Datis Golmakani Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW to discern and interpret. In this sense, we daresay that your artistic practice seems to aim to look inside of what appear to be seen, rather than its surface, providing the spectatorship with freedom to realize their own perception: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Datis Golmakani: Using the obvious elements and those which are similar to our environment, constitute merely a part of the spectator’s understanding of my works. It is indeed the work itself that marks the route to more conceptual and deeper layers of the works; to investigate the relation of these elements requires more time and broader research. The spectator may share the same opinion in the beginning, but after spending more time on it, s/he may come up with new ideas and understandings. Nonetheless, to scrutinize the audience is always absorbing to me, even if we have conflicting opinions. An artist can choose his audience through his approach toward his art and the complexity of his created concept. The audience may take a different stance in regard to my artworks. My language is the language of art, so surely it makes me happy to see that the spectator highly appreciates my statement. Your artistic production highlights our connection with nature around, that is undoubtedly essential for future generations living on this planet. What is in your opinion the role of artists in our unstable contemporary age? In particular, do you think that artists can raise awareness to an evergrowing audience on topical issues that affect our everchanging society? Datis Golmakani: Artists have always surpassed the masses in discovering cultural aspects and they have stepped ahead throughout the history, especially the avant-garde. In retrospect that we will all become a part of history, it is imaginable to predict by time passing what undergoes modifications and what remains stable. Human, the human essence, and art—which is integrated to the introverted side of the human essence—
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are always steady, though they take various guises in each era. With its powerful narrative drive, your style is both figurative and rich of surrealistic atmosphere, providing it with recognizable identity: how do you consider the relationship between the real and the imagined playing within your artistic practice? Datis Golmakani: To sum it up in a sentence, I can say that it instinctively and intuitively takes place in my unconscious. But as a whole, the significant point about surrealism for me is its mood and not its techniques. I sometimes follow abstractionism for my technique and improvisation, abstract expressionism for a richer emotional expression, surrealism for combination, and the harmony created by them as a whole. You are an established artist: over the years your artworks have been showcased in a number of occasions and more recently your works have been featured in the UNESCO Art Calendar, and you wona special award at the Mellow Festival, Japan: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and Datis Golmakani Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition especially to online platforms — as Instagram — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? Datis Golmakani: As I said before, human being and her essence is stable, since art occupies the introverted side of human it also remains stable. If you look for the manner of its presentations in different eras you will come across different answers. Today, not only in art but in all walks of life, it is easier for the humans throughout the world to access things, which will undoubtedly change in the future. The crucial point is that the artist should be aware of the middle ground that marks the mutual influence of the artist on the society and vice versa. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Datis. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Datis Golmakani: I am still studying the relation of the contemporary individual to nature and the surrounding spaces. This is an ongoing project for me. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity afforded to me to exhibit my works to the audience.
