An Interview with Artist Jean Hirons

2/20/13

I came into contact with Jean Hirons during my recent show at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda. Jean creates vibrant works in pastels with a wonderful sensitivity to color and natural light. I'm particularly struck by her Prague and Budapest miniatures.

A member of the Waverly Street Gallery, Jean recently published a book called Finding Your Style in Pastel to help beginning through advanced artists explore this medium. It's available in print and e-book, and it offers tips as well as exercises. She also offers a blog filled with instructional posts on process.

Q: When writing Finding Your Style in Pastel, what new things did you learn about yourself?

A: I’ve always known that the organization of information is one of my primary strengths. I worked at the Library of Congress in the cataloging area and wrote the standard manuals for serials catalogers. So I knew I could write and organize. What was more challenging was to figure why and how I did what I do in the much more intuitive process of painting. When teaching, students would ask why I used that color and not another and I really couldn’t answer.  In writing the book, I was able to think in terms of color theory to figure out what was the basis of my intuitive decisions. It was really an eye-opener! Having written the book, I now have a whole new vocabulary that I can use when I’m teaching, such as the “center of interest painting,” the “big shape painting,” “soft surfaces” and so forth. I feel much more confident as a teacher having spent an intensive 18 months writing the book.

Q: What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you?

A: As an artist, I guess there are several things that define me. One is that I believe very strongly that we must be true to ourselves and paint what we love and in the manner in which we love to paint, regardless of current trends. Thus, I am not an abstract painter. It doesn’t satisfy me at all. I need to relate to something I see. I want my paintings to be painterly, not photo realistic, but also to have enough detail to engage the eye over time. The abstraction is in the underlying composition of shapes and values and I think this is the most important aspect of any kind of painting. 

Aside from painting, my other passion is the piano. I’ve always been a real amateur, but some years ago I began studying with a truly wonderful teacher. I joined a piano group,  bought a new piano, and decided to take myself more seriously. I’m still very limited but I get much more satisfaction because I know I’m giving it my all.

Q: What's your favorite piece from an upcoming show and why?

A: My next show will be at the Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda in October. In 2011 and 2012, I had shows in Bethesda and Massachusetts called “Shore Houses.”  I’ve become known for my paintings of buildings and was dubbed the “Architect of Color” in a June 2011 article in the Pastel Journal. With both of those shows behind me and the book published, I decided to just paint whatever I wanted to paint. I realized that the one common theme was the presence of some kind of water. No houses this time, but brooks, harbors, rivers, ocean. I grew up on the ocean so this isn’t surprising.  I’m calling the show “Waterscapes.” It’s hard to say what my favorite piece is. I’ve been playing with squares and I particularly like the painting The Autumn Marsh, one of four 20" x 20" paintings that will be in the show. Marsh in Autumn (2) is another favorite. It’s of the same scene that I painted from a number of years ago. The older painting was full of bright reds and oranges; the current painting is more subdued and much more pleasing to me. Both paintings are from the Eastern Shore/Delaware Bay area.

  Autumn on the Marsh 

(On UART 400 grit sand paper)

 Marsh in Autumn

(On Pastelbord)

Q: Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: It all depends on the subject matter. If I have the perfect subject, I might forgo studies and just jump in to the painting. But I’m more likely in the studio to do composition and value studies and sometimes color studies. I love to work from black and white and supply my own color. I do studies to play with various places to begin the color as well as the overall color palette. Because pastel is all about layering, this is very important to the success of the painting.  Once into the piece, however, it becomes quite intuitive. I might decide to alter the composition or change the colors. What works in a small study doesn’t always work in a larger painting. I like to keep all of my options open! 

Q: Who is your biggest influence and why?

A: When I was in college, we had a show of paintings by RichardSchmid and I was completely taken with them. I still love his work and think he is one of the greatest living oil painters in the US.  The impressionists influenced my love of color and painterly representation. Among pastel painters, my favorite is Duane Wakeham, a landscape painter from California, whose work is ethereal and truly beautiful. However, the types of paintings I do more closely resemble the work of Washington State artist Susan Ogilvie, with whom I have studied.

Q: What do you feel is the best thing about being an artist in the DC area?

A: There are mixed blessings of being in DC. On the one hand, we have a wealth of great art easily accessible to us at all times. But I’m not sure that DC is a great art town when it comes to people purchasing art. I’ve been a member of the Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda since 2004 and since that time I’ve seen most of the galleries in Bethesda close. If there is any area that could support art, it is Bethesda. But there are now very few dedicated galleries. I hope that the improving economy will change this picture, but for now, it is hard.

However, there are a great number of creative people and I’ve been fortunate to be part of a community of wonderful artists and musicians that enriches my life far more than painting sales.

Q: A lot of artists have that one piece in their studio that they would never ever sell. Tell us about yours.

A: I sold the painting that I never wanted to sell!  It’s called “The Horse Farm.”  It was done as the second painting of the day during an outdoor plein air festival. I didn’t completely finish it and I loved the way it looked. My husband convinced me that I needed the money and could do others. So I sold it to a friend. I’ve never done anything else like it.  

The Horse Farm

(on Textured Board)

Thanks, Jean, for sharing your passion for pastels! It was a pleasure learning about you and your work. For more about Jean and her beautiful art, visit her website or drop by the Waverly Street Gallery on 4600 East-West Highway in Bethesda.

