Lancette Burton
Tell us a little bit about yourself? (Family life, career, other hobbies etc)
I am a wife and mom to a 10 yr boy and 6 yr old girl. My day job is working in recreation for the City of Calgary. My art and photography is currently a side gig for me. I also am a family and portrait photographer and I love biking, going on adventures, drinking wine and working out.
When did you start creating? And what inspired you to create?
I starting creating art in high school grade 10-12 but rediscovered it again after graduating university with my Kinesiology degree with a minor in business. I had space again and great desire to create art again after the passing of my dad. I used art as a coping mechanism and it was my happy place and helped me to work things out in my creations and allowed me to create beautiful places.
Have you gone to art school or are you self taught?
I only took art in high school and then pursued several art workshops. I did not attend formal art school so you can say that I am self taught with lots of help from other art mentors. I think we all learn and are inspired by others.
If you are self taught what resources or exercises did you use to learn?
I signed up for a lot of paint workshops and have mentored under other professional arts through Mastruis and local art stores offering classes. I am always going to drop in studio classes to work on my own process and art. Art is a ongoing learning journey for me.
What drives the inspiration in your paintings? What subject is your favourite to paint?
I love nature and it inspires a lot of my work. I also am inspired by childhood and my own kids and their sense of wonder about the world. I really do love painting landscapes, animal characters and childhood adventures with some lady portraits thrown in there. I frequently use my photography as inspiration for my paintings.
How do you balance your art career and your other obligations ?
I have dedicated time every week to paint and create. You have to schedule that time in and just do it. You can only get better at painting by creating, practicing and painting lots.
What would you recommend to new artists trying to build a career? What are the keys to success?
I would recommend attending workshops of other artists that you admire, connect with other artists and communities to find out local art shows and of course paint what you love and create a body of work that you are proud of. Be brave and put yourself out there but be open to feedback, criticisms and continually work on improve your craft.
How do you price your work? And where do you sell your pieces? (Online, markets, social media ect..)
Pricing your work is the hardest thing for me. You should find other artists that are similar to your style and level and see what they price their artwork at. When you start out, you start at a lower price and then as people buy and you get better at your craft, you can increase your prices if people are buying your work. I currently use the square inch pricing format.
Was there ever a moment you stopped making art, and if so what brought passion and inspiration back?
I stopped while I was working, surviving and going through my University degree. I had no extra time or space to take on or create art. I rediscovered it after my degree and I need something other then work to keep me jazzed about life and creating was that for me.
What are you hoping to learn or improve on this year ?
I am working on learning more about composition and applying that to my work this year. I am working on several different series exploring colour and different themes. I am also continually playing with mixed media and seeing how I can incorporate that into my current art style as I love the playfulness, the surpirses that occur and the textures that it creates. Mixed media is so much fun!!
