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Erika Clark on art and working with City Project(ions)

February 6, 2015

Bart O’Reilly: City Project(ions) is an ongoing series of experimental videos to highlight work made in a studio setting with artists whose work has been under-represented due to social or economic circumstances or through having a disability. The project has already received pilot funding from The Warnock Foundation and was featured in The Baltimore Social Innovation Journal this summer.

So far working with artists at Make Studio in Hamden I share processes developed in my own practice in a working studio setting. The plan is to expand to include many more artists so if you want to get involved or know someone who would benefit please get in touch. The work we make is being projected publicly outdoors in and around the city of Baltimore.

I had a chance to sit down with Erika Clark today and speak a little bit about the project and her thoughts on art in general.

How long have you been making art?

Erika Clark:I have been creating art for 4 to 5 years.

Bart O’Reilly: What is your main source of inspiration?

Erika Clark:My main source of inspiration comes from stories and images that I create usually linked to the fantastic.

Bart O’Reilly:How do you feel about City Project(ions) and exposing your process in a public way like this?

Erika Clark:It is a great opportunity, I am sure people wonder how long it takes to make a piece of art and all of the changes and different processes that go through it.

Bart O’Reilly:What other artists inspire you?

Erika Clark:Other artists from Make Studio can inspire me.

Bart O’Reilly:What else?

Impressionism and I get inspired by the games I play and stuff I watch on TV.

Bart O’Reilly:What media do you like to use?

Erika Clark:I like to use different mediums now and then right now I am I use a lot of watercolor and watercolor pencils. Other times I am more into drawing with oil pastels or coloring pencils.

Bart O’Reilly:What would you like people to get from your art?

Erika Clark:I would like them to be inspired, live in two different worlds and hopefully see something beautiful.

Bart O’Reilly:What else are you interested in?

Erika Clark:Cooking, baking , video games anime and manga. Reading books and listening to music.
Mandi McKinney and Bart O’Reilly on City Project(ions) and her inspiration as an artist.

February 3, 2015

Make Studio artist Mandi McKinney has been working with me on City Project(ions) since she joined the studio in June of 2014. She came with an interest in traditional skills like painting and pen and ink drawing as well as digital media so she seemed like a perfect fit for the project. I sat down with her today and asked some questions.

Could you describe your work for us?

I have mainly been working with inks and figuring out watercolors and how I can use them to make good art. My themes have been fantasy and surreal themes, but not fully surreal.

What has changed in your work since you started working at Make?

I have more focused goals instead of just creating something and bing bang boom there you go.

What do you think about having the opportunity to project your work around the city?

I think it is pretty great to see the work in progress shot by shot. It is not technically an animation more of a progress video.

Can you tell us about your digital artwork?

All I can say is that like traditional art, digital art can have a somewhat unpredicable element. It is generally a nice surprise to see how things turn out.

What is your main source of inspiration?

Inspiration mostly comes from video games, specifically the sound tracks of the games. Not just generic games but a vast variety of interesting games. I also don’t stay console restricted.

What artists inspire you?

Japanese artists and English cartoonists. I also look at Hayao Miyazaki’s films and they are a great source of inspiration.

What are your plans for the piece you are working on right now?

Once the inking is done on this dragon I will do watercolor techniques such as adding salt and maybe some masking.

What would you like people who see your art to get from it?

I would like them to be inspired for the most part. To see something more than life like, not in a realistic way but in a fantastical way. I want them to see things that they would not see in real life.

What would you like them to know about you as an artist?

I am the kind of person who likes to let themselves go into a fantasy. I go into a kind of meditative state, not like sitting down but in listening to music and working with color. I loose myself in it, it helps me to get out of reality and helps me to think of interesting things.
We’re Movin’ On Up!

