“Ordinary Lives” Exhibit - Artist Interview Series One

By Roxanne Phillips

We are pleased to present to you a new series of interviews with artists whose works are featured in our new juried exhibit at Art Saint Louis, "Ordinary Lives." This exhibit presents works by 42 St. Louis regional artists from Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. This exhibition is on view July 31-Septemember 9, 2021 in our Gallery at 1223 Pine Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Learn more about the exhibit in this piece by HEC-TV Produced by Paul Langdon.

We are proud to introduce you to artists Joyce Yarbrough and Brenda Gilliam.
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JOYCE YARBROUGH

Featured in Art Saint Louis’ in-Gallery exhibit, “Ordinary Lives”: Joyce Yarbrough, St. Louis, MO. “The Gardener.” 2021. Pastel on Paper, 14”x17”. $500.
Artist’s statement: “Although I often work in black and white, the garden demands the use of color. Utilizing soft pastels, I tried to capture the colorful colors and ambiance of nature and the enjoyment of gardening.”

Roxanne Phillips: In these "extraordinary times" what is it about the theme "Ordinary Lives" that spoke to you or your art?
Joyce Yarbrough: Covid restrictions forced us to re-prioritize our time, and find activities close to home in our “ordinary lives." As a lover of nature, I liked being able to spend more time in nature, to ‘grow things’, take walks, have picnics, and create more art! Our “ordinary lives" became more enjoyable and satisfying without the stress of obligations prior to the pandemic. I became much more appreciative of the 'ordinary things’ of a simpler life, and grateful for the people who were in my life.

Joyce Yarbrough with her artwork "The Gardener" on view in "Ordinary Lives" at Art Saint Louis. Artist photo by Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff.

RP: How has COVID changed what would otherwise be "ordinary" in/about your artistic life?
JY: During COVID, I did more painting than I had done before. Being free of many obligations let me expand my creativity, and have fun experimenting with a variety of colors using my pastels and watercolor.

Joyce Yarbrough. “Macaw Feather.” 2019. Watercolor & Paper, Cut w/Scissors - 13”x8”x3”. $1,000.

RP: When do your best ideas come to you?
JY: My best ideas often come when I least expect them! I sometimes have to find a scrap of paper to put down ideas, or snap a photo. I am mostly inspired by nature and frequently ideas happen when I am outdoors. Depending on the specific genre and whether I am painting clouds or trees or cutting botanical silhouettes, I try to decide on the best medium for what I want my focus to be.

Joyce Yarbrough. “Spanish Festoon.” 2018. Paper cut w/Scissors, 10”x13”x1”. $500.

RP: What is the most challenging technique you’ve mastered or wish to master?
JY: I feel my paper cutting with scissors has been the most challenging, and yet the most rewarding medium for me. I appreciate being able to create art in this unique way. Sometimes I cut a difficult piece and say 'never again!', only to be inspired to create something even more ambitious the next time! Although I take great joy in using my colorful pastels and watercolors, the cut-paper art is stimulating and stretches my creativity in a totally different way. Sometimes I combine more than one medium. My latest feather is painted with watercolor on both sides before I cut the details, and then framed the feather hanging in front of a mirror, so the viewer can see both sides.

Joyce Yarbrough. “Tranquility.” 2020. Watercolor, 14”x14”. NFS.

RP: Thick lines, thin lines or no lines?
JY: Although sometimes I use pen & ink lines with watercolor, most of the time I concentrate on shapes rather than lines. I like to concentrate on forms with my pastels or watercolors, as well as when I am cutting silhouettes shapes with my scissors.

Joyce Yarbrough. “Crimson Bloom.” 2017. Watercolor on Paper, Cut w/Scissors -12”x12”. NFS.

RP: While working on an artwork, when is it most enjoyable: the beginning, in the middle, or the final moment?
JY: I really enjoy the whole process of creating art in pastel, watercolor or cut-paper. But of course, the final moment is the most rewarding when you know you have achieved what you set out to create.

Joyce Yarbrough with her work, “Macaw Feather.” 2019. Watercolor & Paper, Cut w/Scissors - 13”x8”x3”. $1,000.

RP: What is it you feel that people don’t understand about your artwork?
JY: People are more familiar with drawing and painting than cut-paper art. Many people don't realize how much thought and planning is involved in creating any challenging work of art.  With my scissors-cut art, I often have to explain my process of cutting by hand with surgical scissors, because some people think my art is laser-cut or done with a machine.  

