Carolee Clark, interviewed by Jessica Watson

Featured Artist of the Month: Oregon Crafted Artist Carolee Clark answers questions from new Oregon Crafted staffer Jessica Watson

Where are you from? What is your background?
I was born in a very scenic part of British Columbia. My mother was a hobby artist and my father owned an auto parts store. Even though I grew up with crayons and pencils in my hand to keep me quiet, I was dissuaded from pursuing an artistic career. My sisters and I were encouraged to become professionals so we could earn a living. I floundered between trying to earn a business and economics degree to driving a cab, and finally owning an executive office complex.

All along the way I continued to draw, and enjoy the visual arts. My mother gave me a set of watercolors in my 20’s which re-opened the world of color for me. I bought my first painting for $1,000 when I was 27, on time, paying $100 each month, and realized that owning art is within everyone’s reach.

As I enjoyed that painting every day, it continued to spark my interest in painting. Every time I went into a gallery or art museum I came home enthused to recreate that feeling I had while viewing the paintings that I admired so much.

When I sold my business, I realized that I didn’t want to reinvest in another business to delay my desire to follow the things that make me happy. I want to enjoy life doing the things that I love. I decided that I would live more frugally, but focus on only the things that I love to do, with painting and drawing very high on that list.

Where do you live now?
I met my husband during a bike ride in British Columbia and he persuaded me that Oregon was a nice place to live so I moved here about 10 years ago. We live in Philomath. I am very lucky to now have a beautiful, calming and peaceful place where I spend my time painting and working. I look out my windows to see a small family farm with cows and sheep to the south, and I look west to see the hills and Marys Peak.

How have these elements affected you as an artist?
I have been exposed to art my entire life. I grew up with an artistic mother who encouraged drawing and coloring from a very early age. She had her paintings around the house, and enjoyed sharing the experience of creating artwork with her daughters. Both of my sisters are very creative.

I believe that everyone is very creative in different ways. It might manifest itself in cooking, gardening or creative thinking. I am a spatial, visual person and even my learning throughout school was influenced by this proclivity. The way that I view the world is spatial, noticing colors and patterns. We played a card game when I was young called “Concentration” where you lie the cards face down on the table and take turns trying to find pairs. I was very good at the game because I could remember the space or angle that the card was returned to on the table.

When did you first become interested in the arts? What mediums initially attracted you? What mediums do you work with now? Other materials or processes?
I started painting in watercolor, with supplies gifted to me by my mother. For many years it was my only medium, and I still have a soft spot for it. When I went to galleries, watercolor paintings were the only type of art that I liked. However, the more art I was exposed to, the greater my appreciation grew for all types of painting and artwork.

I began to love the vibrancy of pastels and for a brief time worked with soft pastels. I moved away from these because of their delicacy when it comes to framing, storing and shipping.

Ultimately, between my frustration with the cost and time needed to frame artwork, along with a gallery's persuasion to move away from artwork needing glass protection, I decided to work with acrylic on canvas.

Each medium has its benefits and drawbacks, but for now, I am very happy using acrylics.

How have you evolved as an artist?
Sometimes we cannot see our progress forward but it is occurring. I have often heard that the more that you know as an artist the more you realize how much you have to learn, to do and experience. This is so true. I have always been brave with my work and tried new things. Each of these steps has influenced where I am now and contributed in building a platform for the next step. I think that we all want to be a master quickly however it really does take a lifetime. That too is wonderful as we have the experiences that come with the effort, the joy, the good paintings and the flops.

What do you do if a work turns out differently than expected or you do not like how the piece is coming together?
Sometimes a piece doesn’t work because you cannot see the problem, or the solution. For me, the best way is to put the piece aside and come back to it with fresh eyes, or new knowledge. Sometimes this might be the next day, sometimes it might be several years.

I have also done an interesting project with a gifted artist and friend, Donna Beverly. We have each started a painting then swapped and continued working on the other’s painting. We continued doing this until we both deemed the painting was finished. It was a wonderful way to see solutions through another person’s eyes.

What are your inspirations?
I always start with drawing. I sketch every day, always carrying my sketchbook with me. I’ll draw people in cafes, airports, and restaurants, I’ll draw cars in parking lots or while I sit in a traffic jam. When I have my sketchbook with me, there is no wasted time, and always something to draw no matter where I am. Only recently have I started to take reference photographs, and even these I will sketch first, and then paint from my sketches.

