Armida studied painting at Arizona State University and her background in theatre helped her comfortably begin a YouTube channel where she has built a community by documenting her creative process. Her bright paintings have been showcased at the @Central Gallery, Chaos Theory 22, PHX ART NOW IV, and most recently the Flinn Foundation Art Exhibition Cycle 2.

We spoke with Armida Kielty to learn about the inspiration for her work, her use of color, and more. Here she is, in her own words.

“Using thick oil paint, I create a neon cloudy sky where the sun is hitting at the perfect angle in the horizon that makes the clouds light up… [It] just puts me in awe every time I see it in real life.”

Armida Kielty, Portrait. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and when you knew you wanted to be an artist.

Armida Kielty: I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I have always been inspired by the views that this city gives me. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been drawn to bright colors. I would choose to wear bright colors whenever given the chance. Looking back, I think it stemmed from being limited to what I could wear most days. I had to wear a uniform to school as early as kindergarten, so when given a choice on what to wear, I wore the brightest of colors for my entire outfit. Plus, my parents let me choose the color of my bedroom walls and I chose a deep magenta color. Who would do that except someone with a love for color? Now thinking back, I do use that same deep magenta color in a lot of my paintings.

I didn’t get a chance to lose myself fully in the visual arts until I attended Arizona State University to study painting at the School of Art. Before then, I mostly expressed myself in other art mediums, including theater and music. While performative art can be powerful during the moment it’s expressed, I have found that the visual arts come more naturally to me. The hours of solitude, preparing a piece with love and care, sharing it with the world when I decide it is time; this process has its own power. My years in theater help me comfortably express myself on my YouTube channel where I document my art process, while also getting personal outside of just being an artist. The community I am growing online is unique beyond anything I could imagine. I uploaded my first video in December of 2021 and have already uploaded over 100 videos. Along with being inspired by other creators that document their creative process, I suppose it was the feeling of connecting with others that made me upload that first video. My husband and I had friends leave Arizona that year, so I felt lonely for friendship and wanted to share myself in videos to fill that void. Now that I am a mom, I just hope my daughter grows up to appreciate her surroundings. I hope to become a hardworking example for her by perfecting my art, while also taking care of her at her young age.

Armida Kielty, Someone New, 2022. Oil on canvas. 40 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What do you typically explore through your work?

AK: I specialize in oil paintings depicting bright rainbow-colored sunsets, usually from the streets of Arizona’s cities. Using thick oil paint, I create a neon cloudy sky where the sun is hitting at the perfect angle in the horizon that makes the clouds light up. It happens in such a unique way that is quite rare. It just puts me in awe every time I see it in real life. I have to paint every crazy sunset I see. What makes my paintings unique is my choice to enhance the bright colors in the sky with the oil paint and using my hand to thicken the texture of the clouds. Aside from simply capturing the sky’s beauty, I paint Arizona’s sunsets because I have a love-hate relationship with this state that I call home. Its scorching heat makes the summers almost impossible to enjoy. So in order to reconcile my appreciation for my home, I paint the very sky that plagues my days. With each painting, I learn to love Arizona.

Armida Kielty, Test Drive, 2021. Oil on canvas. 40 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and what are the topics or subjects that you most focus on?

AK: Narrowing down my subject matter to cloudscapes and cityscapes was not a quick process. I have always felt a slight pressure to lean into more realistic imagery, which can be seen in my cityscapes, because many people often resonate with that kind of work. While I love to challenge myself with recreating these intricate details, my love for clouds and color will always come first. This is no surprise because my love for color has always been there, even before I picked up a paintbrush. I just love to lose myself in bright neon colors and blobs of clouds.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

AK: I am inspired by many contemporary artists, including Ellie Eveleig, Erin Hanson, Chris Long, and Anastasia Trusova. Their use of color and texture is a source of inspiration in my work. I also love artists that create YouTube videos, since I am also trying to document that process myself with my work. There is just something so personal about documenting the creative process, so I love to see other artists do it as well.

Armida Kielty, It’s a Good Day, 2021. Oil on canvas. 40 x 25 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

AK: I recently showcased my first solo exhibition The Flaming Twilight Hour at the @Central Gallery inside of the Burton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix, featuring all of my rainbow-colorful cloudscape and cityscape paintings. It was truly magical having a whole gallery filled with my work and a monumental step for me in my art career. I also recently showcased paintings featured at Chaos Theory 22 at Legend City Studios, PHX ART NOW IV at Mesa Community College Art Gallery, and most recently the Flinn Foundation Art Exhibition Cycle 2.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

AK: Just apply. Just do it. So many artists starting their careers hesitate to apply to art opportunities and art calls that are a perfect fit for them because they don’t think their work is good enough. Something as simple as just applying and reaching out can get your foot in the door. I thought the same intrusive thoughts about my work after I graduated college. What inspired me to feel more confident was seeing other artists my age show their work in amazing art exhibitions in Phoenix. If they could do it, I could do it. And so can you!

Armida Kielty, Rainbow Clouds Over Grand Ave, 2022. Oil on canvas. 40 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you? Anything on the horizon?

AK: At the moment, I am focusing on being a stay-at-home mom for my infant baby girl, Marceline. With my studio at home, I am continuing my cloudscape and cityscape series, while video documenting the process for my YouTube channel. I currently have work displayed at both Valley Coffee Company and Brightside Studios in Phoenix. But of course, you can see my work online on my socials and my website.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Armida Kielty, visit www.armidakielty.com and YouTube, or follow her on Instagram @armida_artist.

Armida Kielty, Meet You Real Soon, 2022. Oil on canvas. 30 x 20 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

The post Armida Kielty: In Her Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

Safwat’s multidisciplinary practice ranges from graphic design and illustration to writing, film, and sound, centering on immigrant narratives and particularly the cultural loss that results from assimilation. His works and public installations have been on view across Arizona, including in Avondale, at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and at Tucson Museum of Art

We spoke with Safwat to learn about the inspiration behind his work, what it’s like to create while in the depths of parenthood, and more. Here he is, in his own words.

“My work weaves together themes of preservation, resistance, desire to belong, and joy as an immigrant father raising a multiracial child in the American Southwest.”

Safwat Saleem, Portrait. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Deanna Dent.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and when you knew you wanted to be an artist.

Safwat Saleem: I’m a multidisciplinary Pakistani-American artist. My path to becoming an artist has been somewhat slow and unconventional. I am not the product of a liberal arts college. I picked the very practical and safe major of computer science and was happily coasting along until I made friends with someone who was studying graphic design. Up until then I didn’t even realize that graphic design or art was something you could go to school for.

Although I continued to study computer science, I couldn’t get the idea of making art for a living out of my head. So, ultimately, I decided to take a risk. I went to graduate school for design and digital art because I felt that perhaps art could be a way to amplify my voice. Since then, I’ve been juggling working as a graphic designer and advancing my artistic practice simultaneously.

Safwat Saleem, 7,103, 2023. Charcoal on paper roll, American flag from naturalization ceremony. 156 x 38 inches. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Lisa Olson.

PhxArt: What do you typically explore through your work?

SS: My work generally focuses on the desire to belong. Art is how I process the world around me, and it is a form of catharsis. I tend to create the type of art that I wish had existed for me in particular moments of time when I felt alone. Arizona has been my home for over two decades, and my work, subconsciously at first but very intentionally now, is an attempt to make this place feel like home for myself and for others like me.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and what are the topics or subjects that you most focus on?

SS: My practice is multidisciplinary and ranges from graphic design, illustration and writing, to film and sound. My work centers on giving visibility to immigrant narratives and often focuses on cultural loss resulting from assimilation. My body of work weaves together themes of preservation, resistance, desire to belong, and joy as an immigrant father raising a multiracial child in the American Southwest.

Humor is a critical element of my work. I use satire to challenge perceptions and bring to the foreground points of view that have been obscured historically by hegemonic power. For example, my work 7,103 uses my own experience enduring a 19-year-long immigration process, depicting the number of days I spent in the U.S. immigration system before becoming a naturalized citizen.

My mixed-media series Concerned but Powerless is based on notes I wrote for my daughter beginning in 2017, the year she was born and the year I reached the conclusion of my naturalization process to become an American citizen. The artworks in the series make use of Urdu typography and explore themes like cultural loss, assimilation, democracy, misinformation and rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

Another work, Oral History (of us), is an audio installation that invites viewers to listen to a cassette tape and then discard it in the trash. The audio on the tapes is a letter addressed to my daughter, covering a few centuries of our ancestral history. The installation aims to make visible the idea of cultural loss and immigrant narratives that tend to become obscured in an effort to assimilate.

