“Varsity Art 25” Artist Interviews Series Four

 By Roxanne Phillips

We are pleased to present our fourth and final set of interviews with artists whose works are featured in Art Saint Louis' new in-Gallery and virtual gallery exhibit, "Varsity Art XXV" (March 5-April 1, 2021). This year's 25th annual exhibit features works by 44 undergrad and grad level art students representing 22 STL regional colleges and universities from Missouri and Illinois.

The exhibit remains on view through Thursday, April 1 in the Art Saint Louis Gallery (open M-F 8-3, Sat. 9-2, free, no appointment requried). We invite you to view the virtual exhibit and all of the featured artworks in the exhibit on our website here and you can also view all of the works in our Facebook album here. We also invite you to view HEC-TV's video piece on this exhibit here.

We are pleased to introduce you to featured artists Madeline Youngman and Silas Coggeshall.
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MADELINE YOUNGMAN

Featured in “Varsity Art XXV” at Art Saint Louis: Madeline Youngman, St. Louis, MO. “Inner Movement.” 2020. Oil, Fabric on Canvas, 20.5”x24.5”. Not for Sale. Saint Louis University. Professor: Amy Bautz.
Artist’s statement: “As an artist, I paint portraits to tell stories. My self-portrait tells a story about me. My eyes look up, toward glowing leaves. These leaves represent hope and the future. They also rise from my chest, representing the strength that comes from within. Lines separate the leaves, but a small blue stem sprouts over a line. Although chaos and fogginess interfere, inner strength continues to grow toward an unwavering beacon of hope.”

About the artist: Madeline Youngman makes art because it connects her with others. Her paintings celebrate human relationships and experiences through the application of paint, pattern color, and symbolism. Outside of her personal studio practice, Madeline has led mural-painting projects and after-school art enrichment programs with Saint Louis University students and students from local elementary schools. She believes in the power of sharing the gift of art and plans to continue creating art with others wherever the future may take her. 

Madeline Youngman. “Documented Self.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, 20”x 24”.

Roxanne Phillips: What first inspired you to be an artist?
Madeline Youngman: From a very young age, I loved to draw. Even then, I drew several family portraits. Throughout grade school and high school, my passion for artmaking continued, and I knew I wanted to pursue my passion in college.

Madeline Youngman. “Symbols of Myself.” 2020. Graphite on Paper, 11”x 17”.

RP: What inspires you to make art?
MY: People inspire to make art. I enjoy making art about my relationships to the ones I love. I also enjoy making art with others and forming relationships through art. I aim to express the beauty of human connection in my artwork.

Madeline Youngman. “Ann’s Elk.” 2019. Oil on Paper, 36”x 24”.

RP: What concepts do you explore in your art?
MY: In my portrait paintings, I explore how the application of paint, pattern, color, and symbolism tell stories of inner emotion, human relationships, and celebration of women.

Madeline Youngman. “El Bosque de Manos y Corazones.” 2019. Oil on Wood, 18”x 20”.

RP: How have you overcome pandemic challenges in your creative process/education?
MY: I think virtual learning can be especially challenging for art students, and we have had to get creative. I set up a small studio space in my apartment and met regularly with my professors on Zoom. I would share images of my artwork on my screen, and my professor and I would play with Photoshop to brainstorm adjustments to my work.

RP: Best time of day or night to create and why?
MY: I enjoy painting in the afternoon with plenty of natural light coming through my windows.

Madeline Youngman. “The Runner.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, 20”x 24”.

RP: What do you find most challenging/rewarding about the creative process?
MY: I think the most challenging aspect of the creative process is knowing when to let an idea go. I have lots of ideas, but not all of them make great artwork.

Madeline Youngman. “Grandmother.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, 20”x 24”.

RP: What is the best thing about the St. Louis region for your arts practice?  
MY: The people. I have been blessed to have built relationships with numerous members of the St. Louis community—professors, fellow students, school principals and staff, directors of a nonprofit organization, and elementary and middle school students-- through artmaking and my community arts practices. I have witnessed artmaking bring people together and change lives, and that has been a truly transformative experience for me.

Artist Madeline Youngman.

