Anna Marie Steffenson shares some of her favorite tips for painting portraits and figures with watercolor:

Here’s a Q&A with Anna Marie:

¿Por qué haces arte?
Creating is part of who I am.

¿Cuánto tiempo llevas pintando?
Since infancy.

¿Recibiste formación artística formal? 
The art degree was a diving board that increased my momentum in self-education.

¿Eres artista profesional o aficionado? 
Full time professional artist for over a decade. Come geek out on color with me!

¿Qué te inspira?
There is no lack of inspiration!  My deficit is in memory. I have always kept an art journal to record my own inspirations. Then when the muse is reluctant to share – I can review my own visual sparks and epiphanies. When inspiration is ebbing, I know where to look. The challenge as a creator is to both curate the next project that I will invest my time in, as well as freeing up the time to play, explore, and make a mess for growing. I hope to have sixty years of artmaking ahead of me.  I am sad that time is so short. If I am struggling with lack of inspiration, then I try to step away from being overstimulated and busy.

¿Qué tipo de música escuchas mientras pintas? 
Silence.  Chattering children.  Early morning birds.

¿Has tenido algún mentor? 
Thursday Figure Drawing Group in Ada, Oklahoma – they nurtured and welcomed me to grow. A gallery owner was wondering out loud why so many great artists came out of Ada. I know the reason! The amazing community of support. There is always Debra Sullum who has nurtured the sapling of art and peace in the midst of war. And Raymond Hain, my father, the first artist – he taught me to see.

¿Pintas todos los días? 
Yes, with Grace. But more than the practice of markmaking – I read on art obsessively.

¿Pintas una pieza a la vez o trabajas en varias simultáneamente? 
I will tell you that I only paint one at a time. That is, however, never true. I work on various types of watercolor projects, several of which take years to percolate. The Name Of God series was over three years in the making. In 2021, I methodically began 100 portraits per my mentor’s direction. It is in the process of growing to 1,000 portraits as I am quietly pivoting in artistic direction. The yet-to-be-unveiled series has been four years in the making and will take me at least another two.  But yes…only one painting on my easel at a time…unless it is a series. Unless I sneak in a quick sketch. Unless an inspiration needs to be caught in the moment. Unless I need to make a quick watercolor card. Unless there is a visage that needs a portrait. But yes, only one at a time.

¿Primero creas un boceto conceptual?
Often, yes. Problem solving an image works best if I wrestle with it first.

¿Prefieres pintar en estudio o al aire libre?
Yes and yes. Also, sharing studios (thank you Dr. Obermueller for your hospitality this week). Corporate studios, impromptu studios, park benches are now becoming my studio, and my current practice for these years of transition – the car studio. Some of my best pieces recently have come from a bouncing car. The studio is wherever you are. It comes through your own hands.

¿Cuántos colores básicos utilizas? 
My color practice and theory continue to evolve. At the moment, I continue to work with a limited palette of three to six-ish colors. I choose from dozens of single pigment paints to make my limited palette selections. A unique palette is chosen for each image. Paints from my dot card are frequent friends.

¿Tubos, sartenes o palitos?
Yes, please! And anything else Daniel Smith will throw my way!

¿Cuándo sabes que tu obra está terminada? 
Your pieces are never finished. They are like your children. And there comes a time, finished or not, that you send them off to college. They must make their own way in the world. Overworking a piece is a guaranteed way for me to ruin it. I have found limitations on time to be a gift in creating watercolors.

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Únase a nosotros en línea cada semana a través de Zoom o Facebook para un Conversación íntima y personal con John Cogley (Daniel Smith, propietario y director ejecutivo) junto con artistas invitados de todo el mundo. Los jueves (2:00 p. m., hora del Pacífico), John y algunos de nuestros Embajadores de marca Destacamos un grupo de colores y respondemos a tus preguntas. Los viernes (10:30 a. m., hora del Pacífico), un artista invitado comparte una demostración con sus consejos y técnicas favoritas. Haz clic aquí para ver los enlaces de Zoom de la próxima semana..

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