December 19, 2014

Today marks our final studio day at 3500 Parkdale Avenue in the Woodberry neighborhood of Baltimore City. As we ready to move to our new studio space in Hampden over the next two weeks, Louis Middleton wanted to share his thoughts on the big move:

“It’s the last day on Parkdale. We’re going to miss it. I’m going to miss the view of Television Hill from the windows. And the stairs that lead to Stefan’s property. I’m going to miss the closet. The acrylics, watercolors, the colored pencils, and the pastels are in there. Going down the hall to the bathroom. It was a break. I’m going to miss riding on the elevator. And the fire escapes were everywhere. Suite 16 was our space. We did artwork in this space. We had special events. We made new friends in the space. It feels sad.

The new space is two stories. It has a kitchen. It has a gallery. It has a main studio. I wonder what the new studio looks like. I will see it on January the 5th. I feel excited about the space. That’s it. Bye, bye, Parkdale!”
Doing business in the Windy City

December 19, 2014

Recently, Make Studio artist Garrett Seidman traveled to Chicago from Baltimore on his very first business trip. When he’s not making art at the studio, Garrett finds glitches in video games for a company called Wargaming. When explaining his job, Garrett said, “I smoke out the bugs in the software.”

The software company invited its employees to a holiday party this month in downtown Chicago. Garrett did not hesitate to talk about what he thought was the most exciting part of his trip…

“I danced at the company holiday party. They had belly dancers and I danced with one of them. I was brave. I went up the stairs and danced with her in front of two hundred people. I was kind of afraid that I would get in trouble, but I took the risk. I did not end up getting in trouble and coworkers came up to me afterward and told me that’s the ballsiest thing I ever did! They also gave a speech to motivate people to play World of Tanks.”

Garrett met a lot of new people and felt proud about how he did it.

“I introduced myself by saying, ‘Hi. My name is Garrett Seidman and I work at Wargaming. I represent people with autism who are working.’ Everyone said they were very impressed.”

He represents himself in the same way at Make Studio: as a person with autism who is actively participating, and being successful, in the working world. Garrett has used the skills he has learned from Make Studio in many ways.

“At the Make Studio I have learned how to be patient, how to focus, and how to interact with coworkers.”
“Gathered Strands” Exhibit and Collaborative Stitching Workshop

November 7, 2014

October was quite eventful at Make Studio! One part of that was our participation in Free Fall Baltimore, a city-wide free arts celebration presented by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA).

Pam presents a collaborative work in-progress from another workshop, as example to our attendees.

Make Studio artists worked collaboratively with visiting artist Pam Negrin on an embroidery workshop open to the public, as well as a month-long exhibit entitled Gathered Strands.

Participants in the Collaborative Stitching Workshop experienced working with a range of sewing materials, including different types of needles, fabric, and threads. During the workshop, artists and visitors worked together on a collaborative piece, as well as on individual projects. Many of our artists also benefited from having Pam stop by throughout the month, to demonstrate various stitching techniques

While the public enjoyed the Collaborative Stitching Workshop, the exhibition Gathered Strands was on view. The show brought together the work of two artists, Erika Clark and Bess Lumsden. It featured several of their most recent works, revolving around the joining of textural, visual, and narrative lines and threads.

Erika at work during the Free Fall workshop.

When working with Pam during the month, Erika enjoyed “having a variety of options to explore” with stitching. She enjoyed “seeing my art come to life,” adding, “it gave me thoughts about incorporating it in to my other artwork. It was a unique experience.”

She added stitching to a beautiful silk paining, and felt that the stitching “made it look elegant.”

Bess’ to be stitched “doll” on top and Erika’s stitched silk piece, below, both in progress.

Bess with some of her Gathered Strands pieces.

Bess thought that working on stitching “was really amazing” and that it “opened a lot of doors.” She explained, “I’d never stitched before. I was always nervous about it, because I didn’t want to mess up.” After several weeks of working with Pam, she felt that “it was a lot different than I expected. I expected it to be really difficult, but it was a lot easier than I thought.”

Stitching at the closing reception.

