Art to Table

The life cycle of media from the authentic Austin creatives to the community and its people

By Mikayla Yu

AArtists use their job as an outlet for their emotions and stories but also as a platform to inspire and move people. “Being an artist is a place of living my most authentic life and being who I am to the core,” said Austin-based artist Vy Ngo.

Austin is a city that people describe as vibrant, and its culture has been able to shine through the many artists living in it. Murals can be seen on many buildings along the streets of downtown and give the city its personality and funky charm. The Blanton Museum of Art is full of art from around the world and from local artists. Many people feel that the museum has been a point of connection in the Austin community with its diverse range of art and artists. Other artists like Vy Ngo and Beth Consetta Rubel display their work in galleries around the city that are able to reflect their stories in a setting with more creative freedom. Both museums and galleries strive to display pieces that will resonate with their viewers and leave a lasting impression.

Artist Beth Consetta Rubel works with others more closely by drawing portraits of people in her Paper Bag Test series which consists of can- did drawings on paper bags of influential African-American figures that she started over ten years ago. It was based on a discriminatory practice where Black people’s skin tone was compared to a paper bag which gave them certain privileges depending on if they were lighter or darker. “The biggest influence on my art is connecting with people and hear ing their person al narrative so that I can get an idea of who they are,” Rubel said. “Whenever you look at my work, there are the celebrity portraits and the portraits I do of real people, and there is a big difference when I look at them. In the ones where I am inter viewing the person, it has more of an im pact because I am think ing of their story while I do their artwork,” said Rubel. When she was growing up, Rubel had many experiences with racism, especially as she is a biracial woman in Texas. “I had a lot of professors tell me I was not black enough to do the work I was doing… It was the catalyst that made me research ‘What makes someone Black enough?’” said Rubel.

This inspired her Paper Bag Test series which explored deeper themes of colorism and personal experience with biases based on the shade of their skin.

“My style, I would say, is really expressive but also realistic, like a controlled chaos, which reflects me as an artist,” Rubel said.

Her work typically consists of mixed media which is created with a blend of mediums.

“Ever since I was a child, I have always used whatever materials I had at the time,” said Rubel. “I do that now, but I make sure the materials relate to the meaning of the piece like in the Paper Bag. I just love the juxtaposition of soft chalk pastels and then the opaque gouache paint, and I am always exploring new tools.”

Fellow artist, Ngo, also said that her art reflects who she is.

“My artwork is my story… Everything is very personal, and that’s the only place I can create from, otherwise it wouldn’t ring true,” Ngo said. Ngo grew up with a large influence from her parents who immigrated to the US from Vietnam, and it has influenced her artistic and personal journey.

“Being a first generation child of immigrants and refugees, I felt some responsibility in pursuing the greatest amount of opportunity as I possibly could given the circumstances of where my family came from.

And so I pursued medicine, but it wasn’t my first passion,” said Ngo.

Ngo built a career in medicine for 10 years as a physician, and had to put art on hold for a while. But now, she is rediscovering her passion for the arts as she did when she was young. She even draws influence from her dance as a child.

“I’m very vibrant in my colors and lots of movements because I used to be a dancer. So when I paint, I have to move my whole body. the style themselves or the images that are being portrayed really fits more to the narrative or what it is that the body of work is, is saying. Another common thread in a lot of my work is bright colors.”

These themes can be seen in her many types of work including: abstract, cultural, representational, and installations. All of these forms are unique and are all very important to her.

“My abstract paintings are very personal because they’re more of a language of my internal emotional space. but I think the representational work is very personal in regards to it. It addresses cultural identity as an Asian American and as a first generation. It’s more interpretable and tangible,” Ngo says.

Although these are common trends in her work, defining her style is not something she finds important.

“I don’t like to be pigeonholed into one style. I don’t like to think that I’m limited, and approaches art in whatever perception or stage of life they’re in. How they interact with it is really their own journey.”

Rubel not only stressed the importance of her artwork to her but also the emotional impact and connection her viewers can get from it. “Art has allowed me now to be able to share other people’s story and narratives that dont have the opportunity to do so just like I didn’t, back when I didn’t feel like I only known for one thing. I’d like to be known for my work in regards to how it makes people feel and what it’s said.”

As media manager for the Blanton Museum, Katie Bruton agreed, “I don’t think it is important to have a specific signature because artists’ styles are always changing. I think the idea of art is to express yourself and something about your time. If you can do that, it’s always going to be something distinctive. ”

The way people perceive art will be different based on their experiences, which is what makes art so personal and human.

“I think, as an artist, you have to let go of those expectations of wanting people to ‘get it’ or feel the same thing you did because that’s not necessarily the case,” Ngo said. “Everyone had a voice. A big part of my process with artwork involves interviewing people and asking where they come from, how they identify, or maybe experiences with colorism and anything similar,” said Rubel.

The connection between the artist and the community is very important to the life of an art piece, making the process even more personal.

According to Ngo, the Austin art scene is unique for how close the community is.

“We’re a very tight-knit community here in Austin, and everyone pretty much knows everybody,” Ngo said.

“When we see each other succeed, we really champion for each other, so it’s a great community. I love Austin and I’m very proud to be a part of it and be a part of the community.” striking murals witha diverse range of subjects.Doing sohas exposed Austin to many cultures.