An Interview with Gail Vollrath

6/5/12

Tumble

Tumble by Gail Vollrath was a stop-in-my-tracks-and-stare painting for me at Artomatic. Dense blacks and brown-black (made with tar, I learned after talking with her) sank in deeply. The three light blue lines owned a kind of middle ground, and china marker poked out here and there. The piece offered a playful tension between things solid and ethereal. 

I was captivated.

When I came for air, I asked her if I could interview her. I was delighted that she said yes and not "Please stop breathing on my painting." Go see it in person at the 11th floor, space 265.

What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you? 

People may be surprised that I consider my work to be minimal.  Though the final work may look very complex, most of the movements take place in my head.  No matter the size, it can take a very long time for one piece to come to fruition for that reason.  I let each piece lead me.

Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between? 

Well I don’t live my life by a hard core plan, so it seems natural that I don’t work that way.  Everyone works according to their individual temperament.  I have learned that when I trust my thinking (and intuition as you say), things turn out more genuine.  Typically I keep notes in a very small notebook that I carry around.  Some of what I write down is notes on things I hear or see or words or groups of words that sometime become titles for paintings.  Sketching has never been particularly useful for me.

Twiddle

Who is your biggest influence and why? 

I don’t know if I have one big influence.  Living my day tells me what to do and how it needs to be done.  My formal art education was fairly academic and comprehensive and I do try to keep up with what is going on today.  As far as what I tend to look at in galleries, I look at everything: ancient, contemporary, conceptual, drawing, performance, and film.  Reading a variety of books from popular fiction to nonfiction, as well as current periodicals can be hugely influential.  Recently after reading the book and seeing the very popular film, Hunger Games, I have been thinking about the lethal, fabricated dogs that were invented to terrorize the characters and thinking of how elements of those dogs can work as a metaphor for many things that are happening in our world today.  People make up all kinds of things to inflict on others for whatever reason, real or imagined.

A lot of artists have that one piece in their studio that they would never ever sell. Tell us about yours.

Nothing is that precious.  There are pieces that I am a little closer to and I wonder why others have sold before they have, but I am always happy for someone to take something home.  If it can move them in some way, then they should have it.

Thanks, Gail! I'm so glad I saw your work at Artomatic.

An Interview with Julie Wolsztynski

5/26/12

A fellow artist represented at Adah Rose Gallery, Julie Wolsztynski is a freelance photographer, born in 1984 in France. Her work is eloquent, refined, and evocative. I'm particularly taken by her sensitivity to composition and texture. She attended the Centre Iris for Photographic Arts In Paris in 2008, and arrived in Washington, D.C in 2010 where she now works and exhibits. 

To see more of her work, visit Artomatic 2012 where she's sharing a room space with Angela Kleis (9th floor, room 215) through June 23rd, or visit her website or tumblr site.

What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you?

Woo, that is a hard one! Well, maybe what people should know about me is really what they usually ask about my art: what kind of photography do I do? Which is a fair question. So, what I would say is that I have trouble defining my photography, as much as I have trouble to define myself, as hard as we all have trouble to define ourselves, and it's just fine. Isn't it?

What's your favorite piece from your Artomatic exhibit and why?

The way we see a photograph changes thanks to the support. It’s not the same feeling whether it’s on slide film, a computer, a print or framed on a wall. So, my favorite is “Rue Longchamp #2”, a piece from a series that was supposed to be more supportive than central. But once printed in large size and hung on the wall, I totally rediscovered it, like a second reading. Even though I composed it, shot it and worked on it this picture surprised me, that’s why I like it.

Rue Longchamp #2

Do you make art intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

It’s a kind of in between. I would say that generally there are two major steps in my work and the second one does not work without the first. The hardcore plan is a long process with lots of thoughts and questioning but not that much visual conceptualization. I am looking for an idea, a feeling, an answer more than an aesthetic process. When I feel ready, I start to shoot. Then it’s really just about instinct, pleasure and relief. The best part! I guess it’s like in any other field; good preparation is key.

The opposite can also be true and when I am not prepared I can be unable to take a picture because I don’t get the point. That’s basically what happened with NYC, it took me a while before being able to picture it.

Manhattan Sestet

Who is your biggest influence and why?

It could be weird but it’s not a photographer. A good book gives me the desire to write and, a good dish the desire to cook… but it doesn’t work the same with photography. Of course, I do love spending time watching tons of any kind of photographs or photographers I like, such as Duane Michals, Saul Leiter, Sally Mann, Jeffrey Silverthorne and more, but it’s not for a creative purpose. I am more influenced by artists using other mediums. For instance, literature is very important as well as cinema. I often carry memories, colors, and emotions from a film with me when I am taking pictures. 

Spontaneously, I am thinking about “Tricks” from Jakimowski or “The Return” from Zvyagintsev… 

Also, Terrence Malick and Steve McQueen (UK) are the best examples of the kind of film directors that project me onto a very sensitive and creative mood. They both have, in a different way, an accurate sense of timing and poetry. They use amazing lighting and compositions and contribute to make us be able to see the world with a different view even when we are not looking through a lens. At least that’s what they do to me, and that’s what I try to do myself. 

