Digital Whisper

Interview with an Artist

Today we have the pleasure of getting to know Heather Gilbert

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Patti - Heather, Hi

First of all, share with me a little bit about what it’s like living in the United Kingdom. Were you born there?

Heather– I was born in the North East of Scotland. I live in England and have always felt more at home here than Scotland. I have friends all over the world and listening to them, I am not convinced this is the best country to live in. I am not at all opposed to immigration, but mass immigration and poor border controls is rapidly destroying the uniqueness of Britain. I fear for civil war within the next 5 years. Mainstream media are oppressing the truth of what is happening in the inner cities.

Patti– What is it like there during the Christmas Holiday?

Heather– I cannot honestly answer that question. There is a romantic notion about Christmas that does not really meet with reality for many people. The Edwardians had a massive advertising campaign which was successful. Christmas was flagging in this country prior to that. I personally dislike Christmas, but I do enjoy the decorations and lights. It's nice that the homeless are remembered at Christmas and sad that they are largely ignored for the rest of the year.

Patti– Do you have white snow this time of year?

Heather– We did last year. It was beautiful. I love snow, but I seem to be in the minority :-)

Patti– Do you decorate for Christmas and put up a tree?

Heather- I usually do but haven't put up any decorations yet.

Patti- Tell me about your family. Are you a married women and if so how long have you been married? Do you have children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, or pets?

Heather- I am divorced and live with my partner. I have a son and a daughter and 3 delightful grandchildren. I would have 50 dogs, 10 sheep, 4 Jersey cows, 20 chickens, 8 ducks, 2 geese, 1 snake, lizards, a tortoise etc etc.....if only I had the space and the money to keep them all....sadly, my circumstances just don't permit pets.

Patti– Share with us how you first became interested in creating digital art?

Heather– I was invited to an exhibition in New York where an artist had a huge picture on the wall. I loved it. It was a digital painting. I hadn't a clue what digital was. We engaged in conversation for around 3 hours. He felt that digital art was deemed as a lower art form than more traditional mediums such as oils and acrylics. I already had a mission to have some crafts elevated to art so I had to investigate digital art more. This led me to Photoshop. I looked at the work of artists who used Photoshop and was just blown over by it. I had to learn it.

Patti– You are so versatile in your creations. I admire that. How did you learn digital art? Did you teach yourself or did you take art courses or lessons?

Heather– I learned the hard way. I taught myself. In retrospect, I wish I had taken lessons. It would have saved me a lot of tears, a lot of stress and a terrible impact on my self esteem. I did some tutorials with some so called Photoshop experts from magazines. I don't doubt that they had mastered many aspects of Photoshop, but I do doubt that they should be teaching it. It was like being back at school trying to get my head around math. EEK. They shall remain nameless, but I avoid them like the plague when their names crop up in any tutorials now, and want to say to them, KISS = Keep it simple, stupid! i.e. Don't tell me to create a new layer when you have not explained to me how to create a new layer! What is a layer? Easy when you know how, not so easy to think back to when they themselves knew nothing!

I can't say that I know digital art. I am still learning and I muddle my way through. Photoshop is not user friendly, but the more I mess with it, the more I learn and the more I love it. I don't know if it is my limitations or those of Photoshop, but it cannot replace oil paints.

Patti– I am amazed at your digital collage for the “Graveyard Challenge”. The layering on this piece is fantastic. Can you share your favorite piece of art with us?

Heather- William Dyce - Titans First Essay in Color.

This wonderful painting is in Aberdeen's Art Gallery

and I have had the pleasure of gazing at this painting for hours, up close, marveling at the details and brush strokes. I loved this painting before I knew the story. The statue is in monochrome. The flowers scattered around the young Titian represent his plans to paint using the dye from flowers.

Patti– What inspires you to create?

Heather- Fear of insanity! There is a part of my brain that drives me to create. I have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder without hyperactivity). This particular disorder manifests itself in hyperfocussing. When I am creating, nothing else seems to exist. I value artistic endeavors probably way more than the norm, and rate artists way higher than, say bankers who make millions. It's my world and I would not have it any other way :-)

Patti– I started with mixed media at first. Did you start with mixed media and have you ever incorporated your mixed media with your digital creations?

Heather– Yes. I am experimenting more and more with this. I've done decoupage, freestyle sewing machine embroidery, wax and am currently experimenting with jewelry.

Patti– What program do you use to create digital art? What are your favorite tools or filters?

Heather- Photoshop. Favorite tool is the eraser. Seriously, I love that I can undo my mistakes, or just something that does not look right.

I cannot choose between the dry brush filter or the Gaussian blur. Am I allowed two?

Patti– Have you ever had any of your work published? If so tell me about it.

Heather– No. I don't promote myself.

Patti– Do you have a blog you can share with us? Also, do you have a website on Etsy Shop or any other network?

Heather – I have a very neglected blog which is about to change. I only post digital stuff on there but have decided to post about all the other stuff I do too, and to comment about politics: http://scrapurheartout.blogspot.com

Patti– Do you have a favorite artist or someone that inspires your work?

Heather– The wonderful people at Digital Whispers and DevianArt blow my mind with their talent

Patti– Do you like to read and who is your favorite author?

Heather- I love reading but it has gone by the wayside. Favorite author is always the most recent one I've read, and that would be Jonah Goldberg - Liberal Fascism - The secret history of the left from Mussolini to the politics of meaning.

Patti– Have you ever been to the United States and if so what states did you visit?

Heather– I love the States and I love Americans. I have visited Portland Oregon, Chicago. and have lived in New York. I want to tour all of America and could see me settling in Texas just because I could listen to their accents all day long and still be enthralled by them

Patti– What do you like to do to relax?

Heather– Smoke, drink, paint, sing, paint more, cook, debate politics, debate religion, debate philosophy, listen to music

Patti– Do you like to go bare foot?

Heather– Yes. Wish I could go barefoot all the time.

Patti– If you had to choose between two hot drinks and they were hot chocolate and coffee, which would you choose?

Heather- Would depend on my mood. I love mocha - mixture of coffee and hot chocolate

Patti- What is your strongest pet peeve?

Heather– Political correctness and the lies that the media constantly bombards us with.