Judth Plotner is an award winning artist from New York City who now lives in the Adirondack Mountains. She recently told Clairan Ferrono about her journey as an artist.
Ferrono: Tell me about your journey to becoming an artist. Your education. Finding your voice.
Plotner: I was always interested in art. As a young person, I cut up greeting cards and collaged them into new note cards. I went to the High School of Music and Art in NYC which gave me a wonderful foundation and then went on to major in art in college. I have done textile design and freelanced as a commercial artist while pursuing painting and printmaking. When my children were young I started to work on raw canvas and create 3D sculpture.
Ferrono: Have you always worked in fabric?
Plotner: About 35 years ago we bought an old house (a fixer upper) in the Adirondacks and it had an antique bed. I made my first quilt and the rest is history. I have now come full circle and am combining all of my art experiences into the fiber collages that I am currently creating.
Ferrono: What are your inspirations?
Plotner: I have been inspired by nature, social conscience and, currently, my roots in NYC. For the current series graffiti, construction, deconstruction, noise, color, and multi-ethnicity are the inspiration.
Ferrono: What techniques and materials do you use?
Plotner: I use silkscreens made from photos of graffiti. And as for construction: I manipulate the images in photoshop; I use a thermofax to make the screens; I use stamping and printing, monoprinting, paint roller, acrylic and fabric paint, and oil stick; I do machine stitching and use large stitch hand stitching; I use raw canvas.
Ferrono: Do you teach? Do you have gallery representation?
Plotner: I do not teach but am part of a coop gallery.
Ferrono: What are you currently working on?
Plotner: I am currently creating pieces that reflect upon my roots in NYC. The noise, construction, deconstruction, ethnicity, graffiti and color and grime are all in my mind as I work on this series. The work has a raw quality. I use raw unprimed canvas, raw edges, hanging threads and lots of black and grey with some color to make the work pop. Composition is very important to me. If I could create a sound track to go with the work it would have sirens, horns and subway rumble.
Ferrono: Where do you see your work heading in the future?
Plotner: I will continue on the path that I am on and simply see where it takes me.