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Marcia Baldwin

Artist's Interview

How long have you been creating?: I think you might say I have been drawing and painting since I was a very small child. I won my first regional art contest at the age of 7 years old and was featured on a news program at the time, so I was totally hooked on the joys of art and how art has come to define who I wanted to be and who I have become. All my education has been focused on the fine arts. Graduating from college with a degree in fine art, then a Masters in Art Education, and for the last 38 years, I have always been creating. It was only the last 5 years, that I have had the opportunity to devote 100 percent of my professional life to my fine art studio. It has been a true life changing and very challenging stage in my life. The rewards have been huge, as has the struggles keeping a "business head" on my shoulders while all the time just wanting to be painting, creating, and enjoying the whole process of developing my art. This journey of marketing my paintings as a self representing artist has revealed so many new friends, collectors of my originals who keep me inspired with their encouragement and continued support, wonderful new artist friends who share the joy and the pain when revealing a brand new painting fresh from the easel. It is a wonderful life to wake each day with fresh new ideas and new challenges being a full time fine artist. "Living to Paint ~ Loving to Live" .. Enjoy each new day !

What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?: Fulfillment, that wonderful feeling of "All things are Right" and I feel blessed with the new day ahead, is truly founded in my love for my Lord and my family. Creative fulfillment is a natural flow for me, as I am known to find creative solutions to daily challenges, and also to daily joys. I recently decided that it would be great to take my studio on the road, to be out in our beautiful parks and countryside and capture those moments on canvas that happen in a instant, far beyond the walls of a studio. So, in a "creative" moment, I set out to buy my first travel trailer, complete with a ramp and carrier for two motorcycles. I bought two brand new motorcycles too and now my youngest daughter and I take off in a moments notice to venture out to these gorgeous sights that our country has to offer. My "rolling studio" has been one adventure after another. I set up the outdoor studio as soon as we arrive at each park and the people that drop by to ask about my art has been inspiring. You might see me going down the country road, backpack and easel on my back, riding my motorcycle to get to that special spot for just the right view of the setting sun, or a view of a lakeside, or the rare sightings of the Bald Eagles this spring.

What are your motivations for creating?: Motivations come in various stages. I am mainly motivated to share the beauty the God has given to us, to capture some of that beauty that we take advantage of and the beauty that we forget to enjoy each day, and I know that the gift of art is that blessing that is best used to share my love of my Lord. It is the peace in knowing the Lord has provided for myself and my family and that my art is meaningful to many who appreciate the moment to take time to be thankful in their daily lives too. Other motivations fall on the side of "challenge". I find each day I paint, that there is always a subtle problem in a composition, color theme, design or subject. That challenge motivates me to strive to get better. Daily painting has been so inspiring. It does surprise me too that motivation to paint comes directly from my collectors. The surprise is not that they have paid me for my original, but the moment the take to share their thoughts about a painting when they first receive it and open the package to reveal the newly purchased original. When they write to me or call with all their excitement and share their thoughts on the painting... now that is "motivation". I am set to Go. !

How do you know when a piece you have been working on is done?: My paintings are totally planned "in my mind" for days before I start painting. I do not do any preliminary drawings, just setting brush to canvas when getting started. It is when I reach to point of what was in my "minds eye" that is when I know the painting is done. It is a one brush stroke, "There.. that's It !!" It is a good feeling.

What do you find stimulating right now? How does this influence your creative process?: Well, right now it is the beginning of Spring Time. New beginnings, a fresh start, a crisp new look for each new day... How can anyone not enjoy the creative process with so much beauty that unfolds each day during this season. So right now, it is "Spring Fever" that influences my paintings.

What brought you to EBSQ?: EBSQ stands out among the crowd of artists online venues. It was the professional style of EBSQ that first caught my eye. It was the helpful contacts and guidance, for when I was first starting out, that made me want to be a part of EBSQ. I was able to get immediate help from the site whenever I had a question, and there were many questions when I first started marketing my own art as a self representing artist. The templates that organized my auction listings for ebay were also a huge plus. I would not have been able to do any of that by myself. Their help was tremendous. EBSQ has also been a magnet to publishers and art agents as well as commissioned sales. When I get an inquiry about my art, I send them to EBSQ!. a truly Great Site for the Self Representing Artist. Kudos to EBSQ !!!

What are some of your artistic goals for the future?: 2008 is going to be a challenging year. The economy will be a huge influence in the artists life, but my artistic goals still remain the same. Artistically, my goal is to learn something new each day while painting. It may be as simple as a better sable brush or a better light to use when setting up a still life. It may be a visit to an art exhibit to study how other artists have used their skills and knowledge to portray their subject matter. 2008 will also be my year to connect with those who have been drawn to my art, such as one wonderful collector, who is a constant in my life and who writes to me often about her life and how a little sunshine moment is unveiled when she passes through her kitchen to glance at a brightly painted fun composition of a Rooster who has a proud personality !! Or a dear man who has been collecting my originals over the past five years, who has recently remodeled his whole life, home, but remains a collector, showcasing my originals in his new home... saying that he could never part with them. That is my artistic goal, to connect and continue communication with my new friends of my art and my art friends, new and old !!.

What would you like your fellow EBSQ artists and collectors to know about you and or your work?: I would like EBSQ artists and our collectors to know that my art, each new original painting, is a reflection of my heart. Each painting is a devotion to love and peace and if one of my originals is in your care and viewed by others, that it has touched you in some way.