ACREATIVEDC

Ubiquitous Imagery: Q & A with Sarah Jamison

Sarah Jamison’s series, Ubiquitous Imagery, is inspired by the amount of time people spend absorbing images on their digital devices. Each piece is a tribute to scrolling through apps, a testament to the fact that through our perpetual media engagement, there is a universal visual language, where everything from cat videos to Kim Kardashian’s  “Breaking the Internet” is immediately understood. Born out of her own revulsion for and dependence on her phone, Sarah seeks to reorganize and reinterpret these digital images, laboring in traditional fine art media to depict the absurdity of our fascination and consumption.

Originally from small town Virginia, Sarah moved to Washington, DC in 2006 to attend the Corcoran College of Art + Design, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2010. Sarah finds the act of careful rendering both meditative and motivating; she delights in the level of control and precision offered by colored pencil. Sarah is inspired by color, media culture, and whimsy.

sarah-jamison.com

Having a body of work that pulls all sorts of humorous internet icons and languages together, what do you think is the role of humor and satire in contemporary art?

Humor and satire, to me, are important vehicles to deliver a point, in contemporary art and otherwise. I believe when something is funny or fun, you capture people’s attention—it is the perfect segue to deliver your ideas to an open and receptive audience. In Ubiquitous, I wanted my drawings to have recognizable, comedic elements, but I equally wanted to discuss the darker parts of digital culture—how unkind, obsessive, vapid and disturbing it can be. The internet, as a space for conversation, can be heated, contentious and divisive. Humor is important because it helps to poke at the absurdities of the internet in an accessible way, and hopefully, allow us to relate to it in a way that is more light-hearted and reflective.

How did you find that colored pencils, markers, and gouache were your material of choice for your work? How do they conceptually fit into the ideas you want to portray?

For this series I wanted to use traditional fine art media and specifically chose mediums, particularly marker and colored pencil, that any viewer would be familiar with and likely have used themselves. In doing this, I hoped to reinforce the concept of relatability and common experience. Additionally, my intention in “Ubiquitous” was to create juxtaposition between pop culture or lowbrow imagery and established, time-honored technique. In choosing highly rendered drawing, I intended to elevate imagery that is typically associated with impermanence to the strata of art history. I have a deep love for drawing and my hope was that even if people didn’t understand the references in my works, they could appreciate the artistry.

How do you go about getting ideas for your work? Can you go into a little detail about your process of going from research to idea to rough sketch to a final piece?

Like anyone, I interact with digital media every day. I find my inspiration when I am thinking consciously about the images and language that exists on the web pages, social media apps, comment threads, or wherever I may be on the internet. I am always on the lookout for notorious and iconic images and when I see something that resonates with me, I save it to a digital folder so I can use it to compose “sketches” for my drawings in Photoshop. Often, I start the creation process with a specific concept in mind and know exactly what I want my piece to look like, but sometimes it evolves through experimentation. I use Photoshop because it allows me to immediately edit and refine my drawings before I ever touch pencil to paper. Once I am happy with my design, it is used as a reference for my actual drawing. My process begins with a base layer of marker and the rest is rendered primarily in colored pencil with white and light values reinforced with gouache.

You were educated and have begun your art career here in DC. Do you think that living in this particular city has played a part in influencing your work?

Living in DC has absolutely influenced my work. The accessibility to museums, galleries and fellow artists has had a profound effect on me. DC offers countless opportunities to learn from, research and be inspired by the creativity of others. Specifically, DC public transportation has helped influence my current body of work. Over the years riding on Metro, I’ve watched people glued to their cell phones, filling every quiet moment with constant stimulation. Noticing this reliance on digital culture in others helped me to notice it in myself—which ultimately acted as a catalyst for this series.

What do you think is the next step in your body of work?

In general, I am still thinking about my next steps. I am interested in exploring the lifecycle of digital content as something akin to contemporary artifacts. Social Media and digital content is both fleeting in its relevance, but also seemingly permanent—the internet is an immediate archive. How we interact with these extreme timelines is, to me, compelling. I am so fascinated by our collective digital experiences that I plan to continue to explore and evolve these themes in my artwork.

