Monique Straub is known for her vividly colored landscape and botanical paintings in oil and soft pastel. Her work is focused on the raw concepts of movement and design, and painted with a twist of joy and playfulness.
From her studio in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, Straub brings to life bold renditions of everyday scenes. A simple trip to the grocery store can trigger a series of photos, that later become the springboard to something more.
A student of the Scottsdale Artists School, Straub’s vibrant work is in numerous private collections across the country and internationally, and has been published in Professional Artist Magazine, San Diego Home & Garden, Pastel Journal, and Art Collector Magazine.
Monique was selected as a “Featured Artist” for the Mission Federal ArtWalk in 2010, and was awarded “Best in Show – Painting” at the 2015 La Jolla Festival of the Arts.
Adelman Fine Art represents Monique Straub in San Diego California.
Q & A Interview:
AFA: What do you do to get into your creative zone?
MONIQUE: “Believe it or not, I do my studio paperwork and social media posts. I can only get creative when I feel there is nothing else that needs my attention, then I’m ready to roll.”
AFA: What is your favorite thing about San Diego?
MONIQUE: “As a San Diego native, I’d have to say the weather. Since I’m always cold, I can’t imagine living anywhere else…except the desert.”
AFA: When you begin a new piece of work, do you have a finished product in mind?
MONIQUE: “I begin all of my work from photos that I have taken over the years. I have several large boxes of photos, and when I get to the studio in the morning, I browse through until something excites me. From there a rough sketch is made on the canvas, using the photo mostly for composition and mood. I always change up the colors, move trees, add clouds, etc.”
AFA: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
MONIQUE: “My biggest guilty pleasure is collecting art. I’m usually drawn to pieces that have me scratching my head and thinking, ‘I wish I painted that!’ I always enjoy pieces that are easily identified to the artist, in their specific “style.”
AFA: Please describe how you feel when you are painting.
MONIQUE: “I go through many moods in the process of each painting. Originally trained in technical illustration, it’s odd that I really don’t enjoy drawing, and when I begin a painting with a rough sketch, I’m always happy to get that part completed so I can get to playing with the paint. Each work holds its own conversation in my head…’That tree is too small, needs a cloud or two, more orange, well that looks odd, why did I do that…’
I just let the thoughts and paint take over, and at some point, the conversation ends.”
AFA: What is the last item in your Google search bar?
MONIQUE: “Last item in Google search bar is ‘Hotels in Carmel, CA.'”
AFA: What distinguishes you from other artists in your genre?
MONIQUE: “After ten years of art festival participation, I’ve heard hundreds of comments from folks seeing my work for the first time. It is most often described as ‘happy or whimsical.'”
AFA: What is your favorite accomplishment?
MONIQUE: “Over the years I’ve won several Best in Show festival awards, I’ve been featured in magazines, and enjoyed many successes, but I can honestly say that my favorite accomplishment to date is being invited to show my work at Adelman Fine Art!”
AFA: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role?
MONIQUE: “Sandra Bullock.”
AFA: What did you like best about the opening reception of Landscape & Bloom?
MONIQUE: “Seeing how beautifully the gallery was hung, meeting the other artists, and hearing so many positive comments about my work.”
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