That is my short list of "household name" artists who I find inspiring. These people transcended the boundaries of language, culture, and time, bringing beauty and unconventional expression into the world. I once saw a Willem DeKooning painting at the Museum of Modern Art that brought me to tears. I must have been fifteen years old. That was the first time that I had been knowingly exposed to Abstract Expressionism. I could not explain why I was so overcome with emotion; I just was. Great art does that and awakens the soul. Many important artists have lived and left their impressions on humanity. My short list of well-known inspirations could get quite long. However, I believe that some of the greatest inspirations are right in front of me: my family, my friends, my peers, and the people who I meet through them.
This summer I am embarking on a project to better understand the artists and people around me, while delving into my own practice. Every person I know has a unique and interesting story to tell, once asked. To start my series of interviews, I have chosen to work with Natalie Pukasemvarangkoon, an artist who I met through a mutual friend.
I first encountered Natalie's work in person, when I attended her solo exhibition in June 2012. Natalie's style has resonated with me ever since, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to interview her for my blog. For someone of only 23 years, Natalie has an impressive resume, having exhibited since 2007. Natalie received a scholarship to UCLA based on her talent alone. I am a huge fan of her expressive paintings and photography. Natalie exudes a sense of confidence, humor, self assuredness, and determination that I find impressive as well as her artwork. Her honest, raw, yet uplifting answers are motivating for both artists and non-artists.
Below are images of her fantastic artwork as well as her Q & A. I would like to say thank you in advance to Natalie, who has offered her time and to me and who will be the first person featured in my artist series.
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| Meditation is Impossible in WeHo Oil on brown paper 54" x 60" |
Natalie: 1990. Born
and bred in Bangkok, Thailand. I went to a British international school in
Bangkok and was accepted early into Central Saints Martins College of Art &
Design in London. My ducks were lining in a row perfectly fine. Even though it’s
uncommon at my school, I did take the SATs to keep my options open but struggled
very much with the American system; so many boot camps, tutoring, and all that non-sense.
So to not waste that effort, I submitted my portfolio to UCLA. Some how got in,
looked at weather.com, and said okay. Just kidding (although weather was a factor!)
I knew UCLA’s art department had an A-list faculty line-up with one of the best
programs so I switched out one of my ducks :) Best decision of my life.
Jessica: How has
being an artist shaped your beliefs and desires? Please feel free to draw on your
cultural background and/or your experience living in the US.
Natalie: Coming
from a Thai family where all my family members are in banking, I was raised
with the standard formula: Best grades à Best
bachelor’s degree à Best master’s program à Multiple high
pay jobs to immediately select from. BOOM. Why ever question that? What is a
gap year? What is a creative lifestyle?
My
point is: I did not know any better or different. The diversity I experienced
in LA pushed me to question things and explore alternative paths as an artist
and in effect, a different way of living. To allow yourself to get lost in
phases where you experience things that stimulate your creative mind and soul
while knowing when to pull back and be the boss you don’t have; it’s finding a
certain balance and discipline in an artists’ lifestyle (I promise I’m not
trying to be a motivational speaker...). And as an artist, if a body of work is
important enough to you, you’ll make it happen. You don’t wait for everything
else in your life to be okay and then create. This ‘now not later’ approach has
basically shaped my beliefs and desire on life period. I’m not going to wait
till I’m financially stable or be in what people might say ‘a better position
in life’ to start tending to health, charity, etc. This non-rigid lifestyle is
scary (hi, how do I pay rent?) but breeds contentment so I try my hardest to
follow it as much as I can.
Jessica: What are the
most important lessons that you have learned through studying art at a
higher level?
Natalie: Authenticity
and honesty to your work; everything else will come with it. Basically, not
creating work because:
1.
It fits all the marking criteria and will give you an A+
2.
It is what you think the gallery is looking for
3.
It is what you think will make you money
4.
It is what you think the mass audiences are interested in
Jessica: How would
you describe your artistic style and your body of work thus far?
