ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Sarah Fishburn

October 2008

Q. What would you say are the best and worst parts of being a successful, working artist?

A. It's cool; there's no denying! Among the best aspects are: the absolute thrill of getting people excited about the great, wide, wonderful world of art, the thought that I am (I hope) making the world a more beautiful place, and the opportunities to become acquainted with so many other artists, and with a few of those, real friends.

Worst? When I fail to meet my own and/or people's expectations, or to keep promises I made with good intentions. I also feel like there is an assumption made by some people that it's all just a matter of easy-come luck, and that I don't have to work that hard and the $$$ are just pouring in. That can be a hard road to travel down, so I try not to dwell on it.

Q. You are known for using images of children in your collage work. What is it about children that appeals to you, and how have they helped you to develop what you describe as your "mixed media narrative" style? How long have you been collecting these pictures? Do you have any advice on how we can use images in our own artwork?

A. I have a feeling my youngest brother would say something along the lines of "Are you KIDDING? Maybe because she's one of the earthiest mothers in the History of the Universe." I worked in the four year olds' room at the University of New Mexico Childcare Co-op for almost nine years, after spending my own childhood as oldest sister to three younger brothers. I have three daughters and a son, several with children of their own now. I love them with a ferocity of feeling - it's hard to put into words! It's such a fleeting and vulnerable time in our lives.

I treasure photographs and snapshots depicting children, their faces often shining with an abiding hope in the infinite possibilities of the world - its often grim realities notwithstanding. Other times, their visages are already far too serious, careworn, enmeshed in sadness they should never have to know. All of them are more than just images, they tell a story, and when I don't know it, I extrapolate, hence the "narrative".

I've been collecting (and using) these pictures since the early 70's. My oldest daughter, September, was a baby, and I got my first couple of cabinet cards at the Albuquerque Flea at the State Fairgrounds, and the one out on Fourth Street. My first real mixed-media project? I had found a very old, small, black, child's Maryjane in the middle of the street, and a girlfriend gave me another she found out on the mesa. I cut two cabinet cards, one to fit in each shoe, and glued them down. I glued each shoe to the top of a rectangular piece of scrap pine, cut to about 7 or 8 X maybe 18 inches. I drilled two holes at the top of each and tied thick jute for hanging.

Another friend who used to have a junk shop in the Ozarks gave me some real vintage German scrap - little kids who looked like Heidi and Peter. Another friend then gave me a set of tiny scrap heads. I glued three of the scrap kids at the bottom of one, and I think four scrap heads at the bottom ot the other. They became the second and third pieces in an extremely minimal (for me!) mixed-media series - what all my friends took to calling "The Baby Heads." It was 1974. I was 19. I have no idea what happened to those pieces - seemed like we had them forever - maybe lost in a move.

I have quite a few family photographs, or copies of them. In general, I try to use less clip art and more of my family photos - or those I "find" or am given, so as not to be duplicating images used by others. Occasionally I have come across a photo postcard, typically from the early 20th Century, which I bought because I was just crazy about the image - later, I've seen the same image show up on commercial collage sheets because those postcards were printed by the thousands. C'est la vie. And at this point, I've started selling my own collaged "clip art" pages, including snaps from the family vault.

 

As far as suggestions for best using images, here are a sampling of my thoughts:

1) Use photos which really do speak to you. If a photograph is not too precious, consider using the original. Authenticity is cool. We are ARTISTS. Sometimes, we need to just say no to a life of fearful acquisition.

2) On the other hand, make copies so you can change the size. Often bigger is better.

3) Whether using copies or originals, feel free to embellish. Add a tattoo to that lovely little face. Turn a plain dress plaid. Stick some flowers in her hair. Use chalks, paints, markers, rhinestones, rubberstamps. Try to avoid clichés but still have fun.

Q. Tell us about your hobbies and interests - things you do when you are not working on your art. Do these interests spill over into your artistic side? How?

A. Hmm. Well, I currently have this "Day Job". Working to get several households through everyday ... and yet ... you know the Donovan song? "Happiness runs in a circular motion, sort of like a little boat upon the sea, everybody is a part of everything anyway, you can have everything if you let yourself be" ... see, it's like that ... everyday = everybody = everything ...

Gosh, I DO love to rock & roll ... as in: party, go dancing, have fun, stay up all night, and not just because I have a deadline ... a definite facet ... I know, I know, it sounds kind shallow ... To hang with friends and fam, kicked back, on the front stoop, or playing croquet, with a pitcher of lemonade and the music cranked, well, that sounds kinda lazy ... it's me, too, SO very me.

