Words with Friends | Dorothy O'Connor

Art as Therapy: In Conversation with

Dorothy O’Connor

The Flood, 2016

Dorothy O’Connor is an interesting and complicated person to interview. She uses an intuitive process, tapping into her subconscious to create her work, only to see the meaning of certain things in hindsight. APP caught up with her to gain some insight to her process.

Passage. 2017

APP: Many of your photographs have a fashion editorial feeling to them. Have you done any commercial photography?

DO: I went back to school at 30 to study photography, but I made a conscious decision not to do commercial work. I’m a tomboy but I love fashion, so the women in my photos are my alter-egos – and I try to incorporate fashion that is timeless – these are the beautiful things that live in the fantastical world that I create.

APP: How do you decide what elements to bring into the setting?

DO: I just make whatever it is without trying to figure out the why or the what while I’m making it. I think it is more authentic if the subconscious just comes through (as it does) and later, when the piece is finished, I can look back in hindsight and piece through what I was doing and why. Like looking back at a particularly vivid dream and figuring out what your subconscious is trying to open your eyes to. The significance of the elements I include can sometimes reveal themselves to me years later.

When I get an idea, I just have to jump in and do it. It’s an impulse, which is a godsend and a curse, because sometimes it makes me start in the wrong order, so I have to undo it and start again, often just to get the color on the walls just right.

The Flood (Detail Shot), 2016

APP: Tell me about The Flood. I love the fashion aspect, and the juxtaposition of bringing the outdoor elements in is somewhat jarring and unexpected. And congratulations on the placement at the airport!

DO: Thanks! They just told me they are keeping it installed for another year! That piece came about as a result of my work at an animal rescue. It was very important and very difficult work, but it was a great way for me to be connected to animals (my great love,) and the community. The piece contains many symbolic elements pertaining to so many things.

A few things of significance to me stand out in reference to my experiences in animal welfare and the processing of the unconscious and the grief, and trauma. The water level line reaching just about my height and then receding and the question of whether the room will flood again, but next time perhaps higher. The deer head; beautiful but not alive – I have always associated deer with innocence, vulnerability, and also insight and life. Empty wasps’ nests growing on the woman’s dress like she has been in a place of peril for too long and it has taken root…the three hornets’ nests on the wall (I see that also having a connection to my religious upbringing, and also hornets’ nests symbolizing danger/trouble/death), bones in the dirt…her reach feels like a sliver of a moment to leave that place or risk being pulled back and getting forever mired.

APP: How do you connect the hornets’ nests to religion?

DO: Something about them and the way they are placed reminds me of the holy trinity - and not to sound totally goofy but the natural world has certainly become akin to religion for me (probably always was). When I was little, my parents were born again as Charismatic Catholics. I have many stories - we will have to get a beer sometime! ;) I stopped going to church when I was 14 or 15 I believe - but all of that is quite ingrained. There is so much about sacrifice and martyrdom - especially in Catholicism - to serve selflessly is pious. But it can be incredibly detrimental and dangerous.

Crocheting the Ocean, 2010

APP: What are you currently working on?

DO: I am currently working on an image that will be the latest work in my Scenes series. I reshot it for the third time this past July. Due to many factors - the process has gotten drawn out way more than I hoped it would, but I am now realizing that it just wasn't meant to be finished in 2023. Last year was all about change, processing and learning ;) 2024 feels solid - like forward motion on firmer ground.

Talisman, 2020

To learn more about Dorothy’s work, please visit her website www.dorothyoconnor.com

Words with Friends | Sara Pittman

Letting Nature Take Over: In Conversation with

Sara Pittman

This month Amy Parry Projects visited with Atlanta-based painter Sara Pittman. We discussed her process and progression as an abstract painter, travels to Japan and the exciting news of expecting her first child. APP worked with Sara on our Boca West Country Club project, and we have the pleasure of commissioning a new piece of original work at the 1441 Peachtree luxury apartments, opening summer, 2024.

Untitled, 54”x54”, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 2023

APP: Congratulations on your upcoming new addition! Do you think that pregnancy has changed how you paint?

SP: Definitely! I discovered that I had to throw my hands up and let nature take over. My work has evolved from purely non-representational to a suggestion of blooming flowers, while still not being literally floral, which evokes the symbolism of giving birth.

APP: What about your trip to Japan? What kind of inspiration did you find there?

SP: Prior to my trip I was feeling burnt out, like I was wearing shoes that no longer fit. That trip helped me see through new eyes. I was inspired by the sounds, the smells, the way women moved, and I tried to be open to all the beautiful things. I loved the way that kimono patterns contained florals which almost burst into landscape patterns, and I began creating a hint of landscape (again not being literal) in my work. There is an evolution from completely abstract, to the addition of floral and landscape, and reabsorbing those qualities into the abstract.

