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Interview with Christina Ellis

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“I have worked with many mediums, both in painting and sculpture but for some reason that fact that not many people work in cement/concrete - it interested me more”

Christina Ellis has explored “the storytelling of the human experience” in art for decades. This artist began her career as an illustrator and art director, but later studied sculpture at the University of Alaska where she learned from her professor and favorite artist, Ken Gray. Her work led her to discover and feel passionate about an unpopular material among sculptors: cement.

Ellis has participated in many exhibitions and demonstrations such as the “No Big Heads” show. She is now immersed in her studio in Portland Oregon enjoying the challenges of sculpting busts in cement. She finds inspiration in strangers on the streets and imagines what it would be like to invite them to a dinner party and meet them face-to-face. The result would be hard to predict, just as her cement sculptures.

In this Q&A artist Christina Ellis shares with PoseSpace how she fell in love with cement, why Ken Gray is her favorite artist, her rituals and advice to art students:

When did you first know you wanted to become an artist?

I have always been an artist. If I could find some mud or sticks, I was creating art. There was something about it that made the world feel right for me.

How did you get started with cement?

I have worked with many mediums, both in painting and sculpture but for some reason that fact that not many people work in cement/concrete - it interested me more. While researching concrete one day, I came across a video about a sculptor named Katherine Stanek. Her work was so beautiful and profoundly touching the way she took this blah, messy medium and created visual masterpieces. I was hooked.

How do you start a sculpture— do you have any rituals?

I have a ritual candle infused with herbs and essential oils to awaken creativity, playfulness and imagination. I have it burning whenever I am working in my studio.

Do you have a favorite artist?

My favorite artist was my college art professor, Ken Gray. He was a phenomenal artist and sculptor and a phenomenal teacher. He brought out the creative light in each one of his students. I always had a deep interest in sculpture but had been putting off taking sculpture classes because they were long and hard and dirty. One day, I learned Professor Gray had cancer. I immediately enrolled in every one of his classes. He taught me the joy of sculpting.

What do you think of PoseSpace?

I think PoseSpace is an amazing service for artists. The care and artistry that is put into the photography of each pose is a great resource when you can't get a live model.

You opened an art school in Southern Oregon, could you tell us more about this project?

I had renovated an old house downtown Medford Oregon and wanted to bring art instruction to a community that was not known for its exposure to the creative world. I had a full school of dedicated students, both young and old. My timing was off though, the next year, 2008, people were forced to choose between groceries and art school tuition. I had to close the doors.

What advice do you have for young artists who have an interest in sculpting?

Allow yourself to be free - play, create, make your own rules.

Christina Ellis’ website: www.cmegallery.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cmegallery

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cmegallery

Interview by Andrea Miliani

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Interview with David Nelson

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“Once I saw that contemporary artists were dealing with ideas, everything changed for me and I was hooked”

David Nelson is a contemporary artist based in Dublin, New Hampshire. His interest in art began as a child when he discovered comics. Later, at the university, David studied and admired the great artists, but ended up revealing the real value of contemporary art. His work, both abstract and figurative, capture his style and innovation with striking colors and disruptive ideas.

Nelson defines on his website one of his main interests in art, the idea of agency: “For something to come into being by letting other forces be the agent doing it.” This concept makes more sense when we see one of the paintings of his “Incarnation” collection; a bunch of dots in cyan, magenta, yellow, and key —properly placed—that create beautiful shapes of human bodies when seen from the right perspective.

In this Q&A artist David Nelson shares with PoseSpace how he developed his techniques, how he discovered CMYK dots, what contemporary art means to him and a few details about his experience at the Governors Island Art Fair:

When did you first know you wanted to become an artist?

When I was in my teens, I was an avid comic book collector, and took a comic art class with a local artist. I loved it. I decided to study fine art at University of Maine, where the department head surprised me by taking my not-very-traditional portfolio seriously and was very open and encouraging. I was also happy the university setting would give me the opportunity to study literature, my other big interest.

One of your main interests is the idea of agency and you use only primary colors. What inspired you to come up with this concept?

I began my studies absolutely hating contemporary art, thinking it was the biggest cultural hoax in history. Until my senior year, that is, when I was forced to study it. In spite of myself, I became fascinated. Art was about ideas. Art was a visual means to explore complex questions about life—the same philosophical and theoretical questions I was discussing in English Lit and science classes. What’s the relation between order and chaos, emotion and intellect, objectivity and subjectivity, pattern and disruption? Once I saw that contemporary artists were dealing with ideas, everything changed for me and I was hooked.

Which artist or painter has influenced you?

