art interview

Bridgette Mongeo : Digital Sculptor

by Deborah E on May 16, 2012

Wow, this talented lady is quite the "go getter!" Ms. Mongeo is not only a sculptor, but a lecturer/speaker, and a passionate marketer (to name a few)!

In this interview, she describes her daily process in detail and also describes the environment that she has created which is conducive to all of her skills (right down to taking her tea to her studio). So, read and get to know Ms. Mongeo, but also, be inspired (and maybe get some tips) to reach beyond the limits in your own creativity.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

Ever since I could pick up a crayon I wanted to be an artist. My first commission was the bulletin board in the hallway of my school, when I was in kindergarten.

I sculpted a few times in my life, an elephant in grade school, a bust of Christ that blew up in the kiln in high school. I was drawn to sculpture in my 20's. I started by sculpting on the beach in Boca Raton and then came home and taught myself. That was 30 years ago. Prior to that it was painting and pastels.

What was your first art creation?

I marveled at people at the fair who could draw someone. I seem to have always been drawn to the emotional involvement of portraiture. I have always said, "I see the world in the face of the elderly and the heavens in the face of a child" -Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon.

I found I could capture a likeness when I was about nine years old. It was a portrait of my sister. Before I started to sculpt portraits, I did watercolor portraits and also pastels.

What was your first memorable art piece?

I have been creating for so long and all of them have a special attachment to my heart.

Please describe "A Day in the Life of Bridgette Mongeo, Artist Extraordinaire."

My process really depends on what is due. I work a lot, but I love what I do and I have an art husband who works just as hard on his own stuff. So, we are not really high maintenance for each other. Besides sculpting, I'm also a writer. I am writing several books right now. My favorite time to write is in bed. I like to wake up thinking about my words and then reach over and get my laptop and write for either a designated amount of time or designated word count, usually 2,000 words. I'm very excited about my new book project about finding your creative self and I'm lecturing on that in a couple of weeks so that is taking up my time.

My studio is 40 feet from my home in a separate building. I have a pond and a stream that goes from the house to the studio. I absolutely love taking my tea out there in the morning and talking to my turtles.

Then it is either to the studio to sculpt, or up in the office to work on digital projects or marketing.

The studio

I can have several projects going at one time. If I'm working on a project that will take me a long time, I have a hard time focusing on it for long durations of time. I have taken to listening to audio books while I work. It keeps me engaged with the sculpture and I don't want to stop until... one more chapter is read.

A sculpture can be in various stages as well. I may be sculpting, or mold making, or cleaning waxes for the foundry process. All stages mean that I have to clean up from the previous stage. I also have interns that come into the studio. I love sharing my knowledge with up and coming artists. Taking on interns is a win, win situation.

The office

The office is where the business end happens, bookkeeping, and marketing. I spend as much time as I can, marketing my work. I'm rather obsessive about it. I also teach marketing in the arts to artists and art organizations. I have several blogs. My personal art blog and then each time I do a project I create a separate client blog. For example, erjcc.blogspot.com was created for the sculpture I am presently creating for the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center. Or the Prairie View Panther blog or the Richard Hathaway blog.

I like having blog about projects because it is like people are watching me in my studio. They become a part of the creative process.

Marketing happens in a variety of forms. Print, my blogs, twitter, linkedin, and Facebook, as well as other social media sites.

I also have a gift line.

Sometimes, during the day, I will help with shipping of the sculptures, and of course, from time to time, I get to create new pieces. Most of my fine art is done through commissions, which means they have a home before I ever begin. The God's Word Pieces are for myself.

Upstairs in the office is where I also create my podcsts. I got into this in 2008. I began a podcast with my mother and daughter. The podcast is called Generations. It was a way for us to connect. The sponsor was my God's Word Collectible sculptures. I create three podcasts a month on different subjects. Though it is a lot of work, I enjoy how it inspires me and it has made me some wonderful connections.

I also am very into digital technology in the traditional sculpture studio. I just finished up a master degree on that subject.

In the office I am using and learning new software to help me with this process. Here is a video that shows you how I do this.

