A FEW MINUTES WITH STACY VOSBERG . . .

Q:        I’ve noticed that you seem to be comfortable working in a variety of styles and media.  That’s very difficult for most artists. Is there a reason that you do this?

A:         Yes there is. First, of course, comes the inspiration for the particular piece, the creative moment when I conceive the artwork – but that is always followed by another part of my process, which consists of approaching the execution of the work as a nuanced problem that requires the correct solution in order to resolve it fully. So I choose the style and medium very carefully, and it has worked well for me. But you’re right, that approach makes other artists I know a little crazy.

Q:         How do your styles differ from each other?

A:         When I paint with the oils it is a combination of laying shapes of color in and lightly blending some of the edges together. I favor painting from direct observation and usually work Alla Prima, meaning ‘all at once – in a single sitting’. For me, this is a very comfortable process, but it does require patience because I can only paint so fast. The acrylics are a different approach. With them I have to use quick deliberate stokes of paint, with edges close or overlapping so blending is quite common. This is more challenging just because of the nature of acrylic paint drying so fast. But I enjoy working the consistency and the vibrant fresh colors on canvas. 

The watercolors are challenging as well because of the way that I approach them. You probably noticed that I first lay down an illustration in ink, so there’s no chance to erase. I draw the closest shapes first, and then those further away. I then use a choice of only one of each primary color. I love doing these and the process requires me to really think before I lay down any ink.

Q:         Do you have a studio where you do most of your work?

A:         Actually, I have two studios, one in California and the other on the island of Maui. The one in Hawaii is pretty much dedicated to painting - I don't print my limited editions there. The studio in California, in Simi Valley, is set up for painting of course, but is also fully equipped with state of the art hardware, like wide-body inkjet printers, image scanner, photographic equipment, a heat press, and other tools that I use to make various types of art, ranging from limited edition prints to functional art pieces.

Q:         Can you tell me a little about your process of creating limited edition work?

A:         I guess you could say that I'm very picky about limited edition prints. I insist on the process being completely hands-on. That is to say, that there are many highly competent commercial printing ateliers out there that artists can use to print their work for them, but I am a person who needs to remain fully vested in the creative process. I don't want to hand my image off to someone else to scan, color correct and print. An artist imparts a certain part of their inner self into each original work, and my feeling is that this can be extended to limited edition prints through close involvement with the process. Nobody sees that image in the same way that I do, and the only way that I can assure my collectors that it is the best it can possibly be is to retain full control over the process.

            When you look at one of my prints, the quality and care is evident, from the archival paper, to the special longevity inks I use - they are fade-free for well over 100 years - to the saturation of the colors, and the high resolution, near continuous-tone printing. Every fine detail and nuance of the original painting is captured. My signature on a print coming from the Vosberg studio is a very personal guarantee that this artwork is of the highest possible quality.

Q:        What makes you want to continue to create and to excel as an artist? What fulfils you about this career as opposed to others where you might excel?

A:        I have a passion for travel, and much of my artistic approach has been an outgrowth of my need to "document " a moment I experienced in a beautiful place. This keeps me wanting to paint more and more. In my head I always have a list of things that I still want to paint. I can never get caught up. There is so much to paint that I have also had to hone my photography skills so that I can paint some of the scenes later. By ‘hone’ I mean that I have improved my mind’s eye in a way that lets me ‘see’ the final painting before I take the photo. It’s a way of making sure that the correct ‘story’ I want to tell is included in the photo.

Q:        What I’m hearing is that you have found a means of completing yourself through painting. Is that correct?

A:        Very much so. I cannot imagine my life without painting, and I can’t conceive of doing anything else.  I was painting before I even knew what an "artist " was. I have a picture taken when I was around 3 years old with a brush in my hand, painting at a coffee table with paint all over my face. I have memories of coloring and scribbling crayons on all 4 bedroom walls of my baby sister’s room when I was 4 years old. I had to do it then, and have never stopped or lost the wonder of what color can do.

            If I don’t paint for a while I begin to dream about it. There is a ‘striving’ factor to it as well. Each painting has its own special solution, and I am always trying to see what level I can go to with each new painting.

Q:        Let’s dig a little deeper and talk about your personal philosophy as an artist.

A:        That’s a difficult subject for me. I’ve been an artist since I was a child, so I wasn’t thinking ‘philosophy’ back then, just the sheer joy of creating. In discussing what it's like to be an artist with my other artist friends we all agree that it is just simply the most compelling urge, and we don’t have a choice in the matter.

I continually see, experience and record a place or beautiful objects in my daily life. I sort things out in my mind, what part of it I want to save and document for myself and others to see. I combine a scene with color and texture and if I could just find a way to put the smell in there it would really be complete. Like the time down in Puerta Vallarta as I was walking along a village street, watching people go about their daily life, and I can still remember the smell of cooking and the fresh tortillas coming of the tortilla bakeries. Or the warm salt air and smell of the plumerias, pineapple and mangoes in Hawaii, and the smell of fresh air, flowers and the dark soil in Monet's garden. I get to re-experience it all when I create these paintings. My collectors like my paintings and depictions of places I’ve traveled to, but what few of them know is that this process of remembering the experience and documenting it on canvas is my form of meditation/prayer, relaxation, and my very personal token of gratitude to my maker.

Q:        Art, like music, or other forms of artistic communication, can be considered to be a language.  What are the elements of your particular artistic language?

A:        You’re not going to go easy on me, are you? I think that the best answer to that question may be this: I’m essentially trying to tell a story about my life through my art. What’s important is that I’m doing this primarily for me, and I would continue to paint regardless if anyone else saw it or not. The work doesn’t require any other observer but me. I get lost in time when I paint and sometimes don’t even realize that there is an outside world. The fact that I have viewers that love my work seems to be a very happy ending for me.

Q:        Some artists work quickly and intuitively, with very little planning, depending on emotion to drive them. Others plan carefully and work through a set process. You seem to feel fairly comfortable astride both positions.  Can you comment on that?

A:        I am completely comfortable with the combination of my emotion and intuition in my process. Mostly I paint peaceful, simple, safe places that I have discovered in my adventures of wandering around places I have lived or visited. Or I might be trying to convey the way of life that differs from most of the busy world. I think the actual emotion for me and the viewer lies in an escape from some of our day to day realities.  It is these places or scenes where I go to when I'm in the dentist chair or somewhere else that I don’t want to be.

Q:        What specifically is your perception of the importance of Art - with a capital ‘A’ - to yourself, and to the world at large? What do you feel is the role of the artist in a healthy society?

A:        While art is mainly an individual form of expression, it also has, by its very nature, no limitations whatsoever. It can be enjoyed in a purely visual or tactile sense, but in certain circumstances it can also create an impact on society and even function as an agent of change. Art can contain important social commentary; it can present complex ideas, or simply bring further richness to what we perceive and experience by showing the world through another observer’s eyes.

I don’t believe that we realize how powerful and important art can be as a reflection of who we are as a people and how we relate to the global culture. I feel that art inspires and challenges each of us. Artists, through their work, involve us in seeking a more complete understanding of the wonderful and diverse ways in which the human mind interprets the world around it.