Vicki Wood

Welcome Back!
This week we are joined by Painter Vicki Wood out of Charleston, MS.
Vicki gives us lots of tips and tricks, but one of her most passionate shares is about the power of self-education.

Find Vicki:
https://www.instagram.com/vickiwoodart/
https://vickiwood.com/
https://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/vicki-wood-2432

Thank you to the Friends of TLYB! Your membership helps fund the transcription of the podcast for the hearing impaired.

If you would like to become a member, visit https://www.thelittleyellowbuilding.com/store/c15/Membership_for_2022.html

Transcript

Derek Smith: 0:10

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Mississippi artists to artists podcast brought to you by the little yellow building in Brookhaven, Mississippi. I'm your host Derek Covington Smith. And before we get to the interview, I'd like to tell you about some things that we've got going on. We currently have an open call out for our next exhibition that will be in April, the title of it is 'Body', and it's an exploration of figurative work by Mississippi artists. So feel free to check out thelittleyellowbuilding.com under calls for art. All entries are free, and you can submit as many as you'd like. We also have an ongoing call for art for southern exposure. Southern exposure is our program that features Mississippi artists from all over the state each week on our social media. And then we also have a section in the magazine that's dedicated to some of the art submitted from the southern exposure. So it's something that we can constantly keep New Work circulating by Mississippi artists so everybody can see and enjoy it. coming up March 22 is the launch of the tlyb art mag. And that's our visual arts magazine from Mississippi. I'm super excited about it. This has been a lot of fun to work on. Our cover artist is Ellen Langford. Not only will the magazine feature Mississippi artists, but it will also have layouts of where to find art and Mississippi, whether it's art organization, Open Studios, galleries, you can go on and get yourself listed. And it's meant to hopefully be a guide to exploring contemporary art in our state. Some other exciting news, thanks to our membership program, friends at the little yellow building, we're going to be able to have 100 of our first edition magazines printed and you know, everybody who's signing up online is going to be able to get the free digital edition of the magazine directly to your inbox. But these are physical collectable copies, and I'm so excited about it, not only did it fund the printing of the magazines, but also we're now able to have our episodes transcribed for the hearing impaired. And that is opening up another level of inclusion that is exciting to be able to provide and thanks to our members for for believing in us and and helping fund what we're doing here. We have also launched the MSA2A hotline where you can call in and leave messages for artists who are coming up, you can leave messages of encouragement for anyone listening, you can promote yourself, you can promote events coming up, we just want to hear from you. So call in leave us a message and then check back at the end of the episodes to hear yours played back. Alright, I think that's enough for now on to the interview. Hey, everyone, and welcome back. Thank you for joining us again. This week, we're joined with Vicki Wood, Vicki Wood art. Vicki, thank you for so much for joining us and sharing all this about you.

Vicki Wood: 3:25

Oh yes. Thank you so much. I appreciate the invitation.

Derek Smith: 3:29

Well, why don't we start out? Why don't you tell us a little bit about growing up and your history with art.

Vicki Wood: 3:35

Um, well growing up. Um, I didn't get a ton of support with the art. So really, I did not get started until very late. Um, and my dad was a chemical engineer. So we actually moved around a lot. He ran chemical plants. So yeah, with him being an engineer, I was expected to do math and science, which is opposite of what that you know, I was so young at it now, but I'm not one of those people that started out drawing and art you know, I'm just, I'm just not one of those people. Um, and then I think that maybe the chronologically the best way to then go through it as an adult. Um, when I went to college, I went to LSU in Baton Rouge, we were living there at the time. And, um, I did get a degree, I got a BFA, um, which really didn't make anybody reel happy. You know, parents just want to know you're gonna make a living, you know

Derek Smith: 4:37

they want the best for you.