When I had to do a paper on a living artist for the Contemporary Art class, I told the professor I didn’t know any— my heroes had been Degas, Vermeer and Tiepolo. He said, “OK, do Jean Dubuffet.” I never heard of him, so when I saw his paintings looked like the scrawls of a child or tar poured on a canvas, I was horrified. That is, until I read his thinking behind it. He was trying to capture something universal and atavistic, something deeper than intellect or observation. He was grappling with those same dynamic balances I was: organic/mechanical, emotional/intellectual, abstraction/representation.

How has your style changed over the years?

In college I made abstract works with a tight linear pattern, but using paint that would creep and craze on its own. I created strict grids that were made up of scribbles, mechanical patterns made up of organic leaf shapes, splatters that were random, but precisely placed by a friend’s personal computer.

Later, experience in graphic design and art direction introduced me to CMYK process color. This got me thinking, what if I spattered the dot pattern with paint? What if I controlled the paint by using random numbers or scattered objects? I’d be making an image by relinquishing control rather than taking hold of it. Colors would layer and mix "on their own." I spent about ten years exploring this dynamic in non-objective process paintings.

I was tempted to use the CMYK dot idea to form more concrete images, but that was crazy — introduce subject matter? Things!? Actual things are so freighted with meaning—or plagued with cliché. Then I remembered Dubuffet: kids and cavemen all wanted to draw the same thing— the simple human form.

So I took straightforward, full-body photos of my family, color-separated them, blew them up to life-size, and executed the coarse dot pattern with clear CMYK acrylic from a ketchup squirter. No pose, just standing there—a record of “this is me." I liked how the vagueness of the painted dots fought with the photographic “realness” of a particular individual. I’ve explored this idea in a range of scales—applying paint with industrial syringes at postage-stamp-size, to finger-painting 20’ x 16’ figures on billboard vinyl.

To learn as much as I could about the figure, I decided to try sculpture. It worked for Degas, after all! I was pleasantly surprised to find I had a pretty good working knowledge of anatomy. Drawing those muscular superheroes in my comic art days wasn’t wasted.

How did you discover www.posespace.com?

It became pretty clear that If I was investigating the body in this iconic way, it was inevitable for me to consider the nude. It was great to find quality reference at Posespace. I’ve been especially glad to see models with “normal” body types and straightforward poses. The 360-degree views are tremendously helpful for sculpture.

Can you tell us about your experience at the Governors Island Art Fair?

Governors Island is a former military base 800 yards off Manhattan’s southern tip. For  five weekends each September, over 100 artists from around the world transform spaces in the historic buildings with their art. I showed paintings from my “Incarnation” series in 2017 and 2018. It was terrific to talk with hundreds of visitors every weekend. My artist’s statement prompted a lot of great conversations: "The human experience means bringing our unseen into where it can be received some way by other bodies. And something is always lost in translation. So life is always a beautiful, frustrating challenge of giving and receiving partial messages, garbled transmissions, incomplete sentences."

David Nelson’s website:  www.davidnelsonart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidnelsonart/

Interview by Andrea Miliani

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Interview with Davey Edwards

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“I believe the female anatomy is one of the hardest to sketch in realist form. The way movement and gravity affects the fluidity of women's anatomical parts is one of God's greatest designs”

Davey Edwards teaches cadastral sciences in Texas and has a Ph.D. in geosciences, but during his spare time —besides riding his Jeep— he uses his pencils to improve his drawing techniques and exercise the right side of his brain. A few years ago, he started drawing on his son’s lunch bag and, after some encouraging feedback, he decided to share his art.

Even though he doesn’t consider himself an artist, he’s been building an interesting portfolio on his Instagram account. The female body is his biggest challenge and favorite subject. PoseSpace poses have helped Edwards understand the human body, and social media channels have been a great source of motivation: “I use other's artwork on Instagram to inspire me. There are a lot of great artists around the world!”.

In this Q&A interview, Davey Edwards shares with PoseSpace his goals and aspirations as an artist, his favorite painters, and the life experiences that have influenced his work:

Can you tell us about your background and how you got into art?

Currently, I am a professor of cadastral sciences at a university in Texas.  I grew up loving the sciences but also loved art; drawing, painting and sculpture. When I went to college, I studied pre-medicine with aspirations to be an orthopedic and design prosthetics.  My love of art found a new avenue when I studied anatomy and where I got into figurative art of the human body.

What are your goals or aspirations as an artist?

