DPW Artist Spotlight May 2019
My journey into art started late. I graduated with a degree in Accounting, licensed as a CPA, and have been in the accounting profession for over twenty years now. Most of you have probably worked with an accountant before, so you can imagine how my life in that field is pretty much black and white. Painting changed all that. I do not have formal training in the fine arts, but God gifted me a couple of years ago to depict the beauty of His creation into canvas with paint and brush.
Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.
What always puzzled me is how my camera does not capture how I see a scenery, like how the ocean looks so big but when you take a picture of it, so little of the water shows up. I’ve always wished I could paint what I see but with no painting background, it was just a wish. Then in 2016, I found Carol Marine’s book “Daily Painting” which sparked my desire to learn how to paint. In the book, she featured Dreama Tolle Perry whom I googled and found out was offering an online art course. I signed up in September 2016, and by following her video instructions, I learned to paint with oils. It gave me so much joy to finally be able put my vision onto canvas. But I didn’t paint regularly until I joined the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge in Feb 2018. A few days into it, the Lord prompted me to put a bible verse with each of the paintings I posted. Amazingly, I was able to finish 23 paintings during that period, and I saw so much growth as an artist from each painting.
Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?
Having a full-time job as an accountant with all its busy seasons, my painting was always being put on hold. And life happens – a marriage proposal in November and the subsequent preparations for the wedding in February put my painting career on hold again. But with God’s grace and my dear husband’s support, I was able to scale down on my accounting job so that I now have more time to dedicate to painting.
What mediums and genres have you experimented with?
I paint whatever inspires me, so I experiment with various genres. My favorites are seascapes, nature, floral and still life.
Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?
When I first started painting, I used acrylics. Then with Dreama’s class, I shifted to oils, loved it and stuck with it.
Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?
I was inspired to paint my then fiancee now husband. It was the first portrait painting I’ve done and I really loved the experience so I’m looking forward to exploring more portrait and figurative painting. More people and their activities.
Who or what inspires you most?
The words of our Lord. The bible is His love letter to us. It’s where I turn to when I need advice, comfort, inspiration... anything!
What does procrastination look like for you?
Reorganizing instead of painting!
What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?
I tell myself that I’m free to do whatever I wanted as long as I get one painting done, so better get on it as soon as possible. Then usually, by the time I finish one painting, I would be so “in the zone” that if time permitted, I do another one...and then another.
How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?
I stop to really look at and enjoy sceneries, nature, people, inanimate things that catch my interest. I take lots of pictures.
How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?
I paint a variety of subjects so there’s always the challenge of learning to paint something new. To avoid burnout, I have this in my heart - Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?
Marketing and promoting my artwork.
What makes you happiest about your art?
With no background in art and now able to create beautiful paintings, I know this is a gift from God. When someone tells me that my painting made them happy, it makes me happy. But when someone says the bible verse I shared with the painting spoke to them...oh joy...HEART BE STILL.