Jodi Edwards Answers "4 Questions"
1. Your stories/memories are personal. What do you think about viewers
bringing their own interpretation to your paintings?
I think it's fantastic if viewers bring their own interpretation to my paintings. My paintings are mostly abstract and they lend themselves very well to interpretation. Abstracts are always about what the viewer sees in them.
2. How do you overcome creative blocks?
I go back to paintings that worked in the past and try to recreate a similar version if I get stuck. I have a painting schedule that I stick to every week, so I don't often have creative blocks. What I do have though is occasional burnout from needing to produce on a schedule. When I do, I give myself a break, do something simple like recreate an older painting that worked in the past, and eventually I get my mojo back again. Especially after a sale, I am really motivated to paint and have done some of my best paintings right afterwards.
3. What is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspirations are music and color. I always listen to music when I paint. I am DJ on a local radio station WERU and I have a playlist of 1500 songs that inspire me. Everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Tom Waits, Beyonce, and everything in between. Music gets me going and color gets me there. I love color. It inspires my whole life,
wardrobe, house, everything. I also live in Downeast Maine and I am inspired by the simplicity of life here, the ocean, boats, fish, lobster. I started painting polka dot lobsters a few years ago, and they are really fun to make. I am also inspired by what's going on in our culture at the time. For instance, last year I made a Barbie Lobster.
4. How does your art affect other aspects of your life?
Actually, my art affects all other aspects of my life. My car is artistic. I drive an orange Subaru with flowers all over it. My house is very colorful. My living room color is called "No More Drama", and it's a bright dark red. My kitchen is chartreuse. The bathroom sky blue, the den is green, bedroom dark blue, and hallways orange. My art studio floor is painted "Jackson Pollack" style which I did myself on top of a base color red called "100 miles an hour". My couch is white and I have a sofa and matching chair chartreuse with different colored dogs all over it.
I have a different set of themed fleece blankets for every month that go over the couches. My furniture is mostly all painted, which I've done myself, solid colors to accent the furniture etc. My paintings hang all over the house. I have a black and white tiled kitchen floor with a bright orange hutch. My dogs are even color coordinated. I have a whole set of clothes for every month and I have a separate dressing room painted pink for all my clothes. I always dress to match my paintings every month in the gallery. I love my clothes. I guess you could say I'm a little obsessed but it makes me happy and people often comment that my outfits make them feel happy too. That's all I want to do with my art is make people feel good!
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