Learn more about Madeline Youngman: www.behance.net/myoungman90c2f and www.instagram.com/madeline_youngman_art
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SILAS COGGESHALL

This artwork is featured in “Varsity Art XXV” at Art Saint Louis: Silas Coggeshall, St. Louis, MO. “A Romance of Many Dimensions.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, Acrylic, Caulk, Plywood, Spray Paint, Paper, Readymade Objects, 48”x48”. $1,250. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Professor: Jane Barrow.
Artist’s statement: “I use canvas, plywood, and ready-made objects to create an uncanny trompe-l'œil rendering of the objects breaking the frame of the canvas. These works occupy a space between the illusionistic painting and objecthood. By balancing the painterly and sculptural qualities in the works, I seek to further engage the viewer and bring them into the work. With the absence of the figure, the viewer then become the subject of the work.”

About the artist: Silas Coggeshall is currently an MFA candidate at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He graduated with his BFA in Painting and Drawing from Western Illinois University in 2019, and will graduate with his MFA in 2022. His work is rooted in painting and representation, but explores new media and interdisciplinary approaches to illusionism.

Roxanne Phillips: What was it that first inspired you to be an artist?
Silas Coggeshall: World of Warcraft Trading Cards. When I was 11, my friends and I used to collect them, and at some point, we discovered the names of the artists credited at the bottom of each card. We then began looking for reoccurring artists, identifying their individual styles, etc. This made me aware of the process and work that goes into all the images we are surrounded with, and I was fascinated by this. Shortly after I checked out a stack of drawing books from the library, and bought my first sketchbook. From that point, I was only self-taught until I took my first art class as a freshman in college.

Silas Coggeshall. “Absence.” 2021. Oil, Acrylic, Reclaimed Objects, Caulk on Canvas and Plywood, 24”x30”. $800.

RP: Who inspires you and why?
SC: My peers and other artists in my network are those most responsible for keeping me motivated to work and be invested in this path as an artist.

Several artists who specifically inform my work include Zhang Xiaogang, Liu Ye, Botero, Lisa Yuskavage, Leslie Wayne, Gregory Gillespie, Jim Peters, and Roman Opalka.

RP: What media do you use and why?
SC: My practice is rooted in painting, but it is becoming very interdisciplinary and sculptural. I enjoy the challenge of weaving together a large variety of media into a cohesive whole. Acrylic, oil, plywood, reclaimed objects, collage, and many more materials are used in my work. My goal is to understand all these material’s strengths and weaknesses, and to then use them to their highest potential with this knowledge.

Silas Coggeshall. “Viewer Encountering the Artwork of Biljana Durdevic.” 2021. Oil, Acrylic, Collage, Reclaimed Objects, Caulk on Canvas and Plywood, 42”x42”. $800.

RP: What concepts do you explore in your art?
SC: Despite the lack of a painted figure, these works are very much so about the body. The viewers body, specifically. The works engage the viewer, and present objects, furniture, and images that all act as vehicles for a variety of subject matters. Maybe of my reoccurring themes include sexuality, the gaze, family history, the mundane and the everyday.

RP: What do you hope viewers will take away from your pieces?
SC: Something that is unique to them and their experience. In the presentation of objects to the viewer, there is room for interpretation based on one’s own experience and point of view. The ambiguous, uncanny, and enigmatic qualities of the work allow for a variety of reactions and interpretations. At the core of this open-endedness is a hope to instill curiosity, re-enchant people with the everyday, and make one aware of information, and how information is mediated.

Silas Coggeshall. “03/07/21.” 2021. Acrylic on Canvas, 10”. $100.

RP: How important is the size/scale of your art and why?
SC: The works being life sized, or larger than life is important for the viewer to then be able to fall into them, so-to-speak. It is a part of the illusion and uncanny qualities that make up the works.

Silas Coggeshall. “Origin of Your World.” 2021. Oil, Acrylic, Reclaimed Objects, Caulk on Canvas and Plywood, 24”x30”. $800.

RP: How have you overcome pandemic challenges in your creative process / education
SC: The key for me has just been flexibility. When we first went into lockdown last year, I brought home my French easel, and set it up the small walkway that goes beneath my back porch. There have been stretches of time when I did not have access to the tools or space needed to make the work I wanted, so during that time I would meticulously plan and prepare for the works that I wanted to make.

To help fight against this lethargy I’ve experienced during the lockdown, I’ve started having more zoom meetings and critiques with other artists in my circle in order to keep the critical discourse alive.

RP: What is your future creative life?
SC: First, and foremost, I intend to maintain my studio practice. After graduate school, I will apply for teaching positions, and continue to be involved with galleries and non-profit art centers.

SIU Edwardsville grad student Silas Coggeshall in the studio.

Learn more about Silas Coggeshall: www.silascoggeshall.com and www.instagram.com/silascoggeshall_art and www.facebook.com/silascoggeshallart
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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, COCA, 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.