All day I use the left side of my brain, to be able to sit down and concentrate on an art piece give me a sense of relaxation and use the right side of my brain.  For several years now, I have been wanting to write a graphic novel, or an illustrated novel. I have a storyline and have sat down a couple of times to write it but usually get busy and lose interest before getting it back again.  The name is Allu, it is about a succubus born from a fallen angel, Lilith, and Adam and Eve's first born, Cane. It is a mixture of legend and biblical history.

Do you have a favorite living artist, whether famous or completely unknown?

Well my favorite artist and the one I think I usually emulate is William Bouguereau but he is not living.  But for one that is living I would say Amahi Mori, she is a pencil artist who has got a great understanding of human anatomy. I would say that I try and use her style of pencil art combined with Bouguereau.  As you can see, as long as I practice and push my ability, my art has evolved with pencil.

Do you have a favorite PoseSpace.com model?

If I had to choose a favorite Posespace model, it would be Saju and Sarahann.  They appear to be tall and proportioned to how I would like to see my character, Allu.

What life experiences have influenced your work?

I think I live a very interesting life.  A lot of what I get to see influences my artwork from real life to museums.  If you scroll through my Instagram account, you may notice that I primarily sketch/paint female characters.  This comes from my love and respect for women and not what some might think. I believe the female anatomy is one of the hardest to sketch in realist form.  The way movement and gravity affects the fluidity of women's anatomical parts is one of God's greatest designs.

Tell us one thing you thought you knew, that it later turned out you were wrong about

Oh if I could only be right half the time…

Davey Edwards’ instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doubledaggie/

Interview by Andrea Miliani

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Interview with Dennis Young

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“It is inherently satisfying to reproduce on paper or canvas a likeness of a human soul that engages the emotion and the concerto of effects and highlights of the human form”

Dennis Young is a self-taught artist located in New Castle, Delaware. He worked in healthcare for many years but now he is a full-time artist. Around twelve years ago, he decided to paint again and remembered how much he enjoyed doing this. Figurative art that captures moments—cityscapes, facial expressions, experiences, landscapes— became his new passion.

Recently, Young opened his own gallery where he exhibits his beautiful oil and pastel paintings. He specializes in plein air art and has earned many awards in this field. During winter, he takes refuge in his studio and works on portraits and human figures.

In this Q&A painter Dennis Young shares with PoseSpace how he became a doctor and an artist, his regrets and satisfactions, advice for students or artists interested in plein air painting, and more:

When did you first know you wanted to become an artist?

At the end of my last semester in Pre-Med in college I opted for a studio drawing elective where I drew assignments in charcoal on newsprint. My instructor set me aside from the rest of the class to work independently. I also drew faces from photos and that really pleased me. But I had intended to become a doctor since ninth grade and art did not figure into that. During the first two summers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, I went out into the countryside in Wilmington and painted landscapes that would take me weeks to complete. I had never heard of "plein air painting" and I had no instruction. I still loved to paint faces and did so back at home. When I started a private practice in psychiatry and started a family with my wife, Teresa, I put away the paints for the next 30 years and didn't think about them. Now that's a HUGE regret. I stumbled upon a notice in the local paper for an introductory watercolor class and tried it. Then it all came back to me. For about the last dozen years or so I have been trying to make up for that lost time and think about how much farther along I would be in my artwork if I had just peeked out an hour a week back then to paint and draw.

Why figurative art?

I am drawn to paint the human figure and especially the face and the eyes. It is inherently satisfying to reproduce on paper or canvas a likeness of a human soul that engages the emotion and the concerto of effects and highlights of the human form... the light and shadows, the warmth and coolness, the form and subtleties. Sort of Pygmalion-like, I look forward in the mornings to visiting the easel and gazing (critically) upon the developing form on the easel where only days before there were only a few unintelligible paint marks on the canvas.

Can you tell us about the process of making your work? How do you decide when to work in your studio and when to work outside?

I especially enjoy painting outside and being engaged as part of that subject. I like to paint where people are and to interact with the curious. I have even dressed in pirate costume and painted Delaware's tall ship, the Kalmar Nyckel. The difference between painting inside and outside is analogous to listening to a concert on the stereo and being at a live performance. I do not paint outside in the winter months and my studio is my favored activity where I paint from photos in travel and also my portraits and figures from live models but especially from the PoseSpace site. That is a joy that justifies winters for me.

I begin the painting of the form directly with lightly sketching in thinned oils and then block in colors and focusing on getting my facial proportions right. I establish highlights and put a lot of focus on the eyes. I suppose my 40 years of office consultations where I would listen and look directly into the eyes and facial expressions of people have influenced my gravitation to perceptions of facial nuances.

Do you have a favorite PoseSpace.com model?

