Artist Profile: Aileen Roberts

Artist: Aileen Roberts
Business name: Outside The Margins

Website & Blog:
Outside the Margins
Aileen’s Musings

How do you describe your work, Aileen?
My work is a mixture of mixed-media and altered art…I tend to go in phases and like to incorporate a variety of mediums and techniques into my art. I seem to travel between two ends of the spectrum either bright colors or rusty/grungy. I don’t like being limited to one medium I think that would be very stifling for me as an artist. I consider myself a mixed-media artist and a repossession specialist – I love the challenge of breathing new life into old things by altering them (my house is a good example of that it’s a 100 year old funky farmhouse that I’ve altered in various ways.

It’s because I like to challenge myself to think outside the box that I named my business Outside The Margins. I like that I don’t necessarily have mainstream products, I’m always on the look out for things that are not the norm and can be altered.I consider myself self-taught: although I haven’t had formal training per se I was raised by my mother who was a high school art teacher/artist and I grew up surrounded by art and creativity on a daily basis. My mother taught me to look at things with a creative eye and it’s because of her that I live the creative life that I do now.

What is your creative process like?
I am an intuitive artist…I rarely plan on paper what I’m going to do but I am inspired by things around me found objects, pictures, a book or an artist which then sparks a flame and once that flame is ignited I begin to form rough ideas in my head, but then I allow my muse to lead me. Rarely does what I’m working go in the direction I first imagined it would. Typically it will take several twists and turns along the way.

I work in small increments due to time constraints. Being a home-based business owner and one woman band (figuratively speaking of course, LOL!) along with being a mom, wife and taxi driver, it doesn’t afford me long stretches of time. I typically have at least 3 to 5 pieces going in various stages of development at one time and I will grab a few moments here and there and then pick a particular day like Sunday to do longer stretches if possible. I use to get frustrated not being able to complete something at one sitting but once I started having several projects going at one time that seemed to work ideally for me and I love it now.When I remember to put music on I prefer low key mellow music. If I have a longer stretch of art time I’ll put www.live365.com on the computer and listen to sound tracks or a mixture of Celtic music which is my favorite type of music.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry and move into being a professional artist?
I’ve continue to take classes and workshops and feel that it helps me to hone my art skills along with rejuvenating me artistically, but mostly it’s about just doing it! When I was finally able to believe in myself and call myself an artist, that’s when I made the transition from hobbyist to professional. For me it was a state of mind. I’ve always been creative I just had to get to the point of believing in myself as an artist and to not care about what other people thought because “art is in the eye of the beholder.”

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without, one that really inspires you to create?
My printer would be hard to live without the other thing would be my Color Mists which are sprayable watercolors that I developed. I’m so addicted to using them I’d be lost without them now. I wouldn’t want to live without basic general tools such as a drill or a hammer. Found objects and the challenge of altering something and turning it into a piece of art inspires me.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
I’ve learned that when I get frustrated with a piece that its time to set it aside and that I’m usually fighting my muse and we both need a time-out LOL! Once I realized it was okay to set a piece I was working on aside and get past that anxious feeling of “Oh gosh I have to get that finished!” things became much more relaxed. I know now that I will go back to it, and because I didn’t force it, that the piece will be all the better. It’s taught me patience.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
To just create, create, create, and experiment and to not be afraid to try new things even if they don’t turn out, everything is a learning experience! Don’t judge yourself harshly or compare yourself to other artists…we are all at different levels in our artistic adventure and it’s more about the process than the destination.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
My business and family.

What are some of your favorite things that are part of your non-art routine?
The day doesn’t feel quite right without that first cup of coffee, whether it’s from home or a coffee house…I just need that one cup (many times I don’t even finish it because I forgot where I set it, so it’s more about the ritual of it LOL!).

I use to be an avid reader but now days there doesn’t seem to be enough time, so it’s either art or reading and art wins hands down. I do enjoy the art magazines and technique books that are out. My favorite magazines are Art Jewelry I’ve been getting it since it’s first issue and I’m never been disappointed…also Cloth Paper Scissors and Somerset. I like to say my favorite color is purple but actually its all colors! I love bright colors period!