So, besides creating in the studio, I also have to create presentations, get bids from my suppliers, and monitor artwork at the foundry and manufacturer. For a while I was creating some art and technology podcasts. I hope to get back to those.

I am lecturing on this and creating a symposium on 3D technology. I'm excited about this as I do want to write a book on the topic. I wrote Digital "Sculpting in Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques for Artists," but I really wanted this new book to be a resource for artists. It will feature artists who use new technology to realize artwork into a physical form. I will cover their work and their process.

I am really loving digital sculpture and the new technology. It is opening up so many doors for me.

Besides sculpting in Mudbox on the computer I am also working in zbrush.

What do you do with your art?

All of my fine artwork is commissioned-based. Clients call me, pay me, I create, send it home with them and go on to the next piece.

I seem to have always been drawn to the emotional involvement of portraiture...I like having blog about projects because it is like people are watching me in my studio. They become a part of the creative process.

What are your plans in the future?

I have several fun commissions I'm working on and have bids on right now. When I'm not sculpting, I'm writing and I'm thrilled about my writing projects. Many times the two cross over. For example, I'm working on a book called "Creative Living: How to nurture and find your creative self and business." It is about the tools I have found and used to get where I am today. I just completed a young adult novel about a young girl whose mother is a sculptor and sculpts deceased loved ones. There are many strange things that occur in their home. Yes, it is loosely based on real experiences.

I hope to travel and do more lecturing and workshops. So, if anyone is interested in having me come and speak on creativity, marketing in the arts, art and technology, give me a call.

The best way to keep in touch is to sign up for my newsletter. I'm sharing a lot of my free marketing articles, art opportunities, and other things through my newsletters.

In Ms. Mongeo's own words, from her website, "[I am] an artist, sculptor, writer, educator, public speaker, and wife and mom too. Ever since I could pick up a crayon I wanted to be an artist."
Connecting with Bridgette Mongeo.
Artist Website :	www.creativesculpture.com
Blog :	www.creativesculpture.com/blog
FB Page :	facebook.com/godswordinspires
FB Profile :	facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Twitter :	twitter.com/sculptorwriter

Are you an artist who would like to be featured? Contact me!

Until next time.
hugs,
Deborah
P.S. Have you hugged 5 times today?

Digital Sculpting with Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques for Artists Digital sculpting is the use of tools to push, pull, smooth, grab, pinch or otherwise manipulate a digital object as if it were made of a real-life substance such as clay. Mudbox is the premier sculpting solution for digital artists, allowing them to naturally and easily sculpt detailed, organic characters and models in a way that feels like traditional sculpting.

This book guides CG professionals through the process of creating amazing digital sculptures using the Mudbox arsenal of groun…
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Deborah E

Deborah E is a smooth and sultry summer night on Bourbon Street… Classy with a dash of sass… Proof that the jazz greats have not been sacrificed to processed pop. ladyD.info. For more information, including other blogs, visit her main site at deborah.info.

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Michael Bilotta : Expressive Reality

by Deborah E on May 9, 2012

Mr. Bilotta has done many things in life and still has many more things to do. He balances the day job with his creative design, constantly allowing those artistic creative juices to flow, in spite of momentary distractions of life.

Starting from the sketchings of a child to the music of his youth, to the creative genius that he has become, Mr. Bilotta is finished yet... so stay tuned... But, in the meantime, come read his own words describing his life of art.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

I came out of the womb with a need to create. I was drawing since I can remember. My earliest memories include pads of paper and and markers or crayon. The label "class artist" was attached to me pretty early on in grade school.

What was your first art creation?

The first medium was drawing/sketching, and later it became music and songwriting, and then photography. Since starting so early, and with the self-critical mind of an adult now, it is hard for me to call those early six year old drawings artistic creations, but I do remember one picture I did at six that, in retrospect, speaks a lot to how I do things now. It was a drawing of Clark Kent/Superman changing into his costume and dashing out his office window. It was very detailed for a six year old and I remember it took a long time to do. It showed the discarded suit, the glasses flung off, papers scattering in the rush of air of Superman taking flight. There was even a comb to change his hairstyle. It was fully colored. In other words, no white paper remained. Everything was filled in, wall color, and there was even an attempt to show the transparency of the glass of the windows. It lacked a good anatomical understanding of the human figure, like you would expect from a six year old, but the detail makes me laugh now when I think of it.

