— The featured artist of the 78th issue of Living the Photo Artistic Life magazine is AWAKE artist John Jones. It’s great to be able to interview John here on Quill and Camera . . .
Q: What got you started in Digital Photo Artistry?
I grew up in a very large family, and being artistic or creative wasn’t really part of our lives. I think my parents would have helped me pursue something artistic if that was what I chose to do, but I was not led to it, nor ever encouraged to do so.
I remember when that changed for me. It was back in 2016-2017 when I was shooting photos of classic cars and motorcycles, and I had the idea of putting the motorcycles against a background to match a dated timeline . . .
Problem was, I had no formal training in art or Photoshop, so I had no idea of how to go about this.
But then I was surfing online and came across an ad for Photoshop Artistry. The ad showed a vintage truck by a barn with a moon in the background as I remember. I was just retiring and thought this would be a cool thing to pursue. So I decided to go for it!
And soon I was hooked.
After that I discovered a whole new world when I entered the AWAKE community and later joined the KAIZEN Group.
Q: What is it that inspires your work?
At first I struggled with inspiration and had to really search to find it. Beyond motorcycles and cars, that is. In time I discovered what I now call my fall back (images incorporating angels) just to stay busy every day with Photoshop. (And I still love to work with angels as a theme.)
Today I find inspiration everywhere around me. For example, one of my pieces is about my mom, one my granddaughter dating and turning into a woman, one a bible verse, one a catchphrase of a song . . .
When you wake up as an artist, it just goes on and on! You begin seeing ideas everywhere.
The key for me was opening up my mind to pursue thoughts further … We’re all thinking constantly. But if you want to find artistic possibilities, you need keep going with the ideas that pop up, see where they take you … look for the artistic idea at the end of the trail.
Ideas for me also often come up when listening to music. And I love the AWAKE group we have and the magazine each month is always an awesome source of inspiration.
Q: What does living a photo artistic life mean to you?
Living a photo artistic life has taught me to see a little deeper into a work of art, a song, a poem, — or just life itself — than I ever would have before.
In this respect it has changed me and has provided me with a much fuller life.
And because of that, I feel it has allowed me to discover greater depths in my photography and pursuit of creating art.
Of course, not every piece I create has some deep meaning behind it. Some compositions are like nature — they’re just there.
And, for me at least, being like nature, I believe they have the ability to fill your soul.
Q: How do you approach your work in Photoshop?
I generally have an idea or concept in mind as a starting point. And with that in mind, I’ll lay down a blank layer (black or white), extract the primary subject matter I plan to use, and position it on the canvas (knowing I’m likely to continue moving it around as I go).
I then start to build up the background, add in textures (using masks as needed), lighten or darken parts of the image, make use of some cloud brushes …
I’ll then build in additional elements around the subject and work those into the piece.
Toward the end I might add some fractals for lighting and add color toning, more textures, and adjustment layers …
My work almost always flows this way.
Q: What’s your next step as an artist?
I need to get my work out there for more people to see.
Being published in the magazine is great, as is sharing work in our private groups. But there’s more out there.
I have sold a few pieces so far, and this has given me the confidence to make the move toward getting my work in a gallery.
I am involved with ‘Art in the Vines’ at the moment, so we will see where that takes me.
I have talked to a few people who start to critique my work, but then I remember Sebastian’s advice here and just smile and realize they have no idea what they’re talking about.
I trust the teachings and my heart.
The journey has been very fulfilling to me so far.
Q: Any advice or tips for other aspiring digital artists?
Art is so subjective! It’s like pie — key lime, cherry, apple, pecan . . . hot or warm, with or without ice cream . . . Everyone likes something different!
So don’t really worry about what others think. And definitely don’t worry about getting “Likes” on social media.
Just create your own art in your own way. Create a piece of art, print it out, and put it on your wall. All that matters is that it means something to YOU.
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