YIFAT GAT

Silver over black,

oil & acrylic on 300gr paper, 64 x 45 cm, 2010

What are you working on in your studio right now?

I just moved to a new place so I still get exited about having my coffee there and organizing my colors. Besides I’m preparing myself for my two upcoming projects: the first is a site specific, so I try to keep my 'hands warm'. I did some small/medium series these last two weeks (some are in the photos) each with around 15 - 20 works. The second project is a solo show of my latest paper works in a private gallery, so I am going through my stuff and picking... I think I will have a wall of five brown and five grey with a white one in the middle.

 

Can you describe your working routine?

I do serial paper works, editions and wall works. For the site specific there is no real routine apart from keeping track of ideas I discover in the studio process, that I think would grow nicely to big scale. For the editions so far I inverted paper works and then digitally print them. So I play with that on my macbook in my free time. For the paper works I took a while to find my sizes and I kind of stick with them. My main size is 100 x 70cm. I go down to 60x40cm, A4 and A5. I go up to twice as 140x 100 cm.

As I said, I am a serial painter, I do 5 - 15 at a time, depends on the sizes. I like the timeline effect it creates for me, I feel I am on the move, and one painting brings on the other. I start a paper with an all over layer of acrylic, to solidify it, kind of getting to know it. Then I go in, in various ways, I could just use a pencil or an all over oil surface. I like engraving the drawing into thick layers of color and than repaint parts of it and redraw it over again until it becomes an image I like. That way I get to do both, my drama act of color and drippings and wide strokes but still keep my notion of a minimalist image.

 

work in progess

Can you describe your studio space and how, if at all, that affects your work?

I have my drawing table that I brought with me from Israel, its an old found metal & wood architect table, I like working on it. I just discovered I could also work on my center piece, wich is a kind of a library for my paper works, and I thought I would use it just to go through the works but with the light above its very comfortable working standing (its 90 cm height). I use the corridor to hang framed works so I can get a better look at what I did, I admit its nice to have all that. Before I could only see my work properly when it was showing in a gallery, and now I get to see around 20 each day, I feel it’s an important upgrade.

The highlight for me is the wooden work wall. My last studio had a large glass wall, so I improvised a wooden surface to work on, now I stayed with the habit and built it into a 2.5 x 4 m wooden wall (even though i dont have any glass walls anymore) and I am so happy and greatfull for having that. My next project is a library for drying works, I’m looking forward to getting that done. It will have room for fifty 100x70cm at a time, then I will be really free to work!

studio

Tell me about your process, where things begin, how they evolve etc.

In a way, it’s kind of a courage test for me, every step of the way I am tempted to be scared of something.  Scared to loose what I did so far, scared to go were I don’t know etc. so I try to convert my decisions from fear based to faith based at all times, it’s kind of an ongoing consciousness game. I believe that if done right, this kind of process can reach the viewer through the final object. Like a painting is just the corner of a large invisible mental structure, constructed from fear or faith based decisions.

What are you having the most trouble resolving?

It took me years to realize I have to build a system around the work it self in order to enable it.I think it is still my greatest challenge but I´m more optimistic now. I am one of this people that were truly relieved to become forty.

studio corridor

Do you experiment with different materials a lot or do you prefer to work within certain parameters?

My paper works are classical: oils, acrylics, pencils, inks but I enjoy taking things out of context with my site specifics. I’m doing my third WWW now, which is a wool wall drawing. I did the BLANC D´ESPAGNE project on large vitrines, which was originally an ancient cleaning product, used now days mainly for renovated shops.

What does the future hold for this work?

The near future is Festival des Arts Ephémères, Marseille, artistic director: Mr. Thierry Ollat, MAC Marseilles, opening 19 May 2011. Followed by `Galerie du Tableau ´Marseilles, artistic director: Mr. Bernard Plasse opening 6 June 2011. Living in south of France now, I am happy to work with the MAC and I’m happy to have a text by Jean-Louis Connan the director of école des beaux-arts de marseille for this upcoming project. For next year I am scheduled for a Tel Aviv project which I am exited about, because I love this city. I’m also happy to become part of  WOMAN ON LINE / contemporary lines by contemporary woman

Silver over black,

oil & acrylic on 300gr paper, 64 x 45 cm, 2010

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having me, I find this blog inspiring. I think other artists are the best resource we artists have.