Artist Interview: Kaetlyn Able

 

Our Love Grows and Grows.

 
I feel just terrible that I didn't get this lovely girl's interview up sooner.  My deepest apologies--this spring has been incredibly busy.  Without further ado, here is an interview with a very talented artist I think all of you will enjoy.  She particularly catches my eye with her vintage-y people and great combination of color and black and white.  Please get to know Kaetlyn Able:
 
1.  Were you always an art kid, or did you stumble upon it later in life?

I was always an art kid—happiest when I was drawing and making things. Family lore is that I was a really easy kid, because I always had some quiet project going. I majored in studio art at my small liberal arts college, and then went on to graduate school to get my MFA.

Mini Portrait #3: Masquerade

 
 
2.  What style of art is your favorite and why?

It's so hard to nail down just one favorite style! As a viewer I love it all—from contemporary installation work to the old masters. Any work that was made with an interesting concept in mind, excellent craftsmanship, and emotional resonance (a favorite college professor spoke of work that was made with head, hands and heart) is great art to me. As a maker, my favorite style to work in is a sort of magical realism. I love to work from observation—either from life or from photos that I've taken myself and brought back to the studio. That process of looking very carefully and trying to understand the figure, the light, the character and the particular details of an object or scene, is very calming and meditative to me. And then I love to let that realism run wild into an imaginary place by combining strange elements together (lately it's people and plants), working from memory and letting things melt into abstraction in places.

Passion Flower Dreamer 2.

 
 
3.  What do you use for inspiration, or how do you generate ideas?

I collect old portrait photographs. I buy them from antique shops and people give them to me. I spend hours and hours just pouring over them, wondering about the people in the pictures and looking for clues about their lives. My ideas for my paintings begin with figures from or fragments of these images. I also love to people watch. I tend to look for, or imagine, great love stories between people I see out in the world. I'm an unapologetic romantic. And I like thinking about and celebrating sassy, strong women and sensitive, nurturing men—the not-traditionally-celebrated combinations of character and gender. I'm also deeply inspired by the natural world. I spend a lot of the spring, summer and fall hiking around outdoors, camera in hand, looking for wildflowers.

Botanical Hat V:  Thistles.

 
 
4. Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished project.

I begin with an image or part of an image from one of my old photographs. This is always an intuitive choice—I choose something that I find intriguing without fully understanding why. Making the drawing or painting helps me to think through and understand my fascination with the image. I sketch out the parts of the image that interest me and leave out everything that doesn't. Sometimes I know what botanical elements I want to combine with the photo image right away, and other times that comes to me as I'm working and thinking deeply about the people and the details of the photo, developing their story as I go. I work on a really small, intimate and detailed scale, either layering ink and watercolor washes on paper with tiny brushes, or painting ink onto claybord and scratching the details with a sharp tool to reveal the white clay underneath. My processes are pretty labor intensive. When I'm working on a piece I almost always get to the point where my perfectionism tries to take over—I start seeing a lot of technical “flaws” that distract me and I start doubting the work. I've learned to step away when that happens—maybe even for a couple of days. I return with fresh eyes and am able to let go of that neurotic side to my perfectionism, see the charm in the “flaws” and finish the piece.

Work In Progress via Instagram

 
 
 5.  What is a typical day in your life?

I'm a stay-at-home mom to my two little boys, ages three and five, so I spend most of each day doing mom and household related activities and tasks. My kids are very, very active, so I make it a priority for us to get out and about for most of the day. I'm also undergoing treatment for breast cancer, so I spend a lot of time at the hospital as well. My husband and I share a little workspace in our home, where I make art and he does computer-y things. I work in small chunks of time throughout the day, whenever I get the chance. I'm always at the ready to switch gears and jump into art mode. When my boys are at preschool (they both go two mornings a week) or really into their pretend play together, or watching their afternoon show, or out with their grandma, I sit down at my work table and get a little art time in. I also work after they go to bed at night. My husband and I also trade some kid-free time on the weekends to work on our respective projects. My rule is to find at least half an hour each day for art-making, but I can usually find more.

