An Interview with Artist Mary Lundberg

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?

I realized it when when I was born.

What are your favorite materials to work with?

I love paper and canvas and boards and pencil and paint and pretty much anything that makes a mark or could be marked on....but I think my most favorite are my ebony pencil and my oil paints.

Describe a bit of your process...is everything planned or sketched out before hand? Do you work on impulse?

Well, I have different processes for different things. Most of my work is surrealist in nature and I usually look at actual objects around me and play off of the reality I see and create an imaginary world that evolves - there is no planning. I am more formal in my sketching and planning on my more reality based work.

Where is your favorite place to work? I like to make art while sitting in a comfy chair and good light. I have a studio and I work in there - but I tend to work in bed and on the couch or a park bench or wherever I land.

What inspires you? I am inspired by good music, NPR, fast food containers, bendy straws, nature, animals, bugs, clouds, monsters, fine cheeses, warm weather, life and good art.

What artist, past or present, has inspired your work?

I love the surrealists.. Dorothea Tanning should be on the cover of all art texts for one year.

Where do you see your work going in the next 10 years? I had been in a fairly monochromatic stage for awhile... but I feel color creeping in... ever so slowly.... and I hope in 10 years to be able to afford to pay a team of assistants to paint 10' paintings under my direction as I sample assorted bon bons.

How are you taking your work/techniques to the next level?

that is a secret.

Have you ever taught any art classes?

yes, I taught drawing/painting/ and 2D design at the University of Memphis .... I also taught a plethora of children in the Appalachian Mountains.. and I have done private art lessons.

What item are you most proud of on your Artist Resume?

My name.

What is the role of the Artist in our society?

Artists keep galleries and museums in business... so you see we keep people employed.

Has selling art on-line been a success for you? Why? I don't know yet.....

How do you encourage people (or why would you encourage people) to buy Original Fine Art?

Original fine art is not just something freaking awesome to hang on you walls or place on a pedestal in your living room - it is an investment. Just think of the people who bought a Warhol back in the day! It is so important as a personal investment, but also as a way to help support those making the freaking awesome work... buying original work means you have a one of a kind piece and you can be the envy of your neighbors.. it means that you may be able to sell it on Ebay 36 years from now and pay for the kids college .... and it means an artist can continue their dream and pay their light bill.

Your biggest sale or commission was... It was pretty big - like 7'

The biggest show/award you got was... I won a purchase award.. I spent the large check on bills. The award was nice, but I really liked the check.

Where do you sell your work?

http://www.lundberg.e.../

http://www.marylundberg.com/

An Interview with Kelly Cormack

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?I've been making things ever since I was little. I remember I used to draw images on paper and create taped-together t-shirts out of the images for my little sister. I also used to draw pictures on all the furniture, which drove my parents crazy. After embarking on different avenues such as journalism (not so successfully), I realized art school was where I should be.

What are your favorite materials to work with?I am mostly interested in texture and layers, and I love digging through different materials to reveal surfaces and colors. I love working on plywood with a router and collaging with different types of paper. Acrylic is my paint of choice as it's very versatile and dries quickly.

Describe a bit of your process...is everything planned or sketched out before hand? Do you work on impulse?I never plan ahead of time. There is a process of discovery as I work, in revealing new layers and seeing what evolves. Sometimes an emotion or visual trigger will inspire me to start painting, but I tend to feel my way through. The very process of working out a problem in my art and discovering new things as I work is healing to me.

Where is your favorite place to work?I recently moved from my rental studio downtown to a studio I built in my apartment and I love it. Home is where my heart is and it makes it much easier to work in my busy schedule.

What inspires you?Emotion, memories, nature, and the stuggles, journeys, and 'coming of age' of people.

What artist, past or present, has inspired your work?An artist from Alberta, Peter Von Tiesenhausen, has always inspired my work. The way he draws upon nature and documents his journey is amazing (http://www.tiesenhausen.net)/. I've also been inspired by artists such as Howard Hodgkin, whose work is based on memory and emotion, Antoni Tapies, and of course the American abstract expressionists. There are too many to mention!

