Mind Body Spirit Artist Series - Amanda Clark

Fairytale enchantment - uplifting, dreamy and mystical illustrations that draw you further and further inside every time you look.  That's what the beautiful artwork by UK artist and book illustrator Amanda Clark does to me every time I see it.  I hope you will enjoy reading about Amanda and her work as much as I did interviewing her! 

                                                                                                                  ~ diane fergurson

Chalice Well

Question 1: Tell us a little bit about yourself.  How did you get started in art?

Amanda:   I always remember drawing and painting as a little girl and spending hours colouring in detail and pattern and drawing make believe characters, part human and part animal. Quite shaman like really now I think of it.  My family are all creative people whether the creativity is art, writing, story telling or music and textiles and our family home was a colourful affair and my room especially  full of creative mess, as I like to call it.  We are all nature lovers and love going for walks through woodlands and the English countryside gathering inspirations from the colours of the seasons and the change in the sky and clouds. I remember how I used to feel just being in different places, like walking through poppy and barley fields with the breeze making the waves in the grasses or heavy storm clouds coming towards us over the hills.  I have two lovely children of my own now and can share all of these wonders with them.

Apart from the teachings of my family, and the odd art course as a teenager.  I am mostly self taught in art and illustration, and many crafts.  The art and illustration I have as my income and has been for many years now.  The crafts I still have as a hobby if I have the time.  

MBS: That is quite a jump - from being a self taught artist to becoming an illustrator that is published throughout the UK.  How did that process occur?

Amanda:  Robin Clark, one of my brothers, is a writer and Homoeopath.  When he moved to Australia from our home in England about twenty years ago, he started writing a book he titled 'Voyager'. On a visit back to England one year, Robin saw the kind of art I was painting and it seemed as if we had been living parallel lives with all kinds of 'spiritual teachings'. So he asked if I would like to illustrate his book and he gave me free rein to paint what I felt would go well with his words.  Some years later, Robin has written four books and I have illustrated them all. You can see these beautiful books on Robin's web site:  www.peliguin.com.  Or there is a link for each book on my blog page: http://earthangelsart.blogspot.com/.

I still live in the U.K in a lovely country village called Shalford and Robin is now in Perth, Australia and sells these books world wide.

I currently illustrate for my own greeting cards to sell and I have a few ideas for my own 'Fairytale and Folklore' books. People that have collected my art and illustrations have asked about an 'Oracle Card Pack'. Well, I think I will have to find a publisher first.  For the last four years, I have illustrated for a wonderful Pagan diary called 'Earth Pathways Diary' along with other artists, writers, poets and all manner of creative souls.

Meeting Damh

MBS:  That's wonderful - and your book covers are gorgeous!  Thanks for sharing the links. 
Your work is such an enchanting, quiet reflection of the magical, mystical aspect of nature.
How do the ideas for your work come to you? Where does your inspiration come from?

Amanda: I've always loved fairy tales, especially the old European kind, and after reading these tales many of them seem to be shaman in nature. The characters from the fairytale 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' for instance. The white bear is a prince and needed the love of a girl to rescue him so he could be human again and the spell broken. - 'Shape Shifting'. In another part of the story, the girl was flying on the back of the wind from the four directions.  There is so much magic in these kind of stories and they can symbolize teachings in our own lives in some way. I don't know if other people see the things that I do in fairy tales but this is a great inspiration for my art.  A quote from 'Einstein' is; If you want you children to be intelligent read them fairy tales. If you want your children to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.   I believe fairy tales can be very healing.

So with fairy tales, myths and shaman ways being part of my inspirations, I have the English countryside too. Very early in the warmer seasons, I go for dawn walks in the mossy woodlands or gentle hills close to my cottage. This part of the day has it's own kind of magic and enchantment.
When everyone else is sleeping, all you hear are the sounds of the birds  creating the 'dawn chorus' and sometimes the land is covered in ribbons of mist and dabbled sunlight shining through the trees. The wildlife is easy to see, with hares, deer and sometimes a fox. Here  I can feel the energy of my totem animals.  Morning dew making the cobwebs glow. Walking bare foot on the grass. Delicate wild flowers moving gently in the breeze.   This is when I feel the most connected with our Earth and she takes my breath away with her beauty. I find a place to sit quietly while watching the sunrise.  For me, this is where the mystical aspect of nature lies and is a constant source of inspiration for my paintings. 

Sacred Bee

MBS:  How do you make your paintings and illustrations?  What materials do you use, what size do you work in, etc?

Amanda:  I paint on artist's board, canvas or thick watercolour paper and card using acrylics, watercolour pencils, and sometimes mica for a little natural sparkle.

I have painted directly onto wood and even furniture.  When I paint illustrations, I keep them size small, usually no larger than 12x 16". Some of the original paintings I have as larger canvases and I exhibit these unframed.   When my children were small, I painted their rooms with sky, clouds and moon to go with the sweet, dreamlike animals and trees.

Trackways

MBS:  Do you work in a series?  Do you have any favorite characters or themes you like to re-visit?

Amanda:  I try to work in a series for a certain body of work but find I go back to add more paintings to this series later on, or inspired to create paintings that are similar for a future collection.  I have painted, 'Hares', 'Dreamy Landscapes', Tree People, Totem Animals, Fairy tales, Goddesses and the Greenman and I have many other ideas for my next body of work including paintings and illustrations for the astrology signs and artwork for future books.

MBS:  How long does it take you to complete a piece?  Do you work on more then one painting at a time?

Amanda: If they are small paintings, I tend to work on three at one time, especially if they are similar in colour.  I suppose one of these may take around six to eight hours, sometimes more.  Larger paintings on canvas can take up to one month or so and I work on one of these at a time. The larger the painting is, the more I need to concentrate and become absorbed by the creative process. This is a kind of meditation to me.

Shaman Flight

MBS:  What are you currently working on?

Amanda:  I'm currently working on new paintings for art galleries and collectors. These are a mix of the Dreamy Landscapes and a new series of Tree People that I will soon have limited edition giclee prints made.  After the Spring this year, I will be starting to paint new Fairy Tale illustrations.  When I'm trying to find fairytales to paint, I will re-read them until I find twelve that really resonate with me at the time. Inspiration, I believe comes from the heart not the mind. I'm sure when artist's speak of their muse it is when their hearts are open to receive inspiration and time alone, walks in nature or a walk on a beach somewhere, clears away the blocks to the muse.

