Q&A

Hey everyone! I’ve been getting asked some great questions lately, so after putting the word out on Facebook asking if there was anything else people wanted to know about me, here are all your answers!

How is this art business going? 

Things are going really really well. I’m surprised with how much positive feedback that I’ve been getting, and how many people are really interested in having me do pieces for them.

Is it overwhelming?

I don’t think it’s overwhelming with the amount of projects, but just the emotions of starting to really pursue my dream and have it be a reality is overwhelming! I do randomly burst into tears of joy because I never thought this would happen.

How is it fitting in with babysitting and family life?

It’s fitting in surprisingly well! I only work while kids are napping or sleeping, or if I have no babysitting kids and my kids are playing happily or doing art things with me. I told my husband that if the art business starts interfering with the family, that I would back off of it, that family comes first. So far, so good! I have a lot of big projects to work on this summer, so we’ll see how that works out.

Do you plan on quitting babysitting and just doing your art business?

At some point, yes. I don’t think I’m established enough for it to fully replace the babysitting at this time. Paigey is going to be getting braces soon, and we can’t afford that without having a steady source of income besides my husband’s income. I do love babysitting, and will miss it when I stop.

Who is your favorite artist?

I hate this question. I always get an eye roll or a groan when I answer! I think people expect me to have this obscure artist, and I disappoint them. It’s so very cliche: I absolutely love Vincent Van Gogh. And yes, my favorite painting of all time is Starry Night. Any of the impressionist painters inspire me, and I tend to prefer them over other artists. Dale Chihuly and Henri Matisse are new favorites as well.

And yes, for all you Whovians out there, the Doctor Who episode “Vincent and the Doctor” makes me cry like a baby every time I watch it.

What is the one drawing tool you cannot live without?

Oh, that would definitely be my eraser pencil! It’s awesome. You can sharpen it to get really tiny lines or cut the tip off and get fat lines, and I use it multiple times in each drawing I do.

I also love my kneaded eraser (you can mold it into any shape you want!) and my HB pencil.

I also finally got some blending sticks recently, and they are so much easier and less time consuming than using other things to blend. I think I’d get pretty cranky if I couldn’t use those, either.

I saw on Facebook that you actually have a studio?!? When did that happen?

Okay, it’s not an official beautiful art studio. It’s in my basement, and it’s been set up since we moved into our house in 2008. Now that I finally went through everything and organized it, I have space to work. It consists of a couple plastic rolling carts, a really old drafting table (I’m in the market for a new one), a stool, my beautiful new easel, and a bookcase. It’s not much and could use better lighting, but I have space to paint where the kids won’t get into my chemicals or paint. I just set up the kid’s easel in my studio area for our youngest today; he absolutely loved painting with me and is begging to do it again tomorrow.

I’ve heard you mention you have kids. How many, how old are they, and are they artistic?

My husband and I are blessed with three amazing kids. Our daughter is 9, and then we have two boys, 6 1/2 and 4. They are definitely artistic, but in different ways. Our daughter loves to draw and paint, our older son is more along the lines of technical drawings (he’s the one who will draw a building and then go and try to recreate it with legos or blocks), and our youngest is just an inspiration to me. He is very particular about color and actually will play around with things like shadows or monochromatic layering in his collages. He sees color and pattern and puts things together I never would have even thought of. It’s really exciting to see my kids take after me in some sort of way; it makes up for them looking like their Daddy’s side of the family and not me!

When are you coming to visit your bestest friend of 20-21 years?

Soon, I hope and pray! I can’t wait to see you when you’re in the area in just over a week 🙂 I miss my gf, and the kids miss their aunt ❤

 

Thanks for all the questions, guys!

Is there anything else you want to know about me? Ask away, and I’ll do a second post later 🙂