Sunday, May 31, 2020

Interviews with artist-moms & their creative children

Throughout May we are celebrating our artists moms & their creative offspring.
Vi Horton & Gary Horton
Originally published May 31st on the SCA Zine


Vi Horton, painter

I paint mostly with acrylics, although my early work was done in oils. Recently I have been trying watercolors.
Although I have enjoyed drawing and painting from childhood, my college degree is in secondary education. My art training was obtained by attending various short courses and, also by experimenting. My most recent study has been several years with Michel McNinch of Corley Mill Artists.
As far back as I can remember I have been drawing and painting. As a child I used children’s watercolor sets. I paint because I must. I feel a need to interpret the beauty I see each day. By painting, I get to focus on the components that together form that beauty.
What is your most important artist tool? My brushes.
Is there something you can't live without in your studio? I would have trouble doing without my eraser. My first drawings are not always the ones I keep.
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? I enjoy the easy flow of the paint as I fill the empty spaces on my canvas with the picture I have in my mind.
What role do you believe artists have in society? I believe the artist provides moments for the viewer to escape the mundane things of life and focus on the sensual – maybe to reminisce – maybe to dream.
How has your practice changed over time? I have changed from thinking that I have to follow certain rules of painting to experimentation and substitution.
What form of art do you most identify with? I identify with the natural world of water, sky, mountains, people, and pets.

What work do you most enjoying creating? I enjoy creating sunsets, clouds, water, children, and pets. The everchanging movements of the sky and oceans affect me emotionally. The changing colors and formations are endless and beautiful. The trusting innocence of a child or pet is what I strive to capture as I paint them.
What themes do you pursue? I think my theme would be “God’s beautiful world.” I see that beauty everywhere and my paintings are my attempt to point out that beauty to others.
What's your scariest experience as an artist? I am the most scared when I think a commissioned painting might not please the patron.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you? When someone liked a painting and then pointed out what they liked about it, it inspired me to do more painting. I am also inspired after talking with other artists and looking at their work.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist? Other jobs I have had are telephone operator, high school English teacher, receptionist. Secretary, and Librarian (Technical Services USC).
What is an artistic outlook on life? An artistic outlook on life is to interpret what one sees. Often when I look around, I think about what mixture of colors would make up the color of the grass or barn, etc. So, an artistic outlook allows me to not only see the grass but also the colors that make up the grass.
What memorable responses have you had to your work? Responses to my work that are memorable are, of course, the good ones. The first time someone looked at my work and called me an artist was very special. 
What do you dislike about the art world? The thing I dislike the most about the art world is the marketing aspect. I love to paint but it is not possible to house an indefinite supply of what I paint. Also, selling my work says to me that they have value. I do not enjoy the process of getting my paintings before the public.
What do you like about your work? I like that I can be creative in what I paint and how I do it. I usually strive for the realistic but if I want to paint a purple cow, I have that choice.
Should art be funded? It would be nice for art to be funded. I think art is just as important as many other things. If, however, the funding has too many restrictions or qualifications I might think differently.
What research do you do? For research I read books and articles, check the internet and converse with other artists.
What superpower would you have and why? If I had a superpower, I would use it to give myself the ability to let loose and let it fly. I tend to be too uptight in trying to get everything like I want it. I think this is a handicap.
What is your dream project? My dream project would be to create that masterpiece. The problem is that I have no idea what that would be.
Favorite or most inspirational location? My most inspirational location would be where there is water or mountains.
My best advice: You are unique. Build your own strengths. Don’t compare yourself unfavorably with other artists.
Professionally my goal is to master watercolor and improve my overall skills in other areas.



