about: BARBARA NEAL
Well I am a married, mother of 2 grandmother of 9 and soon to be a great grandmother (and believe me I am not that old I just have fertile children haha). I am half Lakota Oglala Sioux and Sicilian. I live in a small suburb just outside of Chicago, IL with my husband Brian. I am a lover of all life be it animal or plants. I just love everything and everyone.
My Mother was a very talented sketch artist and I admired her talent but sadly had none of my own when it came to drawing.
As I got older I got interested in digital art and bought my first Paint Shop Pro program and started painting which was about 14 yrs or more ago for fun and found I was pretty good at it. Over the years I worked hard on learning as much as I can always striving to be better each day that passed. So now I can proudly call myself a photo manipulator digital artist.
Tell us about your unique creative style/ approach
I have always loved the colors of nature nothing could compare to those colors. I loved all I seen. I was always amazed and never got tired of looking at them especially how different each one was. When I paint I try to apply those different shades into the piece I create. I also apply the emotions of what I am feeling at the time when I am creating a piece. It helps bring out what I wish the piece to say to any one who views it.
A great artist/ designer is…
Is one who puts their heart and soul into their work. I can always tell a great artist as soon as I view their art. You can see how much of themselves they put into the work vs artists who just do it for fun. I put every ounce of my heart and soul in my art because I want the viewer to really feel what the piece is telling them.
How do you promote/ showcase your work?
Well I do not actually promote myself as I should, I plan on creating my own blog soon but for now I show my work in deviantART. Most of the people who know me outside of deviantart come from word of mouth of people that had commissioned me for small projects.
What do you think about the Internet affecting the way of global communication 5 years from now?
I am comfortable with that actually. It was bound to happen just look how far we have come already. Its just another step into the world of technology that no matter what ones opinion on the matter is, it will still happen.
I am driven to…
To be the best I can be in my art. I concentrate deeply on scenes I wish to project. The realm of Fantasy art seems to give me more drive then any other category. So I guess what drives me the most is my own imagination.
What do you like the smell of? Why so?
The smell of a small neighborhood Italian grocery store. As soon as you walk in the smells of salami, sausage, cheeses and breads remind me of my Grandmother.
If you have online portfolio (website/awards/credits/client’s showcase), what is the URL?
http://mistraven.deviantart.com/
http://mistraven.daportfolio.com
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