Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Welch.
Hi Spencer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been highly creative since childhood. If I wasn’t daydreaming or reading, you could find me creating something uniquely my own, like an outfit made of paper or a new doll made from sticks. I loved to carve with my pocketknife and even made my own bow and arrow! Members of my family were also very creative, like my older sister and my grandmother. I found myself hiding in the shadows of the people I admired and didn’t find my own creative voice until adulthood. It was after my first child was born when my husband noticed me drawing one day. He saw something in my work, and encouraged me to pursue it. I took a beginning oil class at a local community college and fell completely in LOVE. However, once I became pregnant with my second child, I realized the health risks of oil painting and mediums and was introduced to watercolor. Inspired by my own children, I began to explore portraiture. This was about four years ago. People noticed my work on social media and began asking about commissions, which is how my business got started. I’ve since entered my work into magazines such as Reed Magazine in San Francisco and In Her Studio Magazine. My work has also been featured in a few different galleries where I’ve won First Place, Best of Show, and Honorable Mention awards. I am so grateful to be where I am today, but I believe the best has yet to come, and I look forward to experiencing where God takes me and my work in the future.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It absolutely has NOT been a smooth road. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried over imperfect paintings, ripped up drawings, or thrown away my work out of pure frustration. I often have specific ideas of how I want something to look but putting those images to fruition isn’t always easy. I’ve had to let go of expectations and just “go with the flow” which could mean the literal flow of the wet watercolor paint…or the flow of starting something new when the original doesn’t turn out the way I wanted to.
I can say that the more I mess up, the easier it gets to accept the imperfections. Maybe it’s the imperfections that make my work unique in the first place.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I finally gave myself the title of Artist about three years ago, but I believe I should have done this a long time ago. I’m grateful for it now! As an artist, I specialize in painting, specifically portraiture and figurative work. I am known for my watercolor portraits, but that is not my favorite medium. I much prefer working in oil paint! It is both more natural to me and equally as challenging.
I often paint portrait commissions for clients, but this last year I completed my first series titled “Motherhood” and I am deeply proud of myself. The series is small, but with it, I was able to win Best of Show at the Georgetown Art Hop! The painting that won took me almost six months to create, and it now hangs at a gallery in Salado called Sirril Art Gallery. You can see the other works in the collection there as well.
I am so intrigued and mesmerized by people. I’ve been told that I have a gift of capturing emotion and mood in my work. I believe I am an intuitive artist, and that allows me to become emotionally connected to my work, the subjects, and my clients.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My compassion for people and my intuitive abilities have allowed me to be successful. I am passionate about what I do, and I have the desire to capture humanity and its vulnerability. Portraiture allows me to gather information and then process it through paint, texture, and brush strokes. Through art, I get to know people in a more intimate way, and then share that intimacy with others.
Pricing:
- Watercolor Portraits Start at $105
- Oil Portraits start at $150
Contact Info:
- Website: www.spencerwelchstudios.com
- Instagram: @spencerwelchstudios
- Facebook: @spencerwelchstudios
