Sunday, December 25, 2011

Pete Anderson

Name: Pete Anderson
Website:
http://petesfloors.wordpress.com/

What do you do?
I am a hardwood floor artisan who appreciates traditional materials with modern finishes.

Where can we find your work?
My work is in people's homes and buildings located all around the west coast
http://petesfloors.wordpress.com/

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I know that the process has an end with a reward.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The technique ensures a product with integrity.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Roy Underhill, the host from the TV show "Woodwright Shop" is in inspiration. He shows how he creates projects with traditional tools.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Paul Bunyan

When do you get your best ideas?
From traveling, visiting old houses and buildings

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Wood, saws, scrapers, sandpaper, lambs wool

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I apprenticed with a life long floor contractor who shared his knowledge and techniques.

What would your creative work taste like?
Crisp, sweet and has to have a long after taste

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Gardening, pruning trees, fishing, golfing

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I break the process down into parts that are important to the end goal. I try to keep it simple

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Keep the time you spend, fun and look for more challenges.






Sunday, December 18, 2011

Laura Callin Bennett

Name: Laura Callin Bennett
Website: www.LauraCallinBennett.com

What do you do?
I make small acrylic paintings of rabbits, birds, and women. I am working on a series of one hundred paintings.

Where can we find your work?
The best place to find my work is at Kaleid Gallery. There is a wall of my art there, which continually evolves and changes as I add new paintings and drawings. I also show in different galleries in San Francisco and Berkeley. Two of my paintings will be in the Tiny Show at Studio Gallery in San Francisco, November 3 - December 23 2011. The paintings are called “Squirrel with Acorns” and “Love in the Forest.”

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I don’t get blocked about art-making. I just like to draw all the time. If I am not drawing it is probably because something un-artsy has gotten onto my art-making space. For instance, there might be a pile of mail on my drawing table. So I have to deal with the mail first before I can keep going with drawing.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I feel like the finished product is most important. I love the process of making art, but if the end result doesn’t look good, I will set it aside and move on to something else.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
The artwork of Margaret Kilgallen had a strong impact on me. When I was a student at Stanford, she was there getting her master‘s degree in fine art. I remember walking into her studio. It was like coming into a world of strangely compelling folk art, made by unknown folk. I stood there trying to memorize the colors. She had her own quirky color scheme - rust red, cream white, mustard yellow, sage green. In my work I see the echoes of her style in flat colors and strong outlines.

At that time I only knew that I really liked her art. It was only later, after her death - she had cancer, she was only 33 - that I found out about where she stood in the art world. She was part of the Mission School, she was married to Barry McGee, she showed at Deitch Projects in New York, her art was in the Whitney Biennial. Sometimes I get the impression that to be a successful artist you have to be a guy with a big ego, but Kilgallen was not like that. People remember her as a kind and selfless person. There are still traces and memories of her all around San Francisco.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I sort of identify with Peggy Olson, the young advertising writer on Mad Men. I mean, I wouldn’t want to be her exactly. Some of the things that happen to her, I wouldn’t want those to happen to me. And I wouldn’t do some of the things that she does. But in general, as the story goes along she is figuring out how to interact effectively with people, in order to be successful as a creative person. That’s something I think about a lot.

When do you get your best ideas?
I often get good ideas when I am working on some kind of “assignment,” like making art for a show that has a specific theme. It’s interesting how having a bit of a constraint on the subject matter of the art actually leads to more creativity.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I start with stiff paper, like cardstock or Bristol board. I paint the background and other colors with acrylic paint. To draw the black outlines, I use an old-fashioned pen - the kind you dip into a bottle of ink.

I am always curious about exactly how some artists draw their smooth fine lines, so here are the technical details about how I do it. I use a pen with a Speedball #100 Artist Nib. If you want to use the exact same kind, look for a nib that has these words engraved into the metal: 100 Hunt Artist Pen Round Pointed. I use Calli Jet Black India Ink. I get the ink and nibs at University Art. Sometimes they have to ship the ink from one of their stores outside of San Jose. I’ve also seen similar nibs and ink at that new art supply store, The Arsenal.

