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Spraygraphic Interview with Jessica Cadkin
By Spraygraphic | November 5, 2007
Spraygraphic interview with Jessica Cadkin
SG: Please tell us about yourself.
JC: I was born in Tempe, Arizona, and grew up in Napa, California. I received a BA in Sculpture and Painting from San Francisco State University.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
JC: I recently moved to Berkeley after 18 years in San Francisco, and my art studio is in Oakland. I don’t miss the SF weather!
SG: What mediums do you work with?
JC: Sculpture and Installation. Most recently, fabric and paper. Right now I’m playing with plaster.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
JC: I don’t usually sketch out an idea in advance of actually starting a piece—I just throw myself in there and start playing with material and process. In some ways this is bad because if an idea doesn’t work out the way I envision it, I’ll move on. However, there have been happy accidents that take shape out of that experimentation. And there have been a few ideas that I stick with through an assortment of failed efforts because I really want them to be realized. My work often involves multiple parts: pieces that are separate, yet work together to make a whole. My works develop not as individual pieces, but as elements of a larger group that unite to constitute a whole. Although the individual parts are made up of a piecing-together of different components, those parts are combined to make a larger, complete image. My sculptures are made of patterns, pieces coming together to create an image made of images.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
JC: When I’m struggling creatively, I’ll sometimes fabricate an opportunity for myself. If there’s a chance to do an art auction, I’ll sign up. Or, if there’s a call for art that has a juror I want to get my work in front of, I’ll produce a piece specifically for the show. This way, I force goals and deadlines on myself. Though they’re self-imposed, they help me to work through creative blocks. Being a part of an artists’ community also gives me an outlet to talk about those creative blocks. Voicing my frustration with a sympathetic friend, or looking at and talking about a colleague’s artwork have helped me to break the spell.
SG: Can you tell us a little about your sculpture, “Bodies of Water”?
JC: I was invited to participate in Oakland’s Art and Soul Festival by Pro Arts Gallery. It was the first time the three-day festival included a public art element. The site I selected incorporated four unused “moats” (I was told that people who work in the City Hall building refer to those areas as “moats”) surrounding the Oakland City Hall building. I was drawn to those areas because they had interesting architectural features, consisted of positive and negative spaces, allowed me to work in multiple places, and had the potential to draw viewers to what is otherwise a totally overlooked area. I wanted to integrate wind into my piece, and I wanted to elaborate on the concept of water. Lastly, I was informed that the children’s play area would be located nearby, so I wanted my installation to be playful and fun. All of these factors eventually influenced the creation of what became “Bodies of Water.”
SG: What was the public’s reaction to the piece?
JC: Overall, I think the public had a positive reaction. Children were intrigued by it and frequently interacted with it—so much so that I actually had to reinstall the piece after the first day to make it more kid-sturdy. People expressed appreciation that I turned an otherwise useless and unused area into a public art installation. I even had a few viewers comment that they were sad that it eventually had to be taken down. One person suggested that the City of Oakland always have public art in that empty space. All of that made it worth it!
SG: Your sculptures are for the most part pretty abstract, whereas your paintings are more concrete. Why is that? Not long after I graduated from college, I worked a few years as a character fabricator and model maker for film and television. That definitely influenced me creatively when I first started working on my personal art again. I initially started working with watercolor and acrylic paints and wanted to do botanical and scientific (animal) illustration. I even considered it a potential career move. But I really struggled with my painting—I wanted my illustrative work to be better, prettier than what I was producing. But when I tried to be more abstract in my work I failed miserably. So about three years ago I found myself at a creative crossroads: do I continue down this path where I’m unsatisfied and unfulfilled or do I start working in a medium that I think is more naturally suited for me (sculpture, and also installation)? As a result of that decision, I decided to stop painting and now just do sculpture, and, as often as I can, installation work. I gravitate toward a more abstract expression (although it still seems very concrete at times) in my sculptural and installation work because I don’t want things to be obvious to the viewer. I want people to see that what’s going on beneath the surface is more interesting than what may be visible at first blush. In my sculptures I invite the viewer to examine objects more closely—to look beyond the work’s outer skin to its “innerness.” Aristotle said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” The only way for me to do this is through the abstract.
SG: What’s your studio like?
JC: My studio is part of an artist collective called The Hive. My space is about 110 square feet; small but cozy, with an open ceiling, and lots of natural light. I also have one big wall that I, shamefully, am not taking full advantage of.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
JC: Various venues in the Bay Area including, most recently, New Visions at Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland and Mischief at Studio Gallery in San Francisco.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
JC: We’re starting to have curated shows at The Hive and I’ve been invited to participate in the inaugural show, Icon.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
JC: Right now, my dream art assignment would be to realize an installation idea I’ve been working on for quite a while now. I’m trying to work through some of the logistics of the piece (this is one of those ideas that I’m sticking with!), but once I figure those out, I would love to install it in a sunny, open gallery space. I’d like to start sending my proposal out before the end of the year.
SG: What is your favorite color?
JC: Blue.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
JC: I’ve been influenced by different artists at different times in my life. But some of the die hards include Eva Hesse, Gerhard Richter, Ursula von Rydingsvard, El Anatsui, Mike Kelly, John James Audubon, and Vincent Van Gogh. I saw an incredible show, “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” at the deYoung Museum, and that stuck with me for a very long time. Two artists I’ve recently discovered are Ledelle Moe and an early twentieth century Czech artist named Frantisek Kupka.
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
JC: I’m currently reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I also just read a really interesting article on artist Kara Walker in The New Yorker.
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
JC: No. Well, I did one in college, but that was thrown away a long time ago.
SG: So, let’s end with your favorite place to hang out.
JC: Anywhere where my niece is (and my soon-to-be-born nephew). But since she lives in Southern California, I like to be on the couch with my kitty in my lap.
ART: 31 Birds, 2-4) Bodies of Water, 5-6) Edifice
Topics: Artist Interviews, California Art Scene, Public-Art, Sculpture Art |
November 28th, 2007 at 6:05 am
[...] Station where I was invited to install work along with two other Oakland artists (Linda Braz and Jessica Cadkin). The train station is a place where people used to pass through—a place where coming and going [...]