1. Sara,
your paintings are incredible! How did you get into painting?
I have been painting
and drawing since I was little. I have
this innate desire to be creative. I believe I have been given a gift and I
love to use it!
2. When
did you know you'd make painting into a career? Were you scared or excited?
My parents always
supported my art, but in High School I debated among several career ideas
because I didn’t know if I could really make a living being an artist. I just didn’t feel passionate about anything
but art in the end, so I studied art in college
and got my BFA from the University of North Texas. I went in wanting to be a professional
artist, but I was definitely nervous.
They didn’t teach us how to make a career out of being an artist. I listened carefully to how the professors
talked about dealing with galleries, etc.
At one point I started down the graphic design track since it seemed
more likely to get me a job, but my heart was in the studio so I switched back.
When
I graduated, I took a design job with a company that made quilts and wrought
iron furniture. Weird, huh? They ended up sending me all over the US
doing trade shows and selling. I am NOT
a sales person and although I was successful, I was really unhappy. So, I called my parents and told them I
wanted to quit and paint. They have
always been very supportive of my work and told me they had my back! So, I took some time to create an inventory
of paintings. When my lease was up in Dallas,
I moved back to Midland. At that time,
the cost of living was very low and I had a lot of contacts here. I started doing portraits, murals, and
teaching kids and never looked back!
3. What
goes into each painting? (Inspiration to Sale!)
Well, the idea is key. Sometimes, I use a series to dictate the
direction of the work(for example The Armor of God or the Seven Deadly
Sins). If I don’t have a clear series, I
am inspired by an idea, scripture or image.
When I have my idea, I sketch it out to get the composition and
rendering the way I want it. Then, I transfer my sketch to watercolor paper or
canvas. People often ask me how long a
painting takes. It really depends. I can spend weeks or months on it depending
on how much time I have to devote to it and how detailed it is. I also like to step away from a painting
especially if I think it’s finished.
Giving my eyes and mind a break from a painting allows me to have fresh
perspective and see things I hadn’t seen before, to fix something, or determine
that it really is finished. I photograph
each work myself to get a high resolution image that I use for my portfolio,
website and to make reproductions. Writing a little about each work is the
finishing touch for each work. I sell
my paintings from my website, email newsletters, and at exhibitions and art
festivals. I have an art festival coming
up in March in Ft. Worth, TX
4.
Describe "a day in the life"....
I am so blessed to get to work from home!! I start my day with breakfast and some Bible
study time. Then, I get on social media
and try to post on Facebook and Twitter or write a blog post. I update my website and the artist coop
website. I usually have a couple of
errands to run like mailing something for a client, a client meeting, picking
up some supplies or making a delivery.
Then, it’s just spending as much time in the studio as I can. For most of the year, I teach after school
art lessons for kids about 3 times a week, so I am also preparing curriculum
and setting up for that. In the
evenings, I love to unwind with TV and movies.
If I have free time, I am at Barnes and Noble, a used bookstore, the
library or an antique mall.
5. What
advice would you give a painter who is hoping to someday become a full-time
artist? (like me!)
You must have confidence in what you are doing and also be
business savvy. Find something you can
do that people want; I do a lot of portraits to pay the bills. Also, talk to other artists and get as much
training and education you can. It will
show in your work. Be able to talk about
your work and why you create what you create.
Also, make sure you have a good range of offerings for people interested
in your work like note cards, reproductions and originals. Not everyone can
afford an original but they love your work and want to support what you
do. Also when a popular original sells,
it can have a new life in reproductions.
6. Your
paintings are full of beautiful symbolism, tell us about that...
Thank you! I started
using symbolism in college and it soon started reflecting my spiritual
life. I feel like I was given an
artistic gift and I am so thrilled that I can incorporate my faith and my
art. Frequently at shows, people are
touched by my paintings. There is no
better feeling!
7. Do you
ever have a painting disaster? If so, what do you do? How do you keep going
after feeling discouraged?
Oh, yes! Usually, it’s
because I was forcing a painting. What I
mean is that I was trying to create a painting without having my heart into
it. Another way I might have a disaster is the nature of the medium I
love. Watercolor is cruel and
unforgiving sometimes. Once you paint
that color on the paper, there is no going back. With acrylic and oil, you can paint over an
area and fix the problem. Not so with
watercolor. That is why I draw out my
painting first. I have had to tear up
many a painting. Sometimes I start over
and try again (if I have saved my initial sketch) and sometimes I just chalk it
up to a learning experience. I mourn the
time lost more than the painting.
8. If
someone wants to request a painting or buy a print, how can they contact you?
You can contact me
through my website: www.artbysaradb.com , email: sara(at)artbysaradb.com and Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ArtbySaraDB
Thanks again Sara!!!
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