Local Art Residency - Scott Sorrentino

LC: Scott, we're thrilled to have your work up at the shop as we have been in touch for some time now and there's a certain sense of satisfaction seeing it all come together. Please tell us about this work that you created for the shop and what you hope our community walks away with after spending some time with it.

SS: Robert, thank you immensely. It’s rare an artist gets an opportunity to create a site-specific work - where you know you have an audience. And where folks who may not usually seek out art, but love good coffee, will see it.  I like to dream that they are my target audience… and yes, my painting is THE one that opens their minds to the fine tradition of painting forever! 

The painting is about one who struggles with irrelevance. How one is, or, why one is, obsessed with being/becoming irrelevant or relevant for that matter. Relevant or irrelevant to what, of course, is ‘fill in the blank’. The poem is mainly about a friend of mine and i growing up artists in NY. in the eighties and nineties - it may also express his fear of irrelevance.

The painting and the poem titled the same in the throes of irrelevance, i thought  to be an amusing title/image; i like the large swaying, movements that move the eye around.

These 2 ideas that we brought together at the end for the presentation at Local. The poem of the same title references lyrics from different bands that i’m currently listening to. Each line from a different song. I always love lyrics and poetry. Have you found the excerpt of the e.e. cummings poem in the piece - an excerpt from i carry your heart with me. There’s also another poem by me…called the camel. There’s a lot going on in there - I enjoyed getting into details once I had the main drawing down.

I intended to create the sense of movement.  Something of a dance move is at times what is needed for effect of the mark. The mark is very important - it comes first - before design. Design emerges naturally as you feel/plan, or not plan;) your marks. The painting in the throes is mainly comprised of marks - reactions to a previous mark in the design of the entire composition. So, it’s a lot of …make a mark…step away … come back and react to the previous mark. Choosing my materials is the space between doing and not doing something on the canvas.

The Local wall is beautiful with nothing on it so i wanted to keep that integrity - scattering pictures salon style was never an option. The intention is to create a lyrical sense of movement to complement the everyday goings on at Local Coffee.

In general, I like large paintings that can fill up a room, create an atmosphere, a presence - Cy Twomblys’ Peonies/Blossom series comes to mind. Or installations by the likes of Judy Pfaff or Jonathan Borofsky - a sort of entertainment quality.

What i hope the community can take away is a tricky question. I’m not typically an idealist so there is no right answer. Perhaps I’d like the community to walk away feeling like there was something different about the experience outside of the great coffee and friendly atmosphere. Ask themselves a question about the experience, get an impression of the experience. 

I wanted to give the community a small taste of an artist who has struggled with his imagery for over 40 years of painting. Forever unlearning, experimenting and painting like a kid again. It’s the activity of making art that’s most rewarding. In my case, through impulsive/reactionary marks, movements, pushing and pulling paint until stepping away. So, a painting is never really complete, never finished.

LC: You are a multimedia artist in that you are also a musician having played in the band BencH. What was it about your childhood that allowed you to pursue such rich, expressive opportunities?

SS: I believe we have innate tendencies toward things we love to do. I’m always drawn to music and art - yes, all kinds, no judgement. I owe every ounce of my childhood growth as an artist to my mom. Making art and music was always encouraged at our Brooklyn apartment. At about age 7 I’d raid her trimmings drawer (she was an apparel trimmings designer) and doodled and glued things like beads, buttons and ribbons onto looseleaf paper, eventually evolving to oaktag. By age 14 i had permission to have a 4-piece drum set in my high school bedroom on the 6th floor of a building in Brooklyn.

By age 16 i was playing Shine on you crazy Diamond with a keyboard and bass player in that same room!  So, encouragement to be oneself is a good start for a kid. All i wanted to do was to get home from school and into my kid cave to make art and music. And that’s just what i did. I would take the Daily News and make collages out of the headlines and photos and stick them on the wall and scrawl away. On my high school bedroom walls hung my artwork and those huge posters of rock bands that you bought at Spencer gifts - taped up with fluorescent orange and green masking tape and black light bulbs!  Irrelevant indeed.

BencH was an attempt at a street-core, industrial noise art band. 3 people grew up in a band together for 14 years so what you learn is relationship. Musically especially - we were an experimental, noise jam band - heavily influenced by Missing Foundation, Einstürzende Neubauten, Throbbing Gristle, Butthole Surfers, etc.