I have a short tale I have been writing and illustrating. I can't say too much about it yet.  If you have ever been to the UK and visited Yorkshire, there you will find a beautiful and mystical harbour called Whitby. There have been many strange and wonderful stories about Whitby but not yet a fairy tale. I will make this story a handmade book to order for collectors.

MBS:  No, I haven't visited the UK (yet) - but I am always so intrigued by the depth of historic and
mystical lore that seems to inspire so many artists and writers who live there, and I'm always trying to find out from artists who I talk to and interview, what they attribute that to.  What are some of your thoughts?

Amanda: For me, the ancient history of the UK holds so much for mystery and magic. There are legends and myths that run deep into the history where people lived inland and by the coast.   The UK and Ireland are surrounded by the sea, they are both quite small Islands really.   Legends that are well known to everyone are those surrounding King Arthur. Merlin, Lady of the Lake and mythical beasts like Dragons. So many writers have their own fantastic tales but my favorites are 'Tolkin's  and C.S.Lewis.. Both of these creative writers had incredible insight into the land and legends and I'm sure walked through portals to bring back tales of mystery and magic.  Some would say that these stories were based on 'Christian beliefs, but even these were from more ancient ways that were taken from us long ago and changed into another way.  In the West, Druids and sacred places survived more than anywhere else on these Islands and are now still held strong and the pagan ways, including shamans, still celebrate at festivals throughout the year and live  a sacred life connected to nature.

Stories and tales of mystical creatures such as, Elves and the Fae come to mind and you can feel an energy in mossy woodlands and the moors of the UK and Ireland.  Goose bumps and tingles run up the back of my neck sometimes while walking in my favorite places.  Granite stones, Tors and other ancient sights like 'Stone Henge' are sometimes said to be like portals into another world. Even the 'Old English Secret Gardens' with their roses and herbs boarders hold an energy of another world.

I feel all of these things are in my blood and while I'm in the natural world I can sense the energy and feel the magic of it all.  Maybe it's creative people that are sensitive to this way of being, and all over the world in other ancient sacred places . It remains a mystery to me.

Autumn Equinox

MBS:  What is a typical work day like for you?  

Amanda:  My typical working day? I'm not sure I have one of these, every day is so different and painting doesn't feel like work, it feels like play. My partner, Nolan, and I home school our children too, so I suppose I mostly paint in the evenings.  In the Spring and Summer I love to paint until the early hours of the morning and then go for my 'dawn walks'.  It's great that both Nolan and I work from home because then we can be very flexible to who and when we teach our children. This opens up all sort of wonderful opportunities each day.

Moon Dream

MBS:  I see that you sell your work online.  How has the online experience been for you? 

Amanda: I sell mostly prints and greeting cards online from my etsy shop and website. This seems to work well.  The first year on etsy was slow to get started but I prefer to be painting and and spending time in nature and beautiful landscapes where I get my inspiration, than on a computer.  I have requests for commissions of original paintings from my facebook page and seem to have quite a following these days.  This always takes time to build up but is worth planning for because you meet some incredible  people and other artists and writers.  Of line, I have art galleries and shows I'm busy with and always busy painting for these.

The Queen and the Blue Crow

MBS: Any advice for those who (seriously) wish to pursue an artistic path?
 

Amanda: Have patience and just do what you can. In time your creativity will shine through and your work will get noticed.  Most important of all is to follow your heart and dreams then everything is possible and before you know it, you are selling your art to collectors.  Have faith in what you do.

MBS:  Where can people find out more about your work?

Amanda: I am painting for art shows and galleries  and finding many wonderful shops to sell my work in. You will be able to see my lasted posts on my blog page with links to my website, facebook page and pop-up gallery and Etsy shop.  I will be showing my latest artwork and illustrations  and will soon have giclee prints available to buy from my website.
My email:  amandaclark@hotmail.co.uk

Blog page: http://earthangelsart.blogspot.com/

Website:  www.earthangelsart.com

Etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/earthangelsarts?ref=seller_info

Thank you Amanda!

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Mind Body Spirit Artist Series: Deborah O'Keeffe

I was walking through the artist booth area at our local "Art in The Park" last month - chatting away, not paying much attention to what I was doing, when I happened glanced over to my right and was totally thunderstruck by Deborah O'Keefe's amazing work.  I was immediately drawn in to her tent (something that rarely happens to me) and I went back to her booth 3 times that day, the third time with my poor husband and his wallet in tow.  Deborah's story is a fascinating one, and the process she uses to create her stunning collage pieces is quite interesting.  I thank Deborah very much for this interview, and I hope you will enjoy reading about her wonderfully amazing work!

                                                                                                      ~ diane fergurson

Mandala:  Gran Cirque

MBS 1:  Tell us a little about yourself.  How did you get started in art.

Deborah:  My story shows--as many of our stories do--how one thing leads to another.  Creating has always been important to me.  As a young person I gravitated toward finely-detailed handwork such as embroidery, sewing, knitting, and quilting.  I also involved myself in some very complex doodling projects (remember paisley?) during high school biology lectures.  Music was also important to me, and for a time I considered majoring in piano performance in college, a goal I scrapped due to extreme performance anxiety, pursuing instead undergrad and graduate degrees in religion and Biblical studies.  Following the completion of my M.A., I worked for 7 years as an assistant editor on the staffs of two different religious weekly magazines.  That very disciplined apprenticeship in writing and editing eventually led me to move out on my own into the field of creative non-fiction (a memoir) and then fiction (two literary novels).  For more than a decade I wrote on my own, every day, all day, an enterprise I interrupted for a couple of semester stints teaching college writing and literature.

