In fourth grade, we had to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I simply drew a girl and an easel. When it was my turn to talk about my drawing, I said I wanted to be a starving artist.
Looking back, it seems only natural that I would become an artist. I'm constantly looking at life as if it were a still life, portrait, or landscape worth painting. The play of light and shadow, the luminosity in life in general is what makes me pause. The details in my surroundings (the people/ animals/ flowers/ leaves), are what inspire me to create.
I mostly use colored pencils or watercolors for nature, playing with the amount of detail I want to include. In painting, I layer the watercolors to take advantage of the translucent nature of the paint. This glazing process transitions nicely to how I use colored pencil, layering the pigments until the surface is saturated with color.
I choose charcoal for portraits and animals so I can sculpt the image, pulling it out on a 2 dimensional surface. Vine or willow charcoal and a kneaded eraser is all I need to get the effect I'm after.
Janae Lehto joined Fine Art America on December 29th, 2008.
