{"id":18033,"date":"2017-05-09T18:54:34","date_gmt":"2017-05-09T18:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=18033"},"modified":"2017-05-09T19:17:10","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T19:17:10","slug":"painter-mary-montes-talks-rauschenberg-abstraction-and-the-east-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/painter-mary-montes-talks-rauschenberg-abstraction-and-the-east-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Painter Mary Montes talks Rauschenberg, Abstraction and the East End"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mary Montes spends half her time in the Hamptons and the other half in Florida\u2014not a bad living situation if you ask us. The artist’s\u00a0muses are esteemed members of the New York school (think Jackson Pollack, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol), and we’re sure they’d approve of the way Montes paints them. Mary Montes’ work exudes energy, passion, and personality, and so does the artist herself. We had the great privilege of talking to this accomplished painter ahead of her show “De Kooning & Friends, ” which opened May 5 at the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ:\u00a0Tell us about your artistic background. Did you always know you wanted to be a painter?<\/strong><\/p>\n MM:\u00a0<\/strong>I grew up in a country setting in northern New Jersey surrounded by nature and void of distractions such as movie houses and bowling alleys. It was a very nurturing atmosphere to create poetry, songs, and paintings. My uncle was a painter and sculptor from the New York school era and exposed me to the history and culture of the art scene. I eventually received formal education in drawing and painting. My life was grooming all along to create, paint and immerse myself in my work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ:\u00a0Describe your painting process. What helps you get into the creative zone?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MM:\u00a0<\/strong>So I listen to Blues, Jazz, or Drake; it’s the primary way I relax to start a painting. Lighting is usually low with a spotlight on the canvas. Distractions are cooking with a glass of wine and it either happens or doesn’t. I prefer solitude. The subject drives the work, which can change midstream\u2014very intuitive.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ:\u00a0Would you agree that artists\u2019 surroundings have a profound effect on the work they make? How has your art changed with each different place you\u2019ve lived?<\/strong><\/p>\n MM<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0My studio is a major part of the process. I have used large shared spaces at university, with freedom to work on multiple pieces at once. I have more peace when I work at my home loft, but space is limited. I need space but have learned to sacrifice space for privacy.\u00a0 When I’m in the East End work is lively, in the desert, serene. I tune everything out and get into a frame of mind where only the music and model exist.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ:\u00a0Your work is figurative, but there are certainly some abstract tendencies as well\u2014is it difficult to find a balance between realistic representation and abstraction? How does the relationship between the two come into play in your paintings?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n MM:\u00a0<\/strong>No. I don’t worry about terms like “figuration” or “abstraction.” The painting has a mind of its own. The intensity, distortion, and medium are dictated by my level of passion for the subject. De Kooning, Rauschenberg, and Castelli as well as personal models or landscapes all move me, but not always. A sense of composition and life are what\u00a0make the work work.\u00a0 The image I have in my head informs me how abstract to take it. I’m consistently moving towards obliterating recognizable forms, but rather attached to certain body parts. “It’s not a person, it’s a painting,” as Brian Curtis taught me.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ:\u00a0Your subjects are icons of the mid- to late-20th century New York art scene. What is it about people like Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack and Robert Rauschenberg that compels you to paint them?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MM:<\/strong> Their stories are exciting to me. I am very intrigued by the history of art in America. My uncle, Tom Stadnick, a painter and sculptor, shared stories of Pollack, Krasner,\u00a0and others that he brushed shoulders with in the New York art world’s jaunts. Meeting Robert Rauschenberg was also a turning point in my thinking. We related so well, and I felt comfortable around him. I may be an artist today because of his impression on me. It was huge!\u00a0 DeKooning has had a similar influence on my development although we never met. I respect his work and relate to his passions. Whether dead or alive, an artist’s work is understood by some more than others.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n