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October 2016
Interview Barbara Kuzara Rio Rico, Arizona |
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Barbara Kuzara
Barbara Kuzara is a Rio Rico-based, award-winning abstract landscape painter and sculptor. She also works in the medium of monotypes. She says, “Textural surface, composition and line are very important to my work.” Her work is deeply informed by life in the Sonoran Desert.
SAN: Barbara, you grew up in the Southwest, originally coming from Albuquerque. What brought you to Tucson?
Barbara Kuzara: My husband and I relocated to Mesa in 1972 for his job. We raised our three sons in the Mesa/Gilbert area (with short stint in California). I worked for a software developer in Tempe for 17 years and happened to have a conversation with a vendor one day about where we would live when we retired. He mentioned Rio Rico and said I should take a look at it. Well we spent a weekend in Rio Rico and I fell in love with the area. I knew it was where I needed to be. In 2008 we started living part time in Rio Rico and in 2013 we moved here full time.
SAN: How do you think living in the Southwest has influenced your art?
BK: I find the Southwest to be peaceful, even spiritual, and love the rich colors of the region. There is something wonderful about the blue skies and the stars at night that you don’t find anywhere else. I try to capture that peace and serenity in my work and color palette.
SAN: Barbara, you grew up in the Southwest, originally coming from Albuquerque. What brought you to Tucson?
Barbara Kuzara: My husband and I relocated to Mesa in 1972 for his job. We raised our three sons in the Mesa/Gilbert area (with short stint in California). I worked for a software developer in Tempe for 17 years and happened to have a conversation with a vendor one day about where we would live when we retired. He mentioned Rio Rico and said I should take a look at it. Well we spent a weekend in Rio Rico and I fell in love with the area. I knew it was where I needed to be. In 2008 we started living part time in Rio Rico and in 2013 we moved here full time.
SAN: How do you think living in the Southwest has influenced your art?
BK: I find the Southwest to be peaceful, even spiritual, and love the rich colors of the region. There is something wonderful about the blue skies and the stars at night that you don’t find anywhere else. I try to capture that peace and serenity in my work and color palette.
BKuzara_Traverse_acrylic
SAN: You live in the Rio Rico area. Do you think that living in a more-or-less rural area away from the big urban areas has helped to enhance your creative work? Or do you sometimes feel isolated from the mainstream art world?
BK: I feel that living in a rural area has definitely helped my creativity. There is a quietness and beauty here that inspires me. I now have the time to think about what I want to work on and dedicate myself to it. Working in an urban area for so many years, everything was such a fast pace that I did not have as much time to be creative.
I think artists in general tend to isolate themselves to some extent because they become so involved in what they are creating that everything else is like white noise. I know that I often get lost in what I am doing, but I don’t feel isolated because there is a large art community that I can collaborate with. The artists I have met in this area are very encouraging and supportive of other artists.
SAN: You have a quote on your website by Edgar Degas in which he describes the creation of art as “a transformation in which imagination and memory work together. You only reproduce what struck you, that is to say the necessary.” What struck you about this observation from Degas? What do you see as “necessary” in your artwork?
BK: What struck me about this quote is using imagination and memory when creating art. I have strived to create work that is not an image of what was in front of me, but rather how it made me feel or something I remember about the experience. What is “necessary” to me is translating that feeling or memory into something that will strike the viewer with some emotion or memory of their own.
BK: I feel that living in a rural area has definitely helped my creativity. There is a quietness and beauty here that inspires me. I now have the time to think about what I want to work on and dedicate myself to it. Working in an urban area for so many years, everything was such a fast pace that I did not have as much time to be creative.
I think artists in general tend to isolate themselves to some extent because they become so involved in what they are creating that everything else is like white noise. I know that I often get lost in what I am doing, but I don’t feel isolated because there is a large art community that I can collaborate with. The artists I have met in this area are very encouraging and supportive of other artists.
SAN: You have a quote on your website by Edgar Degas in which he describes the creation of art as “a transformation in which imagination and memory work together. You only reproduce what struck you, that is to say the necessary.” What struck you about this observation from Degas? What do you see as “necessary” in your artwork?
BK: What struck me about this quote is using imagination and memory when creating art. I have strived to create work that is not an image of what was in front of me, but rather how it made me feel or something I remember about the experience. What is “necessary” to me is translating that feeling or memory into something that will strike the viewer with some emotion or memory of their own.
BKuzara_Marks on a Grey Wall_monotype
N: You are working in a medium that we don’t see all that often, monotypes. Please describe what a monotype is and how it is created. What is it about this type of printmaking that appeals to you?
BK: The term “monotype” is confusing to many people. It is a printmaking process, but it is not a print in the traditional manner most people think of as a print.
A monotype is essentially ONE of a kind. It is one printed image that does not have any form of matrix, such as an etched plate. When an artist creates a monotype, they work on a clean unetched plate. There is never a pattern or part of the image that is constantly repeated. Among printmaking techniques, monotype is the most painterly method. There are no two prints that are alike and editioning is not possible.
For me the appeal of the process lives in its uniqueness and a quality that is different from painting on paper. The process allows for spontaneity and a combination of printmaking, painting and drawing.
One of the techniques I love to use in creating a monotype is Chine colle’. Chine colle’ (Chinese collage) is a special technique in printmaking in which the image is transferred to a surface that is bonded to a heavier support in the printing process. This technique allows me to print on a much more delicate surface, such as Japanese papers, which pulls finer details off the plate.
BK: The term “monotype” is confusing to many people. It is a printmaking process, but it is not a print in the traditional manner most people think of as a print.
