"Hope" Artists Q&A Series Two

By Roxanne Phillips

We are pleased to present our second in a series of interviews with artists whose works are featured in our new virtual/online exhibit presented by Art Saint Louis, "Hope" (February 1-April 1, 2021). We invite you to view the exhibit on our website here and learn more about the featured works in our Facebook album here.

We proudly introduce you to featured artists Kelly B. Cook and Sarah Lorentz.
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KELLY B. COOK

Featured in Art Saint Louis’ virtual exhibit, “Hope”: Kelly B. Cook, Ballwin, MO. “Everyone Needs a Little Lift.” 2020. Colored Pencil on Strathmore Paper, 8”x10”. $250 framed.
Artist’s statement: “We are all capable of standing on our own two feet. However, there are times, when “a little lift’ from a friend makes things easier, brings a smile to our day. And then we pass that feeling on to the next person, brightening their day as well.”

About the artist: I grew up in Wheeling WV, the last of 8 children. I was always drawing, creating, and imagining so it was no surprise that I received a Graphic Design Degree and then later my K-12 Teaching Certificate. When my son Nick was 2 1/2, my husband Scott was transferred to St Louis. While here, I have continued to create artwork usually using colored pencils. My artwork tends to be comical and lighthearted, often inspired by the antics of children or the hilarity of my life. Sometimes, laughing at the situation is all you can do!

Kelly B. Cook. “I’ve Fallen Up and Can’t Get Down.” 2020. Colored Pencil, 8”x10”. $250.

Roxanne Phillips: Why do you make art?
Kelly B. Cook: Creating is just part of who I am. I can’t imagine a day without it. It makes me happy. It relaxes me.      

Kelly B. Cook. “Rainbow’s End.” 2020. Colored Pencil, 11”x13”. $300.

RP: What is the biggest point of inspiration for your artwork?
KBC: Comical situations, humor, or even sarcasm tend to be the main themes of my artwork. The way children “see” the world - how everything is possible. Their imaginations, curiosity, and energy are endless.

Kelly B. Cook. “Hanging By A Thread.” 2020. Colored Pencil, 8”x10”. $250.

Kelly B. Cook. “London Bridge is falling Down.” Colored Pencil, 11”x13”. $300.

RP: What is it that you are most eager to convey through your art/ how do you want the viewer to receive or interpret or your art?
KBC: Life can be hard. We all have days that can bring us to our knees. I hope that my art allows the viewer to escape these moments. To laugh, smile, or remember a time when they were a kid and life was a little more simple.

Artist Kelly B. Cook with some of her finished artworks and a sketchbook.

RP: Do you have a sketchbook? What kinds of things do you put in it?
KBC: I have a plethora of sketchbooks! The pages are filled with drawings, words, stories, or even pieces of paper that I quickly jotted an idea on and then stuck in my book. Sometimes you get stuck, a "what do I work on now?” moment. And opening that sketch book reminds you of all the ideas you have. Sometimes it even sparks more ideas. The images just start flowing.

Kelly B. Cook. “Gone Fishing.” 2020. Colored Pencil, 8”x10”. $250.

RP: What is it about your preferred medium that you enjoy the most?
KBC: I enjoy colored pencils the most. It's like being a kid and opening that brand new box of crayons on the first day of school - endless possibilities. I enjoy shading each area until I get just the right color or adding various textures to make areas stand out. If I have to drop what I'm doing, the picture is ruined, I can pick it up later.

Kelly B. Cook. “Pumpkin Patch.” 2020. Colored Pencil, 8”x10”. $250.

RP: What qualities attract you to other artists’ works?
KBC: I really enjoy seeing how artists interpret various topics. We can all be given the same theme but our outcomes are vastly different!  I enjoy studying their use of color or textures. Or how they use the space on their canvas to convey the meaning of their art.

Artist Kelly B. Clark at work in her Ballwin, Missouri studio.

RP: Tell us about your studio.
KBC: Well,… that’s comical. I have a studio, table, easel, paints and everything. Nice big window too. And well, my son is using it as his school room right now, lol. I’m in a green chair with my drawing board and pencils on a side table. How I wish I could say that this is something new. However, a long time ago, we had a Dachshund named Toby. She wanted to sit on my lap when I was working at my art table. Problem was, she would be sliding off my lap as I tried to work. It was awful and she was upset.  So, we moved to a leather chair where she would lay beside my lap with a drawing board over her and I would draw. She was happy and I could get some work done. Even though she is gone, the habit has stuck. In someways, I feel like she is still there.

Kelly B. Cook. “The Rainbow Connection .” 2020. Colored Pencil, 11”x13”. $300.

Learn more about Kelly B. Cook: https://kellycookart.com/
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SARAH LORENTZ

Featured in Art Saint Louis’ virtual exhibit, “Hope”: Sarah Lorentz, St. Louis, MO. “The Test.” 2020. Watercolor on Paper, 18”x24”. $840, framed.
Artist’s statement: “Having become a mother myself just this year, I found myself suddenly navigating the complex feeling surrounding pregnancy, motherhood, and external judgements. This piece explores the simultaneous joy for new life, as well as the ominous presence of public opinion. The most intimate moment of discovery is made into a public display here, with this woman’s worthiness being scrutinized by the viewer. The judgements endured by the woman are much the same as the disparaging remarks that characterize the past year. Even as uncertainty rages around us, there will always be new life and new hope.”

About the artist: Contemporary painter Sarah Lorentz [American, 1994 - present] creates energetic, striking compositions full of bold brushwork and color.  Though her subject matter ranges from evocative figurative commentaries to pastoral plein air landscapes, the physicality of material and deliberate remnants of process reveal the same confident hand behind the brush.

