We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rita Ginsberg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rita thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

While I am primarily a self-taught artist, delving into many art mediums as a young artist, pencil, and charcoal portraits were the cornerstone of my art journey. Through practice, I learned the essential skills of blending and shading values well. I strived for realism in my portraiture style and began to receive commission requests. However, a new career diverted me from this pursuit. I moved on to a career as a Graphic Designer in the printing industry for 25 years. It allowed me to grow my creativity in design and composition. I continued to engage in my artistic pursuits of realism and studied the art of airbrush.

As we transitioned our move to Mount Pleasant SC in 2006, I continued to build on my inherent talent using principles I learned in graphic design to explore the medium of pastel. When I retired, I focused my energy on learning pastel methods and techniques through online courses and books. Impressed by pastel’s vivid colors, saturation, and blending capabilities, they quickly became my medium of choice. Starting with pet portraits and expanding to wildlife paintings, I joined the Mount Pleasant Perspective Art Gallery to showcase my work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a member of the Mount Pleasant Artist Guild, Perspective Art Gallery, and the South Carolina Pastel Society for over 5 years, I’ve dedicated approximately 7 years to developing my skills as a wildlife artist, particularly in the niche of painting birds. I work primarily in soft pastels, creating original artwork I display at the gallery.

I gather many reference images for my paintings from our beautiful parks, beaches, and wildlife areas in South Carolina. I bring along my Nikon camera and telephoto lens seeking opportunities to see egrets, osprey, herons, and many species of the Lowcountry to capture pictures for painting inspiration. I feature many songbirds and coastal bird pastel paintings in my gallery space. When working on pet portraits, my clients usually send me digital images of their pets to work from. I use my tablet to match colors and zoom up on an image to see the details. I think what sets me apart from other artists is my dedication to my craft and my love of nature, wildlife, and pets. Visitors are encouraged to explore my portfolio on my website, and I am always open to commissions for pet portraits.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was juried into the Perspective Art Gallery about 5 1/2 years ago which showcased about 30 members. This was a significant step in my artistic career. In a gallery where artists face hurdles in making sales and covering gallery fees, I stayed motivated to create my niche. Standing out in the art community has helped attract a dedicated following. Resilience for me means not only facing challenges but also consistently evolving and refining my art to distinguish it from others. Utilizing advertising, marketing, and social media platforms, I’ve managed to garner attention and successfully establish myself as an artist.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist lies in the ability to share my creations with others. Completing a painting that not only satisfies me but also brings joy to someone else, especially in the case of commissioned pieces like pet portraits, is immensely fulfilling. The shared appreciation for art and the positive impact it has on others contribute to the deep satisfaction derived from being an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ritaginsberg.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ritaginsberg/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetPortraitsByRita
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PastelArtwithRitaGinsberg