Q: What does airbrushing mean to you Jen?
Airbrushing has become a major part of my life. I first tried airbrushing about 20 years ago. But I never did much with it. But about 6 years ago, I did the courses with Airbrush Venturi in Perth WA, and from that point on, airbrushing has become a big part of my life.
I love the art form, I love the creative process, I love the people that I have met and the sense of community that pervades airbrushing in Australia. Vanessa, who runs the Perth central and South courses has become a genuine friend. She is an inspiration to me.
This artwork is called “Negative Space”. It is created from a photo I took near home at Golden Bay in Western Australia. It was a colour photo, and I printed it out as a B&W.
I gave myself a lot of creative freedom to not follow the photo tightly. I didn’t care if I didn’t paint the water precisely to the photo. I was more interested in the feel of the shapes.
The creative process I used ended up creating a far better artwork than I would have created normally. The fact that I painted the artwork in reverse to paint all the shadow shapes in white and all the highlight shapes in black) . . . and then turn around and paint it again, but this time I painted all the highlights with white and the shadows in black . . . in the end I created a complexity that was wonderful and gave the artwork much more life.
I hope that you recognise the power of the rendering systems that I was taught. I love the skills that Airbrush Venturi have given me. The fact that I painted everything in reverse, then changed my mind and literally flip all the shapes is amazing. Without that knowledge, I would have thrown the artwork away and started again. But using these systems meant that I ended up creating something with a real sense of life and detail.
Q: The next artwork is called “School of Life”. Tells us all about this?
I saw a photo of school of fish and I thought it looked incredible. The light, the movement and the complex detail. I thought it would be a great challenge.
I think that my crazy need to choose incredibly difficult subject matters has something to do with a need to paint things that I find “truly beautiful”.
Q: There is a definite marine theme across these three artworks? Tell us what this is about?
I take the dogs down to the beach every day. The beauty is amazing. Every day it is different. The light changes as I walk, the waves change from rough to smooth, from aggressive to calm. It is visual music.
I think that what I have learned about my art is “paint what you want to paint, not what you think other people what to see.” Also to not stress about just copying photos and to have enough faith in yourself to paint what you think is important in the imagery. Lastly, to not worry about whether you think you can do something or not . . . to just start and nibble away at it.
Tony – Thank you so much from your time and effort Jen. The artworks are wonderful and your words are quite interesting.
If you have a interested to learn to create wonderful artworks of landscapes like Jen, we have great courses that you will enjoy and find rewarding.
If you would like more information about the courses in Western Australia, in Joondalup, Salter Point and Wandi, go to the Airbrush Venturi course timetable, HERE.
If you have questions please ring us on 1300-247-278 (1300 AIRBRUSH) or email us HERE.