Interview with the Artist

I was recently asked to do an interview and here it is, gives some insight into how I work, where I've come from, my journey and how I see my work evolving.......

Interview December 2008

Jean, I know that you are a full time artist now but could you tell us a little about your artistic journey?

I have lived in the New Forest area of Hampshire for nearly 20 years now and love being surrounded by nature. I've always loved to paint or draw, however I started to get serious about painting as a career about 5 years ago when I painted a floral painting for our newly decorated home. Friends and family commented on how they admired the painting so I decided to paint more and since then I haven't looked back. I'd juggled a part-time office job together with my art career until 2 years ago when I made the decision to go full-time with my art and since then I have been constantly busy with commissions and sales.

You have a wide range of art in your portfolio – what’s your favourite style and why?

At the moment I feel happy and fulfilled painting abstracts, I love to experiment with colours, shapes and flow and I feel that my work will develop in these areas to create more dramatic and inspiring pieces.

How do you get your inspiration?

My main inspiration for my art is from nature. Colour plays an enormously important part in my art process and I am particularly drawn to different colour combinations, sometimes colours we wouldn’t normally put together look great on a canvas.

Your profile on-line says that people have found your paintings have healing qualities – could you tell us a little more about this please?

I strongly believe that colour is mood enhancing, so whether it be to calm and relax or to generate a positive energy, I endeavour to impress a particular feeling or emotion within my paintings. As an artist this is a great belief to have, as by putting different colours together to produce a piece of artwork and to achieve a positive response from the observer is hugely rewarding.

Who are your influences?

I love Monet, I was very fortunate this year whereby I visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York where there are several of Claude Monet's paintings, one of which blew me away 'Collections of Clouds on the Water-lily Pond' which is a huge painting of 3 panels in total measuring 6 feet x 41 feet - the colours are amazing, ranging from blue & subtle violet to delicate pink & white - I found this painting particularly inspiring.

Finally, what advice would you give to budding artists who would like to become full-time?

Believe in yourself. The more you believe in your work the more others will too. Be passionate about what you do and others will pick up on that through your work.

copyright Jean G Dayton 2008