During the closing reception for Gathered Strands, Bess mentioned that she was excited about the results of her month’s work as she stitched with family and visitors.

Jerry Williams enjoying the closing reception with staffer Erin.

Thank you to BOPA for organizing Free Fall Baltimore, and to Pam Negrin for giving her time and creativity throughout the month!
Tyrone Remembers Robin Williams

October 24, 2014

For the last couple weeks at Make Studio, artist Tyrone Weedon has been working on a portrait series based on Robin Williams’ notable characters.

“To me, Robin Williams is the funniest comedian of all time.”

Tyrone appreciates the wild personalities and unique voices of all the characters Williams acted as and voiced. Like many, Williams’ characters were a very important and inspirational part of Tyrone’s childhood. He feels Williams connected older and newer generations through his various roles.

Robin Williams brought joy and laughter to our childhoods. . . Robin is human like all of us.

Tyrone sees Williams himself relating to many of his characters. Williams’ charisma and sense of humor made his characters great.

He has an insane personality and creativity in movies, television, and stand up shows. [He shows us] there is no shame in having a kid inside of us…

Tyrone picked six of William’s characters to focus on: Patch Adams, Mrs. Doubtfire, Professor Philip Brainard, the Genie, Mork, and Tyrone’s favorite role Peter Pan.

Tyrone thinks Williams as Peter Pan shows that you should never change who you are. Accept yourself as yourself.

Robin Williams’ legacy of bringing laughter will live on through people everywhere.
Our Heroes

October 15, 2014

We’ve been thinking a lot about heroes lately because of our participation in an exhibition currently on view at Towson Arts Collective’s EBC Art Center. Many of our artists are represented in HEROES: Everyday Heroes to Super Heroes, Beyond the Call of Duty,on view from October 1st through 25th, with a reception this Saturday, October 11th from 6 – 8 pm.

In honor of the show’s opening, some of our artists discussed their work in the show, along with what a hero is to them.

Gary writes about his work in the HEROES show:

“In general, heroes stand up to bad guys and protect the innocent. Some of them, like Mickey Mouse, for example, have magical powers and use those powers for good rather than evil.”

To Gary Schmedes, a hero is a good guy who does what is right. The good guys stand up to the bad guys by “punching them in the face.” Some of Gary’s favorite heroes are Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone, Homer Simpson, and SpongeBob. All of these characters are funny (and Gary appreciates good humor) and do what is right (even Homer Simpson, most of the time). In his everyday life, Gary sees his older sister Mary as a hero because “she helps me a lot and is understanding.”

Margie sees a hero a bit differently from Gary. Margie says about her work:

“A hero can be big and brave, but he or she can also be a person who does something small and considerate for others.”

Margie Smeller thinks it is good to recognize all the different kinds of heroes out there in the world, from the superheroes to the everyday heroes. In fact, Margie believes everyday heroes are especially relevant in our lives. For Margie, being brave, as well as having empathy and compassion for others, are important parts of being an everyday hero.

Jeanne Hannon recognizes the super in the everyday hero. She writes about her work in the show, which is about some of her favorite presidents and her favorite baseball team:

“The Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter worked very hard for all of the states throughout the country. They had to swear an oath on the Bible to do their job well, and they are part of a long history.”

For Jeanne a lot of presidents are heroes. She wants us to remember how all the presidents have brought together the United States of America, which in her mind may not be as united if it weren’t for them. Plus being president is a tough job! Besides presidents, Jeanne considers Governor O’Malley a hero. She is also a big O’s fan and sees the Orioles as her heroes, too. She is very excited with how the O’s have been doing in the play offs and she hopes they make it all the way to the world series. Jeanne has everyday heroes too. Her family are her heroes, especially Jimmy who is in the Marines.

Tony Labate also shared his thoughts on heroes. He writes:

“They are not faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive but they are always ready to help anyone who is in trouble or needs help.”

