Eleanor McGough - Painter

Deluge, acrylic on panel 48h x 72w

Eleanor McGough

Name: Eleanor McGough
City/State: Minneapolis MN
Email: EFMartist@aol.com
Website: www.mnartists.org/Eleanor_McGough
MNartist.org profile: www.mnartists.org/Eleanor_McGough

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

 My paintings commingle forms from biology, textiles, maps, and geometry to convey a kaleidoscope world of interconnectedness.

Currently my focus is on large 4ft x 6ft acrylic paintings that are created on two merged panels. These works have subtle echoes of land or seascapes, and the merged panels have a reference to Asian screen paintings.

Working on this larger scale is really physically engaging and the works more easily become “a place” in my perception- as if one could disappear in to them.

The Marsh, acrylic on panel 48h x 72w

"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?

 I believe art can transport people, even if only for a brief blip, into a separate realm or way of thinking. 

In my own work, I hope to reveal simultaneity between the grand scale and the miniscule -- a sense of infinite interconnectedness (through reoccurring pattern) of all things.

Jettison, acrylic on panel 36h x 72w

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

 My Father, who was an architect, once told me that the path to success (however you want to define that term) as an artist is an extra long road.  He said I should have perseverance above all else.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

Currently Craig Bell and I share a studio in the Northup King Building (#369)  in NE Minneapolis.

My works start out with loose very randomly applied paint, and I build layers this way while intermittently slowing things down with interjections of tiny details and delicately painted line forms.

I tend to work either on the floor or a large work table, preferring for the work to be flat as I work on it, although I do end up moving the panels all around when I want to make the paint move or drip on it’s own accord.  It becomes a balancing act of getting paint to do what paint does when thrown, splattered or dripped, with more deliberate and calculated decisions painted by my hand.

Aerial View III, acrylic on panel 24x24

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

 Linda Deg Lee  www.lindadeglee.com

Jack Pavlik  www.mnartists.org/Jack_Pavlik

Jantje Visscher  www.jantevisscher.com

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

Groveland Gallery (Justin Terlecki paintings, Jeremy Lund prints) www.grovelandgallery.com

Como Park Conservatory- the Pavilion, the Japanese Garden, the Sunken Garden  www.comozooconservatory.org

Minneapolis Institute of Art—I love seeing the rotating shows in the MAEP gallery  www.artsmia.org

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?

MNArtists -  www.mnartists.org

quodlibetica- www.quodlibetica.com

Fleeting, acrylic on panel 48h x 72w

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I will be part of Art-a-Whirl May 18-20, 2012 in the Northrup King Building in NE Mpls. Studio #369.

In 2013, I have a solo show at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson WI.

Loretta Bebeau - Painter

Loretta Bebeau
labebeau@msn.com
facebook.com/loretta.bebeau
www.mnartists.org/loretta_bebeau

Loretta Bebeau creates wall-based art, and is past President of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA). She has a Master of Arts degree focused on Sociology and Visual Art. Her studio is located in the Northrup King building (NKB) since moving out of the warehouse district in 2003. She exhibits in her studio and out of state.

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

I’m currently making nine-part grids, influenced by the game Tic Tac Toe. The grid material is Sheetrock, with graphite drawings on the surface. This work explores communication patterns. Past projects have been of recycled paper, formed into collage, assemblage, or cast paper pulp. The consistent thread in my art is related to personal growth. My work is conceptual. I can draw a landscape, but have a strong urge to rebel. The materials are quotidian; they challenge the established norm, but retain a bit of tradition when the art medium is added. As an art instructor it’s my duty to “expand the field” and that sometimes means challenging it. Recycling materials has been part of my philosophy since 1979, and it’s great to see the current respect for that concept.

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

“Pay attention to the work.” from Hopkins artist Nancy Randall (http://www.artholdings.com/)

My advice: Always credit your sources. Visual artists author intellectual property. If you see my work at my studio, you should mention how it influenced your paintings, or changed your style. I’ve learned that artists are too independent and need to build that web of history for personal survival.


Tell me about your working space and your creative process?

My working space is shared with two other artists. I’m usually there alone because they have home studios too. They have completely different aesthetic philosophies, but I like the diversity. Two-thirds of the space is mine and I work on several projects at once.

Which Minnesota artists do you enjoy?

Jantje Visscher - conceptual painting/sculpture/installations. She uses three materials: plastic, nails, and a light bulb to create fantastic experiences.
Tom Rose - conceptual sculpture/installations.

Anastasia Ward - conceptual sculpture

Christopher Baker - video/installations
But there are many other artists still active and working under the radar.

If I were to follow you around on an “art day” in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

I start from Northeast Minneapolis to the Soap Factory, head over to MAEP or MCAD, then to a smaller gallery like XY&Z, perhaps Ancient Traders or Franklin Artworks, then to the North Loop’s Circa, Form & Content, Thomas Barry, or Traffic Zone galleries.

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?

I look at Chelsea Galleries in NYC, anything else is by chance.

Do you have any exhibits or any interesting things going on in your life or coming up in the near future?

Four of my grids were exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution, from June to September of 2010. I’ve been invited to show one or two of them at the Armory in March, 2011.

I’m preparing for an exhibit at 801 Gallery on Washington Ave North in 2012, another in Wisconsin, and there are several proposals pending.

Loretta Bebeau