We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daphne Boder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Daphne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I have always been artistic and took art classes privately. In college I didn’t have the nerve to be an art major until my junior year. If I could do anything, looking backward, it would have been to have begun my college career as an art major. I think having that solid foundation would have propelled me forward a bit faster. I think having a good working knowledge of different mediums would be helpful. Post college, the obstacles would be having the education and workshops necessary to learn as much as possible.
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?
I left the university setting after my junior year and went to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After leaving there my career path led me to work in the print industry. I designed magazine spreads, created layouts and pretty much whatever was necessary that would bring the printed work to completion.
Along the way, I began painting with watercolors. Then came children and I put all that aside to be a full time, stay at home mom. Once my children had left home, my son, who was an art major, introduced me to soft pastels. I purchased an inexpensive set and some paper and have never looked back. That was about 6 years ago.
I have been taking workshops from some of the world’s most acclaimed pastel artists. I have joined the Pastel Society of NC where I am a signature member and the Appalachian Pastel Society. I am also an associate member of the Pastel Society of America.
I am primarily a landscape artist. My work is realism with a painterly, impressionist approach. My goal is to say as much as I can with as little mark making as I can get away with. I want to leave something to the viewers imagination. My goal is to give the viewer a desire to be on the path or beside the creek or in the trees. I want them to imagine what being in that place would be like.
I am most happy when a buyer tells me that when they look at my work it reminds them of somewhere special or that opening the package brings them to tears. I know that my goal has been accomplished..
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I believe that it is important as I progress to have affirmation that I am going in the right direction. I enter juried shows, both local, national and international. I have also applied for signature status in the Pastel Society of America. I have been rejected from those attempts (2 times) and I have not been juried into some shows. Resilience comes when, even after rejection, I go back to the easel and keep working.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Someone has said that God gives us our gifts and our gift back to Him is what we do with what we have been given. My goal is to work diligently and use the gifts He has given me for others enjoyment and mine as well. Because in the end, painting is fun!
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