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Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Creative Life A thru Z~ Interview with an Artist

 Jean Hart Artwork 

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Interview with an Artist
Question 
Composed by Students in Psychology 344 - Fall 2003


Do you think there is a driving force that inspires you? Explain.

Absolutely! I once thought after a surgery that I would give up art and just concentrate on healing. I closed my door to the studio and went on with my life. ...Or so I thought. I was miserable. The time I spent healing I would find myself getting on the computer looking up museums, and artwork online.....I wondering why am I not painting?  I finally realized that creating art is in me, I can not, not do it!

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? Why?

The painting of the Metropolis Arch. My husband and I went for a ride and came to a ghost town in Nevada, Metropolis. We walked all around the old town taking photos and imagining what it would have been like to live there back in the days when it was thriving. 
Kerry gave the photo to me and asked if I felt I could paint it. I laid out the grid, measuring the horizontal lines, I just couldn't get the brick wall from looking like it was going to fall. My son Matthew who is a remarkably  creative person himself, took one look at it and said I the problem is there is more than one horizontal line crossing.......Between the two of us working together we got it laid out correctly and to this day it's my favorite painting because I got to work with both Kerry and Matthew. 
Learning how to paint something so that it is pleasing to the eye and bring pleasure to someone, well that's pretty cool.

What is your typical day like?

My day changes from day to day. Now that my husband has retired we have changed our lives to be more active together. I also have a grandson I watch twice a week, so that takes care of two days of no painting. 
But on the days I get to my studio, I get in around 10 am, I set my timer for one hour. I feel that for me one solid  hour is plenty of time for good quality work. I need to get up and stretch, move around, clean my brushes etc....I am back at it for another hour after that. Some days I work up to fours a day, others only an hour. I no longer plan daily studio time. 
My lifestyle is now about living creatively by inspiring others through my new blog
Creative Life A thru Z
I had taken a Healing Arts course from the University of Florida, and was so inspired  by it that it changed the way I'm living my life now. 


How much of your own life is reflected in your work?

Well of course when I was an art student learning how to paint portraits I used my children as models. Later, my artwork became conceptual and I was expressing my emotions. Now I paint landscapes that please me, flowers I find interesting. On occasion I will still paint abstract but those are in my private collection.

Were there any obstacles that you had to overcome in order for you to succeed? Explain.

Of Course!!...Outside of 3 or 4 art classes and a couple of workshops I am pretty much a self taught artist. 
I have loads of art instruction books, biographies of artists, and marketing books. I had to learn how to make a website, market myself online and get my own artwork out to the public. 
There is a whole business side to becoming an artist that they don't teach you when your taking art classes. 
Persistence, patience, and a strong belief that your work is good. 

Be Inspired,
~jean 

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