Guardian Angel

As a balance to the writing life, I found myself turning to collage.  In school I had always steered away from art classes because they seemed too subjective and unpredictable in outcome (i.e., grade) for someone as protective of GPA as I was.  But on my own, after years of visiting art museums and enjoying friendship and conversation with many visual artists, I began creating mosaics out of paper.  My love of quilts and the tile mosaics of antiquity, plus my enjoyment of making something out of nothing, seemed to find fulfillment in this enterprise.  Furthermore, the materials were all accessible to me--paper, scissors, Elmer's glue (and PVA), various salvaged substrate, and polyurethane varnish.  After my first novel was rejected by at least a hundred publishers and agents (really, it's not that bad!), I decided to print it in book form, folio by folio, and bind it into a book.  Thus in a period of a year I created 7 individual, handmade copies of The Matisse Bag which I embellished with beautiful papers and many small collages.  That project, which I had turned to in order to feel a sense of closure with the novel, opened me to the realm of book arts and altered books.

After completing my second novel, The Virgins of Manhattan, I attempted to begin writing a third book.  By then I was spending my evenings collaging altered books.  After about six false starts on the third novel, and with a divorce in process, I decided to move in the direction my creative energy seemed to be taking me to pursue visual art.  It was a difficult, frightening time for me.  During the 10 years of my marriage I had left the regular job market to write and occasionally teach, and had depended on my husband's income for economic stability.  When our marriage ended, with limited saving and no income, I found that a 50-something woman with a humanities background was not exactly a hot commodity on the job market.    Soon job-hunting seemed like a futile waste of my time.  I decided to treat the creation of book art as my full time job, to be careful with my savings, and then see what would come of that.  As fearful and distressed as I was during that time, after an hour or two of collaging I would calm down, feel optimistic, and find myself thinking more clearly. That led me to make a series of good, intuitive decisions which ultimately enabled me not only to survive but to grow creatively in every aspect of my life.  In retrospect I see that when I was making art I was in my "best mind"--positive, creative, hopeful, resourceful.

Since that time, early 2006, I have continued as a full time practicing collage artist.  I am self-taught, but highly mentored by the art I see and read about, and by many good conversations with artist-friends for whom I have much affection and respect.  For me art is not only a career, but a spiritual path that involves all that I am and who I am becoming.

Poesis Lyrica

MBS:  This is interesting, because for anyone who has seen your work up close your collages are made up of very, very, very tiny cut up words.  There is such a connection between writing and making visual art.  So many people I know, and also have interviewed, not only paint or make fine art, but they also write.  What are some of your thoughts about the connection between the two?

Deborah: I do use some words in my collages, although mostly I am working with non-verbal images. When I incorporate words into collage I am especially interested in languages I do not understand or even read phonetically--what I think of as "character" languages such as Chinese/Japanese and Korean, Hebrew, and Arabic.  They are beautiful to me as symbols, apart from my understanding of their meaning.  I also enjoy using words from languages which employ some recognizable images from our alphabet, such as Greek and Cyrillic.  For me some beauty, mystery, and breadth is evoked when I incorporate those symbols into a collage.

With regard, however, to the relationship between writing and other art forms, I wish to first observe that artists are often broadly creative.  For example, Kandinsky not only painted, but played the cello and also wrote.  Carl Jung was not only a great psychoanalyst and researcher, but a prolific writer, art historian, and visual artist.  People are what they are, and may exercise remarkable gifts in more than one discipline, depending on their abilities, interests, and the direction their energies take them. Furthermore, I believe the variety of disciplines one pursues may stimulate and inform each other in synergistic ways, so that one art enhances the other.  When I was writing full-time I found that visual art provided a welcome relief from the life of words.  Furthermore, as a writer, I became acutely aware of the limitations of language to express human feeling, truth, and the subtle shades of existence.  It seemed to me, then, that art was able to complement language and also go beyond it in providing elastic, non-verbal symbols that could speak to people in very personal ways.  Now I find, however, that words, if they are not imposed, but flow genuinely from me as I am creating a piece of art, may enhance the significance of the artwork, or place it in a context that inspires meditation in a particular direction.  Some long-form writers--I think of Herman Melville in particular (who was, by the way, a great art appreciator and collector)--turn to poetry in their later years.  I feel that my turning to art after so many years of writing non-fiction and fiction was perhaps my way of turning to poetry.  To me art is, in a way, poetry.

There was a time, also, when I was writing full-time, that I felt very sure of myself, of the nature of life and truth, and of my words about those things.  I now feel a different kind of confidence, or perhaps could better be described as a comfortableness or at least acceptance of how great is the mystery of life and human experience, and how little I truly know of it.  I feel now that my best place in the expressive arts is to be as open as possible to the depths of my being, and to impose as little as possible, to avoid preaching.  Of course I do impose something, for I decide to go in a particular direction with a piece of art, and I continue making decisions as I work to complete a piece; art is nothing if it is not doing.  One of the cardinal rules I learned as a writer was to show rather than tell. For me, then, making art is my best-yet fulfillment of that rule.  Furthermore, the making of art is carrying me into areas of exploration that are beyond words and beyond myself.     

No One's Perfect

MBS:  How do you feel that your spirituality connects with your artwork?  Through inspiration?  While you are creating it?  As perhaps even a subject matter?


Deborah:  Here is where I meet the mystery.  On the one hand, I might say that the conduit between my spirituality and my artmaking is largely unconscious.  On the other hand, and perhaps more accurately, I think there is no separation, that every aspect of my life, including my artmaking, involves and expresses my own spiritual self and commitment.  I do not attempt to make overtly religious art, but my passions for nature, symbol and sacrament, literature, and the Mystery do somehow come through.  Also, it appears to me that my belief in faith, hope, and love, along with the need to wrestle with the darkness in order to protect and promote those qualities, is somehow communicated through the art I make in various ways that are either unconscious or so familiar to me that what I am doing seems simply normal, natural, and routine, not "spiritual" or religious.  Art-making is for me a spiritual path in which I am learning to "walk by faith" (a Christian metaphor I grew up with) not only by following a financially risky vocational path, but by approaching each new art project with openness to a living process rather than unduly imposing myself--my ego, my cleverness, my pre-determined plan.

With regard to the artistic process, Henri Matisse, in his cut-out book, Jazz, said, "You must present yourself with the greatest humility, completely blank, pure, candid, your brain seeming empty in the spiritual state of a communicant approaching the Lord's Table."  I also think of the sculptor, Henry Moore, who decided not to read an article offering a Jungian interpretation of his artwork because he did not want to become too conscious of what he was creating when he made art and risk having that consciousness interfere with the purity of his process.  And then there is this somewhat inelegant but humorously articulate poem by Ogden Nash which I found in my college literature anthology years ago and for some reason have never forgotten:  "The goose that laid the golden egg/Died looking up its crotch/To find out how its sphincter worked;/If you would lay well, don't watch."

