Marble
Mountain, 38.5 x 51.5",
Acrylic and vinyl on stretched
fabric, 2011
Recently I just moved to a new studio, so I am
beginning a number of projects. I am
working on a series of small paintings on plaster, tablet-like panels. I view these paintings as a testing
site. I am thinking about ideas and
combinations of material through them.
In addition to the smaller works, I have started a large wall
installation that combines a number of materials in a woven-like structure that
hangs off the wall. I don’t know where
this project is going yet, but it is starting to form organically- reacting to
each section that came before it.
Besides these planned projects I am also making miscellaneous studies-
drawings, small sculptures, and collage.
Today I have this idea to make a fish tank with no fish, more of a
viewing tank for material. That is as
far as I have gotten, but we will see where it goes. The fake material of fish tanks interests me-
the fake wood, rocks, and plants that make up the environment. I find it strangely similar to the fake
materials that we surround ourselves with in homes- linoleum, vinyl, synthetics
that are supposed to be stand-ins for the actual.
Brooklyn studio part of the Marie Walsh Sharpe
Art Foundation’s Space Program
My working routine has also recently changed
dramatically. I moved to Brooklyn, New
York and started a new job as well as a studio residency program. I am working during the day as a carousel
operator, so I work in the studio at night.
It often takes me a few hours to warm up; I usually just have to meander
around a while before I get in the zone.
I go to the studio almost everyday even if it is for a short time, I
feel like I just have to check in visually.
In terms of how the work progresses, I am always working on small
studies and the plaster paintings. The
larger wall installations I usually work on one or two at a time. It is good for me to have a lot of different
things going so there are various types of activities. This way when I come to the studio there is
always something I can do depending on if I feel like sitting on the floor
working on something small versus climbing on a ladder and drilling something
into the wall.
The
Remnants,7 x 11ft, Acrylic, wood, carpet, plaster,
and
window blinds on wall, 2011
My studio space is very important to my
work. I have a lot of stuff that I
surround myself with when I am working, so it is crucial for me to make the
space feel like home. My studio has a
large pile of material in it that is the source of all of my work. The stuff in the pile is like my pallet, a
batch of raw material that is a source of inspiration as well as the actual
stuff that goes into the work. The pile
dictates how my studio is set up because it is kept separate from where the
work is made. Material gets extracted
from the pile, and then it is taken away form the pile to be further
examined. I have 2 walls in my studio
that I make large wall installations on and then the other walls I hang up
smaller work as well as drawings and studies. While I work there is always music on- all
kinds of music, but always loud.
paintings
on plaster tablets
Tell me about your process, where things begin, how they
evolve etc.
Things evolve in various ways for me. The initial base is that I am always looking
for new material for my pile. The
material is found, bought, parts, pieces, bits, old, and new. There is no criteria except for material that
interests me and that I want to look at further. Most of the time the material stays in the
pile a long time before it goes into a piece.
So, my process begins with this pile of stuff. I often take something from the pile I want
to work with and then begin to make drawings.
Once I have some sort of idea, I being to construct. Most of the time the piece rarely sticks to
any sort of plan, it changes dramatically throughout the process.
I have an interest in incorporating knitted
fabric into my work. I make a lot of
knit fabric on a knitting machine and haven’t yet figured out a way to
incorporate that language into my work.
Right now, the knitted work stays very separate from my other work. So, I hope eventually to figure out a way to
tie it into the work in a way that makes sense.
The
Samples (Installation View)
Dimensions vary, Plaster, acrylic, and foam, 2010
Sample
2, 13 x 18", Plaster, foam, and acrylic, 2010
Do you experiment with different materials a lot or do you
prefer to work within certain parameters?
I experiment with different materials often;
really every piece is a new experiment.
The parameters I see in the work are its relationship to the wall. I am interested in how the work relates to
the 2D world of painting. Even though my
work is very sculptural, I see the work in a stage-like viewing space where the
viewer is coming at the work from a specific direction rather than the work
being seen in the round.
What does the future hold for this work?
The future of the work is very unknown to
me. I think this year living in Brooklyn
is going to really influence my work in new ways not yet known to me. I suspect that the work will continue to
explore the boundaries between painting and sculpture as well as my interest in
home building materials relating to abstract painting. I see my work having everything to do with
abstract painting except the paint and stretcher bars. I hope to explore this idea more.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I
just want to say thank you for this interview, it was fun talking with you
about my work and process.
The
Burial (Installation View) Dimensions Variable, 2011