Interview with Alexandra Chiou: Intricate Collages and Collected Thoughts

Installation view of "Remember/Renew" on view at IA & A at Hillyer

I met Alexandra Chiou via Instagram in 2019 when we started messaging about the in's and out's of framing methods. Since that time, I have discovered Alexandra to be one of the most talented and generous artists that I know. 

Her intricate hand cut paper works feel both earthy and ethereal, delicate and emotionally resonant, qualities not often seamlessly combined. The swirling movement within each work calls to mind breezes, streams, and other sources of gentle flow in the natural world.

Alexandra's work ethic is always inspiring, and I am so pleased that she agreed to answer questions for Art Habit, so we can spotlight her beautiful cut paper work, and also to share about her solo exhibition, on view now through March 31st at IA & A at Hillyer in Washington, D.C. 

                        -Nikki/Art Habit

"Rebirth"

Art Habit: How long have you been making your cut paper pieces? What led you to make this type of work? (Did you draw/paint before?)

Alexandra Chiou: I've been working with this current method since around 2015, so it's been about 9 years now. I started as an oil painter, but after graduating from college, I was working out of my apartment and had limited storage space, so I started painting with acrylic on paper instead. Eventually, I began experimenting with collage. I have always been interested in sculpture, and started playing with the layers of paper in my pieces. We have so many complex emotions and feelings, and I love how the layers are a way of representing the depth of what we feel and experience.

AH: How do you think about “beauty” as related to the work you make?

AC: In my latest work, I think about beauty in the sense that I celebrate moments and memories of hope, joy, wonder, and love. That being said, you cannot have light without darkness, and often the most traumatic and challenging experiences shape us and make us who we are. It's important to accept all the good and the bad and to come to terms with the entirety of our experiences. My work is about finding healing, feeling uplifted, and being at peace.

"The Voyage"

AH: You have lived in some interesting places over the last few years. What have been your favorite things about each city you have lived in?

AC: I've been fortunate enough to live in the DMV, LA, and currently the Boston area. Every place I've lived in, I've met very generous and welcoming people in the creativity community, which is something I have really appreciated and cherished. Living elsewhere has made me even more appreciative of the number of amazing nonprofit art spaces in the DC area and the fact there are so many free world-class museums nearby. If you live in the DMV, definitely don't take that for granted!

AH: Do you have a morning routine (if yes, please describe it)? What other routines have you established that help you make your work?

AC: I usually stretch and do some sort of exercise. Being physically active helps boost my energy and overall mood, and it makes me more productive. I also generally work on my art in the mornings. Even if I only have time to do 15-30 minutes worth of work (which happens on some days), I do a little every day and it really adds up in the long-run.

"Home"

AH: You do a great job connecting with galleries. What advice would you give artists that want to work with more galleries?

AC: I'm still navigating this myself, but I recommend doing your research and being very deliberate about galleries you want to potentially connect with. Make sure they are a good fit. Do you like the work they show? Does their mission resonate with you? Could you see your work fitting with their current roster of artists? Once you've identified galleries you're interested in, visit in person and attend their events. They will appreciate the support and it will not go unnoticed. Try to get to know them better as people, not just as a gallery. 

Installation view of "Remember/Renew" on view at IA & A at Hillyer

AH: Where can readers learn more about your work? Do you have exhibitions or upcoming events you’d like to share?

AC: Viewers can learn more about my work at alexandrachiou.com or on my Instagram at @alexandrachiou. I currently have a solo show, "Remember/Renew" up at IA&A at Hillyer in DC. The exhibit will be on view through Sunday, 3/31. I will also be giving an artist talk at IA&A at Hillyer on Thursday, 3/21 at 6:15pm for any readers who want to learn more about the show and my practice. Hope you can stop by!

Thank you, Alexandra, for taking the time to share about your work!

