Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 4 No 1

VL Elizabeth Chapman
At what age did you realize you were an artist
As long as I can remember I was creating and making stuff. I was always an artist but did not realize it until
I was about 45 and working as a High School art teacher. It was there that I realized I was more of an artist
than a teacher.
Who or what inspired you to make art in the beginning
My first painting was an oil painting. I remember standing by my mother’s easel working on my own little canvas.
She still has that painting.
What is your background in art
I consider myself to be self-taught, although I do have a B.S. Art Ed. As a teenager I took watercolor lessons
from a professional artist.
What role do you feel an artist has in society
I like what Georgia O’Keefe said about why she began those large flowers. She felt a need to help the busy
New Yorkers slow down and see the beauty in the flowers, so she painted them big. I guess that is how I see
artist as sensitive individuals that are pointing to and expressing the beauty of God’s creation. Creating spaces
in time for reflection.
Today, who has had the greatest influence on your work
There are so many artists that have influenced me and that I admire. However, I would have to say that it is a
local artist, Emily Frost, that has so encouraged me for so many years. I don’t know that the artist within me
would have emerged if it weren’t for the nurturing of the seed that she has done.
Give us an idea of what type of art materials you use and if you have a favorite color palette.
I work as an abstract expressionistic allowing my intuition to direct the decisions that I make concerning any of
the elements. The hardest can sometimes be just laying down that first mark. Once done, this will lead to the
next idea and so forth. I work with acrylic paints which in the beginning were frustrating to me as my formal
training in college was with oils. Acrylics dry much faster than oils and because of this I have taught myself to
work fast building layers up to reduce the drying time.
Life often gets in the way of creativity; how many hours do you spend creating or making art each
week.
I spend about 30 hours a week actually painting and probably around 15 hours a week photographing, listing,
promoting, etc., In the beginning, I disciplined myself as if it was a regular job 8-5 but as life does get in the
way I have learned to be much more flexible.
Right Page: Ascend 24” x 30” x 1.5” Canvas
http://melizabethchapman.artspan.com/
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