Safwat Saleem, The Self Help Library, 2022. Hardbound books. 8 x 10 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: How has your practice evolved over the years?

SS: Becoming a parent forced me to evolve how I work, as well as what I work on. For the past several years, I’ve followed artists who are also mothers and the work they’ve made after becoming a parent. More than anything, I’ve been searching for answers on how to balance being a productive artist while not just caring for a tiny human, but also navigating the complexities of raising her in an inter-racial, inter-faith and dual-language household.

When I first became a parent, I spent a lot of time thinking that perhaps I would no longer be able to make art. Being a parent is a full-time job, and I also work as a graphic designer. Trying to find a place for art between being a designer and a parent was proving to be quite a challenge.

When I came across the artist Lenka Clayton, that completely changed the way I look at art. Her work A Residency in Motherhood and The Distance I Can Be From My Son helped me find a process and direction with my art that I feel good about. Being a parent is now an important part of my art practice, and I’ve also been exploring ways to make works that are collaborations with my daughter.

It is surprisingly difficult to find examples of men who openly talk about being a caregiver and the impact it has on their art, so I feel I haven’t learned much from artist fathers. But thank goodness for artist mothers.

Safwat Saleem, A New Home, 2023. Steel, paint, concrete, and LED lights. 18 x 12 feet. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

SS: There are so many artists and designers who create work that sticks with me, including Zineb Sedira, Deborah Roberts, Mona Chalabi, Christine Sun Kim, Sindha Agha, Jerome Ellis, Axel Kacoutié, Kelli Anderson, and Salman Toor, to name a few.

Local artists who constantly inspire me are Gloria Martinez-Granados, Christopher Jagmin, Ann Morton, Sam Frésquez, Laura Spalding Best, Joshua Rhodes, Janel Garza, Shela Yu, Danny Upshaw, and so many more!

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

SS: I recently completed a permanent, outdoor sculpture called A New Home. This sculpture has been nearly two years of heartbreak and learning process. It depicts a woman and child sitting in an oversized rowboat run aground in a patch of land. The woman and child look away from the viewer no matter which side the sculpture is viewed from.

My series Concerned but Powerless is on view at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the exhibition Language in Times of Miscommunication. Oral History of Us, an audio installation, is currently part of the Arizona Biennial at the Tucson Museum of Art.

Safwat Saleem, Concerned but Powerless #11, 2018; 2020. Mixed media, charcoal, and color pencil on illustration board. 18 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

SS: My advice is to never attach your self-worth to something that is judged by others. Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially if you don’t come from privilege. A lot of success in the art world comes down to one’s ability to attend an elite liberal arts college, be able to afford residencies that don’t pay a living wage, or have access to networks that are only possible when you come from privilege. So, what does one do when you don’t have those kinds of resources? You just have to try to be kind to yourself, work at your own pace, and come up with your own measures of success. This is advice mostly for my younger self and something I still have to remind myself of on a regular basis.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you? Anything on the horizon?

SS: I’m currently working on The Self-Help Library,  a collection of oddly specific books that I wish had existed to guide me through certain parts of my life. With book titles like Random Check: Coping with TSA screenings and other humiliations that are not so random at all when you’re Muslim and Stories of strong women of color protagonists for your daughter so she doesn’t grow up thinking women of color don’t matter, The Self Help Library uses book covers as the canvas to give visibility to themes like  the immigrant experience, the joy of fatherhood, and resistance as a brown person in America in the face of rising xenophobia.

The first version of the project was commissioned by Tempe Arts and was showcased at Tempe Public Library in 2022. The collection currently consists of 24 books, and my goal is to expand it to 50 books by the end of 2023. You can follow the project on Instagram at @selfhelp.library.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Safwat Saleem, www.safwatsaleem.com or follow him on Instagram @safwtf.

Safwat Saleem, The Self Help Library, 2022. Hardbound books. 8 x 10 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

The post Safwat Saleem: In His Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing from Arizona State University, Scott carefully considers every element in her artistic practice, paying attention to each material down to the wood grain. Her new series examines the significance and multigenerational impact of maternal family figures kneading dough, whether for tortillas or fry bread. These paintings capture special moments in her life, while reigniting memories for other Indigenous and Hispanic families.

We spoke with Selina to learn about the inspiration behind her work, her new series, and more. Here she is, in her own words.

“I try to represent both sides of my culture in every artwork I create, and this positively influences my self-esteem and helps me understand who I am. My favorite detail I add to represent my Diné culture is a turquoise ring on the hand. There is hardly a day that goes by that I’m not wearing turquoise, so I thought my paintings should, too.”

Selina A. Scott, Self-portrait. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Mya K. Scott.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and what typically inspires your work. When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

Selina Scott: From as far back as I can remember I loved to draw. My dad was a huge influence on my interest in art and always encouraged my dreams of becoming an artist. He used to draw horses, and I would copy him. He would tell me that art could be my full-time job someday. Ever since then, I only ever wanted to be an artist. I grew up in a Diné (Navajo) and Hispanic household in Tempe, Arizona, with my parents and two sisters. Both of my cultures became my greatest inspiration and motivation for my art because it’s how I made a deeper connection with my heritage. It also allows me to feel closer to my Indigenous and Hispanic roots and understand the impact they have made on my identity, especially when I felt like I didn’t belong in either. Knowing there are so many others who felt the way I did inspires me to create more work about being bicultural.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and why? What are the topics or subjects that you most focus on, and how did you become interested in them?

SS: In my practice, I often use a combination of pencil, pastel, acrylic, and oil paints. I am very detail-oriented and like to take the time to add every feature to the subject I am painting or drawing. I have always been drawn to portraits and capturing every unique detail that makes up the face of a person. The precision of pencils and slow drying time of oil paint ensures I can add every little detail. My favorite compliment I receive from people who view my work is that my paintings feel alive or real enough to touch.

I started drawing people from a young age, so it was only a natural progression that I took to self-portraits to explore my own identity. I try to represent both sides of my culture in every artwork I create, and this positively influences my self-esteem and helps me understand who I am. My favorite detail I add to represent my Diné culture is a turquoise ring on the hand. There is hardly a day that goes by that I’m not wearing turquoise, so I thought my paintings should too.

Selina A. Scott, I Swear, 2021. Oil on wood panel. 48 x 36 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: How has your practice evolved?

SS: I was a very timid artist growing up and didn’t see my voice emerge until college. I attended Arizona State University (ASU) and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing in 2021. Being surrounded by other amazing creatives at ASU helped me hone my skill, refine my voice, and gain the confidence to share it. As I create more self-portraits and share more of myself in each work, I feel more comfortable. With this comfort, there is room for taking on new risks and tackling difficult themes. Along with new conceptual ideas, I have seen a new attention to detail in all aspects of my work. I owe this to a few of my professors at ASU. They encouraged me to carefully consider every element in my artistic practice, from concepts, to the surfaces I create on. I started working on wood panels during my final semesters and it inspired a completely new series of work. Every wood panel I work on has been carefully studied and selected for its wood grain. The natural pattern is unique to each piece and inspires a one-of-a-kind composition for the work I create on it. The interaction between surface and subject, and recognizing the life from each piece of wood has brought a deeper meaning to my work.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

SS: My greatest artistic influences are Frida Kahlo and Kehinde Wiley. They both express their own identity and culture in a beautiful, vibrant way. Frida influences all my self-portraits, and I look to her whenever I implement object symbolism. She is a true example of strength because she shared the most vulnerable parts of herself in her paintings. Kehinde Wiley became an inspiration of mine ever since I saw his painting Marechal Floriano Peixoto at Phoenix Art Museum. I was struck by the color and life jumping off the canvas. I revisit this same painting every year and can’t get enough of the details in the embraced hands and flowers decorating the couple.

Selina A. Scott, Mya, 2021. Oil on canvas. 28 x 22 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

SS: My current work is an extension of my portraiture and focuses on the hands of our maternal figures hard at work making tortillas. Kneading dough and making tortillas or fry bread is a core memory from my childhood when we would visit my Nali (paternal grandmother) on the reservation. I debuted this idea while live painting at the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day event in Phoenix last year. So many people connected with this piece, even in its early progress and unfinished state. This simple gesture between a grandmother and her grandchild amounts to a greater love and multigenerational impact than simply making tortillas for a meal. I want this series to capture this moment in my life and reignite memories for other Indigenous and Hispanic households.

