We were lucky to catch up with Kim Johnson Nechtman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kim, thanks for joining us 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.
Watercolor had always been in the back of my mind-I just didn’t think I could make a living doing it. After finished college, I decided I would take it up as a hobby, but turned into a vocation. While in my first class I learned pretty quickly I needed to sharpen up on my drawing skills to be a good artist. Sometimes I would be in two or three classes trying to increase both skills at once. With a full-time job this wasn’t always easy, but I was determined to be good at both drawing and painting. And, the only way to be good at either is to put the miles into the brush and the pencil. Watercolor is considered the hardest medium to work with, and there are many failures. I look at these as learning experiences that was helping me to grow. And, the more time and effort I put in the better I became. Watercolor became addictive, so as time went by, I began entering national and international shows, winner awards, and selling pieces of my art.
Kim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When I went to college I wasn’t encouraged to take art, so I majored in psychology thinking I would go on to get a masters degree and become a psychologist. After getting my degree I decided that wasn’t for me. I was always doing something creative in my younger days and really wanted to paint. My high school art teacher was a wonderful watercolor artist, which lead me to believe it was the best medium to practice. I started taking lesson at Scottsdale Artists’ School to help this along. Thinking that I knew all about watercolor from my high school I quickly learn I did not! First I needed some much needed drawing lessons, but I didn’t want to stop with watercolors. So, I took as many classes at a time as I could to learn as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. Not truly understanding that what I really needed were the miles behind the brush, drawing lesson, color theory, water to paint ratio, how to handle my brush, composition, and how to keep my paper working for me instead of against me. It seemed so overwhelming and I believe these are the reasons so many quit! But, little my little I started mastering the medium, entering show, selling, and teaching! I love to teach and I tell my students they can only paint like themselves-not like me and they shouldn’t want to. Each artist has their own special style and cannot be replicated by anyone else. That is what makes us unique! We should strive to develop that uniqueness. It’s ok to try to replicant an arist for awhile, but only for learning purposes.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Someone once told me that to be an artist is more about tenacity than talent. Over the years I’ve thought a lot about that and I have to say I think it’s true. I’ve entered many shows and been rejected (the societies don’t like for the artist to think of it as a rejection, but as not accepted) from many of them, but I’ve also be accepted by many and received many awards for my work. It has even happened that a painting may be rejected from one show, but gets in another-even receiving an award! In submitting a painting, I have to know it’s good and I have to have faith in my belief. Just because it doesn’t get into one show doesn’t make the painting bad or not good. Only that judge didn’t like it for whatever reason! Sometimes having faith in my own work is difficult if I go awhile without get into a show, but it’s important to remember the judges are not all knowing! Some have less of an art education than myself, but they have been elected to be judge and juror of other peoples work. I remember this each time I get a rejection and carry on–tenacity!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
For several reasons artists seem to be the worst at selling their own art. Because of our insecurities, placing a monetary value on our own work is very difficult, and exposing our creative selves to the public eye. I believe family and friends, or even patrons who believe in our work can help with this by encouraging us to enter shows or even having an exhibition for us in their homes or community centers, and by inviting their friends to look and yes-even purchase. We artists need this encouragement not only to validate what we are doing, but because art supplies are very expensive! Each of us needs an advocate to help us get shown and promoted. Having the artist be the promoter, advertiser, matter, framer, and art director-where does that leave time to create art? It seems to me people are looking for disposable art these days. Wanting to spend under a $100 on something and when they are tired of it throw it away and buy another piece of disposable art. This is okay to some extent, but where does this leave the fine artist? Out in the cold or it encourages fine artists to lower their prices. When we start lowering our prices it starts feeling like we are compromising our standards. Society can help by starting to be patrons of the arts. If they can’t afford to purchase, then donate a small amount for an award to a show, or spread the word about who’s art they like, maybe the local papers can do more by publicizing works and shows.There are many avenues society can help we just need to find them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kj-art.com
- Instagram: kimjohnsonart
- Facebook: Kim Johnson Nechtman
Image Credits
All photos belong to me