Graphics Arts & Illustration are visual arts just as are what we consider "Fine Arts", but they are quite different disciplines. The training for each is different, the techniques are different, and both the concepts and approach are different. At times these fields intersect, but more often than not they are as two trains running a parallel track bound for different destinations. Even very good illustrators do not necessarily good artists make, and vice versa. I enjoy both fields of expertise, much as I can enjoy both dancers of tap and ballet.

Over the course of years when I had dabbled in illustration I had picked up some habits which became a hindrance to me when I made the decision to start painting again -- especially in oils. Trying to shake these habits was made more difficult in that I had decided to make the transition via a series of Scottie paintings, a subject for which I had done numerous illustrations over the past ten years, rather than with a series of "breakaway" paintings which more reflected the freer, deeply internalized images of my early work. Trying to accomodate these dueling desires in order to successfully create work which could be appreciated as illustrations of dog art, but with the painterly approach of a person trained in Fine Arts, is a particularly tricky dance. One of the ways I decided to combat the real danger of backsliding into some of the more restrictive parameters of illustrative art was to create a quota system for myself. That is, for every four Scottie paintings I will create one painting entirely for myself, and of a tottally non-related subject. We'll see if this approach helps me to find that personal style to connect all of my work.

On a more practical note....
Working in oils is not for the timid. It's an expensive medium, and when I decided to take the plunge again I managed to rack up a thousand dollars' worth of materials in my very first foray to the art supply store. These supplies -- paints, painting mediums such as linseed oils and thinners, decent brushes, and canvases -- must be replenished on a regular basis. (I work on linen rather than canvas of cotton duck; it is more expensive but worth the extra money.) I already had a fairly sturdy easel and with the recent purchase of a new house, a spacious studio. Proper lighting is still a problem, but one which will have to wait for a time when our budget can accomodate some remodeling of the studio.

Oil painting is also a medium for the patient. Unlike watercolors or acrylics, which can dry within minutes, oils take weeks to dry and further curing of a finished work continues for months and even years after completion. By working on several pieces simultaneously, I can allow the underpainting of one piece to dry while I continue to work on the other paintings. As a side benefit, these periodic breaks from any one piece affords me a fresh eye when it's ready to be worked again.

That's about all I have to share for now on the subject of painting. As my work progresses, I will post new pics and keep you abreast of developments. It's an exciting and terrifying but ultimately fun time for me, and it's a pleasure to share some of this experience with you. Isn't the internet wonderful?

— Kate Maynard