Shawn Rossiter . . . from
page 1
SR: Well, if I think about it, there were all kinds of things around
me that influenced me. Down at Chroma gallery I'm surrounded by artwork
and its always seeping into what I'm doing. I think
Jennifer Worsley
's exhibit of pastels this Spring showed me how marvelous the medium can
be. And I've been impressed for sometime by
Holly Mae Pendergast
-- the sparseness of her work. I think I see that in my new pieces: using
the simplest means to get your idea across and not covering it up with a
lot of reworking.
DM: Do
you think you are influenced a lot by other peoples' work?
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SR:
I don't know what you would call it, but I think everything influences you
and that doesn't bother me. I think of an exhibit in DC -- I must have
seen it last winter or fall -- of de Kooning's sketches and studies for
his Woman series. I think that exhibit probably lay dormant in me until I picked
up those pastels and then it came rushing out. You see the earthy quality
of drawing in his work and that's something I've been enjoying with these
pieces: the basic pleasure and vitality of the act of drawing. I'd noticed
this before in my work -- where an exhibit I've seen years before comes
out in my work much later. With these new pieces, I would say I was even
influenced by exhibits I hadn't seen yet.
DM: ?
SR: Well, this
summer while I was doing a lot of these pastels I knew I would be going to
southern France and Barcelona in September. So I was anticipating seeing
the Picasso museums there and that probably slipped in. I remember
saying to Darryl Erdmann [Chroma gallery owner] when I showed him some
pieces that I was anticipating Picasso. Anticipating ripping him
off. Picasso once said that he steals from everything. I guess I'm of his
school. I even steal from myself.
DM: What do
you mean?
SR: The charcoal lines scraping out sections that are then filled in
with color goes back to some abstract things I did in oils when I first
started painting back in '97.
DM:
Any reason why you chose to work abstractly now?
SR: It's not
exactly new. I've been working in a series of black and white non-referential
paintings for about two years. All the while I've still done my landscape
work. But I think there probably was a change. My wife had a baby in June
and that changed everything. It was a big change, and I think I was searching
to develop a means to express everything going on. For instance,
body parts. In that first month or two there were body parts everywhere.
Bare breasts, baby's bottom, fat little shoulders . . . It was this mass
of flesh, often joined at the breast. And that came out in a lot of paintings.
DM: And you think
this is what made you switch from landscapes.
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SR:
I think there's a lot of landscape in these pieces too. Maybe it's the
view of a landscape from an airplane, or the dry, cracked mud you find
in southern Utah, or the swirling lines of tar used to patch our roads.
All of that is part of the landscape, right? I think a lot of that gets
into these works of mine.
DM: So in the
end, they're all landscapes for you?
SR: No, not
everything. There are some different figures and everything going on,
but I think what I am saying is that even when I'm working "abstractly"
I think the landscapes I have done for so long are influencing them. Maybe
for the show I'll even put some of the more "traditional" landscapes I've
done recently. To see how they look together.
DM: Do you think these
new works are your new style?
SR: Oh, I
don't know. I never see my "styles" as so different as people seem to. I think that
where we're at -- after the twentieth century and all its stylistic changes
and developments -- is that we're swimming in a pool of stylistic options
and there is no historical determinism to say which is the one we should
be doing. I tend to work back and forth [between styles] and they tend to affect each
other. Maybe they will eventually fuse, I don't know.
I started working
on paper as an experiment with how to get a quick landscape study done.
I was using a few charcoal lines and some broad swatches of color. In the
end, these pastel works are not extremely different -- charcoal lines with
large swatches of color. For me, whether landscapes or more abstract work,
I see my work in terms of a strong line, strong rhythmic color uses and
interacting planes. And I don't care much if it bothers people that I
haven't found my style. I'm still young, after all. I'm enjoying it and
every once in a while I get something right.
DM: So what
would you say to the people who say you don't have a style of your
own?
SR: I'd probably
quote some lines from a song by Dan Bern. It's what
you might call the theme song for my work, or even my life. There's a
line that goes:
"If you must put me
in a box make sure it's a big box,
With lots of windows,
And a door to walk
through . . ."
"Venice & Tuscany"
will be on view at the Halles Gallery through October 4th (814 East 100
South). Chroma Gallery
will present a one man exhibition of
Shawn Rossiter'
s work in October and November. A reception for the artist will be held
October 16th from 7 to 9 pm and an opening reception for the exhibition
will be held during gallery stroll, October 17th from 6 to 10 pm. Chroma
Gallery is located at 1064 East 2100 South in SLC.
