Where ART Lives Magazine Volume 2 Number 5 | Page 87

In what town and state is your art studio located? I live on the edge of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. It is not where I love living for the beauty of the landscape… but it is where we love living close to our family. Some things in life outshine the sunrise and sunset, and that is the smile of our grandchildren. What is your favorite part about your studio? My studio is a retreat that knows no boundaries or rules. In it there is no place for negativity. I have Christmas twinkle lights strung and hung, music to play and paint by and I love listening to sappy Hallmark movies or Netflix The Gilmore Girls. It is a sacred place, honored to God for the gift of art He provided in my life. It is a place of meditation, prayer and reflection. At times the studio bounces with color, energy and loud music. Other times the music is Gregorian Chants and Classic Hymns. It is my personal retreat away from reality when I need to escape. The best part is it is where I can be the real me and take off the masks and fronts and let my soul run loose naked in the room to create. Would you call your studio messy or neat? I border more on the neat side as I tend to get agitated if things are messy. BUT when I paint on a piece in progress, there is no limit to the mess I will make. Is your studio located in your home or somewhere else? My studio is in my home. I have often thought of it far away, but it needs to be close so I can access it in less than two minutes and close out the world. I become moved to paint at different times and I want it to be right here. What do you do to set the creative mood in your studio before you begin creating art? Creative mood… well, when I am working on commissions I line up my Itunes with the music the collector likes to listen to. If it is just me painting it could be music or an old movie or tv show to laugh and listen to. I make sure there is a huge glass of water, but no food in there! Too much paint!…I prefer to have the canvas lit and work in a darker room not to be distracted by color or light elsewhere. Before I begin I pray and meditate on what the paint ahead is about. It allows the spirit within to meld to the spirit of the paint. Almost like the gathering of quiet strength that will soon be released on the surface of the canvas. Also ready are the foundational writings I put on the gessoed canvas before I start the paint. Once all of that is in place, I am ready to begin. 87