CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
JH: I would say the style of my artwork is strong and solid, with a lot of color and a lot of movement. Perhaps a lot of my art comes from a place of much pain. I have had many losses in my life; my husband at 35 years old, our baby girl six months pregnant, and my brother who died when he was 30 years old.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
JH: I believe I draw inspiration from my life; places I have seen, people I have met, and bring that forward in my art and in my creations.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new project/ piece of artwork?
JH: When I begin a new piece of artwork I actually sketch gently, a figure or a mountain, and then the process moves forward within the process. I will just keep going with ink, pencil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor as it deems. And this is pretty much second by second, as I work the artwork evolves and speaks to me somewhat, and then I’m done. Then I think of a title for what I believe the artwork symbolizes to me. Many of my works are titled as places I have been to; Madrid, Paris, Morocco, and the artwork I believe exemplifies the feelings of those places.
CH.89: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
JH: What I would like people to take from my artwork is a sense of color freedom, certain depths of feeling, and a sense of life energy.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
JH: My lifestyle as an artist began two years ago. I am 66 years old now; a late bloomer, an emerging artist.
JH: When I first began doing art I did a lot of soft watercolor art and painted flowers, skies, mountains, to understand the flow of paint and the use of color.
JH: As time went on I decided to look into technology; the digital aspects of art, I somewhat fell in love with those. I use digital aspects to enhance the traditional style of my art. As time went by about six months ago I opened my Instagram feed to the public and have a very nice following. I believe it’s over 10,000 k plus now.
CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way? Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
JH: When starting an art project I pretty much do go from impulse, from the second I start to the second I finish. I just go along pretty unstructured yet structured.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist thus far?
JH: One major lesson I have learned as an artist thus far is to go bold, and not hold back.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
JH: I believe style and taste are somewhat important, but I also believe the essence of life is to be good, kind, and caring to all.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
JH: For me, the hard thing about art is I usually do my artwork a little later in the evening. So I start around 7pm and I keep at it until late in the night. That’s a little hard for me… but it seems to be when I do my best work. I also like to work until the work is finished.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
JH: One thing I love about being an artist, it seems to me that from a life of pain with the many losses I had in my young thirties, as well as health issues when very young… the thing I love most about art is it takes me out of my aloneness; sensing the daily aspects and realities of life which can get wearing, and it puts me in a space in my head where I think about nothing else but the piece of art I’m working on. And then by the time I’m finished, which is usually about seven hours per piece, I haven’t thought of or felt those emotions of certain loss or sadness that life can bring on.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artist’s that inspire you in any way?
JH: I love the works of Georgia O’Keeffe. I love the way she flowed with colors; the softness, the beauty, the places especially Santa Fe. I adore her works.
JH: I also love Jean michel Basquiat. I find his work to be amazing.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
JH: I think the use of technology as a useful tool for artists today is amazing. At first, I thought I was very traditional within my art using watercolors, acrylics, pastels etc. however, I opened my mind to digital and have really loved the effects it has had on my art.
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t follow creative paths?
JH: I think being an artist is just a different headspace. I’m a self-taught artist and what I’ve realized is art comes very easily to me as does poetry. I can write poetry very easily and it’s pretty good. And in the context of art, I just believe artists are wired differently. For me it has a certain zen-like effect, it’s very calming. Art takes me away from certain hardships and realities of life.
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
JH: Yes I love traveling, one of my favorite cities I would say is Paris. It is so alive, as is NYC.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
JH: I love so many books being an avid Reader. From my younger years, I loved the works by Evelyn Waugh – Brideshead Revisited. I have so many authors I love from Shakespeare to Keats. I love the written word and how books transcend the here and now.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
JH: I would love to have my art shown in more galleries, at the present moment it’s in Van Der Plas Gallery New York City, and AZUR in Madrid. This autumn it will be in Holy art gallery London, and a couple of virtual shows GENOA and Milan.
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
JH: Being an artist for me means so much. Art has become a way of life for me, I’m 66 years old and will continue to do it for many years going forward.
CH.89: What’s the last song you listened to?
JH: While I paint, I love to listen to James Taylor. The last song I heard from him was Fire And Rain.
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
JH: As stated before, I’ve only been doing art for two years. I study many of the great artists to learn techniques and help me move forward with my art. I believe my art is bold and energetic, it has a certain power and ethereal quality behind it. I hope it brings those who see it much joy.
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