Mary Corey March- interview for Mission Monthly

Why are you an artist?

It is what I am.  I think an artist is someone who pays extreme attention to things (sound, color, faces, wood, philosophical concepts, light, movement, etc.) and works with those elements to explore and produce effects that others can experience.  A visual artist obviously focuses on the visual- sometimes purely, and sometimes as a vehicle for exploring the other things they pay such attention to together with the visual.

I’m a very curious person.  I like to go in-depth with everything I do, and to express that exploration.  This comes out in many ways, and the visual arts are one of them.

Could you tell us some more about the kind of art you make?

I like to explore the connections between things, and the definitions of where one thing begins and another ends.  Where are the lines between art and craft, male and female, painting and sculpture?  How do we define ourselves? Are “black” and “white” actually colors of skin or cultural constructions, and if they are, then where do you draw the line between them, or can you? 

I do not limit myself to any one media.  My work includes painting, sculpture, installation, performance, digital work, and combinations that include all of the above in various combinations.  I have used many other media and I will continue to use whatever suits the piece and concept best.

 

Lately, I have been exploring ways of using the computer (Photoshop) as part of the process.  For example: scanning in a sketch, transforming it digitally, printing onto canvas and then doing an oil painting over it.  Exploring the connection between the rawness of hand work and the precision of digital work is fascinating  to me, and the possible metaphors, concepts and physical uses for the process seem endless.

What made you decide to create this kind of art?

It is always an exploration- one idea leads to another, and old ideas surface in their moment.  A college seminar on ritual might lead to a new exploration of “space”, or a childhood memory might be sparked off by a graduate course in social psychology and lead to a project on perceptions of race.  I was a comparative religion major in college, and have always loved myth, symbols and archetypes, so that has informed my work.  I was also raised by an anthropologist and a sociologist, so thinking about relationships between people and cultures, and about our preconceptions and assumptions has always been in the forefront of my mind. 

Also, I want work to be accessible to everyone (visually interesting at least), but also to have enough layers to keep anyone occupied, and enough different interpretations possible to create a dialogue.  I also like to include the viewer in the process, to let the it show in either the finished work or in the performance.

What artists have influenced you, and how?

Everything I see influences me.  I go to museums wherever I travel, and pay attention to everything from folk art and postcards, to the contents of the Prada and New York’s MOMA. No one, or even ten artists have been a major influence though.  When I go to museums and shows I take notes on techniques and ideas- memorize a shade of green used next to a certain grey, or the effect of a resin, and use it when I need it, or I might sketch an especially interesting composition and entirely leave out the subject matter and color.  I discovered most of my favorite contemporary artists after someone else found our work similar.  Janine Antoni is the best example.  I saw her “slumber” while I was finishing up “the Bridge”.  I love her use of materials selected to be the work as well as portray it, and her intense exploration of process.

 

What inspires you to make art and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio?

Nearly everything inspires work. For me, the trouble is selection and production.

There is such a balance between exploring new ideas, and getting distracted.  I need to set projects, and sometimes deadlines- to tell myself that I will do a certain number of pieces for a series, or have something done by a certain time.  I get more ideas than I can ever produce, so I have to make myself finish what I’m working on.  At the same time, when a great new idea comes, I need to do it.  I’ve found that the really good ideas don’t go away or get tired, so I can safely finish another project and let the new idea percolate in my mind until I’m ready to work on it.

Rules for self:

Always keep working.  If I can’t get into the studio, I work on the computer.  If I’m traveling, I sketch.  If I can’t sketch, I make notes.

Go into the studio at least once every 2 weeks, even if all the work I’m doing for 2 months is either outdoors or on the computer.  Even if it’s only for 10 minutes.  When there’s studio work, go in at least 5 days a week.

Work on something nearly every day

Always work on at least two things at once.  If one thing is driving me crazy and I’m about to stab it with a screwdriver, I can cover it up and work on something completely different.  If one thing is open and expressive, the other could be tight and analytical.  Working on different media at the same time helps too.

If I get stuck, go to a museum or a new place.  

When I’m slowing down, I stay around other people who are working (which is one of the best parts of being in a group studio space).  Their pace and rhythm helps me get back into my own.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

I’ve asked lots people lots of questions: collectors, curators, artists, critics, and people who don’t even like art.  Especially helpful is asking artists who’ve been doing it longer what they do.  I try to ask as wide a range of artist types as I can- abstract, commercial, fine art, decorative art, etc. to get a better perspective. 

The trick is discovering what to present yourself as, and to who, and how.  I think the most important bit of that is deciding what you are and what your work is.  To be credible and actually in dialogue with other artwork, I think it is important to contextualize your work in relation to other work and ideas.  Once you have a sense of that, I think the most important bit is not to let the important parts get compromised while you do dance between creating work and selling it. 

While I like to know what people think and how they react, I don’t let commentary (positive or negative) derail me.  So often I’ve found that when I’m in the midst of my best work, everyone else thinks I’m crazy.  When it’s done, it is something no one has seen before, and the same people who didn’t understand it, love it.  If you let commentary sway you too much for the sake of selling things, you will only produce what people expect.

The biggest trick is pricing.  The average person might think a $2000 painting seems pricy, but what they don’t realize is that if you spent 3 months doing it and $200 in materials, you may be only paying yourself minimum wage.  Or it might have taken 3 days, but the idea and the work is a unique brilliance that will never, ever happen again.  How can you price such things?  No matter how much someone pays for my work, I still feel that I am giving it away.  Shipping something is like sending off one of my children out into the word to find their fortune, at the mercy of the postal service.

What do you do for fun (besides making art)?

I go dancing, participate in costumed events (dances, faires, etc.), travel, teach, and do martial arts (mostly ju-jitsu).  I like to be with intelligent, playful people- the sort who can have a good philosophical discussion while climbing a tree.  I write stories and read everything from Terry Pratchett novels quantum physics books.  I love exploring new places and people, hiking, skiing, swimming, going to museums, weaving, gardening and cooking.  I like to use things I make myself (mostly clothes), and hope to one day design and build my own house.

 

 www.marymarch.com

 

the photos are as follows:

 

binary.jpg is yet a untitled selection from my new binary drawings series (computer print on drawing paper- 18x24”) 1/05

leda.jpg is “artistic process” (oil painting over computer print on canvas, 43x27”) 11/04

bridge.jpg is “rapt” (10/04) a photo print from “the Bridge” installation/performance piece (5/02)

sewing.jpg is the photo of me working at home, photograph by Allison Reed.