If you like experimental rock/jazz/industrial noise you might like to venture - find us here:

https://soundcloud.com/tom-t-hall-1

https://soundcloud.com/tom-t-hall-1/popular-tracks

https://www.youtube.com/user/benchresinvideos

LC: We talked a bit about the East Village in NYC. While I was more situated in Greenwich Village and Little Italy, the East Village always fascinated me with its 'we don't really give a fuck what you think attitude'. Some of my childhood's most memorable events happened there. Tell us what the East Village meant and means to you.

SS: The artists and musicians had to think like that - it was a self-fulfilling prophecy - failure was success… we fail over here in the east village - that’s why no one likes us and that’s ok! It was naturally transgressive. It was living art and well done at that. Remember Nick Zedd and Tommy Turner from the cinema du transgression? They were two that had that attitude you speak of but being artists they gave us what they knew how to give at the time. So it was very rock and roll.

Art and Music coincided, cohabitated - it was wonderful.

LC: You've transitioned your life to New Jersey and it's quite a swing from your childhood in Brooklyn and impressionable years in NYC. It took me a while to really accept not living in NYC anymore. (I still dont think I'm over it) How have you made the transition and maintain your core?

SS: For me, the core is maintained by knowing that it exists and most importantly, respected. That it needs food and attention just like a living being - creativity in nature.

Without art and music i am imprisoned. Honor thyself.

As far as the transition? I had built a house in upstate NY while in the band BencH - at first it was a rustic 1 room cabin with an outhouse. It soon became a house on 13 acres with an art studio and 16 track recording studio. So, I already made up my mind that the city was not where I will always be. I had all my toys in one place, it was heaven.

LC: What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the near future?

SS: I’m working on a house in upstate NJ and just about completed the art studio. I have several ideas for another polyptych that is in sketch phase. It will be different than the Throes - they always are. Picture making always seem to get to where it need be.. most times without the throes of anything! 

Thanks again Robert! and look forward to another go at that great, rust-colored wall @Local.

LC: What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

SS: Cappuccino molto caldo per favore!

Reach out directly to Scott for any inquiries @ 973.873.4258

Local Art Residency: Q+A with artist Meaghan Bates

Thank you for being a part of the Local community from our early beginnings four years ago! It brings us joy to be able to share your work, especially now as our country and world at large is going through some painful times. That said, you used just these conditions to develop this installation. Please tell us about the work and what was the moment you knew you needed to start developing it.

I was invited by a dear friend into a small artist's group that was made to keep us productive  and provide artistic support during quarantine. That really shifted everything for me. It made me start using all the time in the house in a productive way. It kept me off facebook and away from the news. It gave me a way to start processing the fear and sadness into something creative. I want to share the hope that I found in my studio. I funneled the alternating fear and joy into these pieces. As the Black Lives Matter movement finally took off, I started on the large pieces. I began to think about my struggles with identity as a biracial person and have some healthy perspective on many of the things I've experienced. I spent a lot of time thinking about Black Joy and Black Sorrow and how they exist in the same space. 

 We installed the work last night and this morning at a very early hour with the sun just coming up, I found myself staring at the contrasting imagery and was moved. How were you able to pour yourself into these and capture so much emotion?

Time. That was one of the gifts of quarantine- time. My days were reduced and clarified and it gave me a lot of mental space. I practice yoga almost every day, and now that it's all virtual, I was practicing in my art studio. So I'd spend my time in my poses staring at these pieces and really trying to assess their validity. If they can hold my interest through a really tough pose, I know they're going in the right direction!

You mentioned that cutting up the work and reassembling was a major transition for your work. Can you speak to this a bit?

Yes, this is new to my work since quarantine. I think seeing the world fall apart gave me permission to take my work and just cut them; do something that seems violent to them. But I did it with the goal of rebuilding new pieces from the cut-ups, much like what we've gone through over the past months: we watched things fall apart and we are putting it back together in a new way.  I came to my own understanding about what was at stake in our world. The work had to reflect the intensity of what was happening or it wouldn't hold up against the new reality.

 We continue the Artist Residency at Local, even in these difficult times - as we understand how art is a critical element in helping to understand and heal our communities. What do you hope could be an outcome of displaying this work?

I hope that people will be able to see that this difficult time is also full of beauty. The fear and sadness and uncertainty can go hand-in hand with moments of joy and tenderness and compassion.

What has living in Montclair meant for your work? 

Living here has allowed me to let go of the pressure of living in the city. It's incredibly expensive to have a studio in the city and I found myself working so much to pay for a studio that I could barely use it! Montclair has given me a lot more space, both physically in the studio and mentally to create with less pressure.