Datis Golmakani Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW
Hello Alex and welcome to LandEscape. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production and we would like to invite our readers to visit https://alexgilford.carbonmade.com in order to get a wide idea about your multifaceted artistic production, and we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid formal training and you hold a BFA with honors majoring in Illustration and minoring in Art History at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University: how did those formative years influence your evolution as an artist? Moreover, how does your cultural The primary influences in my life and art are an interest in history and an appreciation for nature. In addition to my work as an artist, I am a Stewardship Volunteer at a Wildlife Refuge and some State Parks. Doing this type of work provides me with an opportunity to physically care for the environment and use my hands to support its future health. When I paint and draw in these natural spaces, directly from life, I engage in a more intimate way. It is much like a naturalist who quietly observes a subject, interprets what is experienced, and makes notations. Personally, I have always gravitated toward historical stories as a way of unearthing origins and tracing a winding path to the present. Through books, storytelling, and visiting historical sites I piece together stories of society, a region, as well as how I connect to it all. The answers are never finite, but lead to even more topics to explore. This state of being enthralled with history is evident in many of the subjects that I choose to depict in my art, whether it is buildings or landscapes with deeply woven histories, cross-cultural folk stories, or people and places that I feel tied to in my own story. Wetlands, woods, islands, Turkey Vultures, Catfish, ruins, churches, factories, freighters, ghost ships, fisherman, workers, family. It all works together in the simultaneous disintegration and reinterpretation of the excavated tales that I surround myself with. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW LandEscape meets Alex Gilford
Alex Gilford (photo by Kristen Eakin)
scape Special Edition CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Persistent Oak, Rifle River State Recreation Area, 12/28/20, Oil on canvas, 14" x 11"
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW substratum address the direction of your current artistic research on the theme of landscape? Alex Gilford: In terms of my cultural substratum and how it relates to my research on the theme of landscape: I come from and have always lived in the Great Lakes region of the midwestern United States, a relatively short distance from Canada. I grew up on the outside edge of a metropolitan sprawl which originates from a city that, for many, has come to define post industrialism, Detroit. My childhood home hung somewhere in the balance. If I went roughly north, the scene quickly became rural and agricultural. If I went south, the scene became progressively suburban, then urban. The immediate surroundings which came to define my childhood memories were characterized by this delicate balance. I lived within a small, quiet, and relatively established neighborhood stocked with plenty of other kids to run around with unattended. Right out our door, we could easily walk to the woods, the swamp, the pond, the field, the sledding hill, the lagoon, and the lake - all cherished and integral parts of the neighborhood community. The neighborhood was surrounded by miles of dirt roads, which as an adolescent I independently pushed out into on my dirt bike sojourning my favorite patches of woods and fields, riding trails that I had memorized. This is where, in a short span of time, I began to witness the erosion of seemingly wild places for the first time as the sprawl of development pushed itself further into every crack and crevice of supposedly open land. Some of the woods where I would ride all day were stripped bare and became gravel pits, which then became subdivisions of large characterless McMansions spaced out evenly, casting long shadows across the barren landscape. Now, when I leave my rented apartment in Detroit, where I’ve lived for seven years, and take the interstate north to visit the areas around where I grew up, I can see where the new subdivisions are proliferating and where the capitalist tendrils of ubiquitous commercial development crawl out from the exit ramps and stretch up the roads intersection by intersection, artificially fabricating and simultaneously satiating the consumer desires of the growing population. What is lost isn’t easily replaced and each generation that grows up without it doesn’t miss what they’ve never known. And as people continue to move further out searching for greener pastures, the concrete wave follows close behind, most fervent at the edges. This is the emotion that I tried to convey in the painting, Light Pollution, Independence Oaks County Park. The ever brightening sky glow is a harbinger of the approaching sprawl. It is alluring in an eerie ominous way but it is blinding and it will cause us to lose our way as the dome of artificial light widens and snuffs out the constellations in the night sky. In terms of my formal art education: Someone once said to me condescendingly that one of the issues with art school is that it teaches students to take themselves seriously as artists. To some degree, I think this person was right but I don’t see it in the negative way that they intended. Navigating a career as an artist sustainably for the long term is not clear cut even though so many have trod this path before. Also, for a field that requires so much external validation, most of the sustenance that keeps an artist going through the inevitably thin times comes from selfdiscipline and the steadfast, but realistic, belief in oneself. This is difficult to do if one is only moderately serious about what they’re
