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You will find all of the interviews here from past artists/poets. Please be aware that I will be putting up the archieved interviews a few at a time. Hope to have them all here very soon.
Thanks for viewing these. I am sure they will help you get to know the artists a little better.
| More Archieved Interviews |
"My interest in art began with a gift. One day my Dad brought home a wonderful wooden case filled with poster paints. At this time, I was fifteen years old and had never shown any interest in art. I thought the gift was very nice, but I really did not know what to do with the paints, so I tucked away the wooden case in a drawer. But the gift was not simply a wooden case filled with paint, it was the silent suggestion that crept into my thoughts that maybe I could be an artist. Months later, I took the paints out and began to experiment with them. At the same time, I began to work with clay since it seemed less intimidating. Once I realized the complicated process that was needed to complete a sculpture, I decided to create something that could be completed and finished with minimal cost and effort. Thus, my decision was made and a trip to the art supply store started me on my way to creating art that could be finished, framed, and hung. Several years passed while I continued to grow as an artist. The idea that my art could be sold began with a visit to a local hospital where my art is still displayed. When I started to receive offers to buy my work, I began to wonder how I should sell my art. I decided to reproduce my originals in open edition paper prints and limited edition giclee canvas prints that I sell on my website at http://www.gracedpaintings.com. I also decided to name my artwork "Graced Paintings" as a way to be continually thankful that God has graced my life with His gift of art. Over the years, I have seen many artist's works that are very inspiring to me, but Thomas Kinkade has inspired me creatively and as a Christian artist. Though I have never met him, I have learned a lot watching how his shared faith and peaceful, calming art has touched the hearts of many of his collectors. His "Clocktower Cottage" painting represents the serene beauty that I like in all of his paintings. My own favorite work is "Free Indeed" because of it's bright colors that convey a message of hope that everything will be all right and whatever cares bind us, the scriptures promise that we will be "free indeed." In the beginning, I worked with colored pencils, pastels, and acrylics, but currently, I am working with oils on a new painting that will feature scriptures of God's love and care. I have lived all my life in California with a very close-knit family. Growing up, my parents always encouraged me in whatever I was pursuing whether it was music, writing, or the arts. This is extremely important as I am a completely self-taught artist, and I have never taken any art classes or lessons. I love to read and most of my information has come from books, so for a very long time it was my family who encouraged me to continue pursuing my art. To this day I still treasure their support. My advice to anyone going into the arts is to develop your talent by always striving to learn more in order to perfect your work. I have also found that if you plan to sell your work, you should be very knowledgeable about the business side of your art. Seek advice and ask questions from professionals in the art business. Having good business practices from the very beginning will build a solid foundation for your art career. I know that finding Artgally.com through a links page has proven to be a great help in my art business. I have not find anyone on the web who displays art as nicely as it is displayed here. Sandy and Curtis Woods are indeed a blessing, they have been kind and generous with their knowledge and they have always cheerfully answered my questions. I highly recommend Artgally.com to anyone who would like their art displayed on the internet.
S. L. Holt
The following is an interview with
featured artist Ametisti.Her work can be seen in the Artgally, Artist
Suburbia Mini Webs. Just
click here to view her work.
Read on and learn about our latest Artist Extraordinaire`.
I was born into a creative environment. My whole
family is creative in one way or another. Maybe it was the
Texas country life. My Mom paints. Dad's the musician. My
sister loves to write poetry and my brother enjoys making 3D art
work. I took after Mom :)..After serving 3 years in the Army, I was
lucky to have the VA pay for a good chunk of my education. I'm
fairly blessed in that I was able to receive my formal education in
a subject that I truly loved...receiving my Bachelors of Arts in
Studio Art and Photography in 1996.
I have several favorite artists. Franz Marc and
Georgia O'Keefe. Franz Marc was an Expressionist that leaned toward
Cubism and accomplished some beautiful animal paintings, namely
horses, deer, large cats, birds, and more. I admire Georgia
O'Keefe because she had a gift of "zooming in" on nature.
Putting her subjects right in the viewers face in bright and pure
color.
I don't think I really have a favorite work by
another. There are too many to choose. But I can tell you my
least favorite :)...Picasso's Cubist work...most all of it. Some
of his earlier work is beautiful with a strong use of artistic
techniques. But personally, I was never overly fond of his later
work.
I would have to say that my own favorite work
is my "Seed's of Truth and Faith" series. I am also
finishing up on a new painting that has this same theme and I'm
actually working on some other ideas to continue this series.
I'm still exploring my creative nature. Still growing.
I invite all of you to visit my site "Ametisti's Art
Gallery" located at:
http://gallery.passion4art.com/members/ametisti/
It contains some of my photography, oil paintings, abstract
watercolor/rice paper collage work, and my poems.
From June 1st thru 24th 2000 my Spiritual/New
Age oil paintings are being shown at the World Fine Art
Gallery in New York City,
http://www.worldfineart.com
I still want to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.
