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Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
WCAGA Send in News! November 2016
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Saturday, October 1, 2016
Interview with Sally Eppstein. Artist, jewelry maker and current WCAGA President.
1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?
I was born in Augusta, Ga and considered myself an army brat since my West Point graduate dad retired when he was 53 and I was just three. I grew up visiting the campus of Augusta College where he taught accounting as a second career. My sister who is 17 years older and my three brothers lived around the world but I believe there are pros and cons to how we were both raised.
Food and art are my main two loves. I debated about going to culinary school or to art school and art won because I knew I wanted a family and I did not want to work restaurant hours while I raised a family.
I went to Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC for an associates in jewelry and received my BFA from Augusta College that is now call Augusta State University.
2. What's integral to your art and or art career?
Peace and quiet. When I lived by myself before I got married, I was quite prolific but since I have been married and raising my son and step kids I have found it harder to be as focused on my art as I would like. My youngest will be going off to college soon and I am looking forward to being prolific again.
3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?
I started painting with oils as a child until after college but now I mainly use acrylic paints and different gel mediums from Golden Paint. My latest adventures have been making sculptures with wood and stainless steel.
All of my art is inspired from nature.
4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?
Clear cutting of trees makes me angry/sad and being in nature with my family and dogs makes me incredibly happy.
5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?
Being a part of the WCAGA is my biggest inspiration right now because I am surrounded by so many incredible talented women.
6. What superpower would you want?
The one superpower I would love to have at the moment would be to convince Georgia politicians to create strong zoning laws that would save land/environment from over aggressive developers.
7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?
I have quite a few favorite artists but the top of my list is Alexander Calder mainly because he made large heavy steel sculptures to putting on performances with his small whimsical circus. I love that he was not limited to any media or that he took himself too seriously.
Two of my other top two artists are Niki de Saint Phalle and Alice Neel.
8. What advice would you give to other artists?
Love and respect your teacher’s advice and then learn to let go of most of what they taught you so you can find your own art.
9. Contact details.
Sally Eppstein
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Interview with artist Julie Nellenback Henry.
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| Image by Julie Nellenback Henry |
1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?
My name is Julie Nellenback Henry and I am a contemporary multi media artist with a focus on painting. I am originally from Seneca Falls New York but have lived most of my life in the south. When I was in college I took a drawing class and disliked it so much that I dropped it after attending 2 classes! In my mid twenties I returned to my interest in art and in the years since I have been focused on my creative process. For most of those years I had a day job. I worked in my studio at night and on weekends always yearning for the day when I could pursue art full time. My work initially was naïve/ outsider/ figurative and my materials were things like old pieces of wood found while dumpster diving and $1 per gallon oops house paint from the Duron paint store on North Avenue.
2. What's integral to your art and or art career?
I just have this unexplainable longing to communicate how I feel without words. Without that longing I would never paint.
3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?
I seem to always be working to convey a relationship between something uncivilized and something more enlightened. I am continually drawn by the idea of a primal expression in union with a modern perspective. Part raw and part refined.
Right now I am painting in oil on board or canvas as well as painting in ink on paper. My background includes working in repurposed leather, letterpress, mono printing and assemblage sculpture.
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| Image by Julie Nellenback Henry. |
4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?
I love this question because it made me realize that I have very little interest in what makes me angry at this point in my life. But to be fair oppression in any form pisses me off. Any abuse of children, old people and animals is sure to make me mad.
There are specific moments when I experience pure joy during the creative process. The electric moment when an idea or inspiration comes flying into me is really worth relishing. Sometimes it arrives so quickly and unexpectedly that I am scrambling to find a way to make a note.
Also the moment when a shift occurs and all creative decisions become fluid and effortless. At that point in a painting I have lost track of myself and it feels great.
5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?
Right now I am really loving the paintings of Jorge Quieroz, the poems of Tomas Transtromer and the music of The Last Shadow Puppets.
I am currently reading a book titled My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem and listening to various Maya Angelou recordings found online.
On a more personal note, I am now and have been for many years greatly influenced and inspired by my undeniably talented husband Jason Henry.
6. What superpower would you want?
Do they have one that enables you to give everyone you encounter 1000 years of forgiveness in advance?
7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?
It was the work of Thornton Dial that inspired me to start painting. After that I was inspired to continue to paint by the work of Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jean Dubuffet and Francesco Clemente. Now I would say I still love all of them plus many many more including Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Ryman, Sonia Delaunay, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Alexander McQueen and the list goes on…..
