Art Shorts: An Artist Interview Blog Series – Question 1

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

VICKI DENAURG, Mixed Media
The most difficult part of my process is all of the prep work & layers that I apply to create texture. I’m usually so excited about the piece that I want to get started immediately, & I have to wait 24 hours for it to dry!

CHIHARU ROACH, Painting
Forming the concept of what I want to paint in my mind.

BETH CONKLIN, Computer Generated Art
The most difficult part of my artistic process is deciding when a piece is finished. I tend to have several works in progress at one time that I will open on the computer and just study or adjust until I feel they are complete.

KATE WILSON, Painting
The most difficult part of the artistic process is knowing when a piece is finished. Beginning a piece is the easiest part of the process, but intuiting when a piece is finished versus unfinished can be very difficult for me at times. Deciphering the fine line between overworking and oversimplifying a piece is.

CHRISTY TURNIPSEED, Jewelry
For my pieces, the hardest part is finding what portion or chapter of my books to use to make my pendants, rings and earrings. I think I have read Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby about 100 times just by making my pieces.

A.L. SWARTZ, 2D Mixed Media
Getting over the hump where the piece looks like a complete mess before it comes together with final touches.

ATHLONE CLARK, Painting
Balancing the passion of creating art with the business of selling art. Sometimes I feel caught in the middle of a right brain, left brain stand off.

JILL SHARP, Jewelry
The physicality of actually making jewelry by hand. It’s a very labor-intensive process and there’s a lot of “repetitive motion” tasks that can be hard on the body. I still love every aspect of it though, from idea to implementation to “clean up” and final finishing. I love being so involved with something that someone else will love and cherish.

BUTCH OGELSBY, Photography
Seeing the finished product before I even pick up the camera.

CHARLES TERSOLO, Painting
The patience of waiting for the seven layers of my art to dry is probably the most difficult part of creating. The richest colors and details do not happen until the first 5 layers are finished and dry.

JOEL LOCKRIDGE, Wood
The selection of wood, definitely. It has to be of a certain quality to create outstanding work.

MICHAEL ZAVISON, Metal
Imagining the images

MITCHELL BERG, 3D Mixed Media
These mounds are not quite dangerous, but crazy enough to require attention. It is an excellent, if haphazard, source of creativity and often an obstruction to even getting to the door of my studio. I need a small degree of mess to get anything done, but also need to get out of my studio from time to time.