Art Saint Louis is pleased to present a new Artist Q&A series highlighting artists who have participated in our annual “Varsity Art” exhibition throughout the years. In 1995, we created this unique exhibit with the goal of highlighting undergrad and grad level student artists who were studying in the STL region’s many colleges and universities.
In the 25 years that we've presented this exhibit, we've had the great privilege of working with over 700 collegiate art students as well as hundreds of art faculty. This year's 2020 presentation of “Varsity Art XXIV” featured works by 40 undergrad and grad level art students representing 20 area universities and colleges in Missouri and Illinois.
After 25 years, it only makes sense that some of the former student
artists from previous "Varsity Art" exhibits are now professors and art faculty with whom we work as they
supervise their participating students in the show. In our 2020 exhibit, eight of the 50 supervising professors are actually also alumni of "Varsity Art," including: Anthony Borchardt, "Varsity Art VI," 2000; Mario P. Carlos, "Varsity Art VIII," 2004; Lilli Kayes, "Varsity Art XV," 2011; Albert Yowshien Kuo, "Varsity Art XVI," 2012 and "Varsity Art XVIII," 2014; Brian Lathan, "Varsity Art XVIII," 2014; Nick Nihira, "Varsity Art IV," 1998; Cory Sellers, "Varsity Art XII," 2008; and Maggie Tarr, "Varsity Art XIX," 2015.
For our first "Varsity Art" Artist Q&A we are honored to feature artists Theresa Rykaczewski, Brittni Mosby, Chad Hayward, and Anne Morgan.
Our gratitude to the participating artists and to ASL Staffers Roxanne Phillips and Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff for their continued work on our Art Dialogue Blog.
Please stay tuned & visit again next week for more "Varsity Art" Artist Q&A.
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Theresa Rykaczewski. "Dutton
Island Trail." 2019. Oil on Canvas, 36”x48”. Courtesy Word Revolt Art Gallery. |
Bio: Theresa Rykaczewski is an accomplished professional artist and the Curatorial & Program Director of Word Revolt Art Gallery in Atlantic Beach, Florida. She has exhibited and curated artwork nationally as well as conducting art instruction through original workshops and involvement in higher education with a passion for contemporary art, history and cultivating a vibrant arts community.
She holds an MFA in Painting & Drawing from Jacksonville University and BFA from the University of Missouri St. Louis. Theresa has been painting and teaching art classes for the last ten years including community based and professional skills workshops, university and museum lectures. She specializes in traditional oil and impasto painting techniques for landscape and figurative work.
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Artist Theresa Rykaczewski in-studio at Word Revolt Art Gallery in Atlantic Beach, FL. |
Roxanne Phillips: You participated in the 2012 “Varsity Art XVI” exhibit. How has your aesthetic evolved since this time?
Theresa Rykaczewski: When I participated in "Varsity Art," it was during my undergraduate studies at St. Charles Community College and University of Missouri St. Louis. I absolutely loved growing up in the St. Louis area and had a wonderful array of mentors from art educators to community members, which as only grown since moving to Florida and completing an MFA at Jacksonville University in May of 2020.
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Theresa Rykaczewski. "Dutton Island V." 2020. Oil on Canvas, 60”x72”. Courtesy
Word Revolt Art Gallery. |
Over time my work has transformed. In St. Louis, my work was very inspired by the people in my life and those who work to carry us through each day with portraits of my friends and family, particularly in the workplace or out having fun under the influence of the Impressionist era aesthetic. Over time, I began painting more scenes of my friends in natural surroundings, taken by the region that I called home, painting plein air, and getting into more expressive strokes and layers of impasto.
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| Theresa Rykaczewski. "After the Hike." 2016. Oil on Panel, 24”x80”. "This is an example of artwork during the transition from my figurative paintings in St. Louis to the landscapes in my current series in Atlantic Beach, Florida." |
After moving to Florida in 2016, I was completely struck by the lush and tropical flora! This led to a revolution of bright, saturated and highly textured series of oil paintings during my MFA thesis, Landscapes of Change: Impressionism & New Media, in a body of work that explores preferences for bright imagery and my process in a time when our juxtaposition with technology and nature has come into the spotlight, much as it did 100 years ago for the Impressionists grappling with the industrial revolution and its effects on their painting process.
