Artists live and breathe creativity, considering it an essential part of their lives. Their stories narrate how their artistic journey shaped their identity and who they are today.
Interview by Susan Stiles
For the painter, Ann Pham, the answer to these questions is simple: There is an interplay between our physical body and our essence that both sustains over time and transforms.
Her art encourages the viewer to reflect on the transformation of their own physical bodies as well as the fact that there are many changes we do not have direct access to, such as our infancy and early childhood, and other changes, such as growing older, that we feel all too readily. So as we contemplate her work, we are also reflecting on our own lives and remembering distinct points when we have changed either because of external/environmental pressures or internal ones.
Through her art, she seeks to unlock this essence. Painting with a focus on essence mirrors her own growth as an artist so that while she may be painting about a particular topic, she is at the same time challenging herself to process her own thoughts and observations. Getting to the essence of something, by definition, means paring down and editing out. She strives for minimalism in her art something that, she says, “takes a lot of work.” And, somewhat paradoxically, simplicity is achieved through building up multiple layers on the canvas. These layers take into account the many aspects of life that influence a person, all equally important in getting to “essence.”
“The main colors that I work with are orange, green, brown, and, of course, gold. These colors represent different aspects of life: brown stands for the community and is very grounding/supportive, green represents family and the pressures that can come from family, and orange represents society. Gold represents art and beauty.” In her paintings, the beauty on the surface is truly dependent upon all other aspects of a person’s life, including both the positive and more challenging aspects of that person’s life. All aspects are necessary for a person’s growth. (Ann cites Tara Brach’s book, Trusting the Gold, as an influence on her approach to painting.)
Ann is classically trained as a painter and was drawn to art from an early age. She recalls the satisfaction of being “given a pencil or some colors and a piece of paper, and seeing that you can create something beautiful.” A defining moment came in the second grade when she broke her right arm in a gymnastics class. Determined to finished her assignment, she drew a butterfly with her left hand (she is right-handed). Her parents enrolled her in an art school to learn techniques starting with the simplest task: how to draw a straight line.
She also learned about the creative process at home from her father who was a self-taught photographer and later taught at a local college in Vietnam. His students used to visit them at home which broadened her perspective on art. Her father also had a dark room at home where he developed pictures and she would spend time in it watching him work.
For Ann herself, as a teenager and a newcomer to the United States, she drew on art as a “coping mechanism for my transition to this country and also coping with the changes in our family.” In college, she enrolled in art classes where she learned, among other things, layering techniques and the process of building colors from dark to light from oil painting. Over the years, art has been an integral part of her life, but it wasn’t until she moved to the Washington, DC, area that she found more time to dedicate to her art.
She is a fan of many artists and a regular at museums both in the US and around the world. But the three artists that she particularly admires are Van Gogh, Alice Neal, and Marina Abramović.
“I look up to Van Gogh for his sheer determination and his deep love of art, despite the condition that he was in and the ridicule from society and people around him. The way that he processed his own emotions is incredible. I remember the first time that I saw one of his first paintings with the beautiful cloud, and, you could feel the emotion that he put into it. It brought me to tears. And Alice Neal, her work is about people. I have not done enough of that, but that’s something I intend to do in my next project. And, finally, Marina Abramović. It’s her love of art and how she builds resiliency. You have to have a thick skin to put yourself out there, no matter what the criticism might be. I absolutely adore her and the depth of what she willing to go through to put out her message.”
One of Ann’s current projects is sketching and painting portraits of the important women in her life to acknowledge their impact on her.“We need to dig deeper and ask more questions to find that everyone is inspiring in some way.” She has already started telling her grandmother’s story through art, a story that was kept silent in her own family for many years. Another project idea is to do a series of sketches on animals. As a vegan, Ann wants to advocate for animals through her art.
Writing is an important part of Ann’s art practice. “In the recent years, journaling has been something that I would say has saved my life. Just writing things down and acknowledging my emotions is so essential.” She has realized, through learning of how her grandmother who lost her entire family in WWII, that emotions that go unacknowledged create generational trauma.