A lot of artists have that one piece in their studio that they would never ever sell. Tell us about yours.

Even though it’s not really a “piece”, there is one thing that immediately answered this question; it’s my Rolleiflex -- an old medium format film camera. This camera is so important to me that I had to mention it…It got broke many times and I sold many cameras when needed but this camera is almost like a part of me (I know it’s so cheesy to say that), I would be unable to sell it. It’s not an inheritance, there is no childhood story behind it, and there are no emotional memories. It’s just my camera. The one I bought with confidence about what I would do and what would be my medium. And every time I take a picture with it I feel confident… Trust me, I protect it like the Holy Grail!

Thanks, Julie, for taking the time to share your process and background! Her work is beautifully mounted with a interesting juxtaposition between warm textures in the actual image and the sleek final presentation. Check her (and Angela) out at Artomatic!

Artist Interview: Michelle Blades

11/12/11 

Antebellum

While traveling in the Cincinnati area for work this past spring, I had the chance to pop into a co-op gallery where I saw the most amazing tableaux of figures, painstakingly crafted, going about their business in a way that made me stop in my tracks to watch and wonder what they would do next. But I only could get a peek into their world, a momentary glimpse of what had to be a more elaborate narrative that, as the viewer, I had to determine on my own. These pieces still haunt me. The artist is Michelle Blades, and I was delighted when she agreed to let me interview her. 

Michelle Blades lives and works in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Brent Naughton, and two ape-dogs, Chimp and Baboon. Working with stories, words, polymer clay, cotton, wood, fabric, found objects and other mixed media, she creates curious little figures and environments to please, delight and creep out the crowd. Welcome to her tiny and expansive universe.

Share a little bit about you and your work. What is your background? How long does it take to make a piece, and where do you find your materials?
I've been creating environments for my dolls and toys for as long as I can remember. This play-work led me to The University of Cincinnati where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2001. Since then, I've been creating a tiny universe of my own dolls and kinetic dioramas, promoting interaction from the viewer and engaging folks young and old. Many of the materials that I use are found while digging through boxes of rusty stuff at antique fairs, cruising through the aisles of the craft and hardware stores, reading or watching archetypal fairy tale stories and listening to music. I don't really know how long it takes to create each piece - a lifetime? I know that's an open-ended answer. I suppose in the context of days and hours, I would guessitmate that the smaller work takes a few hours and the bigger work take s a few days. Inspiration generally comes from words and phrases that I read or hear, and sometimes the image comes really quick, but the execution might take a lot longer. This is especially true if I am using a new material in the work - I can get a little intimidated with trying out a new mechanism in a kinetic piece as well.

What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you? 

Along Came a Spider

The one thing I would like people to know about me is that yes, my work can get a little creepy. But I swear, it's harmless. Some of the pieces have an 'edge,' but I've found that so does most of life. And it's up to us if we want to fall off that edge, or tap dance on it. I choose to dance and flirt. Sometimes, even I can think the work gets a little too banal and saccharine. Then along comes a wild viewer that mumbles to me, 'this is creepy,' and subsequently, I feel validation about where I've pushed the image visually and contextually.

Who is your biggest influence and why? 
My biggest influence... that is tough. The gestalt of my influence lies in the workings of the universe as a whole, and the power of observing those interactions. Sometimes, I feel like I spend more time on the sidelines watching how things and people move with or against each other than I do participating in the action. Being a spectator is a great thing for me -  it's rife with the probability of good storytelling. I believe my job is to collect the story in a mason jar terrarium, let it grow into its own species and then show it to the viewer. How vague it all of that?! I guess in a more literal sense, my dad's influence is really strong because of his quirky sense of humor /observation and the fact that he showed me how to use power tools at a young age. I still ask him how to build stuff now. He's been a great resource for all things mechanical and electrical.

Tell us about your local art scene. What makes it great? What are the challenges? 

There are a lot of really creative people in Cincinnati. A LOT. However, I often hear folks lamenting the conservative nature of our city - which, no question, the suburbs surrounding Cincy proper are. And I think this fact might lead some folks to feel 'held back' creatively. Thankfully, I've not had any real issue in that regard. I just tend to focus on what I can accomplish here, and search out other venues regionally where the work will also be celebrated.

Hivehead

A lot of artists have that one piece in their studio that they would never ever sell. Tell us about yours.

I don't know that I have a piece that I would not sell. My feeling is that the story came from the universe, and it is okay to give my version of the story back to the universe, and know that the universe will take care of it. The only piece that comes close is 'Hivehead' - the little gal doll with a bee hive on her head and tiny bees buzzing around it. That piece was based on a hive hat I made to wear in a Halloween 5K race I made a few years ago. While a lot of my work has been autobiographical, this piece in particular felt special to me. However, my sister-in-law recently wanted to purchase the doll, and I was pleased with that, so I let her go. I know she's in a good home, and I've been promised visiting hours.

Thanks, Michelle, for sharing insights into your creative world! For more images of her work and process, visit her website and Facebook page.

Artist Interview: Elena Stamberg

1/27/11

Fellow Studio Gallery member Elena Stamberg has a two-person show up soon with Trix Kuijper.  The exhibit runs February 2 - 26, 2011 with a First Friday Reception (as part of the Dupont Circle Galleries openings) on 2/4 from 6 - 8 pm and another reception, Saturday 2/5, 3 - 5 pm.

