Introducing Lynne Sonenberg

Lynne Sonenberg with her work

AG - I've noticed that the native environment of an artist often leaves the strongest visual imprint. Where did you grow up and how do you see this primary environment affecting your work?

LS - Southern California:  Light and color and play and joy.  Being a teenager in the 50’s, I was exposed to great album and movie titles which were a big influence on my art.

AG - How did you first come to doing art? 

Loosening up in the studio

LS - My mom had wanted to be an artist herself and encouraged my early interest in drawing.  First drawing memory was mom teaching me how to draw a face by first drawing an egg and then proportionately intersect lines to indicate the eyes, nose and mouth. I drew “girls” from early on.  Probably inspired by “Draw Me” contests in magazines.  I secretly thought I could win.  I loved my mother’s ladies’ magazines’ illustrators (a favorite was Jon Whitcomb) who painted a little window of light on the luscious lower lip of a young woman featured in the story he illustrated.  I also adored “Pinky” and “Blue Boy” – my favorite trading cards and probably the first representations of “great art” I’d ever seen.

A horizon painting

AG - Was it ever a hobby or part-time passion before you went full-time?

LS - Of course!   I was singled out early in school as having artistic talent, probably because I was able to represent something fairly accurately (oh, and I have moved away from representational art!). In the art club, on decorating committees for this or that school event, my first serious gig was cartooning for the high school annual.  I was encouraged to apply to Art Center in LA which had a hot reputation for commercial art, the direction I thought matched my talent and from which I imagined money came from.  I was scared of what I saw there:  very finished renderings of food mixers and automobiles.  Scurried to UC Santa Barbara instead and settled for minoring in Art.

AG - What other jobs have you done?

A tree painting

LS - With my degree in Sociology and Art minor, that set me on a path to be the one and only Secretary in the Department of Sociology at Stanford.  Fell in love with one of my bosses (a no-no) and quit that job to go to Academy of Art in San Francisco and become an artist of some sort.  Returned to being a secretary with Scientific American.  Met my former husband doing improvisational theater in Palo Alto.  Did a long stint at being wife and mother and took art classes on the side.  Created a little graphics business out of our home where I designed stationery, logos, flyers, wrapping paper, note cards, and illustrated and designed newsletters for several non-profits.  Also involved with running lots of heart-filled, community special events.  In my mid-40’s is when friend, painter and teacher, Barbara Clark, got me started painting on a weekly basis.  The was around the same time I had my most fulfilling professional job, working in the Community Affairs Department at Levi Strauss & CO., coordinating the employee giving programs (volunteering and fundraising for non-profits and charities of interest to the employees) in the home office in San Francisco.

A gorgeous abstract

AG - When did you commit to doing art full-time?

LS - 1996, a couple years after I joined the Guild and found out I could earn enough from sales of my art without doing another job.  But, frankly, I’ve never thought of myself doing any one thing full time, for money or otherwise.  I have always had and will ever have other interests than “doing art.”  What’s driven me are a need to love what I do with my day, and to find a way to be of benefit with my particular qualities and talents.

AG - Many people have described the move to being a full-time artist as a "leap of faith". How did this transition affect you?

LS - I didn’t make it a big, big, big deal.  I thought:  if this doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.  So far, good enough.

AG - Did your family support you in your artistic passion? How has the support, or lack thereof, affected your artistic direction?

LS - I always got strokes for making art, but, there were always the concerns of my folks and myself that I not rely on art for all my income.

AG - How do you actually go about making art in your studio?

Another gorgeous abstract

LS - First:  I show up.  I immediately wonder why it took me so many diversions and distractions to get there.  The colors, the smells, a place to make a glorious mess:  all so inviting.  I usually unscrew most of the 30+ jars of acrylic paint so that I can see them, whether I use a fraction of them or not.  I usually have at least one painting I’ve already started to greet me. However, I like to start pushing paint around on a fresh canvas to loosen up. I move back and forth between the two (or more) paintings during the day.  Most of the time I have music playing.  Some of my faves are the Ella & Louis album and Miles Davis’ “Kinda Blue.”  I paint standing up – I need the ability to move my whole body as I apply paint.  I usually go for two to four hours at a stretch.  Five is good, because that last hour of being happily tired is when I can really let go and surprise myself.