“My [writing] professor and friends encouraged me to do more, so I start incorporating my grandmother’s story into my work, and I want to continue to share her story. More generally, I think every painting has a story and I want this to be another way for me to continue to connect with people.”
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Susan Stiles, Ph.D
Freelance Writer, Poet, Author of the Aging Mastery Playbook
susan-stiles.com
Art Reviewer @mosaicARTs Gallery
I try to answer the question of identity and home: What is home? Where is home? What does home mean? When I’m asked the question, ‘Where are you from’, I want to say ‘Everywhere’. We all have a very complicated ancestry, whether we know it or not.
Interview by Susan Stiles
Eleftheria Easley is an artist who is comfortable with change. Having served in the military and then joining her husband on various assignments throughout the world, she understands that each year is a new beginning and an opportunity to gather new perspectives that, taken together, make up her artistic life. She is also comfortable with taking items that might seem disparate to others and finding the connections that make these items a whole. “It’s the reimagination of the raw materials we have and seeing beauty in things that are sometimes overlooked and shining a spotlight on them.”
A good example of this is her piece, Little Black Dress, which combines an actual dress by an American designer that was purchased in South Korea, a Vogue poster, pages from a brochure from the Kyoto Fashion Institute, clothing tags, an admission ticket from the Milan Duomo, and more. The resulting collage is a seamless whole that speaks to how different cultures have contributed to the creation of this iconic clothing item.
For someone who feels at home in many places in the world and draws inspiration from multiple cultures, collage is a natural fit and, indeed, has been her go-to medium for as long as she can remember. She recalls clipping advertisements, graphics, and images from magazines as a child and saving these in a special folder. During her years in art school, majoring in graphic design, at Boston University, she continued to collect items and then, of course, gathered items from all of the different places that she lived. Her studio space now is a reflection of all of those years and she has been able to dedicate her time and focus to her art practice, something she’d been wanting to do for a long time. “I can consolidate all of my supplies and materials together and so if I want to reach for fabric I can. It’s been fun for me to really dig into the relationships between my materials.”
Her artistic process starts with an idea of an image, whether it is a representational figure, pattern or abstract. Then she considers the foundation for the project—paper or canvas or another background surface—before turning to her collection of papers, textiles, and trimmings, and putting these out on her workspace. From a large assortment of items, she starts the process of pairing things together and weeding things out.
Such was the process she used for her latest, large installation, Tangible Connections in the Digital Age, but with a significant twist. “The inspiration came to me on a walk, just a walk through my neighborhood. And I had a spark of a vision of taking my work to a bigger scale. Initially my work was very small, so I had been challenging myself to play with bigger scale items. This was an extension of that exploration.” The difference with this project compared to her other work was that she sought out materials from other people. “I thought, what if this project wasn’t just about me? What if this wasn’t just my story? What if this was a collaboration? Inviting that into my studio, which was new, was a little bit uncomfortable.”
Gathering the materials took about six months. Eleftheria put out an open call online for people to contribute paper-based materials with a compelling graphic, the only condition being that they had to be comfortable seeing their material cut into or changed in some other way. In other words, they had to agree to “let their items breathe, let them have a new reimagination.” She used thick cardstock to make a square template and adhered the decorative papers to each side, creating two-sided panels. As the project grew, she posted updates online so that people who had sent in materials could see how they were being used and take part directly in the collaboration.
The idea to connect all of the panels together—over 300 in total—using grommets and ball chain connectors proved serendipitous. When the piece is hung and is shaken gently, it generates a soothing sound so it becomes a multi-sensory experience, which was unexpected for her: “Adding sound was nowhere on my radar and yet it’s another component to the work. There are so many life lessons in these processes that really hit home with me. And as I unlocked the potential of the materials, I was also unlocking my own potential, too.”
