Juror’s choice award winner, Stacey Page
When Stacey Page’s work arrived at the gallery we were all a bit taken aback. These labored little treasures were so strange, so charming, so captivating. Juror Ariel Shanberg was also quite captured by them upon seeing them in person, and chose Page as the recipient of our current Manipluated exhibition’s Juror’s Choice award.
Artist Stacey Page takes found portrait photographs and adds embroidery to the discarded images, creating cunning narratives. The artist states, “The original photograph desires a specific response. There are reoccurring hints of crowns, masks, mutations or developments. Themes and imagery based on status, avatar, identity, fashion, evolution, with the relationships and conflicts of humankind.”
When asked whether she was trying to add or hide something in the images, she simply said ”It is a resurrection, perhaps allowing a little fame to a discarded identity.”
Enjoy our full interview with the artist, below:
Castell Photography: Where are you from, and what is your training and educational background?
Stacey Page: I live in Gillsville, GA. I have some college where I studied painting.
CP: Have you always been creative? Or rather, when did you discover that you were artistically inclined?
SP: Yes, I don’t remember when I discovered I was. Perhaps when I discovered my dedication is when I borrowed my mother’s wood carving knives and ended up hiding a jab in the thigh.
CP: Where do the names come from? Do you dream these characters up or just assign them names at random?
SP: The names are given. I would describe the process similar to a christening.
CP: How do you mean? Do you create personas for these anonymous characters as you make the work?
SP: It is a rebirth or a resurrection of a discarded identity and naturally I want to name the creation as the creator. Yes the work takes on a persona as the relationship develops.
CP: Now, the actual photographs: where do you acquire them? Are you drawn to the ones that you choose for a particular reason?
SP: The photographs come from auctions or antique stores or online. The process of choosing has evolved to be more specific as far as technical aspects, but basically it is the start of a relationship so naturally I am looking for someone attractive in some way.
CP: For you, what is the relationship between the embroidery and the photograph? Basically, why are you embroidering these photographs?
SP: I had developed a strong respect for photography being on the other side of the lens for the performance side. I worked as an artist’s model for some years, developing different characters to portray. The embroidery and photograph compliment each other, and they are most successful at saying exactly what I want to say. There are reoccurring discussions within my work on status, avatar, identity, fashion, evolution, with the relationships and conflicts of humankind. At a time I found it hard to return to oils and painting, and I had to find a new medium. Basically, I enjoy the medium. It is soft with a grid-like puzzle. The photograph is entertaining and easier than starting with something white and blank.
CP: What is it that leads you to make some more decorative, and others more narrative? Do you simply respond to some images more than others?
SP: I have a tendency to overdo some of my work, so maybe that is what you are reading into. It is a part of me that I try to accept and I take full responsibility for it.
CP: How would classify yourself as an artist? We really love that you are creating works that are photo-based, but that you’re not, in fact, a photographer.
SP: I wouldn’t, I figure someone will place me in a group.
CP: We see that you have some pieces on your web site which are strictly embroidery — do you see yourself always working with embroidery in some capacity, and do you anticipate that you will consistently utilize appropriated imagery?
SP: Those works are from my painting converting to embroidery, substituting paint and brush for thread and needle. Always is such a commitment that I don’t make. I am interested in learning and adapting.
CP: Would you consider yourself an outsider artist? Do you feel like you have an advantage or a disadvantage from not being classically trained?
SP: I am isolated, but I would not consider myself as an outsider artist, because I use the web and conventional ways of displaying my work. I don’t think a true outsider would even know that they were such and pile work in a closet. I see myself as perhaps an insider and very aware of skill and development of that skill in order to become more specific about what I am communicating. As far as being classically trained, I do feel disadvantaged when I see a beautiful manipulation of thread or fabric, such as some surface corded quilting or a simple embroidered eyelet. I try to take the time to learn and develop the skill, and you can see this progress in the work. Since the embroidery on the photograph is very different from embroidering onto fabric, there is a lot of time devoted to stretching the medium through experimentation as there are no books on the medium. I feel advantaged in this way- that there are no rules to follow except for the rules I create for myself.
CP: Any additional thoughts or details that you’d like to include?
SP: It amazes me, the amount of discarded photographs or even boxes of lives. It really gives me a different perspective of life, that is most involved in the self. and I am glad photographs are turning digital.
All of the works from our Manipulated exhibition can be seen on our web site under the exhibition portfolio. Keep checking back for a feature on our Director’s Choice Award winner, Timothy Pakron.
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Manipulated Juried Exhibition Ariel Shanberg Juror's Choice Award asheville fine art gallery Fine Art Photography Gallery Stacey Page