Gary C. Horton, novelist

I grew up in South Carolina among a family of storytellers and artists. When I was a child in the 1960s, people sat on front porches in the evening and visited their neighbors. They passed the time telling stories.
In my little corner of the world, people were kinder to one another than they are now. I mention the kindness of that era because I try to recreate it in the novels I write. I majored in English at Clemson and studied under creative writing professor Mark Steadman. He was an excellent teacher and read my first attempt at a novel, six-hundred pages of nonsense.
I don't see how he got through it.
How did you start making art, or why do you make art? I'm not sure, but looking back, I think I began writing because I wanted to leave behind some evidence I had lived. However, as I matured, my writing became less about me and more about creating an experience for the reader.
On the level of entertainment, some of my novels are simply an escape for the reader. I've started a series I hope to publish by the end of 2020 that does just that.
On a deeper level, my novels, Some Glad Morning and Wisteria, are my attempt at art. They explore what it means to love.
By art, I mean an effort at creating beauty, that thing that inspires awe, quiets the mind and touches the soul.
What is your most important artist tool? My imagination, if you can call it a tool. As far as a physical tool, my storyboard is essential. I plan a story on index carts pinned to the interior wall of my studio and work the plot out both horizontally and vertically.
Is there something you can't live without in your studio? Silence. If I can't have silence while I work, I'll take classical music, preferably Baroque. If I can't have either one, I can't write.
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? That place beyond time. Some people call it the zone, or the flow. It's when I disappear as I'm writing, and time passes unnoticed. It's a beautiful place to be, and I suspect it produces dopamine in my brain because I'm grumpy if I go too long without the experience.
What role do you believe artists have in society? We are the world's imagination. We keep the channel open between the physical and spiritual.
How has your practice changed over time? As I've grown older, my writing has become lighter and more complex. It took decades to develop the skills I need to express my visions. Now, at 63, things are coming together.
What form of art do you most identify with? Literature. Second to that would be film.
What work do you most enjoying creating? I most enjoy writing about the Old South as I remember it. It was a different culture, not all good, to be sure, but personal reputation, dignity, and kindness mattered. Neighbors looked after one another. It was a slower and quieter time, before getting and spending drove us all mad.
What themes do you pursue? I like to explore what makes us human, specifically, betrayal, self-destruction, and what it means to love.
What's your scariest experience as an artist? Realizing no one cares, and I've done it all wrong. 
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you? In 1997, while I was attending the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, I stumbled into Ray Bradbury at a small nearby restaurant. He was having breakfast with a few writers who were attending the conference.
One of the writers at his table knew me from a workshop and called me over. Mr. Bradbury pulled out a chair and invited me to sit beside him. That morning, and every morning for the rest of the week, I joined Ray Bradbury for breakfast.
I remember at one point we talked about editors and agents rejecting our work. He told me he saved every rejection letter and had over 2,200!
He helped me understand that even the best writers get their work rejected. However, it was his sincerity and humbleness that most inspired me.
Over the years, because of Bradbury's influence, I've come to realize that writing from ego cheapens the work, as it does most everything. It gets in the way.
I've learned it takes a humble spirit to hear the soft still voice within.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist? I've been a dishwasher, cook, construction laborer, soldier, intelligence officer, salesperson, city planner, handyman, security guard, personal aid, web designer, copywriter and digital marketer, to name a few. 
What is an artistic outlook on life? An artistic outlook is a vulnerable awareness attuned to the mystery of our existence. 
What memorable responses have you had to your work? In an Amazon review of Some Glad Morning, a reader wrote: "This is the kind of book that lingers in your soul."
Another review stated: "…Some of the best writing and storytelling I've read in a long, long time."  
What do you like about your work? That it consumes me.  Should art be funded?  Yes.
What research do you do?  I do a lot of historical research as I'm outlining a novel. Many of the ideas for scenes and characters come to me then. When possible, I like to peg a story to a historical moment and make that world real for the reader.
What superpower would you have and why?  Immortality. I'm a slow writer, as a mortal, I'll never live long enough to write all the novels I have planned.
What is your dream project?  I'd like to write a series in the tone and style of Some Glad Morning.
Name three artists you'd like to be compared to. Ron Rash, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway.
Favorite or most inspirational location? Anywhere in the Southern Appalachians.
The best piece of advice I have personally received was from a dear friend in the Summer of 1986.
At the time, I was a 29-year-old intelligence officer who had just completed a two-year assignment with the 1st Ranger Battalion.
It was an exciting and high-energy period in my life. I loved Special Operations, but my heart was calling me to write novels. My friend told me until I learn to quiet my life and sit still, I would never hear the stories inside me.
She was right. A few months later, I separated from the Army to pursue my dream.
 Professionally, what's your goal?

To create stories that enrich the life of my reader.


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Throughout May we are celebrating our artists moms & their creative offspring.



