Tell us about your artwork.
Hi, I’m Darlene Riel. I display photographs of my travels at the Auburn Old Town Gallery. I love to travel and while I’m traveling, I happen to be a shutterbug!

Describe how art is important to society.
Art has a huge impact on our society. Art is all around us. It’s a part of our everyday life if you think about it – music, a mural on the street, a sculpture in a town square, furnishings in our homes and offices, jewelry that we wear, etc. Artists documented our history and cultures. Art provides us emotions and promotes expression and creativity. Art can be self-centered and take us to a place, a memory and we respond to it whether it be happy or sad. Art brings us together. Art can heal.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
As a person behind the lens traveling, I feel that I do “see” things that others pass by such as rich textures, old patinas, weathered wood, or patterns. At least, these are the things that I’m attracted to. I’m not an artist that will go on a photo shoot to a specific location to capture an iconic image. I’d rather capture something more unusual or atypical, plus I photograph on-the-go.

Has your style changed over time?
My techniques and compositions have changed when I transitioned from film to digital cameras. The ability to back-off on a subject knowing that I can crop the image in post processing is often helpful. Occasionally I will purposefully take some images slightly out of focus and then add noise, creating a more painterly photograph such as the hydrangea photo I included for this interview. This, added with the subjects of textures and old patinas that I love to photograph, is why I like to print my images on premium poly cotton nap canvas.

Describe your dream project.
Simply put: the ability to continue traveling the world and exploring new countries, enjoying different cultures and taking a trusty camera along!

What superpower would you have and why?
I’d love to have two superpowers: the ability the fly and to teleport or the ability to be transported across space and distance instantly. That would be my ideal way to expedite my travels!

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Read Darlene’s previous interview here.
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Tell us about your artwork.
Hello, my name is Jenn Norpchen and my artwork is whimsical, creative, animal gourd art although sometimes I use plants/vegetables in the mix. I often look at a gourd, give it a name and it comes to life. I follow many animal websites like, Amazing Nature, Nature and the Animal World, and new to my list, The Mystical world of mushrooms. It triggers ideas. I have been working on gourds for 12 years. My degree as commercial architectural designer/illustrator working on presentation drawings taught me color theory, perspective, drawing, which moved me into tromp l’oeil. It allowed me to be creative, fun, and whimsical circling back to 3-D art. Gourds. What an adventure!

Describe how art is important to society.
For me personally, art has allowed me to be expressive, more conscious of my environment especially when I’m out on my hikes. It allows me to slow down and see what’s around me. I see it in many artists….. painters, photographers, all mediums. It’s very important to our society and reintroduced to our teaching establishment. STEAM along with STEM.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
As an artist, you have to have a lot of patience. Creating is fun although sometimes a mistake is made, and you have to take it back to the beginning. I want my art to be integral to its owner. It’s important to me my art is well done, and well accepted.

Has your style changed over time?
Not too much. My technique is the same. I have taken on more elaborate, larger projects using multiple gourds. I’m still very inspired with new paints, inks, and clay.

Describe your dream project.
I would love to animate my gourds into a fun story to make people laugh and enjoy my whimsical creations.

What superpower would you have and why?To animate my gourds with a magic gourd wand to the music of Led Zeppelin.
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Read Jenn’s previous interview here.
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Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Sandy Delehanty and I am a painter. Watercolor is my favorite medium, but I have also painted in oils. I taught watercolor classes and workshops for 25 years in California, but I also worked for tour companies and taught in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece and Bali. I retired from teaching to paint full time 5 years ago.

Why do you do what you do?
Painting is my passion. When a painting is going well, I get lost in the sheer joy of creation. When a painting becomes a struggle, I press on. I am an optimist. Somewhere in the mess there might be something I can salvage! If not, I have learned something from my mistakes. Learning is the key. Never will I stop trying to learn. When I stop learning, that is the day my work will become mechanical, predictable and boring. Painting, drawing, studying, traveling, exploring, experimenting, questioning, listening, observing, always the student…that is me.