Dapper Frogs Sitting on Toadstools.

 
 
6.  What do you think draws you to other people's work?

Like I said earlier, I love when an artist's work combines an interesting, deeply explored concept, beautiful craftsmanship and and emotional resonance. I love quirky, authentic-feeling art. I also tend to gravitate toward artists who have a nice kind of balance between consistency and variety in their work.

Vintage Airforce and Wild Roses.

 
 7.  What are your interests/hobbies?

I love being outside, hiking and exploring with my family. I also love doing yoga, cooking, baking, sewing and getting together with friends. And I read a ton. I've also recently started exploring Buddhist teachings and meditation.

Untitled (Mustache).

 
 
8.  Is this your full time job, or do you have a job out-of-studio?

My stay-at-home mom gig is my full time job right now. My plan is to transition back to work as a full time artist as my children enter school. My oldest starts all day kindergarten next fall, and my youngest will go to preschool three full days. So I'll have more dedicated art time starting in the fall. And my younger son will start kindergarten the following year. My ultimate goal is to work while my boys are in school, and then to pick them up and spend the afternoons with them. And to be home with them when they're sick.

The Good Old Days #2.

 
 
9.  What is your favorite piece you've ever made and why?

I don't think I could ever choose just one! It would end up as a tie between my twenty favorites, I think. And since I'm always making new work, my feelings about past work are always changing. My favorites among my own body of work tend to be the ones that resonate with me most emotionally and the ones that represent conceptual and technical breakthroughs.

Work in Progress via Instagram.

 
 
10.  What advice would you give to an artist just starting out in the business world?

Do the work, pay your dues, be patient and come up with a plan for how you will create a viable, sustainable business as an artist. What are your goals? What is your budget? Who is your target market? What compromises will you need to make as you're starting out? If you plan to seek gallery representation, remember that there is no venue too small or obscure for your work when you're just beginning. Show your work wherever you can. Your local library, Arts Center, hospital and coffee shops are all great, accessible venues for emerging artists. I showed and sold my work in all of these spaces when I was just starting out. Most of us who apply for big grants or to prestigious galleries will most often be rejected in the beginning. But if you keep plugging diligently away, making work, honing your craft and sharing your work with the public, those galleries and collectors will eventually begin to approach you. It took me eleven years of hard (but exceptionally rewarding) work for that shift to happen.

Buttercups Couple.

 
 
11.  Describe your work space.

My corner of our work space consists of a big computer desk, a drafting table, a nice, deep closet and a little painting cart on wheels. It feels perfect to me—just enough space, but not so much that I don't know what I have or where I put things.

Her work space.

 
 
12.  Did you face any setbacks on your path to being an artist?

I don't know if I would consider them setbacks exactly. Maybe just the twists and turns of figuring out how to cobble together an economically viable existence making art. I did not do a great job really thinking through the business side of things when I was in school. If I remember correctly, I think my plan was to simply be discovered! At that time I didn't have good time management skills either. The result was that after graduate school I ended up kind of flailing around for a few years as I tried to figure out how to make a living and make art. I had a non art related job that I really didn't like and very little time (or so I thought) for art. You know what they say about hindsight, but if I could do it all over I would have been more thoughtful and strategic about my career path when I was in school. There were some missed opportunities there.

Botanical Hat VI: Pasqueflowers.

 
 
13.  What milestones, goals, or achievements are you striving for right now?

In the short term, I'm working on getting back in the swing of things after getting through the harder parts of my cancer treatments. I'm lucky to be represented by a fantastic gallery, Altitude, here in Bozeman. I had a really successful show last year and sold most of my pieces, but my painting pace slowed down considerably while I was going through chemo and recovering from surgery. So I'm kind of re-emerging right now, and working hard on a new series for the gallery. Once I get them fully stocked with my new work, I plan to seek further representation in other cities. My main longterm goal is to build a sustainable business making art. I've been noodling over how to do that, experimenting with my ideas and analyzing the numbers. And I've discovered that working with galleries is the best fit for me. So that's where I'm focusing.