Q. What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you? 
A: My heart is with needle, thread and cloth. That's a fact that I should probably whisper very softly. But then, what is canvas, but cloth with a treated surface? So all painters use cloth in their work. The needle is my brush.

Q: What's your favorite piece from the show and why? 
A: The pieces done on organza are my favorites. They attempt to capture the atmospheric feeling of being by the surrounding and soothing ocean.

Q: Do you work intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between? 
A: I work intuitively in the moment having no preconceived notions as to the outcome. Sometimes the muse dances on my head and sometimes she doesn't. Then I wait.

Q: Who is your biggest influence and why? 
A: I'm not really influenced by anyone. I observe, absorb and just am.

Q: For this show, did you do anything differently... new techniques, subject matter, palette, etc.? 
A: The different part is that I'm showing work drawn with needle on cloth, rather than brush on paper or canvas.

Q: Where do you see the DC art scene in five years? In ten? 
A: I haven't a clue. Who can predict the future, or even tomorrow?

Q: What do you feel is the best thing about being an artist in the DC area? 
A: Studio Gallery. It's a wonderful space with a sculpture garden, high ceilings, we have a dynamic director, and the artists are supportive.

Q: A lot of artists have that one piece in their studio that they would never ever sell. Tell us about yours. 
A: Some of my pieces have family members included and involve lots of detailed work which takes many months to complete. Those I would never sell because they are too personal.

Thanks, Elena, and best of luck with your show!

Artist Interview: Daniel Calder

10/1/10

As a non-objective painter, there's nothing that gets me salivating more than an amazing non-objective painting. The kind I could lose myself in for hours at a time. The kind like Daniel Calder's. But Daniel does more than paint...

Cling

Acrylic on Panel

36 x 36 inches

2009 

Q: Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: The primary series of my paintings is built on a favored motif which was arrived at through conceptual and formal considerations. I deviate from this from time to time to pursue other trains of thought but never abandon it. The arrangement of the vertical forms in my work is a device for examining the relationship of individuals to a group or set. A grid or schematic serves as a starting point. From this beginning I work to blend presence with absence. I see the forms as alternating between part empty and part full with the structure of the overall composition varying accordingly. It is a metaphor for family, identity, and existence.

My work is motivated by my experiences with my sense of self and identity in the context of changing family knowledge (and revealed familial history) and the consideration of various ideas, both historic and personal about the nature of existence.

All art is about existence.

Q: Who is your biggest influence and why?

A: That’s a tough one – the influences of my work are rather slippery and varied. Though I try not to let another artist’s work dictate the look of mine there are many things and people that qualify as influences. Such as; the drama and contained energy of Gericault, the search for un-dogmatic profundity of Richard Dawkins, and the economy of Malevich.

Q:  A lot of artists have that one piece in their studio that they would never ever sell. Tell us about yours.

A: I think I sold it. In any case, when I do a painting like that I resist the urge to keep it. I find that the memory of it serves me better than having it readily accessible. Sometimes the memory is better. The thing I treasure is the intellectual construct I crafted to allow these paintings to be possible.

“Thanks, I’m good,” says Daniel Calder, to drivers who paused at the intersection of Broad Street and Staples Mill Road last week. The rest of his audience whizzes by at about 40 miles per hour, blowing his hair, voice and sign in the wind. For two weeks, as a kind of performance art piece, Calder has ventured out to the intersection sporadically, usually around noon. In the middle of a 3-foot-wide median in one of Richmond’s busiest intersections, he holds a sign that says: “I don’t need anything. Thanks.” 

Calder, 39, says he’s been an artist all his life. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a master’s degree in painting in 1990 and is a member of 1708 Gallery. Now he’s framing pictures while he’s in the midst of a career change. “It’s an interesting social experiment,” he says of his outings. Calder seems to be getting a lot of positive response. He says most people who see him give him a thumbs-up. “I get lots of waves,” he says. Still, Calder says, “many people can’t seem to get their heads around it.” He speculates that some people probably think he’s a jerk; others seem to be relieved that he’s not someone in need. “It’s the madness of art,” he says. “It’s not all explainable.” — Stephen Salpukas,  Style Weekly

Check out the video here, and see his paintings online at ArtQuiver. Thanks, Daniel, for the opportunity to learn more about you.

Artist Interview: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

9/25/10

I met Marcie at the reception for UMUC's Mind, Body, Spirit: Celebrating Regional Women Artists. Her Rock Creek Trees, painted in acrylic on tar paper was displayed near my piece and was a smaller work, like mine. And her vibrant painting was one of my favorites in the show.

She teaches classes for children and adults in her studio at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Studio, with accommodations offered for students with special needs to ensure access and provide full participation. Marcie can communicate in American Sign Language and has experience working with deaf and hard of hearing students. She earned a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Yours Truly

Encaustic painting, charcoal drawing with mixed
media,oil stick, collage elements and wax.
14”H x 9.75”W x .5”D
2010

Q: What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you?

A: I’m honest. I guess it must translate to my work because I’m focusing on what I’m seeing. It is something I value and feel compelled to investigate or look at further. I may be revealing something internal as I incorporate text into my mixed media paintings.