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition doing. I think that an artist has to be determinedly invested in their practice to keep going and to push back against the most prevalent cultural norm that I see constantly being reinforced, which is that choosing to be a professional artist is an irresponsible life decision and not a serious career choice. But I also think it’s a tragedy when artists take themselves far too seriously, which leads to delusion and reckless, self-centered egotism. I don’t think the educational framework which provides aspiring artists with the tools to competently build a career in the arts is the issue, astronomical tuition rates and student debt aside. I also don’t believe that going to art school is necessary for all artists but I do think it is beneficial for many. As a teenager, I enrolled at Kendall with a thus-far lifelong interest in visual arts and a genuine desire to learn the skills to become better. The Bauhaus curriculum which Kendall’s program is modeled on gave me a well-rounded base of knowledge and skills. The general education courses expanded my worldview and triggered my curiosity. These courses along with my own real life experiences foddered my mind with ideas for what I could make art about. The art history courses were like an epic saga that I was completely captivated by. Reading art history and visiting art museums remains a great passion of mine and provides me with inspiration for making my own art. The preliminary arts courses laid the foundation and taught me the language of the visual arts through near universal elements like composition and color theory. I was then able to become sufficient in the basics of a wide variety of 2D and 3D mediums. From there I narrowed down to my specified areas of painting and drawing. The lessons became progressively more focused, and I developed
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Sumac & Phragmites, St. John's Marsh, 11/23/20, Oil on Gessobord, 5" x 7"
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Enrico Fermi II Nuclear Power Plant and Rockwood Landfill Beyond Pointe Mouille State Game Area, 11/29/19
Alex Gilford scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land greater acuity with the materials and techniques related to my chosen mediums. The course that had the most influence on me and really changed my approach to painting was Alla Prima Painting, taught by the phenomenal artist and educator, Damian Goidich. I graduated from Kendall feeling like I had a firm grasp of my craft. I’ve learned that being an artist, and a painter in particular, is a lifelong education and one has to continually work at it. That is what keeps me going though. After Kendall, I went to Eastern Michigan University for my MA in Arts Administration in order to learn more about the business side of being an artist as well as to further my career working in art museums. The body of works that we have selected for this special edition of LandEscape has at once impressed us for the way your naturalistic exploration of the aesthetics of environment unveils the bond with our surroundings: when walking our readers through your usual setup and process, would you tell us how do you usually develop the initial ideas for your artworks? Alex Gilford: One of the primary parameters that I have set for myself with my current body of plein air paintings is that I must go to parks, refuges, and preserves to work. Within that, I rarely have a preconceived idea of what my subject will be on a given day that I go out to paint. It is important for me to remain open to the possibilities that working from a living subject has to offer. The main factor that is within my realm of control is positioning myself to be in a receptive head space. This starts from the moment I wake-up. The quiet morning is a cherished liminal space for me that, when utilized, will influence the course of my day and how well the painting session will go. For the last year or so, this has consisted of rising early, making coffee and oatmeal, then & 12/11/19, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
Ford Powerhouse from Belle Isle State Park, 3/15/20, Oil on canvas panel, 11" x 14"
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Shore Birch, P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, 8/3/20, Oil on canvas, 14" x 11"
