Dolores Littles Interview
Lyn Southworth interviewed artist Dolores Littles at our artist discussion group tonight. Dolores does fabulous hand-painted glass plates and reverse-painted glass paintings backed with her hand-dyed silk fabric. You can see her work at the Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica every November and June. The following is my transcription of the interview.
Lyn: This is an interview with Dolores Littles. Dolores is a glass painter, and we’re going to find out all about what she does and why she does it. First question for Dolores. Going back to your childhood – coming forward – what were the major experiences or influences that combined to make you an artist?
Dolores: My childhood, huh? One thing I remember from childhood, I always read comic books, and tried to draw pictures from the comic books. That’s when they were really busty women and long shiny hair. And drawing that shiny hair was really exciting to do. My little sister thought that was the greatest thing since hot buttered toast – that I could do these things.
Dolores: Then I remember getting ready to move from our home in Jamaica, Long Island, and a neighbor across the street gave me a box of oil paints. That made me feel so important! He believed in me. He bought me a box of oil paints, and professional ones, too. I kept them for years.
Dolores: Those are two major things in my life that made me think about being an artist. But I still didn't think I could draw. Even though I was doing so, I didn't think I could draw. I couldn't sit down and sketch you. I've since learned better.
Lyn: You certainly have! You do beautiful work. You make reverse painted glass plates, and I don't think that most people really know what a reverse painted glass plate is. Could you explain how the plates are made, all the way from the inspiration, to getting the design, or the rooster, in one case, on the plate, all the way to the final piece? How do you do it?
Dolores: I buy plates that are already made – clear glass plates. Some of them are just smooth and plain, some of them have texture on the back, some of them are lumpy and bumpy. And the plate really sets the tone for what I'm going to do. Like when I did the rooster plate, it was the way that it was set up that made me draw a rooster on that plate.
Dolores: Reverse painting on glass is actually taking a plain glass plate and painting on the reverse side of it, so that when you turn it over, you've got this wonderful image on the right side. It's something that's been done for centuries. They've found things in Egypt that were reverse painting on glass. People were painting portraits on it during George Washington's time. They've found some of those things . . . unbroken! Glass is pretty resilient.
Dolores: My ideas come from the plate, and that's all really it.
Lyn: So you have to put the paint on in reverse order, according to what you see on the front?
Dolores: Right. Whatever you want to be seen first goes on first, and then you work backwards. It's really not working backwards, you're laying colors side by side because if you were laying colors one on top of one another, you wouldn't get to see them. So it's really side-by-side painting that you're doing.
Lyn: And then you have to bake them?
Dolores: I fire them in the oven. The paints that I use are Liquitex Glossy Enamel, and they're made for painting on glass, and some ceramics. They're low fire. You only heat them up to 325 degrees for about 45 minutes, and then it's ready.
Lyn: They're beautiful. Third question. What is the main inspiration for you at this point in your creative life?
Dolores: Main inspiration. I think my friends are. I look at you and Cassie and Rob, and I'm inspired by those things that I see you doing. Making art all the time, and getting stuff done, and making a difference, and doing good art. There's a lot of art out there, but some of it's pretty awful! So it's great to see people I know who are doing great things, and it inspires me to do things.
Lyn: You're an inspiration to us, too. I hope you know that. What are you planning for the future?
Dolores: I want to work less, but make more. I'd like for my art to be out there in the general public, mass produced, in one way or other. Where I can just do the original drawing, or painting, or what have you, and it gets reproduced and sold to millions. Not millions – maybe thousands. I don't want to be greedy!
Lyn: You're not painting the thousands, though, but one plate.
Dolores: Right. I'm less able to do the quantity that I used to be able to do. I want to sit back and rest for a while, and let my art just do it's own thing by itself.
Lyn: That sounds like a great goal.
Dolores: Now if I can get that done – that's another story!
Lyn: Thank you very much for sharing, not only your childhood and your process, but what you've got planned for the future.
