Artyczar
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It's that time again (YAY!), and we are very pleased to present one of our longest-standing members, Anne, who you may know as ams. You've probably seen her around in the challenges, as I believe she is among the first members who began those back on the Wet Canvas forums. Anne is an amazing talent here, and we are lucky to have her. It's been a treat to have her participate in this interview and get to know her better. Grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and enjoy this month's Spotlight on Anne Sainz, an unforgettable artist with masterful skill...
Puppy, 2007. Colored Pencil, 8 x 10 inches.
Can you please tell us a little about yourself?
I am a retired Math and Computer Science teacher. I also did a lot of teacher training and program development for the school where I worked. My husband and I had a small business where we created and sold church management software. We retired from that several years ago as well.
I am an avid reader. I download eBooks from Amazon for light reading. I also just enjoy learning new things and might spend a few days researching a topic I find interesting on the internet.
I still enjoy computer programming and will sometimes dabble in a new language just to see what it’s like. I also love setting up spreadsheets and will create them for anything I can think of.
I got interested in whole food plant-based cooking in 2011. I was having trouble keeping my weight down even though I didn’t eat much. I saw a PBS special by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and it was life-changing. When we made the switch, I lost about 30 pounds, and my husband lost about 80. The added bonus is that some health issues have been steadily improving, and we are healthy without needing any medications.
I love to develop and cook healthy recipes. I see it as a challenge to see how easily I can make something that tastes good and is healthy, too. I have given talks at our local Senior Center and our church on how to cook healthy that were very well received. I have a free website of my recipes. Family and friends asked for the recipes, but it was hard to keep track of who had which recipe, so I created a website. I even have a recipe book on Amazon.
My husband and I have been doing basic yoga for 50 years. We never got into advanced postures, we just stayed with the basics, and it has helped us enormously.
I sew and knit as the spirit moves me, but I haven’t done a lot of either of these lately. I have also played the piano for many years and was a church organist for 12 years, but I don’t play much anymore either.
How did you begin making art in your life? (Did you study it?)
I have always been interested in art. When I was young, it was coloring books and colored pencil kits. As I grew older, I started to do pencil sketches. When I went on any sort of vacation, I always made sure to bring along a sketchbook.
I took a studio art class in college as an elective, but it was a disappointment. I wanted to learn to draw, and that wasn’t what the class was about. As an adult, I have taken several classes and some workshops in drawing and painting and have learned a lot from WetCanvas and YouTube videos. Currently, I attend a weekly art class, which is wonderful. The teacher starts with a short lesson, then allows us to work on a project of our choice. She goes around the room and helps us individually.
I am also active in our local watercolor society and serve as the webmaster for the group.
Hibiscus, 2015. Watercolor, 14 x 11 inches.
What is your favorite medium to work in?
The medium I have been working in most recently is pen and ink and watercolor, which I really enjoy.
When I was younger, I did just pencil sketching. Once I began teaching, the art teacher in the school where I worked saw some of my work and encouraged me to experiment with color. I tried colored pencil and loved it. I worked in colored pencil for about 4 years. Towards the end, I took a workshop on colored pencil done on film (Dura-Lar Matte), which was a lot of fun.
Around that time, I took another class and had an opportunity to try watercolor, and absolutely loved it. I switched to watercolor overnight. I was delighted with how quickly I could get color down after working with colored pencil that was so slow.
With my background in computers, I decided to try digital painting. I loved that, too. I worked in Artrage on a laptop computer. I worked in that for about 3 years and then became interested in pen & ink. I liked the finished product and wanted to learn more about it. I was surprised to find out that even though it looks as if there is an incredible amount of detail in pen & ink drawings, a lot of the “detail” is really well-placed scribbles. I found that I actually worked looser doing pen & ink than in any other media I had tried. That’s where I am now, pen & ink with watercolor added some of the time.
Wine in the Making, 2007. Colored Pencil on Film, 10 x 8 inches.
About what size is most comfortable for you to work with?
I like to work small. Most of my drawings and paintings are about 5”x 7”. Sometimes I work in 8”x 10” if I am doing a piece for a show or a commission.
Wide-eyed Cat, 2023. Pen & Ink and Watercolor, 7 x 5 inches.
Is your work planned, or does it come from spontaneity or emotion?
I usually plan what I am going to draw or paint before I begin. I have an organized, detail-oriented personality and when I have experimented with being more spontaneous, I find the end result is stiff and geometrical.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I get most of my inspiration from photographs from the internet. I am careful to make sure I go to copyright-free sources. I also participate in several online challenges here at CreativeSpark. I find that the challenges keep me drawing and painting regularly.