Because Tangible Connections in the Digital Age is highly modular, it can be configured in many different ways—as multiple panels, with different numbers of squares, hung vertically or horizontally, and so on. Each installation brings the opportunity to experiment, combine the squares in different configurations and even make new shapes that are not entirely symmetrical.
“I cultivated the project, but the project grew me as an artist. In inviting other people’s sensibilities and judgments and contributions and pulling it all together, I released some of the control and perfectionism that can lead to rigidity. The piece is richer for having had the benefit of multiple people coming together to make it happen. And that’s I think where it’s greatest beauty comes through.”
A few years ago, Eleftheria came across the work of Peter Clark and found it both validating and inspiring. Up to that point, she had worked on smaller pieces. Practically speaking, given her family’s many moves and the instability that these moves could bring coupled with the reality of raising children, smaller pieces made sense. Now, she can set her sights on larger projects and experimenting with non-traditional surfaces for her collages. She has a series that builds on scraps and snippets from other projects and reinforces the notion of celebrating sustainability.
She has now launched a business and is more connected with the arts community and learning how the gallery and event venue aspect of the art world works. She would love to continue to exhibit locally, and also expand her reach nationally and internationally, to the places that she’s drawn inspiration from and that have informed her own identity and message. Most of all, she wants to learn and open herself to the different paths that learning presents.
“Continuing to learn and grow and stay true to your purpose and passion no matter what it is, no matter how weird or quirky it may seem, is so important. If it brings you joy and it brings you focus and inspiration, then chances are it’s something the world desperately needs and chances are it will encourage others to do the same. We’re all a work in progress. And I am very lucky that I get to do what I get to do now.”
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Susan Stiles, Ph.D
Freelance Writer, Poet, Author of the Aging Mastery Playbook
susan-stiles.com
Art Reviewer @ mosaicARTs Gallery
Interview by Susan Stiles
StoryCorps founder Dave Isay has said that a person’s calling is a combination of doing something you’re good at, feeling appreciated about this work, and seeing how your work improves people’s lives. For many people, it takes a bit to reach this magical equation. For Marsha Brown, knowing her calling came early: “I think I’ve always been an artist. I think I just am temperamentally that kind of a person, an expressive person, and art always came kind of naturally to me. Everyone has things that they are better at than other things. I just found that sooner rather than later.”
Art propelled Marsha early in life and she pursued studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the University of Pennsylvania, and also the University of Michigan. Along the way, she received advice that has stayed with her over the years: just keep working, just keep going. And so she has and now works in a variety of media as a painter, a sculptor, and a ceramic artist. She has also seen other artists grow and blossom by keeping to the discipline of keeping going, even if their first attempts are not what they wished them to be. This drive also served her well when, for several years, she ran a successful advertising business. As she says, “Whatever it is that pushes me on to be an artist was the same quality that helped me in business and selling.” The advertising business taught her the importance both of understanding what people want and conveying it accurately. She sees parallels in how she approaches her art: “You have to look at something, understand what it is intrinsically, and determine whether you can express it.”
Movement is central to Marsha’s art. Her portraits are rich in colors and texture and harmony, bringing each individual to life in a unique way. In her landscapes, the clouds are moving, sometimes angry, sometimes serene. Even the still lifes—and she is doing more and more still lifes currently—are dynamic. Maybe it is the way that she varies her brushstrokes, giving all of her paintings a kaleidoscopic effect and requiring the viewer to follow different paths that wind about through each painting. Her sculptures, likewise, seem alive. These are real people caught in the act of contemplation.
Mostly, Marsha likes to experiment with different media. Currently, watercolors and small sculptures are a large part of her output. She is finding that she’s incorporating nature more into her art because, “[it] just breathes. And there really is so much variety and beauty and movement in nature.”
Although Marsha does not base her style on anyone else’s, she does cite Alice Neal and Ai Weiwei as inspirations in portraiture and sculpture, respectively. Art is personal for Marsha. She is less inclined to pursue certain themes or topics than to observe her world and create something based on her personal response to it. Thus, her family and places that are meaningful to her show up in her work.