**All images courtesy/copyright the artist.**

Interview with Rachel Jeffers: Painting and Passing Notes

Installation view of "Knock Turn" at Shockoe Artspace

I have been a fan of Rachel Jeffers’s work since I first saw it in McLean Project for the Arts’ "Strictly Painting" show in 2019. After meeting at the exhibition’s opening, I’ve gotten to know Rachel, and while I have been impressed by her sincerity and her work ethic, her solo show, “Knock Turn” at Shockoe Artspace blew me away. (It is on view through July.)

Rachel’s show of fifty paintings is full of surprises, and there is a sense of serious, yet playful discovery in her variety of material applications. Coupled with the works’ shifting figure-ground relationships, hazy atmospheres, and references to everyday objects, it makes for a viewing experience rich with the mundane-turned-magical.

Rachel is also involved in several unique artist communities, one of which being the publication Passing Notes. I asked her to answer a few questions for Art Habit to spread the word about her wonderful exhibition and how she is creating opportunities for other artists.

-Nikki/Art Habit

"Knock/Turn", oil on panel, 20" x 16", 2023

Art Habit: How did you decide you wanted to be an artist?

Rachel Jeffers: I don’t remember consciously making this decision; I always said I was going to be an artist. But the first time I remember seeing myself as an artist was in first grade. We were told to think of a story we knew and design a book cover for it. My sister had just played the part of Little Miss Muffet in her third-grade play the night before, so that’s the story I chose. I remember the excitement of knowing exactly what I wanted to make, and then sitting at my desk making it. I can still picture where my desk was positioned in the classroom, and then it’s like the entire world fell away as I worked. Later, I saw my drawing posted on the cafeteria wall, and it had been awarded a blue ribbon! The recognition was meaningful at that age because it felt like confirmation that this thing that had brought me such joy was the right fit for me.

"Steam", oil on clayboard, 11" x 14", 2023

AH: How do you choose what to paint? What kinds of subjects or ideas inspire you to make a painting?

RJ: The ideal scenario is when I’m already deep into a body of work and new ideas for paintings are prompted by the work I’m making. There are so many decisions involved in the process of making a single painting – each choice could take things in an entirely new direction. It’s like parallel worlds that could just keep going infinitely. Another thing that happens when I’m absorbed in a body of work is that I begin to look at my everyday environment with a painter’s eye, and more and more subjects begin to seem relevant.

If I’m between projects, or looking to change to a new subject, I have found that it’s dangerous for me to overthink it too much. It’s better to just start painting. I try to pay attention to what I pay attention to in my everyday life, and then use that as a jumping off point. Once I start painting, the work will generate its own inspiration, or - more likely - its own problems that I feel compelled to solve.

"Cut Flowers", oil on clayboard, 9" x 12", 2022

AH: How do you think about “beauty” as related to the work you make?

RJ: I’m more interested in metaphor than I am in beauty. Some paintings are more beautiful than others but for me, the most interesting painting is one that prompts thought, or holds attention – art as a form of visual poetry. A painting is the direct result of my level of engagement with the materials and with the world around me at the time that it was made. Attentive, honest engagement, for me, is the aim.

 

"By the Light", oil on 2 panels, 11" x 14" and 7.25" x 6.28", 2020

AH: What are you currently reading that you’re excited about? What books do you like to recommend to other artists (and why)?

RJ: Three books I’m excited about right now are: The Pensive Image by Hanneke Grootenboer – it is about art as a form of thinking and explores the way looking at paintings prompts thought; Ways of Drawing from the Royal Drawing School has some really great contributions from a variety of artists about the practice and purpose of drawing; The Master and His Emissary, by Iain McGilchrist, about how the divided brain hemispheres work together and how their structure in the brain impacts our world and culture. I’ve always been fascinated by the left brain/right brain divide, and how this influences the process of making art and talking about art.