Here we read about artist Gretchen Parker & Rachel Parker
Originally published May 24th on the SCA Zine


Gretchen Parker



I am a wife, mother of 2 and a grandmother to 3.  I am an artist and a maker. Being crafty is just part of the profession I pursued and loved for 30+ years. 
What’s your background? I am a retired neurodevelopmental/hippo/pediatric occupational therapist. It was a dream of mine from the time I was 10 years old. My life plan was to pursue becoming an artist when I retired. 50 years ago, making a living as an artist was not a good career plan. I wish it had been. I think with the tools of today I could have made a living at it.     
How did you start making art or why do you make art? Like many artists, I have loved drawing all my life. My mother was very encouraging. I lived for both art and music class throughout my elementary school years. Unfortunately, during those years, I was unable to excel in academically thanks to my desperate need for glasses (which I finally got at age 14) and being too young for my class placement.
What is your most important artist tool? The computer and the drive to never give up. 
Is there something you can’t live without in your studio? My colored pencils. 
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? My favorite subjects are people engaged in everyday life. I just love studying human nature.  
What role do you believe artists have in society? We make comments as well as observations on our everyday life. I hope it makes people think about the subjects we depict in our work. 
How has your practice change over time? Initially, all I wanted to do was to draw children, depicting their strengths and wisdom. Now I am studying human nature and in particular people in groups or reactions to each other.   
What form of art do you most identify with? Realism. I was juried into the International Guild of Realism as a member this year. It is a great honor and a goal I never thought I would reach!  
What work do you most enjoying creating? Studies of people as they interact and children's portraits.  
What themes do you pursue? Statements about various aspects of life. 
What’s your scariest experience as an artist? Teaching my first class on a cruise with my art mentor Ann Kullburg. She's the colored pencil artist's artist! I was terrified. I had never taught an art class in my life. Hers was the first CP workshop I had ever taken. At the time she had been impressed with my work. She didn't tell me until years later, however. Several years after taking that class she invited me to teach with her on one of her art cruises. She assumed I had been teaching, I had not and was totally gob-smacked that she would ask me. She told me when I asked her why she had asked me on the cruise, that after that first class I had taken with her she went home and told her family she had met the most amazing CP artist who was really going to go places!


Describe a real-life situation that inspired you? Every one of the Saturday Evening Posts that carried Norman Rockwell's work. I studied every one of them when they arrived in the main. Later in life when we lived in Connecticut, I was able to visit both of his museums. It was a thrill of a lifetime for me. I have studied Rockwell extensively, his techniques, human studies and approaches to layouts.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?  Office assistant to a developmental optometrist, silk screener, switchboard operator, cafeteria plate scraper. As an OT student, I worked with mentally ill children at the Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Institute at U of MI, Children's CP clinic in Indianapolis and at the Area Amputee Clinic at Mary Freebed in Grand Rapids MI. OT in a rehab hospital in Des Moine Iowa with people who had had spinal cord injuries, strokes and head traumas. I worked for Easter Seals in Connecticut, and Lexington School District One Special needs classes. My favorite job was in a private peds clinic in California as well as a therapeutic horseback riding program for a nonprofit in CA. Lastly Palmetto Health Out Patient Peds Rehab and finally working privately with the under 3-year-old population. 
What is an artistic outlook on life? So little time so much to create! 
What memorable responses have you had to your work? When I left my CA job I drew portraits of all my little patients and gave them to their parents. (almost 100 portraits) Many of the parents cried when I delivered them. I always feel like a portrait is a success when the owner cries!
What do you dislike about the art world? Judges who disparage heartfelt realism who are so jaded by all the art they have seen they can no longer relate to what many realist artists try to express in their work. 
What do you like about your work? I love it when someone says I can't believe that's pencil!
Should art be funded? I love seeing art around town and in communities. I think communities absolutely benefit and should fund public art. If any sort of art is going to be funded by tax payers only, the tax payers should have a say in the art produced. The lack of art in the public schools is a shame and should be funded. Many times, it is a child’s first opportunity to explore and discover their own skills. 
What research to you do? I experiment with the amazing capabilities of the simple pencil on many different surfaces (Paper, wood, film, glass, gourds)  
What superpower would you have and why? Mind reading, so I could express in a portrait what the subject (human or animal) is really thinking or feeling.  
What is your dream project? A series of pieces depicting hands at work.
Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Norman Rockwell. (I often am and find it very flattering), Mary Cassatt, Sharon Siew Suan Kow   
Favorite or most inspirational location? Around any group of people 
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Don't stop at the ugly stage! 


