How and where did your art practice begin?
I have always loved making things and creating art. In high school I was fortunate enough to take a wide variety of art classes and engage in public art activities such as contests, exhibits and sales. I went to a liberal arts collage and minored in art. My major was in languages. I studied Chinese because I was drawn to the graphic nature of the characters.
Where do you draw inspiration for your forms/designs?
I love plants! Flowers and anything leafy can get me really excited. I’m also interested in sacred geometry, mandalas and the Zentangle Method of drawing. I am part of quite a few art communities, in person and online/over zoom, and interacting with other artists is very inspiring for me. I love to go to art museums, botanical gardens and explore the arts when I travel.
How do you plan your pieces and how do you decide when they’re finished?
'Plan' might be too strong a word for my process. Sometimes I’m inspired by a specific flower or color combination, or a new pattern that I find and I do something that will help me remember it. I do a lot of art in my art journal, and on index cards and Zentangle tiles. I can use these if I’m feeling stuck or just want to browse.
Most of my work develops over the course of a series. I will make a piece with some variation on a piece I have [already] completed. Part of how I know something is completed is that I hang it in my living room and look at it throughout the course of the day or week or sometimes years. I have gone back into many pieces and redone some part after living with it for a while. Sometimes I see something in a piece that I want to develop further. Occasionally a piece will be done in one round of work – this is more likely with Zentangle and still life pictures than with my more abstract work.
What draws you to your specific/preferred medium?
I have been collecting paper of all kinds for my entire life. I prefer not to use something just once. Environmentalism is important to me and the acrylic paints I love aren’t very environmentally friendly. Paper is easy to reuse and I love to paint on book pages, sheet music, maps, junk mail, security envelopes, old homework assignments, my grandfather’s old gardening journal and my grandmother’s recipe cards (I’m just not going to cook with lard). Old lace, especially tablecloths, is so fun to use in a variety of ways especially on the gelli plate.
But if I could only have one art supply for the rest of my life it would probably be a Micron pen.
Who were your mentors or what resources did you use to learn your medium?
My high school art teacher was very supportive and encouraged my self expression even when I didn’t really do what was assigned. As an adult I have been very inspired by the art community on Instagram. Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is an amazing mixed media artist and I have taken a lot of classes from her. Seth Apter is another of my favorite artists I have been fortunate to study with. There is a group called the Bookmaker Collective who introduced me to so many different artists and media and led me to Fodder School, organized by Wendy Solganik. My most recent exploration has been into block printing inspired and instructed by Ali Baecker in a deep dive into repeat pattern design.
What result can a finished piece or your process yield that makes you feel rewarded or proud?
Sometimes when a piece comes together and exceeds my expectations I feel flooded with joy. Often the process itself fills me with peace and happiness. There is nothing better to improve my mood than carving rubber or making gelli prints!
Pride comes when someone’s face lights up when they look at my work. One of the most rewarding responses I ever had to a piece was “Wow, Hmmm” as they walked closer to explore the details. My goal is to make art that you can look at for a long time and still see new things. The layers in the background are almost always meaningful to me so when someone takes the times to look it makes my heart sing.
Where is your practice now, what is your focus, where is it growing?
I am working on integrating block printing and pattern design into my work. Sometimes I will make a block print that is complete unto itself, but usually I want there to be more… whatever. I’m also always learning new Zentangle techniques and pattern combinations. I have 2 multi day workshops coming up that are inspiring me to use Zentangle more in my work. New products or techniques frequently take me in surprising directions and in October I’m taking a silk screening class that I’m really excited about. It is the next step from Ali’s pattern design class and that led my down some exciting paths in the last year.
The most important thing about my practice is that I make art almost every day. Part of the beauty of mixed media is that there’s generally something I can do on any given day. My health challenges have led me to get creative in finding different ways to express myself. And I almost always have a micron pen with me!
Where can people find you / you work?
I have some work at the Art Hub and will have a solo show there in April of next year. It will be a collection of 100 mandalas in different media from 3" x 3" to 30" x 30”. I hope you can come around. I’m also teaching 3 classes at Art Hub this fall. The first is a mixed media class where you will learn the basics of gel printing and create a still life. The second is transforming an old book into an art journal in November. In December I will hold a Zentangle class here at the Art Hub.
In October I will have art on display and for sale at UW Hospital in the surgical waiting area. That art or fresh art will move to a show in Beloit in November.
I have a standing exhibit at Weichert, Realtors®, 2045 Atwood Avenue, Suite 105 in Madison. Currently this is mostly a selection of my photography and altered books. They participate in Art Walks and have events periodically. The next one is MMoCA's Fall Gallery Night is on Friday, October 4th, 5-9 PM. I will be there for part of the evening.
I have a print on demand shop on Fine Art America. Not all of my art is posted on that site. If there is something you have seen that you want on a tshirt, shower curtain, pillow, or tote bag (etc.) please reach out and let me know.
I can be reached through my website: https://jeanetteclawsonart.com/ and I have digital downloads of coloring pages and block prints in my Etsy shop:https://www.etsy.com/shop/JeanetteClawsonArt
What role do places like Art Hub play in having an art practice that is also a business?
When I got back into making art, my focus was on healing myself and bringing joy into my life through the process of making art. After a few years I started to feel better and had a stockpile of completed work and became interested in selling and teaching. My health problems, particularly the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s, limit my stamina. I also have a very low tolerance for heat and sunlight, so art fairs and plein air painting opportunities are not an option for me. Shipping things causes me problems because I can’t always manage the timeline that websites like Etsy require. That is why I only have digital downloads and they mostly just pay for the site. The business of being an artist is usually beyond my capacity physically and mentally.
That is where places like Art Hub come in. They take care of a lot of the business of art. Art Hub provides me with a place to show and sell my work and to occasionally teach classes. They have some paperwork to fill out and I only need to drop things off and pick them up. The Art Hub provides me with the freedom and energy to make art.
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