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Political Landscapes...from
page 1
Incumbent mayor Rocky Anderson has been at the forefront of legislation to
push through relaxed regulations regarding artists in public spaces. His "street
artists ordinance" has allowed more artists to feel comfortable showing and
selling in venues such as city parks and certain downtown areas.
Recently, the
mayor worked with arts community volunteers to create a new gathering spot
called "MAINLY ART" (see article page 5
). This venue was a hard-won victory, both for the tireless artists
who diligently gave of their time and resources, and for the Mayor himself,
whose vision of an open, progressive city are oftentimes rejected
by the city council and misconstrued by some of the general public.
"Art in every form
should be pervasive in our community," Anderson explained as he recalled
some of his pet arts projects he has championed during his term as mayor.
The Youth Mural Program, Art in the Park, the SLC International Jazz Festival,
and a permanent home at Library Square for the Utah Arts Festival are some
of the accomplishments he is most proud of.
Anderson feels the
city needs to push for more public art on its streets and in its parks.
"When I first took office, there was no provision at all for allowing artists
of any sort to perform or display in public parks and sidewalks - a really
bad deal for both the local arts community and those of us who live and
work here."
Occasionally, one can glimpse the Mayor as he strolls among the artists'
booths at "Mainly Art," sometimes engaging in a political discussion over
free speech and civil rights, showing his support by purchasing an item or
offering wall space in his campaign headquarters to hang artist’s work.
"I will do everything I can, both personally, and with the support of our
administration, to see that local artists have all reasonable opportunities
to display and sell their art and at the same time to encourage everyone
to support those arts," the mayor enthused.
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He has recently done his part by promoting Mainly Art on major radio channels
during morning drive-time spots.
However, as Anderson has realized, it is impossible to please all the people
all of the time. His opponent, Frank Pignanelli cites Anderson's inability
to see eye to eye with city council members as the main reason more has
not been accomplished in furthering the arts in Salt Lake City.
"I agree with many
of the things the mayor wants to do," Pignanelli explains. "I just don’t
think he can get them done because of his management style and relationships
with the City Council."
Pignanelli lists his
ten year tenure in the legislature as significant in his ability to interface
with city government and his "moderate" stance on certain issues as "just
a different" yet effective "style." He believes that "the way for our city
to succeed is to have a strong artistic element."
Some of Pignanelli's
suggestions to further the arts if he becomes elected include working with
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to create an art museum
of currently archived artwork to be housed in the Crossroads Mall - "They
have fabulous local artwork that is just warehoused....it would be a huge
draw." He would also like to work with the State of Utah to extricate their
"underutilized" warehoused artwork as well.
He would like to see
the city "provide incentives" such as "subsidized rents" for artists to
locate "for a year or two" along both Main and State streets which would
help "breed support" for "more private donations for artists in the city"
as well.
Pignanelli concedes
the city has "limited resources, but it can use its offices to partner with
the arts community to reach out."
This is something that
candidate Molonai Hola firmly believes in as well. "I would definitely
be a great friend (to the community) and a very accessible mayor."
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"This state is very conservative," Hola says "but I'm very open" to art of
all kinds. "It's so liberating!"
Hola would "absolutely" promote grassroots showings of art "to bring our
city together." Through "focusing more on your underserved artists and pulling
the West Side over," Hola would advance an agenda of inclusiveness through
art.
"It takes a champion
to use his resources to push those kinds of things through - I know Rocky
is a big supporter. I would be as well." He adds: "Art can be the fabric
that can bring more of the city together."
Hola cites his differences
between the other candidates thusly: "I'm a new player in the game - I think
I can be more effective [as mayor] because I'm not threatening. It's easy
for me to approach the city legislature and council . . . I'm a successful
businessman - a deal-saver and a win-win guy rather than pushing a political
agenda. I have no ties to special interests."
He would like to become
more familiar with the role he’d play regarding long term goals for the arts
community - "Once I understand the role, I'll be able to champion it. I'll
be more accessible to the little people, the underprivileged, perhaps those
who don't have enough resources."
Hola agrees art is
essential for promoting culture, individual self-esteem, and bringing people
into the main stream - definite values that various forms of art are just
beginning to accomplish and are now taking root within our community.
As the seeds of grassroots
art gatherings spring up in a number of places throughout our city, artists
and art lovers must ask themselves how best to cast their votes for mayor
this fall. It would also do well for each candidate to contemplate
just how they would go about tending and nurturing these creative seedlings
to further the spread of artistic venues within our society and not
neglectfully allow these issues to die on the vine or whither away after
the election like autumn’s dead leaves.
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