by Michael Rutherford
Gyan Shrosbree
is one of those artists who have a knack for inciting enthusiasm about the
practice of art-making. In my own conversations with her, I’ve found Gyan to be
consistently positive about the current situation and convinced that the present
time an artist finds one’s self in is always an occasion to make the most of.
While she’s
currently an assistant professor of art at Maharishi University of Management,
Gyan also maintains a rigorous work schedule in the studio. There’s a continual
pushing and retranslation of materials in order to advance her work to other
levels aesthetically. Gyan is also an art historian of sorts, having worked as
a studio assistant to the late artists Nancy Spero and Leon Golub—and of course, she has many
interesting stories about them both.
I’ll certainly be looking forward to seeing her next show.
PB:
You’re always pushing the materials and moving forward with your work. What is
your studio practice like and what challenges have you run into along the way?
GS:
Thank you, it is nice that you see it as moving forward. I have a fear of being
an artist who just repeats over and over again—becoming old news. My studio
practice is usually very consistent. I mean, life can get complicated, but in
general I am in my studio a lot. I used to work at all hours of the night and
felt that I got my best work done in the middle of the night. For the last ten
years or so, I have changed my ways and am all about routine and sleep is a
part of a good routine. I find that I am very productive during the day, even
more so than I was when I stayed in my studio until late at night.
I always work
on a lot of stuff at once. I always have at least 20 paintings going on at the
same time. It allows me to give the work and myself the breathing room that I
find necessary for letting the work happen organically; it allows me to have a
conversation that is not forced with the work. It also allows me to be
unattached to the work, not to say that I don't care about it, just that I am
not being precious about it and working from a tight place. When I find that I
am being precious or fearful or overly concerned with ruining a painting, I
leave it alone and start a new piece or series in a new material. I always
leave the work up on the walls so that it is in my vision and can bother me
when it is ready to be ripped back into. I guess these are the challenges that
I face during most studio days.
PB:
What's your take on the time period that we’re in and the freedom it offers?
GS: I
love the fact that anything kind of goes right now. It is really a great place
for the way that I make my work and the way that I think about painting and
what can be a painting. In another time period I probably would not have even
known that I could use certain materials that I use. Instinctually, I would
like to think that I would want to do the things that I am doing with materials
and paint and working on and off the walls, but who knows.
I think this is an exciting
time in the art world. It is also a kind of overwhelmingly impossible time in
the art world because there are so many artists and so much work and so little
money and everything is so crowded and you kind of have to know someone to get
anything, so it can feel a little bit impossible sometimes. I was just in New
York though, and I saw a lot of really awesome shows and felt really inspired,
which is wonderful and not always the way I feel when I go to a bunch of
galleries. I left feeling inspired and excited about getting back to my
studio.
PB: Tell
me about some other artists you're excited about or draw inspiration from.
GS: Matisse has always been a strong force in my
life. His use of color and flat shapes and patterns. How he creates so much
space with color. I recently saw the cut-outs in person at MOMA, and I was
blown away. So in love. Jessica Stockholder (who I have always kind of
considered a modern day Matisse) is also a strong influence in my life. I adore
her work. Cindy Sherman has also always been someone who has resonated with me
on that deep level that is just gut. So many people have influenced me. Lately,
I have been really inspired by El Anatsui as well as the quilts of Gees Bend. I
am always excited about African, Native American, Mexican, and Indian -- art,
rugs, fabrics, clothing, objects, and pottery. All so drool-inducing for
me.
PB: How
do you approach teaching at the collegiate level?
GS: Well, I approach it with the idea that I am
there to mentor the students and help them realize their full potential. I am
kind of into nurturing them, but giving them a lot of push outside of their
comfort zones. Teaching them that being an artist takes hard work and a good
routine is something I think is very important to instill in them. I also feel
that it is important to give them a strong formal basis and language so that
they have a stable ground to go back to when they are alone in a studio trying
to figure out what is wrong with the painting they are trying to make work.
PB: What's
on your reading/listening list lately?
GS: I am reading a book of collected writings and
conversations with Philip Guston right now. I am finding it to be really
interesting to read while in the studio. Some of what he talks about resonates
so strongly with the way that I think about painting. I am also reading the
book on Leon Golub: Do Paintings Bite?
I have been listening to Arthur Russell
a lot lately. Not listening or reading, but watching; and I have been
re-watching Twin Peaks in preparation
for the new season, and that has been really exciting and visually awesome!
PB: What kinds of things outside of painting
catch your interest and keep you going?
GS: Fashion. Clothing in general. Fabric. Quilts. Color combinations. Language—conversations that I hear. Movies. Books. Nature. Family. Friends. Good food. Children. Travel. The way things look in Mexico and India. Humor.
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