Guest Blog: Karen Comber
Winner of Portfolio Plus Artist of the Month, courtesy of Artists & Illustrators magazine, Karen Comber shares her journey into painting and her favourite art materials. Favouring watercolour and acrylic, her recent trip to Lapland inspired immersive forest walks and many paintings.
You won this months Portfolio Plus £50 Pegasus Art voucher. Congratulations! Do you like entering art competitions, do you think it’s valuable?
Yes, I love to enter competitions. It always gives me a buzz! I think they’re valuable from the point of view of seeing other artists’ entries. This is particularly useful if the judges comment on why particular paintings grabbed their interest!
What inspired your winning painting? Tell us about the process and materials too please!
I went on a holiday to Lapland and the scenery was stunning particularly at twilight (most of the afternoon). A little too cold for plein-air work so I based this on photographs on my return. I love acrylic for its strength of colour and immersed myself in ‘the walk in the forest’ long after the event itself! This is the reason I favour landscapes as I would love to step into my paintings!
Are you a full time artist, or do you balance your painting with other jobs?
I have a full time job alongside my painting so I fit in what I can. I don’t like to wish away time but I am very much looking forward to my retirement years with so much more time.
What is your preferred medium and which brands do you favour?
I love working in Acrylic and Watercolour. Acrylic for strength of colour and Watercolour for the wonderful effects that can be achieved by washes. The majority of my paints are Winsor & Newton. For Watercolour work I find types of brushes make a big difference. Although more pricey I find it’s worth having a few natural hair brushes as the feel of them is so different and they hold so much more paint. The brands of paintbrush and canvas and paper materials vary.
Were you formally trained or self taught and do you think this matters?
I was trained in Graphic Design but there are many similarities between design and painting such as composition, colour balance and focus of interest. Art to me, however, is mainly enthusiasm. If you love an activity you will want to keep at it, and practise, as they say, makes perfect…or at least allows improvement! I think formal training can add to this with useful techniques but, more than anything, a tutor or other class influences can expand your comfort zone and encourage areas you would be less likely to experiment with on your own.
Do you paint every day? What keeps you going?
I don’t paint every day due to work pressures. As far as keeping me going in art there are so many ideas in my head for painting I doubt I will ever find myself saying ‘I am not sure what to paint next’.
Do you attend art classes yourself?
I don’t attend regular classes mainly due to restricted time down to working. I attend the odd workshop which is always a fun experience and as mentioned above, gives opportunity to try something different from my usual methods of painting.
Which websites can you recommend for resources and support for an artist. Is it important to be part of a group, society or club? How do you stay in the loop?
The Artists & Illustrators and SAA websites are, of course, a good resource for information and ideas. I also find the Wet Canvas forum very useful. I can ask any question related to art whether it’s creative, business, techniques etc and will get a very good response from other members. I am a member of the Cookham Arts Club, which is a friendly, well-run and very supportive organisation. They hold two artists’ exhibitions a year along with classes and workshops.
Do you find social media useful to you as an artist?
I do, yes. Both as an easy way to update my followers (on Facebook) but also I use it a lot to follow other artists. I love examining other artists’ work to ascertain the features that make a painting ‘sing’! For now I just have Facebook and a website at: