Interview with Bambi Watson
Good Morning and Welcome to Artist-to-Artist.
Today we have with us Bambi Watson from St. Paul Minnesota, United States.
Aloramyst: In your opinion what is art?
Bambi: Art is always in the eye of the beholder…I see art everywhere, from the pile of garbage next to a dumpster…to the stripes in an agate…to the reflection of light on a puddle at sunset…art is all around us…it’s up to the artist to actually see it and then interpret it.
Aloramyst: Who or what first introduced you to creating art?
Bambi: I grew up on an actual “Hippie Commune Farm” in the 60’s and 70’s, surrounded by artists, musicians and freaks of all kinds, so I was exposed to concepts of creative expression practically from birth.
Aloramyst: Why did you choose to create in this choice of medium?
Bambi: This is just one of many mediums I utilize with my artwork, I am a ICNHA certified Henna Artist, so right now I’m having a lot of fun transferring my original henna tattoo designs to a digital format so I can manipulate color, size, etc..and I just think they look great on t-shirts and all of the other products Zazzle offers.
Aloramyst: What software programs have you experimented with? And which is your favorite?
Bambi: I am currently teaching myself Blender, which is really hard and really cool at the same time…I’m an old school paper & paint, pencil or pen artist, so computer graphic and vector rendering are something I tried to resist, but in the end just couldn’t, it’s just too cool….As far as software, I’ve tried it all, but I find I still end up using my old “Picture it” program the most…it’s funny, because they don’t even make that program anymore, and it’s no longer supported by microsoft, but it was my first program, because I couldn’t afford photoshop at the time, and it does all the same basic stuff, it’s easy to use and I still use it…lol
Aloramyst: What inspires and motivates you to create?
Bambi: I have one of those minds that are just constantly creating…my biggest challenge is to actually get everything I think of created before I forget the idea…which I probably still only actualize about 10% of what I think up…my mind just runs to fast…I can’t keep up.
Aloramyst: Who is your favorite artist? What is it about their work that you love?
Bambi: I love Salvador Dali & Hieronymus Bosch, guess I just dig the surrealists…I also read lots of Stephen King & Dean Koontz, so maybe it’s a horror-fantasy thing…my art is nothing like theirs, but those are my faves
Aloramyst: Have you set any goals for yourself as an artist? If so, what are you working towards achieving?
Bambi: Not really, to me art is more like just a part of life, like breathing or eating…you need it to be alive.
Aloramyst: Do you create art in other mediums?
Bambi: Oh yeah, I love to mix it up, I love fabric art and make these cool Art Quilts, and I draw and paint and airbrush, I make some jewelry, and other crafty type art, I’m still learning the whole vector thing, but expect to eventually make some great stuff that way and I got a fantastic digital camera for Christmas, so even I who has always been awful at photography can take great photos, so now I’m really grooving on the whole photography thing too.
Aloramyst: Is your artwork for sale? Where can people see or purchase your artwork?
Bambi: Yes, I currently have galleries online at:
http://bambiwatson/imagekind.com
Aloramyst: What are your recommendations and/or advice to other artists?
Bambi: Check out squidoo.com it’s a great way to network with other artists and I just love imagekind.com, it’s an easy way to get your art out there
Aloramyst: Is there anything about being an artist that you would like to know more about?
Bambi: Of course, art is like life, a constant learning experience, if you stop learning you stop really living.
Aloramyst: Which promotional tools have been the most effective for you?
Bambi: I like twitter, it gets word out to a lot of people fast…and of course Squidoo is great, and my advice is to just try them all and use them all, the more your name gets out there the better.
Aloramyst: Thank you for being with us here today Bambi. I wish you much success in the future.
