Saturday, February 18, 2012

Alanah Luger-Guillaume - Painting



Alanah Luger-Guillaume

Name: Alanah Luger-Guillaume
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: alanahlg@gmail.com
Website: www.alanahlg.com
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/Alanah_Luger-Guillaume


Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

In my paintings I use layers and a substantial amount of painter’s tape to create a collage-like effect.  Right now my work is a continuation of a process I started to use when I was painting as an undergrad student at Alfred University.  I am continuing to enjoy the challenge of creating something abstract, using very little from reality to guide my decision-making.  Naturally, there has been a progression in my methods and aesthetic.  In the most recent group of paintings I have made since moving to Minneapolis, I tried to be more delicate in my painting of details and to be more bold in my willingness to cover up most of each layer.   



"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

Ultimately I would love for anyone to walk away from one of my paintings thinking “I would like to continue looking at that painting.”  As a viewer, I enjoy being conceptually surprised, disgusted, and educated, but I also love beautiful things.  I try to make things that I find beautiful.  I also hope the viewer may develop a curiosity for how the work was made.  



What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

One of my college professors told me to be careful not to use a recipe, or a step by step method that becomes more of a habit than a progressive way of working.  I think about this all the time while I work, especially when I can’t seem to make any good choices.  Also, when I am uncertain how I feel about what I am working on, I think about one of my painting professors giving the advice to “keep going” but not telling me that what I was making was any good.  In retrospect, that work may have been garbage, but I am glad I kept at it.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

My work space is a small corner of a room in the house that I live in at the moment.  I sit on the floor with my paintings flat in front of me so that I can control watery paint.  I have discovered that my ideal working environment, no matter how large or how incredibly small, must allow me to work with a half-attentive, half-distracted mindset.  Too much noise or clutter is detrimental, but a little loosens me up.  

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

I saw Melissa Loop’s show at the Soo Visual Arts Center, and love her color palette.  She makes bridging abstraction and landscape seem easier than it is.
http://melissaloop.com/home.html



If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

Soo Visual Arts Center, the MIA, and the Walker.  I have a couple favorites in the MIA and the Walker, but I always catch myself seeing things I missed during my last visit.  I have friends who make work at the Northern Clay Center, and I am always happy to see what they and the other artists have been working on.



Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

http://www.drawingcenter.org/viewingprogram/index.cfm
http://www.saatchionline.com/

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?

I am in a group show called “I’m New Here” at the Future Presence Gallery on 1126 NE. 2nd St.  The openings are on Feb 23rd and 24th from 6pm to 11pm both nights.  Tell your friends! http://www.facebook.com/events/204075066356458/

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