Both Viv King and Cherie Dirksen already were winners in our group and we decided to do a more in depth interview with the both of them.

Here is Viv’s interview (Cherie’s interview just below)
It was my pleasure to interview Viv to find out more behind the stunning artwork we see in her profile. With this interview she takes us back on a journey picking up skulls to draw and then later paint. She also takes us into her art class where she could put the emotions and inner struggle of a model posing in the class, on canvas. She has the ability to let you in emotionally and spiritually while you browse through her artwork.

In ^Treegod and ^{Women is like a rock} I can see that your painting leads one to see something else in it. Is your artwork a spiritual experience to you as it can be for some people looking at it, and do you sometimes plan for this to happen?
Tell us more about your exploring the possibilities once you see the added bonus of an image emerging out of your image

In the ^treegod painting I was not aware of anything ‘strange” until I was almost finished. Then when I noticed that the branches looked like a profile of a man I was quite stunned. I tested it on my family and they couldn’t see it until I pointed it out to them! So I guess you see what you want to see in a painting- if you are open to experience something spiritual then you definitely ill experience that.
In the ^{woman is like a rock} painting I was aware from the beginning that the arrangement of the rocks in the foreground resembled a woman kneeling down and that there was a profile of a woman with her mouth open in the right hand corner of the painting. The photograph that I took on site clearly shows that. The difficulty was painting the rocks as “realistically” as possible without making the images too obvious.

Your art show the intense emotions you intended for it to evoke, like with ^{Puppy Love} we can see the absolute joy of the boy, and with ^{Woman in transition} the use of colours let the emotion jump out at you. Do you plan your painting before hand, or does your painting evolve step by step as you paint it? Would you mind taking us through the steps you have getting to the end result?

I never really know what is going to happen with a painting. I have to be “inspired” by the subject- moved, in some way – either by the colours, the form or the subject matter. I can’t paint well if I don’t feel emotionally or spiritually connected with the subject in some way. In ^{puppy love} the joy my son experienced with having his puppy transferred itself – I hoped to capture that innocence and joy on the canvas as it was such a precious memory.

^{Woman in transition} began in a life-drawing class.The model was experiencing some emotional turmoil and I was sensitive to that. I drew her in charcoal in her pose but her mood stayed with me. When I got back to my studio I experimented with colour first- red seemed the most fitting colour to express her anger. Because I am also a woman-in-transition, dealing with hormonal issues, the subject was close to my heart. While I work I listen to talk radio and there was a program on plastic surgery. I began to think of dealing with this issue in the painting- women are often unhappy with their body- image and I imagined this woman contemplating having breast-implants – that is why the breasts in this painting look as if they don’t quite belong to the woman- also the painting suggests a male figure on the right hand side- a woman with too many male hormones perhaps. So there are many issues here- sexuality, hormonal changes and change in general. It was difficult to know where to stop with this painting, but I felt I wanted to express ambiguity so I left it at a point where this felt right.

You use a lot of symbolism in your art, e.g: animal sculls, spirits like treegod, angels etc to bring out the message of your artwork more strongly. Is this planned or do you have a clear idea beforehand and work from your plan?

There are certain forms in nature that I have always felt close to- trees especially! I like the form of skulls- I went to a farm in the Karoo and found many animal skulls which I took back to my studio and did a lot of drawings from them. I have always been fascinated by them. I don’t really have a “plan” as such – I just like collecting meaningful material and then study them. The meaning comes clearer while I work- I just try to keep an open mind and see what they “Say” to me.

You love mixing traditional and modern by using a painting and spicing it up with a computer program in some of your art. Can you tell us how you get to the decision on which painting to “work” on with a computer program? which software program do you then prefer to work on? And when doing your spicing up, do you plan something or do you let it take you where it leads you?

When I am unhappy with a painting for some reason, or when I am half way through a painting- I take photographs of it and then put them into my photoimpact program- this is an old program which I got long before photoshop was invented and I have found it very valuable in helping me find direction in a painting if it is going wrong. Sometimes I change areas in the painting on Photoimpact with the idea of painting it, but very often I am better pleased with the results I get on Photoimpact and just have fun with the process. This often leads me into a very abstract place which I didn’t intend but it is fun so I let things happen as they will!

Some of your paintings seems to be done in the way the old masters did it. How long does it take from beginning to end and please tell us which method of painting you prefer or like more than the other

I suppose I am quite “old-fashioned” in my artistic methods! I like oils the best really because they give you time to contemplate and meditate and then you can change things. I have recently begun working with acrylic but it still feels like plastic art to me- I feel more “superficial” when I work in it- too focussed on the result rather than the joy of the process. Process is very important to me- if you can’t enjoy the actual “work” and are too busy thinking of the result, what is the point of painting?
A painting can take anything from a few hours to a few years, depending on the subject and what I want to achieve. I very seldom throw my paintings away- I just paint over old paintings.

Sometimes when I feel like just having fun I do work like the ^{let the games begin} – I would love to be able to portray humour in my art, but it seldom happens-without seeming “forced” I guess I am just too serious by nature-I just have to accept that. I am also having great fun at the moment with ‘Reverse painting” on perspex- it is great to do – I can’t really show these works on Red bubble unfortunately as they have quite a lot of gold and silver in them and this does not come through in photographs- the real thing is much more exciting!

