Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Anna Murfield

Hi guys, a late TAT today but a brilliant one nonetheless, grab a cup of coffee while you meet Anna Murfield, sit back & enjoy =)

Tell a little about yourself what kind of artist are you

My name is Anna Murfield I am the owner of Paint Girl Productions where I make and sell my mixed media artwork. I am also a wife and mother to two small boys and am learning the ways of self sufficiency on our small organic chicken farm in Wisconsin. I like to live my art. I don't really separate art and life. I feel like art is my life so to speak, therefore, anything touching my life touches my art. Since moving to our rural location farm living has begun to influence my work. I have been using old wood found on our property to make signs and to use as canvas. I am in love with my newly found rural influences, like the textures of old barn wood and the smell of picking tomatoes. And although I don't necessarily consider myself a "farm girl", I know the farm has changed me. 

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist and how do you overcome it?

I think the biggest challenge for me is acceptance as an artist. I make art because I love to make art...I've tried to stop and I can't... I know I like my work but there is always an underlining feeling that it will be ignored and forgotten. I don't really know why it matters to me but it does, and for some reason this is a battle I face regularly not just in my art, but in my life too. I make my attempt to overcome it by consistently putting myself out there. I display my work in galleries and shops around the Midwest, at community events and online. I love showing my work, I think it's the face to face talking about my work or my self that I get anxious about.

What other issues do you overcome to accomplish your art?

My boys are 1 and 4 and they keep me pretty busy throughout the day. Finding the time and energy not only to make art, but to market it as well, can often be a challenge. Like a lot of moms I figure it all out by working around their schedules. I paint at nap time and do my computer work at night after they are asleep. Some days are easier than others but overall it works out. I don't want to rush the little days because before I know it they will be off to school. I want to balance my time, not hurry it away.

What is your heart's greatest desire for you life as an artist?

My greatest desire is to help support my family through my art. I want to make a living as an artist while inspiring other mothers out there not to give up on their dreams because they have a family now. Having a family can be a challenge, but in my experience the rewards far outweigh the difficulties and through my challenges I want to continue to be true to myself and not give up on my artwork. I never want to say " I was an artist BEFORE I had a family". I think these two things can happen simultaneously and I want to encourage other women that they can do the same in their lives.

Where can we find more about you and your art

You can find me regularly in my blog at www.paintgirlproductions.blogspot.com. Check in every Friday to read "Farmhouse Friday" for an update from our farm otherwise I mainly post art and photography. You can also find me at my website www.paintgirlproductions.com and at http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintgirlproductions

Thanks so much Anna for the insights you have given us into your life =) it sounds like busy one which I'm sure many readers can identify with, and a full one in more ways than one. Your attitude to keeping art incorporated into your life is wonderful and I love your sentence "I want to encourage other women that they can do the same in their lives." This whole interview reminds me very much of something my mum once said to me when I asked her how she kept her hobby (hockey player and club secretary) going in her early twenties, when she also had a child, hubby, job in a family business (so never just 9-5!) to keep happy, along with all the practical stuff required from any of us, and her answer was simply 'you just do!' 

Women are incredible!

Want to be a featured TAT artist, click the link on the right for more info =)