Professionally, what’s your goal? Not to have all my work sold on eBay, esty or a garage sale after I am dead!

Rachel Parker
I paint watercolor.  Lately, I’ve been focusing on developing online watercolor lessons. I didn’t go to art school, but I was raised going to my mom’s art lessons.  I taught myself mostly through reading a lot of books.
How did you start making art or why do you make art? I tell people that I began my art career as a used car salesman. While in grad school for social work, I was trying to find a way to make extra money without getting a 'real' job. So I started calling people in the newspaper selling cars or jewelry and offered to list their items on eBay for a fee. I sold a few cars and Rolexes, but it was a lot of work for very little money and even less fun. One night, I decided to put a little painting on eBay for $1 and see what happened. It got bid up to something like $30 and I was hooked; I didn't sleep at all that night. I was so excited. That was in 2000, and I still love sharing my online art studio with the world.
What is your most important artist tool? My determination.
Is there something you can’t live without in your studio? Well, it’s outside my studio.  It’s my garden - if I didn’t have a place to go rejuvenate, I think my art would get stale. 
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? I enjoy the people I meet and experiences that I have mostly outside my studio that I would have never encountered were it not for my art.  
What role do you believe artists have in society? There are so many different artists with so many different purposes - some educate, some entertain, some comfort, and some inspire.  
 How has your practice change over time? Just lately I’ve changed my focus from commissions to making tutorials online.  I’m trying to create a more sustainable career that I can rely on financially. I had a child four years ago, and it really changed my perspective to a more realistic and responsible one.  But I really love teaching, so it’s been a very natural evolution.
What form of art do you most identify with? I most admire watercolorists with a painterly approach. I just signed up to take online lessons from Jean Haines, who has a very loose style.
What work do you most enjoying creating? I am most happy with my paintings when I am able to make them splashy, loose, dynamic and painterly. I find it easy to create super realistic work, so when I can add some artistic interpretation to my art, I feel really accomplished.
What themes do you pursue? My art naturally evolved into painting a lot of animals because people seemed to gravitate to my animal paintings.  
What’s your scariest experience as an artist? The experience that continues to scare me the most is that my work might be getting stale - I want to continue to grow, push my boundaries, and try new things with my art.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you? Artists who are making a good living from their art really inspire me. Lachri Fine Art on YouTube is one whose art career I’ve followed and really admired.  If she can do it, I think I can too!
What jobs have you done other than being an artist? So many.  Pregnant mare babysitter, preschool teacher, school social worker, and now full-time artist.
What is an artistic outlook on life? I wish I could come up with a cute answer to this question, but I don’t subscribe to the “I’m a magical artist who lives life on a higher, better plane than the rest of those underlings”  I try to balance my work between family, work (my art) and down time. I fail miserably. My house is a mess. My paintings aren’t perfect. But I do the best I can!
What memorable responses have you had to your work? The best are when a client is overjoyed by a painting and their life is improved, even if in a small way, by my work.
What do you dislike about the art world? I can’t stand art snobs.
What do you like about your work? When I’m able to create a painterly, poetic piece, I’m very happy.
Should art be funded? Of course.  I remember hearing that a city decided to clean up a dangerous neighborhood and add some beauty.  They claimed that crime decreased. Art soothes, inspires, and transforms. We humans need that!
What research do you do? I’m always watching online tutorials about how to paint, even now after 20 years of working. I still learn so much when I make a point to!
What is your dream project? I’m working on it right now - growing my online art community.
Name three artists you’d like to be compared to. Jean Haines, Liu Yi, and Andrew Wyeth.  I’ve got a ways to go
Favorite or most inspirational location? Florence Italy was really inspiring.  It made me want to come home and put art EVERYWHERE!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Keep trying!


