Q&A with Artist Candace Castle
What is your favorite medium to work with?
I work in both oil and watercolor. I love the immediacy and transparency of watercolor, and it’s a great portable medium for on-site sketching. I use water-soluble oils in the studio when I have more time to work on a painting. I love these oils for their easy clean up with soap and water that doesn’t require chemical solvents.
How and when did you discover your love of art?
I had an aptitude for art growing up and majored in art in college. When I moved back to St. Joe in 2007 after several years in clothing design, I started painting again.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I enjoy painting from life and direct observation. Painting en plein air takes me out into nature and the community and allows me to experience a scene or object directly. In 2019, I did a “Sketching St. Joe” project of local subjects on site in pen and watercolor. I had been traveling to KC and surrounding areas to paint and finally realized how rich St. Joseph is in subject matter!
What does your creative process look like?
I usually start with an interest in an area, building, or object, and make sketches and studies to work out my idea and composition. I often take plein air studies back to the studio to develop into larger paintings. In 2021, I completed a commission for the Mosaic Hospital lobby of 9 four-foot square paintings of local scenes that were based on past sketches and paintings I had done. For the nine large paintings, I researched the subjects to gather information and photos to round out my previous sketches and paintings.
Where can people find your work?
My nine large oil paintings of St. Joseph area scenes are permanently hanging in the Mosaic Hospital main lobby; I also participate in the rotating hallway art exhibits throughout Mosaic. I have paintings for sale in the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art gift shop, where I teach watercolor classes periodically. Nesting Goods at 615 Felix Street in downtown St. Joseph carries my prints, notecards, and small paintings. I also have an Etsy shop.
What are you working on now? Any special projects?
I’m thinking ahead to plein air painting season starting next month and have been developing some ideas for a future exhibit.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists?
I would tell an aspiring artist to keep a sketchbook for jotting down ideas and to draw and sketch regularly. Sketching and drawing from life trains your eye and enables you to record first-hand impressions and experiences of your surroundings. I think a strong basis in drawing greatly aids any art endeavor you want to pursue.
