PWAS Members Answer Some Artist Questions Part 1
The Prince William Art Society members were presented some questions about their art. In blue are their answers to the below questions. They also show some of their favorite artworks they have created thus far.
1. How many 'sellable' artworks have you created so far in your lifetime, best guess?
2. Do you find it better to focus on one medium or experiment with many? (Your favorite?)
3. What advice would you give your younger self when starting out? (Lessons learned!)
4. Do you keep a sketchbook or inspiration journal? (An idea book!)
5. What artwork have you completed that you are most proud of? (Did it sell?)
Let's take a look at what their answers are... You can click on a photo to enlarge it.
From PWAS Member Bruce Fasick
1. How many 'sellable' artworks have you created so far in your lifetime, best guess?
Too many…
2. Do you find it better to focus on one medium or experiment with many? (Your favorite?)
I prefer sculpting in various mediums…and I enjoy work in watercolors …any medium I can try
3. What advice would you give your younger self when starting out? (Lessons learned!)
Perhaps attending a different University that focused on my interests and abilities
4. Do you keep a sketchbook or inspiration journal? (An idea book!)
Yes, I do
5. What artwork have you completed that you are most proud of? (Did it sell?)
“Gates of Hell” Sculpture and "Against the Ropes” both are as I envisioned. Both I have not offered to sell.
Also the pointillism “A. Young AC/DC” 1981, also have not offered for sale.
From PWAS Member Bettie Sperty
1. How many 'sellable' artworks have you created so far in your lifetime, best guess?
I consider most of my creations “sellable”. Now, if anyone actually buys them is a totally different matter. I’ve done pieces that I’m just sure are going to sell right away! And they don't. I’ve learned that any piece of art has to wait for the right person to see it, have it call to them, for it to sell.
2. Do you find it better to focus on one medium or experiment with many? (Your favorite?)
I think every artist tries different things, which is good. It’s all part of the growing and learning process. And many times we will concentrate on a particular medium for a while (a week, a month, a year or more), then move on to another.
As for myself, right now I work mostly in oils or acrylic. When I have time, I also enjoy pottery/clay - especially hand building.
3. What advice would you give your younger self when starting out? (Lessons learned!)
3. What advice would you give your younger self when starting out? (Lessons learned!)
1.Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s ok that everything you make is not perfect.
2.Look everywhere for inspiration and things you can learn - from other artists, classes and workshops, visiting art shows to see the work of others and just observing life around you.
3.Try everything, all kinds of mediums. You’ll find what fits.
4. Do you keep a sketchbook or inspiration journal? (An idea book!)
I rarely sketch, but I do have a few notebooks of sketches. I also keep a folder of things that I find inspirational. They are from magazines, cards I’ve received, all kinds of things. I sort them out on occasion and toss out things that don’t “hit me” anymore.
5. What artwork have you completed that you are most proud of? (Did it sell?)
This one really had me thinking. I store a lot of my art on my walls because I don’t have much storage space, but my favorites are also on my walls (or on the walls of my family members). I won’t sell my true favorites because I want to enjoy them myself. So I took a serious look around my house.
One of my very favorites is a painting of my husband playing guitar. It’s only 10”x10x1.5", is acrylic and oil on wood panel. I’m proud of the work on the guitar but I’m really proud of how I captured his hand. It looks so much like his real hand! I love hearing him just fooling around on his guitar, in his own zen, as I do other stuff around the house so this one means a lot to me. 
And these are my favorite pottery pieces:
From PWAS Member Zee Berrios
1. How many 'sellable' artworks have you created so far in your lifetime, best guess?
About 30 originals, (and couple hundred printed or canvas copies of
originals). (I've been painting for over 50 years). This does not
include Murals paid for in advance.
2. Do you find it better to focus on one medium or experiment with many? (Your favorite?)
I find it better NOW to focus on one medium. During the "forming
years" many works were produced and experimented with, but there was no
coherent "style"... something that would be a trademark, where anyone
who had seen the work before would say "I can identify
its author".
3. What advice would you give your younger self when starting out? (Lessons learned!)
Try as many mediums, styles, methods and materials as possible, don't
stick with a medium, method or style that doesn't feel natural or
comfortable. Learn from, but don't imitate others.
Search for your own signature.
4. Do you keep a sketchbook or inspiration journal? (An idea book!)
Unfortunately, I don't. Anything I can grab that is around me ends up being the sketch note ... even a leaf.
5. What artwork have you completed that you are most proud of? (Did it sell?)
The completed artwork most proud of (that was not sold, and never
will be for sale), was a painting of the last time our entire family was
together. Here is the painting. It is 48" X 60".
This painting captured the essence of the spirit of the subjects ...
From PWAS Member Otis Stanley
Artist Answers to the above Q's.
1. 100 plus
2. I focus on one medium, but experiment on several. My favorite medium is acrylic.
3. Join an art society early in one's artistic career. Visit art galleries, locally and nationally sponsored and speak with curators and fellow creative minds.
4. I do keep an informal sketch idea folder
5.My painting entitled " Walking Blues" I'm most proud of. It showed in numerous venues and art exhibitions, was made into an banner as part of the Winchester, Va. ArtScape Banner Project and was sold this year in Arlington, Va.
1. Walking Blues speaks to the origins of this American music genre to lead to Jazz, Rock and Roll, R&B and country music.
2. Better Must Come speaks to
the struggle of Black people in the USA and the pride and dignity which
is maintained throughout. In this painting I show a cotton harvester,
she works the cotton fields to earn money to clothe and feed her family.
This was the first painting that I sold as a member of PWAS.
From PWAS Member Donna Liguria
1. How many 'sellable' artworks have you created so far in your lifetime, best guess?
675, and that is pretty close to accurate!
2. Do you find it better to focus on one medium or experiment with many? (Your favorite?)
Acrylic has been my favorite and the one I am most comfortable with. Experimentation is what artists can and should be trying at any given time, in my opinion. I like the idea of trying new things for our own growth, yet to move into oils would be space needed for the artworks to cure. Watercolors would mean that storage for the works along with matting and framing would be needed. Space is the 'killer' for me.
3. What advice would you give your younger self when starting out? (Lessons learned!)
Be bolder, experiment more. promote more, learn more, join an art group earlier, keep art in your life and don't wait until you retire. Keep your paint brushes in a perpetual drying state as much as you can no matter what else is going on in life.
4. Do you keep a sketchbook or inspiration journal? (An idea book!)
I keep a Note on my phone that when an idea comes to me, I jot it down, although I LOVE the idea of an inspiration journal. Perhaps I should carry a larger purse to keep a journal/sketchbook handy!
5. What artwork have you completed that you are most proud of? (Did it sell?)
I think I have to say "Sunrise at Historic Manassas Train Station" which won the P-Art-ners Paint Manassas First Place award in 2022. The original hasn't sold as yet but I have been selling prints of it.
There are some pet portraits I have done that I love, and I love them because they are each such a treasure for their owners to remember their beloved furry friends. Sometimes the tears shed...just gets me.
"Sunrise at Historic Manassas Train Station" and it captures that beautiful day with that pop of sun shining across the tracks.
"Lewes, Delaware" I painted after MANY years of not painting at all and I wanted to see if I "still had it". Perhaps being creative is sort of like riding a bike - you can pick it back up again. I gave this one as a gift.
This series of paintings was a challenge I set for myself to paint some of Virginia's most historic homes. There is also a commissioned series of the four seasons in Washington DC with various monuments and historic sites each set in a different season.
Want to see more? See a continuation of these questions asked in Part 2 - PWAS Members Answer Some Artist Questions...
Drop a comment below too!
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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