Debbie Dent Anderson finds joy in the places you discover when you stray away from familiar surroundings. Capturing landscapes from majestic mountains in the Great Plains to bright horizons on the Pacific Northwest, her latest show, “Wild Things and Magical Places”, provides snapshots of the breathtaking views and flora and fauna that the country has to offer. In this exclusive interview, Debbie Dent Anderson discusses her favorite landscapes, finding a balance between paint and pastel, and living life through an artistic lens.
Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you, and what do you do?
I live in Macon, Georgia. I am a painter.
Are there any particular landscapes that you are more drawn to? What landscapes during your travels were your favorite to paint?
I am drawn to things far away. Depth is important to me. Mountains provide that, roads provide that, rivers, streams and creeks provide that. The play on light and dark provides that.
My favorite places to paint? Hmmm…the painting I am currently working on, and when I finish that one, it is the next one. And when the painting I am working on ceases to be my favorite, I put it away for a while and pull it back out, when I am ready. ( I painted on “The Land of Blue Mountains” for over four years—it went through quite the metamorphosis.
The painting “Midnight In Montana” is rather special to me. The mountains of Montana are HUGE, and they rise straight up from the ground, and they look so far away. The painting began with the buffalo. I saw hundreds of them, just roaming, not in a park, just roaming in the wilds of Montana. The mountains were glowing. It was magic. And yes, it’s buffalo :-)
Do you have any specific artistic techniques you utilized for this series?
I like to layer color, which to me is essential when working with soft pastels. I first started using pastels some 50+ years ago, oh my! I didn’t have the color needed—I was working on a portrait and trying to find the right skin color—so I found if I mixed four of the colors that I DID have, it worked! The magnificent thing about pastels is the particles of pigment don’t combine to form a new color, they just chill out side by side. It’s sheer “candy” for the eyes.
I like to layer color with oil paint as well. Lay it on thick and let it dry, then apply more paint. It builds up texture and color. Lay it on thin, let it dry and then apply more paint. It builds atmosphere.
Walk us through your artistic process for Wild Things and Magical Places. What was an average day like while working on this series?
In I think February of last year, Sierra asked me if I would like to have a show of my work.
My reply: “Well yes, I believe I would :-)”, and so continued this journey. The first painting that was screaming in my head was the memory of a HUGE single bison sitting on a hill in Yellowstone National Park. A BIG close-up painting. Unreal, he was so unreal he became :-)
I painted or thought about my painting process for this endeavor, I think most every day since its inception. That is minus about 4 weeks collectively throughout the year I used for travel. One must make time for family, you know. Most important.
At first, painting consumed the morning, the afternoon and the evening, until by the end of the day, I realized I was undoing much of what I had done. A three-hour session per day soon began to work better for me.
Are there any future projects you’re working on or are planning to work on?
I delayed a few portrait commissions for this project, so that’s on the agenda.
For me though, a “Wild Things and Magical Places, Part Two”. Because I am not done with this :-)
What keeps you motivated to create, and how do you stay inspired?
My earliest memories are of crayola crayons and drawing horses when I was probably five years old. I raised a family, worked many jobs, had several careers and painted some pictures. I am not finished, there is so much more to paint. I am thankful for each day. I am an artist.
Hmmm, perhaps a horse series…
“Wild Things and Magical Places” is available to view at the Macon Arts Gallery from now until Friday, March 27.