What was your first memorable art piece?

After getting bit by the pop music bug in the 80s, and following that fever all the way to music college, I emerged from that experience very differently than I expected. Music college is all about structure, and rules of harmony, and analyzing music on the molecular level, and it can really strip away passion and your original desire. It isn't always a bad thing, but I learned in college that it was not satisfying enough to "be in a band" or play guitar. I wanted to still be the artist, and that meant writing songs, and finding my singing voice. I came out of those four years a little confused as to what my voice was, what it was I wanted to say, but the songs did come, and in 1994, I finished my first full length album, 10 songs, that, while hard for me to listen to now, was nevertheless a thought-out, honest songwriting attempt. It was called "The Weather Prophet" and I played a lot of instruments on it, and sang it all, and wrote every note of it, so I was pretty proud of it.

Please describe "A Day in the Life of Michael Bilotta, Artist Extraordinaire."

One of the difficult things in my life is that my art never became my career, and so I always had to have the "day job" to sustain me. That takes its toll on art, on energy, and even hope, when you are spending so much time doing something you do not like. So for me, my creative process needs to be compartmentalized. I work full time Monday through Friday, and that leaves very little left when you get home to pour good energy and time into an artistic process. So, weekends are the time for DOING - for getting things shot, and assembled in Photoshop. The rest of the week I look for ways to get my work out there online, and look for props or models or even ideas for the weekends when I have time to devote to it. So the week is not lost time, I just learned to work on the necessary things that require less effort in time during the Monday through Friday period. I spend a lot of time thinking of what I want to do, and come the weekend, I have some concrete things lined up in my head. I don't think I take breaks from the creative process, and as I get older, I do not want to take breaks. I am creating, on some level, all the time and feel restless when I am not creating.

What do you do with your art?

I wanted to try to take whatever skill I have behind the camera and turn it into my small business, and quit the day job at last, Two things became evident: the photography market is totally saturated with both the talented and the novices all advertising themselves as photographers, so making a living doing it means a lot of hustling and low bidding, and doing, GASP, weddings, or as I call them, dreadings. I just didn't have an interest in it. So, I am focusing more on fine art photography these days, about once again "saying something" or expressing something and not just taking someone's photo. I try to get it out there as much as I can on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, my own website, and on Flickr and a European site called fotocommunity.com, as well as an online, curated gallery called 1x.com. I submit to photo contests, and this is all leading up to, hopefully, doing the art gallery showings circuit.

"My entire life has been an experiment with a variety of creative outlets and media. However, I think I am at heart a frustrated wanna-be painter! My first love was film and fantasy, and I used to draw/sketch and thought I would go into art/design." -Michael Bilotta

What are your plans in the future?

I plan on honing my voice in fine art photography, and tackle subjects and imagery that is important to me. I plan on amassing a body of work that I am proud enough to stand behind and that I will be able to brave rejections as I submit to galleries for showings. I would LOVE to do artwork for CDs and Book covers and movie posters.

Please visit Mr. Bilotta, at his links below, as well as fotocommunity.com. Mr. Bilotta has expressed that he welcomes friends requests.

In Mr. Bilotta's own words, from his website, "My entire life has been an experiment with a variety of creative outlets and media. However, I think I am at heart a frustrated wanna-be painter! I used to draw/sketch and thought I would go into art/design."
Connecting with Michael Bilotta.
Artist Website :	www.michaelbilotta.com
Gallery :	1x.com/#!/artist/148395
FB Page :	facebook.com/MichaelBilottaPhotography
Twitter :	twitter.com/ArcadiaImageDes
Fine Art America :	fineartamerica.com/profiles/michael-bilotta.html
Flickr :	flickr.com/photos/shibbopics/

Are you an artist who would like to be featured? Contact me!

Until next time.
hugs,
Deborah
P.S. Have you hugged 5 times today?

Deborah E

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Victoria Pendragon : Her Own Rules

by Deborah E on May 2, 2012

Ms. Pendragon marches to the beat of her own drum, creates her own path and follows it. I can appreciate her exploration of her art and her exploration of her life.

