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PHYLLIS MACLAREN
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| Featured
in "Art St. Louis XXXVI, The Exhibition": Phyllis MacLaren, Kirkwood,
MO. ”Ruqia Hassan Mohammed.” 2017. Mixed Media, 24”x20”. $900. Artist’s statement: “I first read about Ruqia Hasson Mohammed in The Washington Post and confirmed her story with news sources around the world. I knew at once that I would honor this brave Syrian woman, murdered by ISIS for reporting their crimes against humanity. She said she would prefer death to living in humiliation under ISIS. Ruqia was the first female citizen journalist killed by Islamic militants in Syria.” |
Roxanne Phillips: What is the biggest point of inspiration for your artwork?
Phyllis MacLaren: I was first inspired to start a "Human Rights" series of
portraits while visiting my daughter in Indonesia where I was caught up
in the story of a human rights lawyer named Munir who was murdered. I
met his wife Suciwati and made portraits of each. I now have 24
portraits of people around the world whose human rights have been denied
or who have been heroes of others rights.
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| Phyllis MacLaren. “Dr Denis Mukwege.” 2017. Mixed Media, 20”x24”. $1,200. |
RP: What was your career path? How did you get from being an aspiring artist to doing it?
PM:
I began exhibiting art as a fiber artist at Craft Alliance. One exhibit
was of faces, from a large quilt to small double weaves. When I
returned to teaching full time, working in fiber was much too time
consuming; thus I turned to other mediums.
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| Phyllis MacLaren. “Shawkan.” 2017. Mixed Media, 20”x24”. $1,200. |
RP: What is your preferred way to exhibit and sell your art?
PM: I prefer to exhibit the portraits together, preferably in an educational setting or a church gallery.
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| Phyllis MacLaren. “Jamal Khashoggi.” 2019. Mixed Media, 20”x24”. $1,200. |
RP: On what are you currently working?
PM:
The portrait I am currently working on is of an Iranian Human Rights
lawyer named Nasrin Sotoudeh who was sentenced to 38 years in prison and
148 lashes. She has served two years and recently went on a 5-week
hunger strike.
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| Phyllis MacLaren. “Jiang Tianyong.” 2018. Mixed Media, 20”x24”. $1,200. |
RP: What is it about your preferred medium that you enjoy the most?
PM:
It is important to me that the portraits look like the person and look
the viewer in the eye. The faces are done in oil pastels but the
clothing is usually actual cloth. Writing is important. I try to tell
the person's story by writing it around their head. Most of the
portraits say "SILENCED" in large letters. I try to write also in the
subject's language, which I enjoy researching.
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| Phyllis MacLaren. “Heather Heyer.” 2018. Mixed Media, 20”x24”. $1,200. |
Learn more about Phyllis MacLaren: http://phyllismaclaren.com/
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MIGUEL DE AGUERO
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| Featured
in “Art St. Louis XXXVI, The Exhibition”: Miguel de Aguero. “Tangent
Series—Oronogo.” 2020. Painted Wood, 17”x28”x7”; 14 lbs. $400. Artist’s statement: “In the Tangent series, I experiment with a limited set of shapes that arise from a two-by-one rectangular grid. I sift through permutations and symmetry relationships to expose recognitions of familiarity, construct scenarios of choice, and establish provisional states. My choice of media is driven by the specific image and encourages me to explore unfamiliar materials.” |
Roxanne Phillips: What was it that first prompted your career/activity as an artist?
Miguel De Aguero:
I grew up in a household of makers. Everyone in my family made things
with their hands in one form or another. I also started going to museums
and galleries as a kid and read art magazines and books.
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| Miguel de Aguero. "Manifold Series- Albertine.” 2019. Watercolor on Paper, 18"x24”. NFS. |
RP: When did you begin to know what your art is about?
MDA: I started making art well before I had any notion of a larger meaning,
simply because it was a way of describing visual ideas that excited me.
Recently I have gone back and connected the dots and come up with an
implied message or philosophy. Most of my work would not be categorized
as pictures, or even images, but more like diagrams or models of
systems. The arbitrariness or even randomness of elements is not
authentic, but rather a reaction against composition.
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| Miguel de Aguero. “Tangent Series- Thayer.” 2020. Pen, Acrylic on Board, 9”x12”. $280. |
RP: What is the biggest point of inspiration for your artwork?
MDA:
It's easy for me to see patterns and forms in the everyday world that
spark ideas, sometimes natural, sometimes man-made. Also, I try to pick
apart the work of other artists and determine their attitude toward
process and media.