When I am choosing an image to use as a reference, I look at several of them and see which one “calls” to me. It is most often an animal or flower, although I enjoy still life and landscapes occasionally too.
Kettle, Mortar and Pestle, 2021, Artrage Digital.
Do you have any specific artistic influences?
When I was working with colored pencil, I was inspired a lot by Ann Kulberg, Arlene Steinburg, and the colored pencil group on WetCanvas. I even went to a national colored pencil show, took a couple of workshops there and met up with several of my online friends, and had a wonderful time.
I have worked in watercolor for many years. The watercolor society I belong to is fortunate to have live demos 8 months out of the year. They are very inspiring and even sometimes get me to try a new technique or approach.
I have learned a great deal about pen and ink from the YouTube channel by Alphonso Dunn. I also watch YouTube videos on watercolor and pen and ink from a lot of different artists for demos and tips.
I love the impressionists when I am looking at art, but I don’t work in that style myself. I have tried several times, but somehow, it just comes out in my more realistic style.
Can you share any of your painting or drawing process?
I always start with a freehand pencil sketch. If I am doing a portrait for a commission, I might use a grid to make sure the features are in the right place, but I prefer not to.
Most of the time, I work in pen & ink and watercolor. Once I am satisfied with the pencil sketch, I add ink. I love working in ink rather than watercolor for the detail and texture. Sometimes, I stop right there and leave it as a pen and ink drawing.
If I decide to add color, I might do some purple underpainting, but not always. My final step is to add local color with watercolor.
Do you work from home, have a separate area, studio space, room, garage, shack, rental, loft, etc. Would you describe your studio space? Can you describe it, or do you have a sneak peek picture?
My “studio” is a shelf in my dining room. I have a piece of gatorboard that has all of my drawing and painting supplies on it. When I am ready to paint, I move the gatorboard to the dining room table. When I’m finished, I can move it back. I can set up, or put it away in about 2 minutes. I like the setup and takedown to be easy, so I can paint even if I don’t have a lot of time.
Is there a motivating force, person, friend, motto, or piece of advice that keeps you going?
I find a weekly art class I attend at our local senior center, and online challenges keep me painting.
Lastly, do you have a website and/or social media platform(s) you would like to promote?
I have two Google sites, one for art and one for cooking:
Anne Sainz Art (google.com)
Anne Sainz Recipe Box (google.com)
Puppy, 2007. Colored Pencil, 8 x 10 inches.
Can you please tell us a little about yourself?
I am a retired Math and Computer Science teacher. I also did a lot of teacher training and program development for the school where I worked. My husband and I had a small business where we created and sold church management software. We retired from that several years ago as well.
I am an avid reader. I download eBooks from Amazon for light reading. I also just enjoy learning new things and might spend a few days researching a topic I find interesting on the internet.
I still enjoy computer programming and will sometimes dabble in a new language just to see what it’s like. I also love setting up spreadsheets and will create them for anything I can think of.
I got interested in whole food plant-based cooking in 2011. I was having trouble keeping my weight down even though I didn’t eat much. I saw a PBS special by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and it was life-changing. When we made the switch, I lost about 30 pounds, and my husband lost about 80. The added bonus is that some health issues have been steadily improving, and we are healthy without needing any medications.
I love to develop and cook healthy recipes. I see it as a challenge to see how easily I can make something that tastes good and is healthy, too. I have given talks at our local Senior Center and our church on how to cook healthy that were very well received. I have a free website of my recipes. Family and friends asked for the recipes, but it was hard to keep track of who had which recipe, so I created a website. I even have a recipe book on Amazon.
My husband and I have been doing basic yoga for 50 years. We never got into advanced postures, we just stayed with the basics, and it has helped us enormously.
I sew and knit as the spirit moves me, but I haven’t done a lot of either of these lately. I have also played the piano for many years and was a church organist for 12 years, but I don’t play much anymore either.
How did you begin making art in your life? (Did you study it?)
I have always been interested in art. When I was young, it was coloring books and colored pencil kits. As I grew older, I started to do pencil sketches. When I went on any sort of vacation, I always made sure to bring along a sketchbook.
I took a studio art class in college as an elective, but it was a disappointment. I wanted to learn to draw, and that wasn’t what the class was about. As an adult, I have taken several classes and some workshops in drawing and painting and have learned a lot from WetCanvas and YouTube videos. Currently, I attend a weekly art class, which is wonderful. The teacher starts with a short lesson, then allows us to work on a project of our choice. She goes around the room and helps us individually.