The most important way, however, that spirituality and art connect for me and for those who exercise creativity in any activity or profession, is that creating puts one in joyful communion with the Creator in a place where we may meet on a graciously level playing field.  So much in spiritual discipline is necessarily remedial:  repentance, forgiveness, the struggle for peace, harmony, unity, crying out for help or resolution of a problem.  It seems to me in many aspects of my life I am simply, as the Shaker hymn says, turning and turning to come 'round right'--to where I needed to be all along.  But there is, then, the creative, positive experience of adding something of value, of bringing into being what did not exist before through art or some other means.  For me creating is joy, an experience that draws me into my "best mind," and proffers the privilege of fellowship with the divine.

The Marriage of Sol and Luna

MBS:  How do you create your pieces?

Deborah:  There are various ways a new piece may come into being.  From a technical/material perspective, however, I almost always work with small, hand-cut (scissors) or torn pieces of paper--mostly recycled from a variety of sources--which I glue into some pattern, usually abstract or symbolic, onto various substrate (wood, books, found metal, CD assemblages, stretched canvas, matboard, or layers of watercolor paper.  (Virtually all of my substrate is recycled or salvaged material.)  I use Elmer's Glue- All for most of my work (buy it by the gallon!), and occasionally PVA, an archival white glue book binders and book artists often use.  I use a small metal stylus, touched to glue I've spread on the substrate, to pick up the small pieces of paper and maneuver them into place in the collage.  When the collage is finished I varnish it with 3 or 4 or more coats of polyurethane varnish.  Occasionally I use polycrylic varnish if I do not want any yellowing of the colors.  Mostly, however, I embrace the slight yellowing of the polyurethane, which antiques and warms the colors of the collage and helps to further coalesce the piece.

From an artistic/aesthetic perspective, I am often inspired by particular materials at hand that I would like to work with.  Sometimes I set down a larger focal piece or pieces in a way that interests me, and then begin to collage around what I have laid down.  Other times, when I am creating a mandala, I may simply begin with a center and begin to work in concentric circles.  And yet other times, I may even draw some lines to establish a basic structure for the collage.  Often I will make a rule for myself that I follow, for example, collaging in a particular color scheme, or in a particular pattern.  I try, however, to be open to what is happening in the collage, and to what is occurring in my mind as I am creating it.  Sometimes I come to a point in which I've been following a pattern and something in me tells me to break the pattern or rule I've been following in order to surprise myself, to experiment a little.  Building on what I've done before, I then try to do something different.  So I am in a continual process of trying to subtly overthrow what I have done in the past.  For me the art I do is a continual exploration of possibilities.  I always feel that I am reaching for something I will never fully grasp, but the journey is satisfying enough that it gives me more pleasure and satisfaction than distress and frustration.  I do return to familiar patterns, such as the mandala form, at the same time that I attempt to tweak that pattern and find something new in it that excites me.  Of course sometimes I am more successful than others.  Sometimes I create pieces I don't much like at the beginning.  If I don't sell them immediately and they stay around long enough, I often get used to them, maybe even like them, and may even begin to see that their virtues are more than I originally believed.  In any case, those pieces that seem less successful to me are often stepping-stones to to pieces that seem more successful.  But when I talk about what is a successful piece and what is not so successful, I also feel that I am making a judgment I am in no position to make, and that someday I may see it quite differently.

One more thing about my process:  I am continually inspired by nature.  I do not try to copy what I see in nature, but I do try to work the way it seems to me nature works.  For example, I appreciate the repetition and variation that goes into the way a spider spins a web, or the way a bird builds a nest.

Sisyphus

MBS:  Do you have a favorite material that you like to use or a particular format you favor? Do you work on more then one piece at a time?

Deborah:  My favorite material is paper.  I seem to gravitate toward rich colors and textures, but I also try to mix it up, to see the possibilities in quiet, subtle colors, or in an almost colorless scheme (whites, ivories, and tans).  I love natural-seeming materials, such as old papers that have become very grainy, stained, fletched, and/or absorbent.  The form to which I seem to continually return is the mandala form.  I love beginning a piece in the center and allowing it to generate from that point.  To me it is like watching something grow.  At each point in the development of a mandala, once I have completed a ring, I am looking at something that has its own provisional wholeness.  As the mandala grows it grows more complex and the resonances of the colors, textures, and patterns becomes more rich and interesting.  But it is like watching a human develop.  A 7-year old child is as much a whole being as is a 27-year old or a 72-year old, but perhaps not as experienced or complex. Often a piece that is largely generated from the center outward possesses a special kind of energy.

Usually I work on one piece at a time, but there are times when I may have two or three (usually smaller pieces, often in different stages) going at once.  

In the Beginning Was the Sound

 
MBS:  What is a typical work day like for you?

Deborah:  I work every day in my studio, which is in the unfinished basement room of my house, a large room that includes the washer and dryer.  First thing in the morning I take care of my e-mail, deal with pressing business (e.g., paying bills, etc.), and then I begin collaging.  Usually that is interrupted sometime in the morning by the walk I take with my husband when he goes to his office. I walk part-way with him, then return home and work in my studio till he comes home around 6:00 p.m.  During the course of my work day I often jump up from my chair to warm up my coffee, check the mail, tend to the laundry, or get a drink of water or a snack.  Other than these small breaks, I work straight through unless I have errands to run to the post office or bank.  I am either collaging, or preparing the substrate for a collage, or varnishing.  The most time consuming part, of course, is the actual collaging, which is quiet, detailed work.  I almost always listen to music while I work, usually classical music I stream through my laptop, or a CD.  At the end of the day my husband calls me when he sets out from his office and I walk to meet him part-way.  Sometimes I go back to my studio for a little while to tie up loose ends, but I rarely work again after supper.  Sometimes on the weekends I will work a little in my studio if I am home and my husband is doing something on his own.  I have been keeping this sort of daily work schedule for nearly 20 years, first as a writer and now as an artist.  I learned that if I did not set my work schedule in a serious way no one else was going to set it for me.  Early in my career as an independent writer/artist, I learned that it was even more important for me to keep a strict schedule in that work than it had been for me to show up to the 8 - 5 editorial office jobs I had once held. The work that no one else is asking you to do will never get done unless you yourself are serious about doing it and then do it.


