Shannon Crider
VL
VISUAL LANGUAGE
contemporary fine art
VL
July 2013 Volume 2 No. 7
VL
Studio Visit Shannon Crider
Shannon Crider uses found paper to create intricate figurative collages. Based on original photographs of subjects, real and imagined, she captures their humanity with thoughtful calculation. Formally trained as a painter, she transitioned to paper as a means of challenging the application of color, shadow, and texture. Crider graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Oklahoma City University in 2008. While enrolled, she was represented by Istvan Gallery and exhibited extensively throughout Oklahoma. Her work can be found in private collections in Houston, Norman, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, where she currently resides.
http://www.shannoncrider.com 57
artspan
http://www.shannoncrider.com
VL
Studio Visit Shannon Crider
What made you decide to start using paper as your primary medium? Initially, I worked primarily as a painter, creating large scale oil paintings. A couple years ago, I became interested in experimenting with paper. I found that the change from oils to paper gave me the flexibility to work outside of a traditional studio space, and instead in my home.This was crucial because an explicit, off-site studio space was a luxury I couldn’t afford. I found that paper activated an entirely new set of challenges and opportunities.With each new piece I find a new way of pushing the medium. It’s never boring. How do your choose your paper? I’ve used all kinds of paper including wallpaper, tissue paper, maps, and book pages. However, I primarily use craft or scrapbook paper. I like it because the paper is acid-free and I can find a variety of colors, patterns, and textures. Why not magazine or newspaper? I’ve tried to work with both magazine pages and newspaper. I find that they’re both too fragile for my needs. Additionally, they don’t offer the variety of colors, patterns, and textures that make my work interesting. What do you think paper can do that other materials can’t? I don’t think there is anything new for me to contribute to oil painting that the masters didn’t already achieve. With paper, however, I feel like I am exploring a new frontier. Paper challenges the way I work with color and pattern. Additionally, paper’s ability to naturally build off the canvas, allows me to create a sculptural component to my work. How long does an average piece take? Way too long. The recently completed Traveler, 2013 took about 260 hours. It is possible that I am getting slower at this. What are you currently working on? Most of my works up to now have been straight forward portraits. For my next work I am creating a history painting of sorts. Drawing from the combined inspiration of Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone and the idea of human beings as stardust. It is my belief these two seemingly disparate creative sources are united in the preservation of humility. I want to capture the death and burial of Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, while incorporating the idea that human beings are inextricably connected on a molecular level. What artists inspire you the most? Too many to name. Alice Neel has long been my favorite painter, but recently, the work of Radcliffe Bailey has changed the way I thought about art. Last summer, I saw his exhibition, Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio,TX, and it was something like a conversion experience for me. Looking ahead, how do you see your work evolving in the next couple of years? That’s hard to answer. My hope is that I continue to evolve. I would like to see the work progress from 2D works with sculptural elements to full-on sculpture or installations. Where can we find more about you and your work? Check out my website www.shannoncrider.com or look me up on Facebook at Shannon Crider Art.
artspan
http://www.shannoncrider.com
VL Studio Visit Shannon Crider
http://www.shannoncrider.com
artspan
http://www.shannoncrider.com