 
 

Silhouette #29.

 
 
Please also find her and her work here:

Etsy Shop.
Instagram.


 

Artist Interview: Another Conversation with John W. Shanabrook

Almost two years ago now, I got the wonderful opportunity to interview an artist whose paintings often make my heart catch in my chest. Quite a bit has changed in his world since that time, and he's graciously agreed to let me interview him once again with a whole fresh batch of questions. So without further introduction by me, here is a second interview with John W. Shanabrook, complete with some of his more recent work to illustrate the post: 

1. I write "Once Upon a Time" type stories about the dream life I long for. What would your "Once Upon a Time" consist of?

A small, bright, and quiet house on the shortgrass prairie of Eastern New Mexico.

"A Grocer's, a dark day, a song"

2. Can you give me some insight into where your wonderful titles come from?

That’s a good question, Julia, especially because I don’t really know. It’s a little mysterious, a little ghostly. I think of my mind as wandering through an attic of association and implication and feeling, picking up and discarding odd objects and remembrances and quotations and words until what it holds in its mental hands are, suddenly, resonant and poetry.

"Comes a Dark Hero with a Dire Taste for Gunpowder Dramatics" 

3. The places you paint, are they memories, places you've read about, or just from your imagination (or a combination of all three)?

These landscapes are essentially what my heart makes of what I’ve known, of what I might long for, and of what sometimes happens unexpectedly at three in the morning.

"Hidden Winter"

4. What do you think people would be surprised to learn about you?

Five years ago, a medical school in Ohio offered me a place in their class of 2010.

"Milkmaid's Moon"

5. Do you have any artists you're currently admiring?

I don’t know why it is, but admiration’s something I’ve never been very good at.

"Night Softly"

6. Where do you spend time online? What sites do you gawk at or read, if any?

I try to stay away from the Internet for entertainment, using it only for my painting and for buying things I need. I’m not always successful, but it terrifies me how much time I can spend online to no real purpose otherwise.

"Night to the Plateau"

7. What's your favorite season and why?

Summer, to be sure, because summer is warmth and warmth is freedom. There’s certainly more poetry in fall, winter, and spring, but there’s not as much life.

"Plains Morning, Christmas"

8. What is your favorite book?

This is a question I could never answer. If you were to ask me to name the one book I’d take with me to a desert island, I’d probably just ask for paper and pencil so I could write my own.

"The Spinney"

9. Do you work in any mediums besides oil? Is there any medium you've wanted to try?

Just oil. Oil paint and words. I don’t know which I’m better at. 

"Shotgun Storm"

10. You said you didn't start out being an artist, tell me about what made you try painting. What made you stick with it?

I tried painting because one Christmas a very good friend of mine named Margaret surprised me with a packet of panels and a clever little painting box of Winsor & Newton paints and brushes. I stuck with painting because I’m a terribly sedulous and persevering and stubborn soul.

"Smolder"

11. It's hard to find much about you out there—is the mystery purposeful or just coincidence?

It’s pretty simple, really. All my life I’ve stayed out of the world.

"The Pumpkin Field"

12. What else should people know about you or your work?

My landscapes often surprise me into liking them. They sometimes seem to know far more about the world than I do.

"To Go a Silver Journey"

Find more of John's Work here:

Website:  jwshanabrook.com
Seminary Road on Etsy:  seminaryroad.etsy.com
Wordpress Blog:  jwshanabrook.wordpress.com

Previous Interview Here.

And a huge thanks to John for being kind enough to take the time to answer my questions.

Artist Interview: Alexandra Loesser

This next artist interview is an exciting one.  She captivates me with her skill, and her subject matter is so much fun.  I was ecstatic when she agreed to let me interview her.  Please enjoy this Q & A with artist Alexandra Loesser:

Alexandra in her studio.