Professionally, what’s your goal? I want to keep growing my online art lessons. 
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Throughout May we are celebrating our artists moms & their creative offspring.
Here we read about artist Susan Johnson Katherine Prosser
Originally published May 17th on the SCA Zine

Susan Johnson

I have a passion for painting with acrylics and watercolor. Also, I am the grandmother of an artist, Katherine Prosser, who is in her Junior year of high school.
In College I studied to be a Medical Secretary and worked for many doctors in this capacity and also as a transcriptionist. When the doctor I was working for and my husband both retired, I left the medical world and became an antique dealer for ten years. Then about twelve years ago I started painting on canvas doing landscapes after joining a painting class.
HOW DID YOU START MAKING ART OR WHY DO YOU MAKE ART?
Being creative has always been a part of my life. Starting with drawing and coloring, I also enjoyed ceramics, sewing, crafts, and kept busy with needle arts and tole painting. When I was an antique dealer, I repaired and did decorative painting on the furniture I found. Then I wanted to paint on canvas and joined a class in acrylic painting. Later I took another class and learned how to paint with watercolor paints. I’m always studying and learning new techniques to improve myself.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ARTIST TOOL?
My camera is very useful and important to me. My husband and I traveled to many places and I took many pictures. These pictures gave me inspiration for my art and still do. I started taking pictures when I was ten when I received my first camera from my Dad and haven’t stopped taking them since.
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IN YOUR STUDIO?
Yes, my Ott-Lite floor lamp which gives me a more natural light to see my work.
IS THERE AN ELEMENT OF ART YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH MOST? WHY?
Recently I was introduced to painting with palette knives. I love this way of creating art with acrylic paint and knives. It gives a much more relaxed way to paint but it is messy!
WHAT ROLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARTISTS HAVE IN SOCIETY?
Everyone needs art in their lives and artists give this in many styles. Life would be much more uninteresting without art. Artists show the people what is going on in the world through their art work.
WHAT THEMES DO YOU PURSUE?
Usually I paint landscapes of places I’ve seen. Also, I have painted still life’s, portraits, flowers, and animals including birds.
WHAT IS YOUR SCARIEST EXPERIENCE AS AN ARTIST?
Probably doing art commissions for people. I enjoy them but it is hard to know if your work will be what they have perceived.
DESCRIBE A REAL-LIFE SITUATION THAT INSPIRED YOU?
Seeing art in museums from famous artists inspires me. Also, seeing interesting places around the world motivates me as well.
WHAT MEMORABLE RESPONSES HAVE YOU HAD TO YOUR ARTWORK?
People have always been very complimentary of my work. One time I painted a picture of a horse swimming across an inlet at Chincoteague Island. He looked frightened but kept on swimming. A lady bought the painting for her granddaughter who was having problems at the time. The name of my painting was “Courage” which she said she used to help her granddaughter.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR WORK?


The process of creating is what I enjoy the most and especially if the painting is what I conceived. Creating art is very relaxing most of the time. There are moments!
WHAT RESEARCH DO YOU DO?
I’m always reading and researching my subject to make it right. I have books but also look up things on line that I have questions about. It’s part of my creative process.
NAME THREE ARTISTS YOU’D LIKE TO BE COMPARED TO?
I admire many artists. I like the landscapes of Thomas Moran, the flowers of Georgia O’Keeffe, and the style of Vincent Van Gogh. I haven’t quite reached their status.
FAVORITE OR MOST INSPIRATIONAL LOCATION?
Italy is probably my most inspirational location. I also love the scenery of the Southwestern United States.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?
The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to keep painting and don’t worry about what other people think of your art. It’s your art and enjoy it!


Katherine Prosser


I like to draw and paint … always loving art and the process of making it!
I discovered that I really liked painting and using colored pencils. Painting and drawing are very enjoyable and relaxing to me. My most important artist tool is probably a pencil because I can easily find one, and easily erase! I can’t live without white paint. I like working with paint the most because I can always fix my mistakes, and I find blending paint and brushstrokes calming. I really like the colors I use in my art!
I think artists have a very important role in society because they can influence the world to see things differently, and bring light/emotion to certain topics that aren’t usually discussed.
My practice has changed over time because I’ve been working on composition and different styles [and] I really enjoy drawing and painting animals! I usually try to pursue the personality or emotion the animal has, but if I’m not drawing an animal, then I usually try to go for something relaxing to look at!
I usually get inspired from other artists! Any famous artist would be cool to be compared to because that is a huge compliment!
I haven’t really had time for a job, but I do volunteer at palmetto lifeline!
To me, having an artistic outlook on life is enjoying the things you see. For example, you could see the sunlight coming through a window and really want to paint it, or want to try and capture the texture of a cloud or the bark of a tree. It’s seeing the potential of beauty everything has.
One memorable response I’ve had to my art was when these two little girls started pointing at my dog I had drawn and excitedly saying, “look it’s sandy!!”
In the art world, I dislike how someone could barely spend any time, originality, or hard work on something and sell it for a lot of money. I also dislike that even though artists are usually very accepting and understanding people, their art can be harshly judged, and how even actual art judges can be very biased. I wish I could read minds because it would be so much easier to understand what people are actually thinking.
My goal is to be able to have my own gallery!



