An interview with Cindy Gray :
Do you have a business or regular job besides your art? I have a part time job instructing at Painting With A Twist on Lovers Lane and Inwood in Dallas. It is a lot of fun to be involved with people who wouldn't normally attempt to paint a picture in 2-3 hours. It is all about helping people step outside of their regular persona and just paint for the fun of it. Why do you feel drawn to make art? It fulfills me to create unique pieces of art for all people of all ages. I take enjoyment from the fact that people take time from their busy lives to stop and view my art and move on with a smile. My art is quite tactile so people have the urge to reach out and touch my paintings. That's what it is all about...reaching out to touch, with a smile. What's your background? Art has always been a part of my life. I can't remember a time in my life that I wasn't connected to some type of artistic endeavor. I have a degree in Environmental Design in the College of Architecture from Texas A&M University. This course of study helped me develop a particular use of form and spatial function in my paintings and drawings. What role does the artist have in society? I think artists play a very significant role in society, if nothing more than making this a much more beautiful place to live. Art takes people's minds to places that they do not normally venture...seeing the world from another person's point of view. Art adds color , imagination, and provocation to our minds and well being. How has your practice changed over time? The biggest change in my art over time has been the physical size of my works. I love BIG!!!!! "The bigger the canvas the better," is my mantra. I truly love creating large pieces of art. Over the past few years, I have noticed that my canvas sizes are growing. I am only 5 feet tall, so it is a thrill for me to stand on ladders to paint the top of big paintings.
| What work do you most enjoy doing?
The most enjoyable work for me is painting contemporary animals and people. My paintings, for the most part, are figurative and bold. I paint in acrylics because I love the bright, bold, in your face colors. I paint a lot of animals in my paintings...that truly attests my love for animals in all aspects of life on earth. Red is probably my favorite color and makes its way into most of my art. What's your strongest memory from your childhood? My first art memory from my childhood is at 2 years old. My parents had just bought their first house and it was moving in day. I remember drawing a red crayola line meticulously down the hallway on a brand new white wall. I'm not sure if I remember it that well or my parents just reminded me of it my entire life. It was definitely the first indication of my artistic ability. What's your favorite piece of art? My favorite work of art is "Christina's World" by Andrew Wyeth. It is actually humorous that a non-realistic artist like me would classify that work of art as "my favorite." I have seen the original piece in New York City, and it is so much smaller than you would imagine it to be. Each blade of grass is so realistic...I think it is the house in the painting that pulls me in...I truly love it. What inspires you? Music is a huge inspiration to me when I am painting. I stream Pandora on my computer in my studio, and have a large variety of music playing when I am creating. Since it's usually just me in the studio, I can sing and dance and paint (and chew gum at the same time). It's just me and the dogs...and the dogs are used to it. I tend to play a lot of rock when I am painting...it needs to be something I can sing to. What memorable responses have you had to your work? I have a great "feel good" response to one of my paintings. A customer bought one of my paintings of a funky road runner. He is so cool and has a wonderful aura about him. My customer told me that once she was having a particularly bad day. She went into the room of her home where the roadrunner painting was hanging. Just looking at the painting made her smile and gave her a little lift in an otherwise crummy day. I guess that is why I love to paint...just to make you smile! 
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