Don Voisine Crit: Deanna Lardieri

My experience with Don Voisine went much differently than I expected. He was very approachable and I felt comfortable talking about my work with him. I loved that he was a very introverted and quiet artist---I can relate. He put me on the spot instantly by asking me where my inspiration came from. Which was hard to say because all of the pieces I brought were different stlyes and of different inspiration. Most of the work I showed him was in my old style which since has been tweaked and modified. He seemed more interested however in my old style (from a few semesters ago) which was a more realist meets expressionist style. At the end he asked me if I had any questions for him. I asked him how he stayed motivated in a world where fine arts is such a difficult field to get into. His answer was helpful yet a little disappointing to be honest. He told me to always believe in my abilities, and to stay motivated--which was good advice. But then he said he's been creating art his whole life and was finally recognized recently. I think his intention was to prove to me that anyone who sticks to their love of art will make it...but I was disappointed to hear that if I make it as an artist, there's a chance that it will be much later than sooner. His answer did however open my eyes a lot about the art world. He made me believe that perhaps an artist is not going to be my first choice for a career but there are plenty art related jobs out there that will come faster and still allow me to stick with my love of art.