Local Artist Residency - Lindsey Wilderotter

Lindsey! So happy to have your work up at the shop. I feel like we discussed this opportunity a good time ago and here we are. How do you feel sharing a bit of yourself at the shop through your photography?

I am so happy to have my work up at Local! I remember reaching out last year and you telling me that the next available time would be Fall 2021 and it felt like it was going to be forever away but now we are finally here and it feels great. It truly feels amazing to have something that I created displayed and shared with your shop. When I have walked into Local to grab a coffee, I have seen so many beautiful artists' work hung up on that wall and it feels really cool to have that be me for this month. Photography has been such an outlet for me and I love telling stories or evoking emotion through my photographs so I am really excited to have some of those be shown to the local community.

Tell us a bit about these photographs. When, Where and Why?

These photos are from a few different places but mostly the timeframe is between fall and early wintertime. The first section of my photos are some of my favorite fall photos from local spots around New Jersey. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love to watch the leaves change and the world around us come to life with color. It is truly so beautiful and I love to capture this time of year through my lens. Most of the fall photos displayed are from Verona Park and South Mountain Reservation. The second section is more of my travel photos from both Scotland and Canada. I went to Scotland a few years ago with some friends and was so taken aback by it’s beauty that I literally had my camera in my hand every second I could. And it was the same in Banff, Canada. That place was truly special, there were mountains everywhere I looked and it really took my breath away. The third section is a combination of both travel but also adding in some more colorful lighting. A theme that I wanted to show through this display was not only the travel/landscape side, but also in a few of my photos I love to capture reflections. Especially with the changing of the seasons, I tend to do a lot of reflecting on where I have been, what I have seen and where I want to continue to go. These photos remind me how grateful I am to have stood where I have but also tells me how much more there is to see.

I ask this question of most of our photographers - how do you feel about the discipline now that we all have a camera in our pocket and take a gazillion pictures each day vs. purposely setting out to capture some specific image or topic?

It is really interesting how easy it is for people to just whip out their phones and take a picture of literally anything at any time. There are times I find myself reaching for my phone just to take a quick snapshot of the sky that looks cool and I usually kick myself for not having my real camera to get a better shot. It is crazy how well iPhones and smartphones can take a photo, sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a real camera and a phone which to be honest makes me a little sad because I just love digital and film cameras so much. But I definitely still set time aside to go out with my camera, to go to different places with the purpose of getting some good shots of either something particular or just walking around a certain area for a few hours and seeing what I can find.

Before the pandemic, one of my favorite things was going into NYC and just walking all around Central Park, down to Bryant Park, and through the Flatiron district with my camera at my eyes the whole time, taking it all in and clicking away. I loved that, going in at different seasons and seeing the city change through my lens was so cool.

The composition on these images are really special. How do you set out to frame your photos? Do you perform a good amount of editing post capture?

I try not to edit my photos too much, I try to capture them in a way that shows what I am trying to tell. I always want to show a real version of what I see when I put the camera back down. However, there are some that I have edited a bit darker or to have more of a “moody” effect which I have been loving. I love to get a different shot, something more unique that I feel is my own. When I am out shooting, I try to look at things more artistically and see how I can capture the scene in a way that people may not always see when they first look out, but also something that draws people in. It is a little hard to explain but I am always trying to get that unique shot, through the trees or by getting down on my knees from a different angle. I love to still show the beauty that I see but maybe in a way that is original, if that makes sense.

These images represent a good amount of travel. Was there one place that stood out where you felt super-connected to the environment?

I think one of my favorite places that I traveled to was Scotland, where a few of these photos are from. It was such a breathtaking and amazing place to be and I feel so grateful that I was able to see it in person. I spent a few days in the city of Edinburgh but the majority of the trip was exploring the Highlands and smaller country towns of Scotland. It was really so cool to see the landscapes of this beautiful place and the wildlife. I was able to see horses on the farms we passed by and the infamous highland cows. The highland cows are gorgeous and during the trip we actually pulled over on the side of the road where we saw some eating some grass and just watched them. One of my favorite things about traveling is to be fully immersed in the culture and environment of where I am, and it was so easy to do in Scotland, with it’s stunning landscape, friendly people, and unique wildlife. I definitely plan to go back there.

What camera/ cameras do you use in your discipline?

I use a Canon Rebel T6s. I got it for Christmas a few years ago and it truly has changed my life.

What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Oh my favorite question! To be honest, it does change with the weather and when I am looking for something warm, I always go with a mocha latte with oat milk but if it is a nice summer day I am for sure grabbing a cold brew with oat milk :)

See more of Lindsey’s work here

Local Artist Residency - Dan Epstein

Thank you for sharing your passion here at Local! Candidly, when we first met and you mentioned showcasing your portrait photography - I was a bit concerned as never turn away an artist but cringe when the work is anything but candid and too self serving. Your work is anything but! How did you arrive at such an awesome approach?