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Environments and Dreamscapes: Q & A with Jessica Burnam

Jessica Burnam received her BA with highest honors in sculpture from the University of Virginia in 2015 and was a recipient of the Aunspaugh Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship at the University of Virginia from 2015 to 2016. Jessica has had residencies at Anderson Ranch (2016), Red Dirt Studio (2017-18), and Second St. Gallery. (2019). She has had solo exhibitions at Hillyer Art Space, Washington, D.C. (2017), at Red Dirt Studio, Mt. Rainier, MD. (2018) and at Second Street Gallery, Dove Gallery. (2019) Currently, she is pursuing a MFA in Scenic Design as a teaching fellow at the University of Virginia.

https://www.jessburnam.com/

Your bio reads that you create environments for your pieces. Do the pieces inspire the environment or the environment the pieces?  

“Vessel” is a sculpture in a current series where I build environments and dreamscapes that act as a terrane and home for a myriad of sculptural bodies to dwell. I enjoy pairing the very large with the very small; the set like-construction with the little inhabitants.  It is this pairing that constitutes the artwork as a whole. There can be a great number of small physical elements in these works, but they, in my mind, are puzzle pieces, components coming together to realize the larger vision.

It depends. Sometimes I see the shape of the structure first and sometimes I am making a smaller sculpture and think, this needs to live somewhere. Most often the design process and the making process of all the elements (big and small) happen simultaneously, side by side. All of the elements feed off of one another, adapting and changing.

What brought you to the relationship of boat construction and the human form?

In my mind, they naturally go together. Both are vessels, thus the title of this exhibition.

A vessel can be a type of craft – a boat, a vehicle, a spaceship –that serves to transport bodies from a starting point to a destination.

A vessel can also be a container –  a space that has an exterior and interior, a hollow which can be filled and inhabited. And aren’t our bodies containers for organs that pump and thrive, running our systems so we can move? And in our motion through life, don’t we ourselves become vessels of sorts?

These are ideas that my work stems from. Ultimately, the forms and the bodies I create are heavily abstracted so that my sculptures become hybrids and cross-mutations of these references, not appearing fully boat-like nor at all human.

In your piece “A Relic of the Future” you describe the vessel as transportive to the afterlife; What type of afterlife are you trying to express through this piece? 

“A Relic of the Future” is a sculpture that precedes “Vessel.” In it, I juxtapose body-like elements with a sarcophagal, boat-like form—the sculpture becoming much like a living spaceship journeying to the afterlife. For the Ancient Egyptians, the vehicle of the sarcophagus was absolutely necessary to complete the transformative journey between life and death. I found this intriguing since metamorphosis of the body is a theme I explore in my work.

I would say the type of afterlife is open to the viewer for interpretation. I took inspiration from the sarcophagus, in both form and in function, and now, it is left to the viewer to imagine where it might travel. Questions and beliefs about the afterlife are a mysterious affair, so I wanted to create a likewise mysterious object.

You have a background in set design; how does that influence your creative process?

I worked as a set painter and fabricator throughout college. Upon graduating, I spent a summer working as a mold maker for an entertainment design and build studio in the L.A. area. Both of these experiences have heavily shaped my creative process in many ways – from the materials I use to the scale of my work, from how I approach my time management to how I problem solve.

Many of the materials and making techniques I use (foam, joint compound, and other industrial materials) are things I gained a familiarity with from working in these industries. I am also accustomed to working large. And when I work large and when there are many elements to keep tabs on, I create production timelines for myself to keep myself on track. These are just guidelines; however, since I also need flexibility when inspiration hits and plans get altered! Paying attention to the happy mistakes and adapting when the sculpture unexpectedly evolves is important to me. So altogether it is a balance and an intuitive process.

What is the relationship between your drawings and prints and your sculpture?

I draw constantly. I make drawings about thematic elements I present in my sculptures and, visa-versa, I make sculptures that further explore ideas contained in my drawings. The two mediums constantly build off of each other, back and forth, to generate new ideas and works.

I am not interested in making representational pictures of a sculpture that I’ve already created; instead, I want my drawings to have their own identity and voice that contributes to the dialogue I am creating throughout my body of work.

