Сара Грем came to us LIVE from the USA on Friday, September 16th to share her favorite techniques and color palette.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Sarah:

Чому ви займаєтесь мистецтвом? 
I make art primarily for two purposes – first, because it’s like diet and exercise. It’s just one of those things that I need to be a healthy and whole person, and that fills me up in ways that help me give back to my family and those around me.  Second, because art is a language, and I use this visual language to remind myself of the deeper life lessons I’m learning and to share that wealth with others who also find life from visual languages.

Як довго ви малюєте?  
I’ve been painting and drawing almost since before I can remember. My mom introduced me to watercolors in grade school, and the rest is history.

У вас була офіційна художня освіта? 
I don’t have formal training in the watercolor media, but I do have an art degree. I attribute the integrity of my watercolor work to the language and principles of art  that my professors taught me in school.

Ви працюючий художник чи любитель? 
I am a working artist represented by a local gallery, but I would need to paint with or without a professional label or motivation.

Що тебе надихає?
I am always painting with my eyes – studying shadows and colors and the way their shapes work together to make forms and atmospheres. Right now, I love to study shadows and the concept of nooks of rest and refuge that they create. I also simply find inspiration in the personality of the watercolor medium. It’s wild and un-tameable in many ways like life is, but with the right set of eyes and the willingness to work with it, you can take a hot mess and bring order and life to it. I love that.

Яку музику ви слухаєте під час малювання?
I don’t often listen to music while painting. Since music is another art form and language in and of itself, I can find it distracting.

У вас був наставник? 
No, I haven’t ever had a formal mentor, but I had very good counsel from my professors in college that I still refer to, and I love to watch other artists whom I admire, living and historical.

Ви малюєте щодня? 
No, not in this season with young children. I paint once or twice a week right now, but I expect to gradually work into more studio time as my family grows into new seasons.

Ви малюєте одну роботу за раз чи працюєте над кількома одночасно? 
I never used to work on multiple pieces at once, but I do find myself doing that more often lately because it allows me to make the most efficient use of small blocks of time.

Ви спочатку створюєте концептуальний твір? 
Sometimes I do. It just depends on how complicated the piece is and if I need to think through my values or have an accurate rendering first. I do a lot of “thinking” in my sketchbooks.

Ви надаєте перевагу живопису в студії чи на пленері? 
I definitely prefer the studio. It is much more practical for me too, because a lot of my work happens when children are sleeping and I can steal away without leaving the house.

Скільки основних кольорів ви використовуєте? 
I mostly stick to a couple versions of each primary. Not more than a handful of colors. I find too many colors just confuses me, and you can do just about anything with a few primaries that you know well.

Трубки, сковорідки чи палички? 
I prefer tubes, but I have a small pan set that I keep in a pencil case with some travel brushes, and I will use that for sketching away from my studio.

How do you know when a piece is finished?
I don’t know if I can give a step by step answer for this one because for me, I just have to feel that it’s right. I try to balance a certain standard I want to achieve with an understanding that not every piece will be a masterpiece and none will be perfect. It is important to be willing to move on to new paintings, because the more I paint, the better painter I become. It’s better for me to continue to paint at a reasonable quality and at the end of the year to have learned enough to be a better painter, than it is to have produced one masterpiece and learned very little.

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Приєднуйтесь до нас онлайн щотижня для тісної особистої розмови з генеральним директором і власником Деніелом Смітом, Джоном Коглі, та запрошеними художниками з усього світу. Щочетверга (14:00 за тихоокеанським часом) Джон висвітлює різні особливості наших продуктів і відповідає на ваші запитання. Щоп'ятниці (10:30 за тихоокеанським часом) запрошений художник розповідає, як він інтегрує ці особливості у свою творчість. Натисніть тут посилання на Zoom наступного тижня.

Перевірте наші Сторінка у Фейсбуці щоб дізнатися про новини про майбутніх запрошених артистів або переглянути запис минулих виступів. Кожна зустріч у Zoom також записується та поширюється на нашому YouTube-канал. La ducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.