Why did you become an artist?
I didn't just become an artist. I have always been one. I am driven to work on my art. I am extremely prolific. Some pieces are finished quickly. Some pieces are not finished for a long time. I drew, sewed, painted t-shirts, learned batik, photographed, Chinese brush painting, then I fell I love with watercolor. For a large number of years I was enamored with the brush and watercolor. That is, until I took a printmaking course and printmaking became my new love...you guessed it until I discovered I could combine any number of the materials I loved and it became mixed media! There I believe my heart will stay because I can combine anything; digital, painted, sewing, printed plates, relief prints, encaustic, layered, collaged...and the list goes on.
What is your inspiration for your artwork?
I have been very fortunate to have traveled extensively and whether the piece is based on one of these trips or my own back yard; there is inspiration everywhere.
What are the materials that you use?
I use a camera, Photoshop and other software. I print and make my plates, sometimes carved relief, sometimes intaglio. I pick up and recycle anything that looks interesting to me. It becomes fair game to be included in my art. I am a paper hog. I love the way it feels when you touch it. I paint, mark, glue, cut, paste, sew; whatever the pieces calls for to be finished.
What is the process for creating your art?
Wake up most every morning with an idea triggered, by something read, heard or seen.
Do you have a favorite piece and why?
Usually, which ever piece I have just finished is my favorite. Some pieces are a struggle to finish and others fall out of my head and the pieces jump out of drawers and on to the paper, or occasional canvas, so fast I barely slow down. Each fascinates me for a while till I move on to the next piece calling me.
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about dancing in the rain!!!"
Sj Navage 2014