As his artwork shows, Tony is often inspired by St. Elizabeth School which became his home away from home after his grandmother passed away. The people at St. Elizabeth’s school are some of Tony’s heroes. They were always nice and polite to him and made him feel comfortable. He recognizes that there are superheroes who are in comic books, but to Tony a hero does not have to be super or have superpowers, especially since that is all fantasy or science fiction, anyway. Tony sees a hero as an everyday person who goes beyond the usual scope to help people, like saving someone from drowning or a burning building.

Make sure to stop by the Towson Arts Collective’s EBC Art Center to see all the wonderful artwork in the HEROES show. And don’t forget to think about and thank the heroes in your life.
The Newbie: Week 3

September 17, 2014

My name is Emma Jo Shatto, and I’m the new fall intern for make Studio. It is week three, and I am constantly observing and getting to know the environment. I am so happy with how open it is here. For instance, physically the studio is a smaller space, but with its large windows letting sunlight pour in, the entire room opens up. So much of the space is devoted to the artists. It gives me the sense that working for and alongside make Studio artists is incredibly important. The space is laid out with tables for everyone to work. It tends to get cluttered with sketches and such, but there’s always a place for someone to sit down and work. The studio is quiet on Wednesdays. Except for the occasional question/answer session from artist Gary Schmedes or words being passed around between the staff and the artists, the studio remains pretty calm, with only the slight sounds of pencils scratching on paper or some shuffling about, artists getting ready to start projects. I am so entranced with how much focus there is in this one space.

The most recent thing to peak my interest is the artists and the staff. We are preparing for several different events, one of which is Hampdanfest 2014, which will be this Saturday, September 20th at 11 AM. I am so excited to be there to represent make Studio. The artists here are so interested in their artwork and driven to continue working. Always finishing a project and starting a new one. From what I’ve observed, some of them love to work and create just as much as they love to talk about the art. That pride and happiness that they feel is infectious. I remember witnessing it for the first time, when I volunteered for make Studio at ArtScape 2014.

I’ve spent a lot of time these first few weeks watching and observing. I love to see how different people interact with one another, and it’s helped me adjust to this new environment. But… I am so excited to start working. My head is bursting with ideas, and I cannot wait to be more involved with helping out the artists and the staff.

I am so ready!

Till next time. EJ signing off.
Summer: A Great Time to Try Something New

August 8, 2014

Make Studio is very lucky to have some wonderfully talented and enthusiastic interns this summer. As part of their experience at the studio, we asked our interns Maeve and Acacia to each design, organize, and teach a workshop to the resident artists. Take a look at their reflections about the process of creating a workshop and engaging the members of Make Studio!

Color Theory with Maeve Goldstein

“When I was asked to start on a proposal for a workshop, I made observations around the studio to help determine where to start. I wanted to pick something the artists could take home with them to think about and use to improve their own artwork.

I sorted through notes from a color theory class I took last year at Hood College. I made a vocabulary list, color wheel and complimentary color exercise, and drafted an outline of what I would discuss. I included a little bit about the science of perception, the history of color theory, and the basics of the color wheel and color interaction.

At first it took a few minutes for the artists to settle in and focus, but they seemed to be interested. Some asked questions and related the lesson to things they learned in school. Most sat and focused, quietly taking in what I was saying and answering questions when asked.

The workshop itself went well. I procured a color wheel poster for reference, as well as a small pocket wheel and a pocket color chart. I even brought some color-aid to show side by side comparisons of warm and cool hues, tints, shades, and tones. Overall it went really smoothly, and gave me a good opportunity for organizational and leadership practice.”

– Maeve Goldstein

Watercolor Washes with Acacia Matheson

We were thrilled when Acacia decided to share her knowledge of alternative watercolor techniques with Make Studio artists. Acacia prepared examples of different watercolor wash techniques, and activities with the artists included: wet on dry paper, wet on wet paper, one color on top of another, blending colors, creating texture using salt, and plastic wrap on wet paper. Watercolor is a very popular medium among the artists, and they were fascinated to learn new ways of working through the process. Several artists are still applying the techniques weeks later in their current projects.