Selina A. Scott, See Through Me, 2021. Graphite, colored pencil, and acrylic on wood panel. 24 x 28 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

SS: For any new artists starting their careers, I encourage you to be your authentic self and never give up. Art takes a mental, physical, and emotional toll, but it is worth it when you see the outcome of your hard work. The greatest advice I can give to aspiring artists is to find a community that supports you and your work. From this past year alone, I have found so much support and new friendships by visiting local art shows and networking at different events. I’d like to give a shout out to my friends at Cahokia and Xico for accepting me with open arms and guiding me on my journey as an emerging artist. Ahéheé and gracias!

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you? Anything on the horizon?

SS: I will share all upcoming shows and future events on my social media and website. For now, I am busy in the studio working on this new painting series and experimenting with new ideas.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Selina A. Scott, visit www.selinaascottart.com or follow her on Instagram: @selinaascottart.

The post Selina A. Scott: In Her Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

From a young age, Blaise Danio knew she was an artist. Now, her murals and immersive experiences draw inspiration from the many places she’s lived around the world, with color palettes that reflect the natural world and all its beauty.

“My greatest wish is to create an emotional experience in which you feel immersed in the space and scene. I want the viewer to lose their sense of time for a moment.”

Blaise Danio, Portrait. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Ryan Cordwell.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and what typically inspires your work. When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

Blaise Danio: I am a muralist and designer currently based in Phoenix. I grew up in Miami, but I have lived all across the world, including Europe, before settling down in the desert four years ago. There has never been a moment when I didn’t consider myself an artist. I was lucky to have my parents encourage my creative talents at a very young age. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment in my youth that inspiration struck. It seemed to be innate for me, and that drive to create beauty has persisted ever since. I find a lot of inspiration in architecture, nature, and my peers. The global design world encourages me to continue pushing my own work forward to find a space for my voice in a sea of immensely talented artists.

Blaise Danio, Amethyst, 2021. Mural. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and why? What are the topics or subjects that you most focus on, and how did you become interested in them?

BD: My current practice has me creating murals and textiles. I love the idea of a body of work being accessible to the public on a large scale. I’m much less interested in creating singular pieces of art for a private collection versus public art. I want the feeling that the work inspires to have as broad of a reach as possible. My current work is an homage to my travels, as well as my time in the desert. My work is minimal and distinctive for my use of color. My greatest wish is to create an emotional experience in which you feel immersed in the space and scene. I want the viewer to lose their sense of time for a moment.

PhxArt: What inspired your color palette and use of flat, abstract forms?

BD: Nature inspires my color palette. We have the most gorgeous sunsets in the Southwest. How could any color combination be more perfect than what nature has already shown us? I stick to minimalism within my work because I find that successful minimalism is actually very difficult. A visual space does not need to be overwhelming in order to be impactful.

Blaise Danio, Desert Serpent, 2021. Digital Design. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

BD:I’m influenced by a mix of artists, interior architects, musicians, writers, and chefs, the common thread being their ability to follow their most authentic forms of expression regardless of how the work might be perceived. My greatest inspirations are Lisa Yuskavage, Alex Proba, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Gabriel García Márquez, Francis Mallmann, and Kelly Wearstler. New ideas and new techniques can come from thinking outside of a single medium silo.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

BD: This past fall, I was privileged to spend time at an artist residency in Sardinia, Italy, adding a mural to a public sporting complex and creating a site-specific piece for a gorgeous flora festival in a previously abandoned plant nursery.

Blaise Danio, Bouquet, 2021. Mural. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

BD: Don’t be afraid to reach out to the people you admire. Most of them remember what the beginning stages of their careers were like and are happy to offer some guidance.

Blaise Danio, Pink Doorway Blanket. Textile. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: smallerocean.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you? Anything on the horizon?

BD: While in Italy, I met a writer with whom I will be exchanging visual letters and prose with throughout the coming year to create a book dedicated to the beautiful Italian landscape that we both experienced. I’ll be attending another artist residency in Portugal this coming summer. I hope to continue to extend my creative reach globally, so expect to see more international projects featuring site-specific installations.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Blaise Danio, visit www.buhlaixe.com or follow her on Instagram @buhlaixe.

Blaise Danio, McDowell Miracle Mile, 2020. Mural. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Ryan Cordwell.

The post Blaise Danio: In Her Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

Over his career, Bryan’s work has been recognized by a number of awards, including the Flagstaff Arts Council’s 2016 Excellence in Visual Arts Award, and a 2016 Contemporary Forum Artist Grant from Phoenix Art Museum. He has exhibited his installations and photography at venues across world, including in Arizona, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and China, and his work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Center for Creative Photography, and others.

We spoke with Bryan to learn about his process and continued evolution. Here he is, in his own words, on his practice, his artistic influences, and more.

“The thing about fire and natural materials is that they don’t bend to my will like human-made art materials do. They have a mind of their own.”

Bryan David Griffith, Portrait. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and what typically inspires your work.

Bryan David Griffith: I make my living as an artist, but I consider myself more of a thinker and a dreamer. I wander about at my own slow, meandering pace and generally do things the hard way. As a young boy, I spent a lot of time by myself in the woods. It’s still a place where I can go to recharge and get out of my head. Nature is full of colors and forms that are far more nuanced than anything I could come up with in the studio. I never know when inspiration may strike. The more time I spend outside, the more I stack the deck in favor of serendipity. A few years ago, I was out hiking after a windstorm and came across an aspen that had just blown down near the trail. I walked up to the top of the tree and stuck my head in. A field of leaves fluttered around me. In that moment, I envisioned a form to go with the concept of aspen regenerating, which I’d seen at a wildfire site I had visited a couple years prior. That’s how the installation Rebirth in my current exhibition Rethinking Fire was born.

Installation view of Rethinking Fire, 2022 at World Forestry Center Discovery Museum. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Jonathan Ley.

PhxArt: When did you know you wanted to be an artist? What was your first inspiration?

BG: I felt I was missing a creative outlet when I was an engineering student at the University of Michigan. One summer, I found a 1970s photography book by Henry Horenstein in the mothballed darkroom of the camp where I worked. There, I found my first inspiration. I taught myself photo printing in that darkroom with that very book. Senior year, I cobbled together a makeshift darkroom with garage-sale parts in the basement of an old house I was sharing with seven friends. I tried and failed to make prints like the Ansel Adams photos I had seen in the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Still, I was hooked on photography and kept at it.

I got hired by a management consulting firm out of college and moved to Chicago. It wasn’t engineering but, instead, a more lucrative job that everyone in business school wanted, so I was lucky to get it. But a few years in, I didn’t like the person I was becoming. I didn’t feel good about my project or about the environmental implications of what my client was doing. In a fit of idealism, I wrote a letter to all my coworkers and resigned. I bought an old van to live out of and hit the road to build a portfolio and make a living as a photographer. If I knew how difficult it was going to be, I might not have had the guts to do that. My naïveté helped me find the courage.

Sure enough, I lost about everything I had within the first year. Nevertheless, my work was getting better just from the sheer number of hours spent camping out and learning how light moves across the landscape. By the end of the following year, I sold enough work to get by and considered renting a place. My van happened to break down in Flagstaff. It was a gorgeous autumn, and the aspens had just started to change. I never left. I fell in love with the landscape and then my future wife, who grew up in Flagstaff.

PhxArt: Tell us about your process and how it’s evolved.

BG: My process has evolved dramatically in ways I didn’t expect. I started out with a big old bellows camera, making meditative photos of the solace I found in nature. I wanted to inspire people to visit and help preserve our wild landscapes. Then, I started making more experimental, alternative-process photos with scavenged homemade equipment. That series featured small figures finding their way, acting as metaphors for my own memories. In 2014, I received a grant to study wildfire with scientists and create photos for a yearlong group project called Fires of Change. Partway through the project, I realized my photography wasn’t the right way to tackle the concept I was after. So I took a hard left turn into experimental painting, sculpture, and installation with natural materials. When that group exhibition opened, my own friends didn’t know which work was mine because it was so different. From there I kept wandering off the map. I am now an artist-at-large, which is both liberating and terrifying!

