Alison Pinto came to us LIVE from India on Friday, April 29th at 10:30am Pacific via Zoom to share her watercolor techniques and favorite color palette.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Alison:

Why do you make art?

Making art feels essential to my existence. It is my profession, and one that brings joy and calm to each day like a prayerful practice.

How long have you been painting?

I drew a lot as a child. I got back to it and have been painting with watercolor for the last 7 or 8 years.

What inspires you?

I feel that my photography hobby has helped me to view the world in a different way. I marvel at nature, and draw most of my inspiration through that. Should I find myself lacking inspiration, usually a walk by the sea or a chat with a friend restores my balance and fires up the creative instincts. While I’m also inspired by many of the old masters, it’s important to me to be distinctive and pour my own study and instincts into my work.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?

I adore music of all kinds. Some of my favorites are 80s pop, as well as Enya, Bublé, Bryan Adams, Safri Duo, Roxette… the list is literally endless, basically anything I can move to while I stand and paint. My daughter shares that love too, and introduces me to terrific new music constantly!

Have you had a mentor?

Although I started my journey not knowing a soul in art, I’ve been so blessed to have many wonderful people inspire and generously share their experience with me along the way. But if I had to pick one person who has consistently believed in me at every step and has been a true friend and mentor, would be my dear friend, Milind Mulick.

Do you paint every day?

I try to commit to do so. Apart from obligations that can’t be avoided, I’m usually working on something related to art almost every day.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at once?

I enjoy working on one piece at a time, there’s something about the kind of focus it brings that feels meditative. However when there are orders in large numbers, I have to work on 2 to 3 at a time.

Do you create a concept piece first?

Yes, often. I enjoy the preliminary process as much as the final painting. I usually do a few studies and reflect on how I’d like to compose the work and the colors. Once done with the painting, I sometimes file away these preliminary studies for future reference.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air?

Depends. I love photography – so when traveling, I usually prefer to use every minute walking about happily photographing everything. I get most of my painting references that way. For the most part, I love working at my own workspace with the music on, sharing talks and hugs with my daughter during breaks. Best of both worlds.

How many core colors do you use?

I love to explore color so depending on the painting, I might use a limited palette of 3, or let loose and use a whole bunch of colors. The more the merrier! The colors I use most are on my dot card.

Tubes, pans or sticks?

Tubes mostly because I like using freshly squeezed pigment. I also love the sticks because they bring out a child-like spontaneity in me that feel I miss in my more meticulous style. However, if I’m traveling, then the sets of pans prove invaluable.

How do you know when your piece is finished?

It’s not always easy, but it’s by that sense of satiation… like after a good meal. Learning to let go plays a large part in knowing when to put the brush down and the hands up!!

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Join us online each week for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist follows up to share how they incorporate those features into their art. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.