Veronica Winters - Art Lessons in Realist Drawing, Painting, and Beyond Interviews and Step-by-Step Demonstrations with International Artists

Julie Impens ,Collection: Christmas of the Dead, laser paper cut, 8 x 12 inches, 2012

Weightless: Tsunami, oil onlinen, 48 x 48 inches, 2013

Contact: AnneMarieKornachuk.com

Representedby: RJD gallery, NY, Miller gallery,OH and Trias gallery, Canada

Withthe B.F.A. from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec (1993), Anne-Marie Kornachuk (b.1969) is an accomplished artist who hasparticipated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Canada, the U.S., andabroad. She is known for her large paintings depicting floating, weightless,moving female figures outfitted in colorful silk gowns. Suspendedin dark space, the beautiful fabric floats, curves, and turns revealing verylittle of a person wearing it, yet depicting the state of being of each figurewearing it. White, cream, crimson, orange, green, or blue, the curvingfabric creates tension and emotional agitation that is, for every viewer, unresolved.

Did youhave any teachers and artists who were/are inspirational to you? What sourcesdo you use to make your creative juices flow?

Istarted drawing and painting in my final year of high school. My first drawingteacher at University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Ivan Eyre, wasincredibly important to my development. He taught me how to really see what Iam looking at. I learned how to draw with him. Later, at Concordia University(Montreal, Quebec), Carol Wainio and Guido Molinarihad a big impact on the way I think about making art. Wainio taught me how to think about what I want to say in my work and how I caneffectively portray my ideas in a visual way. She also made me think about myplace in the history of painting and to be aware of the history that paintingbrings with it. Molinari taught me how to construct an image to be visuallysuccessful.

Ilooked at (still look at) any and all art history books, and magazines like Canadian Art, Art News, Art in America, Modern Painters, American ArtCollector as well as CD covers, films, TV, fashion magazines, and simply being open tothe world around me for inspiration.

Whatsubjects interest you the most? How do you come up with compositions for yourart?

I ammost interested in painting figures. The majority of my paintings depict femalefigures wearing elaborately animated fabric. I find beauty in the form andcolor of the subjects I choose to paint. I strive to truly understand the logicof the light and shadow that create the form. This takes many hours ofobservation.

Ichoose compositions that create moments of harmony and moments of tensionwithin the picture plane. I always want my paintings to work well on a basiccompositional level, but the composition needs to contribute to the drama ofthe piece. I carefully place the edges of the figure close to the edge of thecanvas to create tension. Based on my photos, my compositions are veryconsidered and intentional.

In whatways is your art connected to or influenced by your lifestyle?

I amable to work full time on my painting, which allows me to concentrate on itwith relatively few distractions. This in turn allows me to be calm, go slow,and look for a very long time. I live in a small community and I spend my dayspainting and horseback riding. Things are quiet. My process is slow andthoughtful as a result.

What isyour creative process? How do you critique your work?

I havea notion of what feeling I want to express; sometimes I see a fleeting image ofa gesture in my mind that I want to imitate. I get dressed up and act out whatI imagined. My husband is my photographer. Because I am in front of the camerarather than behind it, the results are entirely unexpected and sometimesfantastic. I usually find a few images that intrigue me.

I usefigurative gestures to speak about private or internal emotional reactions andexperiences. The exaggerated fabric serves as a representation of the internalagitation of the figure. The drama of the fabric allows me to speak aboutover-the-top emotion without appearing to be overly operatic.

Myideas come from my subconscious. The fleeting images I see in my mind and theimages I am attracted by are glimpses into my own emotional world. I am very self aware , but the emotions I paint about come from aplace that is non-verbal. I have had the experience many times of realizing Ihave been painting about an internal conflict long before I was able toverbalize it. At the same time, I want to create an image which allows spacefor the viewer to insert themselves in the moment, have their own responses,and make their own interpretations. This is why I dont paint faces. I want myfigures to be every man.

Icritique my work by being anxious about it from start to finish. I slave overdetails. I wrestle with doubt the entire time. I look at my reference photo andthe painting for hours. I am in problem-solving mode for the entire paintingprocess. I do the best I can, and sometimes I feel happy with the result. WhenI am finished, I will ask my husband and friends for their opinions. When apainting is not working, I can usually tell. I come to a place where I cantmove forward because I know that it is a lost cause, at which point I cut mylosses and move on.

Whatadvice would you give to aspiring artists? What does the term professionalartist mean to you?

Myadvice for new artists is to persevere. It is hard to make a living as anartist. It can be hard to stay motivated to make art. Through perseverance, youget everything that you needyour skills and art will improve by the simplefact that you are practicing your craft. The better your work becomes, the morelikely success will follow. Also, put your work out in the world. Art is meantto be seen and experienced by other people. A professional artist is a personwho makes art and exhibits it in recognized art galleries.

Inregards to your technique: describe what makes your art form and approach to itspecial.