What makes a good introduction? How do you get to know what someone is about by just a brief few words? I would argue it is not possible - to know someone takes time. Investment. What you have here is a small, very insignificant amount of text that your mind will make associations and judgments, filling in the blanks as you will.
Do you like reading interviews with people? I just googled why people do it. I love reading a good Q&A with someone I care about. But why? I recently read the NYTimes Q&A with David Byrne. I remember while I was reading it I kept thinking, wow, we agree on a lot of stuff. David Byrne and I have so many things in common. Who knows if this is true, or if my mind filling was in the blanks, however, after reading the interview I felt connected to someone I respect.
These overlaps in interest, feelings, and inspiration are also reflective of the cultural consciousness that we exist within. The spread of ideas and places is being filtered by our attention. I hope, if you read this interview, you feel like you can find a little bit of yourself.
2024 Interview with The Poster Club //
How did you know you were an artist?
I think from a young age, I always wanted to be an artist. But it has only been recently that I have been able to call myself one. Sometimes I wonder if people are secretly living out their parentin‘ un-realized goals. My mom wanted to be an artist. So did her mom. But they both went into education because that is what women did. They didn’t make art. I was told that I was not talented enough to be an artist and not smart enough to be an art historian, so I ended up studying gender studies. Which was perfect in that it gave me a lens to think critically about art and life. It gave meat to the work that I make. Or at least that is the story I am telling myself.
Where do you live?
I live in Oakland, California. I love it here but I don’t feel safe. I am both lucky and terrified every time I get out of my car or stop at a stop light or walk to the store that I might be attacked. Times are hard here, as they are in lots of places. But they are also beautiful… which is why I am grateful.
What are your aspirations?
I just did some writing on Manifesting and the law of attraction. I have always been doubtful of things like this because I hate forcing myself into being positive or changing my moods to be more like what other people want me to be. However, if I was going to talk about my current aspirations, it would be to find a friend who lives close by who has a kid around my kid’s age. I love being in the company of women, and I would love to share our time with someone and also have my daughter as a close friend. I am manifesting this for us.
What have you been working on/inspired by lately?
The changing narrative of what it means to be human. Let me explain. When I say this, what I mean is that I am endlessly curious about why we do the things we do, how we relate to others, what we can do to foster closeness, etc. I think I have a lot of foundational assumptions about say, what is good or bad, or how to talk to people, what is a lie, where is truth, etc that have been uprooted during the past few years. I am trying to understand why I do weirdo unhelpful things and be intentional to create a better world for my daughter.
What are you inspired by lately? (you, yes, you)
Which materials do you work with?
Depends on the project. I gave a talk last month that was for creative people but formatted as a secular church service. I wanted to create a gathering where we felt like we belonged in all our strangeness. For that, I worked with a drummer. I thought that our bodies, moving in space to a rhythm would help us materialize our connection to each other.
For paintings, I imagine places, like portals that we could go to to feel a certain way. Each is a representation of a fictional place where I am relaxed. It is both there and just out of reach. They are informed by figurative painting, and also a longing to go back to a “better” time that I know rationally never existed, and yet I still long for it.
Can you tell us more about your creative process? Potentially from idea to finished work?
I don’t mean to gatekeep by skirting this question, but I think it is tricky. Ideas come from life, and hard moments that I am working through in my head. They also come from deadlines, project prompts, and exhibition dates. There is a romance about the set of paintings that they had to be made because of a longing for them to exist. How does that lore change when we add that a team of people curated them? And said that these would work the best? I am not sure if the myth of making and the realities overlap in any consistent way. But I will say, that I am a human who enjoys making things and problem-solving. And I don’t think I am alone in that.
What is a recurring motif in your artworks?
Everything has a plant. Is this true? Probably not. If not, I think a theme would be less so visual and more so the idea of Love as a concept. The many forms it takes. And our collective understanding of being alive. I am not sure I believe in free will, so that adds complexity to this question, I think. In that, I think this is a great question, that we can somehow reflect on what we have made and then find the meaning, tapping into our subconscious. Perhaps sometimes that can be more meaningful than conscious intention.
