We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Monette Appleton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris Monette below.

Chris Monette, appreciate you joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

Choosing a life as an artist can be challenging. It’s important to remind yourself occasionally why you do it. It is not exactly a moneymaker and your work is often not understood or appreciated. Finding a place to work and a venue for sharing it – is not always possible. For me, it is about the process. I am happiest when making art. That sounds simple but it’s what keeps me going as the unsold pieces stack up in my studio, garage and storage space. Not to mention hanging on the walls of my home and the walls of the homes everyone in my family and friends.

My work is detailed and layered and takes a long time to make. I’ve gravitated to this kind of art because there is nothing better than sitting at my table or standing at my easel – for hours – listening to Mozart or Janis Joplin – while being completely absorbed in a painting or drawing. Problems in my life or the world float away.

Chris Monette, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been making art most of my life. I had great teachers in high school and college whose influence remains with me today. Making a living required me to move away from full-time fine arts and I spent years in the business world before being able to do fine art full time. During those years I spent as a businessperson, I never stopped drawing. My work required me to do a lot of cartooning and illustration. I have spent years in life-drawing groups focusing on drawing and painting a live nude model.
Drawing and painting the figure in a drawing group is one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a figurative artist. Sharing this experience with like-minded artists, their support and inspiration, the challenge of the pose, this practice is rewarding beyond measure and perhaps my favorite thing to do.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was an art student the teachers i worked with were talented and sophisticated and rather biased about their views of the art world. They were art snobs. I became an art snob. For years I unfairly judged other artist’s work (this is too realistic, does the world really need another painting of a sunset?, sunflowers – again?, etc etc) with this bias until I realized how small-minded this was and attempted to open up my brain. My opinions about art were like today’s opinions about politics – I’m right and if you don’t think like me you’re wrong. I have shared studio space with many other artists over the years. As I observed their various skill levels and practices, i realized there was one thing we all have in common – the joy of creating art. The process itself makes us all the same, all struggling to get better, to make something either for ourselves or someone else that brings something – joy, a smile, a thought, a new idea, empathy, tears – something that causes feeling to happen. There is room for everyone.

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

Being an artist makes me feel special. It always has, even as a kid. My friends would ask me to draw things for them. At times when feeling down on myself I could always say to myself “But I can draw.” When I meet another person who I find out is an artist I feel like we share something special – a gift. It is rewarding to have a skill one can do all by one’s self, A built-in meditation tool. I can always lose myself in a painting and for that period of time I am in a beautiful place that is separate from reality in a way, my own secret garden. When someone else likes my work it is a huge bonus. A collector once saw a painting in my studio and said “I don’t think I can go home without this painting.” That was a special moment for me. It was an instant connection with that person who seemed, briefly, to speak my language..

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Cmonetteappleton
• Facebook: Chris Monette Appleton
• Other: Http://chrismonetteappleton.com

Image Credits
Chris Monette Appleton