Bryan David Griffith, Traces I & II, 2020.Smoke from fire accumulated in encaustic beeswax on wood panel. 30 x 30 x 2.5 inches (per panel). Courtesy of the artist and Bentley Gallery.

PhxArt: Do you work in a particular medium, and if so, why?

BG: I no longer define myself by media. These days, anything goes! For the last couple of projects, I started out with the concept and then experimented until I came up with my own way of making it that married well with that concept. Those projects deal with environmental and climate issues around wildfire and water, so I used a lot of foraged natural materials, which roots the work in the landscape it’s about. The thing about fire and natural materials is that they don’t bend to my will like human-made art materials do. They have a mind of their own. The work is more of a conversation, a dance with a stranger who speaks a different tongue. When it works, there’s a primal energy beneath the surface of the piece. The wild and calm coexist. That juxtaposition between the organic and geometric speaks to the relationship between nature and humanity.

Working this way has led me into some unexpected grey areas between media that hopefully feel fresh and authentic. In my latest exhibitions, I even change media within the same body of work. That sounds like a mess, but with closely related forms, palettes, and concepts running through the show, it holds together and keeps the viewer on their toes.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

BG: Like all artists, I stand on the shoulders of many who have come before me. In terms of impact, my biggest influences were my high school art teachers, Jill Waskowsky and Dee Fitzsimmons. They encouraged me by entering my paintings in competitions, while also pushing me after class to think more deeply about concept and design. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. When Dee learned I was going to study engineering, she said, “Just remember, the art school is across the street. No matter what you do, you’ll always be an artist inside.” I tried hard to ignore that, but it turns out she was right.

I draw a lot of inspiration from conversations with other artists, including musicians, writers, dancers, and others at all levels. Creatives of all types survive by being resourceful, nimble, and brave. We are all digging for the same fire, tapping into the same joy, tragedy, and mystery of the human experience. When my enthusiasm wanes, the passion in a young artist’s work can fire me up again. Sometimes those conversations can lead to unexpected ideas. One day, I was talking with my wife about one of her natural dye experiments. I realized that she was manipulating the same chemical reaction that I had been using in alternative-process photography, just from the opposite side of the equation. Thinking about that in my wife’s perspective opened up a new variation of the process I hadn’t seen published anywhere. Not only new ideas but also new techniques can come from thinking outside a single medium silo.

Bryan David Griffith, Rebirth, 2021. Aspen leaves preserved in beeswax, burned conifer debris from fire site. 60 x 60 x 120 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

BG: I currently have a solo exhibition at the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum in Portland called Rethinking Fire. The response has been very positive, and I’m happy to announce that the museum is going to extend it until summer 2023. It’s about wildfires and takes up half of the entire second floor of the museum with experimental paintings, sculptures, and four major installations. I created each piece by burning or salvaging materials from fire sites. Everything in the show was on fire at some point! I‘ve collaborated with scientists to make work in this series since 2014. This version of the show features quotes and issue text contributed by a number of scientists, including Paul Hessburg from the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, who helped edit and joined me for the opening lecture. Collaborating with passionate scientists like Paul inspires me to think in new directions. You can see a short video interview and walkthrough of the show here.

Bryan David Griffith, Monsoon Flowers, September Seeds, 2021. Cyanotype, foraged natural dyes and pigments, acrylic on canvas with wood. 58 x 50 x 4.5 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

BG: Get out there and get your hands dirty. The only way to make good art is to make lots of bad art first. When you get to a place where you’re making good art, keep taking chances and allowing yourself to fail. It’s easy to stagnate once you find something that works and people are buying it. But art must evolve to keep its magic.

Also, realize that courage and persistence are more important than talent. Success in the arts depends on being in the right place at the right time. The odds of winning any given opportunity are slim. So focus on what you can control: make the best, most relevant work you can and try again and again in the face of rejection. Seek out criticism and learn from those rejections, but don’t judge yourself by them. Judge yourself by whether you’ve given your best shot. Celebrate each time you send in a submission instead of waiting for the results.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you? Anything on the horizon?

BG: I have a project about water and climate change called Watershed, which I’m in the process of expanding and looking to showcase at some point in the Valley or Tucson. I started a new band called The Carbonics and have been writing a lot of songs. It’s fun to have another creative outlet that doesn’t carry the same expectations as my art practice. This fall, I was out hiking and once again came across two huge downed aspen trees, this time cut down to protect power lines. I gathered thousands of their leaves for a future installation idea.  My work is challenging to make. Most of it has to be made outside when the weather is favorable and materials are in season. I can’t just go into the studio and churn things out. But the greater challenge is finding ways to fund and venues to host my work, especially when we are talking about installations that take hundreds of hours to complete. The truth is, I have proposals out there, but I don’t know if any will come to pass. More than once, things have looked dire, but then a grant comes through or a collector buys a big painting and that enables a project to happen.

David Bryan Griffith, Broken Equilibrium & Reconstruction, 2015. Trees from thinning projects and wildfire sites. 162 x 158 x 96 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Bryan David Griffith, visit bryandavidgriffith.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram @bryandavidgriffith. To see more artwork in-person, visit Bentley Gallery in Phoenix. To hear more about his band, The Carbonics, visit their Instagram @TheCarbonics.

Bryan David Griffith, Fissure, 2016. Smoke from fire accumulated in encaustic beeswax on panel. 30 x 30 x 2.5 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

The post Bryan David Griffith: In His Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

We spoke with Ernie to learn more about his inspirations and projects that have landed him in publications from The New York Times to National Geographic. Here he is, in his own words, on his preferred medium, his artistic influences, and more.

“[P]hotography has provided me a medium to communicate my past and present, my humor and concerns, and my observations and explorations.”

Ernie Button, Self-portrait, 2017. Photo: Melissa M. Button.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and where you’re from. What was your first inspiration, and what continues to inspire your work?

Ernie Button: I have been a resident of the Phoenix Metro Area for over 45 years. I have always been interested in the creative arts, from writing, to performing, to music. I have been involved in photography since my early teenage years. However, I didn’t really know anything about the art world until my wife went to graduate school for fine art painting. Her experience there opened my eyes to the art world, which fascinated me. Since that time more than 20 years ago, I have been exhibiting my work, showing and sharing my photography as much as time will allow.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and what topics and styles do you focus on?

EB: I consider myself a photographer that has dabbled in other forms of print media, like printmaking. For most of my adult life, photography has provided me a medium to communicate my past and present, my humor and concerns, and my observations and explorations. Although my subject matter varies, my images tend to focus on the individual nature of objects (and occasionally people) and the unique qualities that each possesses. My images often provide a voice to objects that are overlooked or taken for granted.

Some standout projects for me include Back and Forth, which documents the disappearing coin-operated grocery-store ride; Riding Through Lishui, which documents my travels through the streets of Lishui, China, where coin-operated grocery-store rides line the city streets; and Cerealism, which features portraits and landscapes created with breakfast cereal. Also of note is Vanishing Spirits: The Dried Remains of Single Malt Scotch. After a person has enjoyed the last drop of Scotch Whisky, the liquor’s residue leaves fascinating patterns in the bottom of the glass, which I then photograph. I have been exploring this topic for 15 years now, and the project has evolved from straight documentation to experimentation to celestial representation.

Ernie Button, Macallan 150, 2012. Archival pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: How has your practice evolved over the years?

EB: I have a full-time job outside of photography, which allows me to create the projects and images that I want. However, there is not always enough to time to create and explore as much imagery as I would like. So, over the years, I’ve had to be more focused on a project and be more organized with my time.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

EB: I am constantly inspired by the talent and positive attitude of my wife. Other artists who inspire me include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso, Michael Kenna, Keith Carter, Richard Misrach, Todd Hido, Greg Crewdson, Shana and Robert ParkeHarrison, Lori Nix, Susan Burnstine, Albert Watson, Odd Nerdrum, and Zaha Hadid.

Ernie Button, Capitol Mount Rushmore, 2012. Archival pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Tell us about your work as a teacher. What first inspired you to become an arts educator, and how does this work inform your personal practice?

PS: I am an information sponge and a curious person. I am very enthusiastic about art, culture, ceramics, and sharing my enthusiasm. I like getting people excited about ideas and art that I love and learning from my students. I love the problem-solving involved with teaching art and the endless iterative creativity demonstrated by artists. Every semester, I choose a different area of my field as a focus. Creating the assignments and lectures focusing on the chosen topic is endlessly stimulating.