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW sitting in my front room with it where I read from a book and do a short French language lesson. From there, I will go for a drive out to the areas that I plan to paint, often taking the long way and listening to music. Once I get to where I am going I will go for a hike, keeping my eyes and senses open, looking for a subject that inspires me. Some days I will not see any compositions, while on other days I can go to the same place and I will see image after image as I hike. Through this I have learned just how influential my state of mind is in determining whether I will be productive or not. I also have a mental log of certain locations and subjects that I am interested in painting based on topics that I am learning about in my own independent studies. I often consider my overall body of plein air paintings and how it fits as well; however, as I said, even if I am already familiar with the scene that I set out to paint, it is always in flux and appears differently depending on countless factors from moment to moment. Sometimes, I set out to paint one thing, and end-up being captivated by something totally different. Your artworks are marked out with such sapient combination between rigorous sense of geometry — as in the interesting Persistent Oak, Rifle River State Recreation Area — and careful choice of tones, that provide your works with a unique aesthetic identity: do you create your works intuitively, instinctively? Or do you methodically transpose geometric schemes? Alex Gilford: The painting Persistent Oak, Rifle River State Recreation Area came out of a painting trip that I took to that location at the end of December 2020. As I was hiking through the trails around the cabin, I noticed a number of persistent oak and beech trees whose rustling rufous leaves seemed to float against the subtle cool colors of the deep snowy woods in winter. These persistent deciduous trees have carried important symbolic significance to me for a number of years. The idea to include them in my art had been simmering in the back of my head for a while. During the times when I am in need of a greater perspective, I often seek out the sanctuary of nature and open myself up to its eternal lessons. I took the painting trip to Rifle River in order to momentarily step outside of what felt like a yearlong relentless barrage of human turmoil and to carve out a slow space to reflect back on the year, consider my trajectory, and assess what is and is not within my reach to affect. The persistent oak somewhat isolated atop a hillock felt like a pertinent symbol of hope, longevity, and future-planning that connected particularly well to the thoughts and feelings that I was focused on at the time. In terms of the painting’s aesthetic qualities, part of what made the persistent tree in a snowy winter landscape so eye-catching was the overall complementary orange and blue color scheme of the scene, which was something that I really wanted to emphasize. I began building the composition in a controlled way, transcribing the details of the scene with a precise geometric approach; however, as the wind on the small hill pickedup, as the snowfall started to mix with the paint on my palette, and as the hours of sitting in the cold began to set in, I began to work in a much more brushy gestural way. Painting in this quick, less conscientious way can be a very cathartic experience and the end effect communicates a set of emotive qualities altogether different from those communicated through a more restrained
scape Special Edition CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land approach to painting. Persistent Oak, Rifle River State Recreation Area is an example of a painting where I began in the methodical way that I am naturally inclined, but as the painting progressed, my instincts came to play a more dominant role and the undercurrent of my emotions came to the fore. Your subjects include Wetlands, woods, islands, Turkey Vultures, Catfish, ruins, churches, factories: how do you select such unique locations? Alex Gilford: These are some of the sacralized subjects and characters that inhabit the stories I tell myself about the place where I live, the region I’m from. As I say in my artist statement, “it all works together in the simultaneous disintegration and reinterpretation of the excavated tales that I surround myself with.” When I say wetlands, I think of the swamp behind my childhood home, the fireflies that hovered in the tall grass at its edges, and the chorus of frogs and toads filling the air every Spring and Summer night. Their songs are still the most comforting sound in the world for me. I use the word woods instead of forests because the word woods just feels like the humble Michigan forests that I’ve known my whole life. It's where I go to catch my breath. Islands make me think of the scattered islands around the Detroit River that I am continually exploring. Many of them have colorful names like Pêche Island, Fighting Island, Mud Island, Rat Island, and Bois Blanc Island. Some of them have colorful histories as well such as being used as rendezvous spots for bootleggers during prohibition, as a once private island for a whiskey baron, as previous toxic waste dumping sites turned wildlife refuges, as a storage site for explosives, as a washed away lighthouse, as the
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Coyote & Eastern Cottontail, Orion Oaks, 2/22/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Light Pollution, Independence Oaks County Park, 1/11/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