Other favorite art books include Mysteries of the Rectangle by Siri Hustvedt - I appreciate this book from the point of view of a writer, attempting to translate a visual experience into words. I recommend Looking at the Overlooked by Norman Bryson to anyone interested in still life painting, and the last chapter of the book in particular Still Life and Feminine Space which is about masculine versus feminine approaches to composing paintings. The Art Spirit by Robert Henri is a lovely book for painters. My all-time favorite art writer is Rudolf Arnheim, who breaks down the psychology of images in a thorough, dense, but still approachable way, particularly in the books Visual Thinking and Art and Visual Perception. And I have to mention The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain, which explores the impact of left brain (masculine) versus right brain (feminine) values throughout the history of various cultures, and the ways in which the prioritization of one set of values over the other has set the world off balance.

                                                 

AH: How would you describe Passing Notes for readers who are unfamiliar with it? How did it come to exist?

RJ: Passing Notes is a magazine that showcases the writing of visual artists. In 2021 I took an online writing class with NYC Crit Club. The class was made up of artists who enjoy writing and were looking to develop our skills and connect with others who share our love of words and images. We were excited about the writing that was being created – there’s so much thoughtful writing out there that artists do that is never seen by anyone. So a group of us created Passing Notes to serve as a platform for artists who write. We see this as a way to build community and dialogue among a wide range of artists who are making work but who aren’t necessarily being shown in big galleries or written about in art publications. We are currently in the production process for Issue 3, which will be released this fall. Issues 1 and 2 can be found online, or you can order a print copy through our website.

 

"Cul-de-sac", oil on panel, 9" x 12", 2021 

AH: What advice do you have for artists who are considering how they might create opportunities for other artists?

RJ: Just get started! You can learn and build as you go. I think it’s easy to assume that we’ll be judged harshly when we try something new but in reality, when it’s something you’ve put your heart into, people will sense your passion and most people will be generous and supportive. Many artists are in need of community so if you see a specific need out there that you think you can help fill, your efforts will be of value to someone.

"Setting", oil on panel, 16" x 12", 2022

AH: What is coming up for you that you’d like to spread the word about? Where are online places readers can learn more about you and your work?

RJ: I’ll be giving an artist talk on July 29 at Shockoe Artspace in Richmond, VA. My work can be seen on my website at www.racheljeffers.com and on Instagram @racheljeffersstudio. Passing Notes' website is www.wannapassnotes.com and our Instagram is @_passingnotes.

Thank you, Rachel, for taking the time to share about your work!

**All images courtesy/copyright the artist.**

Artist Profile: Bradley Chriss’ Complicated Apocalypses

by Lauren Rice

 

 

 

 

 

Bradley Chriss, For T.N., 2020, gouache on Paper, 17x28 inches, image courtesy of the artist

Last summer, I participated in Burnaway Magazine’s 2022 Arts Writing Incubator, Criticism as Care. In retrospect, I’m not really sure what compelled me to want to be incubated at that particular moment—I am certain that in previous years, I would have scrolled past the call for participants without a second thought. I think it was the year’s theme that struck me the most. I was already writing as Tools for Better Living on Instagram, and the ideas around the theme, Criticism as Care, fell in line with the weird and poetical way I was writing about contemporary art. Once accepted into the program, I was especially excited about the structure that it would give to my writing, in terms of a writing assignment with a set due date (I am a big fan of due dates, even self-inflicted ones). I have more to say about the experience overall, but perhaps will save that for a future blog post.

Over the course of the month-long program, I wrote an 800-word profile on an artist that I know and love, Bradley Chriss. Chriss will have a solo exhibition of work, Return of the Ash Eater, from May 1-29, 2023 at Unit.B in Baltimore, MD. You can find more about Bradley Chriss and his work on his website.

 

 

Bradley Chriss is not afraid of being complicated. Often combining figurative elements and abstract motifs like dots and dashes with a limited, primary-triadic color palette, the genre that best describes his recent gouache paintings on paper is landscape.  Chriss’ landscapes slip between representation and abstraction, creating unsettling experiences.  Solid ground is difficult to find in many of Chriss’ paintings. Instead, we surrender to the cloudy nebulae of chromatic washes, the sub-atomic overlay of tiny brushstrokes. Chriss’ topsy-turvy wonderlands are mysterious and magical, but also disturbing, absurd and tragic.