Ernie Button, Planet Macallan 101, 2015. Archival pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

EB: Vanishing Spirits has been an internationally recognized project featured in such publications as The New York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, NPR, Huff Post, Wired, and Esquire. It is an ongoing project of never-ending fascination to me. It is an ongoing project of never-ending fascination to me.  Images from this project have been collected into a book called The Art of Whisky which was released in May 2022 by Chronicle Books. I’m very, very excited for it to be in the world.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with a Japanese rice-based whisky by the name of Shibui. Because of the different grain used compared with Scotch (which is made with barley), the resulting patterns yield very different, much more organic patterns than the more rhythmic and repetitive patterns of Scotch.

Ernie Button, The Glenlivet 162, 2004. Archival pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

EB: Most of what I’ve picked up throughout my time on this earth has been more practical life advice, most of which can be applied to making art.

• Work hard at everything you do.
• Everything in moderation, i.e. strive for balance.
• There is always someone working harder than you.
• Invest money at an early age and take advantage of compounding interest.
• Success comes in cans, not cannots.

Ernie Button, Grape Nuts Dune #9, 2004. Archival pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Ernie Button, visit www.photoeye.com/erniebutton or follow him on Instagram @erniebutton. To learn more about his Vanishing Spirits project, follow @vanishingspirits_erniebutton.

Ernie Button, Cheeramids #3, 2004. Archival pigment prints. Courtesy of the artist.

The post Ernie Button: In His Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

Deborah Harris, Portrait. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and where you’re from. What was your first inspiration?

Deborah Harris: I was born in Oneonta, New York, in 1949, and I have been drawing since I can remember. I had my first exposure to painting daily at age 9. My family had moved to Tucson, where I attended a public school nearby. When my teacher realized that I could read and write above the fourth grade level, I had the opportunity, along with a couple of other students, to be rewarded with time quietly spent in the back of the classroom. There was a two-sided wooden easel, so two of us could paint as much as we wanted at the same time, with an assortment of tempera paints, brushes, and paper.

Thereafter, through each level of my education into college, I always enrolled, or snuck, into art classes. I learned some basics—how to stretch canvases, draw, use materials, etc. From 1973 to 1976, I lived in Mexico, where I painted all day long while my husband attended medical school. It was then that I really began the process of becoming an autodidact. I studied The Artist’s Handbook by Ralph Mayer and read books on multiple artists, absorbing their histories and paintings. I converted one room into my studio and did the usual things; made still life paintings of Cezanne-like fruit arrangements, figurative work based upon photos, and many sketches. Mostly the thing I learned during that period was the value of sketchbooks. I couldn’t afford to make canvases on the scale I do now, so I used to plan my work very carefully. I didn’t have the freedom to start with a blank canvas, so I did multiple sketches for each finished piece. I didn’t want to make paintings that I had to erase—the paint was too precious. I would say I began to consider myself a working artist in Guadalajara, and subsequently, upon return to Tucson when I began to split my time between a part-time job and painting.

Deborah Harris, A Primary Defense, 1992. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: John Ormand.

PhxArt: How has your career evolved since then?

DH: When I moved to Albuquerque in 1978, I fell in love with the high desert “white” light and landscapes. I was a member of a Downtown Artist’s Collective and participated in several group shows. I had my son in 1980, so I had to work on a tight schedule of nap time, but I took a page out of Barbara Hepworth’s book. I was determined to be both a serious artist and a mother. I didn’t have five children during a war in a rural art commune—so if she could do it, I knew I could swing it, too. I had a considerable body of work when I had the fortune of meeting Raymond Jonson, who to my delight, both understood and loved my paintings. He put me on the docket for my first solo show in the Raymond Jonson Gallery at the University of New Mexico. Some pieces sold, and thereafter, I became a member of Arlene Wackerbarth’s Performance Gallery. I was surrounded by artists who were older than me that I could learn from and whose work I respected, like Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. I was a guest lecturer at the  University of New Mexico’s Philosophy Department’s Summer Seminars in 1981 and 1982 at the D.H. Lawrence Ranch in Taos.

After I moved to Phoenix in 1982, I showcased at the Ashland Folk Collective in a downtown gallery, and then was invited to be a member of the Ianuzzi Gallery. I also had a six-month exhibit at the Peoria Public Library. In 1991, I won a juried competition judged by art historian and critic Arlene Raven at the Phoenix Gallery in New York City., and  became a member of the gallery. A few years later, I was invited by the curator of the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to participate along with three other artists in the exhibition SURFACE, SYMBOL, PSYCHE: Contemporary Abstract Painting, from March 22-June 8, 1997. I have been a member of “The Breakfast Club,” invited by Beth Ames Swartz, since 2004 and have been in several group shows over the years. I have also participated in Phoenix Art Museum’s ‘Contemporary Art Forum’ Auction and events.

PhxArt: What motivates you to continue creating?

DH: I would say that I am motivated by the need to communicate visually what cannot be communicated any other way. I realize that I have had to master the language of paint to communicate what is most important to me, and that this mastery has developed and evolved alongside my priorities over the course of my lifetime. In retrospect, as I moved through the experiences of falling in love, raising children, burying my parents, maintaining a marriage, and surviving cancer, my paintings moved alongside me. They serve as a record and testament to my life, from my perspective, on my terms, in the way in which I want my story told, which is a radical endeavor in itself. It is such a wonderful gift, and it brings me a lot of joy.

Deborah Harris, End of Innocence, 1998. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: John Ormand.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in?

DH: I almost exclusively work in oil paint and on large canvases, typically 60×72 inches. I started making these larger paintings while in Tucson because I had a bigger studio and more resources. I also found that I worked on that scale much better.

When I try to explain to people why I make work at this scale, I tell them the scale is really in reference to my embodied experience. In my world, everything is bigger than I am. So, it was perfectly normal for me to be smaller than my paintings. Additionally, after working on paper and on a budget, all that blank space gave me a freedom I hadn’t had before, and when the paintings were finished, I felt a sense of power! Because, you have to remember, the odds were not in favor of women artists at the time, as the Guerilla Girls made plain; you were more likely to get into a museum as the nude subject than as an artist. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was a woman; it was a disadvantage for competitions. I wanted my work to speak for itself, to take up space, and to announce itself unequivocally.

I also find that oil paint, unlike watercolor or acrylic, is much more malleable, and initially much less permanent and more adaptive to a variety of mediums. Additionally, I can make vibrant palettes in oil. Gerhard Richter’s technique for applying layers of paint made a categorical difference in my application, to scraping layers on and off, and pushing the theme of surface even further.

Deborah Harris, Baile de Mascaras, 1988. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: John Ormand.

PhxArt: What are the topics and subjects you most focus on, and how did you become interested in them?

DH: After college, I worked in the Model Cities Program—a federally funded program to encourage civic involvement with city and state governments and help improve living conditions and public works, with a subtext of achieving cooperation among multiple minority groups. Civic engagement and minority representation remains important to me. Political themes often make their way into my work in subtle ways because my work is rarely figurative. My painting practice offers me an embodied way of engaging—and struggling against—the reality of the world, with all its inequities and dualities alongside the captivating beauty and the perseverance of the human spirit. All of it makes its way into my work.

Early on in my art career, I was enamored with the Russian Constructivists and so my paintings from that time were hard-edged—flat colors within geometric forms. I now recognize that I was painting both abstract real-world forms as well as those that started to emerge from my internal landscapes. I was developing my own “language” through form, color, and composition. In many ways, the subject of my paintings is the paint itself and my experience of interacting with it, to manipulate it in the intended way. In my Peoria dream studio, I began to explore new approaches to both the surface and forms.  It took me about five years to release myself from my self-imposed constructivist constraints. Eventually, I created a lot of work that referenced Indigenous art and the profound light, a space, and form of the landscape of the Arizona desert.

I would say that my art is often a reaction to global politics and an attempt to process senseless invasions and pointless wars. I realize now that my approach to the canvas could be transformed in a single instance of artistic recognition—a nod from another as though I was being given permission or approval to be more daring, to become more of the artist I wanted to become. This was the case after I encountered the work of Anselm Keifer, whose work deals with the heavy taboo cultural history of post WWII Germany. The scale of the work was shocking, and the content was brutal, and it made a big impression on me—not only the emotional and visual aspects, but the methods of construction. I decided if I wanted to, I could do bigger paintings—and I could extend this storytelling aspect to my own work. After seeing his work, I started one of my largest paintings, the Baile de Mascaras, alternatively called family portrait, which is massive and quite severe. Everybody looks a little bit like they might kill you. I think this served as a watershed moment for how personal and narrative I would allow my paintings to become.

