Artist Chrissy Schram - AIC Interview
Ontario artist Chrissy Schram does commissioned art of your dogs, cats and horses to paint lasting memories of your favourite animal. She works in pencil, mixed media, and acrylic paint.
She is the creator of whatwhenwhowherewhy and Chrissy Schram design freelance artist/painter/designer/illustrator. As well, she works in cartooning and comic books. Check out her family portraits!! Better yet, have her do one for your family!
She is the creator of whatwhenwhowherewhy and Chrissy Schram design freelance artist/painter/designer/illustrator. As well, she works in cartooning and comic books. Check out her family portraits!! Better yet, have her do one for your family!
Question:
When did you realize you had the need to create and develop your skills?
Answer:
as far back as i can remember. I have memories of kindergarten of teachers hanging my art front and centre above all others....and parent teacher interviews i eavesdropped on.
I had great supports when it came to teacher of all grades and of course my family.
Question:
How do you know when your art is complete?
Answer:
i get a feeling of sudden loss of interest and thats when i know i can not add anything else to the piece. If there is no thought or flow, continuing it will be meaningless and anyone with an eye for art can feel that meaningless thought when looking at an over worked image.
Question:
Where do you gather your inspiration from?
Answer:
it comes through me. I can't explain it without sounding like a artsy fartsy hippy!
Question:
Where do you typically create art?
Answer:
when i was younger i would ride the Transit in Toronto and sketch people. I would sit in the parks around my home with my dog and draw the landscape. typically i create in my home, now, but i do enjoy sitting in front of a subject matter smelling and feeling the environment around me.
Question:
Right now, what is your medium of choice and what is your favourite subject matter?
Answer:
i haven't quite figured that out yet. Currently i am enjoying illustrating a children's book called Fuddledum and Duddledum along with my fun family portraits for people. I like capturing the little things that make them them. Animal pets are also fun to paint. so much personality in animals behind their eyes! they can't hide it!
Question:
All artists at all stages of their career want to try something new, what other medium or subject matter do you see yourself experimenting with?
Answer:
i would love to sculpt. i have done so in high school )central technical school, toronto) when i was younger. I love getting my hands dirty and building with the clay. bronze casting was an amazing experiment along with pottery. Creating something u can touch!
Question:
Continuing education, do you partake and if so what did you learn?
Answer:
if i could i would go back to school and take fine arts! oil paintings and sculpture.
Question:
Have you ever taught a class or done an artist talk? If so, what did you talk about or teach? Can people sign up for your workshops and how?
Answer:
i have taught little ones to make jewelry and drawings in my home and at vendor shows i partake in.
Question:
Have you ever painted en plein air? What was the biggest hurdle for you? Environmental challenges, wildlife, people, weather?
Answer:
i have not painted outside my home as of yet. but i hope to someday. i do enjoying sketching where ever i go with pen and ink or pencil on paper. I carry a book and pen with me everywhere.
Question:
Do you do commissions? If so, what is your process?
Answer:
yes! my favourite part of creating is watching peoples reactions to the work i am commissioned to do. It brings such joy to me especially if i make them cry! I ask for a photo of the subject and i paint from that. sometimes it is required of me to take the photo in order to get the right angle.
Question:
What is your favourite art related quote?
Answer:
I'm afraid i don't have one!
Question:
Do you have a favourite artist and what do you like about their art? Have you ever met them?
Answer:
i have not met him but Nikko Hurtado does the most amazing tattoo and oil paintings! such realism yet it has a flare of style that i will never be able to capture which makes him amazing in my eyes. I also adore the classic artists such as monet and michelangelo , Leonardo divinci, ....those who worked in times where there were no art stores to purchase paints from. true thinkers and scientists.
Question:
Did they inspire you to pursue a career as a professional artist?
Answer:
i always new i would be doing art forever...its in my soul. what inspired me to do this full time was listening to a podcast called the nerdiest. and another podcast called the joe rogan experiment . they kept talking about how, if you have a calling or something u want to be you can't half ass it, you can't work 8-12 hours a day at a dead end job and then expect to be a comedian or artist with 4 hours left in the day. thats a lot of engird you waste for someone else. and so i did just that.
Question:
What is most challenging to you when starting a new project?
Answer:
i get real nervous that it won't be proportionate . that the nose is off or one eye is to far from the other. once i get past that I'm fine.
Question:
What advice would you give to an artist starting out?
Answer:
practice practice practice. i get a lot of kids asking me how i got so good and i always say I'm not good yet...i practice every day for hours. no rest. i also say that art is in the eye of the beholder. not everyone is going to like you and your work. your not creating for them. your creating cause u have to. cause if you don't u will explode.
Question:
What keeps you going forward with your art in this very competitive industry?
Answer:
if i don't create whats floating around in my mind i will explode. i create wether or not people like it or hate it. its coming out and its there.
Question:
In your studio, right now, what is your most important tool that you would be lost without?
Answer:
pencil!
Question:
What is your favourite piece of work you have created, thus far?
Answer:
i love my portrait of my cat kitty! acrylic and ink on canvas! she has so many layers and detail in the painting...i truly got lost in that one. it is also only my third painting.
Question:
What is the most well received piece of art you have created?
Answer:
i get a lot of praise from the kitty painting and a recent one i have done of the northern lights.
Question:
Do you have a favourite gallery or museum that you visit?