One of my earliest mentors was the incredibly talented photographerMichael O’Neill. He taught me that when doing purely editorial portraits for magazines, the point of it was to get the subjects to reveal something about themselves that they hadn’t planned on (or in some cases, didn’t want to). So much of my current assignment work is for advertising or public relations where the mission is to make the subjects look their best, and for the image to match the image of themselves (or that of the agency) that was decided in advance. You know, present themselves as they want to be seen. The challenge I gave myself for this project was to get my subjects to reveal something true about themselves. So I made myself available during the shoot by not being hidden behind the camera, and by engaging them in a real conversation. When they’re truly engaged in the conversation, they forget about posing. As a sidebar:the “set” I’ve been using so far was inspired by a portrait of a friend that I made 50 years ago when I was a student at The School of Visual Arts in NYC. I’d always liked it, and in the back of my mind, always wanted to embrace it again. In fact one of the subjects for this project was the fella from that portrait.

I'm sure your subjects understand this approach but do you ever hit a wall when a person will not open up? Is that when the water gun comes out?

Actually, no. Remember that everyone has been sort of pre-qualified in that they’ve been invited to participate in the project, so they know they’re being photographed, and that it’s an art project. I’ve found over the years when making any kind of portrait that it’s key to quickly establish a rapport, so I’m talking to them and engaging them from the moment they arrive. I like to think that they can tell that in this conversation, I’m really interested in them, and so they just become involved, thinking more about the conversation than the camera which is coincidentally firing.

I ask this question of our photographer artists...what do you think of the ubiquity of photography provided that cell phones now allow us to capture everything and with some degree of professional production levels? I ask this also having grown up at a time when film was precious and development took time and money.

It’s a two edged sword. While I love the idea of ordinary people documenting the meat and stuff of their lives; you know, the everyday moments that are the greater part of where and how we live, and even more significantly, what’s important to us beyond a shot of the Christmas tree, our kids on their first days of school, etc., you know, what really matters in their lives. I think that if I never see another iPhone photo of what someone has had for lunch, I’ll be ok. I think the line between the very important moments that we’d have recorded when film was precious, and the painfully mundane and pointless photographs made simply because they can be, isn’t fine at all. It’s fairly broad. A friend of mine once referred to the Selfie-Stick as “The Wand of Narcissism”.

I believe that in the midst of this sea of digital online snapshots, there will always be a place for the significant images that stand out, however they were made. If for no other reason than just because they will.

I spend a good amount of time with your images at the shop and come to appreciate all of the different gestures, facial expressions and levels of intensity. Can you recall what drove each of the respective shots?

Sorry, no. I can vouch that when I chose each frame as the one I wanted to use for each person, that frame did strike me as somewhat, I dunno, significant from the shoot. Each frame I chose, reminded me of the kind of experience I’d had with each subject during the shoot and frankly, reminded me of each subject.

Tough question but out of the countless images that you have captured, is there possibly a favorite?

This is a really tough one. Kind of like asking a parent if they have a favorite child. I can say that “Kate” is one that I really like because I know her to be a kind of bubbly, smiley, suburban mom of 4, but in her portrait she looks like a French movie star. She’s a talented photojournalist, and she lets that serious side of her rarely seen. I’m also sentimental about “Paul” whom in his portrait appears to be sharing a secret, which, in effect he was. “Mary” was a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a doctorate who prior to her retirement did counseling. Socially, she’s a very happy person with an easy smile, but engage her in a conversation, and that incredible focussed listening that she trained to do shows up. Both “Zach” and “Phoebe” are two people I know who can give you a joke for any subject you can think of. They are both caught mid-story, though I think neither would allow themselves to be seen that way if I were behind the camera instead of next to it. I love the portrait of “Tracey” simply because she so easily slipped out of the I’m-Posing mindset. See what I mean? You could pick any one of the portraits on the wall, I’d tell you why I thought that one was my favorite. In my heart: they all are. Or I’m just that capricious.

As a portrait photographer, where else do you find creative inspiration?

I like to cook. I always have since I was a kid. I’m not a fancy cook, I tend to stay within the realm of “family style” cooking. There’s something about the process of cooking food and then sharing it with people, breaking bread together, that’s not unlike, to me, the communal process of making photographic portraits. Likewise, I do a lot of assignments that have to do with food, and people who make it.

Learn more about Dan here: Dan Epstein Photography

Local Art Residency: Q+A with artist Meaghan Bates

Thank you for being a part of the Local community from our early beginnings four years ago! It brings us joy to be able to share your work, especially now as our country and world at large is going through some painful times. That said, you used just these conditions to develop this installation. Please tell us about the work and what was the moment you knew you needed to start developing it.

I was invited by a dear friend into a small artist's group that was made to keep us productive  and provide artistic support during quarantine. That really shifted everything for me. It made me start using all the time in the house in a productive way. It kept me off facebook and away from the news. It gave me a way to start processing the fear and sadness into something creative. I want to share the hope that I found in my studio. I funneled the alternating fear and joy into these pieces. As the Black Lives Matter movement finally took off, I started on the large pieces. I began to think about my struggles with identity as a biracial person and have some healthy perspective on many of the things I've experienced. I spent a lot of time thinking about Black Joy and Black Sorrow and how they exist in the same space. 