Celebrating her birthday

AG - Art making is intrinsically a domain of much uncertainty. Therefore, artists tend to be adventurous people. Have you taken big risks in other areas of your life? Tell me a wild story about yourself!

LS - Traveling in Asia for four months as a middle-aged woman, solo (but supported by the kindness of others at most every turn), appeared to be pretty wild to family and some friends.  It helped me make the jump to doing art full-on.  Kinda along the “nothing ventured, nothing gained” line of thinking.

For more information on Lynne and to see more paintings, please visit her web site.

Introducing Richard Bolingbroke

Richard in his studio, 2003 (photo Greg Day)

AG - I've noticed that the native environment of an artist often leaves the strongest visual imprint. Where did you grow up and how do you see this primary environment affecting your work?


RB - I grew up in southern England. I don’t think this environment had any noticeable impact on my work except that my initial sources of inspiration were English. I clearly remember seeing Blake and Turner watercolors at the Tate gallery, however as soon as I was living in London, I left behind my rustic country roots.

AG - How did you first come to doing art? Was it ever a hobby or part-time passion before you went full-time?

Richard in the woods in Tennessee (photo Jok Church)

RB - Art initially was an escape for me from the frustrations of school.  My early work was sculpture, often wall reliefs made from plaster casts of clay moulds that I had beaten and carved with large pieces of wood! The art teacher recognized my talent and encouraged me to draw and paint. I got a place at Winchester School of Art, and attended for a pre-diploma year in 1969, and then went on to do a degree in Geography. I painted constantly, and taught myself to draw. I learned watercolor while travelling to India and around Europe. It wasn’t until I arrived in San Francisco in 1986 that I focused on my art full-time.

Parrot Tulip Abstraction, 1993, watercolor 41x29

AG - What other jobs have you done? 


RB - I was a professional chef for 10 years and co-wrote a cook book. I started my own handman business called The House Doctor here in San Francisco which supported me as I began my art career.

AG - When did you commit to doing art full-time?


RB - When I moved to San Francisco in 1986 I discovered I was HIV+ and at that point I decided that I had no time to lose. It took me a couple of years to put together a body of work and by 1989 I was showing with the Artists Guild. I figured I might have 10 years ahead of me. In 2000 when it was clear I was going to live, I refocused my career to be even more creative. I started to take courses in Monotype and Intaglio at City College as an alternative to my main medium of watercolor, and I started to paint more challenging work such as the work from the series Rituals and Meditations.

AG - Many people have described the move to being a full-time artist as a "leap of faith". How did this transition affect you?


RB - I made the transistion slowly, supporting myself with my other business. However I was clear from the time I made the decision to be supported by my art that it was what I wanted. It was never really a “choice” but a necessity to “do it”. For a while I was working two jobs, my art in the evening and on weekends, and my other job in the day. This was really intense, and took a lot of commitment.

Gesture and Feeling #11, 2005,
watercolor on paper 29.5x29.5

AG - Did your family support you in your artistic passion? How has the support, or lack thereof, affected your artistic direction?


RB - I have never received any support from my family. In fact they were shocked that I had obtained a place at an art school, and this probably affected my decision to pursue a Geography degree instead of an MFA. My mother came round to letting me do it as it became clear that I was never going to have that “safe” job.

AG - Describe a day in the life. What studio hours do you keep and how do you balance other demands in your life?

Love and Death, 2007,
watercolor on paper 40x40

RB - Being an artist for me is about totally giving in to the daily needs of my art. I try and maintain a regular studio practice, usually working at home on business, website and promotional ideas in the morning. I try and head to the studio around 11 or noon and working til 6 or 7pm. Some days involve very creative work, painting or printing, others are more about photographing my work, maintaining my studio, and other things that having a studio involves. Probably of an  average 8 hour day only half is actually working on art. I balance it with the other demands of my life by adjusting my schedule around them.

AG - Art making is intrinsically a domain of much uncertainty. Therefore, artists tend to be adventurous people. Have you taken big risks in other areas of your life? Tell me a wild story about yourself!