(Floral) Wonderland, 48”x72”, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 2023

APP: It seems like abstract work can be the most difficult to create because of the endless possibilities. What is your starting point? How do you decide what shapes and colors to put to canvas?

SP: I always take 10 minutes before I start painting to make sure I’m in the right headspace. Otherwise, I know it’s not going to work. Then it takes about an hour to get into the flow of it. If I have the right mindset, the painting just reveals itself. If you know yourself, and you’re really being intuitive, the work is a reflection of you. The flow part is like a yoga practice, pursuing curiosity, not perfection.

(Non Representational) Entanglement, 40”x30”, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 2023

APP: It also sounds like a meditation practice.

SP: Yes! I used to listen to podcasts while I worked, but I realized that I wasn’t completely present while painting and the flow wasn’t there. Now I listen to music. To me, musicians are the most creative of all artists.

APP: What kind of music do you listen to? Does the kind of music you hear affect your work?

SP: All kinds, pop, alternative, Bon Iver…when Fall hits (my favorite season,) I always put on a Fall-sounding playlist (music that makes me feel cozy,) which helps me to slow down and really get into the flow. Then when I need more energy, I play some Indie-Pop, and I might create something like a leaf caught in the wind.

APP: What would be your dream project?

SP: I’d like to create a huge backdrop for a stage for a ballet. And it must involve music, so maybe a symphony playing at the same time. To combine all these practices would be so beautiful. When I look at a painting, I often hear music.

APP: If you had any advice for other artists, what would it be?

SP: Just keep pushing and have a backbone about rejection. It’s not about you. For every good day, I have 10 rough days, so persistence is vital. Also be open to learning more about yourself, your strengths, your quirks, so you can create something truly intuitive.

To learn more about Sara’s work, please visit her website

Words with Friends | Chintia Kirana

Chintia Kirana: Creating Poetry from the Mundane

Chintia has an interesting story of how her art developed and evolved over time.  Born in Indonesia, she came to Montgomery, AL as a refugee with her family at 12 years old, carrying only one suitcase of all her belongings.  She had to choose what to bring, and what to leave behind.  As a result, she has turned to collecting items that have meaning for her.  Amy Parry Projects spent part of an afternoon with her at shedspace, a lovely outdoor space at Whitespace Gallery, where her work was recently on view.

APP:  What was it like growing up in Montgomery?

CK:  I felt like an outsider, and I was thrown into school without being able to speak English at all. I loved to draw, so I did a lot of that in class. I was able to go back to Indonesia in 2012, and realized that I am an outsider there too…not really being a part of either place completely. It was after my visit that I really started thinking about what home means, and what are the materials I can gather to represent who I am. My grandparents have passed away since my visit, and my cousins have grown big, so the passage of time is also something I want to convey.

APP:  What kinds of things do you like to collect?

CK:  I like to collect discarded items from everyday activities. Eggshells resonate, because to me they represent the beauty and fragility of life, and a kind of tragic-ness. I collect ash from rituals my family observes, burning joss paper as ghost money for our ancestors, as well as the carbon that comes from build up from the giant wok my family used at their restaurant. I compress those materials to make charcoal and ink for my work. Having left so many things behind, collecting is therapeutic for me. It’s how I heal, and I love the poetry of giving these mundane items another life. With the charcoal I have produced a series called Letters To Loved Ones, after thinking about all the things I’d like to say to my grandparents.

APP:  The eggshell installation at shedspace looks like a lovely delicate mobile or wind chimes. Do you preserve them somehow to make them more durable?

CK:  I really love the temporary feeling that this space projects…right in the middle of the garden, almost existing outdoors. Right now I coat them with a polyacrylic to give them more sheen.


APP: You mention your fascination with light and shadow on your website.

CK: Yes, earlier I did drawings of dilapidated buildings with a lot of shadow. They were not exactly inviting, but for some reason they draw you in. And in Indonesia we have shadow puppets, which is how we learn about our culture and history. In 3D art, you have to take up more space, and affect the space around the work with the shadows. It makes it more interesting to look at. And with a person, you only get to see a certain part of them depending on how much light you shine on them.

APP: What’s up next?

CK:  Little Amal, the puppet of the Syrian refugee girl, has asked me to do a collaboration with them. She is coming to 35 cities in the United States, including Montgomery, in the Fall. In this collaboration I will be able to explore the theme of “what home means.” I love to do work that doesn’t always stay in one place, and keep the work socially engaged, and connected to the community. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do with collaboration, but it will probably involve eggshells. The location is the site of the old slave market, and I want to pay homage to the history of the place and connect to the present time.

