Ep 134 – Colleen Barry : Letting go lightly

Patreon and Paypal link – I had a great conversation with artist Colleen Barry in Williamsburg, New York. Colleen paints portraits that transcend time in their raw emotional impact. She has won numerous grants and awards and her work is collected throughout America. She is also the Director of Drawing at the Grand Central Atelier in New York. There was an unprecedented number of questions from social media for Colleen, over 100!! Colleen answers them all beautifully,  everything from the very granular to the conceptual. Here are some of the subjects we visit: Inspiration Recording ideas Relationship between technique/visual cues and concepts/narratives Selecting subject matter Composition Size and approach Reference material Substrates Colour palette Colour application Ground colours Building forms Lights and darks Background colour Skin tones Layers Drying times Mediums Edges Brushes Self-checking Lighting Seriousness Focus in paintings Approach / Vision Technical narrative Creating ART Finishing a painting Portraiture Universality of the figure Working safely during pregnancy Artist and Mother balance Overwhelm Baby time Growth as an artist and a Mother Future work Spousal styles Pros and cons of atelier training ”Correct” vs Alive Breaking free Moving beyond the academic palette Staying motivated Mental health Expressing mood and emotion Keeping expectations low Artists talking about their work Influences Why painting? Traditional painting in 2020 Underlying themes Transitioning from student to professional artist Art career Prices Most moving painting Big art dream Future generations To find out more about Colleen and her work go to: http://www.colleenbarryart.com/ Referenced on the podcast . . . Artists Colleen is inspired by . . . Käthe Kollwitz @kollwitzk111 Neal Roush Jenny Saville @jennysaville Helene Schjerfbeck Andy Warhol Other artists mentioned in this episode who have been on the podcast . . . Ep 96 – Mia Bergeron : Aim For Your Own North Star Ep 105 – Patricia Watwood : The Spirit in Excellence Ep 52 – Jenny Morgan : Artmaking And The Open Heart Thanks for listening! Click here to support the podcast. Subscribe on iTunes Theme music by The Argyle Pimps. Thanks lads.