Margaret Bartlett

Welcome to the Artists Blog

When did you first become interested in art?

As far back as I can remember. I used to draw in all my school books. ;-)

What style of art do you use most?

Of course………..I hope I have grown in my art and I believe I have.


Quiet Moment

Has your style changed from when you first began as an artist?

My technique has changed as almost everyone’s will over time but my style has always been realism.

What medium do you use?

Oil, acrylic, graphite and colored pencil.

What made you choose that medium?

I just enjoy trying all mediums. Some I find I can\’t use well, like charcoal and pastels (I’m too messy) but I have tried about all of them. I find myself using oils most of the time.

Do your ideas come from life or imagination?

Both. I see many things that give me inspiration and then begin to search for references to work from.


Lonewolf

How do you choose your images and colours?

I have favorite color combinations of course but many of my images are chosen for me since I do portraits from photos.

Many times I am sent photos that are not the best but sometimes the person is deceased and that is the only or best photo they have to send so I do try to work from what ever is sent to me. Other times I search for images on the internet and grab a tree from here and a creek from there and combine them for a painting.

Who is your favourite artist?

Albert Beirstadt.

What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?

It changes from time to time but right now I sort of favor the white tiger painting, Conway.


Conway

How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?

I average around 25-35 hours on a painting. This is of course broken up in segments of time.

How well do you take criticism?

I try to take it as it is given. It is usually easy to discern the difference between someone truly giving a constructive criticism and someone just wanting to be picky or catty. I take the constructive criticism into consideration and ignore the other ones.


The Lion The Lamb

What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?

Look at the work of artists whom I admire.

How do you know something is ‘finished’? Is it easy to walk away?

It is finished when I do not see one more thing that needs to be worked over. When I  “finish” a painting, I set it up where I can see it in passing, when I don’t even have my paints handy and I can see it with fresh eyes and many times see a lot that needs work, so I guess I would say it is not easy to walk away.

Have you had exhibits in galleries?

only one painting many years ago in the tourist town of Eureka Springs. I don’t even remember the name of the gallery. Most of my paintings have been displayed at shows locally and online on my web site.


Squirrel

Have you any exhibits in galleries planned for the future?

no.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are just to keep painting and learning all I can and improving as much as possible.

What advice would you give new artists?

My advice for new artists is to practice, practice, practice. I truly believe that “talent” is 40% desire and 60% practice. Almost anyone can paint if they truly want to and are willing to work at it.

Your paintings are beautiful and show a love for all you do…  Thank you very much for the interview!!

To view some wonderful images and have one of your photographs turned into a once in a lifetime painting by Margaret, go to her site at http://art-and-portraits-by-margaret.com