Many thanks, Donna, for taking the time to answer these interview questions!

"Uptown Girls", 10"x10", copyright Donna Zagotta

1. What is the best thing about being an artist who teaches? The worst thing?

Being an artist who teaches and writes compels me to identify and clarify ideas and issues that I believe are important in creating art. Secondly, having to find clear and concise ways to communicate those ideas and issues to others helps me better understand myself and my work. 

On the negative side is traveling – which these days is less fun for me than it used to be, and the time that teaching and writing take away from my painting – which is considerable. 

2. Your studio looks amazingly organized and user friendly. Do you have any tips on how to organize one’s studio?

My best advice is to have a home for everything that you bring into the studio. I learned that lesson years ago when I painted in our basement and had no organized system – just piles of stuff everywhere. There were so many times when I would be in the middle of a huge watercolor wash and would need something unexpectedly. The frantic search for it was not a very fun or pleasant experience. My goal these days is to be able to find anything and everything in my studio within a few minutes.

3. Does your environment influence your painting? How?

I am very affected by my environment. I like open spaces and a calm, relaxed, and “pretty” environment. Dust and dirt don’t bother me too much – clutter bothers me a lot! 

4. What is the best part of working in your studio?

That it’s adjacent to the rest of the rooms in the main level of our house. I paint in what used to be our living room, which is next to the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and family room. With the kids are gone and with my very supportive husband’s blessings, I now consider the whole main level of our house as “my studio.”

5. You mention your father’s untimely death as one impetus for you to begin taking your art more seriously. Are there other events that have influenced your artwork? How?

• Teaching has greatly influenced my art, for the reasons I mentioned previously. Being invited to teach at a university in the early 1990’s really forced me to get my p’s and q’s together – literally! I always say that I learn more in my classes than anyone else.
•  Being juried into and receiving awards in the top national watercolor shows has been a great help in building confidence in myself and in my work.
• Studying art history and connecting my art to the historical art movements that appeal to me have played  very important roles in my artistic growth.    
• Paying attention to why I’m attracted to certain subjects and finding my connection to them has given me the opportunity to know myself better.  

6. If you could summarize one idea or feeling that you hope all your paintings would portray, what would it be?

 Life is beautiful!

 7. What kinds of support or inspiration do you gather from other artists? How does this influence your work?

 I have been influenced by many artists. Learning what ignites another artist’s passion shows me more about what my art can be. I have been able to bring many new ideas to my art that I don’t think would have occurred to me otherwise by studying the work I love done by other artists.

 8. When you purchase art, what types of work do you choose?  

 I really like to look at art that says as much about the artist who created it as it does about the subject that inspired it.   

9. What other interests do you have? Do they contribute or take away from your art?

I used to play the piano and the organ, and I used to  sew, crochet, and do all sorts of crafts.  When I decided to pursue watercolor seriously, I decided to give up most of my other hobby-type of activities. I wanted to focus all my energy and attention on painting. I didn’t want to be a “jack of all trades and master of none” – I wanted to master watercolor. That’s also the reason that I don’t paint in other mediums – oils, acrylics, pastels, etc. I am glad that I made that decision some 25 or so years ago, as the more I learn, the more I see there is to learn. It will take a whole lifetime just to scratch the surface of mastery.  

10. Do you foresee any changes in your work in the next few years? 

I don’t see any large changes happening. I love the direction of my current work – my hope is to make it more creative and more authentically my own.  

11. What does your art mean to you?

My art means everything to me. It has given my life a central focal point, an ever evolving passionate obsession, a place to find and express my personal voice, and new and exciting challenges to meet with every painting I begin. I am very grateful to have a grand, passionate pursuit in my life!   

I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing Memorial Day and taking time to remember family, friends and those who serve our country in the Armed Forces.

I can’t believe time has gotten away from me for so long. It’s been three weeks since I posted! I’m torn  between trying to catch up in one long post, or dividing this post into shorter, topic specific posts. I guess that would probably be the best way.

The past three weeks have been spent: Painting at a workshop with Skip Lawrence in Santa Barbara, babysitting my 3-yr. old godson for 3 days, visiting my oldest daughter at OSU, spending some down time with a doozy of a cold, and working in  the garden. Spring has sprung and I’m so happy to be getting things accomplished!

