Featured Artist: Maria Dunn

1. What are your favorite tools?

I like to use oil paint just because you make mistakes pretty easily in painting. And I’m not a professional painter, and so I make mistakes a lot and oil paint takes forever to dry. Like at least two weeks, sometimes. So three days later, I’m like, “I messed this up,” I can go back and fix it. I also use acrylic paint just because it looks shiny and glossy, and also some watercolor. I like to use old craft brushes, which have a really soft material, so you get a really solid stroke. I also like those really tiny detail brushes.

2. What do you like to paint the most?

I don’t like to paint people. Which I guess is really weird to some people. I really like painting nature scenes, like landscapes. I have a weird obsession with the moon. Or just objects that are interesting and that I can expose all these colors for. I like stuff that I can alter a lot, but are still kind of peaceful.

3. When did you start painting?

I’ve always been into art, so I don’t really know when I started painting, but I started doing my actual portfolio stuff that I have, two years ago. In 8th grade for my birthday because I was so into painting, my mom got me a set of oil paints–which I’ve already blown through–and I was like, “What can I do with these?” And so I found all these poster boards and canvases, and that’s when it all started.

4. Where does your inspiration come from?

I’m going to pull the cookie cutter answer and say probably from God. Because I’m a pretty Christian person, and I’m really big into my faith. I have a belief that God made everything on Earth, and I just think that it’s all awesome so might as well try to portray its beauty in a painting.

5. Who should we interview next?

Sarah Cook.