For me, my current printmaking practice is an extension of my drawing practice. My ink drawings include detailed cross hatching and a starkly contrasting color scheme of black and white – two qualities that translate well into etching. There are many things I love about the medium of printmaking and of the etching process especially. Overall, I find that it is another tool and technique for me to communicate my ideas through.

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Plaster Transfers and Recycled Materials: Q & A with Melanie Gritzka Del Villar

Melanie Gritzka del Villar born 1982 of German-Philippine parents – has lived, worked and studied in Germany, Spain, England, Thailand, the US and the Philippines. With a background in figurative painting, the artist has long been drawn to the use of found surfaces and mixed media processes. 

Her practice is shaped by an ongoing exploration of ways in which disparate cultural, geographical and environmental elements can coexist. She is particularly concerned with the state of living in an increasingly fragmented and vulnerable world. This translates into a sensibility towards cast away objects, forgotten (hi)stories and overlooked surfaces as poetic portals and holders of latent possibilities for alternative narratives.

http://www.gritzkadelvillar.com/

Our exhibition at Hillyer examines the tie between Mexico and the Philippines. Can you elaborate on this relationship and what inspired you to make work about this subject matter?

Well, historically, Mexico and the Philippines were under domination of the Spanish empire and formed part of “Nuova Hispania” or “New Spain” from the 16th to 19th century. During this period, The Philippines were officially administered by Mexico. For two and a half centuries (1565 to 1815), huge vessels – also called the “Manila Galleon” or “Nave/Nao de China”- would navigate the Pacific, from the port of Acapulco (Mexico) to Manila (the Philippines). The complete trade route transported cargo such as silver, silk, porcelain, and spices, from Seville in Spain to the Mexican port of Veracruz, overland through strategically positioned cities such as Puebla, to the port of Acapulco, on to Manila and back. This colossal enterprise ensured a rich intermingling and assimi-lation of customs, traditions, language and aesthetics between both nations.

I was inspired to work on this subject when I first visited Mexico in 2015. I was curious to find a mango species called “Mango de Manila” in one of the markets and wanted to know more. Up to that point I was unaware of the shared history between Mexico and the Philippines. The more I found out about this connection, the more fascinated and excited I became about the whole subject matter. I guess the fact that I’m half Filipina from my mother’s side and having lived my teenage years in Spain makes the theme extra intriguing as it touches upon my own cultural roots.

What about found/discarded objects attracted you as to include them in your art?

I’ve been using found materials since my student days in the UK. During that time, found materials such as cardboard boxes were readily available. England was the third country I had lived in, hence the cardboard box was also a fitting metaphor for my own feeling of living in flux or “living out of a suitcase/box”. Since then, I have continued to be attracted to found objects and recycled materials wherever I’d find myself.

Having lived in several countries (Germany, Spain, UK, Thailand, The Philippines) my art is really shaped by an ongoing search for harmony out of disparate cultural, geographical and environmental elements. Found objects carry layers and a specific history, allowing me to engage in a dialogue with the item itself and my immediate environment. I consider overlooked surfaces and objects as poetic portals and holders of latent possibilities for alternative narratives.

More recently, the use of recycled materials has also come to reflect my philosophy of trying to live as a more conscious human being on an endangered planet. Using recycled and found materials for me is a practice that helps me to stay aware of my surroundings and to appreciate what is there…to find something beautiful in the discarded and to infuse it with new meaning. My driftwood series “Traces” is a good example here. By uplifting fragments from the flotsam and jetsam of our throwaway lifestyles, I hope to inspire audiences to challenge given hierarchies of value.

How do your pieces tie together present and future as you display trade routes developed in the 16th century with more recently found objects?

Good question. For me, the Puebla (Mexico) wall sections I’m portraying with the photographic plaster transfers, as well as the driftwood fragments I’ve collected from broken boats on the shores of Philippine islands hint at the layering of history over time. In both cases, what I’m capturing is the history of the object revealed through the scratches and different colours of paint. These layers may also symbolise the complexity of what makes up Mexican and Philippine culture. Regarding the future, I guess the fragility and brittleness of these paint layers could remind us how some as-pects (cultural, historical, etc) could be lost if we don’t try to appreciate and keep them alive.