Vicki Wood: 4:40

They want the best and it it can be such a struggle in the arts. So, but I did get a BFA, I went, but it was not a painting or drawing, which probably would have been a better choice. It was advertising design. That was the curriculum that they labeled it now It really wasn't, there wasn't a lot there. Um, but also I wasn't old enough to learn. I wasn't in the mood to learn anything. So I was just there to enjoy myself, which is what I did. But then after that I worked a few years, I had a really good job in New Orleans, I went to New Orleans. And for McDermott Incorporated. And in advertising, what I did was put together their public relations pieces. And I did that for about a year and wasn't really thrilled New Orleans is a little bit bigger than I like, I'm on the back of Baton Rouge work there. And I actually did not too far from LSU at the time, and I decided to go to law school. So I went to law school, and then just practice law for many, many, many years. I moved from Baton Rouge up here to where I am now North Mississippi, and didn't really start painting until my son was in high school. When he got his driver's license, and he was out, then I would wake up and I couldn't sleep, because I was waiting on him. I started just messing around with some watercolors so that I would be awake when he came in and know that he was home safe. But, and I went, then I went to work. When he went to college, I went to work in Memphis for a very large law firm, because he went to Colorado, and I needed more money than I could make here. So I went to Memphis and lived, I kept my place here. And I lived up there for about two years. And he graduated. And I moved back down here. And the library system here needed a director. And so they asked me if I would, would come and you know, do that. So I took a look at that. And at the time, in order to be director, you had to have a master's degree and information like or science. So I earned that from University of Southern Mississippi, I actually got a scholarship for that, because I had so much education all ready, I wasn't really interested in paying more. So I did get a scholarship, I went to night school, so ran the libraries during the day. And I went to night school and not until I retired really from that did start painting. And it's just been kind of a way, you know, you retire. And I've worked on my life since high school. So it's been, you know, you can't retire and do nothing. So I did retire early. And I picked it up as a way to supplement income. You know, I have my parents to their here. And so that's kind of what I've how I've evolved. So I've been painting probably full time, maybe maybe three years, maybe two and a half because I did so after I retired to help with another library system in Panola County. And I did some work for the immigration court, transcribing some of the court proceedings. So I did that for a little while before I started painting, basically full time. And I've been a member on daily paint works for many, many years. And so I was part of, at that point, after I retired, I was saying, Well, I played some small daily. And that that really did help. At this point, I do go to I do what I do for online classes and to keep growing as an artist. I do some online work, but I don't like the last one I just took was for oil painting. And I'm acrylic painter, what I do is kind of different. I do it on-line and I kind of play it at double speed or speed and a half. And I run through it. I don't want to paint like them. I want to learn what they're doing. Sometimes, if I like their color, or their composition, or their values they use I'll run through it real quickly. And then I might run through the spots that I like a second time. And that way I have very little time invested in it. And I'm not learning how to paint like them. You know if their colors are really good, I want to see their palette and I want to know You know, one of the simple things that I've learned most recently is I'll just stick with my messy palette forever. And it has really helped me to transfer my paints to another one and get a clean fresh one every day instead of just mixing a remix and then, you know, that's just so easy. So That's the most important thing I think I've learned recently. So if you can take those, and they're usually fairly inexpensive, some of them, I don't take the live ones, I take the recorded ones, if you can pick up one or two tips, it really is helpful. So that that is, that's what I've been doing recently,

Derek Smith: 10:19

and the recorded ones tend to be a little bit more cost effective, because the artists are making a passive income off of it. So you know, it's not a one time shot where they have to make all their money there, they're planning on it being a little less, and a little more people over time, you know, going in. So those are great resources, and what a great tip on how to experience it. I do something very similar, where I ignore the majority of what I'm watching and go in to find just the meat of what I'm searching for. And if it intrigues me enough, right, if I can see the merit in what I'm watching and learning, then I'll go back in and watch other or, maybe watch the whole thing. But yeah, I can definitely see the benefit of doing that. And what an interesting life to have lived and then now be able to go into a passion, you know, are something that you really love to do. Paulette Dove, I had her on as a guest, and she had mentioned that her retirement was just a whole new life.