“Doing the workshop on two different days with different groups of artists affected how the tone of the workshop. The first group was rather quiet and very set in their ways. As such, I had to adapt to them and pay more attention to keeping the focus of the group on the task at hand. The group on the second day went a lot smoother, because I felt what I was trying to teach was more on par with what that group of artists were already doing.

The workshop was a helpful building block for them. Everyone was excited and able to keep focus on their own projects, which allowed me to spend one-on-one time with a select few artists who needed it.

I noticed a difference when it came to Make Studio artist Louis Middleton, as he was present for both days of my workshop. For the first day, the workshop didn’t hold his interest for long and his attempts at at new techniques were minimal. However on the second day I noticed such a difference. Other artists in the group were interested in the techniques and involved with their own experiments, and I was able to work with Louis one-on-one. I felt it helped hold his interest more on the workshop and learning the techniques.”
Bradley’s Summer in the Studio

June 25, 2014

Bradley Jacobs is an artist with us here at Make Studio during the summer. He’s a student otherwise, and likes to travel with his family.

Bradley comes here to work and as well as attends school in Illinois. He says of this lifestyle:

“I think its like a relaxation technique I use. it’s like I live in two different worlds, my art world and school world. I love art, I enjoy it.”

Bradley Jacobs, In Space

He works hard and takes his time with his work, ensuring that each piece has an energy of its own. Each piece he makes is based off of different ideas that come from within, such as from experience, places he’s been, things he’s seen. Bradley uses source images from the internet and tweaks it in his own way.

“I’m an artist, I like expressing myself and showing work that has meaning. I portray an image that has a story. For me, art is an expression to show how I’m feeling at that moment. Making art motivates me, it’s a good form of communication, I can put myself out there in ways I have never done before.”

Bradley Jacobs, Tokyo

As for his travels, he thinks that being fortunate enough to travel and go to different places is eye- opening.

“I think that to have a new travel experience is like seeing things for the first time. Like when you grow up and you go out on your first day of snow, or you’re seeing a movie for the first time, like when you turn 18 or 21 and have your first night out, it’s very fun. To be self-powered and go different ways and use different techniques in art is very good, and I want to share how I learned everything.”

“ I believe in diversity, there’s different art with different backgrounds here. The only way for my work to thrive is to have creativity and imagination.”

According to Bradley, Make Studio is beneficial because it’s unique and diverse. It’s a well-rounded studio and is good for the community of Baltimore. Each painting made here is not entirely about the artist, it’s about what they were thinking and what their imagination comes up with. A part of a painting’s story is the audience’s interpretation of it.

“It feels good, seeing the expressions on people’s faces for the first time when they see your work. Getting the opportunity to see your name out there, to see your work in people’s homes, and seeing happiness on their faces when they look at a painting is great.”

Bradley believes Make Studio has broadened his horizons. Speaking about his growth, he says, “Art is a gateway that allows me to try other things like sculpture and 3D design.” When he started here, he was using pencil, watercolor, and sharpie. After a little while, he moved into using acrylics, then sculptural design. He even writes poetry from time-to-time. He’s still working on processing and stream-lining his many creative ideas, trying to make everything connect and be relevant to his overall message.

“I have grown because I’m older now and I now grasp how to use different methods, techniques and mediums in making a piece of art. I learn more by doing that just by watching tv or going places. Make Studio is helping me every step of the way. its like a guiding light to show me, not do it for me, but to show me how to make something free from myself. They help give me ideas and I’m doing it my way.”

Bradley’s workspace, 2014

Bradley’s advice for others is this: if you make a mistake, you can’t think of it as a mistake. Think of it as a positive idea. In art, there is always a creative way to make something new. Everything can be done differently; just like handwriting, not everything can be the same. Each individual has a way of doing something.

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