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

Hi Gwendolyn , thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

As a child I had a rich imagination and was constantly making things – that was just how I played, making something was sometimes more fun than actually playing with it. I would draw illustrations from the books I read, and I was an artist for the school newspaper and yearbook. I was constantly inventing fantasy worlds in my head, sewing costumes, making treehouse forts and models, drawing monsters. I went to college to study Fine Art because it was the only thing that I felt came naturally to me. Once there, I also ended up studying Cultural Anthropology because I loved learning about culture, art and stories from around the world. When I graduated however, I was unsure of how to turn these degrees in art and anthropology into a full-time job. When I discovered there was an actual career where you could make sets, costumes, creatures and models for movies and theater, I thought that had to be the best job in the world! I returned to school and got an MFA in Production Design from CalArts, which lead me to work at Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, and many other companies in Themed Entertainment design. Now, after a long career as a designer, I’ve recently come full circle and I’m back to exploring the world of fine art again.

Gwendolyn , 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 am a fine artist based in Los Angeles. I draw and oil paint in a contemporary realistic style and my work explores the unexpected beauty found in everyday life. I’m drawn to diverse and eclectic subjects that reflect my love of history, culture, mythology and visual storytelling. As I create, I try to reveal mystery in a subject or conjure a bit of magic for the viewer. Painting helps me to unravel the mysteries in my own life and discover hidden stories waiting to be told all around us.

For almost 30 years I was a Concept Designer and Art Director for the Themed Entertainment Industry where I designed theme park lands and attractions, museum exhibits and immersive entertainment around the world. Being a creative in this field allowed me to learn about a huge variety of subjects and art styles. Every day I was faced with a blank page so I learned to generate hundreds of ideas and work quickly with a team of artists under tight deadlines. In 2001 I started oil painting as a way to slow down and express myself artistically beyond commercial work, and over time my interest in it became so consuming that I am now transitioning my career from the entertainment industry to one in fine art.

I’ve always loved great craftsmanship and handmade art forms. I think that is why I have gravitated to such a traditional medium as oil painting. Having illustrated in a digital painting format for so many years, I was excited by the challenges such an historical art form brings. I love the feel of the paint, the smell, how slow it is, and all the difficulties of working with it. I also love the fact that there is only one final product – what I create is an original and unique piece that will exist once in my studio, and then go off into the world.

I think I’m drawn to mystery in my artwork because I’m more interested in questions about our life experiences than answers. I like to create a composition where the viewer is prompted to fill in the story, one where they want to tell me more about what the piece means to them, rather than me telling them what it meant to me when I painted it. I love it when a painting can evoke multiple meanings in each viewer that sees it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding parts of working in an artistic field is being surrounded by creative, funny, talented and curious people every day. I am always filled with inspiration when working together with other creatives and I have to say my life has never felt boring. These days I’m in my studio more often alone, but I do still find facing a blank canvas every day exhilarating. It feels like the entire world is open for me to explore and learn from through my art, and that is an incredible feeling. I think the creative process itself can enrich one’s life in so many ways. It makes you look at things from new perspectives, and makes you slow down to pay more attention to the moments of your life. I now think of my artistic practice as a form of meditation. It’s one of the few things I do where time stops. I’m not trying to optimize my practice to go faster, or find tricks or shorthand ways of doing anything, I’m just learning to revel in the act of creating and see what emerges. I also believe when you seek mastery in any art form, it makes you appreciate mastery in every art form, which makes the world full of beauty and piques your curiosity to learn more and more.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I feel that the arts are incredibly important for the health of society as a whole, and by having more opportunities for artistic community we could solve a lot of problems in the world. Because every art form in some way celebrates the beauty of the world, nature and/or the human condition, it makes us more awake and aware of the world around us. Our lives these days seem to be dominated by conflict capitalistic growth, marketing algorithms, fears about AI, even a loneliness epidemic, and I think we are all craving a deeper more meaningful connection to each other and the planet. Art can promote empathy and make us more soulful just by practicing it. I suggest we should incorporate more art into our lives by going to see more live music, theater, dance, or support local art events. Support artists you know by collecting their original art or joining their Patreon. Join with friends to sketch or paint together, or get a membership to a museum. Take classes from artists you admire. Take up a new art practice yourself and see how it can transform your life. By spending your dollars on art or artistic pursuits, you can think of it as making a donation towards a kinder, more empathetic world in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gwenballantyne.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwenballantyne_art