1. Were you always an art kid, or did you stumble upon it later in life?

I was definitely always an art kid. I probably went through a ream of paper every few days with my drawing. I never proclaimed that I wanted to be an artist but it’s just what I always did starting from when I could hold a pencil.

"Barbie and Rex."

2. What style of art is your favorite and why?

I appreciate all styles of art! My favorite would probably have to be early expressionism and romanticism. I love the line between natural realism and pure expressionist painting.

"Beast"

"Fox and Stars."

3. What do you use for inspiration, or how do you generate ideas?

The biggest problem I feel that I’m faced with is being overly inspired to a point that I have a hard time reigning in my ideas. Most of my inspiration comes from living things; I love animals and people but the real ideas come from the relationships between living things. I like to give form to intangible feelings and energies. I usually start with something I’m interested in from an aesthetic perspective. That initial attraction is really a jumping off point to figure out what the subject means to me and how I should develop it and add complexity.

"Ghosts of Spring."

4. Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished project.

My creative process is not very formulaic. I usually start with a very general idea of what I want and begin to create different experimental drawings. These sketches help me narrow down what it is I want to paint and what I have to say. Once I have a loose composition, I put it to canvas fairly quickly. I’ve found that if I do too much preplanning I lose some of the magic. I like to leave room for the painting to reveal itself to me during the process. Very rarely does my finished piece look exactly like the original sketch. I do a little under painting and a little premixing but I’m very much of an “on-canvas mixer” because I’m finding a new color every second, and I want the painting to feel fresh and not static. It is during the actual process of painting that I figure out what the instinctual decisions I made really mean. A painting can take months or days; I just have to go with my gut to know when it’s finished.

"Great Horned Owl."

5. What is a typical day in your life?

A typical day starts with me arriving to the studio as early as I can, which means about 9:00am. I like to work early in the morning or late at night if possible. I think the closer you are to the dream state the better. I have my etsy shop to take care of and emails, so I work on that for a while and then jump right in to whatever painting is currently holding my attention the most. I usually have about five paintings going at a time that I can work on a little every day unless there is one I can’t tear myself away from. I try to be in the studio a full eight hours every weekday so I don’t get slack. It’s important for me to go into the studio everyday even if I don’t feel like it because you never know what might happen – the day you don’t go in could have been the day you have an artistic breakthrough. Being a painter is a pretty solitary job (but if I’m in a good creative zone I don’t notice the time), so at the end of the day I come home and try to remember how to be social again. When I go to sleep I always keep a pen and paper by my bed because ideas often come at the most inconvenient times.

"Polar Heart."

6. What do you think draws you to other people's work?

Lots of things! I think it’s so important to always look at other artists’ work. It’s inspiring to get a glimpse into someone else’s mind. You can also learn so much from other work, whether it’s in technique or style or just the imagery, but I’m most drawn to emotion in work. When you look at art or create it you want to feel something, and you know you’ve found a good piece of art when it lingers with you, when everything isn’t quite spelled out. I’m always attracted to work with a haunting quality; a little darkness can be really beautiful.

"Coyote and Butterflies."

7. What are your interests/hobbies?

I’m a little single-minded when it comes to this…drawing or painting is what I’m doing most of the time, though I wouldn’t call painting a hobby because it’s always felt more like a necessity (one that I enjoy). Lately painting has led me to do some writing. Writing gives me relief when I have something gnawing away in my mind and an image is not the right means to give it form. Oh and I do love to watch weird films. A beautifully done movie is like a painting in itself.

"Winter Birches."

8. Is this your full time job, or do you have a job out-of-studio?

Painting is now my full time job; it’s not always easy, but I’m always grateful.

"French Invasion."

9. What is your favorite piece you've ever made and why?

My favorite piece is one that I made back in college. It’s a self-portrait that I painted when I became very frustrated with art school. I was mentally exhausted and my boyfriend at the time snapped a photo of my face in the midst of tears and desperation. I immediately went to work on a new painting using that photo as reference. I completed the large scale self portrait in a single night. It’s not the best painting I’ve made to this day, but at that time it was. I think I attached myself to how I was feeling and tapped into painting the emotion rather than the face. When you get the chance to “tap in” all the work is done for you.

