? The opportunity came because one of the original partners had a beautiful baby girl and decided to become a full-time mother. I really like Kathryn Mapes Turner and September Vhay as people and respect their commitment and talent. The opportunity to build these friendships, to have artists who's critical eye I trust, to have work up all the time, to create shows and events, and to spend time working in the gallery all sounded fantastic. HOW DOES TRIO DIFFER FROM OTHER GALLERIES? Trio is an artist-owned gallery. We share expenses and keep the income from our own sales. We all have work up all the time. And we share staffing the gallery, one person working every three weeks. The gallery is closed for two months in the spring and the fall, giving each of us time to travel or focus on a project at home. We are trying to keep things simple. WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR PROCESS? My two primary interests are natural history and art. My small canvases are like friends, sharing a memory of time and place. I make notes on the back of my panels, recording the date, time of day, weather, and special wildlife sightings or events. I try to set up in the shade because you can see better without the contrast of bright light and shadow. Mixing colors is more accurate in the shade. I wear a black or dark gray top so the color of my t-shirt doesn't reflect back onto the canvas. And I use only five colors: two yellows (warm and cool), a red, a blue and a white. This way all the colors you mix are harmonious. WHY DO YOU PAINT SMALL? My painting teacher (Scott Christensen) encourages students to paint small because you can concentrate on the idea, the design, the values, the colors, the energy of the moment. You are less worried about covering a large surface. I also like the intimacy of small artwork ... you have to get right up close to see it. DO YOU THINK YOU WILL EVER CREATE LARGER PAINTINGS? Yes, but it will be like starting all over again. What one brushstroke accomplishes in a small study takes several to read the same way in a large painting. DO YOU FINISH YOUR PAINTINGS OUTSIDE? It's a goal, but now, hardly ever. After an hour or two the light changes. It is exhausting to concentrate as hard as you need to when you have limited time to mix colors, draw your design, apply paint so it looks spontaneous and fresh. I get to a point where I don' know what to do next. The best thing is to take a break, go for a walk, begin a new study, or drive home. Often this time away lets my mind sort out what to do next. I leave the colors mixed on my palette and work on the painting later. WHAT IS YOUR SUBJECT MATTER? I paint landscape details. Having been a tomboy my whole life, I feel most at home being in the open air. There are so many things to try and express: clouds, trees, water, hills, mountains, barns, waves. Even when the bugs are out or the wind is blowing hard, I'd rather be outside than inside ... except in winter. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A SUCCESSFUL PAINTING? When you feel something in your heart. When the painting asks questions instead of giving answers. DO YOU WORK IN WATERCOLORS OR OILS? Both. Watercolors are light to carry and clean to use, much easier when backpacking or canoeing in the wilderness. Leaving areas of the paper white is so important to the design ... it is a different way of seeing than oil painting. I like the transparency of watercolors. That said, I like the texture of oil brushstrokes and the rich, saturated colors. Oils are more of a production ... the equipment is heavy and bulky. Both watercolors and oils are difficult and are most successful with some planning. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT PAINTING? Most of my free time has been spent moving: skiing, snowboarding, whitewater canoeing, backpacking, fishing. Now once I set up my easel, my world slows down and I begin to notice all the life around me. Painting helps me pay attention. Painting is both hopeful and frustrating because I can't paint what I see in my imagination, but I keep trying. IS IT HARD TO PART WITH YOUR PAINTINGS? Yes, the ones that survive being wiped off or painted over. They are my friends, my memories. I am happy when they go to a good home. WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING SOMEONE HAS SAID ABOUT YOUR WORK? "I can hear owls in there." A friend was looking at a painting of cottonwoods with big summer clouds overhead and the painting brought her right back to a fond memory, a feeling for a place. YOU TALK ABOUT "OUTER-DRIVEN" AND "INNER-DRIVEN" ART. PLEASE EXPLAIN. Outer-driven art is created to satisfy the expectations and desires of the world outside the artist ... for the new, for what has not been done before, for concept and idea ... thinking art. Inner-driven art is created to satisfy the needs of the artist to communicate ... feeling art. An artist can create from both perspectives, but the most authentic art comes when the artist has something genuine to express and is not guessing the 'next big thing' or painting buffalo 'because they sell', DO YOU WRITE? Yes, I love words and ideas. I read as much as I can. When we travel I keep journals full of impressions, stories, records of where we went, exciting or funny things that happened, what and where we ate, who we met, how people say things. I also write when I need to figure something out. Writing helps me sort out priorities. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Music with heart and soul. I want to paint like Nina Simone sings. I want to paint like Eric Clapton plays guitar. WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST? THE WORST? The best thing about being an artist is that there will always be something to look forward to. You can always be better than you are. The worst thing is feeling like you will never get there. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BE A PAINTER? Don't quit. There is a lot more that I could say, but this is the most important thing. HOW IMPORTANT IS DRAWING? Vincent Van Gogh says "...drawing is the root of everything..." Can't argue with that!