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ARTISTIC PROCESS
I often get questions about how I come up with ideas, how I got started doing this, how long it takes to create a painting, etc. Hopefully this will answer those questions…
INSPIRATION
My inspiration can come from anywhere…movies, books, a phrase heard in passing. Sometimes I get frustrated, because I have so many ideas fighting to come out. Every painting has so many possibilities… directions it can take. Often the idea I start out with becomes something else entirely by the time the piece is finished. But sometimes I get blocked…and I turn to my collection of art books for inspiration. When that fails, I stare at the blank paper for two or three hours before giving up. Some days the muse just doesn't feel like stopping by.
CREATING A PAINTING
First, I usually put on a Loreena McKennit cd…
My creative process differs from many artists. I rarely do preliminary sketches, other than rough stick figures to give me a feel for the layout. Usually I just sit down and start…and hope it all works out. The initial drawing can take anywhere from 15 minutes to several days. Sometimes I have to set it aside for a week or so and try something else before getting back to it. Then, when I'm happy with the drawing, I start to paint. I generally like to do the background first, as it's the hardest and least interesting for me. Skin comes next, and it goes from there. I don't like to spend more than 3 days on a painting or I start to get bored with it. Most of my pieces are under 11X17 inches, and take less time to complete.
HOW I GOT STARTED
In 1992 I got a job working as a custom picture framer (which I continued to do for more than 7 years). This was the best step I could have taken toward my eventual career. Learning to frame art is not only important for the artist (the framing really makes a huge difference), working with mats and frames gives you a better feel for color and texture. Now, back to the story…after 4 months at the gallery, my boss (now my good friend, Shawn) handed me an empty frame that had been laying around the shop and said " Here, paint something to go inside this frame… maybe a little fairy or something." I had always had an interest in faeries (ever since I was a small child and my aunt bought me FAERIES by Brian Froud and Allan Lee) but hadn't ever really tried to draw one. So, I went home and did just that. We put the finished painting out in the shop and a few days later it sold…that was how it all started.
In 1993 I started testing the market for my work by having laser prints made. It enabled me to print my work without going broke from large printing fees. I sold my prints at a couple of street fairs, and was fortunate enough to have friends with shops who were willing to sell my prints as well. A year or two later, my boyfriend (now husband) decided I should have a website. To my surprise and delight, he had a flare for designing websites. My first site had around ten images. Now, in 2001, it's grown to 8 galleries and approximately 140 images. I'm afraid it may keep growing! I still print my images using a laser printer, but I lease my own now, and have complete control over how they come out, type of paper, etc. Without new printing technologies that have made it affordable for beginners to have their work reproduced, and the amazing capabilities of the Internet, I'd never have gotten this far.
GENERAL INFO
Favorite Authors - Tolkien (of course), Charles De Lint (absolutely enchanting stories and characters), Orson Scott Card (great lessons to learn from many of his books, with
wonderful plot twists too)
Favorite Books - Imajica-Clive Barker, Swan Song- Robert McCammon, Mists of Avalon-Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mythago Wood and The Hollowing-Robert Holdstock, Someplace To Be Flying and Jack of Kinrowan-Charles De Lint
Favorite Artists - Brian and Wendy Froud, Allan Lee, Michael Parkes, Stephanie Law (HI Stephanie!), Brom….there are so many
Favorite Movies - Labyrinth and Heavy Metal
Good Reference Books (for learning how to draw people) - Pose File books (I have #1 and #4), Illustrators Reference Manual-Nude
Tools of the Trade - Amy uses Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors, Windsor and Newton brushes, Arches cold press watercolor paper, and Saunders Waterford cold press watercolor paper.
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