Q: What's your favorite piece from your recent show and why?

A: “Yours Truly,” a charcoal and encaustic painting that includes a postcard collage, is my favorite piece from my series of figure and encaustic painting. In "Yours Truly" the woman's posture does not look relaxed, but ready for new experiences, energetic and upbeat. She is thinking about what’s to come. The lines I’ve drawn in the wax background, which derive from the style of my charcoal drawing, convey her potential energy.

I feel “right on” with the amount of color, the intensity of color and the color of the rustic-looking wood. The postcards give another sense of time to the artwork--- history, including a photo of a lone person standing on the sidewalk. I've combined these elements and it is not an obvious message, but has a spirit about it. She feels young and vibrant; I like that.

Q: Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: For the purpose of illustration, I have a definite plan. I’ve been working on illustrations for my husband’s children’s book, “The Shiny Shell,” an environmental fantasy about a boy who is befriended by a dolphin. The two travel to another galaxy where they attend “The Gathering.” The dolphin introduces the boy to sea creatures at The Gathering where they work together to solve ecological problems. I have been using a combination of charcoal drawing and encaustic painting in this series. I love the gentleness that can be conveyed in charcoal and have been pleased with the dreamlike quality achieved by combining the drawings with encaustic painting. My plan is to paint in wax with the charcoal drawings for the final children’s book illustrations.

I approach other subjects differently. In my landscape plein air painting or in painting in the studio I work on a composition which begins with a drawing, either in pencil, charcoal or loose brush. I aim to retain the energy of the drawing in my painting. The starting point of the drawing may be intuitive rather than planned.

Q: Who is your biggest influence and why?

A: Larry Rivers and Richard Diebenkorn first come to mind. I’ve always loved seeing the evidence of drawing, and energy in their paintings. I especially like Diebenkorn’s involvement with geometry in lines, planes and areas of color. A few years ago I saw the John Alexander retrospective exhibit at the American Art Museum. I am inspired by the energy of his brushwork, and the richness of color and contrast of light in his paintings. I am very much drawn to the color palette of local painter Ellyn Weiss. I also admire the sensibility of line in her drawing. Colors in her individual paintings feel right together. I was fortunate to have Ellyn give me a tutorial in encaustic painting.

Q: For your recent show, did you do anything differently... new techniques, subject matter, palette, etc.?

A: I’m joining my husband in an artist’s market, and am bringing my smaller, “more affordable” paintings done on a smaller scale -- approximately 5” x 9”. I’m varying the palette, but continue to lean towards the blue/aquas.

Q: What do you feel is the best thing about being an artist in the DC area?

A: Many things come to mind, such as access to the museums (Smithsonian Museums, National Gallery of Art, The Kreeger Museum, The Katzen Art Center at AU); Rock Creek Park and Great Falls National Park; life drawing sessions; and my studio at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. One of the best things about being an artist in the DC area is the Artomatic experience. Its a reminder that we really have an art community breathing with life. Artomatic brings a greater audience to view art and to participate in art. It’s inviting, fun, daring and it’s a season when our area comes alive.

Q: As an artist, what have you noticed outside of DC?

A: Visiting other places can be good for the soul.

I have visited Philadelphia five or more times in the past three years and feel that Philadelphia supports its artists (and vegetarians.) I’ve learned that the city of Philadelphia has the most murals in any city in the world. It's obvious that the city is innovative in ways to support artists and has been successful in implementing outreach for individuals related to arts in healthcare settings, in healing, and for at-risk youth. It seems to be celebrated. Being in the area of the Old City, you see the energy that art brings to the area in the galleries, the foot traffic -- it just always seems lively when I visit.

Last year I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Southwestern VA teaching an artist residency at Covington High School. Over the two week period, I visited Lewisburg, WV, Lexington, VA, and Roanoke VA. I was overtired after driving non-stop to get to Covington, but accompanied my host to attend an informative lecture at The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic exhibit at Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, VA. Many people came to hear the lecture and enjoy the art and reception. I visited Lewisburg, WV twice and was able to speak with gallery owners and others in the town. The first Friday art evening in Lewisburg was popular. I was very impressed with the revitalized area of historic downtown Roanoke. Roanoke’s Artist Open Studios were well-attended and people were enthusiastically buying art.

It was great to travel in New England last month. Highlights in viewing art: Visited the Corning Museum of Glass for the first time and highly recommend it. It was our second visit to MASSMOCA in the Berkshires - always exciting. We attended an author’s talk at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and I felt inspired to see the range of children’s book illustration in a beautiful museum. It was great to draw and enjoy the scenery. I feel fortunate that I was able to visit Maine this Summer and spend time canoeing to private places and drawing in the beautiful unpopulated areas in peace and quiet.

Q: How would you describe your recent work?

A: My encaustic paintings can be rugged with the wood support and textural elements, but I retain my focus on the grace of the figure. I have loved re-immersing myself in figure drawing and combining drawing with wax painting adds to my excitement. The effect produced by applying wax to charcoal drawing is that of an image floating on vellum. The “back and forth” of additive collage imagery is married with encaustic’s mysterious depth and transparency. Drawing and carving into the wax with a tool and then applying pigment augments the sense of energy in the brushwork.