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| Front window of Word Revolt Gallery, Atlantic Beach, FL. |
RP: How has your studio practice changed since graduating?
TR: Since graduating, my artistic practice has expanded into teaching artist workshops, curating and studio work in efforts to add to the vibrancy of our artistic community. A physical studio has a beautiful butterfly effect on the surrounding area and can serve as a hub of creativity! That is why my husband Todd and I opened up the studio he started as an artist and author, Word Revolt Art Gallery, named after his first poetry book, to become not only a studio but also an exhibition venue where we host pop-up group art shows free for local artists and charities once a month. This social involvement more than anything else has transformed my studio existence into a lifestyle of connection to art, it keeps us creating day and night every change we get!
TR: Since graduating, my artistic practice has expanded into teaching artist workshops, curating and studio work in efforts to add to the vibrancy of our artistic community. A physical studio has a beautiful butterfly effect on the surrounding area and can serve as a hub of creativity! That is why my husband Todd and I opened up the studio he started as an artist and author, Word Revolt Art Gallery, named after his first poetry book, to become not only a studio but also an exhibition venue where we host pop-up group art shows free for local artists and charities once a month. This social involvement more than anything else has transformed my studio existence into a lifestyle of connection to art, it keeps us creating day and night every change we get!
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Theresa
Rykaczewski. "Dutton
Island VII." 2020. Oil on Canvas, 16”x20”. Courtesy Word Revolt Art Gallery. |
RP: What advice would you give to current art students?
TR: Keep going! It takes time to build a successful practice. Everything you learn along the way helps and makes for great memories and connections. A career in art is a journey and not a single destination.
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Theresa Rykaczewski. "Minimum Wage." 2013. Oil on Panel, 80"x60". |
RP: Have you continued working in the same medium or switched to a different medium?
TR: My medium of choice has remained oil paint but it really helps to switch mediums to free up the creativity sometimes. When I start a project, often I work in another medium like watercolor, line drawing, photography or sculpture to get ideas. Sometimes those ideas turn into finished pieces of their own. Challenging yourself to try a new medium for a particular show is a great way to keep learning new things when school ends.
RP: What is the most challenging aspect of being an emerging artist?
TR: Every day brings new challenges to the emerging artist as the world changes all the time and there are so many avenues to take. Focus on what you truly enjoy and want to specialize in. Be a 'yes' artist, try your best when opportunities are presented. Your true passion will show and be irresistible to others.
RP: When we are in school we have a built-in community of other artists -- some artists find their studio time very isolating. Do you find it necessary to have an art community?
TR: Art has a hard time finding an audience in a bubble. One of the most rewarding and essential things you can have as an artist is a community. As a group we can make big changes and find supporters who will push us to achieve our potential.
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| Theresa Rykaczewski. Work in progress in the artist's studio. |
RP: Schools provide most large equipment for art processes enabling students to experiment -- what equipment or tools have you found are necessary in your current studio? Have you found limitations in your art making by lack of equipment or how have you worked around these limitations?
TR: In my studio practice primarily as an oil painter, I have not required a lot of heavy equipment yet. Mostly I work with standard tools but it is fun to find things to include. My husband is a more experimental abstract painter, he is always finding some unique material or object of inspiration to bring back to the studio so there is never a dull moment.
Learn more about Theresa Rykaczewski: https://wordrevolt.com/theresas-artwork-portfolio.html and www.instagram.com/wordrevolt/
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| Artist Brittni Mosby. |
Bio: Brittni Mosby is an St. Louis-based artist whose artwork is intended to explore the emotional labor that is carried among African American people whilst also designing environments that use elements of black culture and nature to reaffirm pride and peace. What hair means in the African American community, exploring it aesthetically and analyzing it conceptually. She graduated from the Department of Art and Design at the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a BFA in Studio Art in 2019. Her work has been exhibited in group shows throughout the Midwest.
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| Brittni Mosby. From the “Durag Series.” 2019. Oil on Canvas and Panel, 10"x12". |
Roxanne Phillips: You participated in the 2019 “Varsity Art XXIII” exhibit. How has your aesthetic evolved since this time?
