"Passion is doing what you love regardless of what they fucking think of you."
Carlie Sherry
INTERVIEWED BY N!
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5/15/17
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Carlie Sherry graduated with her MFA in Painting at Syracuse University in 2015. Carlie actively participates in exhibitions both regionally and nationally. She is an Adjunct Professor at Pratt Munson Williams and Proctor Arts Institute and Utica College. Currently, Carlie lives in Clinton, NY where she runs her studio practice.
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Nostrovia! : What does your artistic practice look like?
Carlie Sherry : I am currently renting a small studio space in town, which is nice and private. It is in this space where I tend to make some form of self-portraiture, usually delving into my identity. Often times going back and forth between painting and drawing, I explore religious identity, family histories, sexuality, or more recently aspects of womanhood.
Carlie Sherry : I am currently renting a small studio space in town, which is nice and private. It is in this space where I tend to make some form of self-portraiture, usually delving into my identity. Often times going back and forth between painting and drawing, I explore religious identity, family histories, sexuality, or more recently aspects of womanhood.
N! : How do you use your practice & art to dig thru the layers toward your more authentic self?
CS : I used to hide behind a sort of mask, a mask that I would put on to please others in society, which felt disingenuous to myself. So I use my art practice to be brave. I have learned to expose my vulnerabilities. Exposing those vulnerabilities is ultimately freeing because in doing so, I realize that others share similar experiences.
I connect with others without the mask, and stand up for what I believe in. I do not have to hide behind a façade. That fresh sense of honesty in myself and in my artwork becomes addicting the more I do it.
CS : I used to hide behind a sort of mask, a mask that I would put on to please others in society, which felt disingenuous to myself. So I use my art practice to be brave. I have learned to expose my vulnerabilities. Exposing those vulnerabilities is ultimately freeing because in doing so, I realize that others share similar experiences.
I connect with others without the mask, and stand up for what I believe in. I do not have to hide behind a façade. That fresh sense of honesty in myself and in my artwork becomes addicting the more I do it.
N! : Our identities tend to bounce between social group and situation, flexible and shifting to suit environment and need. Are you finding something more consistent under the layers you're peeling for your personal truth? How does that vulnerability manifest in your life outside of art?
CS : Yes. I actually find myself surrounded by two drastically different environments. The first is my community in which I grew up. I grew up in a small city in Northern New York, roughly 10,000 people in population. Many small rural communities surround this city, with people who are mostly conservative in politics, including much of my extended family and parents. This starkly contrasts against my other environment, which consists of a network of liberal minded artists in and outside of graduate school, as well as my community of my co workers at an arts institute I adjunct instruct for.
Though a major part of my identity has been shaped with love by my immediate and extended family, much of my political and social beliefs align closer to my community of liberal artists. When I go home to the community in which I grew up, I sometimes feel stifled on what I can say, though I am screaming it in my art. I work on verbalizing my personal truths everyday, sometimes it is a struggle but I am continuously getting better at that.
Often times my vulnerability dealt with how I understood my own body in context to my religious practice. Trying to find comfort in my own skin and sexuality. Or more recently, my vulnerabilities have to do with becoming a mother. From a difficult birth, breast feeding, trying to become comfortable in my own skin once again with an ever changing body, trying to raise my son in the best way I can and grappling with anxieties that come along with raising another human being.
Though I often talk about my personal experiences, there is vulnerability in being a woman everyday. We are still fighting for equality in the work force, including equal pay and paid maternity leave. Politicians and religious leaders alike are still waging war against women’s bodies even after Roe V. Wade in 1973. We are also in a constant battle to end widespread violence against women.
CS : Yes. I actually find myself surrounded by two drastically different environments. The first is my community in which I grew up. I grew up in a small city in Northern New York, roughly 10,000 people in population. Many small rural communities surround this city, with people who are mostly conservative in politics, including much of my extended family and parents. This starkly contrasts against my other environment, which consists of a network of liberal minded artists in and outside of graduate school, as well as my community of my co workers at an arts institute I adjunct instruct for.