site of an abandoned amusement park, etc. Turkey Vultures and Catfish have mysterious otherworldly qualities to me. Turkey Vultures are one of the biggest birds of prey in the Midwest with wing spans that can reach up to six feet. When they are high up in the sky slowly circling, they appear all black except for the gray trailing edge that is backlit by the sun. They sometimes appear to never flap their wings. They just hold them in a slight dihedral and calmly scan the ground for carrion. I’ve always associated Catfish with some kind of hidden underworld because of the way that they linger in dark murky waters. There is also a little known local folktale that tells of a giant Catfish that leapt out of nearby Lake Saint Clair and swallowed a werewolf. Ruins are like clues to the past. They often contain some strain of tragedy in them and they hold answers about a world that once was. Detroit abounds with historic houses of worship. The church buildings themselves are behemoths. They are cultural jewels with such a high level of craftsmanship in masonry, stained glass, mural painting, woodworking, and symbolic architectural sculpture - the likes of which belong to another era. They also help to tell part of the story of Detroit’s rich multicultural patchwork. As the congregations shrink, many but not all of the historic churches are in peril. They are beautiful and I’d love to see them all preserved. The landscape around the Detroit River also has a lot of factories. Some are empty and some are chugging away. They are the cathedrals of manufacturing with their stacks punctuating the skyline like church spires. Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition Fort, Crosswinds Marsh, 1/19/21 & 1/25/21, Oil on canvas, 14" x 11"
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Many of the subjects that you depict in your artistic production refers to historical places, as well as people and places that you feel tied to in your own story: how do you consider the role of memory playing within your artistic process? Alex Gilford: I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what has passed and situating it in my mind. At times history can feel like fantasy because it is the study of people, places, and situations that will never exist again as they were. On the other hand, studying history has been the most useful tool for me in developing a realistic perspective. As the student of history digs through time, searching for the explanations and points of origin which led to the present moment, one’s point of view necessarily broadens in order to accommodate the new knowledge. In essence, history teaches one to zoom out and put things in perspective of the long view. I believe that individuals and societies that do not have a memory of how the present moment came to be and do not realize that their moment is a slight blip connected to a multitude of sequential blips are in danger of acting ignorantly because their perspective is narrowed to the present without hindsite or forethought. Many of the lessons that history teaches are an antidote to potential stumbles in the future. Gaining knowledge about how I am connected to a process that is anchored in history and extends into the future has imbued me with a strength of character and a sense of responsibility to not take the time that I’ve been given for granted. The theme of memory features prominently in my painting Fort, Crosswinds Marsh. I had set out to this location to paint a view of the neighboring landfill as seen from the marsh while it was lit up with the golden glow of the sunset; however, as I was walking through the woods to get to the marsh, I noticed this fort made out of sticks and I was immediately transported back to my own childhood in which I spent year after year in the swamp and woods behind my house with the other kids in the neighborhood exploring, playing imaginary games, and building forts. Not only did I look back on my own time building forts as a kid but I was reminded of the open lot across the street from where I currently live in the city. There is a patch of a few trees in the lot and each summer, kids from the neighboring apartment complex find whatever is available to build forts around the tree trunks, where they play games probably not too different from the ones that I had played with my friends in the woods of my youth. As I stood in front of this fort in Crosswinds Marsh, I realized that wherever there are kids playing and a bit of nature, it is likely that a fort is nearby. The one before me in that moment came to symbolize a sacred space of sorts, sheltering generations of childhood memories. We have appreciated the delicate and thoughtful nuances that marks out your artworks, and that in White-tailed Deer at Fix Unit, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge draw the viewers to a state of mind where the concepts of time and space become suspended. How does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in an artwork and in particular, how do you develop your textures in order to achieve such unique results? Alex Gilford: The Fix Unit of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is near Lake Erie, hidden away at the end of a dead end road, and wedged between farm fields and the DTE
Alex Gilford (photo by Kristen Eakin)