If I was to add something more, a theme would be “worry.” I often make things as a way to process what I am mulling over in my head. Trying to make sense of it and be a decent human. And be kind to the people I love.
What is your relationship with colours? And how do you use them in your work?
I am horrible with color. It adds a layer of complexity that I just don’t understand. I make most of my work in black and white because of it. It was actually during the pandemic that I started to experiment with color. My friend Leah was moving, and she is a color genius. She had some leftover paints that I asked her if I could use to try it out. For me, Leah has a halo around her and everything she touches. I believe in her more than I could myself. I was able to trick myself that if Leah picked these colors, I could somehow harness her brilliance into my forms. Basically, anything with color I make could be considered a collaboration with Leah Martha Rosenberg. Leah, if you are reading this, I love you.
Where do you work from? (Home, atelier, shared studio etc.)
I love working from home. But we don’t have the space. So now I work out of a studio about 7 min away from my house with a wonderful team of people. I am so very grateful for the space and the people. I feel lucky every day.
Which (if any) artists/artistic movements/aesthetics are you inspired by?
I am a fan of relational aesthetics. Conceptual art from the ‘90s that explores vulnerability. Since I have lived in the Bay Area for so long, I have been influenced by Mission School (specifically people like Chris Johannasson and Claire Rojos) and social practice artists (folks like Miranda July). Also, the bay has a strong figurative tradition too with people like Joan Brown or say Richard Diebenkorn. I don’t look at these people really, but I do think that just the fact that I live in this area in these times, they have affected what the things that I make look like. Being in continuation of a ever-evolving conversation. I should also mention the environment. The landscapes are so emotional and effective in making you feel small. I like to feel small and meaningless sometimes. It takes the pressure off.
What other interests do you pursue or enjoy in your spare time?
I like to write. I like to meet new people. I like to garden. I like to be with my kid. I like to snuggle.
What does a perfect Saturday look like for you?
It could never happen, but I would like to be alone and also with my family. It would be in the garden, I would have help, and there would be a project, but at the same time, I could endlessly tinker with different things, just following my attention to different growing forms. To create a space for them to flourish. I would like my daughter to be there, and perhaps this is horrible to say, but if she could not be undoing everything I do that would be great. Or that I could follow her lead and change my understanding of what plants want/need to her visions. Picture a garden of control in contrast with a 4-year-old picking all the flowers, jumping on freshly planted seedlings, or straight up throwing rocks at my head. If only I could let go of control, and catch her rocks, or reframe her flower picking as a form of pruning that the plants are in desperate need of. If I could change my thoughts, perhaps this could be a reality. But for now, it feels just out of reach.
What are your dream goals personally/professionally?
To change my mindset from scarcity and anxiety to that of abundance. I am not sure how this could be done. But I am trying. I think a more tangible goal would be to get to exhibit more. To write more. To make friends. To let go of my phone and the validation I get from social media. It is not real, but I never learn.
Thanks for reading. I hope there was something in there that made you feel seen or could relate to. I will be back next week with an essay from your questions :)
Take care, Carissa
To see the print collection, visit: The Poster Club.
I am not deep thinking yet this year, still climbing out of the holiday circus (joyful! but a circus none the less). But this resonated so deeply with me I have to capture it here. Yes--every version of this is my dream and also my reality:
"It could never happen, but I would like to be alone and also with my family. It would be in the garden, I would have help, and there would be a project, but at the same time, I could endlessly tinker with different things, just following my attention to different growing forms. To create a space for them to flourish. I would like my daughter to be there, and perhaps this is horrible to say, but if she could not be undoing everything I do that would be great. Or that I could follow her lead and change my understanding of what plants want/need to her visions. Picture a garden of control in contrast with a 4-year-old picking all the flowers, jumping on freshly planted seedlings, or straight up throwing rocks at my head. If only I could let go of control, and catch her rocks, or reframe her flower picking as a form of pruning that the plants are in desperate need of. If I could change my thoughts, perhaps this could be a reality."
I love everything you do