The gel transferred maps act in a similar way. In this process, I enlarged the original image of the maps and then transferred the printed image into gel medium. The result is an elastic yet fragile sheet which reacts (expands/contracts) depending on the humidity of the environment.
Maps are not absolutes; though they may include real scientific data, but ultimately represent a particular world-view. My transfer technique serves to highlight the tension between the totality of the world as a coherent and complete structure – which the maps seek to represent – and the un-stable state of the medium through which it is communicated. Moreover, the fact that I have add-ed my own writing to the transferred maps adds another temporal dimension, blurring the time scale of the maps. My gel transferred maps of trade routes between Mexico and the Philippines may remind us that world-views are inherently transitional and change as history unfolds, from the past and present into the future.

My work on the myth of “La China Poblana” also deals with cultural constructs over time. This leg-end is based the historical figure called “Mirrha”. Her true origin is disputed – some say she was an Indian princess, some say she came from the “Mughal Kingdom of The Philippine Islands”. She was bought in Manila in the 17th century by the Portuguese captain Miguel de Sosa and shipped over to Puebla in Mexico to work as a servant to his wife. Mirrha converted to Catholicism, was baptised as Catarina de San Juan and led a life so devout that she was almost canonised as saint – which the Church objected to. After Sosa and his wife died, Catarina married Domingo Suárez, the Chinese servant of a local priest, adding to the legend that she was Chinese.
Catarina was widely admired for her generosity and exotic beauty. She stayed in the collective im-agination of the residents in Puebla who honoured her by wearing her dress style: typically a white blouse and colourful embroidered red and green shirt. In the early 20th century, her image eventu-ally morphed into the popular symbol of Mexican femininity as “La China Poblana”- (in the colonial era the word “china” was used to refer to anything or anyone that came from Asia).

For my exhibition “Retracing Roots / Routes”, I reinterpret the story of La China Poblana using my own selection of images: an image found on the internet of a Filipino mestiza in the 16th Century, an old portrait of my mom, and vintage image of a Mexican lady I found in one of Puebla’s flea markets). I also wrote a short text for each of the characters. By reenacting the myth I expand on an existing popular narrative and stereotype and try to hint at the constant evolution of cultural constructs. Including my mother gives the work a personal twist. My mother, just like me, is a mes-tiza (mixed race): we have Spanish, Malay and Chinese ancestors. Again, past, present and future possibilities are linked into a continuum.

You did a residency in Mexico and while there you worked with a local artist to do a mural. Tell us about that experience.

Yes, I did a one-month residency at Arquetopia in Puebla last year during which I did my research on the Mexico-Philippine subject. The mural was actually a side-line project, independent from the main residency. It happened through sheer coincidence. A local friend of mine took me on a mural tour in the neighbouring town of Cholula. I was so inspired by the tour that I had to approach the guide at the end of the session and thank him. Then I showed him some of my mural work and he immediately told me: You must make a mural whilst you’re here. I didn’t take his comment that se-rious, but truth to be told, the next day he sent me a poster of their mural project with my name on it and an image of the wall I was supposed to paint! The campaign was part of an official initiative by the city of Puebla to re-generate one of the oldest neighbourhoods of the city. When I checked out the wall in person I was shocked by the size of it, it was huge. The wall itself was around 300 years old and I loved the color and the worn surface where they paint would chip off. Given that I didn’t have much time left in Puebla I wasn’t sure whether I could commit to it. In the end I decided to go for it. My mural design was based on my research on the Philippine-Mexico connection. It was a great experience, I had lots of help from my new friends and we had so much fun together, especially on the scaffolding. It was an amazing opportunity and I’m very pleased that I was able to leave my mark in Puebla.
You can check out my mural on my website: http://www.gritzkadelvillar.com/murals/

You are a world traveler – how has this influenced the work you create? How has living in DC influenced you?

I’ve touched upon this in your question above. But yes, through travelling I’m exposed to many cultural influences. I love using different cultural references in my work. I’m always eager to discover how cultures are linked to one another throughout history.

