https://ift.tt/33kGUt6 <p class="intro">Following our last interview,
<em><a href="
https://discover.wordpress.com/2019/11/05/gareth-jones/">Documenting
a Chaotic Mind: The Art of Gareth Jones</a>, </em>we continue to delve
into the artists of WordPress with a look at Catherine
Martzloff’s site, <a
href="
https://catherinejmartzloff.com/"><em>Rendered
Impressions</em></a>. Catherine has loved painting her entire life,
and in the last few years has taken her passion full-time to create
vivid landscapes and still lifes. As an established artist, her
WordPress.com site is a fundamental part of her business.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>What inspires your art?</strong></p>
<p>My art is as much about my experience as it is an exploration into
what's around me; it is a form of communication for me.</p>
<p>Color is one of the driving forces behind my painting and there is
something exciting about mixing colors. I think a core drive though is
simply the opportunity to express myself in a way that goes beyond
words. There's no language barrier — it's all visual and I'm a very
visual person. Time disappears when I paint.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Do you always work in oil?</strong></p>
<p>When I returned to painting about eight years ago I started with
acrylics, and they were a wonderful medium to use, but there was
always something about the oil paint’s consistency and flow that
appealed to me. I suppose there's an element of tradition in oil
painting and I have an affinity for tradition in a lot of ways. Maybe
it's part of my "old soul" or a past life.</p>
<figure id="attachment_39429"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39429" style="width:1060px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39429 size-full"
src="
https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/image-2019-11-21-at-4.42.59-pm.png?w=685"
alt="" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39429"
class="wp-caption-text">“The Tree”</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<p><strong>What is one of your favorite pieces?</strong></p>
<p>I have two, which are not actually on the website. One is an
interior landscape capturing a part of my dining room area. It has a
lot of sentimental value to me in terms of the things in the room I
chose to depict. Many of them link back to my family of origin. The
table and chairs are from my mother’s side. The sideboard from
my dad’s. I like the blend of both, particularly after my mother
died and my father remarried.</p>
<p>The other piece is more current and features my dog Chloe who
passed away two years ago. She's sitting with my daughter who is not
fully visible in the piece but has a presence and I know it's her. It
makes me smile.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>When did you first start your WordPress.com site? </strong></p>
<p>I started working on my WordPress.com site around 2012. Prior to
that, I had been sharing work online via a website I built myself. I
had taken a certification program in web design, where I learned to
work in Adobe Dreamweaver. I've always liked computers and this was
great because it combined art and technology — although I realized I
didn't want to be spending all my time doing the web building. I
started to hear more about WYSIWYG platforms and when I came across
WordPress.com it seemed like an easier way to go.</p>
<figure id="attachment_39432"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39432" style="width:962px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39432 size-full"
src="
https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/image-2019-11-21-at-4.53.15-pm.png?w=685"
alt="" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39432"
class="wp-caption-text">“Sunny
Flowers”</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<p><strong>Why did you want a website?</strong></p>
<p>Mainly because of the reach it provides. At this point, having a
website is a necessary part of my art business. It's an easy thing to
reference if someone wants to learn more about my work, and it has
helped a lot in terms of securing shows in local venues, as well as
connecting me with online art venues that aren't based in the US. The
online presence has helped connect me with collectors from around the
globe — the possibilities are limitless.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>What features helped you to set up your website?</strong></p>
<p>I liked the range of <a
href="
https://wordpress.com/themes">templates</a> I could select from.
I felt they were well designed, clean, and relatively easy to work
with. I wanted something simple and with WordPress.com I have been
able to create something nice with basic tools. The steps to get
myself going seemed pretty clear and I could find information to help
me out if I had a question. Being able to integrate <a
href="
https://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/social-media-icons-widget/">social
media links</a> and a gallery page was also important to me. I
continue to see new things I can integrate, so I can improve my site
as my needs change.</p>
<figure id="attachment_39430"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39430" style="width:1954px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39430 size-full"
src="
https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/image-2019-11-21-at-4.45.14-pm.png?w=685"
alt="" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39430"
class="wp-caption-text">“Back Roads”</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<p><strong>Has having a website let more people get to know your art?
</strong></p>
<p>Without a doubt. I can see that in my <a
href="
https://en.support.wordpress.com/stats/">stats on WordPress
.com</a> (a great tool). It's also been important to be able to see
how my site translates across various devices. A lot of people access
my site via their phone so a strong presentation and ease of use help
with making those connections. I've had clients contact me through
<em>Rendered Impressions</em> and purchase art directly from me as a
result. Being able to add a <a
href="
https://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/image-widget/">link to
my Etsy shop</a> has also been useful in developing my business.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>What feedback have you received?</strong><br />
I have a number of collectors that have come back and purchased
additional pieces which is such a good feeling. In that exchange I
know I have connected with the other person in a unique way through my
art — that's a deeper motivation for doing this work.</p>
<p>I receive a lot of positive feedback overall, however, recently I
was told that some people thought the colors were too bright. I
thought to myself, that's true, they are bright, and welcomed their
reaction, knowing it's not going to be for everyone. That's why we
need many artists! <img
src="
https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/twemoji/2/72x72/1f642.png"
alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height:1em;max-height:1em;" /></p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Is there any area you would like to develop more in the
future? </strong></p>
<p>I want to continue to progress as a painter and in my ability to
share my work through a variety of venues. I have repeatedly
considered <a href="
https://woocommerce.com/">adding a cart to my
WordPress.com site</a> but haven't sorted out how I envision that
exactly. I suspect in time that will come. I also envision <a
href="
https://wordpress.com/pricing/">upgrading my plan</a> so that I
have access to more options and plugins.</p>
<figure id="attachment_39428"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39428" style="width:1668px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-39428 size-full"
src="
https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/image-2019-11-21-at-4.40.47-pm.png?w=685"
alt="" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39428"
class="wp-caption-text">“Vanitas
III”</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Learn more about Catherine
Martzloff on her website, <em><a
href="
https://catherinejmartzloff.com/">Rendered Impressions</a></em>.
Want a custom domain name and other features to showcase your art? <a
href="
https://wordpress.com/plans/?utm_source=editorial&utm_medium=discover&utm_campaign=gareth-jones&utm_term=art&utm_content=post_signoff">Upgrade
to a paid plan</a>.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a class="button is-primary"
href="
https://wordpress.com/plans/?utm_source=editorial&utm_medium=discover&utm_campaign=catherine-martzloffs&utm_term=art&utm_content=post_signoff_button"
rel="nofollow">Compare our plans</a></p>
<p> </p>
<a href="
https://discover.wordpress.com/2019/11/27/catherine-martzloff/"
target="_blank" rel="follow">Meer over Carolyn Wells</a>