Question 6:  What has your online experience been like?  Do you have a website or blog?  Do you sell online?

Deborah:  About a year and a half ago my husband presented me with a Wordpress blog site, all set, named, formatted, and ready to go.  Since then I have posted many, many images of my artwork, with titles and prices, and about 15 blog posts.  People cannot purchase work through the site, but they can contact me via e-mail and purchase a piece directly through me.  I use the site in conjunction with the weekend art shows I do.  Occasionally I sell pieces to people who have gone to the website, but I believe in all cases, those people have first seen my work at art shows.  This year I have been so busy doing art shows and creating work for them that I have been regretfully neglectful of my blog site.

Globe 2

Question 7:  What are you currently working on?  Do you have any shows or anything in particular coming up?

Deborah: Right at the moment, about 12 inches to the right of my laptop, sits a small collage I started last night while my husband was taking a short, after-supper nap.  I've incorporated into the piece a large amount of a mostly red, nearly full-page ad from my husband's Wall Street Journal, plus a line of music, material cut from the inside lining of my utility bill envelope, a half-rusted, half painted disc of metal about the size of a quarter (but NOT a quarter), some scraps of red and black papers from which I once cut or punched small circles, had been cut or punched, and miscellaneous other papers.  I created a large portion of this collage this morning while listening to a recording of the Dalai Lama's recent presentation at William and Mary College, in Williamsburg, Virginia.  It is quite a surprising piece to me.  For the next 8 or 9 days, I am devoted to creating small-ish collages for a show I am doing in Tampa, Florida, the weekend before Halloween.  After that I will be creating work (i.e., replenishing) for a show in Savannah, Georgia, the second weekend of November.  My last scheduled show for 2012 is the weekend after Thanksgiving, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, on Manhattan.  Somewhere in all this, I also need to prepare 7 or 8 small/medium pieces for a group show in November at Gallery 549 in Lafayette, Louisiana.  (I've been showing there since 2006; the artist-owner of the gallery, Donald LeBlanc, was the very first person to show and sell my art, in the fall of 2006; he is a friend, an artist whose work I appreciate and respect, and best of all, I trust him. When one has such a relationship with a gallery, even if the sales are small, it is worth nurturing.)  So I will be very busy till early December, at which time I'll be able to shift gears and create a couple of Christmas presents: a piece of space-related (i.e., planets, stars, galaxies) book art for my sister-in-law, and also a larger, preferably long, horizontal above-the-window piece for my husband for Christmas.  But don't tell!

 Question 8:  Any advice for those who would like to (seriously) pursue an artistic path?

Deborah:  Because making art is for me a spiritual path, the advice I have to offer is largely spiritual. I believe it is important for any person, whatever path they choose, to find what it is they are passionate about doing and then commit to doing and developing that.  Joseph Campbell said (I'm paraphrasing here, from memory) that the world is a wasteland of people who have stopped listening to themselves, and that the best thing any of us can do to improve the world is to find where our life is and then be alive ourselves.  "A vital person vitalizes," he said.  "Follow your bliss," he said. Following that is not always so easy.  It will take you on a life-journey that will discipline, develop, and transform you and your art, and influence and inspire others.

With regard to audience, don't pander, but do reach out, communicate.  For me, not pandering meant to not turn mandalas into clocks (which someone once suggested I do) because they might be useful and sell.  I did not like the idea, which seemed to me like a sell-out of what was truly driving me as an artist and a devaluation of my art.  For me, communicating means creating original, quality work on a variety of scales, and therefore in a variety of price ranges, so that people at every economic level can afford to purchase a piece of my art if they want it.  It is good for them and, of course, it helps me too.

My good friend Mare Martin, a very fine and experienced painter and print maker, told me over the course of several coffees and meals together, three things I often think of when I am working:
1.  "I always work with my mistakes."  (She did not say "erase" or "get rid of" or "throw away"; she said "work with."  What one may think of as a mistake may in fact be the fortuitous accident that brings energy and originality to a piece, if you work with it.
2.  "Don't listen to that voice in you that says, 'Why are you doing this?  No one needs this.  It's already been done.'"
3.  "I try to push a piece to the point of failure."  That's where the discoveries happen, where the new ground is broken.
Another friend of mine, also a painter, once said to me "No one painted more bad paintings than Picasso."  What he meant was that Picasso was not only incredibly gifted but incredibly prolific, and out of that abundant work emerged many, many masterpieces.  I believe that the works of mine that I judge as inferior (and really, who am I to judge?) are part of the artistic process that prepares for and generates the "masterpieces."  

Don't be discouraged if not everybody likes or understands your art, because not everybody will.  Be true, grow, and you will find and develop a community of individuals to whom your art speaks.

Finally, if you want to make a living as an artist, you will probably need to be as creative with your finances as you are with your art.  For me, that has meant living as simply as I can, taking risks (i.e., when the time was as right as it was going to get, quitting a part-time job to make art full time), and as much as I dislike saying this, accepting a certain amount of debt for a limited time--something many new business owners have to do, with the hope their enterprise will become profitable and enable them to pay off the debt.  The history of art, music, and literature is abundant with impoverished (either temporarily, or for a lifetime) luminaries.  Of course a lot of money can be and has been made in art.  But if you'll notice, most of the six-figure art sales at Sotheby's are for the work of dead artists.  Although that seems to be where a lot of the money is, it is still an advantage, in my opinion, to be a living artist, which is what I hope to be for a long time to come.

Thank you Deborah!


