Georgia Long

What is your favorite art medium to work in, and why?

Quatro Ports by Georgia Long

Primary medium are oil paints. However, I have been exploring inks of late, especially sumi-e (japanese calligraphy ink). Ink works are now a part of my portfolio. The whys? Oils are alive, rich and open-ended; impasto, washes, glazes and everything inbetween. I find inks challenging. Fluid, yet permanent. Strokes require intent.

When did you first figure out that art was important to you?

Art modeling and fashion illustration in my early twenties introduced me to the importance of line, gesture, and the human form. Early exposure, by my mother, to museums, galleries and history, planted the seed. She was an artist and taught art. Not until the ripe age of 40, did I seriously commit to painting. I have not looked back.

Who is your art mentor?

My mother for introducing me into the world of art. When I started to paint in earnest, the Nude was my subject matter. Egon Schiele, raw and unapologetic, was my inspiration. So many, really. Kandinsky, Diebenkorn, Frankenthaler come to mind. I still keep a foot in figurative and scape, through an abstract eye.

Finish this sentence: My art is my...

Vocation. I will pursue and push boundaries until unable to do so. To quote a beloved Game of Thrones character, "That's what I do, I paint and I know things"

What advice would you offer someone just beginning their exploration of their own artistic self?

Learn the foundations: composition, contrast, color, movement, balance. Seek a good teacher to move you through the self-doubt. Fear of the blank canvas is healthy. That first mark is owning the canvas. Expose yourself to art, study what attracts. Take clases, dive in and surround yourself with artists; it is a large tribe.

Do you have a website or blog you would like us to link to?

georgialongstudio.com