Where do you see your work going in the next 10 years?I am pursuing a career in Social Work, to help people with addictions heal through art. I hope that I will still be focusing on my own art practice and that I will be inspired by the people I work with and by the things in my life. My working process is so unplanned that it is hard to say what the esthetic of my work will be, but I hope it will still be going strong.

What is the role of the Artist in our society?I think art is so personal that the role of the artist can come in many forms, all of which are important. I think that art can be a powerful tool for healing and finding out who you are. This can be a very personal thing, where an artist creates alone and uses their art as a diary at home in their studio, or it could take the form of expressing political messages, or it could take the form as an artist showing others how to express themselves and tap into their creativity. Overall, artists help people see the world in a new way.

Has selling art on-line been a success for you? Why?Selling online has been a great way to connect with other artists that I would not have had the opportunity to connect with otherwise, so in that way it has been successful. It has been a great networking tool, and a way to get my art 'out there'. I think there needs to be more exposure for visual artists online and I am learning some new promotion tools from the online artist community, which has helped me a lot.

How do you encourage people (or why would you encourage people) to buy Original Fine Art?I think that art can provoke such powerful feelings in people, and I encourage people to invest in what makes them feel good and what they connect with. Original art appreciates in value and I also think it's important to support artists.

Your biggest sale or commission was...When I was in school I sold 4 paintings to a well-known Canadian model agent who collects art from all over the world. That was pretty exciting.

Where do you sell your work?In local group shows and online.

See More of Kelly's Mixed Media art at

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5611462

Artist Interview - Jenny Davis

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist? Before starting school I would tear up old Xmas cards and glue with sparkles. Then when I started school I fell in love with the smell and texture of the paint used for finger painting. We never had books in our family so I would make my own and collage things into lined exercise school books. I lived near the beach so with the Australian summers being very hot I would go to the beach most days and collect shells glass anything and create things at home with them. I think I realized it when my school marks for art and music were well above average while my other subjects I failed badly in.

What are your favourite materials to work with? I collect junk, street litter when I travel, advertising and packaging materials, lolly papers baguette bags I have over 200, these and more are all my favourites things. Oil paint and wax ,wallpaper, graph paper, hand painted papers, for my sculpture I like to use found objects,boxes boxes boxes for sculpture, music boxes, cups, china, metal rusted and patina car parts for welding, scientific stuff , microscopes, test tubes, vintage shoes, hats I could go on and on......

Describe a bit of your process...is everything planned or sketched out before hand? DO you work on impulse?

Most of my abstract painting is about the creative process this is my interest...the end result is never in my mind because my job is to discover new things as I’m doing..over the past few years my work has expanded ,changing and can be more issued based in some areas. With my sculpture it’s completely the opposite I have to have my objects all around me and it’s a much slower thought out mathematical creative process. Especially with the welded pieces I do

Where is your favourite place to work? My shed (studio) in my backyard.I built it 8 years ago even after a car accident I was determined to get it finished. I’m a welder and did the framing myself and my brother helped with the rest.

What inspires you? My environment and strange underground spaces. I have been researching and documenting underground spaces a for years in Australia Paris and Spain. I’m interested in the forgotten unseen spaces in life as well as graffiti a, street art, litter, tips, collecting.

What artist, past or present, has inspired your work? The American abstract expressionists especially Rothko, Pollock, the Surrealists, Dada, Vincent, Tapies, Joseph Cornell, Ian Fairweather, Max Ernst, Basquite, and so many more

Where do you see your work going in the next 10 years? Continue exploring online opportunities and applying for more arts residencies and exporting my art more overseas.I would like to making a full time living from my work but mainly have enough money to be able to continue doing what im doing and to get my projects and ideas happening. I would like to expand into other areas including video and installation and would like to live overseas in USA or Europe as its better for artists there than in Australia.We are so far away and artists are not respected or treated well at all here. We can be called bludgers here but it is slowly changing.....

How are you taking your work/techniques to the next level? I’m using the computer as tool now as well as photography, video ,sound, installation and whatever else I need to do to get out my expression so my practice is changing and expanding into areas unknown, I just let happen and try not control it see what happens....

Have you ever taught any art classes? Yes, I taught 3 people from my studio once.