Here are some comments I’ve received about the series:
“How wild and calm it is at the same time, the lines are wild and fast...love it.”
“Harmony as well as contrast in colors...great achieved balance.. Exquisite use of media...”
“I love the tonal quality and the colors...Pow! You've aroused my taste in art buds with this series.”

Thanks, Marcie! It was great to get to know more about you and your work. 

My Interview at Artists Speak

8/31/10

Artists Speak is interviewing artists about the state of art today, and how this condition relates to society and the artist as an instigator.  Check out my interview and those of a variety of artists working in a wide range of media. Thanks for the opportunity, Artists Speak!

An Interview with Kelly Perl

Kelly Perl's Fast Food Fortress #1

DC-based architectural and industrial photographer Kelly Perl is a fellow artdc forum member, and I recently had a chance to learn more about her work. From her website: Interestingly enough, much of what I shoot is no longer in that form within a few months. I love how she's documenting the processes of both decay and building, sometimes in the same shot.  

Q: What's the one thing you'd like people who aren't familiar with you/your work to know about you?

A: I am an architectural photographer, and I shoot parts of buildings or groups of buildings to find abstract compositions within them. In fact, I’d consider shooting only one building for my art a sort of plagiarism.

Q: Why photography?

A: I had a latent interest in photography when I was a kid, even had a friend whose parents had a darkroom, but my folks didn’t have much disposable income so I didn’t think about it seriously at the time.

One day in 1999, I was in Pittsburgh and saw railroad tracks, possibly abandoned, built against a small hill. I told myself if I ever came that way again, I’d have a decent camera and take pictures. I’ve never been there since but within a year I did have a 35mm film camera.

Q: Do you shoot intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: Somewhere in between. I shoot in the field so I have to have an idea where I’m going that day. I tend to spend a few weeks in a general area and then go somewhere else. Recently, I have been shooting up and down Rhode Island Avenue in the Gateway area and I’ll just go where my eyes want me to go. I often go back to places to reshoot, and my best picture will be something I haven’t planned at all.

I am an economist by profession and only started taking pictures in my mid-thirties. I have to be attuned to the nonverbal and nonmathematical and be willing to follow an impulse all the way to exhibiting something. I have works that I think are good and cannot tell you why. Fast Food Fortress #1 (above) is one of those.

Q: What are you thinking of working on next?

A: Unconventionally shaped work. Right now I have a triangular work that is the real art within a photo of a wall in Brentwood, Maryland. I also have a row of warehouses in DC that I’m trying to fit in triangular form.

Q: What do you feel is the best thing about being an artist in the DC area?

A: For a photographer, it’s that there are many people working different processes. I shoot 35mm digital and medium format film, in color. Even the medium format is conventional when there are photographers in the area who make tintypes, use a Holga for serious work, shoot large format pinhole, or play with emulsions.

Visit her website to see more of her work. Thanks, Kelly! And keep shooting :)

An Interview with Nancy Frankel

Water Falls by Nancy Frankel

6/23/10

In her solo show, Summer Steel +, Nancy Frankel’s new steel sculptures combine the interplay of space and form, delicate balance, and playfulness. Also on display are her fired clay reliefs, which grew out of an experience two years ago in a Plein Air group with Russian and Bulgarian artists in Bulgaria.

To see Water Falls and Nancy’s other wonderful work on display, drop by Studio Gallery during one of the receptions and talk with this wonderful artist who has given so much to the local arts scene.

June 23 - July 17, 2010

First Friday Reception (as part of the Dupont Circle Galleries openings): July 2, 6 - 8 pm
Reception: Friday, July 9, 6 - 8 pm
Artist's Reception: Saturday, June 26, 4 - 6 pm

Q: What's your favorite work from the show and why?

A:  Usually my favorite piece is the one I’ve just finished but that isn’t the case this time. The frame for Water Falls had been given to me in the past and had been in my studio for a year. I like that it’s using color, and that it’s curvilinear. Water Falls wasn’t created in the typical way I work -- I didn’t plan it ahead of time, and I had to create it by bending and curving the steel then attach the steel to the frame. I had no preconceived idea about what it would look like completed. My steel pieces have to be thought out ahead time, even though when working with wax and playing with sketches I can be spontaneous until something takes hold. Once I get the specific idea down, I then have to be very careful about the model.  With Water Falls, I could take a very different approach.

Q: What kinds of opportunities have you had as artist in the DC area during your career?

A: I’ve been in DC a long time -- 40 years -- and have been active as an artist with several organizations during this period. I’ve been with Studio Gallery since the 1980s, and it’s been a great place for me to connect with other artists and get good exposure. Here, there is no dictation about what to display or what sells. I’m also a part of the Washington Sculptors Group, and they exist to provide opportunities to show and make connections. I’m also a member of a group of women artists who meet once a month -- the First Sunday Group. It’s a fluid group with a solid core.

Q: If you could wish for one major change in the local art scene, what would it be?

A:  The DC art scene’s shortcoming is the lack of attention to given to arts and lack of  respect for local artists. The local papers often ignore local artists. Maybe this lack of interest is due to the fact that we’re surrounded by national galleries and also how close we are to New York. I wish people would pay attention to the vibrant art scene here, which unfortunately seems mostly underground.