 We installed the work last night and this morning at a very early hour with the sun just coming up, I found myself staring at the contrasting imagery and was moved. How were you able to pour yourself into these and capture so much emotion?

Time. That was one of the gifts of quarantine- time. My days were reduced and clarified and it gave me a lot of mental space. I practice yoga almost every day, and now that it's all virtual, I was practicing in my art studio. So I'd spend my time in my poses staring at these pieces and really trying to assess their validity. If they can hold my interest through a really tough pose, I know they're going in the right direction!

You mentioned that cutting up the work and reassembling was a major transition for your work. Can you speak to this a bit?

Yes, this is new to my work since quarantine. I think seeing the world fall apart gave me permission to take my work and just cut them; do something that seems violent to them. But I did it with the goal of rebuilding new pieces from the cut-ups, much like what we've gone through over the past months: we watched things fall apart and we are putting it back together in a new way.  I came to my own understanding about what was at stake in our world. The work had to reflect the intensity of what was happening or it wouldn't hold up against the new reality.

 We continue the Artist Residency at Local, even in these difficult times - as we understand how art is a critical element in helping to understand and heal our communities. What do you hope could be an outcome of displaying this work?

I hope that people will be able to see that this difficult time is also full of beauty. The fear and sadness and uncertainty can go hand-in hand with moments of joy and tenderness and compassion.

What has living in Montclair meant for your work? 

Living here has allowed me to let go of the pressure of living in the city. It's incredibly expensive to have a studio in the city and I found myself working so much to pay for a studio that I could barely use it! Montclair has given me a lot more space, both physically in the studio and mentally to create with less pressure.

 What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Matcha Latte or a Breve Cortado

Learn more about Meaghan here

Local Talk: Q+A with iconic Montclair artist: Fern Bass

Fern! So happy to have your work @ Local. Your work is well known 'round these parts. Tell us how and where you began your artistic journey.

I started out at The Brooklyn Museum Art School when I was 11ish. I would ride the Flatbush Avenue bus excitedly clutching the wooden paint box my uncle Herbie gave me. I remember the first time I walked into the art school I was euphoric. It was like, “Wow! I’m allowed to do all of this cool stuff? For the whole day?!?

We spoke (and laughed a bit) together while hanging your work speaking to the art scene in Greenwich Village in the 70s and 80s. What elements of that environment influenced your current state of art?

Well, I was at Pratt in the late 70’s early 80’s and deep into the study of graphic design and working as a waitress in the West Village. I was working so hard I didn’t get out much, so I wasn’t that aware of the art scene at the time. Anyway I’m more of an old schooler-I love the art of the Italian Renaissance, the Post Impressionists, the German Expressionists, Edward Hopper and Fairfield Porter.

How did Bass Arts Studio come to be? What is your proudest thought provided its existence?

After working as a graphic designer for 15 years I quit to stay home and raise my girls. That’s when I started painting again. Then I got divorced and began teaching at a studio in town and found that I really loved teaching. When my ex exited he took his fleet of Porsches with him and I found myself with an empty garage and then...light bulb! I renovated the garage and bought easels and started a school. That was 15 years ago.  Such a better use of a garage, dontcha think?

 (yes, indeed)

You have a wonderful focus for artistic direction for teens. Not to get too deep, but on a scale of 1 to 10, how important is artistic development for children at this stage?

 I think it’s totally important. 10 of 10. I don’t know how I would have gotten through high school without spending 95% of my time making art. It was a lifeline for me.  I super identify with my teen students. They badly need an outlet for their angst, the intensity of their emotions, and their hopping hormones. They need to feel seen and acknowledged. I try to connect with them, see where their talents lie and reflect that back to them.  Developing technical skills grows their confidence and gives them the tools to communicate their ideas.

For yourself, how can you balance teaching with maintaining a high degree of personal creative inspiration?

 I prioritize! I am a very good time manager and a benign neglector. I only do what is absolutely necessary and let the rest go to maximize my time in the studio. I rarely shop with the exception of groceries.  I guard my time like it’s the most precious resource I have (because it is). There’s a lot of parallel process and cross-pollination between my personal work and my teaching, one discipline feeds the other. And I drink a lot of coffee! I am lucky my husband is extremely organized and does a lot of household stuff. (I have the fun job-I cook)

Tell us about the work you chose to share with our local community.

I have a thing for Parisian waiters. I love the graphic pattern of their long white aprons against their black vests and pants. And the graceful way they hold their trays and acrobatically move through space. A while back I did a series on dancers. These waiters are serving but their gestural movement feels very related to dance. 

 What plans do you have around new creative projects?

I am probably not done with the cafe series, but I am planning to do a whole series on dogs.

Since you started, is there one experience that confirmed you did a beautiful thing?

There have been so many, it’s hard to pick. Many of my students have gone on to art school and art careers. That’s very gratifying. Last week an eleven year old in my Drawing Bootcamp was marveling over a large figure drawing she did and said, “Wow, I never thought I could do this!” That was a beautiful thing.

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

I like a nice cappuccino. Whole milk please.

Learn more about the one and only Fern Bass by visiting her website @ https://www.bassartsstudio.com/