Interview With Dahlov about her Childhood
The follow is a series of questions sent from a young fan back in January 2001. Slightly edited from a phone conversation by her son, Bob Ipcar
What did you wear as a little girl aged nine?
That would have been 1926. When I was nine I always wore a jumper with a sweater, and knee socks to school. Most girls also wore a beret back then I grew up in Greenwich Village in New York City, so I also loved to roller skate! I'm sending your dad a little woodcut I made of myself at the age of eleven. You can see what I was wearing. I guess printing presses have changed a lot since my time. Now you would use a computer!
At The Press (1928)
What are you the most proud of as an artist?
I once painted a huge oil painting that was 5 1/2 feet high and 21 feet long. It showed African animals jumping against a sun filled landscape. It is called Golden Savannah, and it was originally done for the Sun Savings Bank in Lewiston. Maine. Now it resides at the Shirners Hospital For Crippled Children in Springfield Massachusetts. I have done school murals, along hallways which were longer, but this is the largest canvas I ever painted. I'm sending a picture of Golden Savannah to your dad also.
Did you overcome any struggles in becoming an artist?
Becoming an artist is always a matter of struggling: you have to struggle just to get you work shown. It's also a struggle to find your own style. My advice is to try not to copy other artists; just draw or paint what you like best. That will be your style. I'm glad you like animals. Animals are a great subjects to draw and paint....
