CHASING THE GHOST: 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition & Some Rambles About Decompression.

If you've been following me on my other social media platforms for awhile, you'll know that I recently finished my MFA at Edinboro University. Now that I've been out of school for two months, I figured I would finally sit down and hash out the post about my thesis show! My show, CHASING THE GHOST, served as the culmination of my graduate school experience. Rather than drive myself crazy with an entirely new body of work during my last two semesters of school (before your eyebrows lower into a regular position, note that some artists actually do crank out an entirely new body of work in 6-8 months PURELY for their thesis, and no, they're not crazy. People do it all the time.), I decided to include the best paintings from all three years of school. I felt it important to include pieces spanning from 2014-2016, as it showcased the progress I had made during my stay at EU, and gave the general public an example of how an artist's work can change with time, effort, and enough stress and anxiety to pull an 18-wheeler with your teeth. 

The setup and preparations for this show were relatively simple. I chose to work with PACA in Erie, Pennsylvania- they offered a wonderful, semi-industrial space that I thought would really allow my paintings to be viewed in a simplistic, yet professional manner. PRO TIP (although I'm by no means a pro): Find a gallery that is willing to work with you in terms of time frame and pricing. If you have to pay to rent a space for your thesis show (or any show you participate in), make sure you sign a contract with them that outlines prices and what they're for. My contract didn't include a pricing list (if I could offer the gallery any criticism, it would definitely be to outline all pricing in their contract, and to have it a little sooner than a week before an exhibition. The prices were MORE than excellent and affordable, but if you're like me and have to have everything figured out and outlined (in writing), it's very helpful to have that ahead of time for your artists). However, the gentleman I worked with was very thorough and explained everything I needed to know over coffee. Thanks, Mark! Here are some of the photos fro the show, I hope you enjoy them! 

Dead Weight and Into the VoidVortex, both sold!

Apparitions

L to R: Chasing the Ghost (NFS), Morning Glory, (sold) Morandi (sold),
Apparitions, Dead Weight (sold), Into the Void/Vortex (sold),
Ghost on the Stairs (sold), Tuesday Afternoon (sold), and Descend (sold)

These two paintings will never be for sale! I
did, however, place them together to show
the progress I had made during my stay at EU. Put My Little
Shoes Away (2014) and Chasing the Ghost (2016)

Shadowdance with A Lesson in Letting Go in the background.

Morning Glory, Morandi, Apparitions, Dead Weight, Into
the Void/Vortex.

The largest piece of the show, A Lesson in Letting Go.

L to R: Overhead, A Cutting of Ties, the Grand Allusion, 
with Put my Little Shoes Away and Chasing the Ghost
in the background.

Ghost on the Stairs (sold), Tuesday Afternoon (sold), Descend (sold).

L to R: The Great Epiphany (sold), Phantom Limb, Overhead,
A Cutting of Ties, the Grand Allusion (sold).

As many artists have discovered, the MFA thesis exhibition can either make, break, or do nothing for you at all. Luckily for me, the second of those choices seemed to be the outcome. I'm not saying that I had a Saville-esque experience involving my entire show selling out (I sold several and traded a few for other artist's pieces), but I did gain a sense of confidence and satisfaction that I had accomplished something bigger than myself.

EDIT: I realized after publishing this bad boy that I didn't even talk to you about decompression, and it's right in the title!!!! AHH!

Anyway, after graduation I used some of my time to just be. I decided that after graduate school, it would be perfectly fine to take a month or so off from painting just to collect my thoughts and plan my next move. If you know me well, you'll know that my next move was actually a month-long artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center! I'm here currently, settling in, blocking in a painting, and working out a concise blog schedule to keep you all updated more. Another pro tip: Be mindful of what your mind and body needs, and if you need time off from working, DO IT. You may feel like you're ready to claw the walls, but I promise you that it's beneficial. I'm someone who has a bit of a lazy soul- I'm not lazy in the slightest, but I do tend to get bent out of shape if I don't occasionally take time to just exist as a human in the world. I may be a visitor here, but my body is not- sometimes the body just needs a little time to pick itself up after being worked so hard. If you take anything from this post, take the advice of allowing yourself a break. <3

The Anthropology of (another) Painting, Part II

Tonight I made some more than necessary revisions on a newer piece, and wanted to share the results with you- initially, the space in this painting, titled Hymnal, was very dreamlike and ... Well, fluffy. The painting was too fluffy, especially when you consider the subject matter of the piece (a group of individuals witnessing a hanging, plus the absence of that person... pretty heavy shit).

