Gareth Edwards 51 Peripheral ARTeries As you have remarked in your artist's statement, you tend to focus not on creating deep, insightful meaning, but more upon creating disbelief on the part of the viewer... would you like to elaborate a bit about this interesting concept for our readers? I remember my first major ballpoint artwork I completed during an art exam at College. I remember the examiner at the time, every now and then, would come over and gaze in wonder as I worked. Whilst the piece had a lot of emotion and deep meaning embedded into it, the idea that you could draw on such a realistic scale struck a chord with not just the examiner, but the students who often marveled at my work during those semesters. I remembered my initial reactions of amazement as I saw realistic ballpoint artwork for the first time, and for my work to create the same reaction, felt special. Vivian, features Vivien Leigh Hepburn
52 Peripheral ARTeries Cassandra Hanks Influenced by Hollywood, you draw inspiration from real imagery... I would like to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indespensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience? In some ways, I think it can be disconnected, but there is no denying that for many successful artists, personal experiences are often the inspiration for their artworks. The most memorable during my own development were artists who were alive and drew during the wartime periods, Kathe Kollwitz and Otto Dix come to mind. Their psychological motivations for each individual artwork embody their surroundings, and without doubt, their artworks are more striking because of their experiences. For me personally, I can’t necessarily say I have had personal experience in Hollywood, nor can I say I have met my subjects. On the other hand, I think you can read into my work a desire to be perfect. That is part of my personality for sure. I would say that the choice of clinical black and white imagery isn't by accident. My taste in decor is black and white, along with most of my wardrobe. So even though from the outside you don’t see a direct link between my personal experiences and the creative process in creating my artwork, my close friends and family may be able to recognise traits in my drawings that relate to me as a person. And now a little bit naif observation: first, I would suggest our reader to visit your YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/GarethEdwardsArt I think that it's remarkable for an artist to show the development of his process... this has for sure involved me much than ever... and even though the best picture I can dare to draw is Donald Duck's portrait, I have to say that viewing your videos has encouraged me... I like the way your artworks establish an active relationship with your audience... Artists have to make the most of technology. Gone are the days where the only way to get your art seen was in public galleries. By and large, most on-line media you can use to display and market your artwork is either free or next to nothing, and it is certainly something I have capitalised on in growing my own fan base. I think having an active relationship with your followers is very important. I love reading how it inspires others Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards 53 Peripheral ARTeries to draw and how they admire my hard work. I was recently sent some drawings, of my drawings! That was pretty cool! I really encourage you to follow my works on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GarethEdwardsArtOfficial or on Instagram ‘GARETHEDWARDSART’. I'm sort of convinced that Art in these days could play an effective role not only making aware public opinion about socio political issues: I would go as far as to say that nowadays Art can even steer people's behavior... what's your point about this? Do you think that it's an exaggeration? And what could be in your opinion the role that an artist could play in our society? All in all, they say that the pen is mightier than the sword... I think I should touch on my point about art being a universal language again. We are an image driven society in the 21st Century and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I suppose Banksy is the one modern day artist that springs to mind immediately. His artwork is constantly challenging the viewer’s perspective to examine the nature and fabric of our everyday life and experiences. If you go back in time to World War II, War Propaganda had a huge influence on society and behavior. It was successfully used as a stimulus to promote a variety of political and social movements on a large scale. I would suggest art be a stimulus for change, yet the most important factor is surely the idea. Once an idea has entered the mind, it is almost impossible to eradicate, art is therefore the contagion and vehicle of transportation. Your work has received recognition from around the world. It goes without saying that feedbacks and especially awards are capable of supporting an artist: to think it all started from your bedroom desk, I was just wondering if the expectation of positive feedback could even influence the process of an artist... By the way, how important for you is the feedback of your audience? Do you ever think to whom will enjoy your Art when you conceive your pieces? I always consider my audience in the creative process as well as my own desires for the final outcome. Marilyn Monroe
Peripheral ARTeries Gareth Edwards , features Vogue model Camille Rowe
Gareth Edwards 55 Peripheral ARTeries Cassandra Hanks YouTube channel and documenting my works, as well something to document the process a little better for other artists to learn and develop. The rest is unknown. If I say I never really planned for my artwork to take off in the way it has this year, I would be lying, however I couldn't have foreseen some of the events that took place. It is hard to plan your exposure, it kind of hits you when you least expect it in the most unusual ways. It is what makes this path so unpredictable, it is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life so interesting. Spotted Scarf Emma, features Emma Watson Feedback is probably the number one reason for creating art. When I started, I had little idea that other people from around the world would be as passionate about my work as I was, and it really is a fantastic feeling. I don’t think I would have the same motivation for my work that I do now had it not have been for the wonderful messages I receive. On the contrary, I think the most exciting artists test their own fan bases, it is the artists who challenge opinion that receive greater recognition in my opinion. It is easy to play it safe and be a crowd pleaser, but to engage your collectors into debate is what separates them from the rest of us. Thank you for your time and for sharing with us your thoughts, Gareth. My last question deals with your future plans: what's next for you? Anything coming up for you professionally that you would like readers to be aware of? I really want to hold an exhibition of some kind next year. My aim next year will be to pursue public space in group and solo exhibitions. Alongside that I want to build on the amazing response I have had on-line and aim to reach out to new fans and collectors. I see a big future in my An interview by [email protected]
1 Peripheral ARTeries an artist’s statement Marcel Hoppenbrouwers Marcel Hoppenbrouwers (The Netherlands) 56
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 2 Peripheral ARTeries 57