Deborah Harris, Ghost Girl, 1993. Acrylic. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: John Ormand.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

DH: Most of the time when I am in my studio, I am listening to music while I paint. Some of my paintings become influenced by what I’m listening to. Lighten Up While You Still Can Gustave is my visual reaction to Gustav Mahler’s 9th Symphony, for example. I also listen to a lot of West African and Middle Eastern music, including Habib Koité and Ali Farka Touré. I also love to listen to the musical compositions of Keith Jarrett and The National.

I am inspired by the work of Clemente, Modigliani, Joan Miró, David Hockney, Arshile Gorky, Piet Mondrian, Édouard Manet, Pablo Picasso, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Francis Bacon, Gustav Klimt, the Bauhaus painters, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Richard Diebenkorn, Susan Rothenberg, Max Beckman, Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, Berthe Morisot, and Mary Cassatt. More directly, my work has been influenced by the artists with whom I shared space or values, such as The New Mexico Taos and Santa Fe transcendentalists, Deborah Remington, Barbara Hepworth, Mark Rothko, Joan Mitchell, and the cumulative effect of viewing multiple exhibitions at the Heard Museum throughout the years.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

DH: You cannot intellectualize yourself into being an artist. The only way you can be the artist you wish to be is to continue to make your art, no matter what. Do not be discouraged by the reactions or critiques you may get. Remember you are the most important judge of your work. Mainly, do not become discouraged by the lack of notice or applause. Give yourself time and space to make progress in your work. Take every opportunity available to you to show your work in public, and to see all the great art you can in person.

Also—and I learned this the hard way—for an artist, even bad press is valuable press. I’ve been panned on the same page as some fantastic artists including Manuel Neri, and subsequently defended by lauded art critics. It turns out one of the best ways to get people in the door to your opening is to get a terrible review in the newspaper.

Deborah Harris, To Another Universe, 1993. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist, Photo: John Ormand.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you?

DH: I have finally put together a wonderful website, and I am always happy to find opportunities for exposure in galleries and museums. Primarily, I sell my work directly from my studio, but I am also always on the lookout for places to exhibit. As for sparking something new, I am working on my once every 25 years self-portrait… it might take a while.

SEE MORE

To see more artwork by Deborah Harris, visit www.deborahharrisart.com or follow her on Instagram @deborahharrisart.

#CreativeQuarantine

PhxArt: We’re curious how creatives navigated the time of coronavirus. Deborah Harris shares what gave her life during the pandemic.

DH: I have very close friends and family I kept in contact with. We would FaceTime and do Zoom dinner parties. I really maximized virtual pilates. I finally got to see my kids and grandchild in person for proper hugs this past summer. COVID was a very strange experience. I am a cancer survivor and am immunocompromised, so I was almost completely isolated from March 2020 until February 2021 when immunizations started, and keep up with the booster shots,  which is a relief, but in truth, when I think about the issues facing our world, along with the added mayhem of the pandemic, it has all been so psychologically numbing. I do not think I have fully recovered from some aspects of the isolation and constant worry about our planet, and the senseless violence in our world.

But I don’t shy away from it. I read voraciously. I read The New York Times cover to cover daily, The New Yorker, and the New Republic. Before the pandemic, I frequented the library to check out as many books and foreign films as they would let me. I love foreign films! I am deeply affected by the viciously cyclical racial violence. And I’m confused by the anti-science movement in America, but I find solace in remaining awake to it. I also make a point to economically support institutions that provide value and reprieve to those who need it most because it’s very hard to make a political impact without resources.

The post Deborah Harris: In Her Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

Using the photographic medium as a tool, Rembrandt combines datamoshing and glitch techniques to generate digital artifacts within images found in mass media, including film, television, and the internet. His work, which was most recently exhibited at Walter Art Gallery, explores mass media and its effects on social and political history through the moving image.

Here’s Rembrandt Quiballo, in his own words, on his inspirations, photographic manipulation, and more.

“I’ve used really difficult imagery and really visceral war footage in my work, but this has helped me to process some of the unpleasant parts of humanity. And in the end, I feel like there’s still hope.”

Rembrandt Quiballo, Portrait. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and where you’re from. What was your first inspiration, and what continues to inspire your work?

Rembrandt Quiballo: I was born in the city of Manila in the Philippines. My father was an airplane mechanic who worked all over the world, and my mother took care of the family. The assassination of Benigno S. Aquino Jr. by the ruling regime resulted in immense social and political unrest in the Philippines, compelling my family to leave the country. We lived in Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands for my father’s job briefly and eventually immigrated to the U.S. These experiences exposed me to the political and social disparities around the world at an early age and would continue to influence my life and art practice.

Creating art is both fulfilling and therapeutic for me. My work gives me the platform to express myself and my views about everything in existence. It’s given me a purpose and a lens through which to experience life. Life would be boring without art. Anything can be used for your art. I’ve used really difficult imagery and really visceral war footage in my work, but this has helped me to process some of the unpleasant parts of humanity. And in the end, I feel like there’s still hope.

PhxArt: Tell us about your art training.

RQ: I studied painting and photography at University of Arizona. I became interested in continental philosophy, which many artists I admired were referencing in their work, so I got an additional degree in philosophy. I guess at that point, I was trying to find myself and find some truth; both art and philosophy were an ideal conduit for that pursuit. I eventually entered the photography graduate program at Arizona State University (ASU) and studied under insightful professors including Adriene Jenik, Mark Klett, Bill Jenkins, and Julie Anand. ASU was great, and it was a transformative experience for me as a practicing artist. Every crazy idea I had was taken seriously and was thoughtfully considered. My thesis was an hour-long suite of video works about the historical trajectory of the media spectacle, dating from the John F. Kennedy assassination to the September 11 attacks. I also had work about social media and the emergence of phone cameras as a tool to destabilize the narrative endorsed by giant broadcast corporations, which I think we’re seeing bear fruit today.

Rembrandt Quiballo, Burn, 2019. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and why? What drew you to the moving image, film, and photography?

RQ: My work is photo-based and most everything I make has some kind of photographic element, whether I’m using conventional film, digital camera, smartphone, screenshots, or even photographic collage. I started as a painter. Early on, I used images from the television and magazines for reference, as mass media was a seminal influence on me. I would take pictures of the television screen with a Polaroid camera. This led me into exploring photography as a tool and other ways of interpreting media.

The foundation of my work is the moving image and its tenuous relationship with the still image, whether the final result is a still photograph or a video projection. My work investigates the way technology affects how we consume mass media. The proliferation of compression artifacts in our everyday visual experience denotes a shift in “how” we look, which will inevitably affect “why” we look.

PhxArt: What made you move away from painting to focus on photography?

RQ: When I was a painter, my work was very painterly and expressionistic. When I got into photography, I wanted to keep that style and technique. Photography is different from painting and has many characteristics such as its adherence to focus, detail, and clarity. I wanted my photographic works to be like paintings in order to gain legitimacy. There have been movements within art history that have been painterly, but in general, photographic work tends to stick to its mechanical strengths. So I’ve delved straight into photography throughout the years, and it comes down to the ideas and imagery I want to create. The camera is only one of many tools I use to express myself.

Rembrant Quiballo, Digital Explosion, 2019. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What are the topics or subjects that you most focus on, and how did you become interested in them?

RQ: My work explores mass media and its effects on social and political history through the moving image. I use interdisciplinary means to critique and analyze mass media and the absurdity it tends to generate. My art practice varies from compositing screen captures of cinematic films to create a conventional still photograph, to collecting video uploads from YouTube in order to create a more complete visual representation of a media spectacle. I primarily utilize existing footage found in film, television, and the internet. I consume these forms of media as research and analyze their effects on our culture and society. Whether the artwork results in a physical object or a video depends on the subject matter. I use different techniques and methods to communicate the ideas I have. For example, I have an installation that consists of hundreds of Polaroid snapshots taken from a television screen to demonstrate the overwhelming effect of visual images we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Another body of work examines how religion has been surpassed by mass media as a principal force on our beliefs and values as a society. I use found images that might refer to religious or mythical notions and apply instances of compression artifacts found in digital media as a point of intervention. This is where the immaculate façade of high-definition media disintegrates and exposes instability in the seemingly stable.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

RQ: My greatest artistic influence is the Irish-British painter Francis Bacon. He was sort of an anomaly in that he was making figurative works when abstraction was all the rage. He was one of the earliest artists to use mass media as a reference point. His resulting artworks were paintings, but he used films, photographs, and magazines as inspiration for and the subjects of his work. His paintings were also existential and that tends to underscore my work a lot. Other artists who have influenced my practice are Cecily Brown, Robert Heinecken, Nancy Burson, Takeshi Murata, Eadweard Muybridge, Paul Chan, and Trevor Paglen.

