Ashley Barlow - Collage and Graphic Design

Ashley Barlow

Name: Ashley Barlow
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: ashleybarlowart@gmail.com
Website:www.ashleybarlow.com & www.cargocollective/ashleybarlow
Facebook page: Ashley Barlow Art
Twitter: @perched_bird
Etsy Page: etsy.com/ashleybarlow

Bio~

I am a Minneapolis born studio artist and graphic designer and my work tends to be colorful, playful, with a hint of vintage. 
 
In my studio I spend an inappropriate amount of time rifling through old magazine and books (my affinity for 1930-50s was born inside of my wee heart at a wee age).  In creating a collage piece, often times the image I'm looking for is already in my hear and it's just a matter of hunting for it. Other times I stumble upon a gem that pops out of the page. My process is both instinctual and a playful experiment.
  
Outside of my studio, in front of the computer, my process is much the same, playful and experimental but my options are more plentiful. I love to create pieces of art on the screen but also helping others express themselves in the practicality of a logo, packaging design, or invite. Check out both of my portfolios and contact me if interest in any type of custom piece. 

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

I mainly do collage art. It's colorful, playful, usually a little retro, and multi-medium. I tend to stick to images found from 1930-50s put against an acrylic painting and like to mix in other little bits I find when hunting for materials in antique stores and flea markets. My art is textured, imperfect, and can lean on the quirky side. I am also a graphic designer, only a year-old adventure for me. I do freelance work and hope to work more of my design skills into my studio art and vice versa.

How did you decide to become an artist?
I didn't, it fell on me. I graduated from undergrad with a masters in religion. With 4 studio art classes under my belt, I fell in love with collage through my print making class. I was the only one in the class adding fabric and thread to my images and honestly it was just the best way for me to communicate myself creatively. I couldn't just draw what I had in mind, I needed a variety of tools. After college friends here and there would ask for art and eventually I built up enough confidence to make it official. It was then that I created a site, got some cards, and pursued shows.

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

Keep trying new things and immerse yourself in art and design as much as possible.

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself? 

I do sell my work. Most of my custom work has come from my network/community and has dominoed from there. People's friends tell them about my art, so word of mouth is huge. I always post new stuff on instagram, facbeook, twitter, so people are constantly aware of what I'm working on and how my style is evolving. Custom work is pretty steady, 1-3 pieces a month.

My etsy store is just my warehouse, rarely does business happen from there but it's where I can point people to who want to purchase something when I'm talking to them.

My biggest sales come from art fairs in the summer where I get more spontaneous purchases and doing smaller sales in galleries, etc.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy? 

Britta Lynn Kauppila, jewelry artist. http://brittalynndesign.com/rings.html

E.kate Designs, jewelry artist

http://orchardarthouse.com/

Florafauna Design Firm

http://www.florafaunaworld.com/story/

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

Oooh, well I will say I wish I got out to more shows.

MCAD art sale, this thing is ridiculously cool. Only once a year and the largest art show in the world. thousands of pieces by current MCAD students and up to 5 years worth of alumni. All shapes and sizes and nothing over $1000. Northrup King building on first thursdays. You can meet the artist and see their studios and even buy things in most cases. This is wehre I discovered Britta's jewelry. Spyhouse on Nicollet. Always has great local art hanging up, always changing, and the drinks aren't bad either.

Gallery 360, smaller gallery/shop with great artist rotating through. I haven't been in awhile and need to visit.

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, 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? 

The Design Files. http://thedesignfiles.net/

The Jealous Curator http://www.thejealouscurator.com/

Graphic Bird Watching http://www.graphicbirdwatching.com/

Design for Mankind http://www.designformankind.com/

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

In March I'm doing a Group Exhibit at Translations Art Gallery in Canton Ohio. Dr.Seuess themed to celebrate the Author's bday, Suess-talation, set to open on March 1st, 2013 and close on March 30th, 2013. 

I also will be in the Uptown Art Fair 2013! Can't wait. I was in it last year and won the Top 10% award which gives me an automatic placement in next year's show. I LOVE the space, crowd, and energy this fair brings and can't wait to be a part of it next year.

