Author: Lisa Ochowycz

In my early days of painting I thought that I would become a cool, hard-edged abstract painter. Maybe you can picture what I had in mind? Sort of contemporary chic and edgy, wearing a lot of black, so cool as to be

Photo above: During my brief  "representational" phase, circa 1986 What have you learned in your own life about the steps to success? How did you learn those lessons? What role has a mentor (or your own experiences) played in helping you see

A few years into my fledgling career as a painter, I took another artist out for coffee. He was what I considered to be a successful artist—well-known with a well-established track record of sales and shows and accolades. I asked him

If you had been walking along 4th Avenue in Kitsilano one fall day in 2010, you might have seen an artist dancing in the street. That artist was me. I was dancing and singing “Yes, oh yes, oh yes!” and

Imagine you are a painter just starting out. You rent a studio and you go there every day, inspired to paint. You don’t yet know anything about the business side of making art and you don’t yet have an income but you

Photo above: Colouring the whole world, circa 1986 How has contact with other people in your field helped you grow in your success? Can you point to times when new knowledge you gained about your materials has helped you better express your

One of the best things I ever did for expanding my technical knowledge was to take a job at Opus Art Supplies (Granville Island). A few months after I got my studio and began painting full-time I was on the

I had outgrown painting in my bedroom. I was now dragging my supplies up to our flat-top roof when the weather was dry or out to the garage when it was raining. I knew that being serious about painting meant

In 2005 I was still trying to decide what career I could embark on that would create financial stability for me, and if at all possible, still give me an outlet for my creativity. Although I deeply wanted to paint

At that time the walls of Turk's and its sister cafe, Milano, featured art by local artists. One day, the cafe owner, mentioned that there was a gap in the schedule for upcoming artists' work. Could I bring in some