Joyce Yarbrough. “Forsythia.” 2013. Paper Cut w/Scissors, 20”x10”x2”. NFS.

RP: Does your artwork make people do double takes when they look at it?
JY: My artwork often does make people do a double-take at times! I was at a gallery exhibition where I had a meticulously hand-cut feather on display, and enjoyed listening to people argue whether it was a real feather or created with paper and scissors.

Joyce Yarbrough. “Happy Messy Nester.” 2014. Paper Cut w/Scissors, 12”x12”x1.5”. NFS.

RP: How has your art evolved thought the years? Describe the different stages of creating.
JY: Before I could read, I was drawing pictures. I have always enjoyed drawing & painting people. After working at Hallmark where I primarily used watercolor, I painted oil & pastel portraits. My adventure into cutting began when I saw someone cutting silhouettes at Disneyworld.

With my discovery of another medium for portraiture, I found I could cut a person’s likeness much quicker than I could draw or paint. My love of nature led me to cut botanical silhouettes including trees, butterflies and feathers. I continued to do pastels and watercolors, but my “claim to fame” was with my paper-cutting. My cut-paper art was not formulaic nor traditional scherenschnitte. It was primarily just another medium for me to create my art doing silhouettes of people and nature.

Joyce Yarbrough. “Judy’s Hummer.” 2021. Paper Cut w/Scissors, 12”x12”x 2”. NFS.

RP: What motivates you to continue making art?
JY: I create art because I am always seeing something I think would be fun to turn into an artistic creation.  I am “semi-retired,” but as an artist I don’t think I will ever quit making some kind of art!

Joyce Yarbrough with her pastel drawing of Taos.

Learn more about Joyce Yarbrough: www.joyceayarbrough.com and  www.facebook.com/joy.yarbrough.1
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BRENDA GILLIAM

Featured in “Ordinary Lives”: Brenda Gilliam, St. Louis, MO. “Practice.” 2021. Acrylic on Canvas, 15”x30”. $700.
Artist’s statement: “During the initial shutdown of COVID-19’s pandemic, many were not just staying inside ... we also went inside of ourselves, sharing that beauty within creatively with others, for comfort and calm, in most ordinary ways ... such as this man in the Dogtown neighborhood, playing tunes on his piano near an open window ... staying connected.”

Roxanne Phillips: In these "extraordinary times" what is it about the theme "Ordinary Lives" that spoke to you or your art?

Brenda Gilliam: Seeking “ordinary” is crucial to our health. Unfortunately, some people are not comfortable with the concept of “ordinary” and just how “extraordinary” it can be. I believe those people often have difficulty seeing beyond/understanding themselves. I also believe ... “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” (Camille Pissarro).

Inspired by a photograph my daughter had taken at the beginning of the pandemic ... as she conducted a series of interviews/images of regular patrons of the Pat Connolly Tavern in Dogtown, a way to stay connected while everything was shut down ... my painting, "Practice" featured in the "Ordinary Lives" exhibit, shows the solitude from within, but simply by opening his window he shared his time at the baby grand with all passing neighbors out on the sidewalk (which is where my daughter conducted her interview from), a simple but touching gesture of the sweetness of humanity.

Brenda Gilliam. “Ivy on the Edge.” 2020. Acrylic on Canvas, 18”x24”. $700.

RP: In this pre- and post- COVID life, what does returning to an "ordinary life" mean to your art practice?

BG: I live/work in my apartment ... so isolation was no big deal, since it’s kinda the way I live anyway. However, I have set personal goals for the new normal ... update website/social media, find online and local sales opportunities, and expand opportunities to show/sell my work in areas I like to visit/stay a while.

Brenda Gilliam. “Shadows at 5 p.m.” 2021. Acrylic on Canvas, 20”x20”. $700.

RP: When you’re facing challenges during the creative process, what do you do?
BG: I step away, one way or another. A glass of wine, a walk, or a week off.

Brenda Gilliam. “Table for Blue.” 2020. Acrylic on Canvas, 16”x20”. NFS.

RP: What is the best thing about St. Louis for your art practice?
BG: I am so appreciative of how the Saint Louis arts organizations/community support and recognize the arts. Also, the long history of artists who have enriched this area ... from artists, architects, musicians, theater, and the diversity within.