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 58 Peripheral ARTeries Hello Marcel, and a warm welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. I would start this interview with my usual introductory question: what in your opinion defines a work of Art? And moreover, what could be the features that mark the contemporariness of an artwork? Hello, and thank you for the invitation. The definition of an art work and it's contemporariness to me is the style, as wel as the approach of the creative process in which it was made, as well as the message it sends to the public. It's the unique business card of the artist if you will, representing a dream, idea, philosophy, of even strange approach to a concept only the the artist was able to find at a certain moment, which he or she is offering to the public to enjoy, asking them to think about, or even brutally confronting them with the particular approach, grabbing your attention as if it wasn't yours to choose. Would you like to tell us something about your background? Are there any experiences that have particularly impacted on the way you currently produce your Art? By the way, I would like to ask your opinion about formal training: I sometimes ask to myself if a certain kind of training could even stifle a young artist's creativity... My ability to draw and sketch was developed strongly by a well known local artist and school teacher in the city where I lived when I was young, but I never put it to serious use, until I was asked to design a float for the local Mardigrass events. That one-off chance resulted in four years of designing large thematic floats, in which period I really started to seriously improve my skills and started painting as well. Studying classic art painting and visiting museums I gradually developed my skills to what they are now, because I wanted, and still want to meet the craftmanschip of the classic mas- Cassandra Hanks an interview with Marcel Hoppenbrouwers ters, using them as an addition to my own style.Formal training can be an addition to develop creativity or skill, but on the other hand I also see the results of teachers interfering with the style or work someone is producing, to which I am opposed. For that reason I teach my own students the basics or more advanced skills of the old masters, not interfering with whatever style they like to choose, but merely to improve the quality of their creations and also to feel more confident of successfully producing what they have in mind. I think art teachers need to be very considerate to preserve the style of their students, instead of forcing their own style upon them. Marcel Hoppenbrouwers
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 59 Peripheral ARTeries I make sure to never touch the carrier or painting with bare hands, because it is often cause to damage and improper attachment of paint layers. Even when varnish is already applied in the end, I never touch it without the medical gloves I have for handeling my work. Once the preparation process is complete, days or weeks go by of thinking about my intuition leads on how the idea must take form and position in the picture to get the best results, considering lighting, dynamics, statics, colors, atmosphere, and so on. Once I think I have enough to make the first steps, mostly based on form, position and lichting, a quick sketch is made with pencil, which is fixed with a course grisaille underpainting, made with alkyd paint that dries fast. All layers so far are as thin as the material allows, and when dry, the underpainting is sanded smooth and a thin layer Before starting to elaborate about your production, would you like to tell to our readers something about your process and set up for making your artworks? In particular, what technical aspects do you mainly focus on your work? And how much preparation and time do you put in before and during the process of creating a piece? As the idea is mostly no more than a scribble on a small post-it or a block note, I start with the choice and size of the carrier. I like to scale down as small as possible, because I go by the rule 'the smaller the painting, the larger the challenge'. In most cases I prefer to paint on copper sheet metal for durability of the work, unless cost or customer wishes ask for different material like canvas. Secondly the carrier is prepared for use, being primed, sanded smooth and an imprematura is applied, depending on the atmosphere I want the painting to express: red or brown for warm, and grey for cool colors. When after thorough drying the carrier is ready for use, the Golden Cut Linings are applied with pencil, which is used for harmonious composition of the picture. During the entire duration of the production of the painting, De Herberg As I See Fit, 9.1 x 7.1 inches
60 Peripheral ARTeries of retouching varnish is applied to seal the underpainting from the color layers. With the underpainting secured, most of the technical tools are abandoned, as I start painting the picture being lead by intuition and brush strokes from the underpainting to create the definitive form, which is sometimes slightly altered in a later stage for improvements in composition or appearance. Also in the first color layer, the color contrasts of different objects or figures need to be defined, necessary to create exactly the right effect for lighting, depth and perspective and in some areas to create suggestions of 3D effects. All these effects, alongside the general picture, are then worked to maximum influence and detail to obtain the desired result. Depending on what kind of painting I make, the whole process of production takes about two to six months like this. Now let's focus on your artworks: I would like to start with The Tavern and Piepsnip, that our readers have admired in the starting pages of this article: could you take us through your creative process when starting these pieces? What was your initial inspiration? 'The Tavern' started as a study project for genre painting, in which I wanted to develop a particular technique used bij Cornelis Bega of which I visited an exhibition in Aachen Germany. He made an etch drawing in 1660, of which he never made the subsequent painting, that I used as a guide to create this painting. 'Peepnose' or 'Piepsnip' in the Dutch language, is a small project, 7 x 7 cm in size, which I made for The Dutch National Mouseon project in Amsterdam. Planning of that project is ongoing, establishing a traveling museum, that shows artwork of hundreds of Dutch artists with 'the Mouse' as an inspiration source. I noticed that you pay a particular attention to the details, especially when they seem to be hidden in the dark, as in The Tavern. I would go as far as to state that your Art help us to notice a lot of details around us, allowing us to discover the poetry inside them... I'm sort of convinced that some informations & ideas are hidden, or Cassandra Hanks even "encrypted" in the environment we live in, so we need to decipher them. Maybe that one of the roles of an artist could be to reveal unexpected sides of Nature, especially of our Marcel Hoppenbrouwers Piepsnip
