Artist Spotlight: Eileen Power

Hi, all! Prepping for our upcoming traveling shows, we've been receiving an amazing array of drop-offs and shipments from each artist we feature in the Gallery. Their new creations never cease to amaze us, the thrill of opening a new package of art is the same we felt as kids on Christmas morning. We pride ourselves on how each piece is so unique, never the same and always surprising us with its shapes and colors. 

Eileen's work space at her home in Atlanta, Ga.

For this Artist Spotlight post, we've decided to share with you a more in-depth look at the amazing Eileen Power and her most recent drop-off. We've included her newest paintings in the Gallery, a Q&A, and a behind the scenes look at her work space. It was so fun for us to pick her brain and discover what makes her paint so beautifully. We hope you enjoy learning more about Eileen! 

"Sailor's Delight" 48" x 48"

"Seaside 2" 48" by 60"

Question and Answer with Eileen Power: 

What is inspiring your work most at the moment? 

For more than year I’ve been working on a way to interpret the low country of coastal South Carolina (where I spend a good deal of time) in my own energetic, abstract voice.   The area is at once, serene yet teeming with life.  Shrimp, literally, jump in your kayak when you’re paddling across the marsh.

I also make at least one trip a year to NYC with a group of talented artists for the sole purpose of seeing great art.  

At what time of day do you feel the most inspired, and why? 

I try to get any personal business out of the way in the morning allowing me to walk into the studio by 10 am.   I tried leasing a studio space for a year or so, but found it didn’t work for me.  Fortunately, I have a good space at home devoted to art.  I work for a couple of hours, then walk away from it for an hour or so.  Because the work space is so convenient I go back to work in the afternoon and may paint until 6 or so when the natural light disappears.

If there is one place in the world you could sit and paint, where would it be?  

I’d love to travel to Vetheuil, France to paint so I could see the same color and light Joan Mitchell experienced when she painted her fabulous abstract paintings.

What book are you reading at the moment? I’m reading a biography of Lee Krasner, wife of Jackson Pollock and a fine painter in her own right.

If we opened your purse, what would we find inside? 

 An Iphone and a wallet… I travel light.  
I once made a weeklong trip to China with only a carry on.  

For artists striving to find their own personal style, how long did it take you to find yours and what made it click? 

There was a time when I consciously asked myself, “What is my voice?”

Moving away from representational painting made it easier for me to recognize my voice.   I’ve always had a “painterly” style and am happiest with layers of color and strong gestural marks.

Send us an image of one of your favorite paintings! 

Eileen sent us this beautiful abstract of a Joan Mitchell. See how this piece inspires one of her paintings below, "Centered." So beautiful! 

36" by 36"

We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoy featuring this amazing artist! 

Until next time...

-The GIFA girls!