With the sketch, I have already worked out what I liked about the scene, people or subject matter. I have worked out the composition and the value patterns. This simplifies the painting process as all I need to do is figure out the temperature and hues to use. I am free to play with the colors and figure out what excites me.

I have unending inspiration for paintings. Doing errands this morning I was walking down an alley and saw about five paintings that I wanted to do, and driving home I saw at least three. There is an unending amount of inspiration everywhere I turn.

Has being a member of Oregon Crafted helped you? How?
Absolutely. Because of the Oregon Crafted show with Opus 6ix, I was asked to be one of their artists and had a successful relationship with them for a couple of years. I have also taken some very good workshops helping me with the business side of selling my work.

What is your opinion of the current state of the arts?
This is an interesting question. Obviously there is not a lot of art education in public schools right now; however I really do find a lot to be praised. There are a lot of caring individuals and arts organizations that are trying very hard to bring visual arts, theatre, and music to children. For adults, when I moved here, I was amazed at the number of art classes available through the community colleges, private artists and other organizations. People are flocking to learn how to scrapbook, quilt, paint, play an instrument, and write. Many wonderful artists are willing to teach and it gives them another revenue stream. Oregon’s Percent for Art program has put art in public spaces and it is inspiring! Walking around Corvallis there is all sorts of sculpture that I love.

People love art, and many caring individuals are making a difference in getting it out there.

What are your plans for the future, either personally or as an artist?
One year ago I gave myself the "painting a day" project. The year is up and I painted 306 daily paintings. That is almost 6 per week!

One of the things I thought I would learn is how to paint more quickly, but this sadly didn't happen. I had the idea that I would whip up a small painting in an hour or two and have the rest of the day to work on larger and more complex pieces. Ha! What a fantasy.

That being said, I ordered 60 more small canvases to continue "daily paintings." I have scaled back to about four paintings a week so that I might have more time for larger works.

To see my progress of my daily paintings, go to my blog caroleeclark.workpress.com

6x6 Show a Huge Success

When we first began to develop the idea of a 6x6 fundraiser for Oregon Crafted, we wanted to provide the community with affordable art without asking the artists for a huge donation. We also wanted to get the community involved with the art community by not only purchasing art, but by creating and contributing art as well. We set a goal of 100 pieces and received more that 140. Not only did our member artists donate 6x6 pieces, local art students, art enthusiasts, crafters and creative community members created and donated pieces as well. The quality and diversity of the art we received was way beyond our expectations. In hanging the show, we were continually amazed and pleased with how fun and fashionable the show became and we began to realize what a bargain these pieces were at just $20 apiece. Some of the pieces by established artists have well over $100 invested just in materials, let alone labor and creative design. Others represent the priceless, varied, unique and sometimes quirky nature of Eugene and Willamette Valley residents - like the VW Bus, the beaded Willamette Valley Rain, or the sock monkey face. There truly is something for everyone at this show.

While most pieces sold during our opening reception on March 5th, a few gems still remain for sale and three prize pieces remain to be raffled. The show closes this Friday, April 2nd, and those who were lucky enough to purchase an art piece will be able to pick up the art then. The raffle drawing will be held the evening of April 2nd, during our closing reception. If you want to see what amazing artistic talent the Eugene area possesses, please stop by our gallery and view the show in its final week.

Thanks for helping keep art alive in our community.

Oregon Art was on display at the first annual Oregon Crafted Sampler Show and boy, did it look good. At least 1800 art lovers strolled the aisles, admiring and purchasing the stunning art on display. Many commented on the variety and quality of art as refreshing. Said one visitor, "I haven't seen a show with this degree of quality in town in a long time." Gallery representatives agreed. They were quite pleased with the quality of art and the convenience of having so many accomplished artists in one show. A number of our artists were commissioned to show their art in galleries around the state. Most artists experienced good sales too making the show an overall success. Artists and shoppers alike asked Oregon Crafted to host another show next year, some wanting us to host two a year. We'll get to work on next year's show very soon. Meanwhile, look for Oregon Crafted's new gallery store at 228 East 11th Avenue to open early 2010. A grand opening featuring a Six by Six Show of pieces by accomplished artists, amateurs, and community art lovers will be held during the First Friday Art Walk in February 2010. The 6x6 Show will run through March 5th.

