Featured Artist: Meredith Dillman!
The Art of Meredith Dillman: http://meredithdillman.com/
Interview by Faith McKay
FantasyIsLove.com:
How do you describe your art work to people you've just met who have never seen it?
Meredith Dillman:
That's kind of a funny question because I hate doing that. It's very uncomfortable to try to explain to people who aren't fantasy fans because often they don't understand it or why anyone would like it. Or they think it is something that is only for kids. Sometimes I just say I do watercolor illustrations or paint fairy tales and myth. It's much easier to explain to people familiar with fantasy or art history. I could say it's a cross between Art Nouveau and Anime and Pre-Raphaelite art, but I usually carry around business cards with an example.
FantasyIsLove.com:
When did you decide to pursue an art career, and what did others think of your decision?
Meredith Dillman:
I suppose when I decided to major in art when
I started college. Before that I was interested in Archaeology and fashion design. I focused on illustration though my school didn't have many classes in it. My family thought I should teach art instead or do something that was a "real job". A couple of years after I graduated I tried for a Master's in Art History. I decided that wasn't for me even though I enjoy it. The Academic atmosphere can be stressful. Enjoying something on your own is different than having to defend your what you love to people who don't think much of that kind of art.
FantasyIsLove.com:
What draws you to fantasy in particular?
Meredith Dillman:
There's a quote from one of my favorite 19th century painters Edward Burne-Jones which I think explains it very well:
"I mean by a picture, a beautiful romantic dream of something that never was, never will be - in a better light than any light that ever shone - in a land that no-one can define or remember, only desire - and the forms divinely beautiful" - Edward Coley Burne-Jones
With fantasy I can paint everything prettier than it is in real life and dress everyone in elaborate impractical costumes. It's easier to stylize and play around with how everything is painted when it doesn't have to be real. Nothing has to be the color you think it should be.
But otherwise it was all the fantasy books I read when I was younger.
FantasyIsLove.com:
How do you stay motivated?
Meredith Dillman:
That's difficult sometimes, but I think overall by being stubborn. If I have a goal I don't like to give up until I've accomplished it. I also know there's always something new I can learn and some way I can make my art better.
FantasyIsLove.com:
What is your favorite art, or fantasy, quote?
Meredith Dillman:
There's too many artists I like to remember them all. Florence Harrison, Sulamith Wulfing, Edward Burne-Jones, John Howe and Kinuko Craft are big inspirations to me.
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