We are huge fans of Jess Gonacha work here at The Shiny Squirrel. Thank you so much for being apart of the third interview.
New Work
What is your background in art?
I earned my BFA from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY (my main focus was painting).
What inspires each piece or a series that you are currently working on?
Honestly, I'm not quite sure. Sometimes it's a feeling, sometimes a thought, sometimes an image will just pop into my head. Often times ideas come to me when I'm walking outdoors, which will spark a painting or sometimes even a whole series. I'm very inspired by nature, and also by my day to day life-- the moments and fleeting feelings I try to capture in my work often come directly from an experience in my life.
New Work
Who is the number one person you would like to collaborate with and why?
Oh gosh, this is such a hard question! I think I would have to say Sarajo Frieden . Her work just blows me away. I saw her show at Little Bird Gallery in LA a couple years ago, and it was just incredible. The detail and intricacy in her work is a huge inspiration for me. Plus, she just seems like a really fun and interesting person, so I think she'd be fun to work with!
If you could paint/draw like one artist who would it be?
Another hard question. There are so many. I'm going to go with John Solimine for this one, of Spike Press . His posters are amazing, and I would love to be able to create work like his.
What do you think of the current state of the contemporary art world?
I think there are good things and bad things going on. The good part is that artists have more access to a global market than ever before in history, and that's pretty exciting. On the flip side of that, though, is that it's becoming very highly saturated, and there is a lot of muck to wade through to get to the gems. Another thing I've noticed is that galleries seem to be less necessary now, which also its pros and cons.
I think there is often an air of elitism surrounding the gallery world, which I am not fond of, so it's nice to be able to see great art on blogs and in online shops, but on the other side of that, there is something about viewing work online that will just never match seeing something hanging on a gallery wall. It's a completely different experience, and I think it's a bit harder to get involved in the art when you're not in person with it. The ways people can view and acquire art are expanding rapidly,
though, and it seems that the artists and galleries who are evolving with it are doing extremely well, and those that aren't embracing the changes are sort-of being left behind.
How has etsy and blogging affected your art?
Oh my gosh, I couldn't do what I'm doing if it weren't for etsy and blogging! I was able to quit my part time job last year because of it-- the blog world has been key in getting my work out there (I have many great bloggers to thank for writing about my work), and etsy is such an amazing venue with a huge built-in audience! I've made connections through my blog and etsy shop that I could've never made any other way. It's been truly amazing. It also makes it a little intimidating to be an artist at times, because there is so much incredible work to see every time you click a button! It's overwhelming sometimes. :)
What is your artistic routine and how do you know when a piece is truly completed?
My routine is all over the place lately. I don't really have any set times or ways that I work on anything- it just all gets done somehow. I work pretty much from morning until bedtime, with breaks for eating, running, playing with my cat and my fiancé...
As for knowing when a piece is finished, I basically just work on it until it feels like I should probably stop or I'll wreck it! Sometimes that means leaving it alone for a while (a few days, a week, maybe just an hour) and coming back to it with fresh eyes. When it's done, it just feels done. It's hard to explain.
Studio
Currently reading/ watching anything?
Well, I have to admit I really love watching 'Lost', and my fiancé and I have recently become obsessed with 'Hell's Kitchen'. (We only watch shows on our laptop in bed, though!) And I'm sort-of in the middle of reading about 5 books, the latest being "You'll See It When You Believe It" by Wayne Dyer and "No One Belongs Here More Than You" by Miranda July.
Inspiration Board
I earned my BFA from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY (my main focus was painting).
What inspires each piece or a series that you are currently working on?
Honestly, I'm not quite sure. Sometimes it's a feeling, sometimes a thought, sometimes an image will just pop into my head. Often times ideas come to me when I'm walking outdoors, which will spark a painting or sometimes even a whole series. I'm very inspired by nature, and also by my day to day life-- the moments and fleeting feelings I try to capture in my work often come directly from an experience in my life.
