An interview with the mixed media artist, Zelene Schlosberg,an artist based in Chicago.
Zelene Schlosberg is a visual artist concerned with the aesthetics of fragility and the meditative power of imagery. Her art mingles Western and Eastern elements, including allusions to Chinese calligraphy and a special fondness for contemporary classical music.
Introducing Zelene Schlosberg
From February 6-27, 2019, The National Association of Women Artist will present a special small works show in NAWA Gallery, 315 West 39th Street, NYC. Zelene’s work “River Noir # 3” will be exhibiting with many other intriguing national women artists. I am pleased to interview Zelene Schlosberg.
You can find Zelene’s full gallery of artwork at her portfolio.
Hi, glad to have you, please introduce yourself!
Hello, Art Enthusiasts of the World, my name is Zelene Schlosberg. I am a Chicago based artist working in mixed media, usually in smaller scale pieces. I was born in China and moved to the US in 2009, and I think you can see the influence of both cultures in my works. In addition to my own work, I love investigating the contemporary art scene here in Chicago, as well as on trips to New York and Los Angeles.
When did you start making art? What does art offer you?
I started making art seriously in 2009. Art is a mirror or a profound document of what it means to live on our planet in our time. Like all of the arts (music, dance, etc), it speaks in a deep way to the human condition. I also feel the physical making of art, while exhausting and time consuming, has tremendously therapeutic value to the practitioner.
Which piece or series are you most proud of and why? Is there a story behind it
I think most artists would say that whatever art they are making at present is what they are most proud of, what they are most invested in, and that is the case with me. I have been reading a lot about art history and criticism, as well as delving deeply into Buddhist texts, and I feel like the current series represents my distillation and combining of these subjects.
What would you say is your main source of inspiration?
My influences include traditional Chinese ink paintings and calligraphy, as well as the Buddhist writers that have impacted these artists. This year in particular, I embarked on an in-depth study of these writers. There was a time not too long ago where I was doing mostly thinking and reading, but now I am back to the creating process itself. Another influence has been contemporary classical music, which I have been exposed to quite a bit the last five years. The sheer variety of stylistic approaches, not to mention the technical virtuosity of the practioners, fascinates me. I was lucky to have a painting recently featured as the cover art for composer John Liberatore’s debut CD album.
What are your favorite artist tools? What does your workflow look like?
Some of the specific artist tools that are my favorites include diluted paint, which I often let guide itself. The chance operations of where the paint will go are in line with my study of I Ching notions. I have also used thread for many different series of works. Thread by its very nature creates a sense of line, sometimes ambiguous in its directional confidence, due to its specific texture. I’m always discovering new tools and ways to appropriate seemingly mundane objects into a more rarefied aesthetic context.
Thank you, Zelene!