I Believe In Artists: Adam Baranello

Artist Adam Baranello

Artist Adam Baranello is one of many talented artists I follow on Instagram.  Whenever I see one of his drawings in my feed I am always struck by the immediate impact it has on me but it also makes me stop and take a closer look.  Doing this causes me to ponder the messages in his art which have a way of helping me think and refocus on what's most important in my own life and work.

I believe that those who take the time to experience his art and words here will experience similar benefits.  Enjoy!

"Love" Art By Adam Baranello

Question: I know art speaks its own language but if you had to describe your work in only six words, what would they be?

Adam: Original expression of thoughts and ideas. 

Question: Who is your favorite artist (in any medium) and how do they inspire you?

Adam: I cannot pick just one, but these artists are at the top of my list because they do more than one thing or incorporate more than one thing into their overall message, which is what I am all about. To me, they also come across as authentic and true to their vision: David Lynch, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jean Luc Godard, Pharrell Williams and Andy Warhol. 

Frames From Adam Baranello's Film, "Beautifully Strange"

Question: What inspires you to create?

Adam: The people, places and things that I am lucky enough to be around inspire me on a daily basis. I am grateful for this. 

"Beautiful" Art By Adam Baranello

Question: What is your favorite part of your creative process?

Adam: To have an idea and see it actualize into something tangible is a pretty rad thing. 

Designs From Adam's Hand Painted Clothing Line

Question: What is the most challenging part of your creative process and how do you meet that challenge?

Adam: Taking risks and not knowing if they will work out. I believe in growth and I believe in starting things in order to figure them out.  I have taken that approach since I started my career as an artist. I don't mind looking foolish and I am not afraid to fail but I do know, through working in this way, it makes me figure it out in order to keep going.  I really do subscribe to the belief of just start creating and figure it out as you go because I have experienced that it is a good way to figure out how to do as much as you can with what you have.  That is how innovation and new things get discovered.  If we just wait until we have every duck in a row, we may never see all of the possible ways in which things can get done and, more importantly, something even greater may come from doing it this way. 

"Life Action" Art By Adam Baranello

Question: And finally, what does "believing in art" mean to you?

Adam: To me, believing in art means Hope.  It is part of the good in the world and something that has the potential to invoke change.

Thank you Adam for sharing your talents and your positive message with us.

To learn more about Adam and his many creative ventures visit his web site at AdamBaranello.com and be sure to connect with him on Instagram and/or Facebook too.

Click here to find more artist interviews and learn how you can apply to be featured.  You can also connect with I Believe In Art on Instagram and Facebook.

Until next time, happy creating!

Peace, Love and Art,
Victoria

Back To The Drawing Board: Rick Springfield

Me With The Rick Springfield Chalkboard Mural I Created One Year Ago

When we first installed the giant diy chalkboard in the living room, the plan was to create murals for every holiday or season.  That proved difficult at first because creating murals on a giant chalkboard proved difficult.  However, I slowly started to get the hang of it.

Then, a new difficulty began to arise.  The better I got at realizing my visions for these murals, the harder it was to erase them when the next season came along.  And it wasn't just difficult for me.  As you can see in the photo below, Hippie had some trouble adjusting to the impermanent nature of this medium as well:

Hippie Protesting The Inevitable Destruction Of My Beatles Chalkboard Mural

I was sad to see The Beatles Mural go too but I reminded myself that the purpose of creating the chalkboard was so I could have an ever changing display, so I did what I had to do.

Then, around this time last year I created a mural in honor of the birthday of my favorite songwriter, performer and muse, Rick Springfield (click here to read that story).  The plan was to enjoy that until Halloween and then replace it with something appropriate for that season but when the time came I found I just wasn't ready to part with Chalkboard Rick Springfield.  I decided I would put it off until the winter holidays.

And then December rolled around and I still wasn't ready.  So this happened:

My Rick Springfield Winter Holiday Chalkboard Mural

It was the perfect compromise.  I got to keep Chalkboard Rick Springfield in my life and still exercise my drawing skills.  So I did this again when Valentine's Day rolled around:

My Rick Springfield Valentine's Day Mural

Then, over the course of three days in March, I created my favorite chalkboard mural of all (while listening to Rick Springfield's music of course).  I called it "Flowers From Hurricanes", taken from a line in one of his songs:

Me and My "Flowers From Hurricanes" Rick Springfield Chalkboard Mural

I didn't even think of erasing this one until a couple days ago when I realized it has been almost a year since I created the original Rick Springfield Chalkboard Mural.  Then it occurred to me that one of the things I admire about Rick is that he is always moving forward and doing new things.  I knew it was time for a change.

So although it kind of broke my heart, I finally forced myself to erase Chalkboard Rick Springfield...

And replaced him with Guitar Playing Chalkboard Rick Springfield!

Me With My New Rick Springfield Chalkboard Mural

Another one of many qualities I admire about the actual Rick Springfield is his persistence.  There have been many times in my life I've wanted to give up but haven't because of the impact that the example of his life and work has had on me.  I decided to commemorate that in this mural by adding a quote from an interview he did for Rolling Stone Magazine a couple years ago.

"My big ace in the hole is I never give up." - Rick Springfield

Now all I have to do is look at this mural to remind myself that I have the fortitude to keep going back to the drawing board, both literally and figuratively.

Thank you so much for reading.  I'd love to read about who or what inspires you if you would like to share in the comments below.

Until next time, happy creating!