Vicki Wood: 11:23

It is and I'm so fortunate I live in the country. Now. You know, I don't the population is a couple 1000 I think at this point. So anything I do at this point, I have to travel which is fine because when I lived in Memphis, it's gonna take you 30 minutes to get wherever you're going anyway. So in 30/40 minutes, I can be in Batesville, and then Oxford and Grenada, so and then Memphis is not that far. It's it. It's fortunate for me, because I've been able to have the animals that I want. I've had horses, and dogs. Dogs are always an influx around here, because so many people drop off animals. And so I always have a new dog, a new cat. So I'm always getting spayed and neutered and all that fun stuff. And then, and then I had a relationship with the Oxford Lafayette Humane Society. And they would always have an art auction every year. And I donated to that, for many, many years they've changed the way they they run it now. So. So we had a good reciprocity, because I would get all these animals, because we don't have animal control here. And I would I would catch them, a lot of the I kept, but yeah, there's a limit. And then I would catch them, I have an old truck, and I would love it enough. And Oxford was gracious to take them from me. So I had a spot a resource that would help me and then I was donated a painting, which the people that supported that organization were very, very generous and would always fund my work. And I've done it 100% Like, you know, it's done that 100% If I'm going to donate, I'm gonna donate. And but they did me such a good service in the community here. Such a big service by taking these animals, and it was always cats, and I rescued two horses once and I, not so much. Their too big guys, I'm not doing that again, so I stuck to cats and dogs. So I'm kind of the dog lady. So when I ran the library to and I was always up at the library, people would come in and they would be like, What did you see this dog and he's on a chain and na na, you know, I was like the animal person for a while around here. And and still do get some calls. But I no longer have a resource where I can do anything to help. So that's kind of how that ran. That's why you see so many paintings with animals. And, and also generally the landscapes are from right around here. There usually are very, very lovable.

Derek Smith: 14:01

I was just going to mention that a big strong theme in your artwork going you know, if you get to go back go on to. I'll include links in the show notes and also in our post, but it's too long to list off right now. But go to Vicki's website and the art is all laid out in chronological order and you can scroll back through it and there's a very strong theme of horses and animals and dogs and you can tell that it's a big part of your life.

Vicki Wood: 14:32

Yeah, and and I did have somebody once tell me, she said I can always tell when they're your horses. She said I can always tell when you paint a painting and they're your horses because you have such a connection, but it has and the landscapes are something that are more newer for me and they have been a struggle. I have not transitioned into painting landscapes very easily. You You know, most people, I think, I don't know that because I am new to it, are oil painters that paint landscape. And there is something in oil or I don't know what it is I recently tried water solubles which, which people misunderstand that as well people misunderstand acrylics people misunderstand water soluble, water soluble is, once the content dries, it becomes just like any other oil painting. it is, you can clean it up with water, but once that evaporates, it becomes just like any other oil paint. And I bought a whole set, you know, being optimistic, but I had I had an allergic reaction. So I did, I did have to return those, unfortunately. I found them, I was going to talk a minute about acrylic versus oil. And, you know, I have actually had people say to me, acrylics are so much easier. And as somebody who's used both, because I started out with oils, and once it was about was a little while before I developed. I bought this huge air purifier, it's like it's the paint, I'm not gonna be able to use it. So I had to make the switch. But I had somebody say to me that Oh, acrylics are so much easier? Well, you know, my thought was, well, number one, I can tell that you've never tried them. Because after recently trying to water soluble oils, they are so much more forgiving. You know, if you're an acrylic painter, then, they handle so much differently from oils, and you cannot, you better paint pretty fast too. Because if you mix a color, which I mix so much, if you mix a color, you're not gonna be able to go back into that little area you mixed for very long, because this can dry. And once it dries, it's dry and then when you put it on your surface, it's going to dry, you're not going to be able to go back in and rework it, you have to paint over it. So I would venture to say that it's a little more difficult. And I do love to clean up. It's so easy to clean up. So but you know I do, I did think that maybe I could possibly use the water solubles. And then that just wasn't going to be an option for me. So I'm back to the acrylics. And so that's what I do. So if anybody has any questions on how acrylics handle or any, you know, they're welcome to contact me, and I'll be I try to when people ask me things in social media, I always try to give a very detailed explanation, so that maybe I can help them and give them some shortcuts that so they don't have to go through the struggles

