‘m not. I worry too much and never feel I’m doing anything as well as I’d like to be doing it. I think that’s true of a lot of creative people.
Where are you from originally?
Niagara Falls, NY (LaSalle area)
What is your medium?
I used to paint primarily with oil, but now I use oil, acrylic, pastel, ink, chalk, charcoal……just about anything I can drag across canvas.
How has Buffalo influenced your work?
I was working in the Washington, DC area for many years before coming back to Buffalo in 2008. I think starting over in a new city (though WNY was my childhood home, it really was new to me as an adult and working artist), it made me hungry to move on from what I was doing. I also had some major changes occur in my life that pushed me over the edge in terms of really just going for it and start painting outside of my comfort zone.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Growing up literally on the upper Niagara river, only a few miles from the brink of the falls, water was always a big part of my psyche. I spent most of my childhood playing, pondering, and exploring in the river. I always somehow wanted to incorporate water and its mystical properties, its healing presence and its dangerous side into artwork. The first Abstract painting that I put out there was at last year’s 464 show at the Damon Morey Law Firm in the Avant. The painting was loosely based on The Falls. Then this past Autumn, I was invited to be in a group show at the CG Jung Center, entitled ‘Janus’ which asked artists to create work outside of their perceived “norm”. I was thrilled! It pushed me to further explore abstraction and dig deeper conceptually.
Name an artist (or more) that most inspires you?
I am a big fan of Eric Fischl, Cindy Sherman, Edward Hopper and more recently contemporary abstract painter Dana Schutz, as well as many folks in the street/artist graffiti genre. I have rediscovered abstract expressionism and have come to have great affection for Clyfford Still, whose work I used to turn away from and be truly annoyed by. It’s interesting how artwork can evoke a totally different response over time.
What is your preferred subject matter?
I used to be most interested in the human figure but have recently (two years or so) become more excited by process, material and concept/idea over the use of recognizable subject matter.
How do you feel you can best advance to the next level, or are you most happy where you are now?
I absolutely feel I need to advance to the next level. I just need more time in the studio and more time for idaes to gestate. It’s difficult juggling so many roles: teaching, motherhood and art-making. I’m definitely not complaining though; all are integral parts of who I am. I keep working to get to that point where all are complimenting and feeding off each other, rather than competing. I’ll get there. I figure I’ll hit my peak in terms of artistic work when I’m about 80, but I’m ok with that.
What is another medium that you would like to learn? Or that you have already learned?
I’ve always wanted to learn more about printmaking techniques. I did a few intaglio prints in college, but have yet to really explore it.
Is there a purpose to your artwork?
Sure, my artwork is a vehicle for ideas, exploration, expression; a way to muddle through this human experience, both the good and bad.
How often do you work on your art?
Several days a week, but not as much as I’d like with my two other hats: Full time Educator and Mom.
What or who first prompted you to venture into the art world?
I know it sounds corny, but I can honestly say I wanted to be an artist since I was four or five (you can even ask my mom!) I drew lots horses, unicorns and dragons.
Have you been schooled in art? Are you planning on attending art school? If so, where?
Yes, I have a BA from SUNY Potsdam (double concentration in Painting and sculpture -1990) and an MFA in painting from Catholic University in Washington, DC (2005). In the interim between those degrees, I took studio courses through Virginia Commonwealth University as well.
Where is your favorite venue in Buffalo to exhibit?
Thus far it was the Albright Knox collector’s gallery (sadly gone now), and I always enjoy the College Street Gallery in Allentown for its lively openings and cool folks. 464 at the Avant was pretty exciting, too.
Is there a gallery in Buffalo that you would like to show your work in, but haven’t yet?
Sure! There are several! I enjoy all different types of venues. I’ve actually been criticized for my openness about that. I think it’s great to show in all different types of places and allow art to be accessible to many different audiences.
Where did you learn your craft?
I think it’s more about doing it over the years rather than a particular “where”. I learned the most in terms of technical skills and paint handling from my Prof’s at Catholic University: practicing technique and hard work. But overall, it’s more an ongoing process of working with materials, looking at art, thinking about stuff, and most of all infusing life experiences into the process of creating something.
What are your strengths?
Even when time and resources are short, I still manage to make stuff. Even when the stuff I make stinks, I don’t let that stop me from being an artist. I keep making stuff; sooner or later something I create doesn’t stink!
What are your weaknesses?
I’m a bit high-strung and pretend I
‘m not. I worry too much and never feel I’m doing anything as well as I’d like to be doing it. I think that’s true of a lot of creative people.
‘m not. I worry too much and never feel I’m doing anything as well as I’d like to be doing it. I think that’s true of a lot of creative people.
Who would you most like to sell a work of art to?
Anyone who has a genuine response to it.
What’s the best thing about being an artist?
Getting to actually do what I love. Not that I always love it. It’s more like doing what feels most authentic about myself.
What’s the worst thing about being an artist?
It’s a lot more work and much harder than many people think.
Is there another local artist who you would like us to interview?
J Tim Raymond
What question would you ask him?
Which artists throughout your career and various ways of working keep coming back to haunt you (both in a positive and negative way)? And why or what about them makes this so?
Where is your current/next show in the city? Dates? Opening night?
“Flow”, Recent work by Candace Masters at Artsphere Studio and Gallery, Opening reception June 8th, 6-9pm, 447 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14207, 716-874-2863. Show runs through July 3.
What is the title and theme of the show?
Title: Flow
Theme: Initially inspired by images of Niagara Falls and later by depictions of hair, these works explore notions of form as they exist in “cascades” or materials that “flow”. With no real definition of shapes or objects, vertical compositions arise with descending transparent layers of color, textural surfaces and deluges of colorful lines on painterly canvases.