Though a major part of my identity has been shaped with love by my immediate and extended family, much of my political and social beliefs align closer to my community of liberal artists. When I go home to the community in which I grew up, I sometimes feel stifled on what I can say, though I am screaming it in my art. I work on verbalizing my personal truths everyday, sometimes it is a struggle but I am continuously getting better at that.
Often times my vulnerability dealt with how I understood my own body in context to my religious practice. Trying to find comfort in my own skin and sexuality. Or more recently, my vulnerabilities have to do with becoming a mother. From a difficult birth, breast feeding, trying to become comfortable in my own skin once again with an ever changing body, trying to raise my son in the best way I can and grappling with anxieties that come along with raising another human being.
Though I often talk about my personal experiences, there is vulnerability in being a woman everyday. We are still fighting for equality in the work force, including equal pay and paid maternity leave. Politicians and religious leaders alike are still waging war against women’s bodies even after Roe V. Wade in 1973. We are also in a constant battle to end widespread violence against women.
N! : Mirror after mirror after mask after mask. What are some of the societal constructs you’ve found yourself shedding to reach for that honesty?
CS : Growing up I was told what was expected of me, how to behave, what I was allowed to say, how I was supposed to feel about my body, and what I was allowed to do with my body. All of this was often dictated by my religious upbringing in the Catholic Church.
An example of this is Eve and The Virgin Mary. First you are introduced to Eve, whom was blamed for the fall of mankind because she disobeyed God and indulged in sinful temptation. Later, we are introduced to Mary, who is a virtuous virgin, whom never having sex, is now going to miraculously give birth to the Son of God. These two women often times become the primary example on how to behave for young girls. You can either be a Mary or an Eve. A Virgin or a Sinner. This binary can marginalize women, and does not leave a lot of room for identity. Growing up it was easy to buy into a role I was supposed to play. I was expected to be a Mary. Though I do not believe in this binary structure, I suppose you can say I identified more with Eve.
Now a days, I am much less concerned about what people or my religious background expect of me. I set expectations for myself and what type of a woman I need to be. I am a woman who stands up for other women’s rights to their own bodies, and reproductive health. Including being pro-choice, having access to proper healthcare, including contraception. I also consider myself an ally to the LGBTQ community. All of which goes against the church’s teachings. I care a lot about people as a whole. I find that many activists, artists, and writers do as well. I want to be an ally to the people who need my support. And not sit back and allow others to be marginalized within their own communities.
CS : Growing up I was told what was expected of me, how to behave, what I was allowed to say, how I was supposed to feel about my body, and what I was allowed to do with my body. All of this was often dictated by my religious upbringing in the Catholic Church.
An example of this is Eve and The Virgin Mary. First you are introduced to Eve, whom was blamed for the fall of mankind because she disobeyed God and indulged in sinful temptation. Later, we are introduced to Mary, who is a virtuous virgin, whom never having sex, is now going to miraculously give birth to the Son of God. These two women often times become the primary example on how to behave for young girls. You can either be a Mary or an Eve. A Virgin or a Sinner. This binary can marginalize women, and does not leave a lot of room for identity. Growing up it was easy to buy into a role I was supposed to play. I was expected to be a Mary. Though I do not believe in this binary structure, I suppose you can say I identified more with Eve.
Now a days, I am much less concerned about what people or my religious background expect of me. I set expectations for myself and what type of a woman I need to be. I am a woman who stands up for other women’s rights to their own bodies, and reproductive health. Including being pro-choice, having access to proper healthcare, including contraception. I also consider myself an ally to the LGBTQ community. All of which goes against the church’s teachings. I care a lot about people as a whole. I find that many activists, artists, and writers do as well. I want to be an ally to the people who need my support. And not sit back and allow others to be marginalized within their own communities.
N! : What's your relationship with your body & how does this affect your work?
CS : Tensions that exist between my religious upbringing and my sexuality have flood my artwork, especially in the past couple of years. Growing up in the Catholic Church was confusing on how to feel about my body, without guilt being attached to it, especially being a young Catholic woman. I wanted to make a series of artwork that celebrated the woman’s body, instead of oppressing it.