Dolores: Thank you very much. It was a pleasure.
Lyn: This is an interview with Dolores Littles. Dolores is a glass painter, and we’re going to find out all about what she does and why she does it. First question for Dolores. Going back to your childhood – coming forward – what were the major experiences or influences that combined to make you an artist?
Dolores: My childhood, huh? One thing I remember from childhood, I always read comic books, and tried to draw pictures from the comic books. That’s when they were really busty women and long shiny hair. And drawing that shiny hair was really exciting to do. My little sister thought that was the greatest thing since hot buttered toast – that I could do these things.
Dolores: Then I remember getting ready to move from our home in Jamaica, Long Island, and a neighbor across the street gave me a box of oil paints. That made me feel so important! He believed in me. He bought me a box of oil paints, and professional ones, too. I kept them for years.
Dolores: Those are two major things in my life that made me think about being an artist. But I still didn't think I could draw. Even though I was doing so, I didn't think I could draw. I couldn't sit down and sketch you. I've since learned better.
Lyn: You certainly have! You do beautiful work. You make reverse painted glass plates, and I don't think that most people really know what a reverse painted glass plate is. Could you explain how the plates are made, all the way from the inspiration, to getting the design, or the rooster, in one case, on the plate, all the way to the final piece? How do you do it?
Dolores: I buy plates that are already made – clear glass plates. Some of them are just smooth and plain, some of them have texture on the back, some of them are lumpy and bumpy. And the plate really sets the tone for what I'm going to do. Like when I did the rooster plate, it was the way that it was set up that made me draw a rooster on that plate.
Dolores: Reverse painting on glass is actually taking a plain glass plate and painting on the reverse side of it, so that when you turn it over, you've got this wonderful image on the right side. It's something that's been done for centuries. They've found things in Egypt that were reverse painting on glass. People were painting portraits on it during George Washington's time. They've found some of those things . . . unbroken! Glass is pretty resilient.
Dolores: My ideas come from the plate, and that's all really it.
Lyn: So you have to put the paint on in reverse order, according to what you see on the front?
Dolores: Right. Whatever you want to be seen first goes on first, and then you work backwards. It's really not working backwards, you're laying colors side by side because if you were laying colors one on top of one another, you wouldn't get to see them. So it's really side-by-side painting that you're doing.
Lyn: And then you have to bake them?
Dolores: I fire them in the oven. The paints that I use are Liquitex Glossy Enamel, and they're made for painting on glass, and some ceramics. They're low fire. You only heat them up to 325 degrees for about 45 minutes, and then it's ready.
Lyn: They're beautiful. Third question. What is the main inspiration for you at this point in your creative life?
Dolores: Main inspiration. I think my friends are. I look at you and Cassie and Rob, and I'm inspired by those things that I see you doing. Making art all the time, and getting stuff done, and making a difference, and doing good art. There's a lot of art out there, but some of it's pretty awful! So it's great to see people I know who are doing great things, and it inspires me to do things.
Lyn: You're an inspiration to us, too. I hope you know that. What are you planning for the future?
Dolores: I want to work less, but make more. I'd like for my art to be out there in the general public, mass produced, in one way or other. Where I can just do the original drawing, or painting, or what have you, and it gets reproduced and sold to millions. Not millions – maybe thousands. I don't want to be greedy!
Lyn: You're not painting the thousands, though, but one plate.
Dolores: Right. I'm less able to do the quantity that I used to be able to do. I want to sit back and rest for a while, and let my art just do it's own thing by itself.
Lyn: That sounds like a great goal.
Dolores: Now if I can get that done – that's another story!
Lyn: Thank you very much for sharing, not only your childhood and your process, but what you've got planned for the future.
Dolores: Thank you very much. It was a pleasure.
posted by Cassandra at 9:44 PM
1 Comments:
thank you so very much - I have painted plates then put arcrylic spray on them-you could only use them for decorations--now I know how to fire them and can give as a useable gift !!!!!
Post a Comment
<< Home