Conversing with Liz Walker: A Self-Proclaimed Lucky Woman
November 26, 2013 at www.voicecatcher.org
by Yolanda Wysocki
Liz Walker was the featured artist in the Summer 2013 issue of VoiceCatcher: a journal of women's voices & visions.
Speaking with Liz is inspiring. Her enthusiasm, passion and love for art sing through the phone lines. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:
Yolanda Wysocki: What gave you the confidence to pursue art in the first place?
Liz Walker: My parents raised me to be what I want to be, saying, “Pick something you’re interested in and do it.” I always liked drawing, painting, doodling. As a kid, I attended summer art/drama programs at the university where my dad taught. It was heaven! When I started college I thought I’d major in psychology; I took one psychology course and said, “NO! That’s not it.” Then I had an art teacher who figuratively “set my hair on fire” with his passion for art and that set me on my path.
YW: You also teach.
LW:
When I teach I learn so much because I have to break down every step, and I love demonstrating because all the “oooohs” and “aahhhs” make me feel like a magician. We’re all impressed by things we can’t do, but we all have to go from
ignorance to experience. It took me five years to learn watercolor. I’m a slow learner.
YW:
So what made you stick with it?
LW:
I get one great painting for every ten “so-so” paintings. You get excited, you frame it, you give it away or sell it and it brings joy to another person. I think even a lousy day painting is better than a good day working in an office, which I used to do.
YW:
What do you love best about creating art?
LW:
The quieting down of myself and tapping into the imaginative. I’m such a practical and efficient person; but with art, I’m more spontaneous and free. I’m completely fearless in my painting but get a bit scared at the thought of driving in heavy traffic. Also, everything I paint can be touched again, manipulated, and repaired. And I never throw anything away. Sometimes five years later I will go back and think, “Oh, I know what to fix now.”
YW:
How do you stay inspired?
LW:
I want to be with people who are as excited about the same things I am, and strive for excellence among artists I respect. I’m in a critique group; and sometimes another artist’s small suggestion helps me improve a painting. I often submit my work to juried shows; whether I make the cut or not, I look very carefully at the accepted paintings. I talk with the jurors and ask about the
show, and sometimes they give me suggestions for improvement. And I don’t call a painting done until I love it.
YW:
On your website you say “the most interesting thing to paint is what you don’t know about yourself – the true meaning of a painting is beyond any story you can expect or imagine.” I’m curious; could you say a little bit more about what that means to you?
LW:
What I’m trying to do when I’m painting is leave things open enough so that the viewer can meet me halfway. I like it when people say, “That reminds me of something in my life”. Years ago, I had a painting called “Lady in Waiting” in a show at YMCA downtown. A woman called me and bought it a year after the show. She told me that the image spoke to her because she was walking with a cane and going to pool therapy every day at the Y. She said, “I feel like I’m a lady in waiting, like I’m waiting to get better.”
As to how I start a painting, I like sitting down and just moving some paint around. Years ago I used to carefully draw the drawings, and add paint – like color by numbers – but after a while that got boring. I studied with other teachers who suggested I put some shapes and colors down and then stand back and decide if I’ve got an abstract, or if there’s a figure or other subject matter in there.
YW:
You started with watercolor, then acrylic, and are now using acrylic marbling in your work. What do you like about marbling?
LW:
Randomness. Each piece is unique. I can play and experiment. I’m like a mother with her newborn baby – excited at each turn. I love it.
YW:
It sounds like you organize your life around making art. What suggestions would you make for those trying to nurture their art?
LW:
Even if you just have an hour or two, devote time to art. As long as you have a room or small space that is your own, so you can keep your art set up, make a mess; even if for only brief intervals. It’s so important. Also art cannot be created in a vacuum. Join a group of like-minded people; observe other more experienced and established artists and ask questions. All art is using other
people’s ideas and making them your own.
YW:
What question didn’t I ask that you wish I had?
LW:
How about--If I couldn’t do art, what else would I be doing? That question is too scary to consider! I think I will always be involved in art in some way, teaching, volunteering, and talking about it. I’m very lucky to be living my passion.