I am also active in our local watercolor society and serve as the webmaster for the group.
Hibiscus, 2015. Watercolor, 14 x 11 inches.
What is your favorite medium to work in?
The medium I have been working in most recently is pen and ink and watercolor, which I really enjoy.
When I was younger, I did just pencil sketching. Once I began teaching, the art teacher in the school where I worked saw some of my work and encouraged me to experiment with color. I tried colored pencil and loved it. I worked in colored pencil for about 4 years. Towards the end, I took a workshop on colored pencil done on film (Dura-Lar Matte), which was a lot of fun.
Around that time, I took another class and had an opportunity to try watercolor, and absolutely loved it. I switched to watercolor overnight. I was delighted with how quickly I could get color down after working with colored pencil that was so slow.
With my background in computers, I decided to try digital painting. I loved that, too. I worked in Artrage on a laptop computer. I worked in that for about 3 years and then became interested in pen & ink. I liked the finished product and wanted to learn more about it. I was surprised to find out that even though it looks as if there is an incredible amount of detail in pen & ink drawings, a lot of the “detail” is really well-placed scribbles. I found that I actually worked looser doing pen & ink than in any other media I had tried. That’s where I am now, pen & ink with watercolor added some of the time.
Wine in the Making, 2007. Colored Pencil on Film, 10 x 8 inches.
About what size is most comfortable for you to work with?
I like to work small. Most of my drawings and paintings are about 5”x 7”. Sometimes I work in 8”x 10” if I am doing a piece for a show or a commission.
Wide-eyed Cat, 2023. Pen & Ink and Watercolor, 7 x 5 inches.
Is your work planned, or does it come from spontaneity or emotion?
I usually plan what I am going to draw or paint before I begin. I have an organized, detail-oriented personality and when I have experimented with being more spontaneous, I find the end result is stiff and geometrical.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I get most of my inspiration from photographs from the internet. I am careful to make sure I go to copyright-free sources. I also participate in several online challenges here at CreativeSpark. I find that the challenges keep me drawing and painting regularly.
When I am choosing an image to use as a reference, I look at several of them and see which one “calls” to me. It is most often an animal or flower, although I enjoy still life and landscapes occasionally too.
Kettle, Mortar and Pestle, 2021, Artrage Digital.
Do you have any specific artistic influences?
When I was working with colored pencil, I was inspired a lot by Ann Kulberg, Arlene Steinburg, and the colored pencil group on WetCanvas. I even went to a national colored pencil show, took a couple of workshops there and met up with several of my online friends, and had a wonderful time.
I have worked in watercolor for many years. The watercolor society I belong to is fortunate to have live demos 8 months out of the year. They are very inspiring and even sometimes get me to try a new technique or approach.
I have learned a great deal about pen and ink from the YouTube channel by Alphonso Dunn. I also watch YouTube videos on watercolor and pen and ink from a lot of different artists for demos and tips.
I love the impressionists when I am looking at art, but I don’t work in that style myself. I have tried several times, but somehow, it just comes out in my more realistic style.
Can you share any of your painting or drawing process?
I always start with a freehand pencil sketch. If I am doing a portrait for a commission, I might use a grid to make sure the features are in the right place, but I prefer not to.
Most of the time, I work in pen & ink and watercolor. Once I am satisfied with the pencil sketch, I add ink. I love working in ink rather than watercolor for the detail and texture. Sometimes, I stop right there and leave it as a pen and ink drawing.
If I decide to add color, I might do some purple underpainting, but not always. My final step is to add local color with watercolor.
Do you work from home, have a separate area, studio space, room, garage, shack, rental, loft, etc. Would you describe your studio space? Can you describe it, or do you have a sneak peek picture?
My “studio” is a shelf in my dining room. I have a piece of gatorboard that has all of my drawing and painting supplies on it. When I am ready to paint, I move the gatorboard to the dining room table. When I’m finished, I can move it back. I can set up, or put it away in about 2 minutes. I like the setup and takedown to be easy, so I can paint even if I don’t have a lot of time.
Is there a motivating force, person, friend, motto, or piece of advice that keeps you going?
I find a weekly art class I attend at our local senior center, and online challenges keep me painting.
Lastly, do you have a website and/or social media platform(s) you would like to promote?
I have two Google sites, one for art and one for cooking:
Anne Sainz Art (google.com)
Anne Sainz Recipe Box (google.com)
Thank you so much for doing this interview and letting us learn more about you!
