It must be extremely educational to live in many places and learn from different cultures and traditions. What was the driving force behind the work that revolved around the American West region?
A lot of my work is linked to a place, a time or both. It is the most important driver of my work. I moved to Colorado’s Mountain Town in 2021. A few years earlier, I drove an RV through the West. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting the west. But perhaps even more important, I admire it. Its landscapes, which are unlike any other in the world, are far more beautiful than anything I could understand. It is more than just what it means to be American. I moved to New York City from my home in Australia in 2016— I had been obsessed with everything American for as long as I can remember. My fascination with a place shows in my work. I like the idea that my work pays homage to them through the subjects that can best represent them.
Australia has a hat brand that similarly demonstrates the ethos of progress, integrity and the ‘Australian way’. Was your Australian heritage part of the creation?
But not so much. This felt very American. It could have been the American references that I was drawing from such as the turquoise jewelry from Arizona and the vintage suede jacket from America. I want my work to be able to draw from one source, but that the viewer can view it in a new light. They can use their references and experience to see the work differently, which is what I am hoping for. This could be a connection with the Australian cowboy/cowgirl. Stetson has so much American culture, I was happy to pay my respects.
You explicitly featured an image of Megargee’s work on the liner tipping of your depicted hat. You implicitly referenced The West, cowboys, and eventually Stetson to shift the brand’s focus from the past to the present by implicitly referencing them. This synthesis of explicit and implicit imagery has you ever used it before?
For sure. It’s something I believe is essential in my work. Sometimes I don’t realize it at the time but it becomes apparent in hindsight. Because everything can seem so obvious and familiar with photorealism, I like to explore the expected connotations of objects, or their relationships, one with another. If one doesn’t have anything to consider when looking at artworks, then I don’t believe the work is as successful. Although it is fine for people to not see the implicit messages, it matters more to me and my practice development that there be an underlining thread or message.
Your work clearly reflects your intentions. It uses only the essential imagery to tell your stories. Is this a rule of conveyance that your practice has always followed?
I can’t imagine how it could be done any other way. My work is hyper-realistic, so people feel at ease. This is why I love it! It is possible to present my interpretation of a subject, which may mean something to me but something completely different to the viewer. While I like to incorporate aspects of nostalgia or specific iconography into my work, viewers may feel attached to these items because they have played a part their lives. That is what I am trying to show: Human interaction with objects.
Where were you when this piece was created?
I was in Mexico City. My husband and I found a way together to make this work. We had been on the road for about 1-2 months. Although I would love to have an artist studio, I have made a living one.
Your work invokes a richness of visual substance. Your present work, The Last Drop from Her Stetson (commonplace objects that invoke the diurnal), is rich in symbolism. What does your work reveal about the brand today?
First and foremost, it is the female hand. Although I felt it was important to acknowledge the possibility of a cowboy being a cowgirl in the piece, I didn’t want to make that the most important. This would negate the purpose of normalizing it. It allows the viewer to fill the gaps and feel a greater personal attachment. My piece’s style is contemporary. The negative space is essential because it adds a freshness and newness to the subjects. To show the human connection, I often choose super worn and used objects. However, the introduction of the female hand meant that I needed new “shiny new”, objects. The bright shine of the horse bit and new rope speak to a new approach to tradition. However, she still wears the same style Stetson jacket as her predecessors, so we are playing with the old and new.
Photographs cannot match the fine details. This work is a masterpiece of precision and focus. Do you feel that your practice is a way to cement personal intentions?
Sometimes, my work may portray me as an intense perfectionist. While I am patient and attentive, it can become more algorithmic when I am in the flow of a piece. The photograph is the rulebook. Because of this, subject matter and composition are very important to me. That’s where the majority of creativity and freedom in my practice comes in. After the photograph is taken, I have almost no artistic direction other than my keen eye for the color closest to the image I am looking at.
What are you hoping your audience to feel when they view your work?
They should feel a sense of connection. It should feel familiar to others. It’s like finding something that you haven’t seen in a while. I’m not trying too hard to tell you everything, just try to present the subject in a way that feels new and also familiar.
How did you want them feel when they saw the print?
I was so intent on representing Lon’s work with respect, as well as making the piece mine, that I neglected to consider how people would react when they saw it. I want the people who are familiar with “The Last Drop From His Stetson”, feel honored and seen. However, I want people to be able to appreciate the composition, and maybe feel closer to Stetson as a brand, as well as as something they have worn and cherished.