ELIZABETH SCHWARTZ
new abstract paintings
Elizabeth Schwartz’ show opens Friday, August 2, 7-10 pm. I had the chance to ask her a few questions about her new body of work and her working process. Come to the gallery to see the full body of work, but in the meantime, enjoy learning a bit about her and the work.
WSG: What drew you to painting, as opposed to any other art media, when you gravitated toward feeding your creative side?
ES: Actually, it was pure happenstance. A friend invited me to take his drawing class, notwithstanding my protests that I had no talent. He promised that he might not teach me how to draw, but would teach me how to see. From the first week in class I was hooked, and have never tired of art making.
WSG: Do you think there’s a correlation between your profession as an attorney/judge and your profession as a painter?
ES: This question brings to mind another funny exchange with an art teacher who, when I told her I was an attorney, said “We can fix that.” No, I really don’t see any correlation. My law desk is tidy and organized, as is my brain when I’m there. My studio is messy and free, as is my brain when painting.
WSG: Do you have a favorite color or combination of colors – you know, the one(s) that you have to make yourself NOT use every time?
ES: I love all color, as you can probably see from my work. And I really enjoy putting together unexpected combinations of color. But it’s always a challenge for me to paint without using red.
WSG: What are some helpful little rituals you employ when you’re getting down to studio work mode?ES: I like to clean up my studio every day when I am finished working, so I walk into a certain degree of tidiness. Also, I like to leave a painting with an idea of what I might do next, so I don’t feel “stuck” when I begin to work.
WSG: Do you have a more productive time of day/year – a certain cycle to your creatively productive work time?
ES: Morning is my most productive time. I’m an early riser (5:30 a.m.); I meditate, eat breakfast, walk my dog, and I’m in the studio by 8:00.
WSG: What’s the largest painting you’ve done and how is working large different than approaching a canvas of a smaller scale?
ES: My largest painting is 50 x 100 inches. I spend about 6 weeks on Lake Michigan in the spring, and rent a studio in Glen Arbor. I tacked a canvas across a full wall and just began painting. I LOVE painting large – it allows me to use my whole body, instead of just my arm. Small is very difficult for me.
WSG: So your paintings done most recently (before this new body of work) have a more visually direct relationship to the natural world. What informed your decision to take it further into the abstract realm for this show?
ES: For many years, branches and their foliage, and the interesting twists and turns and shapes they make have intrigued me. Also, this subject offers a lot of opportunity to use color in interesting ways. I may well go back to that subject some time in the future. But my “favorite” artists, the art I love to look at and to study is abstract. Painting in this mode is far more challenging for me. Finding the right balance between spontaneous expression and creating a final work that is interesting and pleasing to a viewer really tests my abilities in a new way.
