Artist Spotlight – Grace DeVito

Joining me today is Grace DeVito, a brilliant painter with stunning still lifes.

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When did you take up painting?

I took up painting in high school, watercolor at that time, then oil and acrylic in art college and finally oil painting and illustration from that point on.

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Is painting your full-time job, or something on the side?

I am a full-time painter.

If painting is your full-time job, what are some of the biggest struggles you face as an artist other than actually creating the art?

The biggest challenge I face as a full-time painter is balancing painting time with the business side of things.

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What are your favorite subjects to paint?

My favorite subjects would be people and anything in nature, particularly flowers.

Where do you find painting inspiration?

I find my inspiration mostly in nature.

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How long on average does it take you to complete your paintings?

My portrait commissions can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 weeks depending on the size. Still lifes that I set up and paint from life usually take 5 – 10 days.

What is your general painting process from start to finish?

My process for portraits is first doing studies from life when the sitter is available or photos if not. I transfer the drawing to canvas and start blocking in loosely the large shapes, then refining them to smaller and smaller shapes. Then a second layer to further refine and then a final layer with scumbles and glazes. For the still life work it is pretty much the same except flowers may need to be done more alla prima as they don’t last long.

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Do you have any tips for someone looking to take up painting?

My advice to those who want to pick up painting is to find a good atelier where you can take classes, or attend workshops but be prepared to have a regular schedule of practice as painting an hour here and there will not lead to improvement.

Also really work on drawing as that is the foundation for everything.

Summary

I would like to thank Grace DeVito for joining us today. There is some valuable information there for aspiring artists, in particular the length of time it takes to complete these great paintings and the large variety of techniques used.

You can find more of Grace DeVito’s work on her website.

If you have any questions for Grace or other comments, please share them below.

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Thanks for Reading!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I appreciate it! Feel free to share with friends. If you want more painting tips, check out my Painting Academy course.

Happy painting!

Dan Scott

Draw Paint Academy

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Dan Scott is the founder of Draw Paint Academy. He's a self-taught artist from Australia with a particular interest in landscape painting. Draw Paint Academy is run by Dan and his wife, Chontele, with the aim of helping you get the most out of the art life. You can read more on the About page.

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