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Artist Interview
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Mary Beth McKenzie
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“Sometimes it’s going to take miles and miles and miles of canvas.”
Portraitist Mary Beth McKenzie talks about her inspiration, process, and work as seen in
A Life in Art
, a new exhibition at the Erie Art Museum.
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-Tell us about your process?
I usually paint those closest to me. I’ll have them come and try different set ups and poses until I see something that gets me excited. Then, I’ll do a study. You know, something to look at. After that I’ll do a couple more studies, but with color. I don’t care about design when I’m doing the color studies. I just want to get it all down as fast as I can. It’s all very vague in the beginning. The entire process helps me understand and really see what it is that got me excited in the first place. I always tell my students we’re visual creatures. If you get it down on paper you can start to focus in on what you’re excited about. You can’t just think about it.
-Do you know what a painting will look like when you start?
My paintings tend to take their own course and grow in stages. My reaction to each stage influences the next. For me, it’s a process of discovery. Each painting is a journey. The more I paint, the more I see. Painting helps me better understand myself, the people I paint, and how I look at the world.
-Are you trying to say something about the people you paint?
It’s all very much about picture making rather than conveying some deeper message. I’m not really sure what my work has to say about anybody while I’m making it. I’m not thinking about what it’s going to convey to people, I’m mostly thinking about the abstract relationships between form and color. I think later someone could point out some kind of psychological content, but that’s really not a conscious effort on my part.
-What excites you about painting?
Painting allows me to constantly push myself. Like, you know, experimenting with different colors, different sized canvases, different compositions. I am always looking to extend my reach. It’s interesting to work with students because they always want immediate results. They don’t always realize that painting is not always about the finished picture. Sometimes it’s the process. Sometimes it’s going to take miles and miles and miles of canvas. So, if you do something in one little corner of a painting that you’ve never done before, you’re making progress. Eventually it will all come together, and then you forget what you knew before because you’re concentrating on new things. My definition of painting is doing battle. You’re always trying to stop, but there’s always some crisis and have to figure out a way to solve it.
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Good Reads:
Reductionism in Art and Brain Science
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In
Reductionism in Art and Brain Science
, neuroscientist Eric R. Kandel, shows how science can inform the way we experience a work of art. Kandel demonstrations how a reductionist approach, applied to the most complex puzzle of our time―the brain―has been employed by modern artists to distill the world into color, form, and light.
Kandel uses neuroscience to explore the complexities of human perception and help us perceive, appreciate, and understand modern art. At the heart of the book is an elegant explanation of the contribution of reductionism to the evolution of modern art and its role in a monumental shift in artistic perspective.
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Through My Eyes
by Andrea Krivak,
Senior Designer
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Starting in September
Let us show you that you belong
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Frederick Hurten Rhead
Rozane "Della Robbia" Vase
I’ve always been drawn to the Art Nouveau style. Whether it be sculpture, furniture, fabric, jewelry, or posters. There was so much lovely art being done during this time. In my opinion it’s never to be matched. The organic, sinuous lines totally draw me in—after all I am a graphic designer. Each piece creating its own environment. It takes me to a different time.
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First-time memberships are now only $15 onsite. Membership means more at the Erie Art Museum. More to see, more to talk about, more to be a part of.
Here’s a Taste of What’s to Come Starting in September:
• Extended hours on Thursday and Friday Nights
• Local artist speaker series
• Talks such as
Unconfusing Confusing Art
and
Photography Killed Painting, Right?
• H
andle art by Goya,
Stieglitz, Rauschenberg, and others at one of our hands-on
tours with Curator, Susan Barnett
• New Member Meet & Greets
• Trick or Treating throughout the galleries
• Members Only Thanksgiving Dinner
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Erie Gives Day
Donate to the Erie Art Museum
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Highmark Mid-Day Art Break
Live music series
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The Erie Community Foundation will host Erie Gives Day on August 14th. It’s a day that exemplifies the philanthropic spirit of our community. All charitable donations made to the Erie Art Museum will receive a portion of the Erie Community Foundation’s matching pool. To make a donation please visit
www.ErieGives.org
, select the Erie Art Museum from the list of potential organizations to support and give. Thank you for helping us strengthen and grow the arts in ERIE!
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Join us every Wednesday from 12:00-1:00 for lunch, live music, and art. This year is extra cool (literally) because we’re jamming inside. The Zaphiris Family Patio will be hopping with a live music feed, giant connect four, and street chalk for kids (and adults). Don’t want to brown bag it? Grab lunch in the Museum’s lobby at the Whole Foods Co-op Café—the best healthy affordable option in downtown Erie.
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Fall Class Registration
- Sign up now for one of our Fall Classes! Learn the fundamentals of drawing in
Absolute Beginner Drawing
with Ehren Knapp, or learn to paint traditional motifs such as bamboo, orchids, and plum blossoms in
Asian watercolor painting
with Esther Hong.
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Second Sundays
, August 12: Hands on art making activities for all from
2 – 4 p.m.
Tour
Divine Instincts
, a collection of mysterious figures and sculptures by Gary Spinosa. As you explore the vaulted space of the McCain Family Gallery, consider what protects you and brings you good luck. Then sculpt your own talisman, an object that protects against harm, out of air dry clay.
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Gallery Night
,
September 21: The Erie Art Museum, along with local galleries, open their doors from 7 – 10 p.m. Each gallery offers its own exhibitions, entertainment, and refreshments.
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The Erie Art Museum has turned over the production of the Blues & Jazz Festival to Erie Arts & Culture. Find more at
erieartsandculture.org
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Eerie Art Museum | 411 State Street | Eerie PA 16501
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