“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” -Jack Kerouac
The world is vast. In a lifetime, you’d be hard-pressed to see it all. Try as you might, there simply isn’t time in a human lifespan to investigate every corner, every facet of this incredible planet we are so fortunate to inhabit. That doesn’t mean you can’t try. Be curious. Make it your life’s work to know every cranny, every street and alley, every meadow, mountain and rivulet. Explore your home, the earth, get to know your fellow humans, this is perhaps the noblest pursuit of them all.
Ann McCoy, a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow, joined us to discuss her work. For her Guggenheim project, she is working autobiographically for the first time. Growing up in a mining community with an adopted father who held degrees in engineering, chemistry and physics, McCoy spent much of her time visiting mines owned by her father. Her work often reflects this as she frequently focuses on alchemical symbols, noting that alchemy, at its heart, deals with the alteration of ores. To hear more about this connection, her experiences as a child in cavernous mines and more, listen to the complete interview.
Rob Ober spoke to us in early August 2022 from Peaks Island, Maine where he and his family live during the summer. After painting intensively for four months leading up to his most recent show, Motley Crew, at Shrine NYC for which he completed 40 or 50 works, he left for the island in late June and spent the balance of the summer recharging before returning home to Connecticut. To hear more about Rob’s life on the island, at home and his work, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket
The planet is waiting.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews is here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Praxis user Susan is reading The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli, and Praxis user Kathleen is reading Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color by Philip Ball.
Deadlines:
Artists are invited to apply for Innovate Grants. These $550 grants are intended to offer financial support to help ignite creative development. There are four grant cycles per year with the current deadline approaching. For more information, visit the website. Deadline is September 15.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.