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Throughout May we are celebrating our artists moms & their creative offspring.
Here we read about artist Trish (Pat Gillam) Kimber (Kim Carpenter)
Originally published May 10th on the SCA Zine


Trish (Pat Gillam)


I've lived in Columbia most of my life but have traveled all over the United States and many parts of the world. I'm 71 years old, married and have one very artistically inclined daughter. My hobbies are gardening, reading, scrabble, history, movies, music, and studying many other subjects of interest.
What’s your background? I consider myself somewhat of a factotum in my professional career. I've worked in a number of fields such as legal, real estate, utilities, and telecommunications, only to name a few. I am also a licensed massage therapist and certified reflexologist.
How did you start making art or why do you make art? Art allows me to express myself with no restraints and brings me tremendous joy.
What is your most important artist tool? Paint, paint and more paint!
Is there something you can’t live without in your studio? Music
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? Acrylic paint because of the wide variety of colors available and fluidity of the paint
What role do you believe artists have in society? Art allows people stop and focus on beauty all around them and sometimes to relax and connect with their "inner" being
How has your practice change over time? I’ve discovered a number of exciting new techniques
What form of art do you most identify with? Abstract expressionism
What work do you most enjoying creating? Abstract acrylic flow art
What themes do you pursue? Color combinations and movement
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you? I've been drawn to abstract expression most of my life
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
Legal assistant, property manager, office manager, bookkeeper, massage therapist
What is an artistic outlook on life? For me it's seeing art in the mundane
What memorable responses have you had to your work? Hearing the images different people see in my paintings
What do you dislike about the art world? I don't like competition. I appreciate every artist's work.
What do you like about your work? Freedom of expression, vivid color combinations that facilitate emotions
Should art be funded?  Yes
What research to you do? Books, art courses, podcasts, (Yo)u tube
What superpower would you have and why? To fly so I could see all of the world's beauty
What is your dream project? To open an art gallery with my daughter
Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.
Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler & Mark Rothko
Favorite or most inspirational location? My studio

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? To paint every day



Kimber (Kim Carpenter)

What’s your background? I have been a graphic designer for 29 years.  I am also a musician and played in various bands in Cola.
How did you start making art or why do you make art? I have always “dabbled” in making art.  Started doing animal character paintings and other folk-type art.
What is your most important artist tool?  My hands
Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?  Inspiration
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? Why?
 I love working with acrylics.  Flowing paint is supremely satisfying.
What role do you believe artists have in society? I think artists of all types offer hope and inspiration.  Expression through art is paramount to the human psyche for both those who create and those who experience it.

How has your practice changed over time? More people are trying it.  Not a bad thing. But it saturates the market.  As far as personally, I have really pushed myself to become more skilled in the art to keep me separated from the saturation of the market.  I can immediately tell the difference between a beginner flow artist and one with more experience. I am constantly honing my skills and looking for other ways to set myself apart.
What form of art do you most identify with?  Abstract, folk, some fantasy art
What work do you most enjoying creating?  Embellishing fluid art paintings and collaborations with my mother.


What themes do you pursue? I love nature, but I find myself wanting to move away from simplistic themes and explore more out of the box, abstract themes.  I also enjoy mixed media art.
What’s your scariest experience as an artist?  Knowing what to sell my art for. Seriously.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist? Graphic designer, sales, customer service (all in the printing industry)
What is an artistic outlook on life?  Never be too scared to try.
What memorable responses have you had to your work? Social media responses to my work has been very kind.  I love hearing that someone loves one of my pieces.
What do you dislike about the art world?  There appear to be “clicks” or pockets of people in our town in the art scene. A lot of “it’s who you know, not what you know”. I’m not real crazy about that.
What do you like about your work? The colors. I love vibrant, bright colors.
Should art be funded?  Yes
What research to you do? Online - articles, videos, blogs
What superpower would you have and why? Jedi powers would be pretty stellar. 
What is your dream project? I don’t really have one…yet.
Favorite or most inspirational location?  My back porch.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? To not worry so much about what others think. Easier said than done.
Professionally, what’s your goal? I would love to one day open up a studio with my mother.  We not only love to paint, but we enjoy teaching together.