Answer:
i used to visit the ago when i was a student at OCAD in toronto often. also the ROM. i enjoy looking at art i.e. swords, helmets, ancient art that was created far beyond my time and in a time where everything was made by hand. how amazing!
Question:
When did you realize you had the need to create and develop your skills?
Answer:
as far back as i can remember. I have memories of kindergarten of teachers hanging my art front and centre above all others....and parent teacher interviews i eavesdropped on.
I had great supports when it came to teacher of all grades and of course my family.
Question:
How do you know when your art is complete?
Answer:
i get a feeling of sudden loss of interest and thats when i know i can not add anything else to the piece. If there is no thought or flow, continuing it will be meaningless and anyone with an eye for art can feel that meaningless thought when looking at an over worked image.
Question:
Where do you gather your inspiration from?
Answer:
it comes through me. I can't explain it without sounding like a artsy fartsy hippy!
Question:
Where do you typically create art?
Answer:
when i was younger i would ride the Transit in Toronto and sketch people. I would sit in the parks around my home with my dog and draw the landscape. typically i create in my home, now, but i do enjoy sitting in front of a subject matter smelling and feeling the environment around me.
Question:
Right now, what is your medium of choice and what is your favourite subject matter?
Answer:
i haven't quite figured that out yet. Currently i am enjoying illustrating a children's book called Fuddledum and Duddledum along with my fun family portraits for people. I like capturing the little things that make them them. Animal pets are also fun to paint. so much personality in animals behind their eyes! they can't hide it!
Question:
All artists at all stages of their career want to try something new, what other medium or subject matter do you see yourself experimenting with?
Answer:
i would love to sculpt. i have done so in high school )central technical school, toronto) when i was younger. I love getting my hands dirty and building with the clay. bronze casting was an amazing experiment along with pottery. Creating something u can touch!
Question:
Continuing education, do you partake and if so what did you learn?
Answer:
if i could i would go back to school and take fine arts! oil paintings and sculpture.
Question:
Have you ever taught a class or done an artist talk? If so, what did you talk about or teach? Can people sign up for your workshops and how?
Answer:
i have taught little ones to make jewelry and drawings in my home and at vendor shows i partake in.
Question:
Have you ever painted en plein air? What was the biggest hurdle for you? Environmental challenges, wildlife, people, weather?
Answer:
i have not painted outside my home as of yet. but i hope to someday. i do enjoying sketching where ever i go with pen and ink or pencil on paper. I carry a book and pen with me everywhere.
Question:
Do you do commissions? If so, what is your process?
Answer:
yes! my favourite part of creating is watching peoples reactions to the work i am commissioned to do. It brings such joy to me especially if i make them cry! I ask for a photo of the subject and i paint from that. sometimes it is required of me to take the photo in order to get the right angle.
Question:
What is your favourite art related quote?
Answer:
I'm afraid i don't have one!
Question:
Do you have a favourite artist and what do you like about their art? Have you ever met them?
Answer:
i have not met him but Nikko Hurtado does the most amazing tattoo and oil paintings! such realism yet it has a flare of style that i will never be able to capture which makes him amazing in my eyes. I also adore the classic artists such as monet and michelangelo , Leonardo divinci, ....those who worked in times where there were no art stores to purchase paints from. true thinkers and scientists.
Question:
Did they inspire you to pursue a career as a professional artist?
Answer:
i always new i would be doing art forever...its in my soul. what inspired me to do this full time was listening to a podcast called the nerdiest. and another podcast called the joe rogan experiment . they kept talking about how, if you have a calling or something u want to be you can't half ass it, you can't work 8-12 hours a day at a dead end job and then expect to be a comedian or artist with 4 hours left in the day. thats a lot of engird you waste for someone else. and so i did just that.
Question:
What is most challenging to you when starting a new project?
Answer:
i get real nervous that it won't be proportionate . that the nose is off or one eye is to far from the other. once i get past that I'm fine.
Question:
What advice would you give to an artist starting out?
Answer:
practice practice practice. i get a lot of kids asking me how i got so good and i always say I'm not good yet...i practice every day for hours. no rest. i also say that art is in the eye of the beholder. not everyone is going to like you and your work. your not creating for them. your creating cause u have to. cause if you don't u will explode.
Question:
What keeps you going forward with your art in this very competitive industry?
Answer:
if i don't create whats floating around in my mind i will explode. i create wether or not people like it or hate it. its coming out and its there.
Question:
In your studio, right now, what is your most important tool that you would be lost without?
Answer:
pencil!
Question:
What is your favourite piece of work you have created, thus far?
Answer:
i love my portrait of my cat kitty! acrylic and ink on canvas! she has so many layers and detail in the painting...i truly got lost in that one. it is also only my third painting.
Question:
What is the most well received piece of art you have created?
Answer:
i get a lot of praise from the kitty painting and a recent one i have done of the northern lights.
Question:
Do you have a favourite gallery or museum that you visit?
Answer:
i used to visit the ago when i was a student at OCAD in toronto often. also the ROM. i enjoy looking at art i.e. swords, helmets, ancient art that was created far beyond my time and in a time where everything was made by hand. how amazing!
FEATURED ART
kitty
Website: www.chrissyschramdesign.weebly.com
Email: chrissyschramdesign@gmail.com
Fort Erie, Ontario
Canada, L2A 5C5
Phone Number: (289) 303-8433