In my series “Garden of Earthly Delights” I celebrate sexuality, the body, and bodily functions. I place lush fruits around my body, sometimes licking, kissing the fruit. Other times the fruits appear layered suggestively over my body parts. Even though I am working with self-portraiture and celebrating parts of my own body, I hope that my series can make other women feel empowered by their own bodies as well. I should say that for this series I was greatly inspired by, Hieronymus Bosch’s painting “Garden of Earthly Delights,” where people are also indulging in earthly pleasures.
CS : Tensions that exist between my religious upbringing and my sexuality have flood my artwork, especially in the past couple of years. Growing up in the Catholic Church was confusing on how to feel about my body, without guilt being attached to it, especially being a young Catholic woman. I wanted to make a series of artwork that celebrated the woman’s body, instead of oppressing it.
In my series “Garden of Earthly Delights” I celebrate sexuality, the body, and bodily functions. I place lush fruits around my body, sometimes licking, kissing the fruit. Other times the fruits appear layered suggestively over my body parts. Even though I am working with self-portraiture and celebrating parts of my own body, I hope that my series can make other women feel empowered by their own bodies as well. I should say that for this series I was greatly inspired by, Hieronymus Bosch’s painting “Garden of Earthly Delights,” where people are also indulging in earthly pleasures.
N! : Exorcising Catholicism’s notions of purity and beauty into your own form of celebration is beautiful. With your religious upbringing in mind, how did this affect the evolution of your artistic style?
CS : I think my religious background made me obsessive about the body, so I usually am drawn to the human form. Also, I use motifs in my work that is directly related to Christian Renaissance paintings. For example, in my work I am interested in exploring centrally based compositions. I also use a range of values, and scatter lights and darks across the form to render parts of the body.
Although I use certain motifs in my work, I tend to contrast that style as well. I have recently focused on close ups of the body instead of the body as a whole. I am interested playing with the rendered bodily forms up against flat simplified surfaces, instead of the highly decorative style of renaissance paintings. For me, if something does not need to go into a painting, I do not put it in there to fill up extra space.
Another thing that I am currently exploring is what I choose to use for my artistic medium. Previously, I mostly only used oil painting on canvas or panel as a primary medium, which is a very traditional approach to art making. Though I still have a love for oil paints, now I enjoy playing with several materials such as inks, graphite, acrylic, watercolor, and even glitter in some new pieces.
CS : I think my religious background made me obsessive about the body, so I usually am drawn to the human form. Also, I use motifs in my work that is directly related to Christian Renaissance paintings. For example, in my work I am interested in exploring centrally based compositions. I also use a range of values, and scatter lights and darks across the form to render parts of the body.
Although I use certain motifs in my work, I tend to contrast that style as well. I have recently focused on close ups of the body instead of the body as a whole. I am interested playing with the rendered bodily forms up against flat simplified surfaces, instead of the highly decorative style of renaissance paintings. For me, if something does not need to go into a painting, I do not put it in there to fill up extra space.
Another thing that I am currently exploring is what I choose to use for my artistic medium. Previously, I mostly only used oil painting on canvas or panel as a primary medium, which is a very traditional approach to art making. Though I still have a love for oil paints, now I enjoy playing with several materials such as inks, graphite, acrylic, watercolor, and even glitter in some new pieces.
N! : What’s your relationship with western religion now? What longer-lasting effects of having grown-up Catholic have you shed, and how has your art played a role in doing so?
CS : I think in some way, I will always identify with being Catholic. It is engrained in me through long standing family traditions. I still love certain masses, and I think I find some sort of comfort in the act of ritual, but I do find it difficult to attend mass every Sunday.
I suppose I am what Catholics call, a “Cafeteria Catholic,” because I pick and choose what works for me and what does not work for me. For example, I believe that we should do good by other people, love and care for other living beings, and being honest with one another. I do not believe in confession, where people sit in a closet sized box with a priest, and confess all of our sins. Which usually perpetuates guilt and shame over people and their bodies. I also do not stand by a patriarchal system that practices celibacy, and makes decisions about what is right for women’s reproductive health and sexual rights. I could never support the marginalization of many people including LGBTQ communities and women.
My art usually begins with a question, and try to answer that question through the process of art making. When I began making art that dealt with the Catholic part of my identity, I knew it could change everything. Making this art meant I would not be able to just ignore the problems anymore. I would have to deal with them, and fight for social change within the church itself.