Brenda Gilliam. “Weird Science.” 1972. Acrylic on Canvas, 4’x8’. NFS.

RP: What was it that first prompted your career/activity as an artist?
BG: Coming from a family of humble means, learning to make something good from nothing, cherishing my solitude in the chaos of that family no matter where we lived ... my imagination was my sanctuary. As I got older, I realized there where careers for people with my abilities and drive. Spent some time exploring possibilities in college (no degree), with encouragement and support for my work, practical experience working with other artists and graphic designers, and of necessity ... knew this is who I am.

Brenda Gilliam. “Pier Silhouette.” 2020. Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x24”. $850.

RP: Why do some artists stop creating and have you ever come close to that point?
BG: Everyone has their own reason. Yes, for me. Enjoyed an active involvement in the arts prior to having children. As a single parent of two daughters (early in their lives) and sole source of support for my family, I concentrated on my freelance illustration / graphic design work ... working from an in-home office ... for several years. When they were grown and on their own, I transitioned slowly to pursuing my own creative work again. It is a renewed journey into self-awareness and purpose that I don’t want to put on hold again.

Brenda Gilliam. “Fiddlers.” 2013. Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x24”. NFS.

RP: Do you ever wonder about your artwork once it leaves your hands?
BG: Sure. If I have the opportunity to meet the buyer of my work, I often request that they send me a photo of their acquisition in its new home. A few pieces are in public institutions for all visitors to see.

Brenda Gilliam. “Harvesting Duckweed.” 2016. Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x24”. NFS.

RP: Do you ever dream about your artwork?
BG: Not really, beyond the initial intent. But I do find that at some point, actively working on each piece is a form of self-hypnosis ... where I am absorbed by the work and lose track of time/place, where the work takes me “there.” I love when that happens.

Brenda Gilliam. “Balance in Motion.” 2016. Acrylic on Canvas, 30”x15”. NFS.

RP: Do you prefer to make one specific piece or a series of pieces/body of work? 

BG: I do prefer to work on a body of work, with a common theme/thread (boats, hats, farmers market, still life, etc) where all the work inter-relates among the themes. I often work on 4 or more paintings at the same time. I also enjoy working on a specific piece when prompted by an invitation to participate in an upcoming exhibit.

Brenda Gilliam's home studio. The artist writes: "Everything does double live/work duty, in my apartment."

RP: Describe your artistic process/technique.
BG: I employ a variety of techniques and processes. Lately I have been revisiting styles I used back in the 1970’s, enjoying today’s way of applying them. Color use/contrast, composition, balance and movement, technique vary depending on subject matter or what I am currently inspired by. Process is always pretty much the same ... concept usually inspired from my stash of images, transfer refined concept to canvas/surface with a tight sketch in paint or graphite, develop the painting in several layers/patterns/colors as I see/feel fit (not referring to initial image again).

Smaller paintings are done at my dining table (workspace 80% of the time), a salvaged 3’x9.6’ weathered wood warehouse door with a glass top (so I can scrape paint from the surface when I need it for dining again). Larger paintings are set up on the easel at the other end of the open space. I soften my colors a bit, as I don’t like the brashness of paint straight from the tube. I thin/blend acrylic paint with flat white latex wall paint ... to get smoother, flatter, more coordination of hues, more opacity. The processes used when illustrating or doing graphic design have greatly influenced the way I approach painting.

Brenda Gilliam. “Shelling Peas 2.” 2021. Acrylic on Canvas, 18”x24”. NFS.

RP: On what are you currently working?
BG: Always working ahead ... preparing for exhibits in October 2021, April ‘22, and June ‘23 currently. In between, I paint what strikes me, or specifically for a themed show/competition/request. Hope to submit to galleries for themed shows starting in 2022. That involves more than just painting ... need to plan a cohesive body of work, keep a connective flow in the pieces, allot time, do the promo and prepare anything required by the gallery/venue

Brenda Gilliam. “Where’s the Beef.” 2021. Acrylic on Canvas, 20”x20”. NFS.

RP: What motivates you to continue making art?
BG: Enjoyment. Discovery. Sharing.

St. Louis artist Brenda Gilliam.

Learn more about Brenda Gilliam: www.bgrtst.com and www.instagram.com/bgrtst/ and www.facebook.com/BGrtst
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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.