What has inspired this? How is it changing?
Natalie: Brown
paper and raw canvas are my go-to surface for its immediacy and primal quality
(although I have been told by art conservators at The Getty Center restoration
department that brown paper with oil paint is very not archival…but my stubborn
self loves the combination) The brushstrokes are very gestural, which derives
from my routes of sketching; the noticeable bodily shapes within my work are
unfitted forms that propose a certain tension and struggle. My 3 most recent
non-collaborative series of works, Never
Mind Killing Two Birds With One Stone. Kill Ten(1), Obsessive Compulsive Figure-Finding Disorder(2), and Workspace (3), all include paintings,
photographs, and videos. They are an exploration of my relationship to the
chaos in the Los Angeles culture. I basically give viewers a look into the
complexity of an artist’s behavior and dissect the concept of exposure.
My
last collaborative duo exhibition, titled Jooge,
I found myself moving more into the installation and site specific realm while
incorporating photographs and paintings; I love this change and see my work
growing towards that direction more and more.
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| Untitled Oil on canvas 64" x 68" |
Jessica: Is there
anyone who has shaped your artistic career? Which artists inspire you?
Natalie: There are
a bunch of inspirational artists (dead and alive…) whom I have never met. But
in terms of mentorship, I’ve had several artists who really contributed to
different areas of my art practice. I
grew heavily as a painter through Kim Fisher. I grew heavily as a photographer
through Catherine Opie. And I grew monumentally as an overall artist through Karen
Atkinson and James Welling. But really at the end of the day it’s the young emerging
artists and my peers who contribute greatly to my career.
Jessica: What is
your biggest challenge to overcome as you enter the art world professionally?
Natalie: I learn so
much through collaboration and studio visits. I’m really not a distant admirer
when it comes to art… or actually anything in life. I want to sit down, talk to
that person, pick at their brain, learn as much as I can about them, and
understand their inner workings as an artist/ person. So as a result, I’ve
often quite bluntly just asked people if could buy them coffee and chat, instead
of throwing praise at them. My challenge as I enter this world professionally
is to cultivate the ability to use these interactions as a learning experience WITHOUT
swaying my own core practice towards theirs simply because I admire them. I
think this is normal for many young artists though; finding the balance of
being influenced without mimicking.
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| Self Portrait Digital Print 14" x 22" |
Jessica: I once had
an interesting interview with an artist and we came upon this question: How do
you think mortality influences an artist’s expression?
Natalie: A deep sea
diver I know writes a little fact sheet plus a story to go along with every
single one of his findings; its his artistic expression of staying immortal for
his grand kids and so on. Artists do the same leaving their legacy through
their work whether it’s a movement they’ve created or a single work of art. I’d
like to think that the thought of mortality makes an artist that much more
diligent and authentic.
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| A painting a day reflecting events from that day |
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| Mini Bank of Solutions Oil on brown paper |
Jessica: What
message do you hope to translate to those who see your work?
Natalie: For now,
the best answer I can give you is that I hope it does something to you that
isn’t mundane. Even if the result of seeing my work is you wanting to stick a
fork in your own eye; because that’s something and that’s better than you taking
a glance at my work and walking pass it without a single cell in your brain
being stimulated.
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| Natalie elevating her sprained ankle while painting (that's dedication) |
Jessica: What is
the accomplishment that you are most proud of as an artist?
Natalie: My 4 year scholarship.
It seems like such a cliché but maybe I am proud of it because it was selected purely
based on my art. It had nothing to do with SATs, (my SATs would’ve given me the
opposite of a scholarship…), or financial statuses, or influential contacts, or
some academic letter written strategically to convince someone that you are
deserving of that scholarship. My work spoke for itself.
Jessica: Please add
any concluding thoughts, and thank you!
Natalie:
The grass is NOT greener on the other side. The grass is as green as it will
get where your foot is. So go do something.
More information can be found on Natalie's website: http://www.nataliepv.com/
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