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 61 Peripheral ARTeries Cassandra Hanks inner Nature... what's your point about this? I can agree to that. That's why I like my work to tell stories and send messages to think about, partly in plain view, partly hidden to keep the picture interesting, holding a firm grip to tension. I like to challenge the viewer to discover them, and create their own story or ideas with the symbolics and plain view picture as a guideline. It teaches us to be more allert to our surroundings where lots of treasure is waiting to be discovered for personal development or just to enjoy. I'm sort of convinced that Art in these days could play an effective role not only making aware public opinion about socio political issues: I would go as far as to say that nowadays Art can even steer people's behavior... what's your point about this? Do you think that it's an exaggeration? And what could be in your opinion the role that an artist could play in our society? In my opinion there's not only a large potential for art to send certain messages, but there's also a strong need for it as well. The world of art is a very strong platform for this purpose, alongside its role The Tavern
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 62 Peripheral ARTeries to provide pleasure or joy. As far as my own work is concerned, paintings like 'The Race' perform that function of steering. This painting shows in symbolics how we struggle inside when we try to achieve goals in our lives, offering people to think about their life priorities. Other pieces of yours on which I would like to spend Rieu and Queen Beatrix... a feature of these pieces that has mostly impacted on me is the effective mix of dark tones, which are capable of creating such a prelude to light... I also noticed that a deep flooding red is a recurrent tone in your paintings, as in De Nar and in the aforesaid Queen Beatrix. By the way, any comments on your choice of "palette" and how it has changed over time? My choice of palette and lighting are based on the atmosphere I think a painting needs to express and hasn't changed much over the years. But it has technically developed itself gradually, by use of new Cassandra Hanks Queen Beatrix Andre Rieu
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 63 Peripheral ARTeries ideas on color layer formulas and improvement of painting materials . Famous or well known people are mostly portrayed as they are known, in their role or function in society. I wanted to show the human being behind that role or function in society. The human behind the circus or facade, if you will. Warm colors and clair obscure lighting adds to a personal atmosphere, detaching the viewer from the general expectation that goes along with recognition of that well known person. And we couldn't do without mentioning another interesting pieces: The Race and especially Allegorie van Vastenavend which I have to admit is one of my favorite pieces of yours. As you have stated once, you study the methods of the golden age masters and translate them into modern materials: I was wondering if you can still recognize such a subtle, hidden dichotomy between tradition and modernity... The methods of the golden age masters De Nar
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 64 Peripheral ARTeries which I translate in modern materials, are for the largest part meant on a technical level. Modern paint and carriers for instance, have higher quality levels or standards than the materials they had to cope with. But in technical sense, it is a fact that the way a painting is built up strongly influences the way the end result looks. By use of the old masters production methods, a painting is influenced positively in quality and durability. As far as pictorial style concerns one cannot deny that the work of masters in history one likes, wouldn't influence a modern artists style somewhat by inspiration, but that doesn't necessarily need to show in the style it was made in. Maybe the best known example of that is the work of Gustav Klimmt. He was in fact an Old School painter by education, but used those skills to develop his own unique style. Cassandra Hanks Queen Beatrix Allegory of Mardi Grass It goes without saying that feedbacks and especially awards are capable of supporting an artist, I was just wondering if an award -or better, the expectation of an award- could even influence the process of an artist... By the way, how much important is for you the feedback of your audience? Do you ever think to whom will enjoy your Art when you conceive your pieces? I wouldn't be telling true if I would consider feedback of low importance in relation to what I do. Why does anyone create in the first place? If not for recognition, than at least to tell the world what you want them to focus their attention to your idea, vision, or just an enjoyable presentation of skill. Feedback and even awards are great for an artist's self-confidence and also to get known, although some importance lies in the part of the
Marcel Hoppenbrouwers 65 Peripheral ARTeries Thank you for your time and for sharing with us your thoughts, Marcel. My last question deals with your future plans: anything coming up for you professionally that you would like readers to be aware of? In 2013 I participated in 2 digital exhibitions in New York, and one in a luxurious caste in Arcen The Netherlands. I am working to further extend expositions like this, and have one planned already for november and december of 2015 being a solo exhibition in another luxurious castle, Chateau Neercanne near Maastricht in The Netherlands. I like to surprise in the development of my work, so I would like to invite people who would like to follow me to friend up on Facebook and keep visiting my website regularly, where also new developments are posted: http://www.paintings-marcel.com development process. The public library that helps one think, if you will. Besides that, of course there's also the economical aspect. We all have to pay bills, so we therefor like to sell our creations, although it might be preferable to have ones work in display for larger groups of people to enjoy. That however, does not influence what I create. If I would mainly allow my creative process to be steered by public expectations, I wouldn't be creating my own style or ideas anymore, but just follow up on demand. The only situation to me that would allow that, is in commissioned work, where it is the customers wish to create some specific subject in a style to his or her taste. The Race
1 Peripheral ARTeries annie de wiest is a bona fide Belgian artist who works on photographs, texts, and images. She was tutored by Berthe Dubail and inspired by masterpieces from the greats. For her, the world of images is a great escape. An odyssey to the heart of colours and sensations. A modus operandi for remembering a spot, situ, or urbs. As a sociology graduate, she brings back from around the world palettes that describe life. Animated by the wish to travel to the furthest parts of her art she is now working on graphic pallet and produces her ink works on canvas and frame. Each painting is unique. Not only talentwise but also for illuminated aficionados or collectors. (Belgium) annie de wiest you can view more of annie de wiest on: www.artmajeur.com/annie-de-wiest/ www.pinterest.com/anniedewiest/ be.linkedin.com/in/anniedewiest http://a.touchtalent.com/portfolio/myworks-385763 66
Annie de Wiest 2 Peripheral ARTeries green defragmentation 6
