Artist Interview With Deborah McLaren

Today’s Artist Interview Is With Deborah McLaren From Transfer, Pennsylvania.

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?
Deborah: All my life.

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.
Deborah: Those memories go back to around age 4, I remember trying to make some kind of art out of what I found in my Dad’s toolbox, and then there’s the mandatory art on walls with crayons, which wasn’t well received. But I remember drawing as far back as I could pick up a pencil or crayon.

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?
Deborah: Sadly, no. It is one of my goals in life. I’ve come close to being able to, such as 2001, I was doing really well with art sales until 9-11 happened and the bottom fell out. But I believe the economy is slowing coming back and it is within the realm of possibility.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?
Deborah: Depends on what’s going on at the time, it could be anywhere between 2-10 hours per day. I do well with deadlines, and when I have an exhibition scheduled, or I’ve been inspired to so something unique, I can crank it out and my creativity is at it’s highest, as well as production.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?
Deborah: Well, I gravitate toward certain things, and I do not have one or two things I do exclusively, like canvas paintings. I just create and let that lead my way. I started out in oils, but the speed with which I can work with acrylics makes it an awesome medium for some of the things I do. I like to keep many projects going at one time to keep up my momentum. If I come to an impasse on one thing, or if I’m waiting for paint to dry, I have other projects to work on to keep me inspired. I hate to work on one thing start to finish, it’s too final, and interrupts the flow of creativity. So, I leave my creative medium options pretty open.

Whopple: What are your inspirations?
Deborah: I love reading artist biographies, (The Agony and the Ecstasy) (Letters to Theo) and watching artist biography movies (Girl with the Pearl Earring) (Frida). I love those and they inspire me, also reassuring me that I’m okay too.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?
Deborah: I love to go to art museums and look at the art. I also love student art shows, they are so refreshing and creative. I guess I just like to look at other artists’ work, not only for inspiration, but ideas as well. I also go through my sketch books where I’ve recorded some ideas for paintings, and done drawings of places I’ve been. I also like to go into nature and completely relax. Sitting in a canoe on a quiet river definitely recharges the batteries.

Whopple: What was your first job?
Deborah: My first job ever was babysitting, then when I became 16 I went to work at W.T. Grant Co., as a cashier. My first ART job was when I was 16 and painted a stock car for a friend’s Dad. But each time I sell a piece of art is exciting for me.

Whopple: What are your favorite snacks when you are creating?
Deborah: Fruit, definitely fruit is my favorite snack, something like frozen green grapes is awesome, and tea, hot in winter and iced in summer. Sometimes iced coffee.

Whopple: What gives you hope in the world?
Deborah: When I see the good in people come through. I think people in general are beat down and struggling with their own problems, but when a disaster occurs, large or small, people come out to help no matter what. That’s when I see hope.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?
Deborah: Oh, where do I start? I want to be able to do my art full time as my “job” and support myself on it. I would love to have a large airy studio and I wish I could travel more. Bottom line is I guess I w
ish I were independently wealthy so I would be free to create.

Whopple: What are your artistic goals?
Deborah: To develop as an artist wherever that might take me, but to be able to support myself as an artist.

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?
Deborah: I think THE most exciting moment was when I illustrated a childrens book. The story behind that was serendipitous, and everything just fell into place perfectly. I have a tendency to leave my business cards wherever I see a bulletin board and tack, and the author had taken it off a bulletin board in my chiropractor’s office, of all places, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in doing the project, so we met, discussed, and I did all the art for the book, which was accepted by the publisher with only minor changes and the book got published in 2005. That was very exciting, and still is, but I get the same rush every time I sell a piece of art, so I guess the answer is, besides the book, the most exciting moment is when someone pays for a piece of my creativity. I also have my art on soap labels for a soap company in Taos, New Mexico.
To See More Of Deborah McLaren’s Artwork Please Visit The Following:

http://www.deborahmclaren.vpweb.com/