Being an artist
Please give us a few words of introduction about yourself
My name is Corissa Bull and art has always been my passion. Up until recently I have only painted for family and friends who have asked, as presents or just as a hobby or me time, my friends have been bugging me for years to try and sell my art so when I found Artweb I thought I would give it a go. I studied art and design at college and got an AVCE in it as well as an AS level n Photography but ended up in an office job as I am sure many amature artists do. Anyway I am on here just to see what happens really!
What made you decide to take up art?
I have always loved art! Ever since I was a kid and my parents could occupy me for hours with pencil and a pad of paper. I used to enter the haven holiday camp drawing competitions on family holidays and to my surprise I won! From there the main classes in school I enjoyed were my art lessons and decided to carry on into college. Its something that has never really left me and it really does fill me with joy and peacefullness to be sat with a paint brush in my hand or out with my camera.
What training did you have?
GCSE, AVCE & AS level
What has been your best creative achievement so far?
Winning the college photography competition was good, for a boost but having my family and friends ask to take home the paintings I do because they actually like them or asking me to paint pictures for them, and their friends, is the best compliment you could receive. These are people who will always be honest with you, and to see they believe in you is the best feeling in the world.
General Questions
What’s your favourite quote?
‘Winners never quit and quitters never win.’
Who is your favourite artist?
Salvador Dali
What are you aiming for?
Just to enjoy myself and if anything else happens its a bonus
How will you get there?
Just keep going
Is anything holding you back?
The day job
You and art
What sort of feedback to you get from people see your work?
People tend to feel happy when they see my paintings, I fil them full of colour as that is what makes me happy. They also find them interesting as they tend to mean different things to different people.
From start to finish, how long does it take for you to create your work?
Depends what I do, if it is just something that comes into my head in can be done in hours, whereas if it is something that requires detail or a request it could take weeks to ensure i have got it right. I will never leave a painting alone until I am satisfied with it.
What music do you like to listen to when you work?
Anything happy and lively, Pop, dance, rock a good anthem is always good even Dolly Parton 9 to 5 has been known to make an appearance!
What is next in the pipeline for you?
I am just going to keep doing what i do as its what I enjoy!
Being inspired by art
Who (living or dead) inspires you? and why?
Salvador Dali, Kenny Scharf and Rene Magritte to name a few, I love surrealist art it makes you think and everytime to look at it you see something you have not seen before, I also love the way everyone who looks at them gets a different message from them or see’s something diffeent to the next person.
What feelings, subjects or concepts inspire you as an artist?
I can’t paint when I am unhappy, I need to be settled and happy in life to be able to create my paintings because they are so full of colour and life to me. Imagination is what inspires me, in your imagination anything is possible!
What is your favourite work that you’ve produced so far and why?
I produced a painting called ‘Living with Nature’ for my mother’s 70th birthday last year, I spent weeks on it to ensure it was perfect for her and seeing how much she loved it and the effort I had put in made me happy, I think it is still the painting I am proudest of.
an artist’s advice
What do you think it takes to make a good an artist?
Dont try and follow someone elses style be yourself, also do not think just because you are different to someone you are not as good as them. The great thing about art is every piece is individual and has a little piece of you inside it that no one can fully emulate. Enjoy it!
