Artist Interview With Jan Weiss

Today’s Artist Interview Is With Jan Weiss From Martinez, California

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?
Jan: All my life. I remember getting drawing books when I was 7 for Christmas. My parents noticed right away that I was artistically inclined.

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.
Jan: I painted images of Lake Tahoe from family photographs. It was (and still is) my favorite place in the world. I tried to paint the beaches and the trees and the snow capped mountains. I also drew horses a lot. (like most little girls). Once when I was in the 4th grade I created a Japanese scroll for a project.

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?
Jan: Yes. I have been in art publishing for 15 years and in the last year I struck out on my own independently.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?
Jan: I only create actual art a few hours a day. The rest of the time is writing about art, about other artists and working on my web sites marketing my work.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?
Jan: I fell in love with the art of mixed media many years ago and I tend to get inspired by art I see in galleries and I like to create new pieces from the inspiration I see from others works. I like mixing traditional and contemporary images on the same substrate. Like an old postcard with
a pencil drawing and a painting over that.

Whopple: What are your inspirations?
Jan: Natural textures inspire me. The gritty textures of urban life inspire me like torn advertisements tacked onto poles, graffiti, walls painted many times over so that cracks and textures underneath show through. Cultures all mixed up in big cities so that they overlap.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?
Jan: I step back for a few weeks and then I go through my favorite artists web sites. Sometimes I will visit a gallery and that helps. But often you just need to walk away.

Whopple: What was your first job?
Jan: I worked at a movie theater in high school. It was great; free popcorn and movies.

Whopple: What are your favorite snacks when you are creating?
Jan: I like dried apricots with cranberries and white chocolate chips. I don’t eat much when I am creating though…but coffee around 3:00 is a must.

Whopple: What gives you hope in the world?
Jan: Smart people who pay attention to facts and don’t act entirely on emotion.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?
Jan: I wish I could go to the Oldavi Gorge in Africa. Kenya I think and go on an archeological dig.

Whopple; What are your artistic goals?
Jan: Earn an income – enough so I don’t have to work for anyone else. Let the world know about all the fabulous young up and coming artists that
are out there. Offer something strange and wonderful and brand new to the art world.

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an
artist?
Jan: The first time one of my pieces was published. Seeing my name at the bottom of the print was amazing.

To See More Of Jan Weiss’s Artwork Please Visit The Following:

www.tuesdaymoonstudio.blogspot.com
www.artprints-online.com
www.tuesdaymoon.imagekind.com/store/
www.trunkt.org/janweiss_studio
www.tuesdaymoon.etsy.com
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