Turn-about is fair play...

6/17/10

Two of the wonderful Studio Gallery interns interviewed me today, and it was fun being on the other side of the questions, which dealt with process, using text, and my take on why you should experience local art. Check it out at the Dupont Circle Arts blog.

An Interview with Artist Thierry Guillemin

6/7/10


Into the Mystic
Thierry Guillemin

For his portion of a duo show with Micheline Klagsburn, fellow Studio Gallery artist Thierry Guillemin talks about why the work for this show Something in Common is different from his past pieces. Be sure to stop by and see his energetic paintings, up through June 19th at Studio Gallery.

Q: What's your favorite piece from the show and why?

A: My favorite piece in the show is “Into the Mystic”. I am very much in tune with what it reflects and at the same time it surprises me, which I expect every strong work to do. It is a very interesting synthesis. I made it in a very physical way, and yet it has the serenity of inner silence and the transparency of water. I “action painted” it but many people who see it tell me that it reminds them of Monet. Water lilies? My childhood in little villages of the “France profonde” must be coming back to me, in quite unexpected ways. The title of this work comes from a song of Van Morrison that I love and listened to continuously when I painted this work.

Q: Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: I paint intuitively and try to be open to what happens. A plan would interfere with the attention that is needed and would waste precious energy. The quality of the work depends entirely on the quality of my attention. If I am present to my work, the work has a good chance to be alive. If I lose myself in plans, or any other intellectual day dream, life is drained from the painting and it begins to lie, and at some point to die.

Q: Who is your biggest influence and why?

A: I am certainly influenced by many things: lights, perfumes, places, strong emotional moments, people I love, music, poems, personalities, sincerity, honesty, energy. Many great artists, whether writers, painters or musicians have been a strong source of inspiration when I was younger: Nabokov, Matisse, Coltrane, Hendrix, and a very long list of contemporary painters. But a lot is happening now. I keep discovering amazing artists who create now. Gabriela Proksch in Austria, Jean-Francois Provost and Jean-Pierre Lafrance in Canada, Eeva-Leena Airaksinen in Finland are all incredibly strong and original abstract painters who fascinate me.

Q: For this show, did you do anything differently... new techniques, subject matter, palette, etc.?

A: This is a little show with 6 pieces, 4 of them very recent. I let energy flow much more freely than I used to, the paints I use are more fluid “soft-body” type, the colors richer and I use more elements of language, like projections of paint or long black lines. There is a watery quality to my most recent work, more depth and transparencies. These are directions I feel compelled to explore, there is more to find there.

Q: What's your favorite part about being a Studio Gallery member?

A: My favorite parts of being a Studio gallery member are the friendship of many artists, the love and energy Adah Rose gives us all, and the blessing of being part of a group where the main ambition and focus is to make our art grow and develop.

Thanks, Thierry, for sharing insights into your paintings! I look forward to seeing them in person this week.

An Interview with Artist Micheline Klagsbrun

5/23/10

For her portion of a duo show with Thierry Guillemin, fellow Studio Gallery artist Micheline Klagsbrun draws on her exploration of a story by Ovid as well as the lotus flowers featured at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Keep reading for more insights into Micheline's lush show, Lotus/Lotis, May 26 - June 19, 2010 and be sure to drop by one of the receptions:

First Friday Reception June 4, 6-8 pm
Artist's Reception Saturday, June 5, 3-5 pm
Studio Gallery - 2108 R Street N.W. Washington, DC
Directions and Hours>>

Q: For this show, did you do anything differently... new techniques, subject matter, palette, etc.?

A: It's unusual for me to create an extended series of work, using a single theme and media: a continuous flow of work.

Q: Tell us more about your theme and inspiration.

A: The source: immersion in the extraordinary display of lotus at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, at the same time as I was working on Ovid's story of Dryope (from The Metamorphoses). Dryope, a lovely young mother, plucks a lotus, unaware that this blossom is a transformed nymph, Lotis. The flower starts to drip blood, and Dryope suffers the fate of being turned into a tree.

The lotus painted by Ovid is a plant of fantasy, open to botanical interpretation, though I see her clearly as the water-lotus (botanically of the Nymphaeaceae family). She is warmblooded still, almost unique among plants in her ability to maintain her body temperature, just as she used to do when she played with human beings.

Sacred to Hinduism and Buddhism, she rises pure and glowing from the muddy riverbed. As I draw her I feel myself drawn into this tradition of worship, but also into the tradition of centuries of classical artists painting the ideal woman, all translucent skin and soft curves...perfect petal, perfect complexion.

According to the Ancient Greeks, nymphs were also guardians of the sacred spring of water that symbolizes knowledge -- knowledge that was powerful and possibly dangerous. I learned this from Roberto Calasso, who states in Literature and the Gods: "To approach a Nymph is to be seized, possessed by something, to immerse oneself in an element at once soft and unstable, that may be thrilling or may equally well prove fatal."

Q: Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: Although I will often plan my work, especially if it based on one of Ovid’s stories, in this case I just stepped aside and let the work emerge in a purely intuitive flow. Maybe Lotis allowed me access to the sacred spring!

Q: What challenges does the DC area present for local artists?