I couldn't help but chuckle when she mentioned the finger painting and still being able to smell the paint. Being a musician, rather than a painter, per se, fingerprinting is not something that comes to mind often, but I could actually smell it along with her! And, guess what, I had an urge to get my fingers in that paint and try it for myself!

Come, meet Ms. Victoria Pendragon...

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

I’ve been making art for as long as I can recall but it was my mother who was invested in the idea of me as an artist that brought me to become a professional. I have slides she took of my work when I was really small and she had me enrolled in Saturday classes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as soon as they’d let me in. I actually wanted to major in English in college when I graduated from high school (as an art major, naturally) but my mother convinced me that “writers don’t make any money and teaching is boring.” Writers don’t make any money, eh? Ah, well. Today I actually do both and have written four books, three of which I self-published, the last came out just this week, published by a "for-real" publisher. Later this year I’ll have my first sole artist show. A banner year for me! And, only 40 years after graduation! LOL.

What was your first art creation?

Finger painting! I can still smell the paint!

victoriapendragon_anothertimeanotherlove

What was your first memorable art piece?

I have three pieces that still carry a lot of feeling energy around them for me, two created as part of my college experience and one about two years later and all for very different reasons. One, a balsa wood and silk thread construction, which was just exquisite, was smashed to pieces when my books flew off the car seat and onto it in a sudden stop. I was devastated. Another was my senior masterwork which was just huge and absolutely outrageous, a 4' x 8’ wall of dyed pellon flowers that spilled out and screamed ME more than anything I’d done throughout the whole 5 years (I changed majors!). The other was my first sale, an old desk drawer that I’d transformed into a kind of cosmic metaphor for time passing. Sure do wish I had pictures!

Please describe "A Day in the Life of Victoria Pendragon, Artist Extraordinaire."

I do get up at dawn and watch the sunrise! Then I post my blog (I created a deck using collected snapshots and donated images), check Email, do yoga or pilates depending on which day of the week it is, have breakfast and spend the rest of the day alternating activities: creating art, writing, marketing, answering/sending Emails. The book I just had published is on a technique I invented. I have clients I work with utilizing that technique. It’s all done via Email. Not a lot, but usually a daily presence.

What do you do with your art?

I’m very choosy about the contests I enter because my work is out of the ordinary. I won’t waste my time just casting about. Most of the opportunities I submit to come from Professional Artist Magazine or Café.org.

Art and writing happen every day without fail. The nature of most of the art I create is such that there are a lot of natural break points in its creation – drying times, usually – and even though I usually have two or three pieces in the works, there’s always space for the writing. Creating art is usually wildly invigorating for me. Writing just hurts my brain after a while.

I belong to two online galleries and display on my site. I enter shows that seem appropriate which narrows down the field quite a bit as what I do is very non-traditional. I live in the middle of nowhere and belong to the three art organizations that are closest to me, each of which is very different from the others. My art has been very much embraced by two of them but the other kind of holds me at arm’s length. I particularly like going to that 3rd one just because I know my art makes them uneasy.

Every summer, in the nearby tourist town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, they have a recurring event called Art in the Park. I exhibit there regularly and at my community’s music festival. I also seek out yoga studios that are open to doing shows. I have a series I call Yogis & Yoginis that is a perfect fit for more non-traditional studios.

Most of my sales are commissions. Because the work is based on the energy of and between people, when people are drawn to my work, they often want it to be all about them! I would too!

My FaceBook page is all about my work. That’s why I’m there. I don’t have an ‘artist’ page, but, rather, I have a regular profile page. I love to interact!

Ms. Pendragon marches to the beat of her own drum, creates her own path and follows it. I can appreciate her exploration of her art and her exploration of her life.

What are your plans in the future?

Whenever possible I don’t make plans aside from "keepin’ on keepin’ on." I love what I do and I’ll do it 'til I can’t. I am lecturing at an event in Arkansas in July. The talk will be along the lines of personal transformation but I’ll have some of my art there too!