Derek Smith: 17:53

but absolutely pay it forward. We're all a community and the more information that we can put out there and help each other, the better the community gets as a whole. Why would you not? I love that, thank you so much for doing that. And offering that because a lot of people don't. I've been in a lot of situations in areas in the states where it's, you know, your secrets or your secrets. And that's how you are going to make your life and it's a miserable existence, to be honest, because you're constantly trying to figure out new ways to hide from everybody what you're creating and how you create it, no share, and if they can do what you do, then congratulate them. But most of what they do,

Vicki Wood: 18:36

and it can be a struggle, you know, it's not easy. And painting is a really big challenge. And it is a daily challenge. And it can't you know, some days, you know, I've done so much and I did some preticularly in Baton Rouge and a lot of courtroom work trial work very stressful. So and at the end of the day, sometimes I finished painting and I'm like. I'm so mentally fatigued. It's like, wow, you know, so the focus is so intense that you do you get mentally fatigued, I think from it. So it's great because I can go outside and walk around, walk around, you know, go back and get my dogs and that kind of thing. So I can get a break pretty quickly. But sometimes it's surprising how weary it can be. And social media that adds to some stress. I do a lot of experimenting. So I don't post everything I do, because I find that I don't want the feedback. I don't I don't people can think whatever they want to think. But I don't want to hear it because I don't want to I don't want it to influence what I'm wanting to do and it will shift my focus sometimes. So like, I was gonna take like a week off and just experiment, just play. And I ended up doing like three weeks. So I've been kinda experimenting lately. And I find that when you do when I do that, and I just shut it down, and don't be influenced by anybody or anything and paint what I want to paint, if bad good that I recognize it as a time to explore. And so that surprisingly, has really helped my landscapes. I have put, just apply, I had put just some canvas on the wall and some scrap pieces, because art suplies are expensive. And I would just come in every morning and do something just really fun. I did some stick figure dolls. And it's like, people would laugh at this. I think this is a joke. So I put 'em. I said, Well, you know what, it doesn't really matter now does it because I'm doing anything I want to do. So I did, they're actually fairly popular. It's been like, wow, they want my stick figures. So but then those were with oil pastels. And so that, of course I had I couldn't use for very much had to shut, put them in an airtight container. But I found pigment sticks. So they have different binders. And they dry. So I'm the next thing I'm going to try pigment sticks. So we'll see, we'll see how it works. But I do think that experimenting, and being authentic, go hand in hand. And that they're very important to have your work stay you, and have it be unique. And just kind of not be concerned about what other people say about it. It can be bad, you know, but if it's okay with you to be bad, then that's you know, you're gonna learn whatever you do, you're gonna learn something.

Derek Smith: 22:00

Let's talk about the visual aesthetic of your work really quick, because you go in and you're very painterly painter. It's lots of brushstrokes, and you have big color mapping on your figures. And on your flower, you do these beautiful flowers. Also, we haven't even mentioned those. But again, going back to your website and scrolling down, it looks like around 2015 to 2016 You started really coming into developing a style that you you almost I can see it now still in your work of these simplified shapes that build complex objects, simplified shapes that build a whole still life are a dog or a horse or, you know, this these really beautiful takes on the subject matter. What kind of shifts you into that direction. Do you think

Vicki Wood: 22:55

at first of all, thank you, um, I tend to like abstract. I find abstract work, I am not here to copy. I am not here to go outside and copy what I see. I probably the biggest influence is color. Color is the biggest influence. I don't use, I use fairly inexpensive brushes, probably one inch even on smaller works. I have expensive brushes, but I tend to like the cheaper ones. You know, who knows? Who knows? But I don't really So your question is how do I get into some of those forms? Is that

Derek Smith: 23:38

or how did it develop that when when did you start going in that direction and deciding that this was something that you wanted to focus on and that you were inspired by?

