Art as a research journey

1. Please tell me something about Heidi Steinman ...
I am an artist, I have been my whole life. I loose myself in creating. Oil painting is my forte. Instruction can be good to lead me to a new challenge, but it isn´t necessary. Art comes out of me naturally as if it were meant to be. I was born and raised in California in a family of 6 and I'm the youngest of my siblings. As for education, I have a high school diploma and an associates degree in general education.

2. What are you doing in Valencia (Spain)?
Well ... I like to travel. Now I am in Spain, painting, learning Spanish, and following my heart. I came to Spain for these three reasons.

3. Where else can we find you? (Blog, website, twitter, facebook ...
I am on facebook and fine art America

4. Which is your paint style and what’s your favorite piece of work that you have created? (Including a link and/or photo would be great!)
My style is a mixture of realism and impressionism. I paint the details I love. Sometimes these details are smooth and precise, and sometimes they are loose and playful. I like to paint texture, light, and colors to capture the emotions I feel and to express what I see. My favorite pieces of artwork are “Love”, “Dogwood Blossom”, and “Guatemalan Princess”.

5. What is your favorite artist?
Some of my favorite artists are Monet and Van Gogh, though I confess I would like to learn more art history and see more art museums.

6. How are your feelings about painting?
I love to paint, it is a way of acknowledging details in life that catch my attention. I am attracted to light, and even more than light and colors, I am attracted to beauty I see in people´s character and beauty I see in nature.

7. People usually consider that art is slightly different to research. As artist, what's your opinion about this? In which sense you consider painting represent 'research'?
An artist expresses where their attention is focused. Art is expressed in food, music, things consumed, things created, things written and said, and given… Art is an expression of our emotions heavy and light.
These all show where our focus is. Life is what we long for and life is the moment of now. And we have great minds that can live in the past, present, and future. Everything is up for investigation. The study of science is a reflection of curiosity. People ask questions, search for reasons, search for something new to learn, search for relationships, and knowledge of life… I like to study what people have in common, and I like to enjoy the present moment the best I can. Im not sure if Art is research, but maybe it is evidence as something to research.

8. According to the economist Schumpeter innovation -as novelty- correspond to a continuos movement of creative destruction where old ideas are combined with new ones. D'you consider this applies to your work?
Im not really sure what this question is about because Im not even sure what my ideas are… All Im doing is 'copying' what I see. One thing I am noticing more and more however, is the use of color. Opposite colors on the color wheel (green and red, blue and orange, purple and yellow)… when placed side by side, they create an illusion of light. This is not a new observation in the artworld… I find it fascinating that opposites attract. I also find the eyes fascinating. Eyes have the ability to reveal a lot of emotion. They also have the ability to reveal nothing at all.


9. Many people have a vision of 'the artist' in a studio, solitary and absorbed like a scientist in a laboratory but developing a different 'type' of creativity, What d'you think about these perceptions? Does this image represents your work as artist?
I hope that I am not absorbed in myself, but I don’t know what I look like or how people view me.
Self absorbtion is like being isolated and in prison. I don´t like to be alone. But I am a quiet person, and I often spend a lot of time alone. I consider painting as work, because I am often alone. And sometimes it tires me out to be alone too much. I need a balance of making sure spend time with people, enjoying life as well. I have to take care of myself and make sure I spend time around other people, being present with my attention and trying to connect in conversation. Though I struggle sometimes because I don´t know what to talk about.

10. Do artists investigate and how they do research? In which ways do artists investigate? (for example, when you are planning a new paint...)
My oil paintings require a long process. To complete a painting, it generally takes between 1-6 months. I usually have about 4 to 5 paintings that I´m working on.
Oil paint takes a long time to dry, so the painting I work on each day is in rotation. In order to build on the detail, I need for the paint on the canvas to be dry. This way, my colors are pure and not muddied. This allows me to paint layers, texture, depth, and fine detail. The process of a painting starts with basic shapes and colors, and it is completed with detail until I can see nothing else to apply.
Painting details is like a drug for me, I loose track of time as my eyes study and interpret the details I see.]cy

 

11. What are you experimenting in your painting with?
I am continuing to observe the use of color, light, shapes, space, gestures, and emotion.

12. What are you doing when you’re not creating?
When I am not painting, I am living life… enjoying the company of friends, cooking, eating, enjoying the outdoors, hiking, yoga, rock climbing, practicing playing guitar, …
I enjoy a balance of everything. I am easygoing, and “tranquillo”.
My biggest challenge now is learning to speak Spanish… when generally I am a quiet person. Like an oil painting, learning a new language is a process that requires patience and persistence.