Interview With 1stAngel

4 Seasons

1stAngel: When did you first become interested in art?
Laura: My interest in art began as a child. I was born with a love for animals and a passion for painting. Having come from a broken home and having a lot of free time at a young age, I developed my very own art skills through experimenting with crayons and finger paints. This eventually took me down the road of art and before I knew it, I was stopping at the art store on my way home from school and found myself buying new colored pencil packs and sketchbooks with my lunch money.

My complete adoration and love for animals developed from my relationship that I had with our family dog. I was fascinated with his running speed and found enjoyment in his facial expressions and funny antics. I believe these experiences molded me in the direction of animals and a true love for painting them.

My art grew more and more with each passing day. In high School my favorite pastime was doodling and eventually I doodled my way into an art class and made some friends too.

Bordeaux Dog

I started a home business when I was 16 which was all about capturing people’s favorite photos onto sweatshirts and sold them at a fair price to many students and their family members. I was making a decent living at a young age with nothing more than a few bottles of fabric paint an airbrush and a pack of generic sweatshirts.

My dream ended when I had included an older woman who was in her thirties that saw the money making idea and wanted it for herself. I was very naive and did not see her as anything more than a nice person who loved my art. She made her way into my home and offered me a deal. The deal was that I painted the scenes and animals onto the sweatshirts and she would add sparkling decorations onto the artwork and we would split the profits and sell them together. Well, one day I left her alone in my work room and she had left with all my supplies. Later, I heard from the grapevine that this woman was selling my designs. I never knew what became of her after that, but she stole the very essence of my existence and left me discouraged, frustrated and without enough money to buy more supplies.

That was the end of my teenage art business or so I thought…..

1stAngel: What style of art do you use most?
Laura: I have been called a student of many styles but my main focus is realistic interpretations of animals in a surreal environment. I hope to present a fresh view of animals to the public eye with a twist, if you will.

I am also very interested in colorful abstracts and modern representations of today’s society and the idea of different cultures and the way technology relates to our future. My life’s experiences had a big influence on my many styles and I have become a slave to the direction my artwork is predestined to become.

Bright and Beautiful – “The Hearts Of Therapy”

1stAngel: Has your style changed from when you first began as an artist?
Laura: Yes, as I accomplish more pieces, I seem to grow as an artist in such a way that it is transparent in my works. The traits and techniques I developed as a child actually create the anchor that my creativity rests upon today. It seems that each year I grow as an artist and become more free with my ideas and techniques. My 2008 collection is what I call my growth spurt.

Celestial

1stAngel: What medium do you use?
Laura: My medium is acrylics. I use soft body paints and am developing a style of new corporate art for my 2008 collection which includes heavy body acrylics and the use of metallic’s in my pieces as well. These artworks will be available to the public in the near future.

Chesapeake By The Bay

1stAngel: What made you choose that medium?
Laura: I chose Acrylics through a process of trial and error with other mediums over the years such as oils, pastels, watercolor, colored pencils ( which I still use today) and airbrushing. Acrylics are my favorite because I have learned to work with them and they are easy to use, easy to clean and I absolutely love the color choices!

Dolphin Dance

1stAngel: Do your ideas come from life or imagination?
Laura: My ideas come from BOTH imagination and life. If I am working on a commissioned animal portrait, I will incorporate my creative thoughts into my artwork while keeping the subject as my first priority.

1stAngel: How do you choose your images and colours?
Laura: If I have to choose my subjects, I will work from excellent quality photographs. If I am doing abstract work, there are no choices but rather fantastical thoughts from my mind which are free flowing and spur the moment of creation with a choice for color that is almost subconscious. For my commissioned portraits, I think and choose my colors very carefully and mix each color as the painting is taking on a life of its own and eventually I wind up with a piece of art that consists of thousands if not millions of color variations not visible to the naked eye unless pondered upon by the viewer. When mixing color, portraits are formed and shading and light seem to happen naturally creating the illusion of a dimensional picture on a flat canvas.

1stAngel: Who is your favourite artist?
Laura: My favorite artist is Picasso because he speaks freedom to my soul and also gives the impression of expertise and knowledge of his craft. He is remarkable and timeless and is also known as a great business man in which I truly admire.

1stAngel: What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?
Laura: In 2007 my favorite piece was the “End of the Ages“ . This piece was created in acrylics and was a free flowing thought from my mind which told a story about life and was very enjoyable to create. I am sure I will have a new favorite for 2008.