Brittni Mosby: I think the evolution of my color palette has been prominent in my artistic journey since the “Varsity Art” exhibit. I have begun to incorporate more colors that are brighter and more saturated given the context of the piece.
Brittni Mosby: I think the evolution of my color palette has been prominent in my artistic journey since the “Varsity Art” exhibit. I have begun to incorporate more colors that are brighter and more saturated given the context of the piece.
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| Brittni Mosby. From the “Durag Series.” 2019. Oil on Canvas and Panel, 10"x12". |
RP: What advice would you give to current art students?
BM: Explore different mediums, flesh out your concepts and do not compare. It is so important as an art student that you experiment with your concept in different mediums. Doing that can prevent burnout and provide a variation on how you visualize your ideas. Understanding what you want to talk about is intrinsic to being an artist, it is starts the conversation between you and the viewer. It is important to not compare skills or concepts, focus on your work and always take in constructive criticism, its how you evolve as an artist.
RP: When we are in school we have a built-in community of other artists. Do you find it necessary to have an art community?
BM: I find it to be a necessity, for me to be a part of an art community. To be around like-minded people who understand the process, bounce ideas of each other, hear about opportunities and contribute. In an art-based community, I am pushed out of my comfort zone and build fundamental relationships. When artists come together, voices are heard.
Learn more about Brittni Mosby: www.instagram.com/brittnidianeart/
BM: Explore different mediums, flesh out your concepts and do not compare. It is so important as an art student that you experiment with your concept in different mediums. Doing that can prevent burnout and provide a variation on how you visualize your ideas. Understanding what you want to talk about is intrinsic to being an artist, it is starts the conversation between you and the viewer. It is important to not compare skills or concepts, focus on your work and always take in constructive criticism, its how you evolve as an artist.
RP: When we are in school we have a built-in community of other artists. Do you find it necessary to have an art community?
BM: I find it to be a necessity, for me to be a part of an art community. To be around like-minded people who understand the process, bounce ideas of each other, hear about opportunities and contribute. In an art-based community, I am pushed out of my comfort zone and build fundamental relationships. When artists come together, voices are heard.
Learn more about Brittni Mosby: www.instagram.com/brittnidianeart/
Bio: Chad Hayward was born in New Jersey and then moved to Castle Rock, Colorado with his family at age seven. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017. He then completed his MA in Studio Art at Eastern Illinois University in 2018. Chad will begin as an MFA Candidate in the fall of 2020 at the University of Georgia. Chad's work is represented by Kai Lin Art, Atlanta, Georgia.
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| Chad Hayward. "512." 2020. Acrylic, Pigmented Cotton Pulp on Handmade Paper, 22 1/4”x31”. |
Roxanne Phillips: You participated in the 2018 “Varsity Art XXII” exhibit. How has your aesthetic evolved since this time?
Chad Hayward: In the "Varsity Art" exhibit I presented one of my ceramic sculptures from my time spent pursuing my MA in studio art at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. I was fortunate during that time period to have access to a lot of great facilities including a ceramic studio. While studying at EIU I was taking a very interdisciplinary approach to my work using a variety of different materials and modes of making such as painting, drawing, papermaking, collage, ceramic, and fiber related processes in a mixed media approach. After graduation I have had more limited access to facilities for ceramic based work so I have been focusing primarily on my 2-d drawing and painting work often using my handmade paper as a starting point. The exploration of repetition, space, materiality, and formal qualities in the 2-d work have grown in complexity and nuance.
Chad Hayward: In the "Varsity Art" exhibit I presented one of my ceramic sculptures from my time spent pursuing my MA in studio art at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. I was fortunate during that time period to have access to a lot of great facilities including a ceramic studio. While studying at EIU I was taking a very interdisciplinary approach to my work using a variety of different materials and modes of making such as painting, drawing, papermaking, collage, ceramic, and fiber related processes in a mixed media approach. After graduation I have had more limited access to facilities for ceramic based work so I have been focusing primarily on my 2-d drawing and painting work often using my handmade paper as a starting point. The exploration of repetition, space, materiality, and formal qualities in the 2-d work have grown in complexity and nuance.
