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| Magali Cadieux | | | See more art by Magali Cadieux | | How long have you known you wanted to be an artist? | | | I can't say I ever decided that I wanted to be an artist, it just happened. I really did not have that much of an artistic influence, I just for some reason was really interested in anything that had to do with art. Art was my favorite subject in school. For holiday presents I always requested anything that had to do with art in general. It was just an interest that i have to honestly say I was born with, so I think I never thought of becoming an artist, it just happened. As time went by, I learned new techniques, from painting to sculpting, stained glass, glass blowing, Chinese painting, paper making, anything really. Until one day I fell in love with acrylics, realized I was painting 4-7 hours a day, people started to notice my work, started asking me if they could purchase my work, and it went on from there. Next thing I knew I was selling paintings and making a pretty good living. | | | | How would you describe yourself ? | | | I would describe myself as imaginative, dreamy, spontaneous and a little wild. I have a huge imagination which constantly feeds me anything from funny ideas, colorful worlds & their inhabitants, scenarios, all sorts of stuff really. If I had to say how other people have described me.. funny and a little crazy. I like to live life happily and I love to laugh, being serious is a hard thing for me, I really just like to live day by day and I think that shows in the way I act and react. | | | | Have you ever considered dropping everything, reorienting your career? | | | I did at some point feel like giving up. It did not last long but I really did consider it. The problem I had was a lack of confidence, I would compare myself to the top artists like Dali, Escher, Klimt, and I would think to myself.. "geez mag, you seriously have nothing special next to these folks" My problem was really that I did not have a realistic take on things, I compared myself with masters, I was really laying the pressure thick. It really made no sense. I guess I could not accept not being the best, or one of the best. I honesty don't know why I was so demanding. Now I have accepted that I may never become the next Monet but I can still live live fully doing something I really enjoy.
| | | | What steps did you take to really get your career going? | | | First things first I created a nice presentation, portfolio with images of my work, I also had to write a biography, artist statement etc. Then I created a website and made sure I showed up on the top search engines. I then started going to exhibits and meeting with curators, showing them my portfolio, talking with them and asking for advice. I signed up to art lists and sent applications for juried exhibitions. I also spent a lot of time reading articles on the internet about Art Marketing, tips from the pros and Art Magazines. | | | | What are your ambitions now? | | | Well my ambitions really did change now, I no longer live to become one of the top Canadian artists. I'm not saying it could never happen, and if it does I will have accomplished every artists dream, but my ambition today is to create at a comfortable speed, have fun, be happy, and just continue to sell on regular basis. I would like to at least get one international show per year though. I had the pleasure of exhibiting in Spain last year and really loved the experience, so if I could have the opportunity to continue showing internationally, that would be great. | | | | Any advice for someone who would like to become a painter? | | | I think the first thing to do is to photograph your work and get it on discussion boards, this is a great way to start because you will get feedback from other artists and maybe even that self confidence and assurance that you need to maybe start a career. Also.. I suggest taking as many "ateliers" as you can. Find the workshops for as many techniques as you can. In my life I can't even count the amount of classes I have taken to perfect my art. I think the workshops are so important because they teach you the tools you need to express the message, without having barriers because you are not sure what medium to use, how to use it etc. I would suggest taking a variety, it really is important to know as much as you can and to always continue to perfect yourself. I started with Oils, but I really suggest learning acrylics, pastels, watercolors, encaustic and mixed media! With that, you have a good set of knowledge and can really incorporate cool effects into your paintings!! | | |
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