Vicki Wood: 23:48

I don't know that it was it was not a conscious decision. Um, years ago, I'm gonna say my biggest influence probably was years ago, I took the just really really fun class on the internet, which those are great. I mean, those are probably the best and I will say it was Lynn Whipple's big blooms course. And she she used some, it was just an inexpensive materials, house paint, she used some house paint. She did big work, and nobody it was all great. It was just all very positive and very fun. And I don't know if that's still available probably. she's not available I don't think on it. But um, and that that tended to be some shape finding. That tended to influence find it, paint it, don't worry about the color just paint and look at the shapes and find your shapes and it tended to be more abstract. And that probably was the biggest influence. I don't really do that any more like that. But I'm I not gonna say I won't because it's so much fun. And you know, she turned the painting all around and that kind of thing to look at it from different areas. So I don't know, I think I just focus on, you know, I have grown from looking at just the object to the entire surface, and the design of the surface through the shapes on the surface. So that I do do that. And I think I've just evolved, you spend enough time doing this stuff, particularly if you can get in a few minutes every day, you're gonna develop your own style. And it's, it's little by little, I think, so I don't, I don't, it wasn't a conscious decision. I like I like design, not necessarily composition, because that's tough. I like to make sure that the whole page is designed, and I like color, and I like line quality. So those are the things that probably influenced me the most. I think

Derek Smith: 26:07

Do you think that your love of design inside of your artwork comes from your background in advertising and design.

Vicki Wood: 26:16

I think I liked it prior to that, I like interior design. And as I struggle more with the design of the page, I found that much more difficult. So I've always liked design, and I did take some architectural course, in college. And I've always loved color. And the thing about color is, so now my family I kind of come from a creative family. I'm like the only painter but um, but we tend to create, and I will say to that painting, the creativity is more about what I like then the painting, I like to create, at the end of the day, you know, I would love if I had time to, to not stop but pottery and do things with my hands. I love to do things with my hands. So it's more of a creative outlet that I seek than painting. So it can be most anything, you know, stringing beads, and you know, because you can people do beautiful work in the fiber arts just gorgeous. I've ended up painting because I have those supplies. That's what I have.

Derek Smith: 27:26

I don't want to take up too much more your time. But is there anything that's coming up? People can find you on Instagram at Vicki wood art? But do you have any other places that they can find our experience or artwork?

Vicki Wood: 27:39

Um, excuse me, my website is Vickiwood.com. I'm on Facebook, I post a lot on my personal page. I have an art page too. But for some reason, the connectivity, I think where I live for my business page, it says slow that I can't post on that business page as quickly I can post on my personal page. And let's see. So that's just under Vicki wood and daily paint works. So if you go to my website, it'll lead you to my space on daily paint works, which will give you kind of like a history of all the work that I've done. It'll give you old work as well,

Derek Smith: 28:24

the website I've been reffering to the whole time is your daily paintworks site. I apologize because I did I found your daily paint work site first. And that's what I focused on. It really does. It gives you a beautiful history of your artwork.

