Through my graydaysprintshop on etsy- I had a customer who bought a print follow up with a few questions for an art school assignment. It was fun to start thinking about my art in that realm again, since life has been a little hectic this last year. I thought I would share the interview with my blog audience.
Q: What made you want to become an artist?
A: I grew up in a very artistic household. My mother is an artist and we had artwork by my great grandmother and other ancestors around our house. Thus I was encouraged at an early age to paint and draw. So I set up a little easel in our basement and worked on my first series- gnomes! Naturally, lol. Then I won a drawing contest in kindergarten- for the best teacher portrait, and poof I was off and running and making art ever since!
I majored in Art in College and went on to get my MFA from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Q: What do you find inspires you the most?
A: I would say color and light. My first favorite artist was Edward Hopper and his use of color and light with nostalgic subject matter had a big impact on me. Thus I am also drawn to vintage images, including working with old family photographs and well as the old and the worn with found objects that allow me to include texture in my work.
Q: What influenced you to work with traditional printing methods?
A: During my Undergrad- my school was so small we did not have a print department. So when I went and studied in Florence my senior year, it felt like a natural and new challenge to take a print making class. I soon fell in love with print making's ability to capture texture and atmosphere. And the sort of rough interaction you can have with a plate- a ding or a "mistake" can actually make a print more interesting- like a worn old chair that shows character and history.
Q: How do you think your art will develop in the coming years?
A: These last two years, after graduating from Grad school- I have been focusing on my knitting at urbanknitfits.etsy.com... it provided a nice balance during our move from Philadelphia to Maine last spring. And now I have an outlet for my prints! I joined a local print shop in Portland and I have print ideas stacked up and I'm waiting for a day off to make! For marketing purposes I am going to print on some canvas bags- to include in my print shop and I will also make prints on paper with the same images.
I also want to continue to make installations and big work as well as continue to paint paintings! I'm inspired by etsy and it's - quit your day job series. And my goal is to hit the ground running with all 3 of my shops come June and make art full time!
To see more of my artwork go to my website!
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