Contemporary Artist Series Ecka Blaire

 Contemporary Artist Series Ecka-Blaire Faulds. Today we discuss a different art modality. I'm used to interviewing painters, photographers or sculptors. But 2-d work is so much more than that. Readers, meet Ecka Blaire.  Ecka is a painter based in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. Her works on paper draw from her personal relationships and experiences to reveal intimate, contemplative moments which examine the connections among human and natural worlds.Contemporary Artist Series Ecka Blaire

Q: Why oil pastel? I wonder how the stick differs from a brush for you. Contemporary Artist Series Ecka Blaire.

A: The oil pastels were initially meant for studies, so that I could work smaller and with less setup than acrylics require. I quickly came to love their texture and the intimate way of working with them by using my hands directly, blending with my fingers, while also being freed of the easel to create—I often sit on the floor when working with them. They’ve since turned into one of my main media alongside acrylics and soft pastels (which are the newest to me). Which of them I use depends on the image and scale I’d like to work with, as each captures the atmosphere in unique ways.

Q: The paper you use seems so sturdy and yet so delicate. Do you gesso it? Contemporary Artist Series Ecka Blaire.

A: I’ve worked with many different papers and prefer Stonehenge drawing and Strathmore mixed media papers. They’re strong without being heavy and hold up nicely to paint and pastels. Occasionally with acrylic works I’ll lay a ground of matte medium, but first the paper is bathed then stretched and stapled to a wood panel, to keep it taut. The oil pastels I work from a hardcover book, and soft pastels. 

I use loose sheets taped to boards, so each surface has a pretty solid support through the process.

Q: Do you also paint on canvas?

A: I’m not a fan of the texture of canvas so I avoid it, though I do sometimes work on panel. The flexibility of paper along with its texture, tonality, and organic structure is very important to me. It’s also comforting to work with; I started working on paper when I began experiencing chronic headaches over 13 years ago, and it’s been an interesting and fulfilling journey learning how paints and other media engage with it ever since.

Q: You seem to have an infatuation with light and pictorialism. Am I in the ballpark?

A: The aesthetic of light is something I’m drawn to, but it’s born from my interest in capturing people engaging in nature, often in introspective ways.

I love water and the dappled light created by woods and foliage, as these make for interesting spaces where figures can become immersed in their environment. It’s important to capture that point where the figure starts to become a part of the place they’re in. It’s a little romantic, I think, and may be how you relate it to pictorialism.

Q: Tell us a little but about how you market your work?

A: I exhibit regularly, maintain a website, connect with other artists, and share my process on social media.

Q: Would you ever trade? I am bananas about your work.

A: Thank you, and yes! Trading is a rewarding way to expand a personal collection and I value the artist-to-artist connection.

 

Interviewer: I concur!

Visit Ecka's work here.

And her Instagram is here.

Contemporary Artist Series Ecka Blaire