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Spraygraphic Interview with Artist Martha Sue Harris

By Spraygraphic | October 10, 2008

 


Worlds Within Worlds from Martha Sue on Vimeo.


Flaming Spider Root - Life Cycle of a Carnivorous Nightbloomer from Martha Sue on Vimeo.

Spraygraphic Interview with Martha Sue Harris

SG: Please tell us about yourself?

MSH: I’m a working artist and soon to be Mom. I grew up the only child of metalwork artists in the outskirts of Tucson, AZ. I moved to the Bay Area in the early nineties to attend CCA and graduated with a degree in Film/Video and Painting. My works on paper and sculpture have been exhibited in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Montreal. I work in a wide range of media including animation, drawing, painting and most notably, fabric sculpture. I am endlessly interested in biology, botany, microbiology. That seems to be a common thread in my work.

SG: Where do you currently live and work?

MSH: I live in San Francisco with my husband Jim. I keep a studio in Potrero Hill and I also work from home quite a bit. I do some freelance illustration and animation in addition to my fine art work.

SG: What mediums do you work with?

MSH: I am always experimenting with new techniques and mediums, but I seem to have settled into fabric and various fiber techniques (like sewing and felting), acrylics on paper or board, and animation. Usually a combination of these mediums in the form of an installation. I like to transform a space, or create an environment for my work to be shown in.

SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.

MSH: I tend to get interested in something biology or botany related, like a certain kind of fungus or an outdated theory of a biological phenomenon. I’ll read about it, collect imagery. Then I will start to see ways in which it relates to my own life and construct loose narratives or environments which are a mix of what I’ve been researching and what resonates with me on a semi-autobiographical level, with the language of symbols and imagery I tend to use over and over. Sometimes this process works in reverse, for example my most recent body of work is rooted in embryology (the study of embryonic development) and I got interested in this after becoming pregnant. (I’m due in November of this year) For this current body of work I read about the stages of mamillian and plant development. This research and ideas phase goes on for a good five or six months before it turns into an installation. I’ll do sketches, experiments, small sculptures and drawings and then plan out the basic use of space, work out colors. Then I get into making bigger sculptures and paintings, usually much closer to the end of the process. Things always change at this point and the materials will influence the narrative I’ve started on.

SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?

MSH: I go to the library, or look at my bookmarks. I like the special collections sections of the library. I try to find the oldest, strangest science books. Old magazines are great too. I am always finding things that interest me and keep lots of links and images around that I forget about. The tough thing can be finding a direction that you feel really connected to. I guess that’s why it takes me so long to research and develop a project idea. I really like to feel that there is a reason I’m working on a project, something I’m learning, and that’s not something you can force. I try to view the down times, or feeling blocked, as an opportunity to experiment with new techniques or do some research. Maybe reorganize the studio, go through old sketch books. It’s the gathering phase of the process.

SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?

MSH: Microbiology, Embryology, Pomology. Very interested in life that we can’t see. It’s such a great metaphor for the things we face in life - there’s so much we can’t see that exists and has major impact on our life. So interested in this. I’ve been collaborating with some friends who are dancers and filmmakers, and this has been very inspiring. We’ve been working on a short animation/film that involves superimposing the dancers over images of my sculptures. It brings a whole new life to my sculptures. I find collaboration super inspiring and great.

SG: Where has your work been seen?

MSH: BlkMrkt 2007 annual, Receiver Gallery, The Lab, Swarm, Bucheon Gallery

SG: Where will it be seen next?

MSH: Bell Jar in SF, having a little solo show of this new embryology work. The show is called “Pomology- the Study and Practice of Growing Fruit” Runs Sept 25th - Oct. 21st.

SG: What is your dream art assignment?

MSH: I would love to travel and be commissioned to do installations and animations, and collaborations with performers. Someplace like YCBA. Museums or art centers in the states or in Europe.

SG: What is your favorite color?

MSH: No favorite color. I get into color combinations. These days I guess I do love Vermillion and flourescent red with warm or light green.

SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?

MSH: There are so many artists I like, I can’t say that I have a favorite. But a big hero of mine is Louise Bourgeois. She is not afraid to work in a wide range of media, whatever works for the idea I think she says. Her work speaks to me, and she seems very clear on where it comes from. I admire her process and the way she speaks about it. “My intuition always comes from the same source, in other words I return to the same theme time and time again and try to engross myself in the problem which I am tackling. It is primarily a matter of trusting your instincts. I work with many sculptures at the same time - if I feel uncertain in a process, I move on to another sculpture or start on a new one. I work in a spiral motion. I like spirals - a gradual and laborious ascent and processing of the thought and the idea…” -Louise Bourgeois
I also love Mindy Shapiro’s work and the way she speaks about it. I heard her give a talk about it a few months ago and it was very inspiring.

SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?

MSH: I’m reading ‘Cheng and Eng’- a novel about the famous siamese twins. My Cabinet Magazine just came in the mail, it’s my favorite magazine.

SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?

MSH: I guess I must have done one in art school- it is in a landfill.

SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?

MSH: The library.

SG: Any final words of advice?

MSH: I can’t think of anything… another Louise quote? “It’s not so much where my motivation comes from but rather how it manages to survive.” ~ Louise Bourgeois

01_InteriorView.jpg
Interior View
Acrylic on board
8 x 8 in
2008

03_CrossSection.jpg
Cross Section
Fabric, Wool, Glass
5 x 5 in
2008

03_bontanicaNaturalia.jpg
Naturalia Beluosa — Silva Spinosa (Natural beast things - a spiny forest)
Fleece, velvet, mixed media
3 x 4 x 7.5 ft
2007

04_InvaderSpecies.jpg
Invader Species
3.5 x 4 x 11 ft
Vinyl, burlap, acrylic
2007

05_LuminariusTalea.jpg
Luminarius Talea
Lacquered Fabricated Steel, and solar powered flood lights
3 x 8 ft
2005

06_TheInnerSystem.jpg
The Inner System / Projection into Infinity
3.5 x 5 ft
Fleece, vinyl and various fabrics
2008

07_TheInnerSystem_detail.jpg

08_HummingbirdRoot.jpg
Acrylic, fabric
7 x 8 inches
2007

09_Me.jpg

Topics: Artist Interviews, San Francisco Art Scene, Sprayblog |

http://www.sprayblog.net/spraygraphic-interview-with-artist-martha-sue-harris/

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