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October 2015
Interview Richard Zelens Interviewed by C.J. Shane |
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Richard Zelens
Richard Zelens is a nationally know artist who spent much of his career working in New York City. After his relocation to Tucson, his art became more informed by the energy and images of the Southwest. Zelens is a versatile artist who paints on canvas and on silk, and who works also in ceramics.
SAN: Richard, learning about you has been a real pleasure. I was surprised to learn that as a young man, you were a professional dancer in New York City with the Joffrey Ballet and the American Ballet Theater. Where were you from originally? Did you start dancing as a child?
Richard Zelens: Originally I was from Dubuque, Iowa. I started ballet training when I moved to Chicago, around the age of 11. I was always active in sports and encouraged to dance by my mother. She secretly wanted to dance as a youth. I became the dancer.
SAN: You considered becoming a choreographer, but you ended up studying at Cooper Union and moving into visual arts. You described this transition as going “from the frying pan straight into the fire.” What is it about being an artist that is metaphorically like jumping into the fire.
RZ: With careers in dance and the visual arts, your chances at making it “BIG” are just as difficult - the frying pan of dance into the being burned in the flame of visual arts.
SAN: You spent many years in New York working in ballet costume design and you painted silk for clothing designers and interior decorators. There are some great examples of your silk paintings on your website. What is it about silk that called out to you (as opposed to canvas or paper, for example)? Do you continue to paint on silk?
RZ: Because of the success in painting on fabric, originally a mixture of cotton and silk for upholstery, the move to silk was most welcome, especially for clothing and costumes. Silk has such a special feel and look. I continue to paint on silk, sporadically.
SAN: Richard, learning about you has been a real pleasure. I was surprised to learn that as a young man, you were a professional dancer in New York City with the Joffrey Ballet and the American Ballet Theater. Where were you from originally? Did you start dancing as a child?
Richard Zelens: Originally I was from Dubuque, Iowa. I started ballet training when I moved to Chicago, around the age of 11. I was always active in sports and encouraged to dance by my mother. She secretly wanted to dance as a youth. I became the dancer.
SAN: You considered becoming a choreographer, but you ended up studying at Cooper Union and moving into visual arts. You described this transition as going “from the frying pan straight into the fire.” What is it about being an artist that is metaphorically like jumping into the fire.
RZ: With careers in dance and the visual arts, your chances at making it “BIG” are just as difficult - the frying pan of dance into the being burned in the flame of visual arts.
SAN: You spent many years in New York working in ballet costume design and you painted silk for clothing designers and interior decorators. There are some great examples of your silk paintings on your website. What is it about silk that called out to you (as opposed to canvas or paper, for example)? Do you continue to paint on silk?
RZ: Because of the success in painting on fabric, originally a mixture of cotton and silk for upholstery, the move to silk was most welcome, especially for clothing and costumes. Silk has such a special feel and look. I continue to paint on silk, sporadically.
RZelens silk painting 1
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R.Zelens silk painting 2
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R.Zelens silk painting 3
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SAN: We understand that you are working on a book now about your silk paintings. Will the book be a retrospective of your silk work?
RZ: SILK, my book on my adventures in fabric painting will cover at least 50 years of that endeavor
SAN: You left the Big Apple and moved to Tucson in 1999. What brought you to the Old Pueblo?
RZ: Let’s just say it was folly, or as Joseph Campbell might say, following my bliss. I had visited a dear friend in Tempe, AZ. A two-day trip to Tucson was totally full of fantasy. Everything happened included meeting Maurice Grossman, a ceramic compatriot who encouraged the move. I was hell bent of returning to make a success in the Southwest
SAN: How do you think living in the Southwest has affected your art? There are paintings on your website with distinct southwestern themes such as paintings of desert flowers and portraits of Tucsonans. How has the desert and the town affected you and your art?
RZ: SILK, my book on my adventures in fabric painting will cover at least 50 years of that endeavor
SAN: You left the Big Apple and moved to Tucson in 1999. What brought you to the Old Pueblo?
RZ: Let’s just say it was folly, or as Joseph Campbell might say, following my bliss. I had visited a dear friend in Tempe, AZ. A two-day trip to Tucson was totally full of fantasy. Everything happened included meeting Maurice Grossman, a ceramic compatriot who encouraged the move. I was hell bent of returning to make a success in the Southwest
SAN: How do you think living in the Southwest has affected your art? There are paintings on your website with distinct southwestern themes such as paintings of desert flowers and portraits of Tucsonans. How has the desert and the town affected you and your art?
R.Zelens_Martin Quintanilla_
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R.Zelens_Monsoon_
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R.Zelens_Cactus_
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R.Zelens_4 Ceramics_
RZ: Perhaps the most important influence the Southwest has had is breaking from the New York art scene and its style. Secondly, to realize how important getting back to a real expressing of oneself. Then there is the wonderful influence of the freedom and energy of Hispanic art. And of course the desert, cactus, the monsoon; new images to inspire.
SAN. You owned a gallery on Fort Lowell called the 410 Gallery for several years. However like so many small galleries in Tucson, you didn’t make enough money to keep it going. You sold the gallery and returned to being a studio artist. You’ve no doubt seen a lot of changes in the art scene in Tucson in the intervening years. Please comment on those changes. Do you think small galleries have a chance at all in our city? What do you think of the current push to revitalize downtown Tucson? Do you think this will help all Tucson artists and small gallery owners?
