SUMMER OFFICE
an interview with Madisen Baxter
“You know what, this random spot out here would be a perfect piece to just show life.”
What inspired you to create this piece?
“I made this piece over the summer. We were in Washington DC at a lake house in the middle of nowhere ... I wanted to focus on my style. I'm so used to doing hyper-realism that I wanted to try a new medium. I used gouache, and I'd never used gouache before. It was a little harder to use because it was not something I could mix very well. I had to be a little more abstract with it. I wanted to focus on the background with this piece. So, I went outside the house we were staying in and I (took) a picture of my mom (while) she was doing work in this beautiful place. So I (said), ‘You know what, this random spot out here would be a perfect piece to just show life.’”
Why did you choose to use gouache for this piece?
“I wanted to do this piece outside and I was at first going to use watercolors. Gouache is kind of like a mix between acrylic and watercolors. I'm not really a fan of watercolor. I tried gouache because I didn't want to do acrylic because I always do acrylic. I thought maybe it would be fun to try and see if I could do a mix between acrylic and watercolor but it honestly ended up looking like acrylic.”
Do you prefer to use acrylic paint?
“Yes. I love the way that acrylic paints mix and I love the color that you can get in it. Usually, in watercolor, it's hard because you can't really go back. Once you make a mistake in watercolor, you can't fix it— especially if it's white. With acrylic, you can go back and repaint. I actually just started doing oil paintings, which is now my favorite medium because it mixes so nicely. It's awesome.”
Can you explain a bit about your artistic process?
“Usually I try and come up with an idea. I always end up changing my idea halfway through… and then I plan it out on the canvas with a pencil… If it's really complicated, I'll do really good pencil work, and if not I'll just do a sketch. Then I go in and I layer multiple layers of paint. I start with the base layer, then I go back in and I do dark (colors), and then (I) go back and do light (colors).”
How did you get started with art?
“I was not an artistic kid when I was really young. I ended up starting to do art lessons because my mom knew a friend that happened to go to art lessons and (she) invited us. I went with my twin sister who's also an art major and we ended up loving it so much (that) we wanted to go every day during the week. She recommended (we try out) for Bak and she was like, ‘You guys would be awesome at Bak.’ So we went to Bak and just kept loving art and doing art.”
How would you describe your art style?
“Right now I'm trying to go out of my comfort zone with my styles. I don't want to stay with one style, but right now I love doing realistic (art). I've always loved trying hyper-realistic (art). I'm really experimenting with character stuff right now — especially digital.”
Why did you choose to go to Dreyfoos for art?
“I've heard many great things about Dreyfoos from friends. I had friends that went here for different things. I heard our art program was great and (that) there was so much opportunity, college-wise, for art schools. I decided to go here so I could continue doing art.”
If you had to pick one person that you look up to in the art world, who would you say it was?
“Honestly, I'd say my most looked up to (people) ... would be my teachers. They all make awesome art, especially my Bak teachers. The teacher that I went to at first, her name was Mrs. Lamberson. She was the reason why I wanted to get into art because her artwork was awesome. In terms of famous people, I'd say probably Renoir. He made a bunch of great pieces.”
What legacy do you want to leave at Dreyfoos?
“I just want to make sure that I'm being active, especially in the art community. I want to be known for being a successful artist. I want to ... become somebody that people can be like, ‘Oh, she went to Dreyfoos’, and leave that name here.”
Do you plan to go on to be a professional artist?
“Right now, I'm exploring what careers are in the art field. I'm looking at a lot of film (careers). I'm also looking at pretty much every creative field out there.”