Art

Todd: Shona, do you consider yourself an artist?

Shona: No, actually, I wouldn't use that word. I don't like when people use that word cause like artist to me is like someone who is like famous for like creating something like, there's like being a creator or a designer and there's being like an artist, and an artist like is someone who's celebrated for what they do, so I'm not really celebrated for what I do but I do like to sort of like make things, so I like to paint and I like to draw and I like to like create things and design things.

Todd: So what kind of things do you like to paint?

Shona: OK, well the kind of paintings I do are like based on like three things I've noticed over this time that I've been doing it. There're based on color. Color is like so important to me. I like really bright colors. I like colors that kind of clash together that might not go. Also, I like shapes. Shape is like the most important thing to me. I like the shapes of sea horses, of butterflies, of like flowers, of natural things, of like the human form. Shape is like the biggest deal to me. I also like repetition in what I do, so I kind of repeat the same shape or like I'll repeat like part of a shape, like it will appear in many different parts of a painting that I'll do, so these are like the most important things, and they're kind of like, I suppose can end of a kind of bit sort of psychedelic or a bit crazy like, but like if you kind of look at them closely you'll see what they're made up of.

Todd: That's pretty interesting. So, do you like then, let's say, you know, architecture that uses patterns and things like that or do you just like painting as a medium on a piece of canvas.

Shona: Yeah, I like kind of all forms of art really. I like architecture. I like.. what I like to see is like where there's like an old building right next to a new one, like and you can see like maybe if the new one's slightly in front of the old one. You can see like the differences overlapping. I like things that overlap. It sounds a bit weird but.

Todd: You like layers.

Shona: Yeah, I like layers. Exactly. I like collages as well, although I don't do them myself. I find it too difficult to actually do them. I like appreciate a collage because I like the fact that it's built up. It's like layered. It's more interesting to look at.

Todd: One thing that I think is really amazing is that, cause I do the web stuff, I do the web design, and I'm a novice. Like yourself, I'm not really an artist but I'm always amazed how computers can't replicate the same colors of nature.

Shona: Yeah, exactly.

Todd: You'll see certain browns or purples or blues and you just can't get it on a computer.

Shona: Exactly. I know. It's like, it's difficult, like, cause nature is like so much more beautiful than anything anyone can ever create, you know, so sometimes it's kind of frustrating, especially like if I'm just drawing like something in nature, like a scene. Like there's no way it's going to be as beautiful as what I can see with my own eyes in front of me, and it can be a bit frustrating sometimes, like the same with trying to find colors that match nature.

Todd: It's pretty hard, although it does seem that a really good artist on canvas can get pretty close with the colors.

Shona: Yeah, they can get close. You have to be really good at you're mixing. You see that's one of the like skills involved with painting. You've got to be able to like mix paints really well.

Todd: And can you mix paints really well?

Shona: I'm getting there.