RZ: . Artistic success in Tucson is not an easy thing. Although there seems to be ample wealth here, the actual art market is not great. Small galleries are often coming into existence but rarely last for more than a season or two. Therefore there’s not an ongoing promotion of the gallery’s artist. Artistic recognition takes time and persistence. Perhaps talent. I do believe the recent revitalization of downtown will add greatly to the flourishing of local arts.
SAN: 7. You’ve always worked in clay as well as painting. What is it about clay that appeals to you?
RZ: While busy painting fabric, I was often taken with ceramic works. Having a long time appreciation of utilitarian art, I joined a small ceramic co-op and began playing with clay. At that time in New York there were several fashionable inspiring clay artists whom I knew; they encouraged me to continue playing with clay. I still play.
SAN. You owned a gallery on Fort Lowell called the 410 Gallery for several years. However like so many small galleries in Tucson, you didn’t make enough money to keep it going. You sold the gallery and returned to being a studio artist. You’ve no doubt seen a lot of changes in the art scene in Tucson in the intervening years. Please comment on those changes. Do you think small galleries have a chance at all in our city? What do you think of the current push to revitalize downtown Tucson? Do you think this will help all Tucson artists and small gallery owners?
RZ: . Artistic success in Tucson is not an easy thing. Although there seems to be ample wealth here, the actual art market is not great. Small galleries are often coming into existence but rarely last for more than a season or two. Therefore there’s not an ongoing promotion of the gallery’s artist. Artistic recognition takes time and persistence. Perhaps talent. I do believe the recent revitalization of downtown will add greatly to the flourishing of local arts.
SAN: 7. You’ve always worked in clay as well as painting. What is it about clay that appeals to you?
RZ: While busy painting fabric, I was often taken with ceramic works. Having a long time appreciation of utilitarian art, I joined a small ceramic co-op and began playing with clay. At that time in New York there were several fashionable inspiring clay artists whom I knew; they encouraged me to continue playing with clay. I still play.
R.Zelens_The Magician_
SAN: Among the most beautiful and interesting of your works are what you call your “Esoterica.” You are interested in Tibetan Buddhism and in Tarot cards. Beyond the obvious – that Tarot cards and also Buddhist figures appear in your paintings – how has Buddhist practice and the esoteric arts influenced your life as an artist?
RZ: Well, any formidable art worth its greatness has a solid foundation in a spiritual ground. The outer form is not necessarily the same. A delving into the Tarot and Buddhist traditions is fascinating and a rich ground for expression…others as well. There is often a essence similar in each tradition.
SAN: You are participating in the Heart of Tucson Art Open Studio Tour (HeartofTucsonArt.info) later this month. What made you decide to join this tour and what do you hope will be the result?
RZ: I have often joined the Tucson Arts Studio Tours. Seldom have they been great success to me; my studio is outside the perimeter of traveled studios, not in the artistic hub. When a tour became available which was small and included my locality, I jumped at the chance to join. I have high hopes to draw a larger attendance with perhaps greater sales.
SAN. Looking back on your years of experience, what do you think would make life easier for artists in Tucson and southern Arizona?
RZ: I’m not sure what will make a career in the arts in Tucson and Southern Arizona easier. The arts is rarely easy.
SAN: Is there anything I didn’t ask about that you’d like to comment on?
RZ: There is an old saying that was a favorite of Maurice’s. “Don’t give up your day job.” Learn to use the computer, a mystery to me still. Get a degree! Not having one makes getting a teaching job in higher education impossible. After most of my 76 years in the arts, I’m not qualified to teach.
To see more of Richard Zelens' art, go to http://richardzelens.weebly.com/
RZ: Well, any formidable art worth its greatness has a solid foundation in a spiritual ground. The outer form is not necessarily the same. A delving into the Tarot and Buddhist traditions is fascinating and a rich ground for expression…others as well. There is often a essence similar in each tradition.
SAN: You are participating in the Heart of Tucson Art Open Studio Tour (HeartofTucsonArt.info) later this month. What made you decide to join this tour and what do you hope will be the result?
RZ: I have often joined the Tucson Arts Studio Tours. Seldom have they been great success to me; my studio is outside the perimeter of traveled studios, not in the artistic hub. When a tour became available which was small and included my locality, I jumped at the chance to join. I have high hopes to draw a larger attendance with perhaps greater sales.
SAN. Looking back on your years of experience, what do you think would make life easier for artists in Tucson and southern Arizona?
RZ: I’m not sure what will make a career in the arts in Tucson and Southern Arizona easier. The arts is rarely easy.
SAN: Is there anything I didn’t ask about that you’d like to comment on?
RZ: There is an old saying that was a favorite of Maurice’s. “Don’t give up your day job.” Learn to use the computer, a mystery to me still. Get a degree! Not having one makes getting a teaching job in higher education impossible. After most of my 76 years in the arts, I’m not qualified to teach.
To see more of Richard Zelens' art, go to http://richardzelens.weebly.com/