I’ve really enjoyed exploring the art scene in D.C. and building a new creative network here. There are some amazing people, venues and opportunities. I feel really fortunate for having been able to show my work in quite a few locations. Living here has also reminded me of the four seasons! I’d moved here from Thailand – so although I’m half German, I had to get used to winters again, haha. It’s also been very educational to be able to observe social structures here.
In terms of my art: I’ve been collecting and using found objects to make new work, especially wine boxes and pieces of road turf. Some of these works are still in progress.

What’s next for you?

I have a few things cooking: a silent auction at the Mexican Cultural Institute in DC on Sept. 23rd, a group show at Viridian Artists Inc. Gallery in Chelsea, NYC, September 5th – 30th, and possible a group show at Strathmore Gallery, in Bethesda, MD – to be confirmed. I’ve also applied for an artist residency in London which would start next January if I get accepted. Fingers crossed!

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The Visionary Potential of Science and Art: Q & A with Gloria Duan

Gloria is a Chinese-American artist currently based in Chicago, IL. Her practice falls within the poetics of science and philosophy, examining concepts of the un-guessed.

http://www.gloriafanduan.com/

Tell us how you make the large cyanotypes that are part of this exhibition? Do you consider them 2D pieces or do you think of them as more sculptural?

I first make a few cyanotype pallets to paint with. Each mixture contains varied amounts of potassium ferricyanide, ferric ammonium citrate, and water. This gives me a range of cyan and orange tones to work with. Next, I paint the cyanotype onto loosely draped silk under red light to minimize UV exposure. I wait for the cyanotype to dry, and then move the fabric outside onto a clear plastic sheet, quickly placing hand-blown glass objects, and contains with water, onto the fabric so as to create the second painted layer. I also wet some areas with water, and add more cyanotype to other parts. I wait for the fabric to expose depending on the weather conditions. Sometimes I expose under sunlight, and other times by moonlight. During the exposure, I move objects around and fold the fabric into different configurations. Afterwards, I remove the objects, rinse the cyanotype residues, and dry the silk. When the fabric is dry, I repeat this process to create more depth in certain areas. Because of this process, I consider these pieces paintings to be viewed from 360 degrees, and so, utilizes a Mobius strip form that considers both sides of the image as frontal. I view paintings as objects with a surface of illusion, and see them as inherently sculptural.

What other artists or individuals influenced your work and what aspects of their creations sparked inspiration and why?

This current work is in discourse with installation artists who create ephemeral and elemental works involving ideas of weightlessness, light, water, and space. Such artists include Tomas Saraceno, James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, and Do Ho Suh. Unlike Turrell’s Skyspaces and Eliasson’s Fog Assembly however, being literal light and water installations, this project is an exploration of compiling marks made by these ephemeral bodies, especially water, light, and the many forms of waves. In this way, the works’ process is more similar to Thomas Ruff’s topographical photographs of windswept Mars, and the moody water textures of Sayre Gomez’s paintings.These works draw literary influences from novelist Haruki Murakami’s many metaphysical metaphors involving water and the psychic landscape, and the book of poetry about the color blue, Bluets by Maggie Nelson.

Your pieces and presentation involve a variety of materials that work together to create the piece. What brought you to each of these mediums and inspired you to combine them?

This project aims to semantically describe mutable and ephemeral subjects, phenomena, and materials, through their unguessed synchronicities. Topics include waves, water, wind, light, shadow, glass, pure energy, floating, suspension, and expansion. This cyanotype process indexes transparent materials such as water, hand-blown glass objects, and clear plastics in order to photograph the disembodied physicality of transparent materials, as an autonomous form within space, rather than a distortion that reflects its surroundings. The transparency of these mediums allows varying degrees of light to reach through each object and display its composition through an x-ray-esque projection. Through cyanotype, the incorporeal materiality of transparency is captured and becomes indexed within a photographic afterimage. Built from the catalytic effects of light and heat, the cyanotype process also parallels the chemical reactions and thermal energies that form each transparent medium. This exploration into transparent and translucent materials simultaneously solidifies the ephemeral, and presents solidity as fluid and disembodied. The suspension of the work in mid-air is to simulate the weightlessness of microgravity. Its Mobius shape questions the cyclic nature of physicality, and form in space. The hexagonal and octagonal mixed media paintings display recurring symbols, which reference the mediums and motifs used in the cyanotype, to narrate the visual poetics of an idea that can be seen to center around capturing an ephemeral body.