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| Miguel de Aguero. “Tangent Series- Fortescue.” 2020. Pigmented Paper Pulp, 16"x15”. $240. |
RP: Describe your artistic process/technique
MDA:
I start with a formal motif and play with it, almost like playing a
game, and generate lots of preliminary sketches. Maybe one sketch in
twenty is interesting enough to develop. I probably spend two-thirds of
my time preparing before I ever begin the finished work. I work out in
my head a step-by-step process and practice it until it is unconscious,
almost as a form of meditation. I start the finished work, and it's
unsuccessful half the time, so I re-do work quite often.
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| Miguel de Aguero. ”Manifold Series- Burratine I.” 2020. Relief Print on Paper. 17"x22.5”. $480. |
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| Miguel de Aguero. “Tangent Series- Wyaconda.” 2020. Pigmented Paper Pulp, 13"x18”. $260. |
RP: What is it about your preferred medium that you enjoy the most?
MDA:
I'm willing to use any medium that gets the job done. I "dabble" in a
range of materials, but don't feel I've really mastered any of them. I
enjoy trying to make one medium fit the constraints of another. Learning
the traditions of a medium are important so that I can find a personal
approach to manipulating materials. I don't like feeling confident with a
particular medium- I'm stimulated by the nervousness of worrying that
I'll mess something up.
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| Miguel de Aguero. "Tangent Series- Jadwin.” 2020. Relief Print, Ink, Acrylic on Paper, 15”x20.5”. $240. |
RP: Do you have a sketchbook? What kinds of things do you put in it?
MDA:
I always have a graph paper notebook to record rough ideas, or even the
back of an envelope, but my main sketchbook is a computer. I use vector
programs like illustrator to work out problems, test concepts, work on
palettes, formats, etc. Computers are a powerful tool for me, but I find
computer graphics as an end in themselves to be incomplete and
unsatisfying. My completed work is a low-tech physical reaction to the
precision of digital images.
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| Miguel de Aguero. "Manifold Series- Tactine II.” 2020. Relief Print on Paper, 16.5"x22.5”. $480. |
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| Miguel de Aguero. "Tangent Series- Tequesta.” 2020. Collaged Wood, Egg Shell, Gold Wire, Acrylic on Panel, 13.5"x18”. $1,450. |
RP: What do you do to support your art and how does that impact your art practice?
MDA:
I have a day job which eliminates the pressure of making a living with
art, but the trade-off is the difficulty of finding enough time for what
I really want to do. Retirement is around the corner, so I plan to
switch to art making full-time. My participation in arts organizations
and calls for show entries gives me motivations to produce. Deadlines
are for me a very positive factor.
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| Miguel de Aguero. “Tangent Series- Shelbina.” 2020. Linoleum Print and Watercolor on Paper, 11"x17”. $180. |
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| Miguel de Aguero. "Tangent Series- Treloar.” 2020. Pigmented Paper Pulp and Thread, 16"x21”. $370. |
RP: What qualities attract you to other artists' works?
MDA:
I always look for artists who go in directions I would never choose.
I'm particularly impressed with artists who manage to stretch boundaries
and transcend the specifics of their style to construct their own
universe. I find it amazing how many great artists can do this with
confidence.
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| Miguel de Aguero. "Tangent Series- Portageville.” 2020. Acrylic and Marker on Vinyl Window Shade, 54"x32”. NFS. |
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| Miguel de Aguero. “Manifold Series- Trabeatine.” 2019. Acrylic and Ink on Mylar, 18"x24”. $550. |
RP: Has rejection ever affected your creative process? If so, how?
MDA:
I've been making art long enough for rejection to not discourage me. It
helps me if someone can articulate why they don't like my work. I don't
often change a direction based on constructive criticism- it's probably
my stubbornness. My wife Janet is a fellow artist, and I will always
listen to her advice.
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| Artist Miguel de Aguero's Sullivan, MO-based studio. |
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| Miguel de Aguero's home studio. |
RP: What motivates you to continue making art?
MDA:
What I make is a result of play. Each work I make is like a game, where
I set up the rules and see where it goes. So, I guess art making is
entertainment for me. It's also a way to make tangible an idea that
obsesses me. Every time I think I've exhausted the possibilities of a
particular theme, something new comes to light.
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| Sullivan, Missouri-based artist Miguel de Aguero. |
Learn more about Miguel De Aguero: http://jmdea.com/index.php/main/
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