Impasto Dreams: An Interview With Abbie Spillane
Sammi: So, today I’m here with Abbie Spillane, an extremely talented painting major from Texas State University! If you don’t mind, I’ll hop right into questions, I know we’ve been so eager to do this! What is your favorite medium to use? Why?
Abbie with a collection of her paintings
Abbie: As of lately, I’ve been working a lot with oil paints and magazine paper for collaging.
S: I love that, I’m also a huge fan of using magazine paper in my own work. What grade are you in?
A: I’m a senior!! I’ll be graduating this December!!
S: Congratulations! That is so exciting. How old are you?
A: Thank you! I’m 22.
S: How long have you been creating art?
A: I’ve been doing art my whole life! I guess you could say I’m pretty lucky having an early start? All my extracurriculars in middle school and highschool [were art-related], and if I could squeeze in an art class, I would.
S: That’s so touching that art has been a passion you’ve pursued for your whole life. Do you post your art on social media? If so, what platform(s) do you regularly post on?
A: Instagram is probably my most primary platform, other times I’ll post content on Facebook. Really it’s just to share with my family and friends about what I’m up to.
(You can find Abbie’s work via her Instagram, @abbies_studio)
S: You have just gained a follower! What outside influences or experiences have influenced your creative process and ways of creating?
A: Every time I answer this question, I always turn to my living situation and how I live with 4 boys. It definitely influenced my earlier paintings in college and my cartoon-ish work, but not so much lately. As of now, I am strongly influenced by the mundane, whether that’s environments, a routine that I’ve undergone, or even objects.
S: I agree with your living situation affecting what you create, it definitely has a lot of impact on the creative process. I find it interesting that you indulge in the mundane as well. What is your favorite medium to create with?
A: Oil paints!
S: Awesome! Was art the path you knew you would take with your life?
A: I honestly think it was, especially when I was younger. When I got older and experienced a lot of pressure concerning my major and “being stable,” that’s when my love for art was questioned. Art was just that one thing you know? It was the one activity I enjoyed, I could do it for hours and go MIA and be totally fine with it. Art has a lot to show for me, and I have a lot to respond to.
S: That is beautiful. I love that art has been such a positive constant for you, and that you’re able to pursue your dreams. What events in your life have defined your artistic style or subject matter in your work?
A: I think a lot of trauma that I underwent could be really defining for my style. Right when middle school started, it was seriously like every year, something really bad would happen, and at that point it just got old. I think now, concerning my art, I try not to dive into that so much because my viewers might react in a way I wasn’t trying to convey. Now that I try to focus more on the mundane and real day-to-day moments it’s not so deep.
S: That is completely understandable. Art is a really good outlet for pain, and I understand the alteration of your work to cater to your audience. With that, how would you say that your art represents your identity?
A: I think identity can be portrayed in a variety of different ways, like color, objects, places, people, language, you name it. I think every piece has a piece of my life, you just have to stare at it for a minute.
S: I love that so much, it’s like it grows and evolves with you as a person. What is your creative process exactly? How does the process of creation usually go for you?
A: Well, once I get inspired by something, I usually start sketching or get some ideas online. Then whatever image or idea I have drawn out I’ll transfer it onto the canvas and decide a color palette. I usually decide all the complicated things first beforehand so I don’t stumble so much when I start to paint. Like my color pallets, what thing is what color, etc., it’s easier to decide earlier on so then i can be more focused on painting.
S: I like your methods and organized practice, I feel like that’s really helpful in keeping your ideas straight. How do people usually respond to your artwork?
A: This is actually funny, not too long ago I had a classmate comment on how they start to feel claustrophobic in response to my paintings. Others are more common, most respond to my paint application considering I paint very thick using impasto. So in that sense, they responded to how I painted an area using impasto without it getting all muddy, hopefully that made sense.
Abbie Spillane, Flipping Channels, Oil on Canvas, 30”x40”x1.5”, 2023.
S: Oh definitely! Impasto is so hard to do well, and that is a feat in itself. I like the comparison to feeling claustrophobic, as I personally feel that good art always elicits some sort of discomfort, and it challenges the viewer to think for sure. Do you have any habits, rituals, or routines that you do to influence creativity?
A: I usually believe setting myself up for success helps when it comes to starting a painting. A lot of people struggle starting a project, most of that is due to just looking at a blank white surface. The process is just as important, if not more, than the end result. This past semester there wasn’t a day that I wasn’t creating. Seriously, I just kept making and making, not thinking about the next thing or something prior to it. So in that way, I think always creating, helps generate creative ideas or alternative influences you wouldn’t refer to before.
S: I am also a firm believer in the importance of the process, and I admire how clear and intentional you are when creating your work, I think it really shows in your final products. What advice would you give your younger self about your artwork?
A: I would tell her that not everything is going to mean something. I would validate her for her love for art, and tell her it is just as promising as any other job.
S: That’s such an important outlook to have as an adult, I also wish I could validate my younger self for what she loves and let her know that she ends up being able to follow her dreams. I have one last question for you: Does the music that you listen to and like influence your artwork?
A: I think it does. I have a weird relationship with music when it comes to painting. I like to listen to playlists or albums at a time so that I don’t have to keep picking music. However, the funny thing is that I work best when I don’t know the music that well. That way I’m thinking more about what’s in front of me than the music that’s playing around me.
S: I really like that, and I can see how it would be less of a distraction when you’re not as familiar with the music so it’s more like background noise. Thank you so much for your time, Abbie! I’m looking forward to keeping up with your work via social media and I enjoyed this so much.
A: Thank you! I enjoyed this as well, it’s been a really cool experience!