Introducing Jan Andersen, A Spectacular Artist!

I recently ran a contest on Fine Art America and Jan Andersen submitted her work. I loved the vibrant colors and dreamy quality of her art, so I decided to feature her on my blog. It’s a pleasure to introduce her to you!

Whirlwind Of Colours In Nature’s Dream available here.

I sent Jan some questions to answer so I could learn more about her. I’m sharing the interview below.

How did you begin creating art?

I have been creating art since I was old enough to hold a pencil. Much of my childhood was spent creating pictures for friends and I developed a particular interest in drawing photorealistic portraits. I won a few competitions, including a trip to Kenya when I was 13, which was organised by the World Wildlife Fund. However, I never believed that I could make a living from being an artist, so I just continued drawing portraits as gifts and favours, including humorous caricatures that summed up people’s personalities. Instead, I entered a career in PR and marketing, subsequently becoming a freelance writer; something I still do today.

Since 2002, when I tragically lost my eldest son, Kristian, to suicide, I have drawn portraits for other bereaved parents and families free of charge. If I can offer some small comfort in creating a portrait that captures the essence of someone’s personality, then that is worth far more to me than any monetary reward.

What is your favorite medium and why?

I have always loved coloured pencils and also acrylic, because of their vibrance and the fact that you don’t have to wait for layers to dry. I’m not sure I would have the patience to work in oils, but I might try soon and surprise myself!

Welsh Lake Sunrise available here.

What inspires you to create your work?

Nature is one of my therapies and I have always found inspiration in the natural world, even if I then create an abstract or surreal piece of art. As a keen hiker, I often develop ideas whilst I am out walking. I have a particular love of mountains and trees. Anything that evokes strong emotions inspires me, whether that is people, animals or scenes from everyday life.

Pembrokeshire Beach Sunset available here.

What does your art mean to you? What do you hope it means to others?

Art means everything to me. I cannot imagine life without it. Along with nature, as mentioned before, it has been a lifesaver and I cannot stress the benefit to anyone of creating art. You do not need a particular talent to derive pleasure and comfort from drawing or painting. Above all, I hope that my art gives pleasure to other people, whether it is a personal portrait, a landscape or an abstract piece. Everyone interprets a piece of art differently, so I love it when people see things in my work that perhaps I haven’t seen myself.

What is something you’d like us to know about yourself/be remembered for?

I am neurodivergent and highly sensitive with a quirky sense of humour. My mission has always been to try and help people where I can, especially those suffering from mental health difficulties. I would like to be remembered for my kindness, creativity and humour.


Wine For Two By Vibrant Fjord available here.

If you’d like to see more of Jan’s amazing work, you can find her profile here. I know you’ll enjoy what you see!

Thank you for being a guest on my blog, Jan! It’s an honor to have you here!

Meet Artist Julie Turner!

wisteria dream 11 julie turner.jpg

I came across Julie Turner’s work while I was working on my art site. I immediately fell in love with her wisteria prints and contacted her about a feature on my blog. She happily obliged! Below you will find her biography:

Julie received her BFA from James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA). She spent her career working in the visual arts for various industries producing commercial art, technical graphics and multimedia. Concurrently she created fine art, representing many disciplines. Her most recent works are primarily acrylic on canvas paintings and digital art for print and home decor. Her style is a unique blend of Abstract Expressionism and Expressionism. Turner has exhibited in the USA: San Diego, CA; Las Vegas, NV; New York, NY; Alexandria, VA; and Bologna, Italy. Her artwork has been published worldwide and has been sold to many private collectors.

Although she’s skilled in many art disciplines: drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, stained glass, jewelry, video, multimedia and digital imagery, she has a strong drive and passion for painting. She enjoys experimenting with difficult paint challenges and likes working with bold paint colors and varying degrees of paint thickness and layering. She’s inspired by love, family, friends, nature, music, dreams, astronomy and spiritual/metaphysical subject matter.

After I contacted Julie, I found that she and I share similar interests. Not only is she an artist but she has also written a children’s book. A kindred spirit indeed!

If you’d like to contact Julie, you can find her on her Website, Facebook, Fine Art America, and Handmade At Amazon. You can find Julie’s book here.

Dream 06 Julie Turner

Dream 06 Julie Turner

The March Lowdown!

Hi everyone! Here's what went on during the month of March! It was a pretty busy month! The March Lowdown by Diamante Lavendar

As always, I'm very grateful to everyone who participated in my blog!  It's been a lot of fun expanding my reach to not only authors but also artists!  I've met and look forward to meeting a lot of fun and interesting people!

May you all remain prosperous, happy and healthy in the years to come!  I look forward to working with you on future projects as well!

Cheers!                                                                                                                                                             

 

 

Welcome to artist Brooks Garten Hauschild!

Welcome to Brooks Garten Hauschild! Winner of second place in my online contest with her beautiful work entitled Imagine! i-m-a-g-i-n-e-brooks-garten-hauschild

Hello all!

I was born In New Orleans. I've lived and worked in southern Oregon since 1985. I've always been drawn to the creative side of life. I'm a photographer, visual artist, musician, writer/poet and designer of clothing, interiors, logos and gardens.

Primarily acrylic on canvas and pastel, my paintings range from figurative and representational pieces to flowing organic creations to things purely abstract. My work is described as 'emotion expressed with the language of color' and 'soul made visible'. My work is a combination of intuition and intention. Nature, music, love and life itself are my inspirations.

I've published a couple of my own poetry-photography collections and also created illustrations for several other authors. I'm honored to have my work featured in a variety of magazines. I travel the globe and have had exhibits in numerous galleries over the last thirty years.

You can find me at:

Website: http://brooks-hauschild.pixels.com . Google: https://plus.google.com/112777559723284005516 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiringWordsOfWisdom/posts/10203931638045072