annie de wiest 68 annie de wiest Peripheral ARTeries I would start this interview with my usual introductory question: what in your opinion defines a work of Art? And moreover, what could be the features that mark the contemporariness of an artwork? Art involves coping with the emotional, through pleasurable motions that are to be presented as some work to some partners or consumers. I enjoy digital tablets just because of the sensitive screen: Indeed, I only work with my fingers, like our Palaeolithic forebears. Art started in caves, on rocks and it was about telling stories. On paper, humanity wanted to share their ideas with writing and calligraphy. Sharing always was the key. Art has become more sophisticated, but it still is about making pictures of people, situations, and events. The people who lived these stories didn’t know about us, but they gave us our history. Always remember the past, live the present and when you combine it, you build the future. What a contemporary artwork also allows is to give pleasure to people of all age groups who relate to me the energies they develop from enjoying my works. Now, art is everywhere: street art, technology, design, music, video,… While people may forget where art comes from, it’s all about giving and sharing. For instance, movies show us how we have to dream, theatre makes us dream… this is what art has to be: personal and shared imagination. Would you like to tell us something about your background? Are there any experiences that particularly informed you and impacted on the way you produce your artworks? By the way, I often ask to myself if a certain kind of formal training could even stifle an artist's creativity: what's your point about this? From my earliest youth I have always penciled, drawn, painted, and played with colours. With costumes too. For example in youth groups I did theatre decorations. Re formal training, I think that Cassandra Hanks one needs foundations acquired at a relatively young age, and one has to forget them. A bit like learning the alphabet to be able to write: once learnt, one moves on to writing, one no longer repeats “ABC”, etc. Interest, observation, curiosity are keys. As a child, I was fascinated by colours and how to combine them. Later, I learnt about form and how you can create complex forms with simple ones. For example I have built theatre decors and it was fascinating. I had some more formal lessons, and I learnt a lot from my teachers. Now I want to see other paths and rethink my way of painting, but I don’t forget what I learnt from experiences and lessons. Before starting to elaborate about your production, would you like to tell to our readers something about your process and set up for making your works? In particular, what technical aspects do you mainly focus on your work? And how much preparation and time do you put in before and during the process of creating a piece? First, I need to be left by myself: either alone, or an interview with annie de wiest
annie de wiest 69 Peripheral ARTeries nothing else existed. I enjoy being surrounded by light and beautiful colours, either urban or Arcadian, for example city lights. Regarding preparation and time, whilst painting time stops. Once I start painting in a crowded place but always working solo. Then, I need to be very concentrated, as I need silence in my head to hunt away all thoughts, to focus and think of nothing except painting, as if true red
70 Peripheral ARTeries I carry on until completion in one session. I never return to a completed piece because I am at peace with the piece. Now let's focus on your artworks: I would like to start with the works that we have selected for this article and that our readers has started to admire in these pages, and I would suggest them to visit your website at www.artpiece.be in order to get a wider idea of your Art: in the meanwhile, would you tell us something about the genesis of these pieces? What was your initial inspiration? Two pieces share a common inspiration, whatever the various colours. Speaking of my work, colour is of the essence. The initial composition may look complex, but it opens a dialogue with localised hue, without any tainting or shade. I was meditating the active spirals of life. As in sufi whirling, a huge blue flow is diffusing everywhere, mixing locally with fire. I sought for true red, with all its roughness and toughness : some whirling red material was first extruded from some archaic geological machine, now accessible to digging human survey shows a foetal being that storm 3 - turbulence 3 just try annie de wiest
annie de wiest 71 Peripheral ARTeries we are to protect. This is how I want to express my concern for Nature, which we have to preserve with all its amniotic fluids. One of the features of your works that has mostly impacted on me is the way you are capable of mastering an extremely variety of colors: from the deep, bright tones of wood, to delicate, thoughtful nuances of just try... by the way, any comments on your choice of "palette" and how it has changed over time? This laudatory comment reaches my heart. I try my best to call universal, plain colours. My absolute dream is that some day each universal colour will be in one of my paintings, even if some of these colours are only represented by a tiny spot. With time, I have understood that colours have to love one another, often I imagine two colours making love. A bit like how butterflies choose their flowers by their colours. As you have remarked in the lines of your artist's could you elaborate a bit this stimulating conconcept for our readers?... By the way, I would wood
annie de wiest 72 Peripheral ARTeries like to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indespensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience? While personal experience is to be sure a precursor of the creative process, I do not consider it as a self-consistent universe. Actually, the 2.n dimensions of my paintings (indeed, no painting is ever flat) are not embedded in my personal world. To the contrary: they add a window to other universes. Each painting project is for me an opportunity to act in a (3+2.n) dimensions. Another pieces of yours on which I would like to spend some words are favourite fire and green 23 few lines, on a white background suggest me such a "map"... I'm sort of convinced that some informations & ideas are hidden, or even "encrypted" in the environment we live in, so we need -in a way- to decipher them. Maybe that one of the roles of an artist could be to reveal unexpected sides of Nature, especially Cassandra Hanks favourite fire
annie de wiest 73 Peripheral ARTeries of our inner Nature... what's your point about this? favourite fire was among the first pieces I produced on a digital tablet. Hence it is a spontaneous piece, almost childlike. It’s a kind of personal amazement before the range of graphi-cal possibilities offered by this new technology. In creating it I felt a very pure childlike joy, a primary joy, spontaneous, without afterthought. On the other hand, green 23 is a very complicated piece which demanded many hours of reflection, meditation, and hesitation, and I don’t really have the impression of a finished piece yet I don’t think that it can actually be completed. Soon there will be green 24, 25, etc. Re Nature, it’s indeed the role of artists to look at ordinary objects to make them magical, beautiful, and unexpected. And I couldn't do without mention your black and white series which I have to admit is one of my favourite project of yours... In particular, I have been struck with the way you have been capable of establishing such an effective synergy betNature green 23
turbulence 3 annie de wiest Peripheral ARTeries turbulence 1 75
