Last week I journeyed down to LA to meet with my mentor Rebecca Morris for the first time. She is an exhibiting abstract painter and an art professor at Pasadena City College. (the work above is HERS)
It was an incredible day and I came home with all sorts of studio ideas and new things to research. Rebecca is one of those people you wish you could be neighbors with or something... funny, honest, smart and generous in her spirit. We spent the afternoon together and had an extensive critique/discussion of my work.
With her encouragement and thoughts I am pushing ahead with the newspaper investigation.
I honestly had to laugh as we looked up at the wall of images and there was a bunch of everyday classified ads collaged onto paper. How in the world did I get to this place? We actually had a fascinating discussion about why I might need to be here right now. This common, low material gives me more space for my meaning and expression than anything I have ever used. It is remarkably free from gender assumptions and sentimental associations.
My task is to take this to my own place - I am experimenting with different papers, background papers, scale, content and image choices. Rebecca tells me to pay close attention to my unconscious choices - which will inform my next steps. She explained that this is a grand process - and I am learning to create the system that works for ME... one cannot rush these things. I'm having a great time in the studio and I'll be posting some new images of the work soon.
1 comment:
anne,
that day in los angeles sounds fantastic. i'm glad you've got someone like that to work with. and working with the classifieds seems like a rich place from which to start.
-morelli
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