 | | | ARTELLAGRAM 5-26-09:
"In the Studio"
An Interview with Artist Nadine (This interview is continued from the May 26 2009 Artellagram...)
 Artella: How long have you been creating art? When did you first get involved in art-making, and how has your art changed since then?
Nadine: OK. It all started with coloring. Is there anything more exciting than a fresh box of crayons with all the interesting colors? I have always loved art, and I have been making art as long as I can remember. My parents always encouraged me to do so, even when they didn't understand my creations. Oddly enough, I never took any art classes in High School, except one summer school art class, because I felt I had to take all "serious" college prep classes, and I felt art didn't fit into that picture. But once I got to college, things changed. There was hardly any art form I don't embrace or like, even if I wasn't good at it. There was always this sense of "Oooooooh, I want to try that!"
I have experimented with it all art forms: ceramics, linoleum block prints, printmaking, batiks, making my own rugs, watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels, paper making, photography, sewing, etc.
There are two big changes in my art making over the years are:
First, I have had to reduce the size of my finished products because I live in a small house now, and I don't have the room to store the huge pieces of art anymore. Gone are the days I made only 8' x 5' paintings and drawings.
The second biggest change in my art over the last few years is the reliance more and more on my computer. I am a very tactile person I like to touch and feel things. So I didn't like the idea of losing the textures by using the computer. Plus, at first, using the computer felt like I was "cheating". But, I feel I have finally embraced the digital world. I often draw a sketch in pencil, scan it in, and then use the computer to try out different color combinations. Art created in or on the computer saves storage space and it is a lot less toxic than the fumes or dust created from other kinds of art work. Of course, nothing ultimately replaces hanging a real painting over your fireplace.
Artella: Do you have any tips for someone just beginning to draw and sketch? Are classes and books necessary to acquire drawing skills, or just practice?
Nadine: First of all, many, many people become discouraged with drawing, when they can't make something "look" like what they are trying to draw. You always have to remember that you are an apprentice. In other words, you are still learning. You are still learning how to make a tree look like it has real branches. You are still learning how to make a face look three dimensional. We would never expect to ride on an airplane once and then be able to fly it. But for some reason, people give up on art after one tiny foray into it, and they believe, they just don't have "talent". A large percent of "talent" is PRACTICE! Nothing can replace the practice. No matter how many art classes you have, it is the practice that helps the most. It sure doesn't hurt to get the expert guidance of a teacher, but if you don't live in an area where that is possible, if you just play and experiment in a non-judgmental way, and, you will go far. Plus, don't think of it as "practice". Practice sounds like drudgery. It sounds like a "have to", a "must" and a "should". Think of it as experimenting and playing. And DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS! Your creations are unique! One of my favorite art quotes is by Simone Weil: "The work of art which I do not make, none other will ever make." That's so true! Your art needs to get out there!
Artella: What favorite books, movies, and music have influenced you and your art?
Nadine: I feel museums, galleries, other artists and paintings have influenced my art way more than books, movies and music. But in the category of books, there are some books about artists, and books showing their work, that I refer back to time and time again. It changes over the years, but lately, no one else in my community can check the "Hockney's Pictures" (a retrospective of David Hockney's work) book out of the library, because I always have it checked out. I also love "David Hockney: A Drawing Retrospective". As a young person in my twenties, I could not have made it without reading, "Dear Theo", which is a book of Vincent Van Gogh's letters he wrote to his brother.
I am fortunate enough to live near Chicago and the Art Institute, where some of the best Monets in the world are shown. Right now, they have an exhibit of Edward Hopper's work that is outstanding and inspirational. His use of color and light make me go into aesthetic arrest. Toulouse-Lautrec, Seurat, Frieda Kahlo, Matisse, Van Gogh have all helped me during the years, not to mention contemporary artists like, Roger Brown, Nicholas Africano, and the photographers Rineke Dijkstra and Diane Arbus.
Fellow students in art classes have always helped me, and inspired me.
Artella: What do you think the secret for a happy life is?
Nadine: I really don't know, and I was hoping some one could tell me, but I imagine it has something to do with finding out what your life's purpose and/or life's work is, and pursuing it with passion, and learning to be pro-active in your shaping your future.
See Nadine's wonderful products in The Shoppes of Artella, here.
 Want more artist interviews from Artella? Take a look at our eBooks Artist Profiles Assembled and Artist Profiles Assembled, Vol 2, and look at the "Ask the Artist" column every single day in The Artella Daily Muse, our daily online creativity newspaper.
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