What themes do you pursue?
Like many artists I tend to work in series. You can see this when you visit Auburn Old Town Gallery,because you will see giraffe, and an ostrich painting from my series “Art to Make You Smile” and you will see my travel sketches in ink and watercolor, and then there are my watercolor landscape paintings from my “California Treasures” series. I began my career as a flower painter. I do not know where I will go next…

Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.
Sitting on a bench sketching Notre Dame in Paris I said to my sketching companion Bobbi, “I wonder how many thousands of artists have painted this cathedral over the centuries?” We discussed ideas for creating a truly unique painting of the building when it occurred to me that if I could capture it at an odd angle and paint it with unusual colors maybe I would have something uniquely different. So, we walked around the building, and I held my iPhone camera above my head aiming it at the building but not looking at the screen so I would not be tempted to compose a picture. Snap, snap, snap: a hundred photos later we found a cafe table, ordered cappuccinos and looked at the photos. I found one image of the top of a tower taken at an angle and when I returned home, I painted it by pouring and blending liquid watercolor on the paper to create accidental colors. The painting was accepted into the most competitive watercolor exhibition in the world, the American Watercolor Society’s International Juried Competition. I think I succeeded in creating the unique painting I was after.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
My first job was as a clerk in a Mercantile store at age 12. I also flipped burgers, sold cable TV subscriptions door to door, worked at a hotel casino snack bar, was a Blackjack Dealer, a sketch artist in Europe, a “Road Warrior” (outside sales representative) in the construction industry, the publishing industry, and the picture framing industry and taught watercolor classes and workshops.

What are your hobbies?
Gardening and traveling

Tell us about your artwork.
Hello, I’m Sonja Hamilton. My passion is watercolor. Although I have a degree in Art and Education and I am able to teach all levels, my focus is on adults. I do demonstrations in each class and try to finish everything I start; therefore, I paint A LOT. Watercolor had been a challenge in the beginning; now it is just plain fun, but I give myself challenges as well. I like my work to look “painterly” yet realistic. And something people can relate to. I also do find the time to paint for myself, mostly being inspired by nature.

Describe how art is important to society.
Art is an escape, whether for the artist or the viewer. I have sold paintings to people who need to flee from personal grief, for those who need help to heal themselves, and those who want to remember places they’ve visited and loved. Sometimes it is just a little insect or a flower that gives them peace. Everyone needs their own solitude. Art is one way to find this.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
After painting for decades, I would say that I am “getting the hang of watercolor”. At least, that’s what one of my friends told me once. I think she was right on! I am also disciplined, organized, and somewhat entertaining when doing demos. It is lovely to see peoples’ faces as they watch me paint on a white sheet of paper and finish with something “magical”.

Has your style changed over time?
Of course! When learning, and not knowing that much about the medium and process, you depend on others to lead you to try their style. I have taken workshops from wonderful artists. Early on, I would watch carefully how and what they’d mix to get to their result. Then I watched the application process – each artist is different. Lastly, I took workshops not to see what they did but how the teaching process worked for them. When I adapted what works for me and by painting and teaching more and more, I expanded on my technique, color choices and teaching methods. Now I can say that my success rate with students is quite high. They watch, learn, listen, develop. Several are now teachers themselves. It’s wonderful to see how the circle of learning works! This is personally satisfying.

Describe your dream project.
I don’t particularly have a dream project. I just want to keep painting and finishing everything I begin. There comes my satisfaction. Sometimes it’s my “Wow” factor!

What superpower would you have and why?
I would make time elastic because the days are too short to accomplish all I want/need to accomplish. There’s so much to do in life!
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Read Sonja’s previous interview here.
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Tell us about your artwork.
Hi, I’m Cathy McAllister. I am an up-cycle wood artist. I collect and find different wood items and make them into something else and paint them. Sometimes the items remain the same however they come out with a different spin on them.

Describe how art is important to society.
Art is really important to society. It helps you become creative and work outside of the box. I think it’s stimulating and helps motivate people and keep them active. It also gives you a really good perspective on different situations.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I am a fun-loving artist who likes to do different things and try and stretch my talents. So many things that you look at and see help motivate you and gives you a little more inspiration. I like to be creative and make people happy and laugh. When I do my artwork, I like to just have fun and not be very serious. I love to do it for enjoyment.

Has your style changed over time?
My art styles have changed over time. I believe they’re getting a little more refined and a little more whimsical. I do like to try different colors different items and different medias.

Describe your dream project.
Not sure I have a dream project, but I think it would be fun to make a large papier-mâché animal. Not sure why just would be interesting and a lot of fun.

What superpower would you have and why?
Not even sure how to answer this question. I am not sure I have a superpower. I think I just have a lot of determination, but I don’t think that’s a superpower. Just wanna have fun and enjoy what I do!
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Read Cathy’s previous interview here.
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