Autobiographical information is embedded within the formal attributes of his paintings.  Raised in Toledo, OH, he now observes the Blue Ridge Mountains daily from his home near Roanoke, VA.  Shifts in visibility of the mountains due to cloud cover or environmental factors serve as inspiration. The artist’s work is motivated by diverse themes such as the Anthropocene, ecological, social and political collapse, and the mixed emotions of hope and anxiety that arrived after the birth of his daughter.  Another motivator is a sincere desire to find physical and emotional healing. After relocating to Virginia, a concussion left Chriss briefly unable to work. He found therapy through acts of pleasure: by looking at and painting the natural world.

Chriss identifies the color red as a link to his Mexican heritage.  He proposes that art, like learning a language, is a way to reconnect to our missing cultural customs.  Color also serves as a connection between Chriss and his art historical ancestors.  When you look for primary triads historically, you’ll find them easily: from Fra Angelico to Frida Kahlo to Mondrian.  These artists share Chriss’ interest in exploring imagery of pain and healing, or color repetition as a method to find spiritual order after crisis.  Chriss credits ukiyo-e master Hiroshige for his compositional strategies and surrealist André Masson for his synthesis of imagery from the past with “modern problems”.  In contrast to the influence of the natural world, media and screens are also sources of inspiration for Chriss.  After all, the contemporary consumption of media is not a solitary activity; we watch and therefore consent to being watched. From pools of painted chroma, sentient, ethereal eyes observe us. His use of color is eye-popping, not just for the sake of fun color play, but because it must compete with the constant stream of content continually vying for our attention.

The artist happily eschews the symmetry currently en vogue with many contemporary painters working with landscape imagery. Instead, Chriss favors asymmetrical compositions and color choices that are eerily prescient of the images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.  In the photographs and the paintings, stars dot across the heavens and the state of solid matter is in flux. Chriss’ paintings disorient spatially and compress temporally.  We are both before humanity’s dawn, and after its demise.  Chriss resists slickness in his paintings, too, opting instead for pours of paint, layered washes of Holbein gouache and urgent, repetitive dots and dabs to create galactic depth. That's not to say he lacks precision; his paintings are layered with exquisite details, deftly toeing the line between the grotesque and the beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bradley Chriss, California Ash Falling on the Blue Ridge, 2020, gouache on paper, 19x28 inches, image courtesy of the artist

From bird’s eye to bug’s eye compositional arrangements, Chriss positions us as beings within the land or the sky. The mountains are as charismatic and changeable as the cloud formations, whose contours evoke the shapes of brains or intestines. In Waning, a painting from 2018, the clouds themselves contain skulls and entrails converging in orgiastic delight, solid forms dissipating into gaseous particles.

Chriss’ paintings elicit tension between environmental harmony and collapse. Sensual, linear descriptions of human fingers sprout ecstatically upwards from the earth, in a mycorrhizal communion with the flowers and mushrooms. In the painting, Private Interests in the Sky, the intimate scale manages to capture a vastness reminiscent of a Thomas Cole painting. We find ourselves hovering above dark, rolling hills. The world is burning and the sky rains turbulent drops of red, yellow and blue hellfire; jokey subversions of sloppy AbEx drips. In another painting, California Particles in the Blue Ridge Sky, Chriss references the drift of ash across the country from 2020’s catastrophic western wildfires in a grim dance of stippled dots.

In Chriss’ painted worlds, all parts participate in a grander, inexplicable system. We like to forget that humans are part of nature, even if, as Chriss theorizes, we were brought forth by nature as a suicide agent. When looking at Chriss’ paintings, we see celebratory acts of play and pleasure, human frailty and fallibility, and the contradictory beauty and terror of the natural world. Ghostly entities and disembodied eyes gaze right back at us, tacit, inquisitive, imploring. While cynicism is detectable, I also find its opposite: hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bradley Chriss, Pressure, 2022, gouache on paper, 19x29 inches, image courtesy of the artist