Enid Wood Q&A

OUR Q&A EXCHANGE WITH Enid Wood, A soft pastel landscape PAINTER

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AC: What is your earliest recollection of having the desire to be an artist?
EW: I was about five years old, strolling around the Plaza in Santa Fe, watching the artists at their easels as they produced portraits in pastel. I thought it was the most interesting thing I had ever seen.

AC: Do you have a favorite piece of work that you have produced and why is it special to you?
EW: In this show, I think my favorite piece is “Yellow House on Main.” I was searching for a yellow subject to paint, and I remembered the yellow house on Main Street in Bastrop. I am curious about who lived there. I like the red roof, and the way that the yellow and red play against the green grass and leaves. I learned a lot about light, color, and edges while painting the piece. I painted it in my studio at home from a cell phone photo, seen on my iPad, but I did rush to the site one morning at the precise time when the original photo was taken, to gather more information about the color temperature in the shadows. The painting came together quickly. I enjoyed the colors.

AC: What other artist(s) have had the most influence on you and your work?
EW: My mentor over the last decade has been Albert Handell. I bought his book Painting the Landscape in Pastel when I gave up my desk job in 2004 to be a painter, and started taking workshops with him the following year. When I lived near London, I used to be able to visit the National Gallery before work. I especially enjoyed the work of Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Van Gogh, Matisse, and the Impressionists.

AC: Explain where/how you get your inspiration.
EW: I look at paintings in art magazines, I visit galleries and museums regularly, and I experiment with new techniques and materials. Nature inspires me.

AC: If your art could say one thing to people, what would that be?
EW: Time is not to be feared. With age comes beauty. 

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