Please introduce yourself and your art medium.
Hi, my name is Darlene Riel, and my art medium is photography.
What is the most challenging aspect of being an artist?
Likely for ANY artist, is being able to share your work without paying to do so! The term “struggling artists” refers to many artists who have a high passion and talent to create art but often sacrifice financial stability. That’s probably a true statement for 99% of artists! We are very thankful for our customers who support our art and Auburn Old Town Gallery. The gallery proudly celebrated 30 years in business in September.
What do you hope viewers take away from your artwork?
I display photographs of my world travels at Auburn Old Town Gallery. I love to connect with viewers by providing them with a sense of place, or a good travel experience memory.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I’m definitely a night owl. Photographers typically are associated with best lighting in the early morning or late afternoon/evening hours. You must be present. However, in my day-to-day routine, I typically get a second surge in the late evenings and retire to bed at about 2 am every day.
What role does experimentation play in your creative process?
There are many aspects of taking a photograph and processing the image to print. I’m constantly trying new techniques – time, exposure, filters, movement, and adjustments with post-processing. Night sky, macro, wildlife, landscape, and architectural photography for instance all demand different attention to camera settings. I find myself capturing an image with a few different settings and walking away asking myself “What did I learn from that?”
If you could take a week off from your regular life to immerse yourself in learning something new, what would it be?
On the creative side, I’ve always wanted to learn to play the guitar. On the practical side, I’d like to immerse myself in learning how to cook better, perhaps mastering some ethnic dishes.
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Read Darlene’s previous interview here.
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