Rembrandt Quiballo, Gigablast, 2019. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

RQ: I recently exhibited at Modified Arts. The piece I have in the exhibition is from a body of work that focused on how every facet of human life will soon become digitized. Additionally, this body of work imagines the possible remnants of our existing digital culture. While archaeologists excavate the earth to find evidence of long lost civilizations, my work shows the possibilities of what future scientists would discover in our ever-expanding digital cloud.

Through the use of datamoshing and glitch techniques, I generate digital artifacts within images found in mass media, including film, television, and the internet. Datamoshing is a glitch technique that manipulates compression within the video files to create pixelated artifacts we often see unintentionally on Youtube or streaming channels. The prevalence of data compression today makes the loss of information inherent in our everyday images. We want unsurpassed quality but with the least expenditure of resources. The mere transfer of data causes the contemporary image to be in a constant state of decay. In our pursuit to produce and consume an endless stream of visuals, we face complications such as finite data space and visual incongruity. In the meantime, a new kind of imagery emerges.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you?

RQ: I’ve been collaborating with Nicole Olson to create various dance films. She’s a fabulous dance artist who has been pushing the boundaries of the performing arts for years. We’ve worked on some prior projects that have steered my work in beautiful and unexpected ways. We were recently awarded a Research and Development Grant from The Arizona Commission on the Arts. Many of the ideas and choreography will be from Nicole, while I will have input in the more technical aspects of the project. It’s a true collaboration.

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To see more artwork by Rembrandt Quiballo, visit www.rembrandtquiballo.com or follow him on Instagram @rembrandtquiballo.

Rembrandt Quiballo, Tarantula, 2018. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

#CUARENTENACREATIVA

PhxArt: We’re curious how creatives are navigating the time of coronavirus. Rembrandt Quiballo shares what gave him life during the pandemic.

RQ: I’ve been really getting into the NFT space. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are a unit of data stored on a blockchain that assigns any digital asset unique authenticity. This is a game changer for digital artists because digital works can be reproduced endlessly. Although this remains true, now digital works can be given value, similar to a unique physical object, like a traditional painting. There’s been a real “gold rush” in the space and lots of excitement to say the least. I’ve been exploring the space and how it relates to my work.

Rembrandt Quiballo, The Ecstasy of the Saint, 2018. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

The post Rembrandt Quiballo: In His Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

Although clay has been the foundation for Sannit’s work from the beginning, she has cultivated an appreciation for all media, motivated by her insatiable sense of discovery. With a growing interest in ephemeral works, she has expanded her practice to include video, performance, mixed-media works, and landscape intervention, creating interactive and large-scale artworks that have been exhibited across the globe, including Iceland.

Here’s Patricia Sannit, in her own words, on her inspirations, recent projects, and why she’s dedicated to arts education.

“[A]s humans, we have always shared common experiences, impulses, and desires. We build and create, fail and prevail, and attempt to order our natural world. This cycle, and our resilience, offers me hope.”

Patricia Sannit, The Dance (portrait), 2021. Photo: Rembrandt Quiballo.

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and where you’re from. What was your first inspiration, and what continues to inspire your work?

Patricia Sannit: I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents who loved art and music. We often visited the exceptional and encyclopedic Cleveland Museum of Art. My mom said that I would ask all of the very important and embarrassing life questions, the “where do babies come from?” sort of questions, in a very loud voice, while in the reverberating marble halls of the museum. I fell in love with my first artworks there. Initially it was the fantastic suits of armor in the medieval wing and, most importantly for a nascent contemporary artist, the John Chamberlain sculptures in the modern wing. I always responded more to sculptural forms than paintings.

My parents collected art from local artists and from artists they encountered on their trips around the world. We had beautiful textiles and weavings from Sweden thanks to my mom’s side of the family. One of my aunts lived in Japan, and through her, we also had very special works of Japanese folk pottery and porcelain. This rich visual and cultural environment shaped who I am. I always felt like an artist; my parents encouraged me and gave me free-reign. I painted murals on the walls of our basement, where I also had a pottery studio.

When I was very young, I took a ceramics class at a local art center, Bay Crafters, and fell in love. I was always the messiest kid in the studio and spent as much time there as I could.  It was a second home for me, and I am grateful to my teacher, Jill Funk, for introducing me to the expressive qualities of clay.

There has never been a time in my life when I wasn’t making art. Investigation, curiosity, and a sense of unfolding discovery continually motivate and drive me. I’m open to working with all media and am excited by solving structural problems, experimenting, and seeing what happens. I think of myself as someone addicted to complexity and holding oppositional points of view simultaneously. Additionally, I think that the nuanced and slippery language of visual art allows the ability to address complex problems, address shifting perspectives, and speak symbolically. I strive to be original in my work.

Patricia Sannit, Rise Fall Rise, 2017. Ceramic, glaze, found materials, concrete, rebar, wax, paint, mixed media. Installation view, Phoenix Art Museum. Photo: Mary Knopp.

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in and what topics and styles do you focus on?

PS: I trained as a potter and ceramic artist. Clay has been the foundation of my work for a long time. It has suited me well, and the material itself speaks to the continuity and collective memory of our species and is incredibly adaptable. It is used in everything from toothpaste to rocket engineering, and as an art material. The possibilities of clay are infinite and constantly growing. However, it is not the material for every expression. As I become increasingly more interested in ephemeral works, I have now begun working with video, performance, mixed media, and landscape intervention.

PhxArt: What topics does your work focus on, and what styles have inspired you?

PS: For most of my art career, human history has profoundly influenced me. I know that as humans, we have always shared common experiences, impulses, and desires. We build and create, fail and prevail, and attempt to order our natural world. This cycle, and our resilience, offers me hope.

A seminal experience was working as an excavator at the Neolithic site ʿAin Ghazal on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan. Working there and traveling in the region impacted me in two specific ways. First, the visual and geometric forms of the Middle East opened my eyes to patterns, and I recognized the relationship to the textile patterns I was familiar with from childhood. I came to see geometric patterns as a common language, one that I wanted to use in my work. Secondly, the process of excavation and learning about early human history connected me to our common humanity. Across the world, we are humans, sharing similar values and dreams. These universals continue to be at the core of my work. I work with ideas and materials that allow me to explore the resonance and randomness of history, as well as physical forces like pressure, heat, and gravity. Human history, our resilience, our hubris, our immense energy, and our ability to adapt have been at the core of my work.

More recently, the scope of my work has expanded to encompass a broader perspective of humans living on our planet. Like many others, the experiences over the past two years have shaped me. I feel compelled to live a good life, and take risks, because we live in a time of uncertainty. The focus of my work has expanded, and I am constantly trying new media and addressing our place as part of the natural world.

Patricia Sannit, Huldar: gras, 2021. Still from performance, Skagafjörður, Iceland. Painted canvas, grass, wind. Photo: Patricia Sannit.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

PS: Oh, this is a long list. I am an avid consumer of contemporary art reviews and I read poetry, essays, and literature. Artists include the aforementioned John Chamberlain, Isamu Noguchi, Peter Voulkos, Viola Frey, Auguste Rodin, Eduardo Chillida, Marina Abramović, Ana Mendieta, Adrian Piper, and Bill Viola. Contemporary artists that influence me include Janine Antoni, Francis Alÿs, Joan Jonas, Pipilotti Rist, Kadar Attia, Linda Sormin, Sonya Clark, and Simone Leigh. As for the traditional arts, I am influenced by works from the Jōmon period of Japan; the art of East, Central, and West Africa; the Nazca Lines; Incan stonework; Outsider art; expressive functional pottery; carved wood; smooth stones; peeling paint; lichen; and others.

