CHILDREN... FOR ALL AGES

we could paint our way down. I worked at night with the scenic painter as
his assistant and I[ learned to work on a grand scale. We worked with
brushes that were twelveinches wide and four inches thick and we had three

or four buckets on either side of us.
POTA: Did you go through a phase, then, of your own painting on a
smaller scale before you went into assemblage?

C.1.: No. I was a terrible painter. I could draw very well. Oil paint was
what we were using then and everything I touched I’d just muck up totally.
I went into etching in my training and did a fair amount of that. Painting
I finally stayed away from.

The sculpture room at VSA was a room about as bjg...let’s relate it to a

room at the school: the sculpture studio was as big as one of the Foundation

rooms. For the whole school. The first thing we did wasa portrait out of clay:

which we then made a mold from and then cast into...possibly plaster. It
was very, very conventional.

In the meantime we had a remarkable teacher. The stories he told were
inspiring—within the situation. [ remember one thing he said was: “Never
confuse the mysticism with the mist, or the mist with the mysticism”. He was
saying you don’t cloud issues imagining that you’re dealing with the
mysterious; if you do that, you’re just putting this fog of mist over the
“thing”. I’ve held onto that for a long time.

POTA: It seems in a lot of your work there is a theme which resides
around the idea of “people”. It would stem from your involvement with
people, your writing about people....

C.1.: Yeah, for sure, that’s true. A prose book that came out was about being
a mother and having been mothered and this is also a woman’s

approach.Somewhere along the line we goof up in teaching our little male
children how to nurture and care, we do, we really goof up. The little
girls are taught how to care and the little boys miss being taught this
kind of nurturing. I think it has to be taught, I don’t think it’s entirely
genetic whether you get it or not; but it has to do with care of people.
You can call me an inflamed feminist in that respect because I don’t see
this in men as
much as I see it
in women. And it

scares me.
POTA: What’s
the responsibility

of the artist to
deal with social
issues?

C.1.: On a larger
scope the artist’s
responsibility is
larger than dealing
with social issues.
But social issues
are’ inherently
within us all be-
cause we walk out
of our houses and
we do things.

Part of my re-
sponsibility as an
artist—oh, I don’t
like the word “re-
sponsibility” (the
“artist” word is
okay)—is to, and
always has been to, in terms of our culture, recycle. And to focus on the
environment; and to be reading the changes in it and watching closely,

doing my little drop in the bucket toward maybe enlightening more people.

Planet of the Arts Volume7 Issue5 page 9

an interview

Carole Itter

But one never knows if you’ve done that entirely. You can exhibit a piece
that you think relates very directly to some issue and maybe not get very
much feedback on it, so you don’t know.

When you say my art connects with people it also connects with place very
strongly. Place to me is a big urban city on the west coast of this continent
but my place also is many little places up and down this coast that have
nothing to do with city. | don’t mean I squat under some root and grunt and
howl or something like that. [t is knowing how to be comfortable out of a
large city and live in a simpler way because that’s sort of basic for all of us.
To learn how to do a few simple things; haul the water, split the wood, make
the fire.

POTA: So, rather than a “responsibility” art is more of an intrinsic
sensibility, a development of personal values, maybe not always conscious?

C.1.: Yeah, that’s well put. I try to imagine my life integrated somehow.
There’s lots of days when it’s not. Then there’s the good days when it is. I
try not to separate the making of art from the other parts. The responsibil-
ity somehow also has to do with making all these marks or, for me, filling
space. Another concern is “What do I do with these things?” afterward.
“Have I been responsible or am I just making more?” Having had a
warehouse fire and having lost so much stuff that was in storage, all this got
solved to a large extent.

POTA: That’s something a lot of artists deal with, the amassing of art, the
excess of material.

C.1.: You'll never stop questioning it. Within the question can you ride
with the anxiety of not necessarily always needing answers but making sure
those questions are always in your mind? I know sometimes if I’m question-
ing too closely,
making those ques-
tions and question-
ing myself too
fiercely then I stop
working as an art-
ist. Sol try to have
those questions
coming when my
hands are working.
That’s okay, that’s
a safe place, in a
way.

The sort of aca-
demic introspec-
tion with no action
from you, in terms
of making things,
can lead into a
kind of a vortex.
One needs to al-
ways balance, al-
ways that kind of

balance.