 What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Matcha Latte or a Breve Cortado

Learn more about Meaghan here

Local Talk: Q+A with artist Robert Carter

We recently posted the work of artist and professor Robert Carter at the shop which was followed by an exhibition in the space. Perhaps it was awareness of his career spanning over 65 years or knowing that our country's tragic past did not stop this man from honing his craft and prolifically telling his story but it was such a powerful moment for everyone involved. A heartfelt thank you to his daughter Heather for working so diligently to transport Robert's work over to Local and steward all communications related to the event.

We hosted a Q+A during the event and at one point, I inquired as to what one factor contributed to his (Robert's) success and he surprisingly quoted Eddie Murphy, and paraphrasing here:

“My commitment has always been there. I remember an interview with Eddie Murphy where he talked about having a plan B if his comedy desires didn’t work out and he said, he never had a plan B because he felt that allowed him to be totally committed to plan A. I realized that I too never had a plan B.”

— Robert Carter quoting Eddie Murphy

Something about this quote is energizing and paralyzing at the same time as once you take that leap of faith in life, you must literally take a leap and not look back. I can somewhat (loosely here....no comparison to Robert's journey) empathize as opening Local took a degree of strength and belief that was at times physically and mentally difficult. All that said, you keep going and working and working until you come out the other side. Sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed but either way - you did it and that's a powerful story.

See below for more of a bulleted Q+A from Robert followed by a link to his website. Robert's work will be proudly displayed at Local throughout the month of April.

1) Where were you born and raised? Describe your upbringing and impact on both your art and where you are in life today? 

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky during segregation. We were poor, and I always had the support of my family. I remember a life-affirming experience I had when I was about eight or nine. We had a cheap print on our living room wall of a cottage in the woods, and I decided to copy it. I made an oil painting. My mother took the time to have it framed. At the moment I didn’t realize how important that was—by today’s standards it was a very inexpensive frame. But it was a confirming act. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be involved in this area called art. And I still have that painting today.

2) When did you know you were interested in pursuing an art career? 

I always had the encouragement of my family—my parents, my wife and children. I was also supported by my teachers at a very young age. Something I will never forget is when my high school art teacher, Mrs. Lucille Wathen, came to my house to get my portfolio and enter me in a competition for the Scholastic Art & Writing Award. To have her come to my house on a Saturday afternoon was like having an audience with the Pope. We had a reverence for our teachers and for her to go out of her way and to then be awarded was a blessing I didn’t anticipate.

3) Describe your role as professor and the enjoyment you obtain from teaching. 

I refer to myself as an ‘art coach’. The process of teaching has contributed to my personal, intellectual, and technical growth. This is how I describe how meaningful teaching has been: I taught a lesson the first time, and no one understood it. I taught it a second time, and no one understood it. I taught it a third time, and I understood it. Education has been an enriching experience for me, and when you see something working well with your students it emboldens it even further.

4) What generally inspires you and your work? 

Religion, music, social and political issues, and the subtleties of the human experience are my main sources of inspiration.

5) What artists have inspired you and influenced your work? 

Charles White, Albrecht Dürer, and Käthe Kollwitz have had great influence. 

6) What message are you trying to communicate with your art? What do you want people who see your work to think/feel? 

I use the human figure as a conduit for ideas. I would like people to experience behavioral universals that are tinted by race, geography, economics, time, etc.

7) If an art curator came to your house tomorrow to organize and catalog your work, what are the three most important things to communicate to that person? 

I would want the curator to deeply understand both the true essence of the characters in my work and how they are conduits for expression. I would want him to look beyond my work’s technical merits, and see its spirit.

8) Describe the medium you work in and the materials you use. Why that medium and why those materials? 

I use a variety of materials that lend to the personality of the composition. I juxtapose the naturalness of weathered wood with the boldness of acrylic paint to convey vibrancy, vitality and purity in my three-dimensional work. My drawings are mixed media composed of ebony pencil and collaged materials.

9) What’s the future direction of your art? What do you plan to do next? 

Generally speaking, an intensification of spirit and growth in my craftsmanship is always my goal. Ode to Joy, referencing Beethoven, is the theme for my next composition. 

10) What do you want your legacy to be? 

I would like to inspire greater sensitivity to the human experience, cultural and spiritual enrichment and, of course, joy.

http://www.robertcarterstudio.com/