New Work
Who is the number one person you would like to collaborate with and why?
Oh gosh, this is such a hard question! I think I would have to say Sarajo Frieden . Her work just blows me away. I saw her show at Little Bird Gallery in LA a couple years ago, and it was just incredible. The detail and intricacy in her work is a huge inspiration for me. Plus, she just seems like a really fun and interesting person, so I think she'd be fun to work with!
If you could paint/draw like one artist who would it be?
Another hard question. There are so many. I'm going to go with John Solimine for this one, of Spike Press . His posters are amazing, and I would love to be able to create work like his.
What do you think of the current state of the contemporary art world?
I think there are good things and bad things going on. The good part is that artists have more access to a global market than ever before in history, and that's pretty exciting. On the flip side of that, though, is that it's becoming very highly saturated, and there is a lot of muck to wade through to get to the gems. Another thing I've noticed is that galleries seem to be less necessary now, which also its pros and cons.
I think there is often an air of elitism surrounding the gallery world, which I am not fond of, so it's nice to be able to see great art on blogs and in online shops, but on the other side of that, there is something about viewing work online that will just never match seeing something hanging on a gallery wall. It's a completely different experience, and I think it's a bit harder to get involved in the art when you're not in person with it. The ways people can view and acquire art are expanding rapidly,
though, and it seems that the artists and galleries who are evolving with it are doing extremely well, and those that aren't embracing the changes are sort-of being left behind.
How has etsy and blogging affected your art?
Oh my gosh, I couldn't do what I'm doing if it weren't for etsy and blogging! I was able to quit my part time job last year because of it-- the blog world has been key in getting my work out there (I have many great bloggers to thank for writing about my work), and etsy is such an amazing venue with a huge built-in audience! I've made connections through my blog and etsy shop that I could've never made any other way. It's been truly amazing. It also makes it a little intimidating to be an artist at times, because there is so much incredible work to see every time you click a button! It's overwhelming sometimes. :)
What is your artistic routine and how do you know when a piece is truly completed?
My routine is all over the place lately. I don't really have any set times or ways that I work on anything- it just all gets done somehow. I work pretty much from morning until bedtime, with breaks for eating, running, playing with my cat and my fiancé...
As for knowing when a piece is finished, I basically just work on it until it feels like I should probably stop or I'll wreck it! Sometimes that means leaving it alone for a while (a few days, a week, maybe just an hour) and coming back to it with fresh eyes. When it's done, it just feels done. It's hard to explain.
Studio
Currently reading/ watching anything?
Well, I have to admit I really love watching 'Lost', and my fiancé and I have recently become obsessed with 'Hell's Kitchen'. (We only watch shows on our laptop in bed, though!) And I'm sort-of in the middle of reading about 5 books, the latest being "You'll See It When You Believe It" by Wayne Dyer and "No One Belongs Here More Than You" by Miranda July.
Inspiration Board
Great interview! Jess is an amazing artist!
Posted by: Amy | April 12, 2009 at 11:51 PM
So good to get to know Jess a little better! I love her work, her blog and Pecannoot!
Posted by: Carmen Torbus | April 13, 2009 at 12:14 PM
yay! that was a great interview. i enjoyed reading and seeing jess gonachas work space. she is such an inspiration. :)
Posted by: rachel | April 13, 2009 at 08:37 PM
Good interview, got to learn a lot more about Jess.
Posted by: Shell | April 14, 2009 at 01:21 AM
Oh yay I love Jess and her work - great interview!
Posted by: Diana | April 14, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Sweet! Love her!
Posted by: mati McDonough | April 15, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Great interview, Jess. Lots of good talk. :)
Posted by: rowena | April 17, 2009 at 12:59 PM
great interview jess. love seeing your work space and board. isn't miranda july cool?! love your new paintings too :)
Posted by: belinda/gretchenmist | April 19, 2009 at 08:01 PM