In Ms. Pendragon's own words, from her Facebook, "I write and make art based on my experience with life. I'm a kind of a hermit and as such very productive. I write regularly for magazines. My work is my life because my life is my work and I view all of it as one big party!"
Connecting with Victoria Pendragon.
FB Profile :	facebook.com/victoria.pendragon

Are you an artist who would like to be featured? Contact me!

Until next time.
hugs,
Deborah
P.S. Have you hugged 5 times today?

Deborah E

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Lu Robitaille : Aesthetic Appreciation

by Deborah E on April 25, 2012

Ms. Robitaille art is engaging and stimulates the senses. The color draws me in, but also is so natural that it does create a desire, within me, to visit the location... as if I can feel and breathe the air, just by viewing her paintings.

Her talents are not limited to painting, but she also has a very expressive way of writing, complimentary to her fine art talent. Come, join with me, and breathe the air of the Georgia Bay as you view this beautiful artwork by Ms. Robitaille.

Hey, I'm looking forward to that coffee table book and biography!

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

As a child, I would sit on a stool for what seemed like hours watching a family friend painting landscapes. It was like watching a movie or reading a book.

My passion and love for Georgian Bay has spiralled from childhood. I couldn’t get enough of it. I married a great man who was raised in the wilderness shores of its 30,000 islands. Together we drew the best from one another. While living in the quiet solitude of Tadenac bay that very dear old friend made his last expedition to our home at the Tadenac Fishing Club. He had given me one lesson before his passing and I, too, was hooked. My professional career began following our move to mainland. It was then, I truly realized the impact this vast, rugged, untouched diamond in the rust, had had on me. I, in turn, became the instrument in the big plan to share the story of the land, via my homespun music, visual landscape art, and poetry.

What was your first art creation?

Our family spent summer months at our cottage. I was the tomboy eager to discover hidden places with my two brothers. At 10 years old I found a cool piece of driftwood, sanded it and created a centre piece.

What was your first memorable art piece?

The art piece that brought me the most exposure was titled, "Spirit of the Bay." That piece of art attracted the attention of a sweet gentleman who belonged to a private club known as the Iron City Club. I was flattered to be invited to do a private show and even more so, to have sold the entire collection, save three.

Please describe "A Day in the Life of Lu Robitaille, Artist Extraordinaire."

In the wee hours of the morning, I wake with this incredible energy to write and create. It’s almost surreal because I know it takes a set of hands to create, but on the other hand, I undoubtedly know it’s a higher, more gracious power, that plants the seeds. I’m just the lucky recipient.

When not at shows in July and August, I spend many days on our boat, Spirit of the Bay. Much of the field work is done in the early hours of the morning and in late afternoon until dark. I kayak a lot and find mornings enlightening with a mood difficult to explain. The evening sun creates warm colours I often use in my work.

By summers end I have a pretty good collection of fresh and exiting photographs to study in preparation for commissions, private art shows and sometimes competitions. Once the boats are put up for the winter I begin to create and paint promised works and prepare for the Christmas season. Our winter light is short but after Christmas the days get longer, giving me the natural light needed to paint. Evenings bring hours of paper work, networking, marketing and framing. My framing studio allows me the opportunity to put, shall I say, the icing on the cake.

I love to sit and paint so much so that I don’t hear the phone, the door bell. I burn a lot of potatoes that way, too! Hey, I’m in a world of my own. What else can I say?!

What do you do with your art?

My work takes me to about a dozen shows a year. I prefer private shows. I have my own home studio to showcase some work I do.

At the moment I am working on a new marketing project. I just completed a large number of decorative prints for a local motel known as the Midland Inn and Suites. I will be showcasing my work in their lounge and dining room and will be acting as their guest artist mingling with clients as a keynote speaker. I have 101 reasons why folks will want to return to Huronia and the gateway to our beautiful Georgian Bay. I also show and network with a great bed and breakfast known as "Tucked Inn the Harbour," The Township of Georgian Bay, and Wye Heritage Marine Resort and Art on the Hill.

What are your plans in the future?

Over the years, I’ve collected a number of my poems that compliment some of my paintings. I have considered doing a coffee table book of my art and poetry combined. Although I have been approached to do a biography, I feel the timing isn’t quite right. I have a few more years to learn, grow, create, and help more people before I share the story of life as an artist on Georgian Bay.