CS : I think in some way, I will always identify with being Catholic. It is engrained in me through long standing family traditions. I still love certain masses, and I think I find some sort of comfort in the act of ritual, but I do find it difficult to attend mass every Sunday.
I suppose I am what Catholics call, a “Cafeteria Catholic,” because I pick and choose what works for me and what does not work for me. For example, I believe that we should do good by other people, love and care for other living beings, and being honest with one another. I do not believe in confession, where people sit in a closet sized box with a priest, and confess all of our sins. Which usually perpetuates guilt and shame over people and their bodies. I also do not stand by a patriarchal system that practices celibacy, and makes decisions about what is right for women’s reproductive health and sexual rights. I could never support the marginalization of many people including LGBTQ communities and women.
My art usually begins with a question, and try to answer that question through the process of art making. When I began making art that dealt with the Catholic part of my identity, I knew it could change everything. Making this art meant I would not be able to just ignore the problems anymore. I would have to deal with them, and fight for social change within the church itself.
N! : Your growing momentum of exhibits has quickly expanded reach out of the North East. How do you interact with the audience in your head or projections of potential viewers?
CS : I try not to think of my audience all too much while I am in the studio because it makes my creative process feel more self-conscious. But when it leaves the studio to hang in a gallery, I do think about the audience. I try to be aware that everyone who approaches it will receive my work differently. Each person who views my art brings their own set of personal histories to the table, which shapes the way they view and experience my art. I realize that my work is highly offensive to some people, but liberating to others who can relate to it. So I suppose I try and keep an open mind in my head. On the other hand, I do hope that when my art is out in the world, that it will spark conversations about empowering women’s bodies and rights to their bodies.
It is interesting that you bring up exhibitions expanding outside of the North East. I did participate in a show recently in Savannah, Georgia, at the Non-Fiction Gallery, titled “The Personal is Political.” Though it is safe to say that the State of Georgia has vastly different political views than much of the North East, this particular exhibition was raising awareness for women’s rights. The Non-Fiction Gallery teamed up with their local Planned Parenthood to raise money for women’s health in their area. I felt honored to show my work in this particular event.
CS : I try not to think of my audience all too much while I am in the studio because it makes my creative process feel more self-conscious. But when it leaves the studio to hang in a gallery, I do think about the audience. I try to be aware that everyone who approaches it will receive my work differently. Each person who views my art brings their own set of personal histories to the table, which shapes the way they view and experience my art. I realize that my work is highly offensive to some people, but liberating to others who can relate to it. So I suppose I try and keep an open mind in my head. On the other hand, I do hope that when my art is out in the world, that it will spark conversations about empowering women’s bodies and rights to their bodies.
It is interesting that you bring up exhibitions expanding outside of the North East. I did participate in a show recently in Savannah, Georgia, at the Non-Fiction Gallery, titled “The Personal is Political.” Though it is safe to say that the State of Georgia has vastly different political views than much of the North East, this particular exhibition was raising awareness for women’s rights. The Non-Fiction Gallery teamed up with their local Planned Parenthood to raise money for women’s health in their area. I felt honored to show my work in this particular event.
N! : You have an upcoming gig exhibiting your series "Act Like A Lady." Can you expand on the theme & what you're taking on?
CS : In “Act Like A Lady” I am beginning to explore ideas outside of religious politics. For these particular drawings I’m interested in the use of language and female gender norms. All of the drawings in this series I am giving the middle finger, which I clash with items that are deemed “girly” or “feminine” such as jewelry, nail polish, or ruffles.
I’m addressing female stereotypes, and the troubling phrase many young girls hear over and over again, “Act Like A Lady.”
CS : In “Act Like A Lady” I am beginning to explore ideas outside of religious politics. For these particular drawings I’m interested in the use of language and female gender norms. All of the drawings in this series I am giving the middle finger, which I clash with items that are deemed “girly” or “feminine” such as jewelry, nail polish, or ruffles.
I’m addressing female stereotypes, and the troubling phrase many young girls hear over and over again, “Act Like A Lady.”