What makes Marsha satisfied with a piece? It comes back to expression: “I have to feel it’s important and I want to express it. I want to feel that this is what I want to say, that this is my legacy. I want to enjoy looking at it, too, and seeing that I expressed what I hoped to express. And once I get there, then it’s no longer about my ego.” Over the years, she’s also developed a philosophy of her own that she applies to her art: “Accept yourself. Accept what you’re going to say and what you’re going to express.”
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Susan Stiles, Ph.D
Freelance Writer, Poet, Author of the Aging Mastery Playbook
susan-stiles.com
Art Reviewer @ mosaicARTs Gallery
Sculpture, Found Objects Art
2/2024
Interview by Susan Stiles
On any given weekend, you might find Ruth Lozner at a thrift store or an estate sale, not necessarily looking for anything in particular, but rather letting her eyes scan for objects that she finds visually interesting. A metronome? Yes, perhaps. Some antlers? Why not? A 19th-century wagon jack? But, of course!
If the object is beautifully designed and triggers an idea or memory, it will likely find a home in Ruth’s studio: “My studio looks like the inside of a cabinet of curiosities filled with wonderful objects and ephemera. These are my ‘art supplies’. These objects re-assemble themselves in my head. With the construction of these various object-combinations, I give them new purpose and meaning.” The end result of her endeavors are sculptures that honor the objects in and of themselves—their intrinsic functionality and aesthetics—but also give them renewed life with new stories to tell. Some pieces are an assemblage of these found objects; others require significant carpentry work. Often, a piece reveals itself to her instantly, as was the case of the wagon jack that became a horse’s head with another found object body and a horsehair brush as its tail (pun intended!).
Ruth’s assemblages are narrative. She is, at heart, a maker and storyteller. “I express myself in imagery rather than words. Inspired by the original meaning and form of the found objects, the sculptures transform those objects into something quite different”.
Ruth’s sculptures are whimsical, even surreal with visual puns hidden within the constructed components. Those little winks, she hopes, will make people smile once they—after puzzling over the object for a bit—recognize the back story. Not surprisingly, she loves the art of the Dada movement, as well as the Fluxus Group, and others whose work focuses on concept and meaning. “I look to those artists who are brave and thoughtful, who, by being personal, are universal.”
These found object pieces can bring out Ruth’s playful and humorous side, but there is a more serious, even “ponderous,” nature to her other work, particularly her paintings in which she explores deeper and perhaps threatening life issues. Recognizing that these are expansive and sensitive topics, she addresses them by using visual metaphors. The paintings might be both beautiful yet troubling the more one looks at them. But she feels it’s in telling the total story that is important.
Ruth’s studio is her ‘happy place’ and she is there nearly every day. Art has been a part of how she has defined herself from early on in life. It’s been her go-to activity since the day when her kindergarten teacher first gave her a paintbrush. “I make art simply because I have to,” she says. Graduating with a BFA from Carnegie-Mellon University, she went on to further her art studies at American University. She worked for several years as an illustrator with the New York Times then went on to a fulfilling teaching career. She is currently Professor Emerita of Art and Design from the University of Maryland, College Park.
In addition to continuing to teach in her studio, she is working on some new projects including collaborative painting with designer, Kenzie Raulin. The two artists talk through concepts and visual solutions in real time. Their unique process of working together on the same canvas at the same time has been a treasured new direction.
In general, Ruth feels that she has reached a point in her life—and her artistic life—where she wants to simplify and pare things down to essentials. She finds that she can say what she wants to say—tell the stories she wants to tell—with fewer components while still doing what she thinks artists do best: being “mirrors” for the viewer, putting in tangible form, the thoughts and emotions that might be buried deeply inside.
Susan Stiles, Ph.D
Freelance Writer, Poet, Author of the Aging Mastery Playbook
susan-stiles.com
Art Reviewer @ mosaicARTs Gallery
“I really am still fascinated by the encaustic because it’s so difficult and it’s somewhat unpredictable.”
