Artist Interview: Vaneetha Risner
Some people are just fun. Vaneetha Risner is one of those people. Every time I drive back home from hanging out with her, I feel lighter. Her quick wit, self deprecating humor, and directness are always a breath of fresh air no matter what kind of day I’ve had. She is a kindred busy spirit with a keen designer’s eye who loves to talk about the creative process whether in the realm of painting, decorating, crafting, or writing.
A lot of people know Vaneetha through her writing, which mainly deals with suffering. Despite her bubbly personality, she has experienced almost constant trials throughout her life: childhood polio, the loss of her infant son, a painful divorce, and life with post-polio syndrome, just to name a few. Her memoir, Walking Through Fire, is a must-read about how God has shaped her and taught her to trust in the midst of fear and pain. One of the losses Vaneetha has experienced is her ability to paint and craft due to her post-polio syndrome. Even in this, God has given her a powerful writing platform and she has been gracious to fellow artists, like myself, who call on her for wisdom in creative pursuits. Today I want to highlight the beauty of her visual art.
1) What mediums have you worked in/what are your creative outlets?
I have worked with pencil, pen and ink, and acrylics, but my real love is watercolor painting. I think the main reason is that watercolors are surprising and playful. You can’t control them as precisely as you can other mediums, which makes the process really fun for me because I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to turn out.
I also really enjoy painting dishes and have painted a full set that our family once used. Each dish is completely different because I tried different techniques for them. At the time, I would rip out pieces of magazine articles or ads, any pattern that caught my eye and inspired me, and I’d to try to replicate it. I had a huge folder just for that type of inspiration.
2) How did your creative journey begin and how has it evolved?
I took art lessons as a child and continued until I was a senior in high school, mostly because I couldn’t play outside with the other kids. My art teacher in high school was fun and creative and introduced us to lots of different mediums. Her favorite was watercolor and that’s probably why it is mine as well.
I don’t paint anymore but I do appreciate beauty and color. It’s amazing what power our surroundings have over us and I think color and design play a large part in that.
3) Do you have a favorite piece/pieces that you've done?
I did a heritage album for my first husband’s family which I put hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into over several years. I did research for it, found memorabilia and even death certificates, dug up old photos and interviewed anyone and everyone who was still living and could remember any of the details.
My favorite painting is a watercolor that hangs in our dining room. I actually painted it in high school for my best friend’s stepdad who commissioned me to paint it for his wife. Several years after he died, my friend’s mom returned it to me because she knew that I would appreciate it more than anyone. That was an incredible gift to me because I can no longer paint and I never thought I would see that piece again.
4) What motivates you to create and what does creating do for you?
My love for art comes from my love for creating beauty. It may sound crazy but after I have finished a plate or a painting or a scrapbook page, I stare at it for a long time, enjoying the details again. It may seem like a waste of time to some people but it really makes me happy.
For the past almost eight years, my creativity has been channeled into writing. This was pretty unexpected for me as I had never written anything publicly before late 2013, but at the urging of friends I started a blog and have since written two books. Surprisingly, writing has a similar feel to the creative process of painting. It begins by having something that inspires me, that I want to have other people appreciate too. And my task is to take the compelling pieces that are just in my mind and put them on paper so other people can enjoy them as well.
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