We have a kitchen garden, surrounded by, enveloped in, sunflowers ... it requires some attention, and I'm learning winter planting ... Travel by train ... a long lonesome whistle in the hours long past midnight, passing through dark cities and wondering at lights still burning ... Road Trips: places explored, adventures lived through ... sometimes I'm a gypsy ... when I'm lucky ... yet a rare true wanderer returning home ... once there, I hang reminders ... find new (maybe better!) places for the old pieces ... oh, and did I mention, I dream all my wildest dreams about the beach ... making art - and/or love - there. I might just give EVERYTHING up someday and be a Shell Gatherer. I'm an erstwhile poet and it's not ALL bad. Jazz After Hours on the weekend.

What else? That MIGHT be me, stringing pretty glass beads. Which reminds me of a book - Magister Ludi, or, The Glass Bead Game. Such a total bookworm ... started reading when I was four. That WAS my first true love. First grade, checking out chapter books ... would always trace the illustrations I especially liked. This sketch is a page from a little 'coloring' book my mum made when I was in second grade. Sorry, Mum, tried to make it up to you ... years later, but still ...

Oh, yeah, I read everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Three and four volumes at a time. (Still do.) Decided I wanted to be a writer - and an actress, of course. Which somewhat explains, perhaps, maybe, exactly why I love movies. From modern 'classics': Romeo + Juliet and Kamikaze Girls (yes CLASSIC) travel back in time ... To Kill A Mockingbird (big plus: it's a BOOK, too!), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (who wouldn't want to be Julie Christie?), to - you guessed it, The Sound of Music, starring my pal and often partner as the inimitable Brigitta.

Q. You and Angela Cartwright have successfully launched Pasticcio, which has come to be known as a "Quartz" (Quality Art Zine). Tell us a bit about Pasticcio - how has it evolved since its inception? What motivated you and Angela to come up with the idea for this type of zine? What are the logistical challenges of creating Pasticcio (since Angela lives in California, and you live in Colorado), and how do the two of you successfully manage this task?

A. After working for a traditional publishing house, we were eager to work on a publication over which the two of us would have total control. Also, we had a vision of a zine which would (obviously) come out more frequently than a book, but be of the same high print quality as a book, something to keep on the coffee table or bookshelf, and not consign to the recycling when the next issue comes out.

We really wanted to showcase all kinds of art and a fabulously diverse array of artists, capable and clever, who may never have been published before, along with less well-known art by artists everyone knows and is crazy about. We wanted to include articles on all the things we each love: books, movies, music, even recipes. We want our readers to always feel like they come away from each issue having learned something new and cool, so we include techniques and art history, places to visit online, and as many quotes as we can come up with.

One way Pasticcio has evolved is the extra length for the special Holiday issues. We decided we wanted each of those issues to be like a present- a fabulous surprise package to make everyone's holiday artier and more fun. Another thing which has changed is the addition of more graphic backgrounds. Our first issue had a fair amount of white, but since we're always coming across striking patterns and graphic design, we decided to up the ante, including many of those behind and/or framing the text. One thing I hope will evolve is our proofing system. It's terribly labor intensive, and sometimes fixes are made which end up not saved. We've had a few mistakes slip past - it makes both of us crazy. My husband suggested we have an Erratum section, but I thought, hmm, maybe best not to call attention to!

It takes patience on both sides, though I suspect more for Angela; she has had to reconcile herself to the daily comings and goings at my house - it's like Grand Central Station - and the dozens of subsequent interruptions as we work. We spend an enormous amount of time on the phone - daily at times - and on the computer at the same time, in addition to each working separately - add the cost of phone bills and dsl to the hours we spend, and you'll realize it really becomes a labor of love!

Q. One of the most distinctive elements of your style is your use of transparencies. Tell us more about them: How long have you been using them? How have they helped to develop your style? Do you have a favorite method for using transparencies? Is there anything else you'd like us to know about them? 

A. Okay, so last century? Ya know, around 1998-99? Well, Nina Bagley and I were engaged in a personal "art journal" swap, I think one of the earliest ones of the artists we all know ... We didn't call it an art journal at the time - we just each began with a blank book, doing our own mixed-media things, and mailing them back and forth.

I had some overhead projector sheets from a project my husband had finished (at work). Took them to a copy shop along with some family photos, some images of art I had previously created, etc. Asked one of the copy shoppers if I could run them through the self-copy machine (funny name, that). It worked perfectly; I was off and running. Since my style incorporates a fair amount of layering, transparencies quickly became my perfect medium - I can paint on them, draw on them, cut and stitch them, staple, tape, work over and under. They can be glossy and clean, yet layer perfectly over absolute grunge.

Fantastically distressed and layered over a sweetly old-fashioned family portrait, they practically scream age and mystery. Embellished transparencies, transformed into cunning semi-clear pockets keep kitsch and tschotkes cleverly contained. It's CLEAR I have a thing for them.