Vicki Wood: 28:38

Yeah, it does. And one really nice thing about that, that that is real. I've been on there for years. And you That's exciting. How are you? How are you handling getting know, they're never gone up in price. It's thirteen dollars a month. And you know, when you go to do your taxes and everything, you can run a report. They do all that for you. They keep you keep all that data for you. So it makes it it makes life easier. You can pay with credit card or whatever on there. So it's a nice platform. My website, you can just hit hit the button that says shop now and it'll it'll go down to go down to my daily paintwork page. So that that ends up being very, very easy. You can also see my work. I'm very proud to be represented by Browns fine art gallery, in the Fondren district in Jackson. And then at the end of the year, December, I will be having my first solo show, which is very exciting for me a little a little intimidating, I must say in Tupelo at the Gumtree Tupelo art museum. So I will be posting some information on that. And so if you're in the Fondren area, please drop by and talk to those folks. Or Take a look at some of my pieces on their website. They had a few pieces up and what they had like 10 pieces I think that we had two left. So I'm trying to resupply them as well as get a collection together for the Gimtree exhibit. ready for this exhibit because I know I well in advance, I start to go a little nuts. It's intimidating. It's very intimidating. And I don't really know I do, I have, what I've done is I've started to put I've got one painting set aside, that's a huge, they've just rennovated that space. And so it's gorgeous. It's a huge building, I asked how many paintings I needed, they sent me a floor plan. And I was like, oh, so I've got to go there with you know, the knee surgery, I have to do a whole lot. So I'm gonna drive over there, take a look. I know, it's gonna call for big pieces. So I am going, I'm trying to transition the last few pieces I've done 11 By 14, um, I just placed an order for some larger works. And I don't really know, because I struggled to find good frames. I bought myself a miter saw. So I did some framing myself. So I'm not real sure, um, my plan is to put away several paintings a month. I know, I'm going to have to be ready in November, probably to get them there and hung for December. I know they're going to have to be big pieces, which I have not been painting a lot of big pieces, it's so easy to ship smaller pieces. So I don't really have a plan. I mean, except for to make sure I don't get caught in a bind. So I know that that getting these pieces ready will impact my income for the year, because I won't be available for sale until later. So that's a struggle, you know, that's a balancing act there. So it's, it's going to be interesting. And I'm going to be in touch with them pretty soon to get whatever tips they might have. As well as, so I need to do that as well as keep the gallery supplied with some work. So it's lot of work to produce. That's a lot, that's actually a lot of pressure.

Derek Smith: 32:26

You've got a busy year ahead of you.

Vicki Wood: 32:30

Any tips you have would be appreciated. Or anybody

Derek Smith: 32:33

Yeah, please? Well, you know, we we run here at the else? little yellow building, we run shows, but I don't consider myself a gallery. You know, we're very small space, a lot of the things that we do are virtual, the physical shows that we have are in a separate facility provided by the Mississippi School for the Arts, or somebody else that wants to work with us. But yeah, I start with the idea of the show a year in advance. And then, you know, slowly, but surely, I keep circling back around to that idea of filling in more gaps, finding more artists, you know, just slowly building it. But over time, that way, I kind of make sure that I have my thumb not only on what the artists are creating and how the show is developing, but how I feel the world at the time is going to experience it. Because if we change month to month on how our public opinion sways one way or another, and I want to make sure that we're putting out things that are relevant. So it is it's a lot of pressure to provide things that are going to be interesting for the time to provide enough for space, enough for interests. You know, there's there's so much that goes into it. So yeah, anybody that has suggestions, reach out to Vicki or reach out to myself. I'll take I'll take advice all day long.

Vicki Wood: 33:55

Yeah, yeah. And I think it's such a large space, that's why I'm going to the larger format, which is much more I find much more difficult. In the larger format. For me, it's more difficult. I think the largest brush I have right now is probably a little bit bigger than one inch. I just ordered some that are, so my thought is well, I guess I'll just use a larger brush. That's probably too simple to make all that work. But it's like you get the brush strokes in the things that I like to cover a larger space, I'm probably just gonna have to go to a much bigger brush. So it's gonna be interesting. It'll be fun. I'm excited to be challenged by the larger format, which I'm not sure I would have made that move. They're hardship, they're hard to deal with, they're harder you know, find space to put them. Your supplies become exponentially more expensive. So I don't know that I would have made the shift without the invocation but we're gonna give it a try.