Encaustic painting
12/2023
Interview by Susan Stiles
Linda Lowery is a modern-day alchemist. She heats up pigmented wax until it forms a liquid, then applies this hot wax to her canvas—usually raw wood—using a media called encaustic painting. This method of painting comes with risks. For one thing, the wax doesn’t always stay in one place; rather, it moves freely on the wood creating new shapes, new characteristics. The designs that result from this movement can be interesting, but because Linda paints portraits, this movement also poses a challenge. “It’s a challenge, especially if you’re painting something realistic,” she says. “If you’re doing an abstract, it can be fun to just watch the colors move around. Maybe an image presents itself that you like. But if I’m painting a person’s glasses, for example, I don’t want the wax to move around too much. I have to scrape it off carefully and work until I can get the edges that I need.” The other challenge of encaustic painting is that the wax dries quickly. “As soon as you’ve got it on your brush, you’ve got to get it right on your surface or it’ll be too hard to really brush.”
But the rewards of painting with wax are worth the risks. Linda loves how she can build up layers and layers, developing undertones and texture. “Once you get a layer of wax down, then you heat it or fuse it,” she explains. “Initially you’re fusing the wax into the wood and then each layer you’re fusing to the layer under it. I use a hot air gun. Some people use torches. I like to use enough heat so that the top layer melts or gets smooth. You can see the wax kind of bloom up and then it’s absorbing that upper layer. I like to end up with a smooth, shiny layer so that it’s more translucent and it’s pretty too. You just build up layer after layer until you have the picture that you want.”
Another reward of painting with wax for Linda is the wonderful mix of colors that results, producing unexpected and beautiful effects. Additionally, these paintings have a depth to them that isn’t always possible with other painting techniques. “If you look at a painting from the side, you can see it’s almost three-dimensional. It’s very, very shallow relief, but you can still see the picture in a slight relief, which is very interesting.”
Linda majored in art in college and also has a Master of Fine Arts degree. She began painting portraits in earnest after a career as both a computer programmer and manager. Why portraits? For Linda, portraits allow her to get closer to human expressions, human experiences, and human emotions. The paintings in this show were part of a series on young people of different nationalities. Linda hopes that, despite the differences in the individuals portrayed, viewers will see their commonalities and realize they share similarities in their hopes and dreams and experiences.
Inspiration comes to Linda from art that is emotionally impactful. “I think I’m inspired by theater and music because that can really pull out your emotions, and I’m trying to get that same kind of impact with my art,” she said. Artists such as Jenny Seville and John Singer Sargent are also inspirations. And her own family provided inspiration both for her foray into portraits and her decision to use encaustic. “I was influenced by pictures of my son right after he was born. You could really see the difficulty he had been through just to be born. Those pictures had a lot of emotion and I really got into painting newborns who were mostly crying. And that was a big influence on my art because I was painting in oil at the time and I wanted to get a more translucent looking skin for the baby’s face so I started working in encaustic.”
Linda is a member of several local co-op organizations like Alexandria Art League, Arlington Artists Alliance, Falls Church Arts, and Del Ray Artisans. Linda has a number of upcoming projects including a collaboration with the Washington Gay Men’s Chorus. One of her paintings, entitled “See Me,” was selected as part of a show in which paintings will be set to music and dance. The performance is slated for June 2024 at the Kennedy Center. Another current project involves painting portrait pairs on wood.. Her vision is to create a visual dialogue between the two portraits. When asked whether she would consider exploring other painting techniques, Linda responded “I really am still fascinated by the encaustic because it’s so difficult and it’s somewhat unpredictable.” For now, at least, she’ll continue being an alchemist.
Susan Stiles, Ph.D
Freelance Writer, Poet, Author of the Aging Mastery Playbook
susan-stiles.com
Art Reviewer @ mosaicARTs Gallery
