We were lucky to catch up with Lolly Shera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lolly, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am thrilled that I made the leap to become a full time artist. As a kid, I loved to draw and paint with watercolors. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, my parents took us on many camping trips and we spent a lot of time outdoors, hiking, boating and skiing. I graduated from college with a degree in Environmental Education and eventually found my way to public education, teaching first and fourth grade in our local elementary school. It was a good fit for me to teach kids about the environment, along with math and reading, etc. But what I especially loved was teaching them art! Every time the kids started an art project the room went completely silent; I could feel the creative energy pulsing in the room! It was an amazing experience and I decided to start taking art classes of my own. I enrolled in night classes at Gage Academy in Seattle, and began learning how to draw the still life and figure and how to sculpt the figure in clay. Before I knew it, two years had passed, and I couldn’t get enough. I decided to cut my teaching job back to half-time, so I could attend classes during the days. During this time, I had the unfortunate experience of my mother passing away. I was devastated and needed an outlet for my grief. The immersion into art was the closest I could get to reconnecting with her spirit. I’d see her in the beauty of nature – in a sun beam or a cloud passing by. The only path forward, I realized, was to work toward becoming a full time artist. It was a radical choice to give up a successful teaching career, because I loved the students and staff and all the rewards of helping shape young minds. But it was the journey of learning how to make the art that gave me the greatest sense of fulfillment. The deep sense of immersion to learn a centuries-old craft brought me to a new level of understanding – about myself and my place in this world. I knew in my heart that I was meant to be an artist. For the next several years I studied with some of the top living artists in the country and eventually began showing my work and even making a few sales. Since then, I’ve never looked back. I am forever grateful that I found a challenging career that inspires me every day.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My paintings express where material and immaterial worlds intersect and objective reality and spirit are fused. I am drawn to the transition times of day, the soft diffused light of dawn and the lingering shadows of twilight, the place in our minds between wakefulness and dreams.
Incorporating the traditions of the Old Masters my processes include working from life and visual memory. Multiple layers of glazes are applied to create a deep sense of luminosity. I use different qualities and textures of linen and viscosity of paints to express my vision for each painting. I favor a muted color harmony and a minimalist representation of subject. The small, intimate scenes that often go unnoticed, complete in themselves, yet open to imagination, are the subjects of my paintings.
My inspiration draws from the 19th century Western European, Russian and American landscape traditions. The simple beauty expressed by these traditions is the foundation of my work. I use these classical expressions of beauty to create contemporary paintings for the modern world. My portraits and landscape paintings incorporate these traditional approaches as I experiment with new methods and take risks in each new work. I am privileged to step inside the studio each day to create art that fuses objective reality with the spiritual world.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
When I was beginning my art career I read a book by Twyla Tharp, called, The Creative Habit. In her book Tharp explores the notion that creativity is not a god-given talent, given to a few individuals; rather, creativity is the product of preparation and effort, and it’s available to anyone who wants to pursue it. She gave specific instructions about how to set up a sacred space to do your art and to show up every day at the same time . Creating a habit of making art helps increase confidence in your craft. I needed permission to make a dedicated space and to make a mess – and to honor the time and effort each day. As time progressed, I knew that no one needed to see the results and I returned each day, building a routine and allowing space to practice. It’s really something to have a dedicated spot, where you don’t have to clear off the table and set up your materials. Sometimes having to clear the clutter before you start is enough to stop you in your tracks. It is a relief to walk away when you’re finished and not have to set things up for next time.
Have you ever had to pivot?
As a small business person I needed to expand my options in terms of making sales. I decided to pivot in order to stay current with the times. During the Pandemic art gallery sales dropped and it became clear that the option to shop from home was not going away. During art school I learned that in order to sell my art I needed to get my work in galleries – and that was the only option. The theory was, I could leave the selling to the gallery owner and spend all of my time behind the easel. Great plan, and I appreciate the work my galleries do for me, but I paint a lot, and my inventory is growing. While I believe that my art galleries are valuable sales partners, they are not the ONLY option.
I had made some sales on Facebook and Instagram via social media. It is taking some time but I am currently setting up my website to sell via PayPal and Stripe. The nice thing about shopping from an artist’s website is that you can correspond directly via email with the artist, as well as, sign up for their newsletter to receive current news about their projects. You can visit my website and sign up for my newsletter at https://www.lollyshera.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lollyshera.com
- Instagram: @lollyshera
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lollysherafineart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lolly-shera