Oregon Crafted is proud to present its first annual Oregon Crafted Sampler – A Fine Arts and Crafts Show, November 14th and 15th, 2009 at the Lane County Fairgrounds Auditorium. The show features over 50 artists that are participating members of Oregon Crafted, Eugene Glass Guild, Eugene Glass School, Guild of Eugene Metalsmiths (GEM), Clay Space, Local Clay and East Linn Artists (ELA). The Oregon Crafted Sampler will be held for one weekend only, and show hours are: Saturday, November 14th from 10 am – 6 pm, and Sunday, November 15th from 10 am – 5 pm. Admission is free with a suggested donation of canned goods for Food For Lane County. A variety of art mediums will be on display, including: glass, ceramics, jewelry, metal, wood, paintings, fiber, baskets, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and gourd art. Patti Lomont, Art Program Coordinator for Oregon Crafted, says, “Many of the exhibiting artists are in fine arts galleries around the country, and locally do not show their work very often. This is an excellent opportunity to see and purchase their work.” Come to the Oregon Crafted Sampler and help keep art alive by supporting local artists. For more information and a complete list of show artists, visit the Oregon Crafted website at www.oregoncrafted.org.

November brings lots and lots of rain to Oregon and forces many of us to seek indoor activities. As November also christens the winter holiday season, one indoor winter activity popular with many Oregonians is shopping. The winter gift-giving season creates a treasure hunt atmosphere for many of us looking for a special gift for a special someone.

Oregon attracts a multitude of fine artists, with its luscious landscapes and inspirational settings. These artists create uniquely Oregon pieces that can be the prize at the end of your treasure hunt. Whether its metal garden art, jewelry crafted wood, glass bowls, ceramics, textiles or paintings, Oregon Crafted can put you in touch with the treasure you seek.

The first annual Oregon Crafted Sampler show brings over 45 of these fine Oregon artists indoors under one roof to display and sell their works of art to the November shoppers. Instead of searching for that gift in national chain stores at the mall, you can find it at the Oregon Crafted Sampler show at the Lane County Fairgrounds Auditorium on November 14th and 15th. Not only will you by buying a locally-made unique hand-crafted gift instead of a mass-produced made out-of-town product, you will be supporting local Oregon artists. Give a special gift. Buy local!

FEATURED ARTIST: JUDITH SANDER

At the end of a gravel road and down a long country driveway lies Sage Art Studio, a quaint cottage at the edge of a meadow with great views of Mary's Peak. In this fun studio, chock full of bins stuffed with doodads, gadgets, buttons and fabric, Judith Sander creates unique dolls adorned with a variety of fabrics and jewelry giving each doll its own character. Sander also creates complicated intricate collages. Starting with a fun eclectic painting of a human figure, Sander adds layers of papers and fabrics (often stationery she's written on), various adornments, and other fine details to complete an exquisite multi-layered, multi-textured scene surrounding a human figure. She has been doing collages for the last six years and confesses her collages are intense work. The tranquil valley view from the studio windows helps counter the intensity. Having created dolls for many years before she even started collages, Sander finds the dolls "fun, easy and a breath of fresh air.." Indeed they are fun and every woman who sees one will want one. I am not surprised she creates such lovely works of art. She surrounds herself in an inspirational studio in a gorgeous setting that feeds her creativity. Check out Sander's collages, dolls and other artwork at www.judithsander.com .

FEATURED ARTIST: Carolee Clark

Oregon Crafted artist Carolee Clark has been painting all her life, full time since 1998. Clark focuses her acrylic paintings on landscapes and figures and uses bright colors to create bold beautiful images. Her hexagonal studio with its abundant windows optimizes a tremendous view of the Willamette Vally and neighboring farm and fuels her creative energy. This is evident in her dozens of 10x10 pieces she paints daily of random images. These dailies, along with her larger pieces, can be seen at www.caroleeclark.com. Clark currently has her works on display at Pegasus Gallery in Corvallis and The Pines Wine Tasting Room & Art Gallery in Hood River. You can also visit her studio during the upcoming Philomath Open Studios Tours, November 14 and 15, and again November 21 and 22, 2009.