Renderosity: You mention in your bio that you are self-taught. What got you interested in Poser and how did you learn the program?

Dream9Studios: When I first got internet access in 1998 I became obsessed with websites and most of all, website graphics. Our own Moyra and her "Moyra's Web Jewels" plus "Kandee's Visual Treasures" were among my favorites. I bought my own paint software to try to learn to be like them mostly by studying what they did. When they started using 3D models in their website graphics, I emailed them and asked HOW? and they responded POSER. So I immediately set about finding this program so I could learn that to! I learn most things the hard way, by doing! LOL Trial and error! It took me a while and I'm still learning more and more each day. I wasn't comfortable enough to share my first render until August of 2003. :)

I really like the variety of subjects you have in your gallery; everything from self portraits to still life. Where do you find your subjects? 

I don't really "find" my subjects, it's more like they find me. I can be inspired by just about anything... even lack of inspiration. I created an artwork called "The Muse" which was inspired by me being surrounded by beauty (looking at online galleries) but being without my own inspiration to create anything. Often my art is greatly inspired by how I'm feeling at the moment. Sometimes literally, in regards to my more emotional pieces and sometimes like when I'm just happy and able to create more complex and appealing art, more often like recently.

In your blog, you mention that you recently went through a crises about creating as an artist. If you don't mind, can you share what that was about and how you got through it?

I let too many negative things that were said to me about my art, both directly and more so indirectly, get me down back in December of last year. (I don't have the thickest skin but that's kind of true of most artists, I think. We all take our craft seriously and create from the heart.) Actually, it did more than just "get me down", but I'm bipolar so I'm used to depressive episodes. Once the depression passed, however, I noticed that every time I tried to get back to my art, I would have a full-blown anxiety attack. This led to my seven-month-long hiatus from the art world. I had to just keep trying and trying and trying to get back by starting up the computer and doing my best to click that icon every day. Finally, in July, I beat the anxiety and got back into Poser finally. It made me so happy to be an artist again! My art is my life and without it, I'm just not me. Once I realized that fully, the anxiety became easier to defeat.