I solved the fluff problem by simply adding a ground plane (which allows for the viewer to actually see that the individuals below are on the ground), and revamping the tea bags, as well as adding in a nice, flat background. I think the overall composition is far more successful now, and evokes a sense of foreboding and acceptance, which was the goal for this piece. 

Let me know what you think in the comments- OR, tell me what YOU get from the painting. I'm working on my artist statement right now, so I would appreciate what the general public gets from my work, so I can tailor my statement for a better sense of understanding (for someone viewing my work that isn't familiar with it or me).

Thanks for your help! (PS- if you're a friend on Facebook, the color in the green painting is far more accurate- for whatever reason, blogger's interface isn't a fan of grey/green.)

Untitled Life Post #1

This week's update is more of a photo montage than anything else, folks. I've just been so busy! I've done things! I painted with tea! I spilled coffee (intentionally!) all over my screen prints, I've painted, and hey, I turned 26, too! I'm just so damned exciting. So here, friends- have a photo or seven.

Here are a few photos from my recent edition in my screen printing class- I took a two-layer print and just went nuts with some black coffee. Successful? I think so- kinda. Though I'm not new to screen printing, I haven't done it in years, so I'm a little behind on figuring myself out this semester (as far as that goes).

In my advanced painting course, we worked from a model last week- rather happy with my results.

In another course, I made a mess. I enjoyed the mess, but nonetheless, I made one.

I just finished this little baby up today- VERY happy with the results! 

Oh- have a birthday selfie, too.

Enjoy, folks! I'll have more for you soon! Maybe I'll even get off my ass and make a real website!

Abstraction: The New (and perhaps final?) Frontier

My work has taken a new turn, friends! After those small studies from last week, I took the plunge into objective abstraction. Though this began as an assignment for my contemporary abstraction course, it blossomed into what could be the direction I continue to follow for the remainder of my time in graduate school (who am I kidding, this could change in ten minutes.. Bear with me.).

This new direction really allows for me to fully execute what I'm trying to say conceptually in my work- absense/presence. Time/space. Fresh memories/things we've forgotten. THIS has been a huge help for sure.

What's extra exciting about these pieces is that they're exponentially LARGER than previous posts' artwork. The first piece is 2x2', where this piece is even larger, at 28x32", I believe. I think the size really allows for the viewer to feel a bit more immersed in the piece, though I'll say that sometimes the wee little ones hold my attention, as well!

This piece is actually only 8x10", and though I wasn't happy with it at first, I can now see how size really doesn't matter (heh.) in paintings, as long as you can effectively communicate what it is that you need to say as an artist.

WOO! Again, thank you readers, for following me in my journey through graduate school! Side note- my birthday is a week from today. Only 6 days left of being 25!! Life is a wonderful thing.

XOXO,

C.

We Don't Want A Strong Concept!

In the graphic design building on campus, a student posted the title of this post on the wall, somewhat protesting the need for a strong concept in graphic design. While hilarious and snarky, it does ask an important question that I sometimes often struggle with-

What is the importance of a concept in visual art? Why is it that artists, critics, etc. feel that the makers of art have to have some strong, deep conceptual backing to hold their work accountable?

As children, we start making art simply to fulfill the need for a creative outlet- somewhere to expel energy without ripping the house apart, or something like that. We made art because we wanted to, and at that point, it was enough.

As adults, so many of us are plagued with the question, "So, what is your work about?" 

Simply stating that it's about the damn vase on the table and how the light bounced off the ceramic isn't really ever the answer that's acceptable. Take my work for example- while I do have a concept that I feel is developing into something quite strong and well thought out, I still struggle regularly with how to word it, how to paint it, and why the hell I'm even bothering in the first place.

This is not an orange.

It isn't that the struggle is all that debilitating- I really enjoy mentally working out compositions and how said compositions drive a particular point home. What makes things difficult for me personally as an artist is getting those organized thoughts from my head to paper, or to mouth, whatever you like. In my brain box, everything makes sense- this relates to this, and so on... When it comes out of my mouth, it sounds like jumbled word vomit that no one wants to clean up.