I loved every minute of painting in Santa Barbara last month. Some of my paintings were successful and others weren’t, and that is a good thing. I think that if all of them were successful, I wouldn’t have been pushing myself. It was great to have a whole week to just focus on painting and nothing else. It is amazing what that can do for your creativity and confidence.

I wonder when people see my work at a show or gallery if they realize that its always a struggle to make time to paint. I wonder if they realize that Pollyanna doesn’t always sit in the room with me saying how wonderful each work is. Doubts creep in, rejections are recalled, the laundry needs to be done, the weeds are sprouting, the darned phone starts to ring just as you pick up a brush.

One of the women in our class invited the whole group to her beautiful home in Montecito for a potluck dinner on Thursday night. One of the highlights for me (aside from the stunning views and gorgeous art collection) was visiting her studio. I love to see where artists work. I wish I had snapped some photos of the actual space (but it was full of artists!) One thing I did bring home as a souvenir though, was a list she had taped to her easel.

NOTES TO MYSELF ON STARTING A PAINTING

(RICHARD DIEBENKORN) 

-ATTEMPT WHAT IS NOT CERTAIN – CERTAINTY MAY OR MAY NOT COME LATER. IT MAY BE A VALUABLE DELUSION. 

-THE PRETTY, INITIAL POSITION WHICH FALLS SHORT OF COMPLETENESS IS NOT TO BE VALUED – EXCEPT AS STIMULUS FOR FURTHER MOVES. 

-DO SEARCH, BUT IN ORDER TO FIND OTHER THAN WHAT IS SEARCHED FOR. 

-USE AND RESPOND TO THE INITIAL FRESH QUALITIES BUT CONSIDER THEM ABSOLUTELY EXPENDABLE. 

-DON’T ‘DISCOVER’ A SUBJECT – OF ANY KIND. 

-SOMEHOW, DON’T BE BORED – BUT IF YOU MUST, USE IT IN ACTION. USE ITS DESTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL. 

-MISTAKES CAN’T BE ERASED BUT THEY MOVE YOUR FROM YOUR PRESENT POSITION. 

-KEEP THINKING ABOUT POLLYANNA. 

-TOLERATE CHAOS. 

-BE CAREFUL ONLY IN A PERVERSE WAY.

I giggle to think of the illustrious Richard Diebenkorn trying to channel Pollyanna while painting. Reminding himself to keep a positive attitude… let it flow. I think there are enough grains of wisdom in that quote to expand into several posts.

In our class, there was one woman who had never picked up a paintbrush before. She is a successful physician and signed up in the hope of learning to paint before taking an extended trip around the world. She had admired the work of another artist who studied with Skip and recommended him as a teacher. 

As experienced artists know, it takes much more than a week to learn to paint. But her enthusiasm and naivety allowed her to create something quite wonderful on the first day. On subsequent days, her critical mind got in the way and she was less successful. It was an interesting phenomenon to watch… Pollyanna was helping her on the first day! Once you’ve been painting for quite a while, it’s harder to get Pollyanna to stick around to watch but if you could tie her up in the studio, telling you things like wow! great job! that’s beautiful!, etc. it just might help.

The sun is shining & I’ve GOT to get out in the garden! Next post I’ll share some of the work I did in class. I’m quite pleased with some of them. Do you paint near Pollyanna? I’d be interested to hear your perspective.

It all started with the orchids

It has been such a wet week here in Oregon! We had a good start on redoing our yard over the spring break holiday: large trees and stumps came out, we moved huge boulders from the pasture to the hillside for a future terrace, the greenhouse was delivered, we prepared the site, got dump-truck loads of gravel delivered… and then everything stopped.

Cherry blossoms at the bottom of the pasture

I am becoming well-attuned to the subtle variations of morning fog… one type of light promises clearing later in the day, but this week’s has portended steady gloom, wind and storms all day. My baby chicks are chilled in their coop in the barn, when last week they were out enjoying the sun.