I actually draw with the nib rolled over so the concave side is facing up. That way, the two metal points of the nib don’t splay apart when the nib is pressed against the paper. The result is a smooth, consistent line.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Formally educated. I have a bachelor’s degree in art from Stanford. My minor was Human Biology, so I took some biology courses that definitely influenced my art. I was able to take classes taught by some really interesting artists, like the printmaker Enrique Chagoya. And I gained some insight into how people like curators and art critics think about art - what kinds of books and articles they read, what their vocabulary means, what kinds of themes they think about.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
Some of my paintings are little and sweet. Those ones would taste like mini cupcakes with pink icing. Some of my artworks are a bit darker, like the one shown at the bottom of this page (Peregrine Falcons Hunted Passenger Pigeons). The darker art would taste like black licorice.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I like working at my job. It’s at a store that sells art supplies, picture frames, and custom framing. Between the job and making my own art, sometimes my time is artsy all day long. In my spare time, I like to keep up with biology news by listening to podcasts from the journal Nature and This Week in Science.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I’ve been drawing forever, so accessing my creativity was no problem. What I lacked was practical, nuts-and-bolts knowledge about how to exhibit my art. That changed when Anne Sconberg sent me an email that led me to a class called “The Business of Art”. It was put together by San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs. I went to the class and learned answers to questions like “What is a call for entries? How do you find out about one, and how do you submit art for it?”

They don’t offer the class any more, I guess because there is not enough money to pay the instructors. I wish they could bring it back, because it was so helpful to me and many other artists.

It feels a bit weird to write about a government-sponsored art class as the tipping point in my little art career. Other artists might tell you origin stories that are decidedly more epic. But honestly, I just needed someone to give me some practical information about how to show my art, to de-mystify the question of how to get into galleries, and that opened the whole door for me.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Vague advice is unhelpful, so I won’t tell you to “follow your dreams” or anything like that. Instead, here is a specific example of something that worked for me. The first time I ever showed and sold one of my paintings was at Works/San Jose Gallery, for their annual Benefit Auction. I found out about that opportunity by going to San Jose’s South First Friday Art Walk. On the walk I found a flyer for the Benefit Auction. I followed the directions on the flyer and submitted my art.

So my advice is: Go on your town’s monthly art walk, look at all the flyers and postcards, and pick up any that look interesting.

If that doesn’t work for you (for instance, if your town doesn’t have an art walk, or you are too young to wander around downtown in the evening) send an email to Laura at LauraCallinBennett dot com with the word “advice” in the subject line. You can ask me a specific question if you want. If you are shy you can just leave the body of the email blank and I will make my best guess about what advice to send to you. I am intensely aware of how ignorant I used to be about some art-related things, and I am grateful to the people and resources that helped me learn more. I’d like to pay it forward by helping other young artists learn too.


Peregrine Falcons Hunted Passenger Pigeons

Sunday, December 11, 2011

David Mejia

Name: David Mejia
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mejia-Arts/122796911150958?ref=ts

What do you do?
I love to paint watercolor portraits of people. I write, draw and publish my own web comic called “BALLMAN”, and contribute artwork to local galleries. I will often draw portraits for people at the MejiaArts booth at local arts and crafts venues.

Where can we find your work?
You can email me at mejiaarts@yahoo.com. ‘Ballman’ appeared online at www.drunkduck.com/BALLMAN/. My latest art pieces are on display at Kaleid Gallery 88 So. Fourth Street, San Jose, Ca. My work can also be viewed on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Mejia-Arts

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I have a relentless passion for drawing, which keeps me working, even on bad days.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The process is the most important part. My mind must be balanced and fluid.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My uncle who is also an artist inspired me, initially. My mother and grandparents always encouraged me. Today, my wife encourages me. I was also inspired by notables like Charles Schultz, of Snoopy fame, Joseph Campbell, who studied mythology, and Jim Morrison, the Lizard king.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
If I could be any fictional character I would be Clint Eastwood character from the Spaghetti Westerns, because he always cool and focused.

