Inspirations-
Recently there has been one thing that has inspired a lot of my work in all my areas of study: the traditions and imagery of Ancient Mesoamerica, specifically the Ancient Aztec and Maya cultures. In the Fall of 2009 I took a course on Maya art and archeology with Professor Turner. I fell in love with the imagery of the Maya and decided to do a piece in a style mimicking theirs. After that first piece, I started creating a codex of portraits of my friends and family. This was a winter project, and completely for my own fun.
I started studying the Maya more and more, and took another course with P. Turner on the ancient Aztec. I have always loved ancient imagery, but I found in the Aztec and Maya an imagery that calls to my own style. From there, ancient Mesoamerican work has inspired my thesis paper, and about ten pieces of artwork.
Working Environment-
I work mainly in my studio space at school. I have a tall, solid desk with a makeshift bed under it, another desk for materials, three piles of discarded books, a shelf of books that aren't discarded, and walls covered with my recent artwork. The space has really become a comfortable and wonderful place for me to work and relax. It is my home away from home.
I always have something playing in my space while I am working, whether it be music, a movie, or a TV show, I need something that I can listen to or watch when I get stuck while working. I also read in my space a lot; homework or a novel I am interested in.
I dont like to work at home, though I have in the past. I always manage to carve out a work space that is meant just for my art making. I tend to set up my materials in their own spots and tools are set up in a line. Then when I work, my space becomes a COMPLETE mess. my desk surface gets covered in material and my tools get thrown around. Its ok when that happens in my studio, but it becomes a pain in my apartment.
Working Process-
I have an amusing process that is almost universal for whatever I am working on, but it exists solely because of the design of my studio. The desk in my studio is very tall, so when I want to look down at my work I sit in a high stoll; then when I want to get level with my work I grab a short chair and sit level with the top of my desk so I can better see the work. I tend to have a dance of shifting chairs as I get closer and move farther away from my work as I go.
When I am working on the Boston Codex I have an even more complex dance. I have my computer opened to the facebook page of the person I am about to create a portrait for, a book with Maya imagery open next to my computer, and I have all of my tools spread out in front of me. Then I dance in an even more amusing shift from one chair to another, one reference to another, and from tool to tool.
Motivation-
I guess my biggest motivation is my passion for art and creating. I would be so bored and depressed I'd probably wither away if I couldn't make art. Every once in a while I ask myself something very important; I sit down close my eyes and ask myself what would I do if I had 5 million dollars and all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted. I always come around to the same answer: I would make art in whatever medium I felt like at the time, I'd read, and I'd educate others about art and what it means to the world and culture. And so, I always come back to the fact that I want to be an art teacher and art historian, making art and having a good damn time!
I have found it difficult to motivate myself in some areas of study and have found it hard to complete some things; I am a procrastinator to the core. When I find myself in those moments, I turn to art to pull me out. I'll start drawing, or reading something that is rich in imagery and meaning. I find these get me right back where I need to be in my life to make and enjoy what I do. I have also found my teachers motivate me and help me stay on track and really do the work I enjoy and makes me feel good.
Reading-
OMGoodness! I love to read book! I like JRR Tolkien, Jacqueline Carey, Nalini Singh, Steven Erickson, etc., and in my college career I have read books on history, education and philosophy that have taught me so much! My favorite read from my collection of career books is Saphier's Teacher's Handbook. I think my all time favorite book is Dante's Inferno. I wrote a paper on it a year ago, and read it three times just to make sure I did it justice. I also did a piece based off of the wood of suicides.
I also like to alter book. I am currently working on a series of books with curled lines, and a series of books with letters cut out. I tend to read the books as I cut it and alter it. my favorite of this series is a volume from Spanish literature translated to English. The book is really beautiful, and the way I have altered it you can still read a lot of the text, which makes me very happy.
Most Inspiring Person-
A person I know who inspires me the most is one of the professors at MassArt, Peg Turner. She has inspired my written work and my art work. The culture that most inspires me is the Maya culture. Their imagery is some of the most beautiful I have even seen, and it calls to me as an artist.