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| Chad Hayward. "Mirror Neurons." 2018. Glazed, Fired Ceramic, 20”x9”x8”. |
RP: How has your studio practice changed since graduating?
CH: My studio practice has continued to evolve in many ways outside of the structure of academia. My access to some facilities has been reduced forcing me to become innovative in the work with more simplified resources and a home studio space. An advantage to making art outside of a more strict deadline focused university schedule is the ability to work on a multitude of projects and experiments without as many deadlines, allowing me to spend more time contemplating the work and pushing it to new unforeseen places.
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| Chad Hayward. "Pulse." 2020. Acrylic on Handmade Pigmented Cotton Paper, 25”x30”. |
RP: What is the most challenging aspect of being an emerging artist?
CH: There are many challenging aspects to being an emerging artist. One aspect that proves difficult is the many roles the contemporary emerging artist is forces to juggle. First and foremost you need to be constantly making, developing, and pushing the work forward which is a full time job in itself. But, it becomes extremely easy to get stuck or lost in administrative tasks, promotion, exhibitions, documentation, website updates, social media, studio visits, budgeting, etc, etc. In addition most emerging artists are not supporting themselves completely with their work so often another job or jobs is eating into the time to create. I have found you have to remain disciplined and guarded with the studio time you can set aside for yourself. Getting the ball rolling in terms of visibility and exhibition opportunities as an emerging artist is difficult but I think many galleries like Art Saint Louis have recognized this need in the community and are providing crucial exhibition opportunities.
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| Chad Hayward. "Eighth Street." 2020. Acrylic, Glass Beads, Blue Quartz Aggregate on Wood Panel, 16”x16”. |
RP: What advice would you give to current art students?
CH: My biggest piece of advice for current art students would be to really take advantage of the resources, community, and facilities that your school offers. Studying art in college is a unique atmosphere where you can have the opportunity to completely focus with very few distractions and make massive leaps in your work if you use your time effectively. Outside of school you have fewer facilities, resources, and people that surround you with often less time and more distractions. Developing a focused work ethic on your art practice in school while you have the structure of academia to assist you is huge in instilling habits that will make or break you outside of the school environment.
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| Chad Hayward. "Required Reading." 2019. Acrylic, Spray Paint, Hemp Thread on Linen, 38”x36”. |
RP: What do you wish you would have learned more about while in school that could help you now with your creative career?
CH: I am constantly trying to develop new ways of working, with new materials and techniques. While in school, I really wanted to spend as much time as possible absorbing a variety of methodologies from different professors. Obviously I have only scratched the surface of the infinitely vast wealth of art related knowledge out there. I spent some of my time in undergrad at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in the fiber department but I am now wishing I picked up a few more classes and skills while there. During the Covid quarantine I have been integrating more fiber-based materials and practices into my work. It has been a blast learning completely new skills on my own, like weaving. But I would love to visit some of those skills in a classroom setting. In the Fall I am going to The Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia as an MFA candidate and look forward to all the new skills I can add to my toolbelt.
Learn more about Chad Hayward: www.chadhaywardart.com and www.instagram.com/chadhaywardart
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| Artist Anne Morgan with one of her 2-d works. |
Bio: Anne Morgan began
studying ceramics at St. Louis Community College, where she primarily
focused on creating work about the environment. She transferred to
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2017 and began to salt-fire
her work, as well as she started experimenting more with layering
glazes and mixing other material with glaze. Amphibians in general
became her main focus, as well as she made a body of work which has to
do with the Ozark Hellbender. What has stayed consistent in her work is
the theme of amphibians being environmental indicators, which means that
they are seriously impacted by pollution, habitat loss, and mining. She
graduated from SIUE in 2019 and is currently a ceramics instructor at
Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis.
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| Anne Morgan. “Connection.” 2019. Salt Fired Porcelain with Found Glass Fired onto the Surface, Resting on Crinoid Seabed Fossil with Bryozoan, 4.5”x4”x3.5”. |
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| Anne Morgan. (detail) “Connection.” 2019. Salt Fired Porcelain with Found Glass Fired onto the Surface, Resting on Crinoid Seabed Fossil with Bryozoan, 4.5”x4”x3.5”. |
Roxanne Phillips: You participated in the 2016 “Varsity Art XX” Exhibit. How has your aesthetic evolved since this time?