Derek Smith: 34:51

So the the last question I want to ask you before I let you go is what would be some advice or that you would give to yourself or Anybody coming up behind you

Vicki Wood: 35:02

some practical advice, if you're interested in color. That I recently learned, is to mix the paint, probably everybody knows this, but me. But I was mixing my paint as I went with my brush. Now I mixed my paint with a palette knife. Made a huge difference, I get a whole lot less mud. So it's made a huge difference in my work. That's kind of recent, um, and be creative. Um, don't try to paint like other people, you know, extract what you want from what you like. Um, maybe get off social media for a while so that you don't have those constant influences. Um, and just stay true to yourself, you want your art to look like you, or I want my art to look like me. I want somebody to walk into a room and say, I recognize that as your work. So, you know, for better or worse. I would rather have somebody recognize a bad piece of mine than to be painting like somebody else. I don't attend a lot of workshops in person, because I don't want to carry that because it can be too heavily influenced, influential on me. Um, I mean, you can do, you can go to workshop, I'm not saying don't go to them. But know what you're there for, you know. Know that you don't want to go home painting like those people, you want to go home and take what you've learned and apply it to the way you want to paint. And so I think that if you try to continue to be creative in your own work, then you will automatically and naturally kind of weed out the influence of others and try to remain doing what you like to do. That's kind of all I have, I want to say if you're an acrylic painter, stick with it. Um, it's a really, it's a really good, medium. I'm not sure I would be there. If I you know, if I didn't have to be, I will say that. But I'm glad I'm there. You know, at this point, I'm glad I'm there. So oil paint, oil just handles so differently. So, you know, and I will say to you take a minute to experiment. Just take some time. You know, if you haven't used charcoal, use charcoal for a minute. Um, if you haven't used paper, use paper for a minute. I do find that the surfaces that I paint on make a big difference. So I do chat I do I do a lot of my favorite is actually just paper. So I do change that a lot. I do a lot of changing.

Derek Smith: 38:00

You work on a special paper to you have I know, I noticed that you had notes on it when you can go and purchase your work that this is how you need to treat this paper. It's very light fast. Keep it out of the keep. Keep it out away from sunlight.

Vicki Wood: 38:15

Yeah, well, probably all fine art needs to be kept away from sunlight, even no matter what it is, or be under some UV protective glasses just when you're selling to such a broad audience, like that's global. Some people are not going to know that. So I paint a lot on Fabriano watercolor paper. A heavy stock. And that's actually my favorite. A lot of times to what I will do is I'll take the back before I paint on it, before I start painting, I will take and it's a huge piece. I will take the back of it about some expensive, inexpensive gesso it's kind of thin, and I'll paint the whole back of that piece of paper and it gives me a surface. So I'm not going to paint on that just on surface. I'm going to turn over and paint on the watercolor surface, because it's so it'll act, but it makes that a really really really nice sheet of paper to handle. It doesn't handle then like paper, it handles more like, I don't know, it handles a little bit more like a canvas. It's a little different. And also that keeps me from having to stretch it. I don't like to stretch paper. I'm not gonna spend the time. Um, so I just put a light coat of gesso thin Gesso on it. And when I turn it over the surface is just so beautiful. And it makes it so it doesn't ever rip or tear and you can roll it easily and ship it. So it has a lot of good qualities. And I also I prefer, oddly enough, I like a rough texture but more more than a rough texture. Sure, I like a really smooth texture. So you know all that comes into play on what you like to do. Um, and you have to be willing to go out and experiment. Try it know if you like it or not.

Derek Smith: 40:14

Well, Vicki, thank you so much for taking the time and or giving us this time, filling it with information about your life. wonderful examples of advice. It's always so nice to hear from someone who's so passionate about what they're doing at the moment. And it's obvious that you're passionate about the physical aspects of your work and how you get involved with it. And I really, really appreciate you sharing that with us today.

Vicki Wood: 40:42

You're sure I appreciate you. Thank you for your time and thank you for what you're doing.

Derek Smith: 40:47

For everyone else, we will be back again with another artist another history. Join us back. You'll have a great one.

Vicki Wood: 40:58

Thank you.

Derek Smith: 41:01

Special thanks to our members Jenny Howard, Buffie Jordan, Jenny Moak, Evelyn Peavy, The Evans Family, Janet Smith, Beth Breeland, Mary Hardy, Gwen Furey, Mary Adams, Jennifer Drinkwater and the Smith family