76 Peripheral ARTeries ween dark tones and intense glimpse of light creating a symbiosis rather than a contrast... would you tell us more about the evolution of this stimulating project? I believe deeply in interaction more than contrast. Composition is not for me the assembling of figures on some background. I would rather see my work as a composition into the ground of the newly opened universe. So far your artworks have been exhibited in many occasions... it goes without saying that feedbacks and especially awards are capable of supporting an artist, I was just wondering if an award -or better, the expectation of an award- could even influence the process of an artist... By the way, how much important is for you the feedback of your audience? Do you ever think to whom will enjoy your Art when you conceive your pieces? I could actually do my work for myself. This is perhaps why I expect people to say what they are into. Some of the most interesting ideas I heard in this context were actually not designed as comments on my pieces. Thank you for your time and for sharing with us annie de wiest your thoughts. Anything coming up for you professionally that you would like readers to be aware of? My 2 cents: I would like to tell them that the position of our bodies in the universe is changing. I feel my painting as an interaction very much similar to what happens when we play with a mubw3, from the black and white series texture 4, from the black and white series
annie de wiest 77 Peripheral ARTeries sical instrument. Our fingers are often in touch with processes that are not to be conceived as affecting tools or objects. Actually, a flute or a drum is neither an object nor a tool; they are bodies able to transform our motions into answers. It is difficult to tell where this evolution will lead us, but it is ongoing. with red, from the Black and White series bw2, from the Black and White series
78 Peripheral ARTeries My art is influenced by caricature and mural art. When I was fifteen years old I realized that realism did not capture the emotion or essence of the human experience. So I took a sketch pad and started experimenting with methods of distorting faces. I remember being fascinated by the caricatures of celebrities in Entertainment Weekly. Some were Cubist-inspired and others were more illustrative. After a year of painting celebrity caricatures I started creating caricatures of everyday people, which is what I do today. My love of mural art began when my older brother (who is also an artist) asked me to help him paint a children’s mural twelve years ago. I realized while I was painting alongside him that my artistic expressions felt more natural when I worked larger. After that project I went to Home Depot and bought several boards and entrenched myself in the study of mural art. I became fascinated by the works of Rivera, Siquieros and Orozco. I cherished the book Community Murals-The People’s Art by Alan W Barnett. I remember being enamored of the artwork “Chicano Moratorium” by Gronk. I had never seen such horror and expression in an artwork before. I wanted to do artwork that had that level of impact. My current work consists of portraits, mostly representative of myself, but sometimes caricatures of other people and their inner lives. Lately I have been creating paintings that represent the roles that I play in my life. My recent paintings represent how I might be perceived by my peers coupled with the complicated nature how I view myself. I use my work as a means of defining my spiritual beliefs and my attempts at connecting with the spirituality and individuality of others. While I have struggled with mental health issues since a very young age, in the past decade I have begun to comprehend through professional help my dualdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. That dualdiagnosis, on the other hand, does not fully explain what I feel and experience and I still struggle to choose what, if any labels define who I am. As of right now I use art as a form of catharsis. I pour my raw and vulnerable feelings into my work and really don’t care about the comfortability of my work to an audience. I hope the work will show my pain, and that the audience will sympathize with the often depressed and often silly nature of who I am. (USA) an artist’s statement Shelley Whiting Shelley Whiting
Shelley Whiting 2 Peripheral ARTeries Thoughts I don't want, Thoughts I don't Need
Shelley Whiting 80 Shelley Whiting Peripheral ARTeries Hello Shelley and a warm welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. I would start this interview with my usual introductory question: what in your opinion defines a work of Art? And moreover, what could be the features that mark the contemporariness of an artwork? For me the best artwork either falls into the dark side to comical. The twisted and unsettling works of Goya’s Caprichos or of the Chapman brothers haunt and mesmerize the viewer. These works capture the warped mood of nightmares. I prefer like the goofy, playful or stupid themes. Caricatures are a type of art that reveal the often stupid or vile essence of a person. I was fascinated by the work of Entertainment Weekly as a teenager. One artist illustrated celebrities using assorted vegetables. Clayton Bailey or David Gilhooly are a couple of my favorite American ceramic artists. Gilhooly makes bizarre ceramic sculptures combining frogs and food. Contemporary art to me is about the vision of an artist. What is their unique viewpoint? What can they say to the modern world with their own twist? I believe everything has been done, but I believe a good artist can expand upon those previous efforts. The good ones do that with every artwork they create. Would you like to tell us something about your background? As I can read in your bio, you grew up in a household of writers and artists. How has this experience impacted on the way you produce your artworks? I was born in Arizona, so I think to a certain extent I was unconsciously inspired by the Hispanic art prevalent in the culture here. I saw lots of colorful murals around town, and even Dia Los Muertos exhibits in the library. Growing up with artists and writers in the family made me realize that the life of an artist is possible. My mother was a Mormon historical writer and my father was a newspaper reporter. Cassandra Hanks My older brother started drawing in high school and was always doing art around the house. I wasn’t particularly interested at art but I got bored one day and started when I was 12. I started wanting to know the technical side of drawing. I wasn’t really concerned with my own personal vision until later. My brother left for RISD while I was in high school. I realized going to art school was a possibility. I knew at 16 that I would go to art school before I even became serious as an artist. After his first year of college my brother started doing murals professionally. He asked me to help him on his first commercial project, which he created during summer break. It was with this work experience that I learned that I expressed myself better while painting big. an interview with Shelley Whiting
Shelley Whiting 81 Peripheral ARTeries you put in before and during the process of creating a piece? I start off each work either with a photograph or an idea of a person. I then take that face and distort it like a caricature. For the past three years I’ve been distorting myself or someone I care about like my mom or my twin sister. Recently I haven’t been using a photo or mirror much to draw myself. I’ve been using myself as a subject matter for three years, so I have that as memorized imagery in my head. I draw the figure or figures to fit with the design motif that will be in the background. When I start a painting I build form through markmaking. I start by doing the outline of a figure. I then fill in the shape of a person from the darkest color, black, blue and then red. I make a series of By the way, I would like to ask your point about formal training... sometimes I wonder if a certain kind of training coul even stifle a young artist's creativity... I believe formal training has its benefits. I certainly see the improvement of my compositions and overall design abilities. Art school tends to label and pigeon hole every aspect in an art work. Sometimes art has to be in the gut. Life experience and some nerve are important to achieving a more personal, visceral form of art. Before starting to elaborate about your production, would you like to tell to our readers something about your process and set up for making your works? In particular, what technical aspects do you mainly focus on your work? And how much preparation and time do Human Octopus, 4 X 6, Acrylic on board