A: We face the same challenges as artists everywhere: how to survive in times of economic recession, how to build creative and nurturing community, how to get exposure for and critical feedback about our work. Last month we held an Open Forum at my studio in the 52O Street Building on just these topics, and after an hour and a half of fervent dialogue no one wanted to stop! The art world in DC is bubbling with ideas in these areas.

Thanks, Micheline, for sharing these insights into your new work and the DC art scene! Can't make her show? Visit her gorgeous online portfolio at the Studio Gallery website.

An Interview with Artist Jacqui Crocetta

5/3/10

Enduring
Jacqui Crocetta
48 x 48 inches
Photo by Ulf Wallin

Jacqui Crocetta's two-person show, extending trust, is now up at the Studio Gallery through May 22, 2010 along with Marie Straw's Creating Characters from Abstraction and Andrea Kraus's solo show, Painting in Haiku: "Surface of a petal-covered pond". I hope you have a chance to stop by to see her new work in person!

First Friday Reception: May 7, 6 - 8 pm
Artist's Reception: Saturday, May 8, 4 - 6 pm
Studio Gallery ~ 2108 R Street N.W. Washington, DC
Gallery location and hours

Q: What's your favorite piece from the show and why?

A: One of my favorite paintings in the show is enduring a 48 x 48 abstract acrylic on canvas. There are actually quite a few paintings, or painting "attempts" underneath the final, resolved painting which, to me, adds an interesting dimension. The painting's history seems to add depth, just as the experiences in a person's life add character.

Q: Do you paint intuitively, with a hardcore plan, or somewhere in between?

A: My point of departure might be a specific color palette, but my only plan is to follow where the painting takes me. I begin by freely and fearlessly applying paint to the canvas, often times deliberately painting myself into a corner, until I reach the point in the process where I begin editing. The dance between chaos and control is what I love most about the process--moving back and forth in the space between inspiration and intention. I find that by easing up on control, I am rewarded by the discovery of complex colors and compositions, which I can then coax into becoming a painting.

Q: For this show, did you do anything differently... new techniques, subject matter, palette, etc.?

A: I created three-dimensional work for this show, which has given me the opportunity to work with new materials, an added dimension, and a different process/approach. I'm intrigued by the organic way in which an artist's work evolves--the three-dimensional pieces are in response to a nagging need I had to respond to some of the issues and events in life that challenge and fascinate me.

Q: Where do you see the DC art scene in five years? In ten?

A: I believe the future holds a rich, blended art scene for DC. There will be an increase in unique collaborations between artists and professionals in a range of industries... visual and performing artists, poets, scientists, architects, designers, urban planners, inventors, teachers, etc. Our understanding, definition of, and access to art will expand far greater than where it is today. There will be a greater emphasis on, and appreciation of, the significance of art and creativity in the evolution of society. Art will be more seamlessly integrated into everyday living.

Q: What challenges does the DC area present for local artists?

A: The lack of affordable studio space is a real problem. We need the equivalent of the incubators that exist for science and technology.

Q: What's your favorite part of being a Studio Gallery member?

A: I'm grateful to be part of the Studio Gallery community for many reasons... because our director, Adah Rose, is so innovative and passionate about art and artists, we have the best interns in town, and we have a diverse and talented group of member artists who are a source of endless support and inspiration.

Thank you, Jacqui, for sharing these insights into your new work plus your vision of the DC art scene in the future! For more about Jacqui, including additional work, artist statement and a link to her website, visit the Studio Gallery on the web and be sure to stop by the receptions and meet her in person.

An Interview with Artist Andrea Kraus

4/24/10



Fellow Studio Gallery member Andrea Kraus has a solo show coming up. There will be two receptions, plus a two-person show happening at the same time for members Jacqui Crocetta and Marie Straw. I enjoyed getting to learn more about her and her work, and I hope you have a chance to go see her new pieces in person!

Painting in Haiku: "Surface of a petal-covered pond" - Andrea Kraus
Show dates: April 28 - May 22, 2010
First Friday Reception: May 7, 6 - 8 pm
Artist's Reception: Saturday, May 8, 4 - 6 pm
2108 R Street N.W. Washington, DC
Regular gallery hours and contact info

Q: What inspired your new pieces for this exhibit?

A: For this show, I was inspired by the koi pond that we have on the Eastern Shore. I tried to capture the movement and peacefulness of the fish as they swim around the dark pool. They are very colorful and contrast with the dark green and brown of the water.

Q: Did you do anything differently--new techniques, subject matter, palette, etc.--for this show?

A: I tend to get bored with one subject so most of my shows change subject. This time I returned to large format acrylic with just a few monoprints (Chine-collé) and linoleum prints. I have used collage a lot in the past and for this show I repeated one composition three different times, one with shiny collage, one with Japanese patterned paper and one with just acrylic paint using a windowpane effect.

Q: What's your favorite part about being a Studio Gallery member?

A: I have been part of Studio Gallery for many years. It really affords me the freedom to explore and show what I want to without thinking about what someone else would like for me to exhibit. Having a "show date" helps me to focus and gives me a much needed deadline. Of course, knowing my fellow artists is always wonderful and the gallery members are very supportive of each other.

Thank you so much, Andrea, for sharing these insights into your new work--I look forward to seeing it!