It seems I have found many artistic pieces through Facebook and got so
much inspiration and mystery from some of those pieces. One of those happened to be by a truly
creative artist, Bridget Linette S who is also known as ‘The WanderingFaun’. It was such a pleasure for me to
meet an inspirational artist and I thought it will be great to tap into her
creative wisdom and share her insights with everyone so the following interview
was arranged with some questions. Thanks
to Bridget Linette S so much for providing the insights for all the visitors
and readers, whom I am confident will have an enjoyable read and may even learn
a new thing or two from what this fabulous artist has to offer.
Q: Can you tell us about
your background? And when did you first discover your creative talents?
A: I grew up on a farm
in Minnesota. My parents were deep into the cult Jehovah's Witnesses and
brought me up this way, hence I was not allowed to make friends with the other
kids at school. I was taught they were going to be destroyed soon by god, so
there was no need to associate with anyone not of the same religion. I lived a
very sheltered life in the woods. The one thing that helped pass the time was
art. I loved to color, paint, & draw ever since I can remember. I always
loved drawing humans & animals the most. But when I started trying to mix
the two, I got reprimanded. For example, I once drew a girl with wings. After I
hung the fairy proudly in my room, I was quickly told to take it down & not
draw things that didn't exist. My parents told me, "If they don't exist,
they were not made by God. Therefore, this is the Devil's work." I was
confused, because I never meant any harm. I longed for the days when I could be
totally free to express myself creatively. I became suicidal and was forcefully
hospitalized in a mental institution for a short time. My problems didn't go
away, so in the early morning hours of my 18th birthday, I ran away. My father
didn't talk to me for 6 years, although he would do random kind acts through my
mother for me. Last year, my mother ran away from him without a word. I think
the religion helped destroy my family & stifled me in more ways than one.
But through it all, I found comfort in creating art, although in those days it
was a lot more gloomy and infrequent. Today I am happily married and at peace.
Q: How will you describe your style?
A: My style of art is odd in that I use the game Second
Life as a sort of template. It is a user-created virtual world, so everything
you see was created out of nothing by regular people just having fun. It even
has it's own economy. Many users create stores and then sell their items to
others. I myself don't have the skills to be one of these designers yet, so I
buy clothes & accessories from stores, put them all together on my avatar
just right, snap a screenshot, then edit the pictures. I do, however, create
the basic shape & form of the avatar itself. This whole process can take
days, but it is a great way to get your art out there and support the art of
the designers at the same time. The possibilities are truly endless. My style
from there is highly influenced by these designers and their creations because
I want to accurately depict them in pictures so others can obtain the same
looks. But I like to experiment with all colors & emotions when I put looks
together.
Do you see yourself in your artwork? How?
I see myself in every
piece of work I do, but in a different way I suppose. Since I create the shape
of my subject, I tend to make them look the total opposite of myself in real
life. I like to explore new things as I think it makes it more interesting for
me. Also, my works are full of things I hold dear, like animals. There are many
metaphors to be found. For example, goats are sometimes connected with the
Devil. When I left my religion, those remaining say "The Devil must have
her." So I like to create half-man, half-goat hybrids. That's where the
fauns come in.
About the deer, they
are a shy, gentle creature. Having lived a sheltered life, I am painfully shy
and find social situations to be overwhelming at times.
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I get the impression you really enjoy working in Digital art! What
program/ equipment do you use?
I don't use anything
fancy at all. I wish to someday learn Photoshop, but for now I just use
Picmonkey and Pixlr.
What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?
I feel like I am
always pushing myself to do things I haven't done before, and I feel this is
what drives me. I never want to stop learning and experimenting with new ideas
without fear.
Most of your colour themes are harmony, how do you choose your colour
pallet?
My color palettes
come mainly from outer space. I can't explain the wonderment that washes over
me as I stare at a picture of a nebula or a galaxy from a telescope. Scientists
say we come from the stars and that reality thrills me.
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Can you talk briefly about the process of creating one of your artwork?
I use Second Life to
make most of the magic happen. I shop around & even find lots of free or
promotional items. In total, I have around 50,000 items in my inventory and
it's growing every day. I dress my avatar mostly in things that are currently
available so my readers can go to that same shop in-world and get it for
themselves, either to re-create the same look or to add their own flair to it.
I just love to inspire others as I have been inspired.
After I take
screenshots, I take the photos to Picmonkey to draw extra shadowing and
highlights and any other basic edits. After that, I sometimes take them to
Pixlr to enhance the colors. When I post the pictures, I enjoy giving each
creator credit, even if I am not one of their official bloggers. I feel it is only
fair.
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Do you mix traditional media and computer work?
No, I only work on
the computer for my pictures now. I never thought I would be able to teach
myself how to have a steady hand with a mouse, but I've noticed I have improved
with time. It is quite different than freehand drawing.
How long does it take you to produce an artwork?
Most pictures I
create take 1 to 3 days.
How many hours a week do you spend in the studio?
I spend around 60
hours a week working on my pictures.
What is your favourite piece of art by another painter/artist?
It would be almost
impossible for me to decide on one piece. I love surrealism & lowbrow. If I
had to pick, I would maybe say Frida Kahlo's "The Wounded Deer." I
first saw the piece about 10 years ago, and the sad beauty I get from it has
stuck with me ever since.
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Do you work with other mediums apart from digital?
I like to draw
freehand with pencils. I also took up wood-burning a few years ago.
Three things you love?
I love animals,
science, and art.
What is next for you?
I strive to continue
to improve upon my art and techniques with each new piece.
What are your favourite 5 art related websites or blogs?
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If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring artists, what would it
be?
My advice may sound
cliche, but it really is to never give up even when people say negative things.
When I first started putting my art out there, it wasn't very good and I
actually started getting stalked in the virtual world. People I didn't know
would take unflattering screenshots of me without my knowledge and post them in
groups where they would then rip me apart from every angle. A popular designer
in the Second Life community even commented in disgust, "Is this what I'm
helping contribute to?" Then they would bait me and send me links to these
pages. This weighed heavily on me for a time and I could have stopped altogether
and given up, but instead I used it as fuel to keep pushing myself. I never
thought I would improve, but I mustered the courage to leave my pictures up, so
now everyone can see the difference in how I created then and how I do now.
It's exciting and it makes me think I can push my limits even more. I want
people to know that there is no such thing as "wrong" art! Always be
yourself and do it because you love it. Challenge yourself because nothing is
certain and you may surprise yourself and those around you.
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Here are the links of
her websites and blogs where you can find her more works.