A monotype is essentially ONE of a kind. It is one printed image that does not have any form of matrix, such as an etched plate. When an artist creates a monotype, they work on a clean unetched plate. There is never a pattern or part of the image that is constantly repeated. Among printmaking techniques, monotype is the most painterly method. There are no two prints that are alike and editioning is not possible.
For me the appeal of the process lives in its uniqueness and a quality that is different from painting on paper. The process allows for spontaneity and a combination of printmaking, painting and drawing.
One of the techniques I love to use in creating a monotype is Chine colle’. Chine colle’ (Chinese collage) is a special technique in printmaking in which the image is transferred to a surface that is bonded to a heavier support in the printing process. This technique allows me to print on a much more delicate surface, such as Japanese papers, which pulls finer details off the plate.
BKuzara_Canyon_acrylic
SAN: Many of your paintings could best be described as abstract landscapes. What is it about abstracting the landscape rather than portraying it realistically that appeals to you?
BK: Abstracting landscapes goes back to the Degas quote about providing the necessary. In my landscapes I want to provide the viewer with the essence of a landscape or memory and allow them to determine where it is. My hope is to touch the viewer and in some way evoke an emotion or memory for them. I often have people tell me that my work struck an emotion for them and it encourages me to continue to do what I am compelled to do.
BK: Abstracting landscapes goes back to the Degas quote about providing the necessary. In my landscapes I want to provide the viewer with the essence of a landscape or memory and allow them to determine where it is. My hope is to touch the viewer and in some way evoke an emotion or memory for them. I often have people tell me that my work struck an emotion for them and it encourages me to continue to do what I am compelled to do.
SAN: Your sculpture is noteworthy for using repurposed materials. Do you seek out a certain type of repurposed metal with an idea for a sculpture in mind? Or do you see some piece of metal that calls out to you and asks to be transformed into a sculpture?
BK: I go to scrap yards and have even picked peoples yards to find pieces that I can use in my sculpture. I often don’t have an idea ahead of time but rather see something that strikes me and then have an idea of what to do with it. When I want to work on a piece, I search through my finds and let the pieces tell me what needs to be together. I find that my best work is when I allow the piece, whether sculpture, painting or monotype, to become what it is meant to be.
BK: I go to scrap yards and have even picked peoples yards to find pieces that I can use in my sculpture. I often don’t have an idea ahead of time but rather see something that strikes me and then have an idea of what to do with it. When I want to work on a piece, I search through my finds and let the pieces tell me what needs to be together. I find that my best work is when I allow the piece, whether sculpture, painting or monotype, to become what it is meant to be.
BKuzara_Threading the Eye_
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BKuzara_Breaking the Pattern_
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BKuzara_Bird on a Wire_
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BKuzara_Heart Sutra_monotype mixed-media
SAN: Your artwork has certain themes. We see paintings and especially monotypes with Asian and Buddhist imagery. Circles are frequently seen in your sculpture. How do you interpret these themes in your work?
BK: I have been interested in Buddhism and the imagery for years. I find the Buddhist beliefs in oneness of everything and kindness to all ties in with my beliefs.
I did not know what I was going to do with the ideas I had about the imagery until I was asked to participate in a show entitled “Sacred.” The exhibit gave me the opportunity to run with this series and I found that it was a subject that I could express in monotype, painting or sculpture.
You are right, Shane, circles are seen in a lot of my sculpture and monotypes. I sometimes don’t even realize how often I use them. It is just happens! Circle symbols are universal and for me represent a spiritual energy and inclusiveness; oneness.
BKuzara_On the Horizon_acrylic
SAN: What is coming up for you in the future in terms of your art?
BK: I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and ideas. Some work out and others don’t but it is all part of growing as an artist. I am currently researching carborundum printmaking and looking forward to what I can do with this medium.
I have just started a new series of paintings and monotypes exploring city walls and the history that is contained in the layers of paint, posters and graffiti on these walls. This series was touched off by a visit to Austin, Texas, where I painted on a wall at Graffiti Park. There are layers of art on the walls and even though work is eventually covered up by another artist, it is always there under the surface. This has been an exciting series for me and I will be interested to see what kind of response I have when they are shown.
SAN: Is there anything you’d like to say about your art or the art scene in southern Arizona that we didn’t touch upon here? In other words, here’s your chance to answer the question I didn’t ask.
BK: Southern Arizona has a strong art community that many people aren’t even aware of. I would like to see more exposure for the arts in this community and more opportunities for local artists to exhibit their work, such as the Art Studio Tours and other local exhibitions.
See more of Barbara Kuzara’s work at: http://kuzarastudio.com/
BK: I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and ideas. Some work out and others don’t but it is all part of growing as an artist. I am currently researching carborundum printmaking and looking forward to what I can do with this medium.
I have just started a new series of paintings and monotypes exploring city walls and the history that is contained in the layers of paint, posters and graffiti on these walls. This series was touched off by a visit to Austin, Texas, where I painted on a wall at Graffiti Park. There are layers of art on the walls and even though work is eventually covered up by another artist, it is always there under the surface. This has been an exciting series for me and I will be interested to see what kind of response I have when they are shown.
SAN: Is there anything you’d like to say about your art or the art scene in southern Arizona that we didn’t touch upon here? In other words, here’s your chance to answer the question I didn’t ask.
BK: Southern Arizona has a strong art community that many people aren’t even aware of. I would like to see more exposure for the arts in this community and more opportunities for local artists to exhibit their work, such as the Art Studio Tours and other local exhibitions.
See more of Barbara Kuzara’s work at: http://kuzarastudio.com/
