1. Jessica, you have a real skill for painting realistic animals. Your fur looks like you could reach out and touch it. How do you achieve this level of realism?
I am really picky and for me it is important that I take my time with every painting and pay attention to every detail in it. I think I am born that way. It´s kind of amusing because I am far from being picky when it comes to other things in my life. I am a rather easy going person except for when it comes to my own art. Like most artists I often use reference photos. It can be photos I have permission to use or it can be photos I have taken myself. Most of the time I use many different photos of many different cats (if a cat is what I am painting) to create one single cat in a realism-styled painting. I look at the pose in some photos, patterns, colors and light in other photos, and the direction of the fur in others. To paint every little hair in the right direction is really adding to the realistic look.
2. How does living in Sweden affect your art business? Would you say it hampers you in any way or not?
Both yes and no, I suppose. The market here is very small obviously, making it difficult for many artists to make their living. On the other hand it is perhaps more easy to be seen. It has been a good place to start. I have learned a lot, and have been allowed to grow both as an artist and as an art business owner, on a smaller playground, which I think is helping me now as I am expanding to other both bigger and tougher markets in the world. And I must say that there can´t be many people that are more grateful for the internet than I am! It makes it so much easier running an art business from this rather remote place on Earth, and provides me with the fantastic opportunity to work all over the world from home.
3. You manage to get so much detail in your paintings, including your ACEOs. What is your secret for this?
I am quite used to draw tiny, I always tend to sketch tiny so I think it comes naturally for me to also paint small. Helpful tools are of course tiny brushes. I use the very smallest, #0 and #1 a lot. I don´t know if that makes any sense, perhaps the brushes are numbered differently in the USA? Oh, and I don´t cut my ACEOs until I have finished them. At least I imagine that it would be more difficult to handle the card, and paint it when it is already cut to size.
4. Your art subjects are always enchanting. Where do you draw inspiration from for your art?
From everywhere around me – nature and its four seasons, music, my children, books. Everything in the world around me inspires me to create. Life is a pretty enchanting thing! I also really enjoy the work of other artists. The way they create a mood or a certain light in a painting or illustration can be a fantastic inspiration!
5. Do you have any other hobbies besides art? If so, tell us about them.
Oh, I have so many hobbies that it is really hard for me to find time for them all. But I think that is the case for most artists. The creativity colors our lives in all aspects. Besides my art - which includes painting, enjoying other artists work and reading books about anything that has to do with art - I love to garden, train my dog and read “regular” books aswell (not about art). I also like to play guitar and sing, but nowadays it is pretty much only children´s songs exclusively that sound from our house. To mention a few other interests I like to write, sew and cross stitch, and I also love crafting of all kinds. But besides my family and our pets, painting is my biggest interest of all.
6. You are a full time artist that makes your living entirely from your art. What tips do you have for others hoping to accomplish this goal one day?
Decide what you want to do, what the ultimate goal is. There is a lot of different ways to earn a living as an artist, so I believe knowing exactly what you want to do is a must to pursue a career. Do you want to sell originals and/or prints, do you want to teach, illustrate books, or do you want to license? What is going to be your main source of income? For me, I always knew I wanted to do licensing. Everything else I do is just the icing on the cake for me. When you have decided where you want to go, get to know your goal. Study everything about it. Internet is a fantastic resource and by studying and learning all you can about your goal you will know better how to get there. Divide it into smaller goals and keep working towards them, one at a time. And always believe in yourself, believe that you can reach what you are striving for if you are willing to work for it. You have to be critical of your own work and learn to see what is good and what is not so good about your paintings. Get to know your weak points and work on them. For most artists our creations are our babies, but if you want to work with corporate clients like I do you need to develop a thick skin. They will not care about your hurt feelings, they just need a piece of art and if it´s not living up to their expectations they will let you know. It is never personal, so learning to not take it personal is vital for any artist´s health. And don´t forget that anything is possible. Others have done it before you and do it every day, so you can too!
