HERE'S WHAT NITA HAS TO SAY

ART AND MY LIFE

Tell us about how you became interested in art, a bit about your life.

I can’t remember when some form of art wasn’t part of our family’s lives. Two of my dad’s brothers were commercial artists who used the airbrush medium. One of my mother’s brothers was an architect and another was a cabinet maker. From earliest childhood I loved making something pretty, from finger painting in kindergarten, (ooooh, how I loved the feeling of wild expression using that gooey stuff!) to painting posters about civic issues in Mrs Dils’ art classes in elementary school. Just things every other school kid did.

My parents had other ideas about my artistic future, however, and from age seven I became a classical piano student. Reading and playing music came very easily to me, and my cries and pleas to do other things kids that age wanted to do fell on deaf ears! So I painted pictures with my music. And I’m grateful for the discipline my parents instilled in me through my piano training. Today, although my playing is limited, listening to music still stirs feelings in me that cannot be described in words. For me music and art are synonymous. I see light, color, dimension, composition and balance in things, but haven’t in the past been able to put them on canvas as easily as I can translate the music in my head onto the piano keys…

…Until about a year ago, when my sister, Barb Hartsook, showed me what she was doing and helped me work through my first painting, a portrait of my granddaughter from a photo. Barb wanted us to have this to do together, something we both loved, something that would keep us connected, even at a long distance, as the best friends we are. Barb’s patience and help have been immeasurable to my learning my way around Painter and the many classes and study opportunities available.

Even though my ‘painting from scratch’ skills are…well, shall we say in a stage of development, this incredible digital art program is making it possible, through trial and error, with study and joyful exploration, to translate the beauty I see into paintings. Do you still use traditional media in your art? Sketching with pencils and ink is a little easier to do traditionally than in Painter, I think, but I’ve become good friends with the Control-Z key on my keypad!

MY ART HEROES

Who are your favorite artists,from history, contemporary, and Painter communities?

Since formal art education was not part of my life, I looked at art museums only from a spectator’s point of view and didn’t try to learn about the artists themselves. How much I have missed! Now when I go to museums, I can actually enjoy and study the pieces because I’m learning WHAT to look for, thanks to Painter Talk artists, Open Studio and LVS. A whole new world has opened up for me.

There are so many incredibly gifted digital artists at Painter Talk, it would be impossible to list all my ‘art heroes’ here…but Kathy Pilgrim, Barb Hartsook, Cat Bounds and Carrie Woeck would probably be at the very top. Their styles are so diversified and they each have something a bit different to teach from the others. And Jinny Brown. When you talk about ‘inspiring’, how can she NOT be mentioned? What a wealth of knowledge and a huge willingness to share it she has! And Karen Bonaker. Well, there’s nobody any finer as a human being, friend, and artist than this dear lady. What is so inspiring about ALL of the talented artists here is their willingness to help whenever asked. Each person is a teacher as well as a student. It’s impossible to put a value on that. Like the TV ad says, ‘Priceless’!

Outside Painter Talk, I’d have to say that Jan David and Fay Sirkis are definitely heroes of mine. Their work is amazing. I read and look at everything I can on what they do.

FROM THE PAINTER CAN TO THE EASEL

How does Painter fit into your art life?

Oh, it IS my art life!

What’s in your personal pack of brushes that you don’t ever want to lose? The ones you reach for first or can make a whole painting with?

The Acrylics/Captured Bristle brush and Grainy Water Blender are my favorite brushes. I have made many paintings from both of them exclusively, simply because they work for me. The Palette Knife brushes are great, especially for touching up hair. I really like the FX/Shattered brush, too. At small sizes it is a lifesaver when my work needs some ‘painterly’ help!

Are there other tools in Painter you consider favorites as you create your art?

This may sound silly, but the biggest “Aha!” I think I’ve gotten is when Marilyn Sholin mentioned that changing Resat to 0% on the tool bar would change most brushes to a blender! Do you paint from your own photos? (If so what is your photo source?) …Or from a blank canvas? I usually paint from photos, very often my own. My daughter Wendy is a talented photographer (by hobby only at this point, but we’re looking at changing that!) whose photos I use as often as I can because they need so little enhancement before painting. It has been such a blessing to partner with her at this stage of our lives.

WHAT NOW?

What do you want the viewer to feel when they look at your art?

Being a very intuitive person, I try to ‘reach’ my subject’s spirit or emotion before I start to paint, even though it’s from a photograph. The eyes and set of the mouth are usually the telltale clues of what the person is feeling at the time the photo was taken. I hope that those who view my work will feel that they’ve seen a little more of this person than the rest of the world sees. I love painting kids and animals. They are so easy to read because it’s impossible for them to hide their feelings.

Where do you want to go from here with your art?

It has taken me nearly 68 years to find a passion that wakes me up at night and stays with me all day long. I want to keep developing the skills I’ve learned as well as to keep learning and practising every single day, getting better and better until the day these old fingers won’t be able to hold a stylus. Oh, how sad that will be! But don’t count me out yet. I’m a tenacious little rascal and it will be a long time!

Nita Mata

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