#some form of mentorship is important and you need feedback and crits

[meloncubemag-blog]

Laurel McLeod’s Experiments in Studio Art

My interview with Laurel has been my most spontaneous interview for the ‘Cube yet. I met the friendly artist Thursday afternoon at a meeting for a mentorship program that we are both involved in, collaborating on an upcoming exhibition together in April with several other artists based in Guelph. Our impromptu chat over hot beverages and fruit cups at The Cornerstone flitted over what sorts of art mediums and conceptual questions we are drawn towards most, comparisons of our experiences studying at OCAD and UofG, and Laurel’s environmentally sensitive approach to her artistic practice.  

I learned tons about navigating the undergraduate Studio Art program at UofG through Laurel’s descriptions of her classes, and both the technical and conceptual influences that drive contemporary drawing and painting practices in unconventional directions.

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So how did you find yourself majoring in Studio and minoring in Art History at the University of Guelph?

I’ve always been interested in art but I actually started school at Guelph for Biological Sciences. I was taking art history courses, so I decided to do a minor in art history. Then I started getting more into art, and I realized… “What am I doing in Biology?” Which is when I decided to fully pursue studio art.

It’s a big change to go from completely biology to completely art!

Yeah, for sure. A good change! I paint but I also took a digital media course, animation, and I’m into photography right now.

What types of photography do you learn at the university?

Last year we were doing digital, but right now we’re going large format photography and using 4 x 5s. We put the black cloth over our heads to see the image, and then develop the image in the dark room.

Does the sitter have to pose for a long time?

Nope! It doesn’t take long to capture the image at all, the development process is longer. There’s actually a dark room at school.

Could you tell me more about your painting projects?

Yeah! So last semester I got more interested in making works that were based around things found in nature. So I made a series of paintings that are 9x12, and I made thirty of those. What I did was I placed canvases outside with a bit of black pigment on top, and I let the wind disperse the pigment and they all ended up with different forms on top. Then I took those back to the studio and recreated them myself… So I was trying to talk about “what if people replicate what nature can make?”

Interesting! Did you find that you could replicate the forms close to what nature had made?

Hmmmmm, sometimes (laughs), not always.

What have you been working on lately?

I’m working with preserved moss in my works. It’s all based on a lot of nature and influenced by zen paintings. I guess there is not a ton of attachment to every piece for me personally, but I’ve been trying to figure out the materials more. I’ve been trying to use materials other than paints to create my paintings.

How did you come across the idea to use preserved moss, and is it easily accessible to you?

Back home (in Oakville) there is a garden center and I go there all the time now. My professor had suggested to me “Maybe try to look at zen paintings and imagery?” So I did, and eventually that morphed into this project.

Do you receive valuable feedback from your peers?

Yeah, we have critiques every few weeks, for every project there is a crit. My painting class has about nineteen students, mostly girls. In my final year class we have independent projects, and so we will talk to each other and the professor about our works.

Is there a focus on techniques or do students also discuss conceptual approaches to more experimental works?

I think for a lot of the students it is focused on technique because they are strictly painting, but for me the process and the meaning behind it is also important because I’m not using traditional painting methods. There aren’t a lot of people using moss (laughs), so there has to be a message there, right? Everyone’s work is so different.

Do professors ever influence you to create works in a certain style?

For sure, but in a good way. They help me develop solid works, but don’t impose their views on my work. If that was the case, I believe I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing, or enjoying it. I’ve definitely been influenced by my professors to go bigger with my artworks and do the best I can.

I was making a lot of small pieces, mostly because I was doing so many of them. Now, I feel like I can go bigger because I’m making so few. I feel like it’s ‘worked’ going bigger, and now I just want to keep going bigger!

How does the university teach you to price a painting?

There’s a few ways to do it…You can take the measurements of the height and width and price it that way, or you can take into account the materials and time and also considering if you’re putting it in a gallery or not. So you have to really think about where it’s going, and who’s seeing it.

What would you say to people who say, “I can’t draw, I’m not an artist”?

Everyone starts drawing when they’re little. We all have paper, we all have crayons, right? When do you decide then that you can’t draw? There are people who really like to draw and they have naturally just been drawing and don’t feel the need to ‘learn’ it in the same way if that makes sense?

For sure. I also find it interesting how we all draw the same thing when we’re little, even if we grow up in different countries.

Yeah! Like the clouds, and the sun, and the sky is always on top…

It must be a universal language of doodling. How long does it usually take for you to conceptualize a drawing and present it?

Lately I’ve been trying to spend more time to think about how a piece reads, or the framework of it, and make sure it’s conceptually sound before I even start it. So that takes longer than the drawing process, which is usually pretty fast. It’s very process-based. I can take paper and put some materials down and leave it, step away from it. Then I come back to it, add a bit of stuff on top, and then I’ve got a drawing. The drawing is pretty quick in that sense but the thinking behind it takes more time.

Do you document the process?

I haven’t been documenting the process itself in photos and videos, no. I have been going back to them and drawing on them a bit…

So once it’s ‘done’, it’s not really done, and you often go back to rework a piece?

I'm interested in the idea of chance involved when working with natural processes. That being said, yes, I do go back to a piece and add to it if I feel it isn't quite done. Often this involves melting more materials on top of the drawing, which allows for more colour and material interaction. These drawings are currently on show at the Boarding House Gallery. (below) 

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Keep up to date with Laurel McLeod’s projects on her website  

and follow her Instagram! 

[pansyfemme]

i see some videos like ‘you should never go to art school its a sham!!’ and then everytime its someone.. who went to art school and they go well i did learn a lot BUT. and i guess i just wish art school was cheaper and more accessible because it is clearly worth something its just not worth how much it fucking costs