To learn more about Chintia’s work, please visit her website

Words with Friends | Beth Kamhi

Strength and Beauty: A Dynamic Conversation with artist Beth Kamhi

We recently commissioned Beth Kamhi to create a triptych for a residential project, and it has been a pleasure to get to know her a little. Her sculptural wall installations create an interesting balance between industrial and glam, hard and soft, masculine and feminine. Her use of metal ball chain conveys a tough yet delicate feeling throughout her work.

APP:  What is your inspiration for using industrial ball chains for your pieces?

BK:  My career began in fashion, then in interior design, incorporating faux finishing and textile design, designs for furniture,  and eventually I started making art with various materials, but the ball chain just resonated with me.  I got hold of a whole bin of it that was rusted out, and I just fell in love.  At the time I was also working with VHS tape, and trying other materials like twine and string, because the ball chain can get quite heavy, but it just wasn’t the same.

APP:  A lot of it looks like sculptural jewelry or draperies.

BK:  Yes!  It is a mash up of all the things I have made and designed in earlier days.  If you don’t know the scale, some pieces look like earrings.  Some are looped  through rings so it feels like fabric or hair, and I paint on some of them to create landscape images that have a beaded curtain feeling, and I have painted faces on some, and with the faces I did a kiss series.

APP:  How do you paint the ballchain?

BK:  Just freehand.  I tighten the chain, then paint it and seal it.  I don’t paint each individual ball or anything.


APP: You have some pieces with wooden vessels that look like tribal instruments that are really beautiful.

BK: Those are turned wood, that I embellished with the ball chain. I called that the antiquity series, and I really distressed the ball chain with caustic elements to make them have a weathered pearl like lustre. I don't do that anymore because of the chemicals. It was very messy!

APP: Tell us about the commission you are working on for APP.

BK:  It’s part of a series called Tension.  It’s ball chain woven through rings that creates a nice tug of power, and then it pools on the ground in puddles.  You don’t know what part is pulling, and what’s holding.  I like that it looks a bit like fiber art.  

APP: What is your dream project?

BK:  For years I’ve been thinking about making words with the ballchain, and I’ve finally figured it out.  I’d love to do a piece for a big public space with words that creates engagement and a sense of wonderment.  I recently bid on a project for an airport.  It could say WHERE ARE YOU GOING,...ENJOY THE JOURNEY…we will see…reach for the stars!

APP:  That would be a good phrase too! What is next on the horizon?

BK:  I’m currently offering large scale prints of my work, and working on prints for wallpaper and fabrics that can be printed on demand.  I’m pretty excited about it!

APP:  Why do you think the ball chain resonates with you as much as it does?

BK:  I like the way the balls are connected, and how it reflects that we are all connected.  They are strong, but they can also be really messy, just like life.

To learn more about Beth’s work, please visit her website

Words with Friends | Kerry Steele

Immersed in the Abstract: Kerry Steele

Kerry Steele is an artist based in Charleston, SC who works with Amy Parry Projects, most recently on our Boca West Country Club installation, as well as some residential work.  Her use of color and shape draws from nature and adapts well to commissioned work.

APP: What do you think about when you paint?

KS: I think about absolutely nothing. I used to listen to music, but now I don't even do that. Sometimes I create an abstract that is more floral in feeling, or a kind of landscape but not really...I'll add some scribbles to suggest mountains, and then move the paint around the canvas, layering the colors for depth.

APP: What are your favorite colors to work with?

KS: I like to layer a lot of colors on top of each other. There might be some brown or green underneath to make it more interesting, but there may only be a centimeter of that color visible, and that gives the layering some complexity. I also love to paint with orange.

APP: Besides abstracts, you also paint nudes. Where do you get the inspiration?

KS: My grandmother was also an artist, and she also painted abstracts and nudes. Her abstracts were more geometrical, and the paint didn't overlap. Her nudes were not similar to mine either. She always painted a face - I try to leave out facial features. I try to leave a lot out.

APP: What else have you done besides paint?

KS: I used to own my own design firm, and a lot of my work is commissions for interior designers. My artwork has now led me back into the design world by painting for show houses and High Point Market.

To learn more about Kerry’s work, please visit her website

kerrysteele.com

Words with Friends | Melissa Borrell

Melissa Borrell: Finding Art in Sacred Geometry

Melissa Borrell is a multimedia artist who began her career making jewelry as a RISD grad. Seeing how the geometric shapes of her jewelry played with light and shadow, she began to expand into large-scale sculptural pieces. Her work includes 3D wall installations as well as immersive works enveloping multiple rooms. The artist recently sat down with APP to discuss current projects, inspiration, and dreams for the future.

