Carol Es
Carol Es from Los Angeles, California and is represented by; George Billis Gallery in Los Angeles; Kolesch Gallery in Houston, Texas; Gallerie Urbane in Marfa, Texas. Her web site is http://esart.com and her blog is http://esart.com/blog
Carol says she has been making art all her life and lists other interests as; Music, Anthropology, genetics, biology, books.
What are the main medium/s you work in… I use manila pattern paper from the garment manufacturing industry with oil paint, pencil, thread and sewing pins.
Your work seems very personal in it’s approach… My work is very personal and dives into childhood trauma. I use lots of Hebrew texts, narratives, personal disclosure, and my background from working in the apparel industry with my family.
What are you currently working on? I am finishing up a handmade Artists’ book entitled “Horsebucket.” It is an edition of 50 books with gouache drawings, hand typed pages and letterpress covers.
Why are you an artist? I really can’t be anything else. Trust me, I’ve tried.
How did you get into art? This remains a mystery to me to this day.
What is your earliest memory of art? The artwork in the waiting rooms of psychiatrist’s offices.
Was art a “thing” that was encouraged in your family? Not at all. I do not come from a family of artists of any sort, which is why I cannot really understand what drove me to forcefully towards art. My family had not seen my work or attended my exhibits until this last year. And it was surreal. They have never really made any comments about my work and I really don’t know if they know what to make of it. I think they think it’s a 30 year “phase” and one day I’ll come to my senses.
What can you tell us about your planning and making process for making art, and has that altered over the years? There came a point around 2002 where I changed my process completely after a psychological art experiment. I started to glean my pattern making background into my work and it just began to make sense: “Paint what you know.” My practice then became a methodical ritual, where I could master a process, while still allowing room for the spontaneous. I think it was because I was becoming self-aware and began to understand what my own art was about after so many years of naive painting. I got to a place where I could not move forward and be genuine and honest unless I made a drastic change.
Does the “creative process” happen easily for you? It does, but I’m always worried it won’t.
How important do you think craftsmanship is to artistic creation? Very. I have a very anal work ethic and don’t half-ass anything and truly appreciate craftsmanship in everything, not just art.
Do you get to other artists exhibitions, openings etc? I do, but it is really difficult to see as many as I would like to or should. I prefer to stay home and/or work. I detest crowds and rather catch the shows on quiet weekdays instead of receptions.
Do you have much contact with other artists? Thank God for email.
Any upcoming or completely new projects you want to talk about? I am hoping 2009 will bring me some time to work on more soft sculpture projects.
Working towards an exhibition, is it a daunting task? It is a lot of work and it takes everything out of me and about a year of planning and working, if not longer, to do it right. In my mind it seems simple, but it winds up being very daunting. Everything has to work together. The space needs to be considered. The scheme, the craftsmanship and details, documentation, lead time for images and press packs, advertising, curator feedback. The time it takes to do so many pieces. Ideas on how to make your show stick out above the dozens of others going on that month. Getting people to come. It winds up being a lot more work than one would think, and at the end of your 4 weeks – that’s it. It doesn’t happen again for a long time and a lot of non-art people may not understand that.
Can you name a favourite artist or three… and why? Paul Klee: for his connection to childlike dreams; Amy Sillman: for her freedom to just paint; Van Gogh: for his visionary outlook on nature.
Do you keep an Art Journal or Visual Diary of some kind? I keep a small notebook on my nightstand to jot down my weird half-asleep thoughts. I also have been working on an on-going journal project where I draw and write on a manila patterns. It could be a sleeve, a collar, a pocket, or a paint leg. They are not planned, they are just my thoughts and feelings that day which come out in words and/or drawings.
What happens to works that “don’t work out”? It rarely happens because I try to salvage everything I start. I can count on one hand how many pieces I have destroyed in the last 800. I probably have 5-10 unfinished things that are still hanging around that I’ll get back to one day.
Do you aim to break the rules of basic composition, layout etc or do you ignore the “rules” and just create? There are never any rules in art.
Do you hope the viewer will “get” what you are trying to communicate or do you feel compelled to spell it out to them? I believe that once I am finished making a work of art, it is now out of my hands and not up to me anymore. I do not control how it is interpreted because I have had a totally different relationship with it than the viewer does. It means something to me, but I send it off to sea and let others have it in their own way.
How important is it to you that your work communicates something to the viewer? It is important to me that the work touches someone in someway that is meaningful to them.
What can you say about your work that might not be evident to the viewer? I did not paint this. I do not know who or what did. Yet, I made this. And maybe we have never met, but I love you.
About significant moments in your life, the sort of things that changed things for you forever… perhaps altered your Art… Who how why what and where…? So much that I can’t know how or where to start, but I have been very unfortunate and I have been lucky beyond belief.
If you stopped doing art right now would you miss it? It would be the death of me.
What discourages you from doing art? Deep, dark, dripping, scary, scratchy, freezing, echoing depression.
Have you had much connection post sale with purchasers of your works? Yes, I have a lot of repeat collectors and I would call them friends because it is a relationship we build on.
Name a book or books, which may have inspired your work as an artist? “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Suess.
Is your work process fast or slow? Very slow. Not a great thing in time crunches.
Some artists are more “at home” isolated in their creative process, while others revel in being part of a group to bounce “ideas off” how about you? I much prefer to be alone in a quiet space. I’m isolated for the most part, although I will meet up with friends when I can, but it takes a lot out of me.
What moves you most in life, either to inspire or upset you that might be connect to your art? What inspires me most is seeing lots and lots and lots of art.
What advice would you give to an artist just starting out? Listen to your heart, not your parents or your boyfriend, or your teachers, or some poser. You really want to do this? Then take all the risks you need to even if it’s not the easy road (because it’s not going to be.) Be original – don’t copy people, and if you must steal, make it your own somehow, don’t flat out hijack it. Commit yourself to the work, get used to being alone, love yourself – or, at least believe in the part that wants to make art and allow it to. If it’s fame and fortune you seek, look into acting or high-stakes poker.
Interview compiled and edited by Steve Gray ©2008+
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[...] An engaging interview with Californian Artist Carol Es. [...]
[...] | rss I did a great little interview with Aussie, Steve Gray, for his very cool blog entitled Art Re-Source. I really enjoyed doing it, and super enjoyed reading the other interviews and info on his blog. I [...]
Needless to say I like your work. Too many common points to mention.
Thank you for sharing.
[...] Es who was interviewed here earlier has some exhibitions on the boil and some new work… check out where and what she’s up [...]
[...] Carol Es, who I interviewed a while back has just moved to a new studio in L.A. part of a vibrant arts community it seems. I like the picture of it but liked the google maps image more… [...]