Choir of Rattles Maximum height- 101/2' (in 10 parts)
photo: London Regional Art Gallery
Planet ofthe Arts Volume 7 IsueS page 9

CHILDREN...FOR ALL AGES

could paint our way down. I worked at night with the scenic painter as
his assistant and I learned to work on a grand seale. We worked with
brushes that were twelveinches wide and four inches thick and we had three
or four buckets on either side of us.

POTA: Did you go through a phase, then, of your own painting on
smaller scale before you went into assemblage?

C.L.: No. I was a terrible painter. I could draw very well. Oil paint was

what we:

e using then and everything I touched I’d just muck up totally.
I went

to etching in my training and did a fair amount of that. Painting
I finally stayed away from.

‘The sculpture room at VSA was a room about as big.
room atthe school: the sculpture studio was as big as one of th
rooms. For thewhole school. The first thing wedid was portrait out of clay
which we then made a mold from and t

was very, very conventional.

let's relate it to a

oundation

‘cast into...possibly plaster. It

In the meantime we had a remarkable teacher. The stories he told were
inspiring—within the situation. [remember one thing he said was: “Never
confuse the mysticism with the mist, or the mi Hewas

saying you don’t cloud issues imagining that you ing with the
mysterious; if you do that, you're just putting this fog of mist over the
“thing”. I’ve held onto that for a long time.

POTA: It seems in a lot of your work there is a theme wl
around the idea of “people”. It would stem from your inv.
people, your writing about people...

C.l.: Yeah, for sure, that’s true. A prose book that came out was about being
‘a mother and having been mothered and this is also a woman’s

approach.Somewhere along the line we goof up in teaching our little male

children how to nurture and care, we do, we really goof up. The little
girls are taught how to care and the little boys miss being taught this
kind of nurturing. I think it has to be taught, I don’t think it’s entirely
genetic whether you get it or not; but it has to do with care of people
You can call me an inflamed fe

in that respect because I don’t see

this in me

much as I see it
in women. And it

POTA: What's
the responsibility
Of the artist to
deal with social
insues?

C.L: Ona larger
scope the artist's
responsibility is

larger than dealing
with social issues.
But social issues
are inherently
within us all bs
cause we walk out
of our houses and
we do things.

Part of my re-
sponsibility as an
artist—oh, I don’t
like the word “re-
ty” (the
“artist” word is
okay)—is to, and
always has been to, in terms of our culture, recycle. And to focus on the
environment; and to be reading the changes in it and watching
doing my little drop in the bucket tows

losely,

d maybe enlighter people.

ing mo!

an interview

Carole Itter

But one never knows if you've done that entirely. You ean exhibit a piece
that you think relates very directly to some issue and maybe not
much fe

back on it, so you don’t know.

When you say my art connects with people it also connects with place very

strongly. Place to me is a big urban city on the west coast of this con

but my place also is many little places up and down this coast that h

nothing to do with city. I don’t mean I squat under some root and grunt and

howl or something li
large city and Ii

To learn how to do a few simple things; haul the water, split the wood, make

that. It is knowing how to be comfortabi

out of a

na simpler way because that’s sort of basie for all of

Yeah, that’s well put. I try to imagine my life integrated somehow.
's the

try not to separate the making of art from the other parts:

here’s lots of days when it’s not. Then t d days when it is. 1

he responsibil
ity somehow also has to do with making all these marks or, for me, fill
space. Another concern is “What do I do with these things?” after

“Have I been responsible or am I just making more?” Having had a

warehouse fire and having lost so much stuff that was in storage, all this got
solve

toa large extent

s deal with, the amassing of art, the

C.L: You'll never stop questioning it. Within the question can you ri

with the anxiety of not necessar

ding answers but makingsure

those questions are always in your n

nd? I know sometimes if I’m questior

ing too closely
making those ques:
tions and question:
ing myself too
fie

working as an art

y then I stop

ist. So Ttry to have

those questions

coming wi

hands are worki

‘That’sokay,that’s

a safe place.

he sort of ac
mic introspec

tion with no actio

of m

ing things

can lead into a
kind of a vortex.
One needs to al

ways balance, al
ways that kind of