Interview/Preview: Karrie Ross, Our Ever Changing World Pop-Up

So exciting! Chung King Road is loaded with art January 11 with five galleries staging the their openings.  At Chung King Studio, 975 Chung King Road, award winning author, visual artist, and  professional book designer, Karrie Ross launches her one-night-only pop gallery, showcasing the many artists in her recently published book, Our Ever Changing World Through the Eyes of Artists. With a forward by Betty Brown, the book features thirty-five artists, and the pop show will have the majority of those displaying their work, and present to discuss their work and their answer to the Karrie question posed as the pivot to the first book her series. (Those who cannot attend  will be represented by their page-spread print-out from the book).

Karrie took some time out from the massive project–curating requires a lot of attention to detail!–to email with me about the show.  Since she and I both attended Mat Gleason’s Art World Boot Camp earlier this year, I and curious and happy about her show– her selection of artists include favorites of mine, plus some I know socially whose work I haven’t seen, and since I am curating my first lengthy show opening that night at Coagula, it’s a wonderful synchronicity. Plus Karrie and I both have Mike Street in  our shows, which is pretty awesome.

Tell us a bit about the pop-up show and art-project:
The show is the finale of my first art project/book about artists. The project consisted of creating a question, finding artists, the book, a book signing, and a pop-up one night show with the extended intention to move into searching for places/venues opportunities for lectures and seminars about book design, writing, fine art, and projects. I bring a lot to the table in the way of expert knowledge on these talking points that I look forward to sharing.

The art project-book-show theme offers the sharing of artists’ personal experiences and thoughts to the question “What are you saving from extinction?” and there will be stories and artwork exampling the artist/authors art, process, journey, story, statement on display for the evening. Each artist with work hanging will be present.

About nine-months ago I began working on an art project in the form of organizing a book about artists, a piece of their work, and a story. A series of books–this is the first–is based on questions I’ve been carrying around in my mind since 2009. The first question is, “What are you saving from extinction?” I invited 35 artists to join in on the conversation and share their story.

The project originated with my inquiry into, “Why always an artist statement and not a story?” The book took several paths while I was firming up my focus and the artist were **very kind** and stayed the course as I grew into it and the book morphed into what it is now. ******

Book One, covers my thinking that artists “save” something from being forgotten. I thought this focus would be something everyone can relate to in today’s world of forever changing views, new technology, and global change. I noticed that artists work to bring something that is hidden into light. That their way of seeing our world opens us to new ways of being and thinking. Different perspectives help to bring about change.

What is your background? What media do you work in?
I am an Artist. The forms of art I create range from graphic design, writing, to the more visual arts of painting (oil, watercolor, acrylic) pen & ink drawing, sculpture, assemblage and jewelry making.

What do you try to emphasize in your own paintings?
My work is about “play” and juxtaposed imagery and blending of mediums are part of that play. To see how I can accomplish a “vibration of fun” when they all work together.

How long have you been painting?
I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a house filled with art projects for every holiday… and a love of construction which was presented to me as play. When I was seven years old in school, I was “the person” everyone asked to draw for them. Looking back that was quite the compliment but at the time… was just one more way to have fun and to play for me.

What did you look for in the artists you chose for the book?
I learned a lot with this art project—in the beginning it was offered as an open call and as the project progressed, it grew into referrals and personal invitation. Using all these forms I was able to build an interesting list of artist/authors from ones I knew and some I might not ever have met. It’s been a great experience.

You complied an astounding list of artists for your book and show. How long did the book take you to write?
I started the book-art-project in April 2013, the artists are the authors, I am the compiler, I guided the authors. My goal was to get what I needed for my art project vision and the answer-stories to “What are you saving from extinction?” and the artists wrote out the examples to their passion.

The stories the artists share will take you around the world. You’ll learn about different cultures, new technology, variety of feelings, visionary insights, art process, mediums, personal histories and more. Each page takes you to another place of question and seeing the “what” is important enough for the following artists to share about in the hopes that their “it” will be saved.

I hope you’ll join me and a few of the artists as we share the project with you. Without the artist/author generous efforts, the book would not have been possible, I am very grateful to you all, thank you again.

Our Ever Changing World, one night only, January 11, 2014, from 6pm to 9pm,
Chung King Studio, 975 Chung King Road.