安娜·玛丽·史蒂芬森 shares some of her favorite tips for painting portraits and figures with watercolor:

Here’s a Q&A with Anna Marie:

你为什么创作艺术？
Creating is part of who I am.

你画画多久了？
Since infancy.

你接受过正规的艺术训练吗？ 
The art degree was a diving board that increased my momentum in self-education.

你是职业艺术家还是业余爱好者？ 
Full time professional artist for over a decade. Come geek out on color with me!

什么能激励你？
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.

你画画的时候喜欢听什么类型的音乐？ 
Silence.  Chattering children.  Early morning birds.

你有没有过导师？ 
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.

你每天都画画吗？ 
Yes, with Grace. But more than the practice of markmaking – I read on art obsessively.

你是一次只画一幅画，还是同时画好几幅？ 
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.

你会先创作概念作品吗？
Often, yes. Problem solving an image works best if I wrestle with it first.

你更喜欢在画室里作画还是在户外写生？
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.

你们使用了多少种核心颜色？ 
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.

管状、盘状还是棒状？
Yes, please! And anything else Daniel Smith will throw my way!

你如何判断你的作品是否完成？ 
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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每周通过 Zoom 或 Facebook 在线加入我们。 与约翰·科格利的近距离私人对话 （丹尼尔·史密斯，所有者兼首席执行官）以及来自世界各地的客座艺术家。每周四（太平洋时间下午 2:00），约翰和我们的一些成员 品牌大使 重点介绍一组颜色并回答您的问题。每周五（太平洋时间上午 10:30），一位特邀艺术家将分享他们最喜欢的技巧和方法。. 点击此处查看下周的 Zoom 会议链接.

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