What item are you most proud of on your Artist Resume? An Arts residency awarded to me in Barcelona Spain, and I was chosen to exhibit my work at the Athens Olympic Games,

What is the role of the Artist in our society?discover new ideas ,new worlds.......to express themselves freely uncensored in order to give a new way of seeing,,,,to be open to the times present past and future and of course without artists there would be no history.

Has selling art on-line been a success for you? Why? Not really successful yet, I’ve only sold one painting this year online, and a few t shirts,cards .I have many many websites selling my work it doesn’t seem to get seen, maybe cause I live in Australia I get on the 5,000 th page and no one sees .However,the Internet is an invaluable tool for marketing and promoting your art, getting it out there. I have made heaps of contacts worldwide, invitations, to participate in exhibitions. I use the computer daily to network and to send off my portfolio for residencies, applications, comps. exhibitions, art blogs etc. I mostly sell my paintings at exhibitions which have been slow past year.

How do you encourage people (or why would you encourage people) to buy Original Fine Art? Buy from a living artist, it’s a good investment.

Your biggest sale or commission was..paintings for a winery and to collectors overseas

The biggest show/award you got was...this year I received from the Australian Government export award for actively promoting and marketing my Australian art Internationally that was pretty cool....An Arts residency in Barcelona Spain.

Where do you sell your work? mainly exhibitions but im working on opening my house maybe having some happenings ,showings over the next year or two. Im actually looking at new ways of getting my work out there, sick of the gallery scene and paying gallery directors for spaces that cost the artist a mint and the directors get a wage from us so they dont have to sell our art..... mail art and collaborations with other artists and I keep pushing the web looking out for opportunities.

Some of my websites

http://genivieve.redbubble.com/

http://www.outlook8studio.com/

http://jennysporch.etsy.com/

Artist Interview - Ching Teoh

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?

I always like to paint and draw ... but only decided to be an artist about 4 years ago, when I started to help my husband in managing his frame shop. I get to know more art lovers and some interior designers in our shop .. and that had given me a great push.

What are your favorite materials to work with?

once I was in love with watercolor but now acrylic on canvas or board

Describe a bit of your process...is everything planned or sketched out before hand? Do you work on impulse?

i start a piece with planned texture/pattern then work on impulse painting for my recent series of textured painting. I first sculpted the canvas with the textured pattern using acrylic texture medium, then let it dry completely before I start painting. During the painting process, it is impulse with the color selection. I use brushes, fingers, rag and stencils.

Where is your favorite place to work?

In my studio. some photo of my studio and gallery in my Flickr set:http://www.flickr.com.../

What inspires you?

oh there are many ... haha ... for example, as I walk in the neighborhood, seeing patterns on heritage building or temples or mosque I would want to put that down in my paintings. Or any old wall with peel paint .. old rusty railing ... mostly are those patterns or texture I caught with my eyes :)

What artist, past or present, has inspired your work?

there are many, but the most I like the colors and textures in Klimt's painting ... the gold and intricate details.

Where do you see your work going in the next 10 years?

anywhere she could possible go, i would try my best to make it happen.

How are you taking your work/techniques to the next level?

I'm always "experimenting" with different techniques, exploring different styles. Sometimes, reading books published by other artists, and having meet-up and discussions with other artist locally and exchange of ideas.

Have you ever taught any art classes?

hah.. so far, I did guide some children in coloring session.

What is the role of the Artist in our society?

to encourage the community to value and perceive importance of arts and cultures for a community.

Has selling art on-line been a success for you? Why?

I had just started this year in March .. it is not yet a success for me ... but I do enjoy the online presense, since then I have had contacts worldwide. I know success is possible soon in near future.

How do you encourage people (or why would you encourage people) to buy Original Fine Art?

why would I encourage people to buy original... I truely agree with you Krystina, that originals are warmer! As, it carries the original strokes by the artist and all the time spent by the artist sketching, painting, and making the piece uniquely beautiful. It is not machine made.

Your biggest sale or commission was...My biggest sale was, a commission for hotel rooms.

Where do you sell your work?

Currently, via my gallery here in Penang. And online:

http://chingteoh.etsy.com/

http://en.dawanda.com./

http://www.trunkt.org/.

Fine Artist Interview - Sculptor Anita Feng

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?