When do you get your best ideas?
My best ideas come when I’m alone

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use simple mechanical pencils, paintbrush, and paper, watercolors, micron pens and calligraphy pens. Some times I’ll use the computer.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I took some school for art, however, I’m mostly self taught. This has made me strong in some areas like tribal designs, and rendering what I see, but not in things like oil painting, or silk screening.

What would your creative work taste like?
If you could eat my work, it would taste like ink and wood pulp.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love hiking, dancing, philosophizing with friends, making fun of movies, and reading.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I learned to access my creative talents by isolating myself from the big confusing world, putting on my favorite music and drawing, drawing, drawing, for years. I’ve gained confidence at drawing for the public by making myself draw at parks and coffee houses.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
My advice to anyone starting out in art is, “To hell with other peoples' opinions. Draw what you want.”



Jade Empress


Friday, December 2, 2011

Katrina Marie Loera

Name: Katrina Marie Loera
Website: N/A

What do you do?
I am an art teacher at LeyVa Middle School in Evergreen School District in San Jose.

Where can we find your work?
I participate in a few local art shows per year.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I am inspired by all of the talented people around me… and of course, my students J When things get tough and I need motivation, I try to spend some time around as many art events and artists as I can…the work of others motivates me more than anything!

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I love content…I want my art to speak to you…it is an opportunity for me to have a voice in a positive way.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Those who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place…I know that’s vague, but there really isn't one specific person. Most of the people who inspire me are not celebrities or well known in any way…they are just ordinary people who do whatever they can to promote a positive change in the world!

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Wow…tough question…there’s a character in a young adult book called Stargirl…she carries around an ukulele and sings songs at lunchtime… she carries her pet rat on her shoulder, and dresses in dresses from years in the past…her favorite pastime is to give random gifts to strangers or go for walks in the desert and watch the sunrise and set…she appreciates the world around her for what it is with no complaints…she’s pretty awesome…I’d like to be her J

When do you get your best ideas?
I hate to admit it but my best ideas come when I’m alone and there are no distractions. When I am out for a run or ride in the mountains…alone in the wilderness my creative thoughts come pouring out. I cherish this time in nature and it seems to stimulate my creativity.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I love to sketch. I never get tired of pencil and paper. I love most mediums that I have tried but I do most of my pieces in oil. If I want to produce more pieces in less time, I will resort to acrylics and I am beginning to appreciate them more and more. My favorite medium with my students is tempera and cardboard. It’s amazing how beautiful these paints can look when applied to recycled cardboard!

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I consider myself mostly self-taught but I guess you could say I was formally educated through the classes I took over the years for my credential. I really wish I could have had the opportunity to attend an art college. There are areas in which I struggle to learn technique. But in some ways, that struggle has made me the artist that I am today.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
Duh…Chocolate (vegan of course)

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love to play sports: Ride my bike, play basketball, soccer, snowboard, surf, you name it! I’m an adrenaline junky! But I also love to write poems and stories, sing and play music, perform…so I guess you could say I’m an ARTS junkie as well. Sports and the ARTS are my life!

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Hmmm…that wasn't easy…I mean I’ve always done art…but not until I was asked to do a mural for the city did I feel confident in my talent…After weeks of having people visit me at the wall, I was okay with sharing my art…I guess I never thought my art was worthy of public viewing until that experience. I realized that it wasn't about how well I could draw or paint, because art speaks to everyone in a different way and people connect to each other through art…it’s an amazing thing! Since that experience I had the confidence to begin to seek out small local shows to display and sell my art. I hope to do more in the future.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Do it for you, not anyone else…Don’t try to create what’s popular, or what you think others will like…take risks…the best art is raw…unjudged…it is your interpretation of your world…so go at it without restraints…