You can read more about Deborah and her work on her blog at ameliamandala.wordpress.com.
You can email her at ameliamandala@gmail.com

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Mind Body Spirit Artist Series: Amy Zerner

When I started the Artist Interview Series for the Mind Body Spirit Odyssey back in January, I never imagined that by the end of the year I would be interviewing one of the leading collage artists in the world.  You may already be familiar with the Enchanted World of Amy Zerner and her husband Monte Farber through one of their many publications, such as the Enchanted Tarot, but Amy's work is much more far reaching.  A recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts, tapestry artwork that has appeared in over 40 books in twelve different languages, a jewelry line, handmade garments that are sold at Bergdorf Goodman - Amy's work has touched and inspired many people in numerous ways.  It was really a pleasure to interview Amy for this series and I appreciate how generous and forthcoming she was.  I was also very happy to hear how much she has enjoyed reading our Artist Interview Series this year.  Thank you Amy!
                                                                                                                  ~ diane fergurson

MBS: Can you tell us a little about your background?  How you got started in art?

Amy:  I come from a family of artists. My dear angel “Ma,” as all of my friends used to call my late mother, Jessie Spicer Zerner, supported our family as an illustrator of literally hundreds of children’s books and greeting cards. She made it seem normal to me to make books and illustrate them and I am still doing it.

My late father Raymond was always admiring and encouraging of his children’s talents and made us feel special because we were “artists,” like the woman he loved.  My grandfather, Clayton Spicer, was a painter. My very first memory in life is sitting on his knee painting leaves on the trees of one of his paintings. For this and many other reasons, I cannot think of a time when I did not think of myself as an artist. 
Ma was always creating fun and exciting things for me to do, projects of every kind and not just artistic ones. She used to do ESP experiments with me a lot starting when I was eight years old. I think that is one of the main reasons that I developed my imagination, my intuition, and my sense of wonder and faith in the absolute magic about every day of life in equal measure.

It may have been because of my family history, but making my living as a professional artist was a normal thing for me to do. I never had a second choice as to what I should do. I just always felt like being an artist was my natural state. Unlike many artists who work at other jobs to support their making art, I have never worked as anything other than an artist; I have never even considered it.

MBS:  I'm sure growing up in an environment that valued and fostered creativity
made a world of difference in how you developed as an artist.  It sounds like you were very lucky in
that respect.  How do you think the imagination and freedom you were allowed as a child has
influenced how you work as an adult artist?  The choice of materials that you use in your pieces (mixed media), for example, or how you approach your work?   Also the subjects that you choose to explore.

Immortal Love

Amy: Looking back now, I see how my own art career has included elements from the careers of my mother and maternal grandfather. I have been a commercial artist and a writer, but first a painter. However, when paint seemed too inadequate a medium to convey the multidimensional nature of life I was starting to see, I started making paintings out of layered fabric, trimmings, appliqués, ribbons, and found objects.
I believe our consciousness is connected to the Higher Forces and I make images that use existing fabric elements to surreally portray the unseen forces the surround, sustain, and connect us. To me, we strive to be directly connected to the God Force, the Higher Self. So, we are trying to make this clear channel between us, and the Higher Forces.


This image has appeared in many of my tapestries. The image is a sort of ladder or a veil or a connection that reaches from the earth to the Higher Plane. Still always having the opposites, they become much more symmetrical with a seemingly architectural basis for the whole energy pattern, whether it is swirling or glittering. Moreover, the outer symbols I feel are representative of the flashes of insight of the invisible world that affects us now.
All those energies are described in my work, all the way down to what is right here, the flower at our feet, up to the Higher Forces of the planet. I try to put it all in there – that complexity, and make a balance out of it all. It’s just the vibrations of energy that change as the light changes and as our moods change. It elevates us from the mundane and lifts us out – definitely entering the world there that reminds us that this perfection and this symmetry exists and this truth and beauty. It’s definitely about beauty! It’s about reaching up and reaching within. It’s an active, sort of feminine, approach, but it’s all heaven and it’s grounded.


I think that I was influenced by my idyllic childhood in the woods of northeastern Pennsylvania, but I am also influenced by the fact that Monte and I have actually created in our own life the kind of heaven most people think is impossible to create. We show each other more love, respect, and support in a day than some people ever have their whole life, unfortunately. We have no doubt about whether or not we love and trust each other completely. That alone can change your life and I think it has helped me feel secure in creating the worlds of wonder that I make because I know that heaven can be created on earth.

MBS:  I first became familiar with your work years ago when I was researching tapestry artists.  All the tapestries that you created when you did the Enchanted Tarot Deck - just breathtaking.  A couple of questions...  As I sit here and look through the book I have that came with the card deck (1990 St. Martin's Press) I've always wondered what the original dimensions of those tapestries were.  Also, how did you become interested in the tarot and creating a deck from tapestry imagery?

Atlantia - Goddess of the New

Amy:  Thank you so much! Monte and I have used the primal concept of the oracle as a starting point on many exciting creative collaborations.  We have married together my art with his interpretation of the intuitive and universal wisdom in my images as well as the wisdom of the ancient metaphysical traditions to bring these beautiful, eminently practical, and timeless truths up to date for all of us to use in very practical ways.  We can turn to oracles for wisdom, inspiration, and solace when life is so rapid and chaotic.  Oracles help us to make poetry out of chaos and to bring light to the self with conscious knowing and participation. In 1974, when I met Monte, I was studying astrology and the tarot, and these archetypal languages became our language of love.


In 1988 I began work on The Enchanted Tarot.  It is an epic series of seventy-eight fabric collages. Rather than work on one fabric collage at a time, I chose to work on the Major Arcana as a piece and then on one complete suit at a time.  My work area lies beneath a cathedral ceiling twenty feet high with skylight.  It was here that I would lay out all of the individual background fabrics for each suit.  The creation of one piece would bring inspiration regarding another and so I would move from one to the other like a bee in a flower garden.  In this way I was able to give each suit a look of continuity and make sure that all issues relating to each were symbolically represented by either the human figure(s) portrayed, by the images, shapes, and colors surrounding them, or by the card's border.  I  worked so intensely on this project.  Nearly every day and night was completely devoted to making sure each piece was true to itself while fitting in with the rest of its suit.  It was only after I had completed each suit that Monte would write down the meanings he saw in each piece to "illustrate" my art with his words in the deck's full-color companion book. Each finished original tapestry from The Enchanted Tarot (I prefer to call them tapestries, not quilts) is 12" X 24".

Divine Order

MBS:  For our readers, can you explain what you mean when you are referring to " the primal concept of the oracle"?