82 Peripheral ARTeries yellow and black marks to build up a history of marks. I then fill in the eyes. The eyes are what make the soul of a person. From this I am able to fill out the rest of the human. I finger paint and use my hands a lot when filling in a person’s skin. The figures are more loose and expressive. After I do the figure I paint the background a bright color with a design motif or line marking. The line markings create tension or movement within the painting. The hardest thing for me to do is sketch. It takes me one to three days to sketch. I have to sketch for several hours until I get it right. A 4x4 foot painting usually takes me a week or a week and a half for a 4x8 foot painting. The gestural energy in my work works well at these sizes. Now let's focus on your artworks: I would like to start with your interesting work entitled Thoughts I don't want, Thoughts I don't Need that our readers have admired in the starting pages of this article: would you tell us something about the genesis of this piece? What was your initial inspiration? I would daresay that there's something autobiographical in it... First of all this pieces is in a three part series each of them being a piece with multiple figures and the phrasing “Thoughts I don’t want, Thoughts I don’t need.” I have obsessive compulsive disorder. Generally in the media it is see as slapstick and often humorous. OCD is not about that. It is more like an Expressionist movie in your head; very dark and undesirable. I want that side of the disorder to be seen more. I started the series just drawing anything that came with my head about OCD and did a kind of free association sketch about OCD of three panels with different faces with the phrases “Thoughts I Don’t Want, Thoughts I don’t need.” I was inspired by an artwork. In the CD booklet of Beck's "Odelay" is a picture of a screaming baby and a cartoon egg. I wanted to emulate that graphical comic style. OCD is like being trapped in a cartoon with an anvil on the head. Cartoons are my inspiration for this series because of their wild and doomful mood. Shelley Whiting
Shelley Whiting 83 Peripheral ARTeries wanted to do some pictures about Mormonism. Especially since it’s a religion that is not often associated with its influence on the visual arts. I wanted to do paintings about spirit children. Growing up I learned that before people go to earth they live in heaven. I’ve been fascinated by this idea my whole life. So I did some stupid paintings about old men in pajamas with big glasses looking like babies with the universe behind them. Religion is often not seen at humorous. But I believe everything can be goofy and kind hearted. I can appreciate on a conceptual level art that is more formalist and impersonal, but in general the art that moves me is the type with tons of passion and expression. Once you see works like those by moving mark-marking. My OCD deals with intrusive thoughts. Sometimes I wish I could turn off my head. Sometimes I have to take platitudes to get through the day, but the thoughts will always haunt and disturb me. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, when you were fifteen years old you realized that realism did not capture the emotion or essence of the human experience... so I would like to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indespensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience? Personal experience is an absolute part of my creative experience. My art definitely changed with my nervous breakdowns and mental health issues. There was a vulnerability and feeling that wasn’t in my work before. I didn’t force it on my work; it was just there afterwards. I also do artwork about other personal experiences related to my identity. I grew up as an on-again and off-again Mormon. I decided that I Quiet Interlude, 4X4, Acrylic on board
Shelley Whiting 84 Peripheral ARTeries Another pieces of yours on which I like to spend are Isle of Bodies and Molly: Would you like to lead us through the development of these interesting projects? “Isle of Bodies" is about my bipolar disorder. The multiple heads represent my various moods and states of mind. But the picture is more about the depressive side of the spectrum with the color blue and the somber expressions on the faces. Isle of Bodies was one of the first times I painted a 4X8. I was painting small 38X48 paintings where I felt like I was narrowing my vision It was very fun to paint this big. I realized after painting this big that I had to continue painting large, because it really enlarged my vision and made my paintings come alive. The “Molly” series is about Mormonism. In Mormonism the perfect type of Mormon girl is a “Molly Mormon” I always think of Molly Mormons like the Molly girls from the American girl series. Some- Cassandra Hanks Isle Of Bodies, Acrylic on board thing very quaint and old fashioned, which is why it’s a girl with tons of ringlets. Art-making involves a series of inner and sometimes mysterious processes and during these years, while interviewing lots of artists, I have often been told of such therapeutic effects behind these processes... You have stated that you use art as a form of catharsis, and moreover our reader can admire in this page an interesting piece from your recent series about your obsessive compulsive disorder... I was wondering if you could tell us somethng about your "achievements" - if I could use this word- during your personal experience... Art has definitely been therapeutic for me. Right now my art is like a diary. I express my daily feelings and authentic emotions. After my nervous breakdown I wanted to paint from my own life experiences. I was not accustomed to expressing the dark side of myself. It was some-thing I usually
Shelley Whiting 85 Peripheral ARTeries But after my nervous breakdown I realized I had to express to get rid of the excess baggage. I started off by painting a realistic series about my mother which was start of my intros-pective art. My mom died of cancer, which triggered my bipolar disorder. One day I did a doodle of me screaming with a bunch of figures. I decided that these sketches were more intriguing than realistic pictures of my mom and started doing a series of them as paintings. Later on I was able to do more abstract pictures of my mom. It was through these pictures I was able to deal with my grief and also confront my bipolar problems and triggers. I got into an art therapy program and began to express my pain and emotions. I’ve been in this art therapy program for three years now. I feel like I have a safe zone where I can paint my discomfort. Art for me now is more pleasurable than it used to me. Sometimes I do art that is more fun and silly. My OCD series of paintings is different than my early bipolar paintings. I make fun cartoony babies with statements about the nature of intrusive thoughts. These paintings are serious but also mischievous and playful. Fear, 4X12, Acrylic on board, Triptych Human Dandelions, 6X4, Acrylic on board
