Cindy Walton: I share a studio with three other artists on the 2nd floor of the Wedge building in the River Arts District. Our studio is in the skinny end of the “wedge” building. It is a great spot because we get both morning and afternoon light.Visitors always mention that our studios feel welcoming.The light and the community make it a great place to work.

RRM:When looking at your work I notice that the majority of it is full of bright color and life. So what exactly inspires you to create such vivid designs?

CW: Some of my color choices and influence comes from growing up on the gulf coast of Florida.We rarely had grey foggy days and there is such a different aesthetic as to color in the sub tropics. My paintings constantly evolve to incorporate other environments that inspire me, such as Western North Carolina and my travels to the Southwest. Each area has such a different light which shapes color, mood, and form.

RRM:Tell me about your process, where things begin, how they evolve etc.

CW:I begin with the idea of a color theme or shape. Then I start layering paint,combining it with a cold wax medium to see where it will take me. The layers are very important — it is the building up and taking away that adds depth and interest to my work.As I paint, all the parts come together in the end. My years of formal training are always with me, but I find if I over-think the end result, the painting becomes stagnant and stiff.

RRM:Describe your “aha” moment when working with your medium that made you make that leap into another level.

CW: “Aha” moments can be several things. For me it was the reintroduction of the medium—cold wax—I am now using combined with oil paint, and a conscious decision to focus on color. Both have helped me discover more ways to manipulate paint and grow as an artist.

RRM: If your art could be displayed anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

CW: The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, definitely! First, it would be such an honor to be recognized as an outstanding American artist and to be displayed in the same space with other American artists who have inspired my work and my desire to keep painting—Alice Neel, Susan Rothenberg, Joan Mitchell, Willem DeKooning, and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Cindy Walton Fine Art
Wedge Studios / Second Floor
129 S. Roberts Street, Asheville
(828) 776-3034
www.cindywalton.com