Your work combines art and science and this is reflected in your life having attended Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology as well as the Rhode Island school of design. At what point did your interests combine? How was/is your experience finding and conveying the relationship between science of art?

My practice and interests are still evolving. I’ve always been interested in the visionary potential of science and art, which for example, has been well established through science fiction. Specific to my practice, I am interested in challenging perception, through a scientific and artistic lens. I am interested in the unknown ways of seeing- multi-dimensionally, or beyond our visual spectrum and magnitude- and how these ideas challenge our focus of the human experience.

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GRAPHITE AND SUBURBIA: Q&A WITH MATTHEW MCLAUGHLIN

What prompted you to use graphite for this series? Does this material and how it looks relate to the idea of suburbia you are trying to convey?

The choice to use graphite for the Scenes from Suburbia drawings had two parts. The first part was that I felt that out of all the different drawing materials that you can use, graphite was the most relatable to the suburban experience. We all have graphite pencils in our homes, whether for daily use or left over from when we were in school and they were required for tests and such. The second part was that I wanted to push my own drawing skills with pencil further. As I have taught drawing for a few years now, I felt I could push my own technical ability further and gain a deeper understanding of what you can accomplish with just a 2H and 2B pencil.

Did you realize the peculiarity in suburbia subtly throughout growing up in or did you discover it through creating your art pieces and analyzing the community?

I think I may have always been aware of it in the background, which is why my art has always dealt with the environment, both man-made and natural. But I don’t think I became truly aware of the peculiarities and quirks until I started taking regular walks and taking photographs about 4 years ago. I gave myself the challenge of taking a photo every quarter of a mile to generally become more observant of my surroundings and from that I started to recognize the components of the suburban experience.

You say that your work explores our relationship with both natural and man-made environments. Does your idea of suburbia correspond with either of those primarily or is it an interlocking idea?

My idea of suburbia is an interlocking idea of the two but not all suburban experiences feel that way. Greenbelt, MD is a strong example of the interlocking idea because the city and its residents have always been environmentally conscious. They try to alter as little of the landscape around when any construction happens and there are large sections of city property that are preserved as forest areas. While when I lived in Tempe, AZ, for graduate school, it was very much a suburbia of only man-made aspects. One of the oddest things about it was the green grass and oaks trees in peoples’ yards, even though they lived in the desert. So people were altering the very environment they lived in to fit what they expected/wanted.

What brought you to print making and inspired you to teach it? What elements of printmaking do you find separate it from other forms of art?

Printmaking stuck with me because of the process oriented approach to making work. I went to a high school that focused on Science and Technology, so the scientific method was heavily emphasized and when I went to art school I found printmaking to have a similar methodology that I could grasp, understand easily and really enjoy the experimentation of process.

Teaching was always a strong direction for me. Through high school, college and grad school, I taught classes to all different ages. Sometimes they were one off workshops, sometimes multi week or semester long classes, it was something I always enjoyed. So moving on to teach college as a lecturer just made sense, and I love the idea of bringing my knowledge to the next generation of artists, especially printmaking.

I think the main element of printmaking that separates it from other forms of art is the repeatable nature of editions and the option to make many, many copies of a work instead of just the one unique. Some might see this as a downside for investing in art, but I see it as an advantage for the artist. An artist who works in print can have multiple copies of a print go out into collections and let that many more people see it in person than a single painting or sculpture. There is also a tactile nature to printmaking that is unique because prints can be sculptural and yet flat at the same time. The ink sits on paper so differently than any other medium.

What music are you listening to right now?

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of mellower, more rhythmic EDM artists, like Bonobo, RJD2, Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar, plus the Guardian of the Galaxy soundtracks. It’s very nostalgic to when I used to listen to my dad’s favorite oldies radio station as a kid.

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