Native Dogwood outside my kitchen window

I’ve felt the flush of excitement over our new accomplishments contrasted with the frustration of being cooped up and stalled by weather in wild swinging moods. I see why it’s called spring fever. I got out today to see my friend Sue’s baby goats… a few may come to live with us in a month or so!  Then I spent an hour or so at a friend’s nursery picking out plants, much to the detriment of my wallet. We’ve been watching eagerly for new fawns from our resident deer, but so far haven’t seen any.

I have a project to do inside, thankfully. I’m painting my daughter’s bedroom the most beautiful shade of robin’s egg blue! I custom mixed the color. I couldn’t find the right blue… one was too cool, the other too warm. So I mixed the two gallons together Voila! I’ll try to post pictures when the room is finished.

"Forest Song" Watercolor on Yupo

 This is the last week to view my solo show at the Riversea Gallery in Astoria. If you can’t get there this month, they always have my work up… it’s just nice to see them all spread out in a large room together! Thanks Jeanine and Terrie for making the show look so great

Also, if you’ve been thinking of signing up for one of my classes, check out my new listing on TeachStreet. You can sign up for the whole six weeks, or just a few.  The class will focus on color, and it runs May 20, 2010 – June 24, 2010
Weekly on Thursdays from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.  I’d love to know if you’re thinking of coming though… so drop me a line! Or, you can sign up & pay on the Teachstreet website… easy-peasy! I’m including one more image from my show at Riversea below… a nurturing one!

'Forest Whispers' Watercolor & Gouache 22"x15"

Creative work makes me happy, but the subsequent pauses for rest are all the more painful, for then one begins to think things over. – Hugo Wolf, Composer

"Gathering" Watercolor on Yupo 25"x25"

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted! Tomorrow will be my opening reception at Riversea Gallery, and I’m both looking forward to seeing the work hung, and aprehensive. It is always a jittery feeling wondering how the paintings will all look together, whether any will sell, whether anyone else will like them.

When I delivered the paintings on Wednesday I was very excited by the feeling of accomplishment. It has been a good month getting so much work done, and seeing their positive response was gratifying. But now, on the eve of the reception, I start to have doubts. Thank goodness for the steadfast few of my friends who have promised to be there to ease my jitters!

There is so much to be said for making a public declaration. Once it’s out there, it really motivates a person to follow through! I recently sent an email newsletter to my email contact list. If you’d like to join, you’ll find a button on the sidebar to sign up! The newsletter has resulted in a few small sales (Thank You!) and a bit more productivity for me. I publicly stated that I’d be listing a few unframed originals on my Etsy site, and now I’ve done so! Also, if you haven’t checked out the new class listing on TeachStreet, be sure to do that. I’m trying to make it really easy to sign up!

Have a great Weekend

I’ve been really focusing on my studio habit this month in preparation for my show at Riversea Gallery next month. This means I have to say no to more social things, be really focused on routines and habits, and be really efficient in my household tasks. A lot of support from my husband helps too!

I’ve noticed that the search for new inspirations has really opened me up to trying to pick up other habits too. Spring is a great time to do this! We seem to have increased energy, the light lasts longer, and I can feel new things shooting up everywhere.

One of the new things happening for me is the advent of more landscape influence in my work. I wrote that I had felt this coming on in this post…way back in August. I had such a positive response to the landscape painting I did for The Whistling Season show for Lake Oswego Reads, and it was so much fun to do too…. The painting even sold at the show! Maybe the recent press in The Oregonian was an influence there… In the actual newspaper my image was featured. I always wonder who the purchaser is. If you are an artist, does this make you curious too?

Meeting Ivan Doig was a huge inspiration. He was a brilliant speaker, easy to talk to at our exhibit and had wonderful things to say about the creative process. When someone asked me how I got such color into my landscape, he quipped: “Just tell them the same thing I do: you used your imagination!” Another thing Doig said that has stuck with me was a quote from Vladimir Nabokov about writing: “The writer must use the PASSION of a scientist and the PRECISION of an artist.”  By this he meant that to be creative, you must be a passionate explorer… one who is always asking ‘what if’? But you must also be able to find the perfect balance of imagination and reality… be the artist who can fool us into believing that the illusion before us is real.