7. Since you have had no formal training in art, what do you feel has helped you to grow artistically the most?
The expectations and needs from my clients, is what comes to mind first. I already had the basics in drawing and a trained eye when I started my business, having grown up as an only child drawing everyday, but what not many people know is that I had probably only done 2 or 3 watercolor paintings when I decided I wanted to do this fulltime. So I made 2 paintings which along with some sketches got me in contact with a large company that I am still working with today. Their and all my other clients´ expectations and needs have forced me to push myself beyond all limitations. My own competitive mind has also pushed me forward of course. I want to be better all the time. Not better than anyone else, but better than me. I am only satisfied with a new painting for a brief moment, then I look at the mistakes I´ve made and move on to produce something (hopefully) better.
8. How does it feel to be able to go into stores and see your own art on greeting cards and stickers?
That is fun although a rather strange feeling, somewhat surreal. Many times it is a piece of art I have done maybe a year earlier or so and then I run into it in some store in the form of a napkin, card or sticker thinking “Oh, hey there is that piece! Wow, so this ended up in this store too, cool!” It’s also fun when I see my stuff in a new store that hasn´t carried it before.
9. In what ways do you market yourself and your art? Which are the most successful for you?
I started out mailing samples to potential clients, like greeting card companies and magazines. Just simple collages of my art printed out on ordinary paper. That turned out to be a good thing which is now the reason why I am running an artist business fulltime. I am also trying to have a presence on the internet, having my own website and also exploring other venues on the World Wide Web, like online galleries and also Ebay which I see as great for marketing. There is quite a lot you can do that won´t cost you a fortune. I am also trying to network with other artists and have made some great friendships on the road.
10. The cottage where you live is utterly enchanting! Tell us about your home.
I live (and thrive) far away from everything – if you by everything mean shops, restaurants and neonlights - and that is how I need to live to feel alive. My red and white wooden cottage is situated outside a small country village about 50 miles from Sweden´s second largest city, Gothenburg, on the Swedish westcoast. Far out on the countryside with fields that goes down to a lake to the south and deep forests to the north, I live with my family which consists of Peter and our girls, 2 dogs, 4 cats, 2 gerbils, 2 bunnies and a bunch of chickens. Having a house means almost constant renovations because when it seems like you´re finally done you´ve got to start all over again, but it is a beauty to that too. Next big project is going to be a new studio, I hope!
11. You have lots of pets. Do your own pets ever wind up as models for your art?
Yes, they do! In my “Band of Brothers” painting with three cats, two of the cats are painted with my own cats as models. One of my bunnies ended up in a magazine illustration aswell, together with my youngest daughter. I constantly try to take reference pictures of my pets, but it´s a hard task to get good photographs of animals. They never do as they are told!
12. Of all your paintings, which is your favorite and why?
Always the latest one. Honestly, I fall in love with almost every painting I finish. It lasts for about a day until I start to see the flaws and the love fades away. Then I move on to make myself another painting to fall in love with. However, I do have a couple of favorites. “Fairy Princess´ Kiss” has a special place in my heart, both because of the colors, light and composition but also for the subject ii depicts. I have always loved fairy tales and magic, and I love to paint children which I rarely have the opportunity to do, so in this painting I got to combine them all. Another favorite is the above mentioned “Band of Brothers”.
13. What is your favorite holiday and how do you prepare for it?
I really like Halloween! Unfortunately it is not such a big holiday here in Sweden, but we have pumpkin lights and my girls dress up as witches. It´s a smaller version of the American celebration but I hope it is a tradition we´ll keep. It´s a lovely holiday to have in the autumn darkness. My absolute favorite holiday season is Christmas! I love to decorate my house, both indoors and outdoors and we do a lot of preparations. The actual celebration of Christmas in Sweden is on Christmas Eve. It´s that day when Santa arrives and we give and recieve presents.
On the four Sundays before Christmas Eve it is Advent, one on each Sunday and we light a candle in an Advent candleholder every Sunday. When four candles are lit, Christmas is near! My girls and I bake gingerbread cookies and make gingerbread houses, I prepare their wall Advent Calendars with a gift for everyday and the whole family goes out in the woods to pick our christmas tree. I always try to do some kind of crafting with the girls as well. Oh, you’ve got me in a Christmas mood now! Artful Colors by Jessica