Willa Vennema Answers "4 Questions"
1. Your stories/memories are personal. What do you think about viewers
bringing their own interpretation to your paintings?
I welcome and expect my viewers to bring their own experiences and feelings to my work. Although my abstract land/seascapes are inspired by our Maine coast, clients from all over the country connect with my work. One client who bought a painting from my Boat Series liked that there were three boats in the painting because for her they represented her three children.
2. How do you overcome creative blocks?
I have always believed you need to keep making art even when you are not feeling “inspired”. I have regular studio hours and I get in there regardless of how I am feeling. Eventually, through the process of creation the inspiration will start flowing again.
3. What is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is our Maine coast. The islands and ocean especially, but also the rocks, trees, boats, and woods. I spend my whole summer out in nature soaking up as much of the natural beauty as I can. When winter comes I hunker down in my studio and paint from my memories and imagination, and the occasional photograph.
4. How does your art affect other aspects of your life?
I made very important choices in my life such as to live in Maine (after growing up in New York City) so as to be immersed in the environment that my artistic inspiration comes from. Likewise, my husband and I both became teachers so we would have the summers off to spend on Swan’s Island, where I have been vacationing since I was born. For many years I painted en plein air while on the Island. Now I prefer to be hiking or out on a boat and just observing and storing up visual memories of the ever changing natural world.
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