Sample Interview Questions for Ruth Collis
Why do you like to make art?
To see what new amazing discoveries can be made from this thick paint, sculptural forms never seen before in history, and swirling pourable colors that are captivating as well as cuttable!
What subjects do you prefer? Why?
Underwater coral reefs tend to work well with the unbelievable grit textures & jelly shapes that can be formed from this thick, see-through, flexible 3-D paint.
What processes and techniques do you use? Why?
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Drying paint to re-apply to the painting, Dry-on-Dry makes the shapes more 3D & adds to a myriad of additional textures.
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Using shapes that form from palette paint that are too cool to throw away.
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Using left-over dried paint to make my own palettes, or cuttable paintskins that can be turned into mosaics.
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Techniques are only all the ways in which I test what the thick paint can do: roll, cut, hole punch, squeeze, squish, swirl, braid, and palette knife, to name a few.
How is your work different from others?
My Separate Drying Layer process that enables more highly stylized paint forms, my constant testing and discoveries that lead to inventions, and the use of quality. Also, I have learned how to speed-dry acrylic paintings of over an inch high to almost over night.
What do you see in your artwork?
A new revolution. Books have now been made, referring to this thick paint as the "New Acrylics."
What do other people say they see?
Wonder. Amazement. Disbelief. Weird. No comment. Don't know what they're looking at. "Just the best of the best." "Love the shapes, colors, & forms." "Most all I have shown is the good stuff." "It looks like glass..." "That's paint?!" 'It keeps getting better and better... they're ALL winners!"
What are your goals and aspirations as an artist?
Make modern texture pieces for homes and offices, my own exhibits and gardens for people to tour, more online courses teaching this thick painting style, touchable paintings for the blind, and improve my studio painting environment to be a quieter and supportive environment to produce larger paintings with faster output.
Who or what inspires you?
I am not inspired by other artists really, but by what products the paint manufacturers of today make and their continual refinement of them that aids more capabilities, seeing what a medium can do, disovering unintended forms shape together in the palette, or a neat tool that creates a fun effect, and common every day objects found around you, that mimic some shape, color, or idea that turns into great art through my eyes. I often wear a particular set of sunglasses so to speak (say thick paint sunglasses) that when put on, all of life seen through them, continually shows new ideas I must try to create (like a 3D leaf, sea anemone, or pipe coral).
How long have you been painting?
All my life and use of these thicker paints since 1998, and really focusing on inventing all these paint-sculpted discoveries since 2011.
What made you think of this Thick Paint idea?
Liquitex paint manufacturer came up with these inventive paint tubes of thick flexible paint called “Structural Paint” and decorative tips you screw on the top, long ago. Problem was the paint shrunk when dry and didn’t retain its shape, and also one squeeze rendered the whole tube of paint gone, for a high price.
I never forgot my fascination with how thick paint could be so real you could sculpt with it and create immense texture that far surpassed all the boring paintings of history I had to study in school.
Now, years later, manufacturers make better paint that holds shapes with not much shrinkage and I have found a company I can buy volumes from for a fraction of the price, that enables me to do testing of relentless shapes and forms from different methods of squishing, squeezing, peeling, or pouring liquified paint that dries flexible and still be manipulated into unheard of art forms, texture, and creations never explored in history. Technology improving the painting mediums has enabled such fascination with me!
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