Energy Fermi II Nuclear Power Plant. Although the unit is open for public visitation, it is a small somewhat secluded place that someone would likely not happen upon unless they were looking for it. Out of the way incongruous places like this are where I am most at ease and where I feel most inspired to make art. At its core, being an artist is an independent activity for me. It is an occupation which gives me the freedom to pursue my own authentic path to the outer edges, where most others don’t presently seem to be looking; this is where I feel liberated and where I seek to know a truer version of the self that I am in pursuit of. Keeping up with contemporary trends in the field of the arts really does not play a role in motivating me to be an artist. I don’t pay much attention to whether what I am making is in sync with the current direction that the art industry is going in. I’m trying to stay sincere on my own path and if that happens to rub up against what is trending, that’s okay, but it isn’t guiding me. In fact, if I feel external pressure to take my art in a particular direction that doesn’t resonate with me, whether that pressure is real or imagined, I tend to push in the opposite direction in my own quiet determined way. On the day that I went to Fix Unit to create this painting, the temperature had risen a few degrees from the previous day and some of the snow on the ground had begun to evaporate, creating a haze that hung over everything. As I walked into the field, a heavy wet snow began to fall. The snow mixed with the hissing steam that billowed out of the nuclear power plant’s cooling towers into the grey overcast sky. The features of the scene beyond my vicinity became dull and muted. In this floating space that seemed to exist scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Alex Gilford Beaver Stumps, Lake Erie Metropark, 12/15/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
Alex Gilford (photo by Kristen Eakin)
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition Willow, Lake Erie Metropark, 2/16/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW somewhere out of time, a White-tailed Deer silently leapt across the dike into the tall grass, checked me, then disappeared into the mist. When I witness wild animals, I often get the feeling that they are divine beings that exist within a logical natural system. In these moments it feels apparent that we humans as a species, although yearning to be natural, exist in an artificial system of our own devising which has been progressively destroying animals and their world. This is the story that I tried to tell in the painting. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, you create your artworks in natural spaces, directly from life, engaging in a more intimate way: how important is for you to paint en plein air and how does your everyday life's experience fuel your artistic research? Alex Gilford: In a simple way, the decision to get a portable french easel and begin painting en plein air started with a contemplation of time and how I want to spend it. I recognized that, for all I know, my time alive is limited and the minutes that have passed can not be resurrected. In considering this fact, it was clear to me that being outside in the presence of nature is when I feel happiest and healthiest and that I would experience a smaller degree of regret when looking back on my life if I had managed to spend a considerable amount of it in this way. I began to feel a sense of urgency to make this change in my life when I started working a full time job because the amount of time where I can choose to be outside, to dedicate to my art became much more limited and consequently more valuable. The decision to begin painting en plein air also came from a desire to spend more time directly witnessing the world around me. I
Alex Gilford (photo by Kristen Eakin)
don’t consider myself a luddite who denounces twenty-first century technology on the whole; however, in the context of how my time is utilized, I do lament the amount of it spent on screens having pseudo experiences. I feel that every irretrievable minute staring into a computer or a device is one where I am not fully present in the world around me. I am also concerned about the lack of peripheral vision and depth perception that goes into being on a computer or personal device and how those hours of physical sedation may detrimentally affect me when considered cumulatively. We have appreciated the way you combine reminders to reality — as in the interesting Sun Pillar, Pointe Mouillee Marsh— with such unique dreamlike visual qualities. Scottish visual artist Peter Doig once remarked that even the most realistic works of art are derived more from within the head than from what's out there in front of us: how do you consider the relationship between reality and imagination, playing within your artistic production? Alex Gilford: Everything revolves around the particular subject matter that I choose; it is what I play off of. There are three primary dimensions that influence how I paint a subject: The elemental and temporal factors which are constantly in flux and changing the way that the subject appears, the interaction between my own feelings and state of mind with those of the subject, and whether or not there is a particular message or idea that I have about the subject that I would like to communicate. I feel that the most successful paintings contain a mix of these three dimensions. Often, when a painter keeps an impartial distance from the subject and is solely concerned with the overly accurate depiction of the subject’s physical characteristics, I find that it falls a bit flat. I Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition
Alex Gilford Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Mute & Trumpeter Swans, Humbug Marsh, 2/19/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition Sun Pillar, Pointe Mouillee Marsh, 2/15/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