Anne Morgan: I create work that has to do with the environment and amphibians- this passion of mine hasn’t changed since I took part in the "Varsity Art" exhibit. However, I have expanded my work from being primarily figurative to also experimenting with abstract imagery. My aesthetic has a lot more to do with connecting texture and surface to a particular meaning or idea; I am interested in what the absence of color may represent in my work, and I now focus less on worrying about imperfections. As an example of how my surfaces have evolved, I mix sand and granite chips in glaze to represent mining, which negatively impacts habitats for Ozark Hellbenders.
Anne Morgan: I create work that has to do with the environment and amphibians- this passion of mine hasn’t changed since I took part in the "Varsity Art" exhibit. However, I have expanded my work from being primarily figurative to also experimenting with abstract imagery. My aesthetic has a lot more to do with connecting texture and surface to a particular meaning or idea; I am interested in what the absence of color may represent in my work, and I now focus less on worrying about imperfections. As an example of how my surfaces have evolved, I mix sand and granite chips in glaze to represent mining, which negatively impacts habitats for Ozark Hellbenders.
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| Anne Morgan. (detail) “The Impact.” 2019. Porcelain Resting on Metal and Copper Slag Collected from Local Creeks, approx. 4” by 5”. |
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| Anne Morgan. “The Impact.” 2019. Porcelain Resting on Metal and Copper Slag Collected from Local Creeks, each piece approx. 4” by 5”. |
Clay is my primary medium, although I have been working in printmaking, oil painting, and polymer clay. However, for me, there is something different about being able to make something 3-dimensional and tactile. I have also been working more with incorporating other mediums in my ceramic work, including sand, granite, fossils, and glass/metal slag.
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| Anne Morgan. “Entdecken.” 2019. Colored Pencil, Watercolor, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 16”x36”. |
RP: What advice would you give to current art students?
AM: My advice for current art students would be to apply to as many shows as they can, and don’t get discouraged if their work is turned down. It doesn’t mean the work isn’t worthy, it just means that they are looking for a different style or topic for their show.
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| Anne Morgan. (detail) “Landverlust.” 2019. White Stoneware, Porcelain Slip; Fired to cone 6, 14”x11”x7.5”. |
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| Anne Morgan. “Landverlust.” 2019. White Stoneware, Porcelain Slip; Fired to cone 6, 14”x11”x7.5”. |
RP: How has your subject matter changed?
AM: Formerly, frogs were the primary theme in my work, but I now focus on other amphibians, primarily the Ozark Hellbender. This “living fossil” is endemic to a small portion of Missouri and Arkansas, and is highly endangered, as well as it is an environmental indicator that alerts scientists to changes in their habitat. It is a misunderstood animal which is not conventionally beautiful; for this reason, I have devoted a lot of my attention recently on learning about their unique anatomy.
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| Anne Morgan. “Connect.” 2019. Salt Fired Porcelain, Coral Fossil, 9”x6”. |
RP: What do you wish you would have learned more about, while in school, that could help you now with your creative career?
AM: It would have been beneficial in school if we had been taught more about masters programs or other paths we could take with an art degree. I don’t think people realize just how versatile an art degree can be; being educated in the different paths that your degree can take you would have helped me after graduating. I also think that there should be more classes which focus on teaching graphic design to all students, regardless of their focus in art. There are a lot of skills which one can learn in these classes, such as PhotoShop and learning how to design your own postcard or business card.
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| Anne Morgan. “Verlohren.” Porcelain with Black Underglaze, 16”x9”. |
RP: If you are now working in academia, what do you do? How has your experience as an art student influenced how you approach interacting with current students?
AM: I am a ceramics instructor at Laumeier Sculpture Park, but COVID-19 has put a hold on the classes for now. I teach throwing and glazing techniques. While I was working on obtaining my BFA, I worked part-time in an early childhood center in the Special School District. There, I learned how creative processes can be directly applied to teaching; I am grateful for this experience I had, because it helped me realize that I have a passion for teaching and fostering creativity in others!
Learn more about Anne Morgan: https://ceramaderp.wixsite.com/catherinemorgan and www.instagram.com/ceramaderp
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