Does anyone else have this problem? I know I have this problem. It's a problem.

I'm really hoping that in the oncoming months, I can figure out how to fully articulate what I want to communicate in my work, as well as why I find this method of creation important to my own personal growth, and to the growth of the art world, as well.

Also not an orange- I like to think of this as my struggle with the  Dionysian and Apollonian dichotomy, and its role in factory farming.

Happy painting!

Best,

C.

The Importance of Progress

Evening, all! I was just sitting here in my studio and thinking about progress- most artists make this daily in their studios- it's what we thrive on! Progress means we're getting somewhere, that something is HAPPENING within these 4 (well, in my case 3.75) walls.

What got me thinking about this topic was rather simple- I took some photos of a piece I'm working on at two different stages of its completion, and wondered just how many painters (and artists that work in other media) take progress photos.

This post isn't particularly long, but I would like to ask my fellow painters out there, "Do you take progress photos?" and "Do you find them helpful?"

Let me know what you think!!!

Here are the photos in question, by the way. I'll post more on this piece as I continue to work on it, I'm VERY excited about where this little baby is going!

Until next time,

C.

Edinboro: Getting Back.

If there's one thing I know about being a painter, it's that getting back to your studio after being away for awhile feels better than ice cream. 

No really, it's better.

I've been back for a week now, and I've really been getting back into the schedule of wake up, eat food, paint, eat food, paint, sleep, repeat. I also took some time out to get my studio moved (I got me a nice one, with a window I can open! Fresh air. It's a good thing. Feels good, man.)

Just a small portion of the new space- REALLY digging that my easel doesn't eat the entire room anymore.

Once I finished the move and cleaned (my previous studio mate left me some almonds, post-its, and about 12 cents. Thanks, Josh! Heh.), I was able to bring in some of the things I'd done over the summer, as well as new supplies and whatnot. This post isn't really about the process of moving a studio, though- it's more about some of my summer creations, and where I'm intending to go with them!

What I have for you today isn't quite everything that I've been working on, but just some of the ideas I've gotten down on canvas in the past few months. Prepare yourself for some tea...

Not so much tea, more an expansion on a previous thought from earlier this summer..

Okay, so this one isn't tea. It's a quick studio of my boyfriend, Nick. :)

This... This is a bottle cap.

I'm really excited about this idea of using mundane, used objects as surrogate figures in my work- I think that it really adds to the running theme of impermanence, absence, memory and overall life cycles in my work. The objects we use are left, discarded, and forgotten. What I'm aiming to do is give these objects (and portraits, when I produce those) the respect they deserve- in my eyes, they lived a life equally important to ours, though short. 

Keep on the lookout for more pieces in the future!

Motivation/Execution, Self-Loathing, Rinse, & Repeat.

The process of an artist is always interesting, no matter how the said process is executed. Whether you're a full-time, relatively successful creator that can live off their work, or a full-time graduate student with a summer job 200 miles away from your studio space- the way these two different animals create work (along with their spaces & patterns of thought/activity) can be a very intriguing activity to observe. 

Last semester I was reading a book, titled Inside the Painter's Studio by Joe Fig (located here), and was absolutely amazed at how each artist interviewed within the text (Will Cotton, Eric Fischl, etc...) had their studio practice almost down to a science- The habitual cycles of breakfast, email reading, and even lunch had a very specific time frame in which the event took place. This struck me as interesting, because though I'd like to say there's a method to my painting madness... Well, there definitely isn't. 

Getting back to the book itself, Fig asks each artist the same bundle of questions, all relating to their studio practice, the actual space they work in, music, and the use of assistants, among other things. Reading this text inspired me to look at these interviews and ask myself some of the same questions in hopes that it will aid in understanding my own practice, as well as getting my schedule down to that of a well-oiled machine.