Elaine Crowe Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW appreciate this kind of work for its technical execution, but it rarely holds much mystery and doesn’t often pique my curiosity beyond an inquisition into its plastic elements. This type of verbatim painting is essential to any painter during their developmental phase because it advances the fundamental skills of picture making; however, a painter must build on these fundamental skills, push further, and communicate something that isn’t readily apparent about the subject. On the other hand, I often find that paintings that predominantly focus on emotions and cryptic ideas while neglecting craft and an understanding of materials, similarly don’t hold my attention for very long. Successful paintings strike an appropriate balance between the three aforementioned dimensions, as determined by the subject and what the artist is attempting to say. In my painting, Sun Pillar, Pointe Mouillee Marsh, one of my primary concerns was to visually translate the emotions that I felt when I witnessed the sun pillar. One of the primary questions that I have received about this painting is, “did it really look like that?” In a way, it did. When I drove out to the tip of the marsh and looked out past the frozen swampy archipelago to icy Lake Erie, the hot orange sun peeked over the horizon and shot a warm beam of light straight up into the cold purple sky. At first, I was looking through my windshield and I thought I might have been seeing a glare through the glass, so I got out of my car to find the shimmering vertical beam of light still there. I had never seen this atmospheric phenomenon before and I didn’t know anything about it at the time. In the painting, I tried to depict the perplexity and awe that I felt while looking at the sun pillar as well as the feeling of being
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition captivated by an unknown and dwarfing force of nature. What I found out later is that “sun pillars, or light pillars, are shafts of light extending from the sun or other bright light sources under the right atmospheric conditions. They’re caused by ice crystals drifting in Earth’s air” (Byrd, “What are sun pillars or light pillars?”). The pillar of light had dissipated before I had begun putting it down on canvas so I relied on my memory and my impression of what I had seen. In memory, objective realities lose their definition as they dissolve into one’s personal narrative. I tried to embrace the dreamlike veil that memory drapes over everything to pull out the sun pillar’s emotive qualities. It's important to remark that in addition to your work as an artist, you are a Stewardship Volunteer at a Wildlife Refuge and some State Parks, a work that provides you with an opportunity to physically care for the environment. Many contemporary artists, such as Chris Jordan and Michael Light, use to include socio-political criticism and sometimes even convey explicit messages in their works: do you think that artists could raise awareness about topical issues — as environmental themes — in our globalised society? Alex Gilford: At its core, painting is a visual medium for communicating ideas. While I do believe that painting can be a valuable tool for theoretically grappling with important topical issues and affecting cultural change, I do not believe that the ideas presented in a painting have to, in all cases, be didactic in nature. In addition to having moral motives the ideas that a painting communicates could be deeply personal, they could reflect a familiar comfort or transport the viewer far away from the mundane, the ideas could challenge one’s perception of a subject thought to be already understood; the types of ideas that can be communicated in a painting are endless and multiple idea categories can exist simultaneously within one painting. Not only that, they are dynamic and can shift depending on the interpretation of any given viewer and what they bring to the painting. I feel that I approach my paintings from within my own personal narrative. I am painting scenes and subjects that I sense a connection with and I choose them because they reflect what is important to me. Between moving to an urban area to live closer to arts resources and working daily inside a building in the city, it became apparent that there was an integral part of my identity that I was not being nourished, the part of myself under the open sky roaming around in the woods somewhere. I started to volunteer with citizen science activities at parks and a wildlife refuge as a way to intentionally stay immersed in and engaged with the natural environment. The more time that I spend volunteering, the more I learn about, value, and feel responsible for the ecosystems in my region. Painting en plein air is a minimally invasive outdoor activity that utilizes natural spaces. In this way, it relates to the stewardship activities that I am involved in, which is why some of my paintings have an overt theme of conservation. One example of this would be the painting, Sumac & Phragmites, St. John’s Marsh. The Phragmites depicted in the background of this painting are a variety that is not native to North America. It was transported and planted by people as an ornamental. In North America, it is considered invasive because it rapidly spreads, blocking native plants and wildlife from nutrients, causing eutrophication, and reducing biodiversity as
Elaine Crowe Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Crows Over Snowy Field, Rifle River State Recreation Area, 12/27/20, Oil on canvas, 14" x 11"
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Downtown Detroit from Lake Muskoday, Belle Isle State Park, 7/20/20, Oil on canvas, 14" x 11"