Now don't take this the wrong way, 'cuz it's all good, but in my opinion not everyone uses transparencies judiciously. I know it's because the concept is so dang cool, and people discover it and can't think straight. So some not very good design happens. In fact, bad design happens. My advice is: think twice before applying. There are times when transparencies are a stunning design choice, and times when a little restraint is the better part of valor.

Also, I don't personally encourage the use of transparencies for transfer techniques. I know I risk artistic ire for saying this, but they are a really expensive material to be using for transfers, and it doesn't use them to their strength, which is the transparent aspect! The only time I ever use a transparency as a transfer medium is after I've somehow ruined it otherwise - a bad print job.

Q.On your website, http://www.sarahfishburn.com you feature a Chagall quote, "Colors are friends of their neighbors and lovers of their opposites." How do these words relate to your artwork?

A. The way I see it, "colors are friends of their neighbors" means that colors next to one another are harmonious.

They actually complement each other, though they aren't known as complementary; still, they watch Project Runway together, feed each other's dogs & cats when they go on road trips, sign for each other's Fed Ex. They're comfortable next to one another on the canvas or the printed page, and bring a smile to everyone's face - Red says, "Hey, Yellow, why don't you bring that little ol' Orange along, she will totally get along with my BFF Pink ..." But insert a lover into the picture, and the entire world could explode - think the life of Frida Kahlo. Opposites attract, and their passions may not be contained.

Much of my art, even that which I really mull over, presents a fairly vivid palette, yet is still a fusion of color neighbors, you know? Friends sharing cocktails over the fence. Now and again, a relatively spontaneous and unexpected color collaboration erupts as a bold lover steps in. Now and again ...

Q. How do you want to be "eternally remembered?" (In short, what will you have on your epitaph?

A. I would LOVE it to be something terrific, say lyrics from a Beatles song, engraved in Copperplate:

"Sexy Sadie, you broke the rules- You laid it down for all to see - Sexy Sadie, oooh, you broke the rules ... the world was waiting for a lover - She came along to turn on everyone - Sexy Sadie, the latest and the greatest of them all! Sexy Sadie, how did you know? The world was waiting just for you ..."

I SUSPECT it will be something more like this, lyrics my own, in Comic Sans:

"She tried to be good whenever she could - And prayed extra hard when she couldn't."

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Comments

[Silver Moon]

Congratulations Sarah, you have been my inspiration for many years since the days of Artitude. Or was it Artfest that one year? Either way it's been many years. I love your artworks especially the One Life With Each Other, what a great piece. Take good care, I love you!!!

Ps I love Steve!

[sarahfishburn]

God Sylvia - I remember meeting you at Artfest in 2001 for the first time, and feeling immediately connected to ya. I was thinking about you on your birthday - totally there in spirit babe.
Love YOU.
sarah

[Sherry Goodloe]

Great interview! Loved every bit of it. Congratulations Ms. Fishburn.

[denise lombardozzi]

i just wrapped myself in your responses and felt toasty good!

you have been from the start and will always remain near and ultra dear to this girls heart & soul...

love you a bushel and a peck,
denise

[rivergardenstudio]

Oh Sarah, what an incredible interview. I will have to come back to read it again! And I love seeing so much of your work, and learn about how you work...and about who you are as an artist. I find your creations to be very soulful and full of happiness and hope. Roxanne

[Seth]

Great read Sarah! Looks like in addition to a reader, you are a storyteller! You are such a singular soul and that really shines through in this interview. Thanks for sharing!

[Mariette]

I enjoyed looking at your work.
They are all uniquely interesting pieces; but really like One Life with Each other. I like the composition, and the contrast of light and dark.

[Mixed Media Martyr]

Wonderful interview! Sarah, this is a warm, buttery flow of your inner artist and I appreciate you sharing your histories and your thoughts! Thankyou.

[sarahfishburn]

Looks like One Life with Each Other was a good choice to show, and maybe I need to work further in that vein!
sarah

[Sallyt]

Oh, dear Sarah -- this interview is ever so YOU! I loved getting to know you better through it. I've always been a fan of your art. Your pieces are always unique, fresh, and a message to the soul. Love the pieces you chose for this - especially that "portrait" of you at the beginning.
Your fan,
sally

[Amy Wing]

Your interview is just as lively as your art - what a treat!

[sarahfishburn]

I really am appreciating all of your comments so much, thank you!
sarah

[sandra Johnson]

Dear Sarah, Thank you for sharing so much of your art and soul. I love this interview and especially your sense of humor throughout. My favorite collage piece is "uncommom treasures" I also loved that you included the illustration of you by your mom! Also loved the E.E. Cumming poem girl.You clerly do have a thing for transparencies! I hope I get to spend some time with you and wish the best always! Your old friend, Sandra

[Marilyn Gallas]

Oh, this is just wonderful. I enjoyed every minute of reading it. The family and friends reminds me of my early years growing up in the south.