RB - When I was 24 I went to India to study meditation with my teacher on a one-way ticket and stayed there nearly 5 years. It was the best decision I ever made.


For more information about Richard, please visit his website.

Introducing Marilyn Kuksht

The artist Marilyn Kuksht, in studio garb

AG - I've noticed that the native environment of an artist often leaves the strongest visual imprint. Where did you grow up and how do you see this primary environment affecting your work?

MK - I grew up in Spokane, Washington. I honestly don't see growing up here as any direct influence on my art. I tried more to escape than incorporate the basic middle class morays and lack of depth I felt in Spokane. But I must say, it seems to be growing up a little. You can actually find a bit of good food and art there now. Who'd have guessed?

AG - How did you first come to doing art? Was it ever a hobby or part-time passion before you went full-time?

MK - When I left the corporate world I needed something more tactile and direct in my life. I knew that money was really just a bunch of electronic data points put in this or that account somewhere, making one person rich and another person poor.  The intangibility of what we call money,  started to freak me out. So I took a complete leap of faith to make something beautiful for corporate environments and hoped I could sell it. I didn't think what I was doing was art. I started out to make moss gardens for corporate lobbies until I learned that moss just isn't an indoor sport. So moss gardens evolved into floral and plant displays, which evolved to encorporate glass and metal and all manner of strange stuff. That got bigger and bigger and required structural armatures which led me to welding, which led me to metal sculpture. I love it and I'm here to stay. Art was never a hobby. My upbringing was so far removed from the art world it's laughable.

One of Marilyn's sculptures in situ

AG - What other jobs have you done? 

MK - Well, I worked for Lockheed Missles and Space as a project specialist helping to build submarines. I was a technical writer,  a methods and procedures specialist, a project management consultant, and for an impressive title, I was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America managing a department of over 800 people. 

AG - When did you commit to doing art full-time?

MK - Oh gosh. Athough I didn't consider myself an "artist", I think I really committed to "creativity" about a year after I left my corporate livelihood. That's nearly 25 years ago. It was leap of faith to leave a steady paycheck, but I'll live longer and be happier because of it.

AG - Many people have described the move to being a full-time artist as a "leap of faith". How did this transition affect you?

MK - Interesting. I just used that phrase in answering an earlier question. Well, my mother said at the time, "Marilyn, you've always said you weren't materialistic. Now's going to be your chance to prove it." She was right. You have to be willing to take what comes and give up a lot of luxuries. The way I look at it is that I traded a six figure salary for a heart and soul. It was a good trade.

AG - Did your family support you in your artistic passion? How has the support, or lack thereof, affected your artistic direction?

MK - My family is small and sweet and simply doesn't really understand what I'm doing. I don't think they really comprehend how I've been able to make a living all these years doing "art". 'Matter of fact, I'm not sure I understand that myself!  

Marilyn on the job

AG - Describe a day in the life. What studio hours do you keep and how do you balance other demands in your life?

MK - I used to have typical days. I would go to the studio and make art. Now I start out by sitting at the computer and doing business, and then hopefully make it to the studio. I'm struggling with this. I think managing the business and promotion side of being a full time artist is taking almost 75% of my time and I get to actually "create" about 25% of my time. From talking to many other artists, I think this might be pretty typical.

AG - Art making is intrinsically a domain of much uncertainty. Therefore, artists tend to be adventurous people. Have you taken big risks in other areas of your life? Tell me a wild story about yourself!

MK - I confronted the head of Bank of America (ex-head ofthe World Bank) and refused to comply with what I considered an unethical request. I refused to let employee's email be searched without notifying them. That might not seem like much, but I thwarted one of the most powerful people in the world and I'm proud I stood up. Beyond that...well, I scuba dive and ride motorcycles for more physical challenges, but that's not so special any more.

Thinking back, when I was in third grade we were supposed to draw a picture of a turkey at Thanksgiving. My drawing of a turkey had been laughed at and I was so embarrassed that I went home and made a huge turkey out of crepe paper stuffed with newspaper, a paper towel tube for a neck and so forth. I put it my red wagon and took it to school. That was a big risk for a little kid, and maybe that's the real start of my being a sculptuor!

For more information about Marilyn, please visit her web site.