8. What advice would you give to other artists?
I have this quote by Rumi posted on the wall of my studio -
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray”.
Trust yourself.
If you find yourself unable to go into your studio or avoiding your work try reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Another book I recommend is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Guard against hopelessness by any means possible.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Artist Interview with Sara Schindel
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| Banquet with Lobster |
1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?
I was born in Atlanta but grew up in Athens, GA. I graduated from Indiana University’s John Herron School of Art. I worked as a freelance stylist for commercial photography for years while making art during the weeks when had no work.Twenty years ago I had the opportunity to have a studio.That’s when I stopped painted and declared “ if not now then when” and begin making anything that popped into my head.
2. What's integral to your art and or art career?
My process is uncontrolled and my work created spontaneously. I like a loose edge to my work but I struggle to solve the work and make it cohesive. Finding an engaging theme and considering anything as media, detritus as well as conventional media is integral to my work.
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| Wrestlers Whole |
3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?
I’m currently pursuing autobiographical work concerning events from my childhood. I’ve created parodies of Great Master’s work taking still life painting back to three dimensions. I’m continuing that work also. I’m using cut paper, paint, styrofoam, wire, polymer clay and excelsior. I’ve used glass, tar, cable wire, action figures, computer parts and a taxidermy fish among other thing.
4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?
People who are unreliable and irresponsible are very annoying. I’ve worked on being responsible and doing what I say I’ll do so this trait is important in to me. The violence of current times makes me feel angry but also helpless.
My son is my greatest joy. Just a note or call from him makes my day. Also, I feel a lot of happiness when I’m able to solve a work problem. If a piece is difficult to create, my satisfaction at completing it makes me joyful.
5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?
David Gilhooly a California artist who started the Funk Art Movement. He made intense beautifully crafted assemblages and was a great inspiration to me. http://www.sites.onlinemac.com/cchang/shadowboxes.htm
Inspiring friends and family encourage and support my growth.
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| Still Life with Dirty Dishes |
6. What superpower would you want?
I would want the eyes of an eagle so I could better see the stars.
7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?
My sister Alice Schindel www.aliceschindel.com is my favorite artist. Her work has an undeniable presence, whimsey, and wit.
8. What advice would you give to other artists?
Consider strategy with your career instead of luck. If you are fortunate to have financial support the world is yours. If not you will have be very focused to complete a body of work after your day job ends.
Sara Schindel 404-788-3328 saraschindel@gmail.com www.saraschindelart.com
Friday, July 1, 2016
Interview with Vicki Bethel(nickname-Maggie)
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| Collage by Vicki Bethel |
Vicki Bethel. (Nickname – Maggie). I was born in Kansas, as were both of my parents and all four of my grandparents. They really liked the place. I lived there until I was six months old. I have moved more than forty times and lived in seventeen states. I’ve been making art all my life. I studied art at Kansas City Art Institute, Minneapolis College of Art & Design, and California College of the Arts.
2. What's integral to your art and or art career?
Thinking and experimentation. Most of the work takes place in my head. After the thought process I make things to see what happens. I have no interest in doing something if I know what the end result will be.
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| Colored pencil on Notes by Vicki Bethel |
3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?
Repetition, contrasts, relatedness. pattern, rhythm, color and their possible relationship to emotion, loss, memory, meditation. Mixed media. To that end my background includes: drawing, painting, etching, lithography, papermaking, bookbinding, letterpress, silk screen, photography, weaving, off-loom fiber, sculpture, collage, assemblage, installation, clay, wood carving.
4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?
Injustice, waste, and cruelty make me angry. Happy is easier – so many things! Family, friends, old movies, gardens, sleep, raspberries, color, postcards, coffee, wind, cats, books, bats, music, cotton, music, paper, travel.
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| Front and Rear by Vicki Bethel |
5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?
Jacques Cousteau and the animated Disney film, Bambi.
6. What superpower would you want?
Not interested.
7. Who is your favorite artist and/or other person?
Again, too many to mention, but here are a few off the top of my head: Sonia Delaunay, Gauguin, Andy Warhol, Anne Ryan, John Lennon, Milton Avery, Maria Sibylla Merian, Kandinsky, Groucho Marx, Vermeer, François Truffaut, Wayne Thiebaud, Eva Hesse, Busby Berkeley, etc.
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| Solar Maximum by Vicki Bethel |
8. What advice would you give to other artists ?
Go to law school.
9. Contact details.
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