Interview with:Lorna Crane [lorna54]
ART
 | What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist? As a painter I am defined by my surroundings, the lay of the land and the emotions that are attached to my environment. Time and presence with absence fascinates me and this is what I like to portray in my work. The immediacy of painting is something that is instinctual in me as an artist. |
| What is your message? Connect with others that speak the same language. Challenge yourself and allow fear to be a catalyst in the process of making works that are original, defined and shaped by the individual in each artist. |
| Your biography in four lines. From the time I could pick up a pencil I have always wanted to draw and be an artist.
Graduating with distinction in the mid '80's my career has seen me traveling to Canada, USA, UK and Europe as a Churchill Fellow and as an exhibiting artist.
Being involved with artist run initiatives has been a common link for me - where I have linked with artists that share a passion and desire to not just create but to push the boundaries with themselves and their community.
Working full time from my studio on the Far South Coast of NSW, Australia is where I continue to exhibit and develop my future bodies of work. |
| Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it? Some of my work is uploaded on facebook. A website is nearly ready and will be up and running by mid year (09). Ivy Hill Gallery, Wapengo has my work on their site too. If my name is googled you can see links to shows etc. |
| How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration? Ideas for me are an essential part of my process of making. A conversation, a place, a feeling can trigger an idea.
Landscape and a poetic approach to place is where I like to start. |
| What role does technology play in your creative process? Technology is becoming is an integral part of the documentation process. But it is much more than that over that recently. I have just purchased an apple MacBook, digital camera and camcorder to record my work, events and work on a blogspot whilst at an artists residency. The references have offered an immediacy and a tool that has enhanced the way I work, document and think about my work. |
| What is art? It is instinctual, evocative, and comes from that primal place within a person that calls themselves an artist. Art makes people think and documents our time and place. Without art in the world there would be no soul. |
| When do you get your best ideas? Talking to myself, listening to my dreams and then starting to work in the studio. |
| How do you evaluate whether an idea is good or not? All ideas can take you to different places. Some can get you straight there and others are stepping stones to other places. |
| Three creative ideas that you would have liked to have created? Well I could say -
Television
Mobile phones
Apple Computers
But there are just so many creative ideas out there that how can you name three only. |
| When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist? For as long as I can remember - the first time I picked up a pencil, traced outlines on my mothers mantlepiece (and got into big trouble as it was red pencil), won my first colouring-in competition and deciding to go to art school.
Art and being an artist has always been who I am and how I continue in the future. |
| Why do so many artists and creators have such volatile personalities? I would'nt say that we are volatile all the time - sensitive, opinionated and living on the edge sums it up better. Other people love to be around artists to watch the debris of their lives collide, fuse and sometimes splatter into amazing pieces that tell stories about our time and place. |
| Do you consider yourself postmodern? Absolutely |
| How should a work of art be evaluated? This can be irritatingly frustrating for the artist. The work should speak for itself and if others speak about it or write about it in response, the feedback can be both good and bad.
Prizes, sales, reviews etc are part of this evaluation process.
There are times when just a relationship to the viewer, the work and the artist can spark someone to talk about the work, smile, cry, be angry or to just question and confront.
My favourite part is being in a gallery and watching people look and stay with a work - that to me is the best. |
| Must an artist reinvent him/herself everyday? No - you would wear your self out and make some pretty bad work if you reinvented yourself every day. |
| Which artists do you admire and how do they influence your work? Australian Artists are - Margaret Preston, Ian Fairweather, Arthur Boyd, Wendy Stavrianos, John Martin, John Risley and Rosalie Gascgoine.
German Expressionists - Max Beckmann, Joseph Boyes and Gerhard Richter.
Matisse, Kandinsky and Picasso.
Paterson Ewan - and the group of seven artists from Canada.
Each of these have influenced in different ways - from their views of the Australian landscapes and landscape in general > the use of recycled materials and then the assemblage process. A mentor in John Martin who has continued to make me question my way of working.
To the masters that have endured and captured a time and place.
Having spent 12 months in Canada - the group of seven and artists like Paterson Ewan spoke to me about how my own landscape is intrinsically linked to my way of capturing my own time and place. |
| Is art necessary? Absolutley |
| Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold? Sometimes |
| How do you feel about the fact that the pieces exhibited in contemporary art museums are often of artists already deceased? It is then that I respect the role of artist run spaces and the role that they play in exhibiting contemporary art of now. |
| What types of jobs do you usually do? Just working on my own work at present - precious! |
| Which of your jobs or tasks do you most enjoy? Sharing the process with those that are ready to soak up the journey.
The sheer act of painting.
I love being mid show when the flow is flowing......... |
| Do you personally collect any items? At present I am collecting some textile pieces, ceramics and some paintings (generally swapped pieces). |
| What advice would you give to those just beginning? Enjoy the process as part of the journey.
The process is what it is really about.
Share with like minded people that you trust.
Keep on making.
Trust your instincts. |
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483 visits Whohub
Lorna Crane
Pambula, Australia
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