This week we are interviewing Eileen Sorg in our continuing series on Cole Gallery’s artists. As you get to know our artists, we hope it will draw you to become more involved in art.
Q: When did you start painting?
A: I was always a drawing kid and enjoyed it enough to keep at it into my adult life. With no formal art training, it is all these years of practice that have brought me to where I am today with my work.
Q: What are your favorite mediums to work with?
A: Because I am primarily a draftsperson, my favorite medium is ultimately the pencil in all its many forms. Virtually anything that can make a line on paper from Silverpoint to charcoal. I have recently begun using oils which I am really enjoying and I am curious to find where this new medium will take me.

Q: What do you want people to get from viewing your work.
A: I want people to get my sense of humor and dedication to the process of creating art. I am somewhat under whelmed by a lot of the art that is out there. Art shouldn’t be easy in my opinion. When people view my work I want them to stop and let their eyes roam around the piece, to wonder about how it was done, how long it took, and ultimately, to lose themselves in the story it tells.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: I am often inspired by random objects that intrigue me. I collect odd items from antique and thrift shops that I keep around my studio where I look at them, and try to come up with ways of weaving a story around them. Old audio cassettes, vintage hair dryers, tattered books, they all can be elevated to another level when the light hits them just so, and they are drawn with a little care.
Q: What artists are you inspired by?
A: I have a mad love affair going with the Dutch painters of the 1600’s for their dark moodiness and just the sheer magnitude of their craftsmanship. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Anthony van Dyke were all superb. As far as current artists, I have been inspired by Wayne Thiebaud for his use of color, as well as Jeffery Larson, Robert Liberace, David Jon Kassan, Jeff Hein, Jeremy Lipking, and Burton Silverman to name a few—all very thoughtful, trained, and sensitive artists producing timeless work in modern times.

Q: What is a recent work that you have produced?
A: The Trouble With Butterflies is a piece I completed this summer that was particularly gratifying for me. That story lived in my head for a couple of years, the idea of such benign characters as butterflies, being a little bit naughty and tying a young girl’s shoelaces together. Plus, it gave me the excuse to draw Converse tennis shoes, and who doesn’t love an old pair of Converse?
Q: What else do you do besides create art?
A: Not much these days. I do enjoy vegetable gardening, reading, and horseback riding when I can. I also have a great husband and large network of wonderful friends that keep me from becoming a hermit in my studio, not an easy task.
Q: How do you think Cole Gallery differs from other galleries?
A: Cole Gallery is different from other high-end galleries in that they maintain their approachability. A person can walk into Cole Gallery and be made to feel welcome at all times thanks to Denise and Shannon. It is a warm and inviting space where folks can view art created in a variety of different mediums spanning an even wider array of subject matter. Patrons can easily ask questions and learn about the work and the artists they see from knowledgeable people who enjoy what they are doing.
You can view more of Eileen Sorg’s work on Cole Gallery’s website.

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