Today we’d like to introduce you to Doreen Mattingly.
Hi Doreen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The story of my art career goes all the way back to Turlock High School in 1977, when art teacher Harvey Litvack captured my imagination and inspired me to see myself as an artist. I began college as an art major but upon taking my first Geography class at UC Berkeley, I became fascinated with the academic study of places. I traded in my artistic dreams for a PhD and academic career, eventually earning a PhD in Geography from Clark University. I enjoyed a 20-year career as a Geography and Women’ Studies professor at SDSU, but that’s another story altogether.
In the early 2000s the art bug returned, and I began taking painting and drawing classes at different art schools around San Diego. For many years it was enough squeeze a weekly painting class into my busy schedule, but by the late 2010s I wanted more. I began dreaming of early retirement, and in January of 2021 I finally took the leap and became a full-time artist. I changed my home office into a home studio, bought a lot of art supplies, and got to work. During the pandemic I established a regular painting practice, crating small “daily” paintings, using items from the kitchen and garden as models. YouTube videos and online courses helped me to improve, as did posting my paintings on Facebook so friends could cheer me on.
My painting “career” really started in January of 2023 when I was juried into Southwestern Artists Association (SWAA), located in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village. As a member of SWAA, I always have some art hanging in the studio, and two weeks a year I get to be a “featured artist” with a show of over a dozen paintings on the wall. These annual shows, along with the community and exposure provided by membership in SWAA, made it possible to begin the transition from hobbyist to professional.
While I am still very new to the art business, I’m happy to report that my schedule is getting busy. This Spring I participated in the Mission Hills Garden Walk and the new Artìval Art and Wine festival in El Cajon. I also had four paintings accepted for the San Diego Fair, a painting in a show at the Bonita Museum, and a painting in the prestigious Yosemite Renaissance 40 show that is touring Central California. I’m optimistic that I’ll be showing and selling art in more places in the coming months and years. People seem to like my paintings, and I like making them, so it’s an all-around positive experience.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Actually, it has been shockingly smooth. It helps that I have a pension, so I’m not relying on art to keep a roof over my head. It also helps that I have the discipline and determination that comes from years of study and teaching. Right now, I don’t really have a plan or goal for my art career, I’m just saying “yes” to chances to paint and show and sell. For me the whole thing is an astounding adventure. I feel beyond lucky to get to paint the beautiful world every day. And even better, I travel to places like Yosemite and Morro Bay and try to capture their beauty. What could be better?
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The California landscape has become my preferred subject, bringing me full circle to questions of place. As an artist, my goal is to capture specific places is away that recalls the experience of being there. Painting has also become an expression of love for California, a state of exceptional beauty and contrast.
I prefer to paint a scene in person — plein air — and then use that sketch and photographs as the basis for a larger studio painting. The photos provide the detail, while the plein air sketch guides me in color and spirit. I use a limited palate of warm and cool primary colors, which aids in color harmony. In the studio I use a modified alla prima approach, usually applying two layers of paint. The process of painting, while at times frustrating, is also a magical experience. When things are going well, I am fully present, listening to the vibrations of the place and hopefully translating them into the painting.
I seek harmony in a painting, using relatively moderate values and colors. I’m told my paintings are serene, which I hope is true. I know that the process of painting brings me peace and joy.
How do you think about happiness?
Painting is on the list, although it can also frustrate me! I also get happy when I’m outside in beautiful places, especially the Sierra Nevada mountains and the California coastline. I love being in and on the ocean. I swim La Jolla Cove (in the summer!) and paddle outrigger with Hanohano Canoe Club. I also like domestic things like working in my garden and cooking. And reading, I love reading.
Pricing:
- Price for commissions: $1.50 per square inch
Contact Info:
- Website: https://DoreenMattinglyArt.com
- Instagram: @DoreenMattinglyArt