"Hyena with Flower Crown."

10. What advice would you give to an artist just starting out in the business world?

Unfortunately, I know very little about the business world but my advice to someone who wants to profit from what they create would be to always create from the heart…not from what you think people want. Also, know your craft, know it up and down. Be proud of your work but never completely satisfied; satisfaction prevents growth, In my opinion. And finally, let your work speak for itself and you won’t have to “sell” it to anyone.

Alexandra's Work Space.

11. Describe your work space.

I am constantly cleaning my work space because it looks like a hurricane after every work day, and I usually have several paintings/drawings in progress at a time. I paint in natural light and keep photos of inspiration and other paintings I admire all around to remind me to continue challenging myself. My studio is airy and quiet which is a nice balance for my mental space.

"Maned Wolf."

Alexandra at Work.

12. Did you face any setbacks on your path to being an artist?

I think I face small setbacks every day whether it’s financial or a near-finished piece I decide to scrap, but they keep me in check. I’ve always known this wasn’t going to be an easy career path, but I have a great support system and time in the morning to meditate and keep myself centered. It also helps to remember that if you are in the studio working, time is never wasted. Even if I’ve spent a lot of time on a painting that isn’t going to work, I’ve still learned something.

"Polar Bear."

13. What milestones, goals, or achievements are you striving for right now? 

Right now I’m just focusing on pushing myself to the next level. I’m hoping to show in some new galleries and explore some new subject matter. I want to get outside of myself and outside of my city for a while.

You can also find Alexandra here:

Website:  http://www.alexandraloesser.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheArtOfAlexandraLoesser
Instagram:  https://instagram.com/alexlaserr/
Etsy:  http://www.alexandraloesser.etsy.com

Artist Interview: Colleen Kinsella.

Today's Artist Interview is with Colleen Kinsella of kinsellaart on Etsy.  Her lovely and unique printmaking prints are a delight.  Here she answers a few questions about her life and work.

1. Were you always an art kid, or did you stumble upon it later in life?

Drawing was my first creative outlet. As a child I drew for enjoyment, as therapy and to challenge myself. In grade school I spent most of art classes drawing things for other kids. I left drawing for a while when I was in college to study photography, but printmaking classes brought me back to it.

Plum Clouds Night Dancers.

2.  What style of art is your favorite and why?

My favorite style of art?  My taste in art is all over the place, from Heironymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly delights to old Mad Magazines. I respond strongly to art that combines processes.  With visual art, literature and music, anything immediate, fierce, honest and well crafted is exciting. I don’t have a genre that I go to. I seek out work that reveals itself over time with depth and emotion.  I am a printmaker so I am biased towards all things Print, from Xeroxes to lithographs.  I enjoy the Surrealists, especially Remedios Varo and I love the printmaking heavyweights like Warhol, Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, Nancy Spero.  I love reading science fiction especially through the visionary eyes of Brunner, Le Guin, Dick and Octavia Butler.

Dark Blue Ship in Distress.

3.  What do you use for inspiration, or how do you generate ideas?

I love to become absorbed in the process of making & experimenting. Music is a constant inspiration. Whatever book I am reading or record I am listening to greatly affects my work.

I have a steady nightly practice of going into my studio and doing work.

This can mean drawing on a copper plate or quilting or sorting through prints. Every night I arrive at my desk and do something. Having that space and time to create every night is inspiring. Where my ideas come from is a murky unknown. I work intuitively making images almost out of the corner of my eye. The things that come out are sometimes a surprise to me. I have borrowed from all kinds of work, the science fiction I read, artists like Lynda Barry and Kiki Smith. 

Horse Drawing.

4.  Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished project.