APP: Hi Melissa! We really love the sculpture you made for us at The Wave Hotel in Lake Nona, Florida. It seems to be lit from within, but it’s not. How did you create that effect?

MB: I’m working a lot lately with laser cut acrylic in bright colors, and for that piece I used an “edge glow” acrylic. It is similar to fiber optics, taking ambient light in and then concentrating it on the edges. I called that piece TetraHedonism, playing on the geometric shapes that I used, and the indulgences that can be experienced at the Lake Nona Wave Hotel. I love how the bright acrylic pieces create new colors when layered together.

APP: Since your shapes are very abstract, where do you get your inspiration?  Are you referencing anything specific?

MB: I look at things in nature, plants for example, and see how they build forms and connections at a cellular level. I’m inspired by Charles and Rae Eames “The Power Of Ten” Video (you can see it on Youtube). Right now I’m doing a piece for a chemical engineering company, and I’m looking at chemistry to inform the shapes I will create.

APP: What is the wildest project you have worked on?

MB: I’m part of an artist collective called Vision Gland, and we made an immersive environment called KaleidoscopiCave. It was made out of Mylar, and had several rooms, so you could wander through it. Inspired greatly by geometric abstraction, I played with different forms and angles of the three-dimensional space.



APP: What is your dream project?

MB: I’d like to design a playground. I like for my work to be kinetic, functional, and interactive, which is why I like to design jewelry, but I’m more and more interested in bigger scale. I’ve already created a design for an outdoor bench, but a play space is definitely a dream of mine.

To learn more about Melissa’s work, please visit her website

melissaborrell.com

Words with Friends | Janice Rago

An Artist in Bloom:

In Conversation with Janice Rago

APP met with Janice Rago at her studio in SW Atlanta; an expansive enclave she shares with other local Atlanta artists. For a big artists warehouse, it is surprisingly organized and also very cheerful, with two adorable Aussie shepherds in residence. Janice's space is a small room within where she creates beautiful works full of female forms and flowers.

APP: What is the significance of flowers in your work?

JR: My mom was a florist, growing up in Hawaii. She made everything beautiful, so that was always around me, and my love of flowers came from that. In college all I painted was flowers, and hated painting figures. As a senior I took it on as a challenge, and painted figures that whole year. Now I paint figures with flowers, but I am starting to mask them more. I try to leave some mystery, and people viewing my work tell me that they can project whatever they're feeling to the work.

APP: We see a lot of murals of yours around town. Can you tell us how you got involved in that?

JR: I started about 5 or 6 years ago with Forward Warrior, which is a 2 day event in Cabbagetown. We paint a section of a wall on Wylie, (I paint over the same space every year,) and whatever you put up there, you finish in two days. It's fun because artists usually work alone, and we all get to have a big catch up moment. It's a nice weekend event for the neighborhood, so everyone comes out to watch the process, and it becomes an ever changing canvas for the neighborhood.

APP: I also love the mural on Highland Av at the Laundromat.

JR: Yes! That one is a few years old. I've been wanting to update that one. I just got married to Nick Carse, of King of Pops, and they had a big KOP mural on the other side of the building back in the day. The city at that time wasn't used to murals, and because painted advertisements could only be a certain size, they painted over it. I did a later mural in the same place for KOP.

APP: I remember that! I was so disappointed when the first one disappeared! What is your percentage of murals to paintings?

JR: About 50-50%, but I am slowly getting away from murals, because there are a lot requests for things I don't do normally. So I'm starting to say no more, or refer other friends who are artists.

APP: I see you do some mural collabs with Lela Brunet.

JR: Yeah I love her to death. We work together really well because our styles complement each other, but our methods are different. Mine is more organic, and hers are more structured figures. It's good on big mural projects to work together, because sometimes it's scary working alone on a mural. One time a guy hid in some nearby bushes watching me paint for an hour, and sometimes there are late night hours that makes it risky for a woman.

APP: Who are the women in the paintings?

JR: They are composites of women I see...I take different features from different people and put them together in a way that I like. I assemble the ideas in a computer program called ProCreate before I commit to canvas.

APP: What's up next for you?

JR: This spring I'm doing a mural for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It will be 28' x 12', for the Orchid Days Exhibit. It'll be done in March or April. I'm super excited about that!

APP: What else do you do when you're not painting?

JR: I have 2 Aussie shepards, and my husband and I love to garden. We have transformed my yard with probably 15,000 plants. Mostly florals, but vegetables too. it's constantly changing.



To learn more about Janice’s work, please visit her website

janiceragoart.com