November 26, 2013 at www.voicecatcher.org
by Yolanda Wysocki
Liz Walker was the featured artist in the Summer 2013 issue of VoiceCatcher: a journal of women's voices & visions.
Speaking with Liz is inspiring. Her enthusiasm, passion and love for art sing through the phone lines. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:
Yolanda Wysocki: What gave you the confidence to pursue art in the first place?
Liz Walker: My parents raised me to be what I want to be, saying, “Pick something you’re interested in and do it.” I always liked drawing, painting, doodling. As a kid, I attended summer art/drama programs at the university where my dad taught. It was heaven! When I started college I thought I’d major in psychology; I took one psychology course and said, “NO! That’s not it.” Then I had an art teacher who figuratively “set my hair on fire” with his passion for art and that set me on my path.
YW: You also teach.
LW:
When I teach I learn so much because I have to break down every step, and I love demonstrating because all the “oooohs” and “aahhhs” make me feel like a magician. We’re all impressed by things we can’t do, but we all have to go from
ignorance to experience. It took me five years to learn watercolor. I’m a slow learner.
YW:
So what made you stick with it?
LW:
I get one great painting for every ten “so-so” paintings. You get excited, you frame it, you give it away or sell it and it brings joy to another person. I think even a lousy day painting is better than a good day working in an office, which I used to do.
YW:
What do you love best about creating art?
LW:
The quieting down of myself and tapping into the imaginative. I’m such a practical and efficient person; but with art, I’m more spontaneous and free. I’m completely fearless in my painting but get a bit scared at the thought of driving in heavy traffic. Also, everything I paint can be touched again, manipulated, and repaired. And I never throw anything away. Sometimes five years later I will go back and think, “Oh, I know what to fix now.”
YW:
How do you stay inspired?
LW:
I want to be with people who are as excited about the same things I am, and strive for excellence among artists I respect. I’m in a critique group; and sometimes another artist’s small suggestion helps me improve a painting. I often submit my work to juried shows; whether I make the cut or not, I look very carefully at the accepted paintings. I talk with the jurors and ask about the
show, and sometimes they give me suggestions for improvement. And I don’t call a painting done until I love it.
YW:
On your website you say “the most interesting thing to paint is what you don’t know about yourself – the true meaning of a painting is beyond any story you can expect or imagine.” I’m curious; could you say a little bit more about what that means to you?
LW:
What I’m trying to do when I’m painting is leave things open enough so that the viewer can meet me halfway. I like it when people say, “That reminds me of something in my life”. Years ago, I had a painting called “Lady in Waiting” in a show at YMCA downtown. A woman called me and bought it a year after the show. She told me that the image spoke to her because she was walking with a cane and going to pool therapy every day at the Y. She said, “I feel like I’m a lady in waiting, like I’m waiting to get better.”
As to how I start a painting, I like sitting down and just moving some paint around. Years ago I used to carefully draw the drawings, and add paint – like color by numbers – but after a while that got boring. I studied with other teachers who suggested I put some shapes and colors down and then stand back and decide if I’ve got an abstract, or if there’s a figure or other subject matter in there.
YW:
You started with watercolor, then acrylic, and are now using acrylic marbling in your work. What do you like about marbling?
LW:
Randomness. Each piece is unique. I can play and experiment. I’m like a mother with her newborn baby – excited at each turn. I love it.
YW:
It sounds like you organize your life around making art. What suggestions would you make for those trying to nurture their art?
LW:
Even if you just have an hour or two, devote time to art. As long as you have a room or small space that is your own, so you can keep your art set up, make a mess; even if for only brief intervals. It’s so important. Also art cannot be created in a vacuum. Join a group of like-minded people; observe other more experienced and established artists and ask questions. All art is using other
people’s ideas and making them your own.
YW:
What question didn’t I ask that you wish I had?
LW:
How about--If I couldn’t do art, what else would I be doing? That question is too scary to consider! I think I will always be involved in art in some way, teaching, volunteering, and talking about it. I’m very lucky to be living my passion.
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