I had a nice compliment this week from someone who bought a print on ETSY… she said my painting made her think she WAS the girl in the yellow dress at the flower market. That is always my clue to when a painting is finished… I can forget about the details and feel myself in the painting. Here is a new one… I am walking the dog It has undergone a few minor changes since I photographed it, but it is near completion at this stage. Look for the differences when/if you see it in person. After I get the show together, I will be rephotographing things and updating my website (finally!) I also plan to list a new class here in my home studio. It will be Thursday mornings, starting in mid-May. More details to follow

Winter Evening Walk, Watercolor on Yupo

 I will leave you with part of an inspiring, motivating poem by Mary Anne Radmacher  (used with permission) that I have hanging in my studio to remind me to work hard:

Be avid,

Create apart from perfection. Risk failure. Cover your words with sweat. Run a little.

My favorite part is “cover your words with sweat.” That’s what I’ve been trying to do lately….

1. Move the kids back to college
2. Move us to our new home (hopefully)
3. Display my work at the West Linn Arts Festival September 12 & 13 (don’t forget my postcard offer!)
4. Teach 2 workshops this fall
5. Put our current house on the market

I’m very excited about the two art workshops coming up in October.

I will be teaching “Creating Your Artistic Identity” Thurs. – Sat. October 15, 16 & 17 at the Village Gallery of Arts on Cornell at Barnes Rd. in Portland.  This class was so popular last time I offered it that I had to add another session. I’m hoping for the same response and looking forward to teaching there again. To sign up, phone Village Gallery at 503-644-8001.

I’m also offering a new class “Focus on Color”  at the Rogue Gallery in Medford for the first time, October 24 & 25. It is a shorter workshop, and it should be a fun chance to just focus on my favorite design element! Thanks to my friend and former student, Pamela Ourshalamian, for suggesting that I hit the road for southern Oregon. To register for this fun weekend workshop, phone the gallery at 541-772-8118.

If you are wondering if either of these classes is for you, leave me a comment or question on the blog. Id’ be happy to answer any questions you might have. The complete course descriptions, costs, hours, etc. are listed on my Teach Street page here.

Happy Painting!

Each of us has a spark of life inside us, and we must set off that spark in one another.      -Kenny Ausubel

And every time the Blazers score over 100 points in a game, the entire arena is rewarded with coupons for free chalupas when they exit.!!

Now I’m not a fan of chalupas, and I like the Blazers, but my day is not crushed if they don’t score 100 points. It is mystifying to me the hype & excitement created when one ‘good’ thing results in another ‘good’ thing…. I WON a free chalupa! So I went the next day at lunch & ate the chalupa…. and the next day my husband had left his chalupa certificate on the desk, and I didn’t want to make a sandwich, so I drove to Taco Bell & ate another one!

There must be a way to create this kind of hype surrounding artwork.

I recently decided to offer a 3-day class at the Village Gallery of Arts in Portland, and an angelic woman named Liz did the hype for me! She signed up and got everyone else excited to sign up too. I couldn’t believe it. Now, with her help, I have enough for the original class, with 6 on the list for another class, which I just listed today! I’m looking forward to being there in May. To find out more about the classes, you can see my listing on TeachStreet for a full description, or call the Village Gallery  to sign up at 503-644-8001.

A Bird does not sing because it has an answer — it sings because it has a song. — Proverb

I spent the afternoon in my studio, puttering, trying to find my song. I’ve been quiet artistically for so long, I can’t quite remember where I left it. I started out today with just a little humming…. Nothing impressive. I could not for the life of me get an idea for a painting, try though I might to look through old paintings, sketch books, photos, etc.

I decided to finish up another of my ‘assignments’… this one is an apron that I agreed to decorate. It will be in an auction to benefit Creative Arts Community, the group that sponsors workshops at Menucha retreat each summer. I wanted to do something with a butterfly. I’ve been attracted to that image since seeing ‘Spring Awakening’ this fall. It was one of the set decorations that affected me strongly. Loved the musical, if you ever get a chance to see it….. Such beautiful music! I wasn’t prepared for it to be so beautiful.