Peace, Love and Art,
Victoria

If you liked this post, you may want to check these out:

My Many Muses: Rick Springfield (2016)

Back To The Drawing Board

Back To The Drawing Board 2014

My Many Muses: Rick Springfield (2015)

I Believe In Artists: Rebecca Maloney

Artist Rebecca Maloney

I love following my fellow artists on social media, especially those who share not just their art but their entire creative journey.  Rebecca Maloney is one of those artists.  Her passion for art and belief in the positive power of creativity comes through in just about everything she does and this interview was no exception.

I'm so pleased to be able to share with you her vibrant art and valuable insight.  Enjoy!

"African Woman" By Rebecca Maloney, 36 x 36 Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Canvas, 2005

Question: I know art speaks its own language but if you had to describe your work in only six words, what would they be?

Rebecca: Flow, Colorful, Curious, Powerful, Uplifting, Passionate.

Abstract Study by Rebecca Maloney, 8 x 10 Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Canvas 2017

Question: Who is your favorite artist (in any medium) and how do they inspire you?

Rebecca: It’s so hard to pick just one. I have always been influenced by the work of Robert Motherwell, Romare Bearden, and Picasso. Their work pushed boundaries, told stories, and expressed emotion, while being visually stimulating and rich. I also love the work by an artist of today, Angela Davis Johnson. Her narrative paintings are beautiful. I love her use of color and textures.

"Red Circle" by Rebecca Maloney 16 x 20 Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Canvas 2017

Question: What inspires you to create?

Rebecca: Music, books, LIFE! Also I am curious. I want to see what will happen when I create something that was once an inspired thought or image in my mind. What would a feeling in my heart look like on canvas? What would a song look like on a canvas? What does it mean when I take two images of something and put them together on a canvas? When I paint something realistic what am I learning as I interpret that onto canvas? How does my interpretation come through in pencil on paper? And then time falls away… where did I go? That’s all a part of the inspiration. And life, life is a journey and through art I can express its beautiful complexity.

"Mountains in Collage" by Rebecca Maloney, 20 x 23 Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Canvas 2016

Question: What is your favorite part of your creative process?

Rebecca: My favorite part of the creative process is the inner journey it takes me on. Kind of like falling down the rabbit hole and coming out on the other side. When I look back I can see the journey and the adventure in it and what it taught me about myself. I end up with new self-awareness and also a tangible record to display or give someone.

 "The Persian Beauty" by Rebecca Maloney, 42 x 30 Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Canvas 2012

Question: What is the most challenging part of your creative process and how do you meet that challenge?

Rebecca: The most challenging part is self-doubt. The struggle between heart and mind. And the wall I face sometimes that says “what for?” The book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield helped me with this. I practice surrendering to the unknown and not needing to know the reasons why. Also listening into my heart when I create. There is wisdom and inspiration in creativity that I will not give up on. It’s important. Meditation is a practice I use as well.

"Painting to Music" by Rebecca Maloney, 24 x 48 Acrylic on Canvas 2017

Question: And finally, what does "believing in art" mean to you?

Rebecca: Believing in art means trusting the value art has to change the world for the better always. It starts with us. If we nurture our creativity we can live from our hearts more. Which I believe is what can create positive change on the planet.

Thank you Rebecca for sharing your talent and inspiring words with us.

You can learn more about Rebecca and her art on her web site at RebeccaMaloneyArt.com and be sure to connect with her on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Click here to find more artist interviews and learn how you can apply to be featured.  You can also connect with I Believe In Art on Instagram and Facebook.

Until next time, happy creating!

Peace, Love and Art,

Victoria

My First Art Tutorial Video (Paint Splatter And Drips)

The paint splatter I created during my very first art tutorial.
Don't Drink The Paint Water Mug avalable HERE.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a photo of my "Art Sisters 4 Ever" Greeting Card on Instagram and got a comment from a fellow artist named Jessie who asked if I could make a tutorial on how I created the paint drips I used for that image.  I have to admit my first thought was, "I don't create tutorials!" but then I thought, "Why don't I?"

Before I could talk myself out of it, I replied to Jessie that yes, I would create a tutorial for her.

Of course after that my anti-muse/inner perfectionist started talking to me.  She told me I better do some research on how to do this correctly, that I might need some kind of new equipment to do it perfectly, that I should probably spend hours practicing before I attempted it...blah, blah, blah...yada, yada, yada.

I listened to my anti-muse for far too long resulting in many days of procrastination and then finally I decided to sit down at my desk and just do the best I could at that point in time.

So below you will find my very first video tutorial.  It is so far from perfect!  I know I had problems with lighting and video quality and I didn't even realize there was train noise in the background until I watched it back.  However, that is life in my studio! Hopefully, it still does the job of demonstrating my technique for Jessie or anyone else who was curious about it.

While I sincerely hope that my imperfect video is of some value to my fellow artists, I know that the act of creating it had value for me.  It reminded me of the fresh energy and inspiration that comes with trying new things and that the best way for me to learn is by doing.

So thank you Jessie for getting me to try something outside of my comfort zone.  It is just one more example of the good things that can happen when artists support and encourage each other!

I'm excited to experiment more with taking videos (and hopefully I will get better at it) and even created an I Believe In Art YouTube Channel for this and future video projects.

If you would like to suggest an idea for a future video, share tips for how to make them better than this one (I would be so grateful) or just want to say hello, please feel free to do so in the comments below.

Thanks so much for reading and viewing.

Until next time, happy creating!

Peace, Love and Art,
Victoria