I wish I could walk you through but my process isn’t linear. I usually have many things going on at once. For example right now I am working on a comic tentatively titled Girlsworld done entirely with printed etchings. I am halfway through hand-quilting a queen size quilt made from my screen printed fabrics. I am emailing out a call for submissions to Futuremothers.org a collaborative platform for addressing social injustice towards women and children.
It takes me a long time to consider a piece finished—years in some cases.

Every now and then I’ll get lucky and an idea or print will come off the press as finished.

Hot Heads II (Detail).

5.  What is a typical day in your life?

Get up early, Coffee + Coffee, get Quinn to school on time, talk with Caleb, go to work, pick up Quinn from school, come home, talk with Caleb, Nap if possible. Make dinner as a family, do homework, bath and bedtime for Quinn. After Quinn is asleep I begin my night and I don’t stop until the wee hours. Wind down with some Agatha Christie and wake up and do it all over again.

Etching Moon Yachts.

6.  What do you think draws you to other people's work?

I am drawn to work that is politically conscious, aesthetically beautiful, rich and varied in mark-making and meaning. I like art that tells a story or many stories. Art that takes time to digest. I feel the same about books and music. 

Aqua Winged Butterfly Bardot.

7. What are your interests/hobbies?

Right now I am looking at Sister Corita Kent and the quilts of Gee’s Bend.  For books I am reading James Baldwin & Octavia Butler.  For music I am listening to The Julie Ruin, Ras Michael and Buffy St. Marie.  I love playing music with my friends in our band Big Blood.  Hanging with my daughter and Caleb.  I am currently trying to learn all of Erik Staie’s Gnossiennes.

Purple Haze Night Dancers.

8. Is this your full time job, or do you have a job out-of-studio?


I am committed to working at my art full time but it is not my primary financial support. I work and teach at Maine College of Art. I have always had a job in addition to my studio practice. It takes the pressure off making things with the intent to sell.

Print of Laura B.

9. What is your favorite piece you've ever made and why?


My favorite print series is The Garden from 2008 and a quilt I made for Quinnisa’s bed. But my favorite piece is usually whatever I am working on now—which is the Girlsworld etchings and a quilt for our bed made from table runners and cloths I screen printed for our wedding.

Her Workspace.

10. What advice would you give to an artist just starting out in the business world?

Understand how to do your own taxes.

Prioritize time to be creative. Trying to make money solely from your art is difficult and can take you away from the best aspects of making. Success for me is being able to continue making new work.


Take risks with your work but be disciplined and realistic in your practice. 

"The Shack."

11. Describe your work space.

I have a few work spaces. Our kitchen table is where my husband and I screen print all our tapes cds & records for our label dontrustheruin records. We package and send out from our house and sell through dontrustheruin.etsy.com. During the winter my work space is within my house where I do sewing, quilting, and drawing.  In the Spring/Summer I work/print in a studio across from the house known as the Shack. It is currently blocked by huge snow drifts. Inside there is an etching press, screen print station and bay window for reading or thinking/staring off into space.  My third space is the printshop at Maine College of Art where I work and teach.

Studio Shots.

12. Did you face any setbacks on your path to being an artist?

Of course! Self doubt, money, work, lack of space & time just to name a few.  But I’ve always had a need to make work --for myself.  I want to be creative. I love to have art, music and beauty around me or I feel terrible.  Since my daughter’s birth I have become even more territorial of my studio time. I can’t make work when she’s awake so I have the night time reserved for the studio.

Inspiration board, and "The Shack" blocked in winter by a snow drift.

13. What milestones, goals, or achievements are you striving for right now?

I want to publish a book of the Garden series.  I want to set my Girlsworld comic to sound and music.  I want to make music videos for Big Blood using my prints.  I want to be a good mom and an aware person in the world.  I want war to be over everywhere.  I want us all to take part in healing the wounds of racism and prejudice throughout our country.  I want to learn all of Satie’s Gnossiennes by heart.

You can also find Colleen here:

Flickr:  www.flickr.com/photos/colleenkinsella
Website:  www.dontrustheruin.com
Shop:  www.kinsellaart.etsy.com