End Of Ages

1stAngel: How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?
Laura: My portraits take awhile to complete. For one portrait, I like to give myself at least 3 weeks of full time work to complete the piece. My abstracts and other paintings take as long as they take. My new digital art takes the least time to create because I have the computer to create my colors and shapes.

1stAngel: How well do you take criticism?
Laura: Very well, .an Artist must realize that not everyone will enjoy their creativity or believe in their ideas. This is a big part of art.

1stAngel: What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?
Laura: I actually take time away from the piece I am working on and try not to think about it for a couple of hours or sometimes even days. Then I go back and look at it again and at this point, I usually have another idea in my head or a way forward with the piece, if you will.

1stAngel: How do you know something is ‘finished’? Is it easy to walk away?
Laura: When it is finished…you know it is finished!! I cannot explain that one, but, in my opinion, a true artist just knows when the work is done!

1stAngel: Have you had exhibits in galleries?
Laura: Yes, In 2007 I was invited to a March Madness gallery show in Asbury Park, NJ sponsored by the Splash Contemporary Gallery . I also attend Art Festivals each year and Juried Competitions in my area. I will only show my work in reputable galleries and deal with reputable gallery dealers and curators. I am knowledgeable about the art world and am wise to scams and vanity galleries…

I find that my self representation is all I need to promote my work and word of mouth is my greatest asset. My newspaper articles have launched my commissioned portraits.

Check me out in 2008..I have many press releases coming out in NYC newspapers, New Jersey Radio Shows and Television. Many new pieces including a major fundraiser project will be featured in various online newsletters as well.

1stAngel: Have you any exhibits in galleries planned for the future?
Laura: I am researching reputable Galleries who are well known for promoting artists and have the ability to do so. I am still in the process of choosing who I would like to go with. I will let you know shortly.

1stAngel: What are your plans for the future?
Laura: I feel that at the age of forty, I have the world at my feet and many opportunities waiting to come to fruition.

I have so many things going on right now and future artwork that will be on display at important events and locations. I feel like I have just jumped on the ride of my life and that 2008 is the year for my career as an artist to make a huge leap forward. My accomplishments this year already have been great. The Community Medical Center in Toms River New Jersey, USA, has just purchased my Three Therapy Dog Paintings valued at 2500 a piece and will be putting them on permanent display in their facility starting April of 2008. This was a fundraiser project to raise money for a local therapy dog organization . Created in acrylics and finished with Satin Varnish each Measuring 48″ wide x 24″ high. There are three paintings that make up this collection of “Bright and Beautiful”. They represent 12 working Therapy Dogs whom are members of the Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog Organization in Morris Plans NJ. The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that evaluates, tests, trains, qualifies and assists therapy dog/handler teams in order to provide loving, nurturing and empathic visitation in nursing homes, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, senior residences, schools, private homes, and other locations where emotional service dogs are indispensable. All proceeds from the sales of the originals will go to the Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog Organization. This event will have future radio and television broadcasts and many press releases.

My next project is a wonderful idea created by other artists and groups of influential and caring people to help horses through art. It is what is known as a mosaic mural in which is an artist collaborative consisting of about 150 artists who specialize in horses. Each Artist is given a panel or two approximately 8 x 11 and is asked to create a piece of art that represents the glory of horses. http://www.gloryofhorses.com When it is finished and the puzzle pieces are assembled it will make one image. This is a big event that will actually be traveling throughout the USA, EUROPE and CANADA. It is very exciting…We already are scheduled to appear at the Wisconsin Horse Fair and at the 2008 Kentucky Derby. As the mural travels more places are added along the way. I am so happy to be a part of this project!

Other than that I am trying to finish my website which will have many originals available for public purchase and a new section dealing with corporate art and art specifically designed for businesses. I really want to develop a following with my abstractions and take a more modern approach to sales. I am always on the lookout for juried competitions and will be looking for future gallery representation and new avenues to showcase my artwork!

Laura

Wrinkles

Thank you Laura for allowing me the interview. I wish you all the success in the world. Check out my Juried Competition section here for International Competitions . I am adding to it ever week so you may find something useful

You can view Laura’s gallery HERE

NEW ARTIST Website: Coming Soon!

Contact The Artist: wardogmastiff (at) netzero.com