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Kris Scheifele: Ever since encountering Dario Robleto, I’ve paid extra attention to the list of materials that go into an artwork. One of the big things that strikes me about your work is the use of repurposed latex paint. How is it repurposed? |
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Stacy Fisher, Hanging Sculpture with Striped Painting, 2009. Hydrocal, wood, hardware, latex paint, oil on canvas, 38 x 36 x 4 in. Courtesy of the artist.
“Maybe it’s as much a treasure hunt as it is rejoicing in the ugly.”
In Conversation: Kris Scheifele Interviews Stacy Fisher
Kris Scheifele: Ever since encountering Dario Robleto, I’ve paid extra attention to the list of materials that go into an artwork. One of the big things that strikes me about your work is the use of repurposed latex paint. How is it repurposed?
Stacy Fisher: I purchase it from a place that sells donated house paint. The idea behind this is that the color may exist in another unknown place or was tried out and then rejected. For me, this connection to the outside world is the link between my earlier, more representational work and the work I’m making now, which is totally abstract.
KS: As the beneficiary of other people’s miscalculations, in some instances anyway, you create your own kind of Salon des Refusés.
SF: That’s true. I’m never making my own decisions one hundred percent. This works to my benefit as a way of not only limiting my options, but also by giving me clues as to what to do. I feel lucky when I find a “good” color, so maybe it’s as much a treasure hunt as it is rejoicing in the ugly.
KS: And the awkward. Do have any other self-imposed restraints?
SF: Not necessarily, though there are certain phrases I keep in mind. One is “irregular squares” and the other is the ongoing title, Black and White Objects. In that sense, I am restraining myself as far as shapes go. They can either be squareish or fall just short of being identifiable. So far, I haven’t painted the Black and White Objects anything besides black and white, but that may change. I like bringing wordplay into the mix.
KS: Except one, the bootie-like “black and white” object. That has a bright pastel, petri dish paint job.
SF: Oh yeah! How could I forget? Making groups of sculptures opens doors to all kinds of conceptual possibilities. This is what’s so fascinating about communicating in an abstract language. There are endless paths to go down if you set them up carefully.
KS: I think you lost track of odd man bootie because it’s still a black and white object both in spite of its color and because of it. To go back to wordplay, this is where your titles are interesting. They’re very matter of fact, very literal, or so they seem. You’re not using Untitled or listing materials. They’re really pretty funny.
SF: The titles are definitely matter of fact, but I’m seldom aware of how funny they are until someone asks me in person and I hear myself saying them out loud. The titles don’t necessarily add any information if someone is looking for clarification or direction. They just point back to what I’ve visually presented.
KS: What fuels your work?
SF: Besides obsessively scribbling down ideas on whatever is at hand, there are a few things I do both in and out of the studio that feed my practice. I make small oil paintings that are really free and easy. I sometimes think of these as postcards sent home from my sculptures, that they’re what the sculptures would collect as keepsakes while on vacation. I enjoy reading about other artists’ work and flipping through books of old comics for visual stimulation. I’d say my biggest influenc2e comes from outside the studio when I’m walking around my neighborhood or taking public transportation.
KS: There is something appealingly cartoonish about your work. And I live with the same things you live with in Brooklyn and Manhattan: weird repair jobs, half-assed lockdowns, off-kilter aesthetic arrangements-the urban patina-it’s all in there. You even capture the ridiculous insistence of painting a freehand grid or stripes over a lumpy surface.
SF: Those kinds of repair jobs certainly show a lack of concern for aesthetics when it comes to getting the job done, or, should I say, not getting the job done. It’s interesting that you mention this because I’ve always thought about action in regard to my work. We live in a city where people interfere and interact with absolutely every inch and then go into a room alone to make something of it. The impact of environment shows.
KS: That makes me think you might do some installation pieces or put your work in situ at some point. Can you talk more about action as it relates to your work?
SF: I try to capture a hint of movement in each piece by making at least one component off balance. This happens automatically by making everything by hand, but I like to accentuate this by how pieces are painted or where they’re placed on a pedestal. Installation may be something in my future. I’m interested in framing space as well as the interaction between my works and architecture or miscellaneous objects around a room.