To begin, I would like to discuss how I got here in the first place- for those unsure of how the degree cycle works for artists, after high school we go on and get BFA's (Bachelor of Fine Arts- sometimes we just go for the BA, Bachelor of Arts, instead- or MAYBE we go on to be K-12 educators- you go, you teacher people, you. I give you all the claps!). For me, I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with my BFA (Cum Laude- WOO) in 2012. As you might have noticed from my previous post, my BFA is in painting. After graduating, I waited not-so-patiently for the results from several graduate schools, hoping to anyone in the Universe who would listen that one of them would accept me (I applied to 3). VERY lucky for me, I was accepted into all 3 of these schools, so I went with my first choice-Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

I'll admit, my first semester was a bit of a culture shock- I wasn't used to ANYTHING about grad school at all, and sucked pretty hard (we'll let the non-professional lingo fall to the wayside for a moment, because trust me, I did). After some reflection time during my winter break, I came back to the studio, making a promise to myself that I would turn my work ethic around and kick some major art-school booty this time around- I had to; being a successful artist doesn't just fall in your lap without any work to get you there.

A particularly sleepy night in the studio, with "Heather, Seated at Table" in progress behind me.

In case you're wondering, I did kick that major booty, and got me a sweet and beautiful 4.0- the first in my entire post-high school career.

To finish the talk about artists and their schooling, once I have my MFA (Master of Fine Arts), I'll be qualified to teach at the college level, and considered a professional artist- though honestly, if you're working, showing work and selling it, I'd consider you a professional- you don't need the $50k piece of parchment paper to prove to me that you make stuff, and make it well. Really, this is just how I chose to go about things!

BACK TO THE BOOK AND THINGS- I PROMISE. Back to discussing a typical day for me-

During the semester (or when I'm at my apartment in Edinboro), I get up around 8 or 9, depending on how late I was there the night before- once I've found coffee/food/strange combination of the two/nothing, I'll throw on some clothes I don't mind ruining and head out the door. If I walk, it takes me about 10 minutes to make it to my studio- about 3 if I bike, which I plan to do a lot more of in the coming semester! Once I'm there, I clean up any mess that I've left for myself, ready my palette, make coffee, and get to work. Typically, I'll put a layer down on a piece I was working on when I left last, and then I'll move on to a few studies to work out plans for future pieces. I take notes, look at artists online for reference, and do research on conceptual ideas to make my work more dynamic and meaningful. This is really only interrupted by class and discussions/critiques from my fellow grad students and professors. Sometimes, I'll leave for food and come back. Other times, I'll get caught up making weird noises with the other painters, or dancing to Kesha and a variety of punk rock.

What. I'm 25 and have to move my legs every hour or so- judge me.

Summer is an entirely different animal. When I'm home, my studio is my bedroom in my father's house- I have a nice little archipelago of art supplies piled up against the wall- pile o'canvas here, pile o'paint in a box, etc, etc... I'm really not incredibly organized, and it's a small space with two cats, so you can imagine how fabulous it looks. 

As far as the work cycle goes- I normally drag myself out of bed and go to work- I'm a custom frame specialist at a Michaels' Arts and Crafts store about 45 minutes from my house- as much as I love my job, it eats a lot of my time. I do still find time to work on painting, don't worry! It's not 8 hours a day, like previously (please... I was in the studio from 10 am until midnight on and off- I didn't paint the whole time, but you better believe the entire experience was devoted to my practice in one way or another! Strange noises count.), but I do make sure to have a few pieces to consistently work on, aside from the studies I always have going on. Gotta say it, though- I REALLY miss my studio, with the creaky wooden floors and constant smell of liquid death (turpentine- it's delicious once it's in your pores).

Taking a look at studio habits at home and at school definitely puts it into perspective just HOW important it is to have a separate space to work in. At school, the process goes Motivation/Execution, Critique/Execute/Complete, Repeat. As you might have noticed, the title of this blog post is a little different- it's WAY easier to self-loath when you feel cramped and unable to get paint everywhere, because let's face it- I'm not going to get paint on the carpet, with a dad and cats around. (I mean, it's his carpet, not mine) I do feel a little restricted in creativity at the moment, but it's picking up like no other right now, and I couldn't be more excited about that. Prepare yourselves for more tea-bag inspired portraits- SURROGATE FIGURES ARE COMING YOUR WAY!

A cute little thumbtack study from last semester- I love this little guy! (This is about life-size, though it is cropped.)

Until then, paint on! 

XOXO, C.