Ashley Barlow

Ute Bertog - Painter / Mixed Media

Ute Bertog

Ute Bertog

Website: http://utebertog.com

MNArtist.org Profile

email: ute@utebertog.com

Bio~
I am originally from Germany and came to the US 12 years ago. I graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in 2005 with a degree in painting. Since then I have exhibited my work in local and regional venues. I have an upcoming show at the grayDUCK Gallery in Austin, TX.

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

I am fascinated by the relationship between abstraction and language, which I would describe as reluctant, even unreliable. I have been working on my current series, which I privately call ‘dailies’, for almost a year. It is based on reading the newspaper and working with an extremely revised and fragmented version of one of the articles until nothing much of it is left. Its source would definitely be hard to detect. Instead the story is allowed to become something else, a freer version of itself that can be interpreted in whatever direction the viewer (or reader) wants to understand it. By transporting this version into the visual realm it becomes more and more a stranger to itself.

Prior to this I worked a lot with tape: applying tape, painting, taking off the tape and on and on for many, many layers until a recognizable form appeared – something that I could attach a name to. It was working in a reverse concept from what I am doing now.

Why did you become an artist?
I became an artist because I loved the potential for escape. Just going to the museum was so different from the world I grew up in. Not that I didn’t like it growing up. It was fun as a kid. But at some point small towns do have their downsides.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Work, work, work and the work will tell you, what it’s about.

Tell me about your working space and your creative process?
My process is very much based on reading as I said before. I paint text fragments extracted from newspaper articles I find interesting. Through a repetitive process of covering, writing, tracing, scraping and cutting, I slowly revise the original text. My goal is to create opportunities to undermine and confuse the original content to get a different ‘read’ or understanding of it.

Which Minnesota artists do you enjoy?
Melissa Breitenfeldt (http://www.mb4graphics.com)
Megan McCready
Melissa Loop (http://melissaloop.com/home.html)
Ruben Nusz (http://www.rubennusz.com/Art/rubennusz.html)
Betsy Byers (http://betsyruthbyers.com/)
Sarah Wieben (http://www.sarahwieben.com/)
and those are just a few.

If I were to follow you around on an “art day” in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
A lot of the common art places like the Walker Art Center or Midway Contemporary Art. I especially enjoy browsing through their libraries, which are full of hidden treasures. The same is true for MCAD. Also on the list would be some antique stores, which are beyond inspiring. At night we would go to a concert or see a theater production. I always find it very stimulating to see other artistic endeavors esp. in the performing arts.

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.org, NYFA, Chicago Artists Resource , Brooklyn Rail, e-flux, Two Coats of Paint, Visual Discrepancies.

Do you have any exhibits or any interesting things going on in your life or coming up in the near future?
I will be included in a show this January in Austin/Texas at the grayDUCK Gallery .

If you were to receive a $2,000 art grant to do anything you want, what would you do?
I would travel to far off places. There is no better way to get inspired than by exploring a new country, a new culture. It shakes up my customary ways of doing and seeing things. It refreshes my eye and mind to be somewhere foreign, where the things that you see, taste and hear are not immediately understood.

Bloomington Theatre and Art Center

Beth Loraine Bowman - Painter

Bio~

Beth Loraine Bowman is an American painter born in Detroit, Michigan. She attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design at age 16, later transferring to the College of Visual Arts. She lived in the south of France, studying painting and art history through a program sponsored by Bard College in New York. In 1999, she was awarded a BFA with an emphasis in drawing. She continued to graduate school where she earned her Masters in Art Education degree in 2006. Recently, she earned a graduate certificate in Housing Studies from the College of Design at the University of Minnesota.

She has shown her work throughout the United States and Europe, including three solo shows. Her mixed media images, informed by French Post-war Modernist painting (Tachisme/L'Art Informel), have explored the subjects of memory, place, color experience, shelter/architecture, maternity and forgiveness.