In Ms. Robitaille's own words, from his main, "A lifetime spent on the bay and "up the shore' has served as Lu's inspiration. Even as a little girl Lu noticed nature. She was inspired by the beauty of the Bay, its spirits, its stories, its spectacular scenery. "
Connecting with Lu Robitaille.
Artist Website :	www.lurobitailleartist.com
FB Page :	facebook.com/pages/Lu-Robitaille-Studio/248346281927640
LinkedIn :	linkedin.com/pub/lu-robitaille/31/194/86a

Are you an artist who would like to be featured? Contact me!

Until next time.
hugs,
Deborah
P.S. Have you hugged 5 times today?

Deborah E

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Nina Weiss : Diligent and Disciplined

by Deborah E on April 18, 2012

Ms. Weiss is quite the artist and teacher and all around art entrepreneur and motivational, inspiring woman. What I realized, in this interview, is how diligent and disciplined she is. That does not detract from the beauty of her art, but rather enhances it, as she exercises, in the same way that an athlete would, for a big game. She does not site back and wait for it to happen, but rather disciplines herself to take the steps to allow it to flow through her, and then, in turn to teach her students what she has learned in life, and in art.

As a musician, I am inspired to ensure that I don't just "wait for it to happen," but work at my craft, my music.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

I decided at a very young age. My first formal art lessons began when I was eleven and continued on until graduate school.

What was your first art creation?

I remember drawing murals on the floor in crayon with my dad. He would bring home rolls of paper from the medical center where he worked.

What was your first memorable art piece?

One of my drawings was published in Manhanttan’s "Art Students League" when I was thirteen.

Please describe "A Day in the Life of Nina Weiss, Artist Extraordinaire."

I have always been very disciplined about my studio time. If I’m not teaching that day, I will be in the studio from about 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. I used to get an earlier start, but now I go to the gym first. I consider art my “work,” so I can’t always wait for inspiration to strike. I find the best way to approach this kind of sustained creativity is to have a schedule.

What do you do with your art?

I have been represented by galleries for about thirty years. I also work with art consultants, designers, and private collectors. My work also has a good online presence. I have my own website, ninaweiss.com, and a teaching website, artendeavors.com. I am also on several other websites, such as Fine Art America (where people can order prints), Chicago Art Leasing, Chicago Artist Coalition, and others.

"My work draws the viewer into a heightened vision of gesture and hue, depicting nature with colors that are intense, lush, and dramatic. The work goes beyond traditional ideas of a green landscape. I tease out the complex colors of nature, creating layers of contrast, line, and form."

What are your plans in the future?

My work is represented by the Illinois Artisan Program. I currently have a show up at the Illinois Galleries & Museum, at Rend Lake. I just finished a new series of drawing for the Illinois State Gallery at the J.R. Thompson Center, Chicago. I also just finished a wonderful project consulting for the Prismacolor company, helping to design a new product for which I also did the cover art. I shot an instructional landscape drawing DVD for Prismacolor that was included as a bonus in tins of colored pencils. The DVD is now on my website and YouTube. My work is featured in their new watercolor pencil brochure. I just finished the playing card representing the state of Illinois for a new National Playing card deck by the company “Art in Hand,” soon to be available in retail stores. My work is featured in a book coming out this Spring, called, “100 Artists of the Midwest,” by Ashley Rooney. I will be returning to Italy this time for my ninth year with my students on the "European Landscape Drawing & Painting Workshops" with Nina Weiss.

In Ms. Weiss's own words, from her main, "My work draws the viewer into a heightened vision of gesture and hue, depicting nature with colors that are intense, lush, and dramatic. The work goes beyond traditional ideas of a green landscape. I tease out the complex colors of nature, creating layers of contrast, line, and form."
Connecting with Nina Weiss.
Artist Website :	www.ninaweiss.com
FB Page :	facebook.com/pages/Nina-Weiss-Landscape-Painter/215697508490300
FB Profile :	facebook.com/profile.php?id=592172613
Twitter :	twitter.com/NinaDWeiss
LinkedIn :	linkedin.com/profile/view?id=20247245