Artwork Network has been exhibiting the artwork of Colorado artist Ivy Delon this month, and there has been a wonderful response to these wildflower paintings.   We asked her a few questions about her art and creative process.

Artist Ivy Delon

Why do you work with oil paint?

Ivy Delon:  I started painting with watercolors in the 1980s. I then switched to pastel chalks and painted with them for over 15 years, never going back to watercolors. Currently I work in oils and would have a hard time going back to either of the previous media. Oils can be applied in such a variety of ways, including transparent washes (like watercolors) and in layers (like pastels).
Using brushes extends the variety of application. I love to layer thinned paint and build up to thick impasto. I also love to use brushes to create expressive flowing lines and scratchy scribbles. Anything seems possible with  oil paint.

How has your work evolved over time?

Ivy Delon:  I was a commercial graphic artist for 5 years before beginning painting. In the early years of painting, I practiced a lot by painting out of doors and observing the true nature of the landscape. I worked at becoming more and more realistic. I learned a lot about color, and three dimensional form. Now I continue to work outdoors, and then use these outdoor studies to focus on the part of the painting that I love the most. I find various compositions and colors within these studies and I develop them into larger and more complete works. Realism has taken a back seat to emotional expression and personal preference.

What’s the best creative advice you’ve ever been given?

Ivy Delon:  A good artist friend told me that it is always difficult to start up a cold engine. (She was told this by an artist friend of hers.)  I have repeated this advice a lot over the years, to myself and to other artists and students. Once the “engine” has warmed up, my artistic ideas pour out of me. I have a few tricks that I use to “warm up the engine.” I often tell myself that I am only going into the studio for 15 minutes to clean up or go through a few reference photos. Before I know it I am again excited to paint and a couple of hours go by effortlessly.

"Delphinium in Sunlight" by Ivy Delon

Why Art?

Ivy Delon:  I wish I could sing or be brave enough to act. Singing along to a favorite song in the car fills my heart. I would love to put my emotions into these venues, but it is not where my talent lies. I could draw at an early age and was encouraged to do so. Once you have accomplished some skill in a field, it is more and more rewarding to express yourself in that way.

Do you visualize your art before creating? Do you know what it will look like before you begin?

Ivy Delon:  I do visualize my art before I create it, but not in the way someone might think. I  logically think about composition, color, light and dark. I often sketch and do value studies.  Then I like to feel how the painting will flow. I put all the logical thinking on the back burner and open up to the expression of the painting.
I enjoy painting second and third variations of my first paintings. I “copy” my own work, and in this way I get more and more ideas from an intuitive place. The variations are more unexpected than the first piece.

What do you want people to walk away with when they see your work?

Ivy Delon:  I like my art to move the viewer to see beauty; not necessarily the beauty of the subject matter, (flowers, trees, mountains) but the beauty of the color, movement and energy of the painting. I would like to think that buyers of my art never tire of looking at their purchase. They can sit on their couch at home and daydream while looking all around the piece, noticing things that they hadn’t noticed the day before, and being moved into a peaceful inner place.

See more artwork by Ivy Delon.
Read more about this artist.