ALLY WHITE
photo edited by becker
Do you remember what it was like to be five years old and without a care in the world? Your mom or your kindergarten teacher would slap a blank sheet of paper down in front of you, accompanied by that trusty box of used crayons, and tell you to 'have at it'. More than likely, the intent was to keep you preoccupied and out of trouble, but of course, you were eager to oblige.
If you were anything like me, then you probably lacked the [sometimes useful] inhibitions now acquired from years of experience and/or embarrassment, concocting your own world of fantastical imagery that others seldom understood.
Perhaps, we think we're better off now
—with an awareness of how others react to our choices in art or in life. I admit, I myself can't always seem to shake off the desire to please an audience. But even though a little criticism can be healthy and keep an artist motivated
—inhibitions in art can be just that: a hinderance; the ultimate enemy of an artist's gut instinct. Without fear of external disapproval or dissatisfaction, one can be free to unleash the impulse to create art in its purest, most raw, and stimulating form.
"My favorite part about this process is letting a lot of control go and just doing what the painting is telling me to do. "
Ally White imbues her work with that same playful and carefree lightness of a child, crafting brilliant paintings out of acrylic and collage. And while I'm promoting that return to childlike creativity, I have a feeling that you'll get more out of admiring her work than one of my old doodles of a 17-legged pony . . . That's right. I said 17. Not 18.
Below, I asked White about her unique creative process and how she fights to stay true to it in the midst of her new routine as an artist just out of college, now immersed in the "real world".
PASTEL: Introduce yourself!
AW: I'm Ally, and I'm a painter that live and works in Atlanta, GA.
PASTEL: How long have you been making art? Did you always know that you wanted to be an artist, or was there a time that you thought you'd be doing something else?
AW: I was always making art as a kid, but I wanted to be a lot of different things growing up. I remember telling people that I wanted to be a brain surgeon. However, when I got into college and had to figure it all out, I didn't really think twice about selecting painting as my focus.
PASTEL: You seem to have an affinity for acrylic and collage—are there any other materials you've taken a liking to? How have these materials influenced or developed your process and style?
AW: I've recently been making an effort to make use of other materials, but I keep going back to the paint and collage. The collage aspect keeps proving itself very vital—it makes me hoard tons of books and gives me reference images that I would never stumble upon on the internet. Having open books all around my studio helps to expand my visual language and thought processes, with the pictures giving me a base to work from.
PASTEL: Can you also elaborate a bit about what your creative process is like? What's your favorite part?
AW: When I start a painting, I usually begin by just putting down some color or collage. I'll add a couple more layers and then start forming the image. Throughout the day, I am always thinking about what I want to paint, and sometimes it will appear in that painting, or sometimes the image will surprise me and become something I had never thought of or envisioned before. I don't keep a sketchbook, but a lot of my smaller works serve the same purpose as one. My favorite part about this process is letting a lot of control go and just doing what the painting is telling me to do.
PASTEL: The genial colors and expressive brushwork you employ in your paintings remind me quite a bit of the fauvist movement. Is there a particular artist or style that inspired/inspires your work?
AW: Definitely. I looked at a lot of Matisse in undergrad and really admire how he arranged his paintings. When I need help with color, I look at Bonnard. A couple of other favorites that I keep going back to are Romare Bearden, Dana Schutz, and Henri Rousseau.
PASTEL: You're paintings also seem to depict very domestic environments. What kind of environment promotes your best work?
AW: My favorite studio experience so far was definitely exit semester at Broad Street Studios. Having peers and mentors constantly looking and talking about my art really made me work harder than ever before. I'm still painting every day, but I'm the only one to push myself to do that now, and sometimes I will procrastinate for a whole month. I can't wait until I can have a studio environment again that has more visitors and is more conducive to learning and experimenting. This is why I am eager for grad school.
PASTEL: You recently graduated from the University of Georgia with the Presidential Scholar Award and received several scholarships along the way, including the competitive Mary RosenBlatt award. Now you've experienced your first solo exhibition entitled, Stuck Inside, in San Juan and has a work selected to be the the front cover of New American Paintings (NAP)[issue 106]. That's quite a list of accomplishments! How does it feel to showcase and witness people take notice of your work?
AW: It feels great, but I also feel a lot of pressure to keep it moving at the same rate. Getting into NAP i think really fast forwarded a lot of things for me. I was lucky to get on the cover! It was completely unexpected.
PASTEL: Do you think your methods or reasons for making art have changed at all since college? Why or why not?
AW: Not really. I'm still making work the same way. I just have new ideas. Since I don't have people walking into my studio everyday, I think I've let go and experimented more and allowed myself to make some bad paintings to get to the good paintings. The one thing that has changed the most since college is doing all the extra stuff you have to do outside of the studio to be an artist—emailing, networking, filling out applications, updating your website, etc. I dread doing all of that.
PASTEL: As an artist, exposure and vulnerability are somewhat of a necessity to be successful. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
AW: Definitely. To be an artist and to be successful, I think you have to share as much as you can to as many people as possible.
PASTEL: What are the greatest challenges you face with your work, and how do you deal with them?
AW: My greatest challenge right now is focusing on making good work and not worrying about what my next "move" is. It's really easy to get caught up on making a presence in the art world and then not make any progress in the studio. My goal right now is to spend a couple of uninterrupted months on creating a solid and coherent body of work.
PASTEL: Are you currently working on any new projects that you're excited about?
AW: Yes! On June 7th I will be participating in this yearly event called
Forward Warrior where twenty selected Atlanta artists will paint a massive mural all in one day. Except for a big bulldog on a Waffle House in Athens, I've never painted a mural before, so I'm a little nervous. The best part so far has been meeting the other talented artists that are so active in the Atlanta arts community.
PASTEL: What kind of work do you hope to be making ten years from now, or do you see yourself doing something completely different?
AW: I don't see myself doing something completely different, but I hope to allow my painting to evolve into something larger and new. I'd like to collaborate more with other artists and experiment with different mediums such as sculpture and animation. Allison Schulnik is an artist whose career and work I really admire
—she does it all. That's what I want for myself in ten years.
PASTEL: Onto some simpler questions! What's your favorite song right now? Do you listen to music when you work? What kind(s)?
AW: I don't know why, but almost every day I will listen to Lavender Diamond's cover of "Like a Prayer". However, when I'm painting, I usually put a documentary or TV show on and just listen to it in the background. I recently just watched the entire series of Malcolm in the Middle while painting, but of course only absorbed like half of what was going on because I wasn't paying attention. That show is wacky and brilliant and way better than when I watched it as a kid.
PASTEL: What are some of your other favorite hobbies?
AW: I started doing kickboxing a couple of months ago and that's fun. It's nice to get out of your element. I also just recently adopted a three-month-old pit bull
—so does admiring your puppy all day count as a hobby?
^My own interjection, but yes. It does. It absolutely does.
PASTEL: And lastly, what do you want other people to take away from your work?
AW: People are always gathering different ideas about my work, and I think that's great. There's not really one clear idea I wish to get across, but I want my work to create a world that is colorful, and also dark, domestic
—but also exotic
—that utilizes subjects and visuals both from the real world and my imagination. I want to give the viewer something completely new to look at.
—B