Elaine Crowe Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW it takes over and threatens unique wetland habitats like Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands such as St. John’s Marsh. The monotypic stands also present a fire hazard. The Sumac in the foreground, with its cones of bright red berries, is native to this region and has medicinal value. Another example of a painting which contains the theme of conservation is, Enrico Fermi II Nuclear Power Plant and Rockwood Landfill Beyond Pointe Mouillee State Game Area. I painted this to direct attention to the hypocrisy of having a designated wildlife area beside a nuclear power plant and a landfill. Simultaneously, a view such as this is one of the idiosyncrasies of this rustbelt landscape. The environmental regeneration of previous industrial sites and the preservation of the fragmented natural habitats that remain is the reality here. While my motives are personal and my subjects are regional for the most part, I think that being inspired by nature and being concerned for its conservation are global themes. Particularly now, the existential threat of climate change and the decline of our natural world as a result of human greed and exploitation is something that is being reckoned with worldwide. It is a situation too big for any one person to solve completely, but individuals can start by learning about and actively caring for the natural world in the places where they live. I suppose that is the awareness that I am trying to create with my plein air paintings. You are an established artist: you recently received the Honorable Mention from the Michigan Annual XLVIII at Anton Art Center, and over the years you participated to a number of exhibitions: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces — to street and especially to online platforms as Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alex_gilford_art — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? Alex Gilford: One of the roles that the audience plays in the arts is determining societal value. As a painter, I am responsible for creating paintings that come from an honest place and for staying vigilant against producing superficially affected work. Because I made the paintings, I naturally feel that they have intrinsic value due to the fact that I am connected to them through the act of creation. Each painting is a part of my story. With that being said, paintings are ultimately made so that they may eventually be viewed by others. Once the eyes of the public fall upon them, it is mostly out of my control to steer the way in which they are received. It would be maddening and futile to do-so. My original intent blends with the diverse experiences, interpretations, and intentions of the audience. They situate paintings in a broader societal context and determine whether they are worthy of being shared further or not. This process of broader transferability through audience validation is ongoing and is dependent on the shifting values, ideals, aesthetic tastes, etc. of each era. Societal judgment determines whether paintings are revered, despised, or whether they fall away from collective consciousness into obscurity; however, while audience endorsement plays an integral role in deciding the value of paintings, it does not account for the total value. In many cases the lowest common denominator is the most easily shared while
Alex Gilford (photo by Kristen Eakin)
Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Special Edition the most artistically ambitious paintings are disregarded by the least discerning public opinion. Also, in my opinion, the fundamental value that should never be overlooked lies in the relationship between the painting, the painter, and their original intent. While online platforms are an ever-growing alternative to in-person art viewing venues, whether outside or indoors, it is my hope that they will not supplant them. A painting is a tangible manifestation of an idea, successfully achieved through the practice of a simultaneously thoughtful and physical activity. There is a, sometimes indescribable, energy that I feel when standing in front of a painting, knowing that the painter touched and created it with their own hands. This is especially pronounced when the painting comes to the viewer across time, by an admired painter who is no longer alive. Being in the presence of their original painting makes me feel like they are still there and that I am getting to know them personally as I contemplate their intent and study the physicality of their brush strokes. Online platforms are a splendid resource for getting the word out there about one’s artistic practice and making connections that would be near impossible otherwise. This is especially true for painters that may live in areas where there are not bountiful arts resources in their local area. Painters and audiences can now directly connect on a global scale in the blink of an eye and that is profound; although, I do have some concerns about the relationship between artists and online platforms like social media. When using social media, the volume of readily available images from across geography and time displayed on screens via algorithms is inundating. The benefit of this is that it briefly exposes the viewer to a vast amount of potentially inspiring
Elaine Crowe Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Old Oak Hollow, Shiawassee Basin Preserve, 1/4/21, Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition White-tailed Deer at Fix Unit, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, 1/26/21, Oil on Gessobord, 14" x 11"