Never thought I would actually show my work in the Big
Apple....but I have to say it feels very good. *grin* Those
same art works showing at World Fine Art are also for sale.
My advice for anyone going into the arts would be
"go for it but don't quit your day job". Do it
because you have a love for art...not because your
expecting to make a lot of money. Do it because you want
to share your creative nature with others. Do it because
you have a message to send to the world.
Make sure to visit Ametisti's site and enjoy her works.
Thank you, Ametisti, for sharing yourself further with
us. Hopefully, these interviews will inspire others such
as yourself to create.
Joanne Franklin, Editor, Artgally™
| More Archieved Interviews |
This month's Featured Poet is Lorraine Lessard who lives in Kamloops, British-Columbia, Canada. Following is her interview in her own words. Read on and learn a little about her and what motivation she has to create.
Lorraine says: "It is an honor and a pleasure, to have been selected as the poetess of the month for Artgally.
To be honest, I never thought that I would become a poetess or writer some day. I only started writing last fall. I would create and compose some cards on the internet to send to my friends and they just loved it. My friend Dixie, from the United States, had mentioned to me that I had such a way with words. My friend Sonia told me the same thing as well. I never thought very much about it, but they both encouraged me to pursue this hidden talent that I had. They could see the talent in me, but of course, I was blind to it.Then I thought to myself, why not give it a try and explore, so I did.
My family and friends were so thrilled, that I decided to take it one step further. I then started to compose my own greetings and thoughts, just for fun, and I would save then. I sent all of them to my family and friends on my ICQ list, they were just so excited for me and told me how good they were.
From there, I took it one step further, I decided to open my own web site. The only problem was that I needed pictures, that were copyright free, which is not easy to find. My sister (Jeannette Puckett), who is very talented, then decided to encourage me. She gave me her permission to use her own oil paintings and dolls that she had made herself. I used them for my compositions that I already had created. She even bought me a brand new camera to help me even further. So I took the pictures, composed my own greetings and thoughts, and added my music to it. I also use some of her paintings with her consent on my web site. I would love to display her work some day, if I can convince her, because she is so talented and I am very proud of her. I know that people would truly appreciate her works of Art.
I was so excited the first day that I saw my site. I was just a beginner, so I was nervous, but it soon became a success. I would sleep only 2 or 3 hours and then go to work at the Post Office. As soon as I would come home, I would get to work doing research or composing until very late at night for my site.
I never read much, but I did love writing. I have found such pleasures and love, into creating and composing for others, I find it very rewarding emotionally and intellectually. I admire the talents of people who are in arts, I would love to be able to draw or paint some day soon. I love my sister Jeannette's paintings. I admire the work of Tom Kinkade, his display of colors and lights are so beautiful, it gives a sense of peacefulness to his art. I also enjoy some of the Emily Carr paintings as well. My web designer is the person that recommended that I should check the Art Gallery out. When I was contacted by Artgally to join their site, I got cold feet, but Sandy Woods was very encouraging and thoughtful, so I decided to accept. I had a lot of good influences as you can see. I also had the negative people, but I just tried to ignore them, and I was determined to succeed no matter what they said.
I have joined the HTML Writers Guild. I also recently became part of The Cyber Art Gallery which I am very proud of. I have to admit that everything is happening so fast, it kind of scares me a tiny bit, but I am ready to become much more creative with time and practice. I am also eager to learn. I would love to win awards some day for my writing and to see my work get published. I will probably frame my first award or published poem and shed a tear like a baby.LOL
I had to go back to school to upgrade a few years ago and because English was my second language, I had to start my way from grade 7, I was very discouraged when they told me that. But I studied and finished my schooling to the secondary level and received my final diploma. It was a hard and long road, but I did it. I had to learn how to write English, since French was my first language.
I never had any special training in composing. I think that the fact that I am fairly quiet, very sensitive and a good listener helps. I also have sensitivity and compassion towards others, I sense that every writer has to have that to be able to be passionate when they compose. As writers, we need to feel the love and passion to express our thoughts and words, in order to make others feel what we felt as we wrote our compositions. I can be watching a movie and all of a sudden, ideas runs through my mind, so I have to rush and start writing. Or, I can be in bed ready to go to sleep, and all of a sudden it happens again. Good thing that I am not married or living with someone!! I have to write at that moment and not be distracted, otherwise I lose my thoughts. I am like a doctor that needs to run to his or her patient, in order to save that patient from a certain death if not taken care of. Funny comparison, but true.
I am a native from Kanesatake, Oka in Quebec and I am 49 years old. My mother lives on the reservation in Oka and she is one of the eldest there. I have three sisters and a brother and they mean the world to me. I love them all greatly and do miss them. Our family is spread all over but we are in very close contact. I enjoy the outdoors and quality time camping and fishing with friends. I have two dogs of my own that I love very much and they are pretty spoiled. I love flowers, candles, bubble baths.... There is so much to tell and so little time to say it but I hope that you come and visit my sites. Thank you, to all the people who made my dreams come true, I Love You!"
Joanne Franklin, Editor, Artgally™