I have several PoseSpace models I gravitate to but the one I have painted the most is Jenni. She has brought me awards and she graces my business card. She garners the most comments in my newly opened gallery, Mo'zArt. That's the gallery I have opened in Old New Castle, DE after having retired from medicine.

Do you have any shows or activities on the horizon that you’d like to tell our readers about?

I have participated in quite a few competitions and shows in the past ten years and I will be in more this year but the highlight of my artistic ambitions has been to open my own gallery a year ago in the center of the charming historic town of New Castle, Delaware. I exclusively hang my own work. Though I am not making a profit from sales I am having a blast. I host Fourth Friday Art Loops there where residents and tourist come and enjoy the art, good conversation, wine and live (in warm months) music. My current show for February and March is exclusively the form and portrait, "Clothing Optional".

What advice would you give to young artists regarding plein air painting?

I would advise someone new to plein air painting to make every opportunity to go out and paint, even if in solitary circumstances. One reason is to soak up the experience of being out in the aforementioned live "concert". Another is to attempt to see nature as the instructor who will show color in shadows or who will give a critique about painting what you SEE rather than what you KNOW. This is an opportunity to get your mistakes out of the way and to feel good about some beauty you've created been if you hadn't planned it. You will surprise yourself one day with some real gem you've painted and that will come with practice.

What’s been your greatest artistic success?

I am still awaiting my greatest artistic success which may forever elude me. That would be winning a significant award in a major plein air competition. Otherwise my cherished successes has been the satisfaction of seeing the emotional reaction in people to whom I have delivered a commissioned painting. Even when I wasn't so satisfied with the painting myself!

Dennis Young's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyoungarts

Website: www.dennisyoungarts.com

Interview by Andrea Miliani

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Interview with Duke Marsh

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“I realized that with emotion that I can paint any subject I want in any style I want”

Duke Marsh is a talented rising painter located in Southern California. He recently started his artistic career and shares his wonderful paintings on his Instagram account. His biggest influences have been “the delicate touch of Michelangelo, the shadows of Rembrandt, the softness of Monet and the vivid life of Van Gogh.”

Marsh’s art education is based on visits to distinctive museums such as the Getty Museum. He explained that after looking at art history he then tries to recreate the paintings from his personal perspective to build what his mind sees. Color blindness didn’t stop this artist from daring to experiment with color, emotions and realistic representations.

In this Q&A painter Duke Marsh shares with PoseSpace how he started his artistic career, why artists like Van Gogh and Rembrandt have had a great influence in his work and how he will pursue his professional career:

Can you tell us about your background and how you got into art?

I always wanted to be able to paint or draw but I think the logical side of my brain got in the way. Then, about three years ago I learned a different way to think about pictures. That is when I finally started making worthwhile paintings. I've now done 96 paintings in the last 3 years.

Since I really didn't have any art training, I had a lot to learn (I had one watercolor class 40 years ago.) While I have a doctorate, my jobs have been in everything except for art. My goal was to first teach myself to be able to paint realistically. I figured when I have enough control of the brush to paint the sailboat in a Plein Air scene and have it look realistic, then when I go to do something that's more impressionistic or fantasy it will be what I actually set out to paint.

Is art a hobby for you or do you make a living from it?

Right now I do this as a hobby. However, I'm a goal-oriented person and I plan on doing this professionally. I'm in my sixties now so I have more and more time to paint. And the world has no limits, so I started putting my paintings on Instagram. Now that I have an inventory and my own styles I am just looking for the right gallery to form a long-term relationship.

How did you discover www.posespace.com?

The Art Model books led me to the posespace site. The girl holding her legs is the first nude I tried to paint. It was inspired by one of the poses. I had real troubles with the skin tones since I'm color blind.

Van Gogh seems to be a great influence in your work. Can you tell us about your connection with this artist?

Once I started getting fairly realistic, I realized that I needed some motion or emotion to make the pictures more interesting. Also, I liked the dramatic use of black by Rembrandt. However, I still thought my paintings were lacking quite a bit. Too much black loses the vibrant emotions. That's when I started combining vivid Van Gogh colors with the black shadows of Rembrandt while still trying to get some emotion or movement into it. I realize that with emotion that I can paint any subject I want in any style I want.

Also, when I read that van Gogh was alive during the Golden Age of the Cowboys is when I started doing my "What if Van Gogh met" series of cowboy paintings.

Do you ever think about what your legacy will be?

I haven't thought of what my legacy would be until you ask that question. I hope to be remembered as the painter who brought paintings to life.

Duke Marsh’s Instagram:  @duke_marsh_artist

Interview by Andrea Miliani

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artwork by Kjetil Hansen