Shelley Whiting 86 Peripheral ARTeries A visual of Solotude is the time when you’re alone with your thoughts that has particularly impressed me in the stimulating of red color that turning to purple, communicates an evolution and gives a sense of rhythm to the piece… by the way, any comments on your choice of palette and how it has changed over time? The colors vary from red to purple because I was playfully selecting colors before applying them to the picture. I was painting in red before I realized purple was the color I definitely wanted for the color. But I decided that red managed to give the S in Solotude more emphasis and more of a reference to the dark background. I decided that if I made all the letters purple it would be too unified and stagnant. My palette definitely has changed over time. When I was 19 I would intuitively feel my color in my pieces often to the point where there was too much texture and a faded look. Now after I look at my figures I make an immediate decision and stick to colors that will make the figures pop. Even though you have remarked that you really don’t care about the comfortability of your work to an audience, it goes without saying that positive feedback and especially awards are capable of supporting an artist, I was just wondering if an award -or better, the expectation of an awardcould even influence the process of an artist... By the way, how much important is for you the feedback of your audience? Do you ever think to whom will enjoy your Art when you conceive your pieces? I believe that positive feedback definitely influences the process of an artist. As much as I like for my art to be on the fringe I do like the occasional sale or compliment. But then again I like unsettling feedback as well. I have been told that my artwork is scary. I think if everyone liked my work I wouldn’t be properly expressing the struggle of my mental illness. I hope my art will have an underground reputation. Eventually I hope someone who doesn’t know me will come to a show of mine because they like the look of my paintings and what I have to say. Thank you for your time and for sharing with us your thoughts, Shelley. My last question deals with your future plans: anything coming up for you professionally that you would like readers to be aware of? A future goal of mine is to work larger. Sometimes Cassandra Hanks I feel my art needs to expand itself. I would love to be able to paint an installation work such as those done by Margaret Kilgallen. As for the immediate future I am showing at a group show at Trunk Space in PhoenixArizona Solotude is the time when you're alone with you
Shelley Whiting 87 Peripheral ARTeries in January. Hopefully I can get in one or two galleries more during the year. I’ve had an excellent year showing at Phoenix galleries the Hive and Obliq and plenty local businesses and restaurants. I hope I am building a reputation as a major emerging artist. Acrylic on board Man Embracing Universe, 6X4, Acrylic on board
Marilyn Gaffney Marilyn Gaffney (Ireland) 88 Peripheral ARTeries an artist’s statement “Memories I am interested in our relationship to landscape and how particular places hold memories and can invoke emotional responses. A snapshot memory of a place may be recreated through automatic responses with worked material providing a form of remembering. This relationship of memory, landscape and art work can trigger an emotional response in the space between representation and sentiment. The notion of Urban Memory and the loss of certain material coordinates within a place when it has been changed, features as a research theme within my work. Working intuitively, I seek to re-create in my work places previously visited through my memory. “ “My work primarily involves the process of collage and the use of various printing techniques using inkjet printers, photocopiers and scanners. Manipulation of the image by printing process with zooming, the serendipity of ink running out and other printer ‘mistakes’ inflects the work with textures of a language close to painting. I am interested in the combination of representation, chance and abstraction in painting. “ “The non-representational is met through the ‘mistake’ marks made in the printing process, while the representational is created by building up of textures and tones. I then introduced a spatial dimension creating a number of sculptural pieces with manipulation of paper pivotal to the production of the sculptural works. Stitching paper together creates forms that suggest the embodiment of a person within the landscape as the overall piece creates a presence within the space. There are a wider range of possibilities of meaning as a result of introducing the three-dimensional aspect into the work. “ Marilyn Gaffney Master in Fine Art_Painting [email protected] www.marilyngaffney.blogspot.ie
Marilyn Gaffney 2 Mind Map ©Marilyn Gaffney
Marilyn Gaffney 90 an interview with Marilyn Gaffney Peripheral ARTeries Marilyn Gaffney Hi Marilyn, a warm welcome to Peripheral ARTeries. We would start this interview with our usual ice breaker question: what in your opinion defines a work of Art? Moreover, do you think that there's still a contrast between tradition and contemporary? A ‘work of art’ is defined by opinion. Once a work of art is on view to the public, it is no longer contained by the artist. This is beneficial of course in the sense that there is a means to transcribe to the public, as an artist, one’s ideas of the world, open discussion and that is important. There is a contrast between tradition and contemporary art, yes, there are many artists who hold on to traditional methods with great skill but the ‘contemporary hand’ in what they do seeps out. It is because of what we are influenced by in todays art world. Freedom of expression is the term used. Would you like to tell us something about your background? I have read that you received your Master of Fine Art in Painting from the National College of Art and Design, in Dublin. How has this experience informed your Art practice? The experience of studying a masters course I found pivitol to my practice. I graduated from my undergraduate course from Sligo IT in 2010 and soon after was on a couple of residency programmes in France. La Muse Writer and Artist’s Retreat, Labastide Esparbairenque, just outside Carcassonne and CAMAC Arts Centre, Marnay-sur-Seine in Paris. The community group of networking artists while on residency benefited my prospects to my practice and I have made some really good friends too in the process. The opportunity of working in an environment with like minded people is a good place to be so with this in mind I applied to masters courses. The following September, I started in NCAD and was surrounded by many other artists (lectures and students). The opportunity to have a studio, facilities and opinion was beneficial to the work I was making on entering into the course. My work followed through on my intentions in proposals, but with so much more and in ways I couldn’t really have imagined possible. Before getting in the matter of your art production, would you like you describe your methodology when creating your works? And how much preparation and time do you put in before and during the process of creating a piece? I am always working, always making and always busy in my studio. For me, this is a way of life. I spend every weekday in the studio for long hours at a time, with weekends as reflection and family time. I read all the time too. I understand that the number of years put into my practice also feeds into the work. Constantly working, looking back on pieces and reflecting, then continue working. (Photo by Karl Pepper)