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Throughout May we are celebrating our artists moms & their creative offspring.
Here we read about artist Stephanie Suell & Kayla Suell 
Originally published May 3rd on the SCA Zine

erSC Art Zine


I consider myself to be a Creative! Technically, I am a Mixed Media Artist. I was born in Spartanburg and raised in Philadelphia. Retired Air Force and a military brat, I have been privileged to travel the world and appreciate so many wonderful locations. My Mother was an artist and I would watch her draw and create pictures and holiday decorations. As a young girl, I would help her. Art, along with writing, was something I gravitated to in school and I just stuck with it until I went in the military.
I don’t really have an important Artist tool, but I do love gold paint. I have like 20 bottles of it! I love mixing fabric with paint. Beads, paper and string with anything else I deem to add a beautiful creative touch. I recently painted a picture for a friend who said. “It’s so awesome to see my vision through the eyes of an Artist.” I really felt that statement for some reason!
      I believe that Artists enhance the color of the world. I think we are collaborators with God. In essence everything God makes is beautiful, from nature to humans, our ability to create just MAGNIFIES that beauty.
     I think I identify with chalk the most. For some reason, I like the sketched quick and free hand look. I think it just brings back the memories of sidewalk writing and graffiti art when I was a kid in Philly. We would write on blocks and blocks of cement. I had family members who were graffiti artists. The graffiti was different when I was growing up. It wasn’t just ugly words written on stop signs. It was beautiful works on art spray painted on buildings
     I was in the Military for 20 years and surprising enough, I stopped painting before I went in and didn’t pick up a brush again until I retired. My marriage was not a safe place of expression for me. After my divorce, I started painting to help me through my PTSD. It was a welcome home for me.
     I think what I love most about my art is the fact, I start with an idea and finish with a story. All of my art stems from poetry, quotes or just conversations I have with people.
     I totally believe Art should be funded and I also believe it should be a required class for students. I teach in local schools and so many kids have no means of self-expression besides through behavioral issues.  I also believe its beneficial to the senior citizens and disabled. I believe it’s a way to connect to memories and to each other. I think it slows us down and gives us space to reflect on LIFE, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS.
     Everything is a canvas to me. The world is art. I believe life is too. Its shaded depending on our mood. I’m probably different in the aspect of I really don’t have a particular theme but I’m fond of painting brown skin. Perhaps because that is what I see daily in the mirror.
My goals are simple, I really don’t have any professional goals. I just hope to leave my 12-year-old granddaughter something tangible and I pray I never lose the desire to create!

Let Go and Let God – Stephanie Suell

Kayla Suell  

I am a Graphics Artist. I guess you could say I picked up a love for Art and Design from my Mother. After graduating from High School, I attended the Art Institute of Charlotte and majored in Graphics Design.  Too be honest, there is where I learned how to actually draw a little. I never was an Artist in school. I learned the Graphics techniques of color and design and web design. My Mother is a excellent free hand artist and she has taught me some techniques.

Initially while in High School, of course I did the fast food route, like a lot of others. However, I quickly realized that was not the route for me.
Designed by Kayla Suell
My most important Artist tool is Adobe Suite, A graphics program. I enjoy making logos the most.  That seems to be the most popular item that everyone requests. Everyone is trying to build a brand! I think what often irritates me the most is that individuals are excited about building a brand and starting a business. They contact me, I do a logo or business cards etc and some never take it any further than that. Also, people who have no eye for art. They have no color concept, no creative style. So you spend a lot of time trying to help them figure it out and too be honest the design may end up looking horrible. But if they like it, I love it!
My best piece of advice actually came from my Mother who always did and still tells me to do better in every area of my life. ‘There is always room for improvement” she says. I think I have lived my life forever sharing that motto with my customers as well.

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