Thursday, August 5, 2010

Artist Interview: Carleyrae Weber




What is your name:  Carleyrae Weber

Do you have a formal art education or are you a self taught artist: 
I graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2007 with a painting major.

What is the style of your pieces:
I would say my work is like… a mashup of the things that I find attractive. I like fashion and textures in fabric, I like Italian renaissance painting, I like vintage advertisements, I like Japanese things, I collect toys. So all of these things seem to find themselves combined together in my work.

What is the medium in which you work: 
I don’t really have one medium. I use a lot of collage stuff, acrylic, oil, watercolor, glue, gesso, scraps, and whatever I can find. I like digging through the discount bin at the art store. You can find some really fun things to play with.

What started you on your path as an artist: 
I think it was the fact that I grew up in the woods in Door County, Wisconsin, and their wasn’t much to do besides play outside and make art projects. In elementary school I wanted to be a graphic designer, in high school I wanted to be a fashion designer, and somewhere along the line I decided to go to school for painting, so I guess I always needed to do something in art. 

What is one of the most important things that art has brought to your life:  money problems! :)

What is your favorite genre of art besides the one you work in: 
Italian Renaissance painting, Austrian expressionism, fashion

Do you have art showings, and if so what are they typically like: 
I do have shows. If I can afford to get a plane ticket to get to them, I find that they are fun and young and relaxed, like a party. I think young artists are having fun with art and exhibitions, without beating ourselves up too much with stress. You have to enjoy it.

Do you have a certain set of clothes you make art in: 
I should, because I ruin all of my clothes.

What has been the most frustrating part of being an artist?
Sidejobs. I want to make art all the time but it seems whenever I am super inspired, I have to go bartend.

What is your favorite sandwich of all time: 
Turkey sandwiches. And cucumber red onion sandwiches.

Has this year brought about any changes in your work, and if so what are they: it most definitely has. My older oil paintings were a little more conceptual and abstract, and lately I have been playing with more collage style. I am always trying to experiment and find inspiration to use in my work. Some new Society6 artist, or song, or toy will inspire me and my work will take on a whole new personality. It just depends what I’m into at the time.

Who is your favorite artist alive or dead: I love love love Cy Twombly. And I love Fred Stonehouse. And a lot lot lot of the artists on Society6.

What is the most moving piece of artwork that you have seen in person: I think it was the whole Cy Twombly show in Rome. It was amazing. And when I saw Caravaggio’s Cupid at the Uffizi, I almost died. : )

Do you have any animals, and what do they think of your work: 
Two dogs… Tokyo and Scully. They sneeze when I make art.

carleyrae weber art

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