PhxArt: Tell us about your work as a teacher. What first inspired you to become an arts educator, and how does this work inform your personal practice?

PS: I am an information sponge and a curious person. I am very enthusiastic about art, culture, ceramics, and sharing my enthusiasm. I like getting people excited about ideas and art that I love and learning from my students. I love the problem-solving involved with teaching art and the endless iterative creativity demonstrated by artists. Every semester, I choose a different area of my field as a focus. Creating the assignments and lectures focusing on the chosen topic is endlessly stimulating.

Patricia Sannit, Many Hands (hold me), 2021. Participatory project, volunteers made hundreds of clay hands while speaking about their experiences of isolation during the pandemic. Fired clay, wood, saw horse. Photo: Patricia Sannit.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

PS: I am not currently exhibiting my work, but in the past I presented my project that was developed during the pandemic, Many Hands (hold me), at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts as part of the exhibition Socially Distanced. Socially Distanced highlighted work created by 17 artists during the pandemic. These works correlated with the findings made by the Cooperation in the Apocalypse research team at Arizona State University, which describes social behaviors during isolation. I completed my residency at the Tempe Center of the Arts in association with the exhibition COLOR: the beauty and science of color and completed an artist residency in Hofsós, Iceland, where I experimented with video and performance in the landscape. In October, I will be in a residency in Sweden.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

PS: The advice I would give is: find a mentor, be a good person, work very hard, love what you do, follow your instincts, learn your history, be original, and don’t be afraid to take chances. And just work. It starts with the work; the art will follow.

Patricia Sannit, Installation at FORM Arcosanti, presented by Phoenix Art Museum. Durational performance and participatory installation. Wet clay, sand, fired clay, furnace brick, video projection, fabric, performance. Performers include Nicole Olson, Patricia Sannit and volunteers. Photo: Airi Katsuta.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you?

PS: As part of my residency at the Tempe Center of the Arts in association with the exhibition COLOR: the beauty and science of color, I created a piece that dwells on the shifting colors of the human-made Tempe Town Lake in relationship to the natural landscape and the shifting pathways and history of the Salt River. In other big news, I am a partner in a new artist space, the Rocking S Art Ranch, in Central Phoenix. There are studios for 20+ artists! The rents are fair, and we have a good mix of artists working across media and activate the space with film, video, dance, and art events.

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To see more artwork by Patricia Sannit, visit www.patriciasannit.com or follow her on Instagram @patriciasannitstudio.

2016 Contemporary Forum Artists Grant Winners and Arlene and Morton Scult Contemporary Forum Artist Award Recipient

#CreativeQuarantine

PhxArt: We’re curious how creatives are navigating the time of coronavirus. Sabree Garcia shares what gave her life during the pandemic.

PS:   COVID has taken a toll on all of us. In the beginning of the pandemic, I started Roadside Attraction, an outdoor, safe, citywide art exhibition with two other artists, Chris Jagmin and Lisa Olson. Over the course of three different iterations, in partnership with Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the City of Tempe, we provided a platform for more than 100 artists to present their work to the public in a safe way. My aforementioned project, Many Hands (hold me), was also a significant part of my pandemic experience. I set up an outdoor studio, and through social media and Artlink, I invited anyone interested to come to my studio and make hands. Dozens of people came over, made hands, and told their stories. Strangers became friends, and connections were made during a time of isolation. Making connections and community service kept me sane.

I also cooked a lot, hiked and biked for miles and miles, taught my daughter how to sew, helped my husband through his chemo treatments, made my 99-year-old father his evening martinis, and attended online concerts, lectures, and workshops. I also worked in my studio. As an artist, I realized that the only thing limiting me were my own expectations and if I wanted to try something new, now was the time. My brilliant and beloved husband has since passed and my father has turned 100. My dad is doing well, and he still has his nightly martini.

Patricia Sannit, Caryatid: Showing the Way, 2020. Fired clay, glaze, mineral oxides, artificial grass, lumber, paint. Photo: Mary Knopp.

The post Patricia Sannit: In Her Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

Over the years, Sabree has honed her skills in painting with acrylics, depicting florals and greenery, creating abstractions, and experimenting with lettering. She also paints large-scale murals across the Valley, including a recently completed mural for the Hilton in downtown Phoenix.

To learn more about her inspirations, upcoming projects, and more, hear from Sabree Garcia, in her own words.

“[H]ave fun and paint what you would want to have in your home or wall—paint what makes you happy and satisfied.”

Sabree Garcia, Portrait. Photo: KBR (@kbrofficial).

PhxArt: Tell us about who you are and where you’re from. What was your first inspiration, and what continues to inspire your work?

Sabree Garcia: I am a mural artist, designer, and mother. I am originally from Texas but have lived in Arizona most of my life. I first knew I wanted to be an artist when I never wanted to leave art class in elementary school, and my first inspiration was street art—I’ve always had a big love for graffiti-style art because that’s where mural art started. Even though it wasn’t legal, graffiti was a way for people to express themselves. Painting at a large-scale is time consuming, and I know that in the moment, it makes artists feel at peace.

I am inspired by the people I meet and the things I see daily. I’m also inspired by modern art and design elements. I love staying in the now and going bold. In an artist’s world, it’s hard to pinpoint one specific inspiration, so my work is definitely inspired by many things!

What motivates me to keep creating is not just how art makes me feel but how it makes others feel; the effect art has on others is indescribable and so unique because everyone views art differently and has their own idea of what art represents to them.

Sabree Garcia, Live Painting for Murals and Margaritas, 2021. Acrylic on wood panel. Courtesy of the artist. Event hosted by @ad.rami

PhxArt: What are the media that you prefer to work in, and what topics and styles do you focus on?

SG: I like to work with acrylic paints, but I’m hoping to get more involved with spray paint. I love acrylics because of the way the colors blend. It’s very therapeutic.

I focus a lot on nature in my work, like floral and greenery, but I also love abstraction and lettering. I focus on nature because it’s forgiving. For a flower or feather, no two are alike; it’s organic and beautiful in its own way. So, I paint in that same mentality. I love abstract art because it creates style and freedom. Lettering has its own beautiful form with curves and lines. When I first started created murals, I began as an assistant blocking in color and now I actually get to do the fun detailing part, so I feel like I’m evolving with each mural I create. The message I’m trying to convey is to have fun and paint what you would want to have in your home or wall—paint what makes you happy and satisfied.

PhxArt: Who are your greatest artistic influences?

SG: I love the locals in Phoenix. Each person inspires and motivates me. The community and art scene here are amazing, and I’m happy to be a part of it. As for style, some of my favorite artists are Shepard Fairey, Salvador Dalí, and Frida Kahlo. I love the authenticity in Kahlo’s work. I’m also a huge fan of El Mac and many other artists who work here in Arizona.

Sabree Garcia, Frys Food Store Parking Garage (Downtown Phoenix), 2020. Acrylic. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What’s something you’re currently working on or have recently exhibited?

SG: I recently finished a mural for the Hilton located in downtown Phoenix, which was an amazing opportunity to contribute a piece of art to a building constructed in the 1930s with so much history. My most recent work has been in downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and few residential spots.

PhxArt: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring artists just beginning to build their professional practice?

SG: Believe in yourself. Anything is possible. Don’t wait (but for reals—don’t wait). Your hard work will pay off, so keep going and keep moving. Don’t be afraid to say hi to people; networking goes a long way.

Sabree Garcia, Mural at Hilton Garden Inn Employee Lounge (detail), 2021. Acrylic. Courtesy of the artist.

PhxArt: What can our community expect to see next from you?

SG: I’m very excited for some upcoming projects. I will be working on a Desert Ridge Plaza mural, a project with the City of Avondale, and a painting for a huge new residential apartment complex near Queen Creek, Arizona.

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To see more artwork by Sabree Garcia, visit www.sabreeart.com or follow her on Instagram @sabree.art.

#CreativeQuarantine

PhxArt: We’re curious how creatives are navigating the time of coronavirus. Sabree Garcia shares what gave her life during the pandemic.

SG: My son, friends, and family who continue to support me give me life. I’m really grateful for that support and God for having my back. I keep active, so when the weather cools down, I enjoy hiking (a favorite Arizona activity). Listening to music at all times also keeps me going. And I’m starting to say “yes” to more opportunities while also taking care of myself, which is helping to spark a new chapter in my art-world journey.

The post Sabree Garcia: In Her Own Words appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.