Amy:  An oracle like the tarot is a form of do-it-yourself analysis – a way of unlocking secrets of the self and providing directions towards manifesting your goals.  It is a support system that can be relied upon as a friend that can give you helpful advice.  It is also a great brainstorming tool that can enhance your creativity.  Using an oracle as a meditation tool helps you to dialogue with your higher self.  Consulting the cards creates a safe, spiritual haven where you connect to positive energy and positive emotions.  It helps us discover what we really want in life and what we must do as our next step on the path.  And you can use the cards whenever you need clarity on an issue, or as an everyday meditation.  When you read your message, your attitudes, desires, and strategies for the best course of action can be reflected upon.

The process requires opening your mind and trusting your intuition to interpret the answers.  An oracle is a tool that helps you tap into your psychic power. It is primal because it is a ritual. Rituals acknowledge the existence of a Higher Power in ourselves and in our world. One of the primary functions of ritual is to build a spiritual connection in our daily lives. They also reinforce our desires and strengthen our intent as we work to materialize those desires. At the same time, they remind us of our inseparable connection to the natural world. Rituals can help us to remember that we are part of the rhythms and cycles of Nature. Many people use our oracles every day as part of their daily spiritual practice. We do. too!

MBS:  I've noticed recently that your work has evolved into another direction - designing clothing and jewelry.  Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Amy:  In 1991 I started making one-of-a-kind garments for myself, with my tapestry art on the back, to wear to my gallery shows. My gallery owner liked them, so I began creating more of them to include in my exhibits, and they started to sell. In 1999, Bergdorf Goodman took my line, and I have been selling there ever since. I really love designing clothes and I love being in the most beautiful store in the world! Each of my handmade garments is a work of art, a delicate balance of chic, classic lines and unexpected details, composed of rich, luminous fabrics and embroidered with a magical touch of extravagance and romance.

My couture jackets, caftans and coats are unique, created for the woman pursuing her dreams with style and spirit. I feel that my garments radiate serene self-confidence, glamour, imagination, and sensuality because they are works of art. They are in the fashion collections of many amazing women, and also have been collected by some of our culture’s legendary goddesses, including the late Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley MacLaine, Patti LaBelle, Martha Stewart, and Oprah Winfrey.

The intricate tapestry art panels that are my signature are composed from many precious and unusual textiles, ribbons, and trims; hand painting; beading; rare appliqués; and vintage images. Each piece is unique; birds, animals, dream metaphors, mythological beings, and universal symbols are sewn harmoniously together to create lush, layered landscapes that suggest the many complexities of life and nature.

Our creative spirits are full of exciting colors and textures. Dressing up and adorning ourselves give us permission to feel great and grateful allowing our true radiance to shine.
One thing leads to the other, and I have always designed jewelry but last year Bergdorf Goodman took my line and it has been doing great. NeimanMarcus.com also carries it, as well as Liberty of London. My talismans are imbued with special sacred symbolism and mystical messages.
 

MBS:  What is a typical work day like for you? 

Amy:  Monte and I live a very healthy lifestyle. We do yoga together, try to eat organic food. We don't drink, we try not to eat sugar. We work hard. We get massages and acupuncture regularly. We laugh a lot. We love our cat Zane. We are surrounded by art. We are very blessed.

MBS:  What advice do you have for those who wish to (seriously) pursue an artistic path?

Amy:  My advice for those wishing to pursue an artistic path is this:  We once visited the Library of Congress - I don't know if you have ever been there but it is the most incredibly beautiful place.  It was a time in our life where we really needed to remember what was real because it was a rough time.  And we came upon this place which had this inscription "For a web begun, God sends thread". WE were so touched that it brought us to tears. I believe this to be true, and it has been true for me. So my advice is, just start…have faith and trust that if you follow your bliss, work hard, believe in yourself, then magic happens.
                                     

MBS:  What's next for you?

Amy: I currently have shows of my fashions and jewelry every 2 months at Bergdorf Goodman, so I am constantly creating new styles and designs. My next show is January 10-13.

Monte and I are also planning a one day conference "Ask the Oracles" in New York City on Tuesday, April 17th at the 92nd St. Y. Please write to us at info@TheEnchantedWorld for more information.

~ thank you Amy!


Amy's Art, Jewelry & Fashion website: www.AmyZerner.com
Amy & Monte's Books & Oracles website: www.TheEnchantedWorld.com

Amy's Jewelry is Available:

At Bergdorf Goodman: http://bit.ly/qLrSbq
At Neiman Marcus: http://bit.ly/tXh4Kc
At Liberty of London: http://bit.ly/ryvwuR

Universe

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Mind Body Spirit Artist Series: Kelly Tankersley

I discovered Kelly Tankersley's stunning artwork one day, quite by accident, while I was scrolling through Etsy looking at artists.  The fact that she is a printmaker AND makes handmade paper (two of my all-time favorite mediums) made me want to find out a little bit more her and the varied processes she uses to create her beautiful prints.  As it turned out, Kelly is also an ex-art consultant.  So this turned out to be a very interesting interview, with a twist, as she reflected quite realistically on wearing both hats.
                                                                                                            ~ diane fergurson

Night Voyage Guided by the Moon

MBS: Can you tell us a little about your background?  How you got started in art?

Kelly:  Ha Ha!  I don’t know why I find that question funny but I do. I’ve loved making art since I can remember. My mother dabbled and was a great art appreciator—she hung a Georges Braque still life (poster) in our kitchen nook as well as some others from that period. Also, I was lucky enough to live in Japan as a little girl and that definitely raised the bar and expanded my aesthetic antenna. In addition to winning a few art contest as a school girl I was also a math whiz. I started college as a math major, but became board and switched to art somewhere in the middle. My father (chemical engineer) was floored. My BFA is in photography and printmaking—go figure! After college, I managed to work in art related fields as a dark room technician, art consultant, gallery manager, grant writer for non-profits art orgs, and so on. It wasn’t really until I joined the regular corporate world that I began making my own art again instead of promoting others’ work. The timing also coincided with the kids growing up—so young mothers and fathers don’t give up on your dream! That’s how I got started but a shout out to a beloved colleague from my past life, creative writer Brad Parks, for coming over one weekend and showing me how to make paper. That was a catalyst moment for me—it all just came together, the marriage of photography and printmaking on handmade paper. Pure bliss . . .