Sarah trained traditionally with apprenticeships and studies in Italy.  Earning her Bachelor's of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, she has an active art presence in St Louis and abroad.

Sarah Lorentz. "Don’t Hang Up." 2020. Oil on Birch Panel, 11.5”x13”. $850.

Roxanne Phillips: When did you begin to know what your art is about?
Sarah Lorentz: I was fortunate to be able to study both art and psychology at the University level, and I began to find my voice at this intersection of art and science. As I had opportunities to show my work and receive feedback, it became clear that my work had the potential to elicit a wide range of emotional responses and generate open dialogues about hurts and healing.

Sarah Lorentz. "The Greatest Generation." 2020. Oil on Birch Panel, 12”x14”. $850.

RP: What was your career path? How did you get from being an aspiring artist to doing it?
SL: I had an unexpected life change; I found out that I was pregnant, then six months later, the office I was working for unexpectedly closed. Although it was uncomfortable to face so many changes, I felt like I was snapped out of the daily grind and freed to find my own path. I was able to use the time away from my day job to explore what I could do on my own. I was able to build a sustainable source of income taking commissions and selling prints. Last year was difficult as many art opportunities were postponed or canceled, but I am pushing forward, continuing to apply for opportunities and adding to my professional collection of work. I think the biggest thing is just to keep going: keep making, keep applying, keep looking for opportunities.

Sarah Lorentz. "All Fun and Games." 2020. Oil on Canvas, 30”x40”. $2,200.

RP: Describe your artistic process/technique
SL: I start my figurative paintings as colleges, matching figures from disparate sources to create interactions that appear to have a neutral tone but can support multiple superimposed narratives. I really enjoy this step in the process because it is a bit like a puzzle, trying out different combinations until one clicks. Once I begin painting, I focus on finding a balance between representational realism and visually satisfying abstraction. I preserve remnants of the process and allow informational gaps to prompt viewers to fill in the gaps and more easily add a personal narrative to the work.

Sarah Lorentz. "Observe and Report." 2020. Oil on Canvas, 30”x40”. $2,200.

RP: What is the biggest point of inspiration for your artwork?
SL: My role as a mother provides the greatest inspiration. My work shifted towards childhood trauma and pivotal moments where innocence can be preserved or disturbed. I’m thinking about the role of a parent to protect not only biological children, but of the next generation of our society. I’m also interested in the process of healing through reflection of past experiences, identification of thought patterns, and conscious movement towards change.

St. Louis artist Sarah Lorentz's studio.

RP: What do you do to support your art and how does that impact your art practice?
SL: Currently I take custom commissions for portraits as my primary source of income while staying home to provide child-care for my two-year-old. It is difficult to maintain momentum when my efforts are very much stop-and-go between naps and feedings. Having an income source related to my art medium has been incredibly helpful in that every commission I take is refining my skills and keeping me sharp for the next painting session.

Sarah Lorentz. "The Compartments." 2020. Oil on Birch Panel, 13”x15”. $850.

RP: What is it that you are most eager to convey through your art/ how do you want the viewer to receive or interpret or your art?
SL: I want viewers to participate actively in the conversation; I am most interested in figurative work because of the potential it has to connect with the viewer. The human brain has more dedicated space specifically for facial recognition than it does for all other object recognition. By utilizing figures in  such a way that leaves informational gaps, viewers are prompted to supplant their own experiences and memories onto the work to create a narrative. I am excited about the potential to apply scientific methods of diagnostic psychology to prompt viewers to recognize patterns within their psyche as the first step towards emotional healing.

St. Louis-based artist Sarah Lorentz with some of her work.

RP: What is the biggest challenge with being an artist and juggling all life throws at you?
SL: Though becoming a mother elevated my artistic direction, it also added a new layer of challenge to my process. Time constraint is the biggest obstacle currently. I’ve had to find a rhythm of working during naps and late at night. I’ve joined a wonderful network of artist mothers through the ARIM program (a self-guided, at-home residency designed to help mothers find a symbiotic relationship between art-making and parental duties). The other challenge constantly begging for attention is financing. Currently, my professional art practice provides very little income and requires huge investments of time and money. The best solution I’ve found for creating a sustainable practice is to be extremely intentional about budgeting and living frugally.

Sarah Lorentz. "Frame the Shot." 2020. Oil on Canvas, 30”x40”. $2,200.

RP: On what are you currently working?
SL: I am so incredibly pleased to share that I have a selection of paintings chosen for an exhibition with ITSLIQUID Venice International Art Fair, and I also have a solo show scheduled with the Good Weather Gallery in Edwardsville for April. I’m working on new figurative paintings to expand my "Apperception"series.

St. Louis-based artist Sarah Lorentz.

Learn more about Sarah Lorentz: www.sarahlorentz.com and www.facebook.com/SarahLorentzArt/ and www.instagram.com/lorentz_sarah
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Roxanne Phillips is an artist and art educator based in St. Louis since 2001. She earned a MFA in Printmaking & Drawing from Washington University in St. Louis and BFA in Painting & Drawing from University of North Texas. Roxanne is an adjunct art instructor at Washington University in St. Louis and has worked with Art Saint Louis since 2017 as Administrative Assistant and Installer. From 2018-2020 she was Master Printer for Pele Prints. Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the St. Louis region including at Art Saint Louis, Crossroads Art Studio & Gallery, and St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Her work is currently available at Union Studio in St. Louis. She has served as exhibit Juror for several regional exhibits & art fairs. Roxanne is past Board member of St. Louis Women’s Caucus for Art.