She served on the Metro Council’s Artist Selection Committee for the new Light Rail Transit project for the City of Saint Paul. She participated in the mentorship program with the Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM), served on the Minnesota State Arts Board’s Artist Initiative Grant Advisory Panel, was on the Board of Three Minute Egg Media in Minneapolis and was the Board President of the College of Visual Arts Alumni Association and currently serves on the University of Minnesota, College of Design’s Alumni Board of Directors.

Her work has been on display at various locations and belongs to many personal collections in the United States and Europe. She lives and works in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

She is the monthly arts correspondent on the Matt McNeil Show on AM950 in Minneapolis.

You have had quite an extensive formal education, from MCAD at age 16, to studying in New York and in France. What were some of the valuable things you took away from your formal education?

I knew I would have a life long commitment to creative pursuits and art-making, so I wanted to acquire a strong foundation. I studied formally in a variety of institutions (private & public art schools) as well as a variety of locations (America & Europe). I wanted to learn everything I could, and have that academic foundation inform my own perspective.

I chose my major/emphasis in drawing because I have always felt that it is the most essential part of making art, of seeing, of solving. My formal education has helped me build a community, a network of support for myself as an artist. I also learned valuable professional skills on how to support my work on various levels (financially, etc.) which has proven to be very useful.

I assume that since you began studying at MCAD at age 16, that your artistic skills developed early. Tell me of your early development.

I attended MCAD at age 16 through the PSEO program. I had a variety of interests as a child but always loved drawing and excelled in art classes. Although I was quite mature and focused, I was not ready for private art school critiques and was discouraged. I almost gave up and was very close to changing my major to architecture. I am so glad I did not because I would've hated to make those tiny little models with glue.


Your bio says that your mixed media images are informed by French Post-war Modernist painting. Can you tell me more what you mean?

I really identify with painting approaches after World War II - especially those in Europe. I love this era of painting because it included a light, intuitive, meditative approach to the work - a lot of mark-making, drawing sensibilities and a sense of adventure.

Having achieved multiple solo shows and have had your work collected in the United States and Europe, what advice would you give other artists who want to follow your path of success? What steps have you taken that have been most successful?

I would say that if you love art making and visual creative problem solving, consider finding the right private art and design school (that specializes in art). The right school will challenge, support and engage you and give you a strong foundation. It is very important to think about your long term commitment to the practice. Art school is expensive and the statistics are depressing - I would say only about 5% of my classmates still practice studio art. It's not easy. If you are dedicated it can be very fulfilling. I am very thankful for my experiences and am very happy that I am able to continue my studio practice.

What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I am working on a new series of work for a proposal for a J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship in Eastern Europe for 2011. This body of work will differ from previous series in that it will address the notion of the “melting pot” and eastern European culture.

Why did you become an artist?

Probably to rebel. Due to my stubbornness I just keep on going.

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

“Don’t become a waitress.”

Tell me about your working space and your creative process?

I just received a grant to have my entire second floor renovated. It’s now a light, bright glorious working space. Previous to that I worked in warehouse studio spaces around town.

I typically work in stages: a “gathering stage” where I collect information, images, music, interviews. A “creation stage” where I map out where, how and what size I will place the images. And finally a studio “working stage” where I schedule open time to paint and explore all the research I did to inform the work.


Which Minnesota artists do you enjoy?
Shannyn Joy Potter
Caitlin Karolczak
John Alspach
Gus Gustafson
Neal Perbix

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

Well this weekend (10/2/2010): “Of Scars” photo exhibit in the warehouse district, Rogue Buddha gallery opening.

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?

Twitter. More artists need to be on twitter: talking, sharing ideas and work. Increase the savvy and connectivity. Artists are not exempt.

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

Yes – Three woman show with
Shannyn Joy Potter (www.shannynjoypotter.com),
Caitlin Karolczak (www.studiosilenti.com) +
Beth Loraine Bowman (www.bethbowman.com)
at the Design Within Reach Minneapolis studio. (Event Invite FB) (Event Invite / Twitter)

23 October 2010 / 6-8pm
After-party @ Barbette on Lake St in Uptown, Mpls