Then I worked on some tiny little blocks of wood in acrylic.  I don’t usually paint in acrylic, but this seemed like the thing to do today… start small. They are just little doodles in color really. But it is a start. I’m hoping that tomorrow I will be all warmed up and ready to go after I get done at the physical therapist’s.

If not, I have one more ‘assignment’ to do before I jump into my own work. I agreed to participate in a show called “Perceptions of the Past” in Southern Oregon. I have to read a description of an historic photograph from a collection and make a painting responding to or interpreting it. I don’t get to see the photo. I think my photo must be of a native american child and her family from the description. When painting my wood blocks today I had something emerge that might work. I’m going to let it cook for a while longer, possibly do some sketches, etc.

So…. here we go again! I had a great time! Thank you to those who took the class, and a special shout out to Jacqueline ( my assistant) and Cindy (my generous hostess). It was so nice, after the treacherous drive over the mountains, to be welcomed into Cindy & her husband Vaughan’s beautiful home. I had the most plush accomodations and we discovered that we had a lot in common! Here is a snapshot of the view from my balcony (I felt like Juliet!)

My students worked so diligently, they got through 5 days of material in just 3 (THREE!) days. I was so proud of their accomplishments… I just have to share:

Sarah & her Golfing Series

Golfers taking on new Shapes!

Jacqueline & her Cool Chicks

Gayle & her Tahitian Bather

Cindy Painted such beautiful images of her Daughter

Gail came all the way from Vancouver, WA & did this great Line Painting

Helen Found out she is in Love with Pattern!

I don’t know what happened to my images of Jennifer’s work! She was the best example in the class…. a person who had not painted more than 3 times, and she came up with some fabulous paintings! I hope she will continue… I think she made some good contacts for local classes. And I didn’t seem to get any of Lisa’s work It is always so rushed at the end of class… I should work on taking more pictures through the week.

If you were in the class, I would love it if you could post a review on Teach Street (Please?)…. here

On a more personal note: My mom is doing well after her lumpectomy on Thursday. She came home that day, and didn’t even need to take any pain medication. I spent the night with her that night, changing ice packs, etc. Now we just have to wait for the pathology reports to come back on whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. I was shocked at how large the mass was that they removed!

Our son Tim came home from college this weekend… It was fun to see him, and very helpful to have him home. He cleaned the gutters, raked leaves, etc. Marc has been out of commission all weekend with his disc problem in his neck. He had a steroid injection on Friday (I’ve spent a lot of time in Dr’s offices lately!) He was to stay quiet all weekend, which was difficult with the side effects from the steroids… hot flashes, irritability, restlessness. Poor guy. At least we got to watch a great Football game with the Beavers playing Cal! Go Beavers! I’m getting excited for the OSU/UofO game coming up! We have tickets & can’t wait!

Today I’m framing work to take to Riversea Gallery in Astoria. I started this project before I left… but got held up with preparations for the work I have at MirrorPond Gallery in Bend. Sadly this will be one of their last months of operation as a gallery… something about tax status… So if you are in the area, check out the National Watercolor & Pastel show that I juried and my work hanging there!

OK… I think that just about sums up my last couple of weeks! I’ll be trying to update more regularly in the next couple of weeks….

Ruth

Menucha, originally uploaded by Artistruth.

Wow! I have a lot to catch up on!

I had a great week teaching at Menucha for Creative Arts Community. The photo above is from my last early morning walk. I had 8 eager students who painted their hearts out all week.

It was great to connect with all the annual attendees, students and teachers alike. I’m posting just a few photos from a week filled to bursting with creativity and shenanigans. I wish I had taken more… the sunsets were spectacular with views of the Columbia River Gorge to the east & west.

There are also a colony of Vaux’s Swifts for evening entertainment (very hard to photograph). I also caught the tail end of a gorgeous classical quartet on my final night. I was the only secret audience, lurking outside the greenhouse door!

Enjoy the pics….

View from the Womens Forum on my Morning Walk

Columbia River Gorge

Leanne's Shoe Art

Mary and her paintings

Christine's Paintings of the Gorge

 

Trudy on Bingo Night!

Sorry I could not get a good photo of Melinda T. the Bingo QUEEN!

Fountain at Menucha