Check out Paige Gangloff’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Gangloff.

Paige, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Art has been a huge part of my life ever since I can remember. Growing up I was always inspired by my grandmother who is an incredible ceramics artist and painter. Every time I would visit her house I would walk into her studio and stare in awe at her beautiful handmade tiles and even paintings applied right on to the kitchen cabinets. Her art motivated me to pick up drawing at a young age and, lucky for me, I quickly learned that I inherited much of my grandmother’s God-given talent.

As I got a little older I started carrying around a sketchbook with me everywhere I went. My favorite medium back then was oil pastels and my favorite thing to draw was, of course, dogs! I would spend countless hours online researching my favorite dogs breeds to then use the pictures I found as references for my next project. Needless to say, my favorite Christmas present that year was the subscription to a dog magazine my parents got me that included all of the dog pictures I could ever need!

After a while I grew out of my oil pastel phase and began experimenting with almost every medium under the sun. When I was in junior high I began working with micron pens and fell in love! Ever since then my style has changed and progressed until I eventually got to the one I know and love today. Even though I’m not exclusively drawing dogs anymore, art is still something that I find peace in and passion for.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My style of art is something I have put a lot of work and thought into to make something I believe to be genuinely unique. Each of my pieces starts out with a black and white outline that I later shade with tiny black dots from a pen. As you can imagine, this process takes quite a long time and sometimes you have to see my art up close to see all of the hard work and detail I put in. Stippling all of my drawings may seem like a tedious task, but I actually enjoy doing it and it is a huge stress reliever for me! After I finish all of my shading with my pen I then go in with watercolor. I try not to go overboard with the watercolor because I like for my stippling work to be my main source of value and texture. For my finishing touches I love using a white pen for highlights and cactus spines!

All of my work is greatly inspired by the Arizona landscapes that I am lucky enough to call home. The name Painted Desert Prints even comes from the real-life Painted Desert located near the Grand Canyon! A lot of times Arizona get labeled as “dry,” “brown,” and “ugly,” but through my art I am able to represent how gorgeous and full of life Arizona truly is.

How can artists connect with other artists?
As an artist I find that sometimes it is hard to find people who have the same passion as you. While working at a small art supply store in Tucson surely helps me connect with other artists, not everyone has this luxury. One of the best ways that I have found to meet other artists is through Instagram! One of the best parts about Instagram is that it allows you to see art that other people are creating to gain ideas and inspiration. Also, simply commenting on someone’s art is a great way to start a dialogue and even get critiques on your own work.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
As of right now, my Instagram page @painteddesertprints is my only form of social media that I post my most recent artwork on. Although, I do have a Facebook page and a website in the works! Since my business is just starting out even a quick glance or a simple follow makes all the difference for me. For any other inquiries feel free to email me at painteddesertprints@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

• Email: painteddesertprints@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/painteddesertprints/

Image Credit:
All artwork was created and photographed by Paige Gangloff: @painteddesertprints.

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