Like Krystyna, I grew up in a creative household. My father, as I was growing up, was prone to burst into quiet rooms reciting the romantic poets or poetry of his own making. My mother made sculptures and 2-D artworks using throw-away crayon ends and soldering metals. Everyone played music. And the women in the family danced. Perhaps the artistic impulse was as much a part of my childhood as learning to read or ride a bicycle -- it was what was done.That said, even now, I hesitate to call myself an artist. Maybe because of the lofty associations. Now if everyone called themselves an artist and really approached the creativity of the moment in that frame of mind then I'd happily chime in and call myself "artist" as well!

What are your favorite materials to work with?

Mud, naturally! I go for the cheap, plentiful things of life.

Describe a bit of your process...is everything planned or sketched out before hand? Do you work on impulse?

No. And no.

I like to listen to the quality of my day/mind/feeling and use that as a beginning to a conversation. The other end of the conversation being the clay itself.

That said, I would also have some concrete goal in mind, as for example, "Today I will throw the starting forms for a series of smallish Buddhas..."

Where is your favorite place to work?

In my studio, where clay and mess co-exist in perfect harmony.

What inspires you?

What doesn't?

Whart artist, past or present, has inspired your atwork?

Again, as per the above, I have been inspired by the check-out lady at the Japanese grocery store, Kathy Kollowitz, the line of old men posing in front of the camera, Nikos Kazanzakis, the dog's ears perked up....the list would be endless.

Where do you see your work going in the next 10 years?

Who knows? I can only hope that my health and strength permits ...

How are you taking your work/techniques to the next level?

Ha! For me, I'm happy to call the "next level" the "next moment" and hope for the best!

Have you ever taught any art classes?

I've taught clay and poetry.

What item are you most proud of on your Artist Resume?

The one I haven't made yet.

What is the role of the Artist in our society?

To be brave and honest and open.

Where do you sell your work?

On etsy.com and in my studio.

See more of Anita's work at

http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5500430

Artist Interview - Kristina Laurendi Havens

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?

I was lucky to grow up in a very creative household...we made a lot of great projects. Each year the school teachers would anxiously await to see what exciting projects came out of the Laurendi household! I never grew out of that excitement of creating something new.

Describe a bit of your process...is everything planned or sketched out before hand? Do you work on impulse?

My paintings started out being very regimented and planned. I always sketched or worked out the color palette ahead of time. But now it's more impulsive. Party because I love re-working and layering. I welcome mistakes! One thing I've realized is you can't fix what's not there - go for it! Put some paint on the canvas! What's the worst thing that can happen? You have to paint over it! (Of course this philosophy probably isn't good for watercolors...)

What artist, past or present, has inspired your work?

Too many to list!!! I love Modigliani's and Clemente's portraits. I am enamored of the paint application in a Joan Mitchell. Chaim Soutine has luxurious paint. Cezanne had brilliant mark-making.

How are you taking your work/techniques to the next level?

This is a tough task. Too often artists get in a rut (so to speak) We find a technique or style that works for us and we stop growing. My personal challenge is to continue to develop my figure drawings and painting and take them from just being accurate representations and elevate them to meaningful observations of the human condition (sounds a little loftier than I intended!)

Has selling art on-line been a success for you? Why? How do you encourage people (or why would you encourage people) to buy Original Fine Art?

I'm going to answer both of these questions. So far I am thrilled with my experiences selling on-line. Etsy has helped me share my work with tens of thousands of viewers. I have had buyers from NY to CA and up into Canada and across the Pond - in the UK! That was very exciting! Buyers can connect with an image on screen almost as instantaneously as if they saw a painting in person. If an image speaks to you, go for it! You will be purchasing something that will enrich your daily life - and I'm not saying that to be cheesy - I sincerely believe that living with original art makes my home warmer, more interesting, and more personal.

See more of Kristina's work on-line at http://www.krystyna81.etsy.com/.

Interviews are with Fine Artists in the Gallery United Group on Etsy.com.

Collecting Fine Art

"Collecting at its best is very far from mere acquisitiveness; it may become one of the most humanistic of occupations, seeking to illustrate by the assembling of significant reliques, the march of the human spirit in its quest for beauty." ~ Arthur Davison Ficke