MBS:  Ah, the love of making handmade paper... I can relate to that!  What did you find magical about it?

Kelly:  Making paper is magical, as is printmaking, because so much of the result is, in a way, beyond my control--or "out of my hands." I love the happy accident and the magical transformation that takes place when you cook and beat plant materials. Each type of plant renders its own unique signature. Inner tree bark, such as Polynesian gampi, it super strong and translucent! Rain lily paper is a gorgeous green and the fibers seem to run in parallel pairs—quite unexpected! Banana skins are tough and can make great paper for embossing etc … It is simply fascinating!

MBS:  Tell us a little bit about your printmaking process. What kind of prints do you make?  What materials do you use?

Kelly:  My art really came together for me when I married my love of photography with making my own paper. I match up images with types of paper from white cotton with grass seeds in it to give it an Asian feeling to an oriental paper created as thin and translucent as I can get it to use as a chine colle substrate. The photographs are exposed on a solar plate and printed as intaglio etchings. A typical photo for me is the sky, trees, seed pods, whatever, me and my German Shepherd come across on our walks. I often manipulate the images slightly in Photoshop to increase the contrast and reduce them to their most calligraphic state while still being recognizable.

Moonrise in Charmed Meadow

After I've made a very planned and choreographed suite of prints, such as February Visit, I go into the studio and just play--I call it "free falling."  This is how the series "Moonrise in Charmed Meadow" came to be. I printed a photo image over folded paper that had been monotyped on the back. The results were quite surprising and I loved the happy accident that most printmakers enjoy.

Alas, I don't always have access to an etching press. Thank goodness for gelatin printing. Anybody can create gelatin prints at home. You simply create a concentrated "jello" slab, ink it up, walla, perfect printing substrate--very suitable for botanical studies using pressed plants, etc . . .

MBS:  That's interesting because I've often noticed that the way people make their art, and also the mediums they choose to work in, reflect a lot about their approach to life and often their spiritual belief systems too.  Even for a printmaker...some printing processes are very measured and precise. Very ordered.  Other methods allow for more "free falling", as you called it.  What are your thoughts about that, and how does the way you work reflect your nature and spirituality?

Kelly:  First and foremost, I view my work as a collaboration with nature. Not an equal one, more like I'm an apprentice, learning, observing, soaking it all in. I'm happiest when I have less control--thus the print making versus painting, thus the mad-scientist making paper versus purchasing already made paper.  I never tire of just looking and waiting to "glean" the secrets the universe unfolds to me. The understanding is not literal or neat, it's all just a feeling, a feeling of connection—a happiness to be invited to the party.

MBS:  What's a typical work day like for you?  Do you work on your artwork every day?

Kelly:  Unfortunately, I am not a working artist. I have to have a day job. So, alas, I am mostly a weekend artist with plans and preparations happening during the week.

I have been known to take art vacations where I take a week off and go to the studio at 8am just like my day job. Those are a blast and, of course, very productive.

When I make paper, I take over the entire house for three to five days. I dry the paper on our windows so the house looks quite odd to the passerby. For printing, I tend to also do marathon printing sessions. I guess my obsessive nature shows, when I get started, nothing else gets done. no laundry, no housework, oh and yeah? Do I really need a shower today?

My dream work day would be up and out hiking with my dog by dawn. Back to make art all day. Early to bed and do it all again the next day.  What bliss that would be.

Double Moon

MBS: I know many artists who are very hesitant about selling their work online. I've noticed that you actively sell quite a bit of of your work that way.  How has selling online and social networking worked out for you as an artist? Any advice you can give to other artists who are thinking about selling their work this way?

Kelly:  I have been selling my work online for almost a year now.
The amount of sales is low, which as an ex-art consultant, I kind of expected.
The real value to me in selling online is the feedback and encouragement from other artist. Sure, we can't all buy art, but you bet kindred spirits just find each other online--they just do!

What that does for me as an artist is I turn off that negative voice in my head while in the studio, because sales or no sales, I have received enormous positive feedback from the online community so I know I am reaching people through my art. That's all we really need, along with love, food and shelter. The sense of community and bonding is worth every minute spent online.

February Visit, Doves Dip

MBS:  I think that's an interesting area you touched on, that someone viewing sales through the eyes of an art consultant is much different then the same person viewing it through the eyes of an artist.
It can be a real issue between artists and their art representatives/galleries, and people wrestle with it constantly. As someone who has been on both sides of the fence, how do you view the issue and how to you balance two things yourself?  What advice would you give to people - besides turning off the voice in your head or following your own drummer etc...

Kelly:  Honestly, we all know how essential art is to the human experience, and yet it remains a luxury.
The only solution is to make art because you love to make it. Put in some serious marketing time and then don't expect to make a living at it. Another solution, which I am considering, is to merge your art with something functional like wearable art or home decor on an affordable basis.  Fine art is like acting, only the top 1% make it--that's just the facts.

Me and several of my friends discuss this quite often. At the end of the day, we would never stop making art. I'm also a normal middle-class "worker-bee" who never mustered the nerve to be the hippie I feel I am inside. And there is something to be said about the value of a work environment--the community can be very positive, I've found. I am rambling at this point, but I guess I'm saying be careful what you wish for. Most artists are alone in their studios, and I actually like the regular daily camaraderie of the work place. I wouldn't want to face just me everyday.

MBS:  So it sounds like you are advising people who want to pursue  their passion of "being an artist", that they they may need a healthy dose of being "realistic" too? 

Kelly:  YES 
be practical in your expectations of sales
however
shoot for the moon in your imagination!

Moonrise Charmed Meadow solarplate etching

MBS:  What are you currently working on and what would you like to explore next?

Kelly:  I am going to treat myself to a printmaking workshop and learn pronto-plate.
I hear it is very easy, but I prefer to learn from an expert!
I have a series of cloud images that I hope to realize into prints soon.
It's just a matter of time and money . . .

MBS:  Good luck, and thank you for the interview Kelly!

Kelly's gorgeous artwork can be found in her Etsy Shop, 88editions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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