The Natural Elements Exhibition, going on right now at the Arts Alliance, features a variety of different types of artists and media, such as clay, glass, metal, stone, and wood. This post will feature two artists from the show that have been interviewed about their creative process.
Artist Spotlight - Gene Olson
Arts Alliance: Where do you gather most of the inspiration for your works?
Gene Olson: From conversations with
people. My mind tends to free associate during and exchange and I often come up
with ideas for things to do; not that I make them all; but many pieces have
come about this way.
AA: What is the hardest
step in creating your work?
GO: Getting started and then once
going making the final strokes.
AA: What kind of
creative patterns or routines do you have when working on a piece?
GO: Perhaps I should cultivate a
routine...
AA: What are you trying to communicate with your
art?
GO: Art is about emotion and the
unspoken portions of dialogue, even in theater or poetry, the unspoken sum is
what comes across as art.
AA: How do you know when
a work is finished?
GO: When somebody buys it.
AA: Do you have an online portfolio
or website where we can view more of your work?
How They Make Trees
Bean Can Wind God & Hero
Artist Spotlight - Mary L. Olson
Arts Alliance: Where do you gather most of the inspiration for your works?
Mary L. Olson: It depends on the media I'm using. If I'm photographing nature,
it's close observation. If it's stained glass, I have to change my thinking to
developing shapes. Or if I'm painting from nature or life, I look for patterns
of light.
AA: What is the hardest step in
creating your work?
MLO: Getting started,
then once I'm into it, it's hard to put it down.
AA: What kind of creative patterns
or routines do you have when working on a piece?
MLO: Composition is the
most important. Then I study the light patterns and try to create a flow
through the piece. Next I concentrate on the values, and last the color.
AA: What is your most important artist tool?
MLO: My studio.
AA: Is there something
you can’t live without in your studio?
MLO: Everything.
AA: What are you trying to
communicate with your art?
MLO: Photography:
capturing the world the way I see it. Stained Glass: add a focal point of color
and sparkle to a space. In the case of restoring an antique window, I find
bringing it back to life extremely rewarding. I'm in the process of studying
painting; Oil in particular. I prefer painting from life, and hope to develop
my skill as well as my style.
AA: How do you know when a work is
finished?
MLO: I've learned early
on to stop painting a subject before you think it's done. Keep it fresh, and
leave the paint strokes alone. The hard part is doing it. The stained glass
process is more of a craft, and a strict process must be followed to finish a
piece.
AA: Do you have an online portfolio
or website where we can view more of your work?
AA: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
MLO: I've been "creating" art all of my life, and it's an
exciting time for all artist because of the advances made by technology, but
with those advances, art has become easier. Digital photography has made
photographers out of everyone. People are becoming more casual consumers of
Art. Art made from countless hours in the studio has been replaced by factory
copies, sold at discount stores. We as artist have to find our place in this
revolving world. Anyone can use a pencil, but only an artist can make a
masterpiece. We have to keep finding ways to educate ourselves and make our own
masterpieces. We have to educate ourselves and the public of the difference.
Orange Poppy Lamp (left), Red & Green Dragon Fly (right)
Orange, Blue & Gray Window
- All works shown are for sale at the gallery.
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