Ambassador Spotlight: Q&A with Lisa Spangler

Where is your favorite place to make art?

My favorite place to make art is out in nature, especially at National Parks where I can stamp my sketchbook with the park stamp!

How would you describe your style?

I have three styles: detailed botanical specimens, loose sketches in my sketchbook, and larger landscapes.

What recent projects should we know about?

I would love it if people followed along on my art adventures and signed up for my weekly newsletter!

What are your top three most used colors in your work?

Oh, that’s a hard one! I love exploring color and have so many favorites. But I always come back to a basic CMY triad of: Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Magenta, and Cobalt Teal Blue.

What travel supplies do you bring everywhere you go?

An open art supply case with various items organized inside, including watercolor paints, a color wheel, brushes, pens, scissors, and a sketchbook. Surrounding the case are additional art tools, such as a pipette, a water container, and various shades of paint. — **Lisa’s Folio Palette** (Daniel Smith unless otherwise noted) Chinese White, Azo Yellow, New Gamboge, Shell Pink (Holbein), Quinacridone Magenta (Winsor & Newton), Raw Umber (Winsor & Newton), Deep Scarlet, Transparent Red Oxide, Cobalt Turquoise Light (Winsor & Newton), Peacock (Holbein), Ultramarine Blue Light (Holbein), Phthalo Green, Cerulean Blue (Holbein), Indigo. **Lisa’s Pocket Palette**: Yellow Ochre (Holbein), Sedona Genuine, Piemontite Genuine, Cobalt Blue, Venetian Red, Smalt (Winsor & Newton).

Here’s what I have in my kit:

Hahnemühle Toned Watercolor Book (beige)
Folio Palette
Pocket Palette
Shop towel
Allex Slim Scissors that Maria gave me when we met up in Austin!
Triad Template
Kneaded Eraser
Pentel Water Brush
Pipette for filling the water brush
2mm clutch pencil
Kakimori dip pen
Koh-i-noor 5.6 mm magic clutch pencil
A few Trail Tiles
Black Pentel Brush Pen
Platinum Desk Pen
Opus 88 fountain pen with a broad nib
Rosemary & Co R16 Sable/Nylon Dagger
Tintoretto dagger size 6 (it has an insanely long brush!)
Nature journaling quick guide that I keep to give away to people :)
Expired America the Beautiful pass that I use for scraping in wet paint
Pocket knife that I also use for scraping wet paint

What is your favorite piece of creative advice?

Use the good paper! I can’t stress this enough: paper makes all the difference. When we sold our house so we could travel full time I had a whole stash of good paper and sketchbooks that I was saving for that “special” project “someday.” I sure wish I’d have used it up sooner.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I have a Master’s degree in mathematics with an emphasis in computer science and I worked as a software engineer for over 20 years. I firmly believe if a computer nerd like me can learn to draw and paint, anyone can!

When do you usually make art?

I make art whenever I can! Since I travel full time in a camper van I grab little moments here and there to document our journey. Usually it’s when I’m out hiking, but also on long driving days or when I’m at camp. I also love taking advantage of bad weather to get all cozy in the van and art the day away!

Who inspires you?

Maria is one of my biggest inspirations! I love the energy she brings to her work. Yong Hong Zhong is another of my art heroes. I love how he captures the light and his brushwork. Claire Giordano is another of my art heroes. I love the work that she does while out on adventures!

Why do you make art?

I feel like I HAVE to make art—it’s like brushing my teeth! It’s my way of processing the world around me. It brings me so much joy!

Lisa Spangler
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