Remember earlier in the week when I was telling you about this amazing piece called “Milky Way” by this local artist, Renee Gertler? Well guess what! I asked her for an interview and she said yes! Renee works and lives in San Francisco, and makes amazing pieces depicting natural phenomena. See her artist statement and more of her work here.
P.S. Interviews are going to be every Friday as much as possible… if you have a suggestion of someone cool to interview, email me! arianna [dot] davalos [at] gmail [dot] com
BEGIN INTERVIEW:
IMTFY: Where are you now?
Renee: I am at work, I work at CCA in San Francisco as the 2D studio manager
I have the summers off, and today is my last day of work for a few months
IMTFY: How exciting! It must be nice to have a break ahead of you.
Renee: Yes!!! Very
IMTFY: Can you describe, in a nutshell, your personal philosophy? A thought or view that guides you forward?
Renee: Well, that is a big one. I think that I try keep a child’s perspective in some ways–in the way the children are constantly seeing things new and fresh and are always questioning. I think this is really important in regards to art making… and curiosity of course.
IMTFY: They say environment is mind, and mind is environment… Let’s talk a little about your home… Where do you live? How you feel when you’re there? What are some of your favorite ways to spend your time at home? Is there anything you don’t like about your home? What would you change? What is the most important thing about it that makes it feel like home?
Renee: Sure. I live in an apartment in the Mission. I have a ton of plants at home, orchids, and other houseplants. I spend time at home- when I am home- taking care of them. My husband teases me that I am often in “plant world”. I feel like home is a place to relax- I think my plants create a calm atmosphere.’ Lately, I have been trying to NOT spend so much time online but read books instead. Finding it to be a huge challenge. I also spend lots of time on the couch. Between working full time, and working in my studio- home is where I go to rest.
IMTFY: How do you keep the balance between working, creating, and resting?
Renee: I don’t really! I think that when I have deadlines my life is all about working, and then there are periods of downtime. It seems that things go in phases. I am just coming out of a big work phase, I had a couple of shows back to back and a residency, lately I have been recharging my batteries.
IMTFY: What motivates you to keep creating art?
Renee: I ask myself that question every day. There are different motivations, lately I have been working from a narrative more. The narrative takes a long time to develop, and then from there I think of the sculptures and installations as a sort of set- kind of like the props in a play.
IMTFY: Art can be very open-ended in terms of what form it can take. You seem to have a pretty diverse array of materials and methods you use… Do you ever have trouble distinguishing between art and non-art? Do the lines ever become blurred for you?
Renee: Not in my own work. My husband makes work that blurs the lines quite a bit- and sometimes it can be confusing. We did a project together in Denmark- a video called “thats my side”
where we made a video and used actors to play ourselves discussing how to colllaborate.
The video was in Danish, so we could not understand what the actors were saying- the script was improv. Later we edited it to have subtitles in English. I got very confused about where the lines were drawn. Some of the conflict was very personal- but I was an art piece and a dramatization. I think that was the most confused I have every felt in terms of art/life blurriness.
IMTFY: Was there ever a turning point when you decided you wanted to be an artist?
Renee: I think I was in Elementary school. We had a visiting artist program- artists would come and make projects with us. It was a public school, so this was the only time we made art. I made a plaster of paris frog.
IMTFY: Has anyone or anything ever discouraged you from being an artist? If so, how have you dealt with that?
Renee: Of course! It can be very difficult to be rejected. I have learned how to just accept that rejection is part of the process, and that making work in the studio is a completely seperate thing from the whole business of art. I think I just try to remember that, but it still is hard!
IMTFY: What is your process of creating a new piece? What inspires you? How do ideas come to you and what do you do next?
Renee: Ideas seem to come in different ways, like I mentioned before I have been working from a narrative. I think it is a real big combination of reading- the newspaper, novels, looking at discovery magazine, or seeing a picture of something. Then going to my studio and drawing. Then finding some materials that I am intrigued with. Occasionally I will just have a flash of an idea as I am falling asleep. That is always really exciting. But most of the time it is a long process. And then lots of making things that I edit out. I was at Macdowell artist colony this fall, and I spent about 2 weeks just drawing out ideas.
IMTFY: Are there any circumstances or environments in which you feel create an ideal atmosphere for working?
Renee: I think for me the most important thing to feel productive is a space where I can make a huge mess, and have about 3 things going on at the same time. I am kind of A.D.D.. As long as I know I can be messy, and not have to worry, it is pretty ideal.
IMTFY: Did you ever struggle with not having a place to work?
Renee: Yes- most definitely! I realized after trying to have my studio in my apartment for a long time that I really needed a studio outside of my home. So I can have plant world and studio world… I like having people around in my studio too, I like the social aspect of having a studio that I share with others.
IMTFY: I know money can be a struggle for many artists… it sounds like now you have a full time job… can you describe how money has influenced your path?
Renee: Before I had a full time job I worked sporadically as a preparator and would not make work, then got to residencies and have concentrated time to make work. It was helpful to have the support of institutions in terms of studio resources and some financial help. But then I went to grad school, and got a full time job and I think it has really helped me in terms of making work in a more consistent way.
IMTFY: What is a normal day for you like?
Renee: If I am working in my studio on a show or deadline- get up go to work
go to the studio, and work till about 9 or 10. But lately, I am in a recharge phase so I have not been working in my studio that much.
IMTFY: How do you promote your art practice?
Renee: I think going to grad school really was a big part of it for me. I apply to lots of things too, and at CCA I had studio meetings with lots of artists and curators in the community. I got to know lots of people that way and have stayed in touch. Things just sort of evolved.
IMTFY: What is your idea of success? Are you striving for anything in particular?
Renee: I think feeling good about the work I do is important. My ideas about success are constantly shifting. I would love to be able to make my work full time! And be supported by making work.
IMTFY: Do you have any adventures planned for the next couple of years? Any goals you would like to accomplish?
Renee: Great question. Interviews are really interesting in the way that they make you self reflect! I think phasing out of working full time is a goal.
IMTFY: Do you have any plans for how to make that happen?
Renee: I just did a creative capital workshop about a month ago- they ask you these same questions! I am working on how to answer that- I think getting a grant would be great. Selling some sculptures. Lots of my work is very ephemeral, and it does not last. So it is a big challenge!
IMTFY: What is your biggest obstacle?
Renee: making sculptures, and finding a place to store it all! It creates a mental block in terms of what I want to make because I start to think about where it will go.
IMTFY: What are your biggest assets?
Renee: Being a dreamer, in terms of making large sculpture and not caring about where it will go.
IMTFY: If you had unlimited resources, what would you do?
Renee: Have a couple of studio assistants, travel, maybe have a couple of different homes.
IMTFY: Who or what are your biggest influences? Events, other artists, books, movies, teachers, friends, shows, etc.?
Renee: I really love films, I think in a way film is a huge influence. I just saw “after hours” by scorcese, and rewatched the graduate. I love looking at the way objects can affect the narrative. My friends are a big influence on me too- my friend Lindsey White, I went to graduate school with her she is a photographer and video artist doing really interesting projects. I read lots of science magazines, astronomy books, nature guides. My friend Libby Black, Amanda Curreri, Mindy Shapero, Brody Reiman- a former teacher part of the collaborative team Castenda Reiman, Liz Craft, Paul Wackers. In addition I have been reading lots about furniture- Marcel Breuer, Charles and Ray Eames.
END INTERVIEW
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