artist proposal

Tereza,

Without you here, I feel a bit alone in the world ;)

I'm not sure if I will continue this blog without you, as it began as a conversation between us.

It seems strange and somewhat unnatural to post da sola.

Anyway, I applied for a solo show at an upstate gallery today.

Below I posted my statement and proposal.

I sent the images from 2010, before Alessandro was born.

I hope I am able to communicate with words what I can in painting.

I often find it paralyzing to write a statement and proposal.

If this blog continues with just me as an author, I will let you know what the outcome of the proposal is.

xo

Angela

Statement

My work is an exploration of the human condition. I speak about memory, tragedy, loss and redemption predominantly through painting and performance- based work.

I begin with experiences from my own life and then move outward, drawing connections between my personal history and the stories of others. I find that taking this step is transformative in and of itself. This work is not just for me to overcome individual heartbreak or misfortune, but to open up a dialogue that also facilitates for others a space of catharsis.

Artist Proposal

For x I am pleased to propose an exhibition of figure paintings, comprised of nine canvases, formally united in identical size. Each piece depicts an individual woman in a various stage of either pregnancy or motherhood.

The series takes its inspiration from Sandro Boticelli and Piero del Pollaiuolo’s The Seven Virtues. As an alternative to the idealized forms that Boticelli and del Pollaiuolo present, however, my work offers the viewer a more egalitarian relationship to the female form. The women are not romanticized or put up on a pedestal; they are partly autobiographical, partly allegorical, and partly based on real women in my life who also happen to be mothers.

In the special setting that x Gallery offers, the paintings would resonate in an intimate way. It is important to me to exhibit them as a group, and in a woman-owned gallery. It would be a pleasure to collaborate.

Thank you in advance for the consideration.

Straw into gold

The gold that is my life - all of it, the baby, the house, the weather, the work - is beginning to glean...

I've started an application for a solo show.

I've also started my portion of an edition. One work every day for 30 days and I'll meet the deadline of January 1, 2012.

I was working on the application/proposal for most of yesterday, with the baby in the room with me. He was calling for me, making noises, moving around, consistently needing attention. And I was able to work with it, with him. For the first time since he's been born, I didn't see anything 'distracting' about it. If anything, it was a grounding reminder to be clear and not to waste time.

Straw into gold. Without locking myself up in the tower!

(full story here)

Insomnia post

Insomnia post

I also question what I am doing, what space I occupy, where I belong.

Been up for hours - the quiet of the night can be deafening

center

Trying to keep centered while shifting ground.

I question what I'm doing here.

I question my role in this world as a bridge.

I am neither here nor there.

I question my purpose.

Studio for the next two months

My media

-boxes of shoes and clothes

-a box full of wires and a huge light bulb

-120 soaps

-a typewriter

-a box of towels and rags

-black and white family photographs

always/never

always tired

never alone

always on call

never rested

always hungry

never ready

always another diaper to be changed

never prepared

always prepping

never clean

always cleaning up

never enough milk

always dirty

never finished

always running around

never caught up

always cooking

never asleep

always interrupted

never satiated

always anxious

never alone

always awake

never better

always rushing

never warm

always cleaning up

never worse

always exhausted

never enough money

always distracted

never polished

always cold

never clear

Dearest Tereza

My dear Tereza,

I am just getting your post now.

I miss you, and will miss your voice in our discussions here.

I am so indebted to you for this experience.

It began with a conversation over the phone, and a desire to make public what we had both been keeping private. Artistically, personally, and otherwise.

It was a big step for me to have something so personal suddenly be available to everyone via the internet...that is to say, if anyone ever knew where to look for the information.

That idea of posting online, while still in the privacy of my own studio, started something that still carries momentum - in work and in life (thus the banner title of this blog).

And look what has become of it, of us!

I completely understand your need to begin in another way.

Looking forward to seeing what you create.

Always,

Angela

tereza-returntoczechrepublic.blogspot.com

I have started a new chapter in all ways and must start this new adventure on a separate page listed above. I will still be posting projects and work related to our dialogue, but/and I need to start a separate record of this incredible shift in our lives.

Angela, I am indebted to you in ways you may never know. It has been this forum that has enabled me to express and vent in a rather dark time (for me early motherhood.) In an isolated existence it is a space like this that is invaluable.

Please continue posting whenever you can. You are doing an incredible job of raising you son! It is an extraordinary journey.