Marilyn Gaffney 91 Peripheral ARTeries Mind Map II ©Marilyn Gaffney
Marilyn Gaffney 92 Peripheral ARTeries Now let's focus on your stimulating works that our readers can admire in these pages: I would start from Salient: can you describe a little bit about your creative process for this piece? This is a piece I have been thinking about for a while to create. Not so much that I intended that this was exactly what I was going to do but in the realms of looking at certain criterias I wanted to achieve and setting myself up. That said I worked intuitatively, but in a controlled way. This is a piece I worked up too for many years, getting the texture of the paper to this matt, the tearing of the paper, the stichting together of the piece, the scale and how the piece works in the space were all made through other works that are pieces in themselves at the time of making them. It is those incidential moments that come from working constantly. The ‘noticing’ of the incidential come from complete focus within working on a consistant basis. I also notice that dark colors are quite recurring in your palette, and it figures prominently in many of your recent pieces. Any comments on your choice of palette or how it has changed over time? My pallette is influenced by my readings on psychology and in some incidences, colour personality theory. An interest of mine within psychology is repressed emotions whereby the colour brown relates to the repressed. This is theory based readings on my work. In a more painterly way, I can describe my love of the Surrealists work, particularly the work of Max Ernst and his frottages. More simpily, I am describing the land and it’s earthly tones. Other pieces of yours on which I would like to spend some words are Mind Map I & II, which I have found really stimulating. These pieces suggest to me the contro-versial and pseudoscientific theory of phreno-logy, but in an inverse meaning: the recreation through our mind's processes can inform and modify our minds... The work can indeed be read like this if you are a believer of phrenology, a claim to be able to read an individual’s personality, their strengths and weaknesses, hopes and desires, by examining the pattern of bumps on their skull. The theory you mention is interesting but a matter of opinion in relation to my work. I take inspiration from the land. Within these landscapes I look for the embodiment of a ‘body’; visually I am interested in this. In these pieces, I didn’t intentionally sought out to ‘create a face’, it was the Salient ©Marilyn Gaffney
Marilyn Gaffney 93 Mind Map merging of the landscape pieces, working quite quickly and intutiatively, that allowed for a figures head to show through. I have emphased this with the ‘black background’ I created by mixing colours brown and blue which refers to oil painting techniques. It is a matter of thinking and I am influenced alot by what I have read in relation to psychology and that is transcribed I think because it is a figure and by the ‘dark pallette’, that you aked me about, that I have used. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, the concept of landscape plays a crucial role in your process, so it goes without saying that there is a clear reference to reality. Notwithstanding this, I can recognize an effective synergy between reality and imagination. How important is the role of experience as starting point of your creative process? A form of remembering plays a role in what I am doing in my work. A place visited before, remembered and revisited through the materials I am using. Van Gogh’s Starry Night is a good example of a reference to refer to here. I think that there is a need for me to share the personal experience of visiting a place. It is an interesting topic the landscape and more so travel. I can’t translate a memory of a place I haven’t been to, so it’s best to just go. I had a great opportunity after my undergraduate to be awarded the John O’Leary Award. John O’ Leary, of Co. Sligo, believed that young people should travel and experience the world. I was privilaged to travel to France to persue a couple of residencies there, I feel in his honour, as I read that he traveled there as a young artists to persue his career. Most of my memories that I try to recreate in my recent works are from of my time in France. Modern technology, and in particular the infographics has revolutionized the idea of painting itself and moreover this forces us to rethink to the mate- riality of an artwork itself: since few years ago an artwork was first of all -if you forgive me this unpleasent clas- sification- a manufactured artwork was first of all -if you forgive me this unpleasent classification- a manu- factured article: it was the concrete materialization of an idea... The idea that theory and materialization of an artwork can match up is something that artists deal with throughout their practices. If I refer to my own work, I think, work and treat my materials very much as a painter. My ideas in relation to theory, ‘psychological’,
Marilyn Gaffney 94 Peripheral ARTeries are my interests and feed into my studio practice. There are many painters, from the Surrealist era, who have focused on psychological aspect within their work with an intuative response to the working of their materials in an automatic way and the theories of Freud. The Mind Map Series of my own work comes to mind here. I worked on these pieces with the intention of working with the material. The tear of the paper is an important action in my work. It is a means to manipulate further the paper already altered by the printing technique. I create images of textures on the smooth surface of the paper. I create a working method by where there is a push and pull in the mergeness of the paper to a smooth finish. The process is endless to me. I have demonstrated a working process that is not static, like the manufactured idea that you may be describing, I cannot relate to that. There is no forcefullness, there is an interest in materials and in materials not being what they seem. Installation View at NCAD MFA Graduate Show 2013. 'Rural Memory' and 'Salient' ©Marilyn Gaffney Thanks a lot for this interview, Marilyn: anything coming up for you professionally that you would like readers to be aware of? I am quite busy and that’s a good thing. I am currently working towards a solo show entitled Memories – A Homecoming. This solo exhibition takes place at the Atrium in a field with my practice internationally and all over Ireland. There are many local people who know my work and have supported me throughout my practice. There is the general public in that area who arn’t so familiar too. I feel it approiate to come back to share my experieces and work to that audience. Memories- A Homecoming takes place at the Atrium, Westmeath County Council Offices, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. Opening 6th February 2014 at 6.15pm and runs until 27th February 2014. All Welcome. What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most? What gives you the biggest satisfaction? Working in the studio. Everything happens there, it’s the place most people don’t see.
Marilyn Gaffney 95 Peripheral ARTeries Mind Map II F Buddies, Mixed Media, 15 x 12 cm (varied) ©Marilyn Gaffney