Have a look at Viv’s other lovely pictures in her profile

Cherie Dirksen:

It was my pleasure to interview Cherie to get to know her better as an artist and fellow bubbler! She took me from flowers to mountain tops, to the deep blue sea and then again to the jungle!

Please so run over and have a look at her profile and enjoy her art with me

I see that flowers and sunsets/sunrises are predominantly featuring in your artwork. What is the special link that made you fall in love with these subjects?

I am in love with nature really. Flowers and sunsets/sunrises just appeal to me a little stronger because they are so awesome in colour and, with flowers, detail and intricacy. Sunsets and Sunrises are always different and can take your breath away – what better subject for a painting!

The sea is such a strong subject matter in your artwork. Is it because you live in Cape Town near the sea or is there a deeper connection you have with the Great Blue?
PS (I even saw Finding Nemo somewhere there and dolphins too!)

I am intrigued with the sea, and it really helps living near the beach. I have always lived near the sea so it is definitely something that is intrinsically built into me. The sea is magical and mysterious, something no-one has yet explored to the fullest, so it always remains a subject of great intrigue for me. I sometimes veer away from the norm by doing an underwater scene, I love getting myself submerged in blue but I always come out on top again for a breath of fresh air and dry land!

It seems that trees play an important role in some of your artwork. You also have artwork done on Newspaper. It shouts out that you want to cherish and protect our precious earth. Please do tell us about your goals and passion in this regard.

Ah, now trees are the majestic keepers of the earth. Here again, is a mystery so ancient we could talk about it forever. Needless to say, I find trees utterly amazing. An inspiration for strength, endurance and absolute beauty. I definitely want people to realize the implications of wasting paper and resources and how this effects our environment. The recycle and re-use campaign is just a way that I can get the word out their through my art.

You have done a few portraits and nudes. Do you have your subject model for you or do you work from a reference photo. How do you go about these?

Every now and again I dabble in form. I usually use reference photo’s or, sometimes, I get my husband to take photo’s of me (and there has even been the odd occassion that he allows me to do the same with him). It’s not something I do often but when I feel the need for a change in subject matter, I like to come back to this form of art. With the portraits, I like to take a variety of faces and mesh them together to form a unique face, I suppose it’s my way of playing God.

You have a few abstracts in your portfolio. Are you a realistic painter who loves abstracts, or do you just dabble with it now and then. What is you general feeling toward abstract art?

I am definitely a realistic painter who loves abstract art. I find it so intriguing – especially as I cannot do it! I especially love the work of South African Artist, Tay Dall – if you haven’t seen her work, I strongly suggest you take a peak! You’ll find me dabbling here and there but I can never quite get to where I want to be with abstract – I guess it will just take a lot of practice.

You are passionate about red. Why is that? You also use colours to portray feelings and emotions in your artwork. In Identity you use it to let the identity of the African man stand out with what he stands for and for his tradition. In Caught up in blue, you show a very lonely woman, who was left in the cold feeling wise. With Isolation, you “cured” the isolation by adding warm colours to show that our life energy is with us even when we feel isolated. Are you a warm or cool colour person?

Red is such an appealing colour, it is proven to be the most popular colour in paintings (what the public want) and for me, it is just such a wonderfully expressive colour. I would define myself as being both cool and warm. I worship the sun and love warmth (I am definitely not a winter loving person) but when I feel aura’s or life forces, they are cold. So I think I have a bit of the ying and yang going on.

You also have a few artworks showing your love for music. How do you organize your time to accommodate your love for painting and doing your music?

It is very tricky balancing my art and music. I mainly dedicate my week days to art and leave the weekend open for music, which works well for me but I could always use a little more time for my music.

You do a lot of multi panel artworks. Does it take more planning and patience than just one canvas, and do you have a special place where you have enough space to do these panels, or do you do them one at a time?

The multi-paneled paintings can be quite tricky. You do need a big space to line them up. To my husbands horror, I sometimes use the kitchen counter to do this. My studio is very small and sometimes doesn’t quite accommodate this kind of artistic expression so I have to revert to dining room tables and kitchen counters. Otherwise, I sometimes do 2 panels at a time but it is far nicer to have them lined up altogether. It certainly does take a lot more planning than a single canvas but it is worth it in the end.

You seem to have a special love for the numbers 1, 2 and 3. In the majority of your artwork you either use one subject, or 2 or three. Is this planned? Tell us how you plan on the subject matter and how you decide how many flowers or trees should be in it.

There’s not always a lot of planning that goes into my work – I simply go with the flow and do what looks right. I tend to use 1, 2 or 3 flowers in my compositions as I like to concentrate on the intricacy of the flower, so I tend to keep the numbers low and the focus on the flowers detail high. Flowers are so often over looked as just being beautiful as a whole but when you really look deep into a flower it is like looking at the workings of the Universe – they are so much more than a pretty face, I want my art to bring about the awe and wonder that flowers truly deserve. I want people to stop, not only to smell the roses, but to have a good look inside them too and see the magnificent workings that go on therein!

Have a look at some of “Cherie’s”: http://www.redbubble.com/people/cheriedirksen other artwork

Thanks, Susan! Everything looks great! :D

Two magnificent artists! Thank you so much for such interesting insights! Congratulations!