Inside the Diving Bell
Collaborative paintings by
Anne Emmons, Kiki McGrath
and Tim Timmerman
August 28 – November 3, 2017
in the Smith Boardroom
Visiting hours for this show vary. Contact Diane Wogaman at 202-885-8600 for availability.
To see more images of the exhibition visit our Flickr Gallery.
- On Collaboration as Spiritual Practice
by Dr.Deborah Sokolove
In contemporary Western culture, the image of the artist is often that of the lone outsider, plumbing the depths of experience on a solitary voyage, with the goal of returning with an exquisite object of aesthetic perfection as the record of an important truth that no one else has ever seen. Artists are taught to trust their inner vision, to be wary of the expectations and influences of others, even as they look to the long generations of artists before them for inspiration, technical expertise, and validation of their calling. To call oneself an artist is to take on the mantle of shaman, prophet, truth-teller, revolutionary, mediator between the ordinary and the divine.
When artists agree to enter a collaborative process, they no longer are able to maintain whatever illusion of control they may cling to in the sovereign solitude of their ordinary studio practice. In order to allow another artist to alter what they have begun, they must silence the protesting ego, which never wants to let go of the divine vision to which they have begun to give form. Likewise, receiving an unfinished work from another artist’s hands requires the sensitivity to honor the initiating artist’s contribution while taking it in a new direction.
For the three artists in this show, the giving and receiving became an intricate dance as each one repeatedly took the role of initiator, mediator, and completer. This collaborative process is a spiritual practice in which gratefully accepting what is given and gracefully letting go of control becomes as important as creating artworks that are aesthetically satisfying and conceptually intriguing. Anne Emmons, Tim Timmerman, and Kiki McGrath entered the diving bell together, each trusting in their mutual interdependence on one another and God. The resulting paintings are the trace of their journey, the visible evidence of the Holy Spirit moving among them, around them, and through them.
- Inside the Diving Bell is a series of collaborative paintings by Anne Emmons, Tim Timmerman and Kiki McGrath. The title alludes to an image poet Christian Wiman used to describe the creative process, a metaphor for protection while descending to unknown depths to form a work of art. Our practice required a spiritual descent as well, with faith in each other as artists and fellow sojourners seeking God. The twelve mixed-media paintings are made on 300 lb. watercolor paper with water-soluble wax pastel, acrylic, metallic and watercolor paint, ink, and gold leaf. We decided to collaborate on the artist statement as well. Deborah Sokolove compared our working method to a dance where each artist acts as initiator, mediator, and completer. Here we each describe a part of the process:
Initiator
It was at a Glen workshop in Santa Fe in August of 2015 that our workshop director Tim Lowly inspired me to ask Kiki and Anne if they would want to work on a small collaboration involving a set of six pieces that we’d work on over the course of that week. We each began two pieces and rotated the work twice between us. For example, a piece I began could move in a rotation of Tim, Kiki, Anne, Tim, Kiki, Anne. Each of us began four of the twelve with an initial impulse or concept. I intentionally began my first two with a singular figure or image, leaving the rest of the page white, where in my second two I began with a brightly colored wash layout to see how that would change the conversation. Conceptually all of mine were begun with the notion of how one represents God engaging with us.
Tim Timmerman
timtimmerman.com
Mediator
The mediator is both receiver and giver, occupying the complex fertile middle ground of the collaborative process. After the workshop ended we continued our practice at a distance by sending work through the mail. Each artist added a new layer of imagery and materials while exploring initial sources, artistic visions and abiding spiritual questions. The process was dynamic and created a dialog over time, full of surprises and humor. On the back of the paper we noted our additions and changes and shared technical notes while yielding expectations of control. We agreed to trust the decisions of the other artists, knowing the end result would look less like any one of our respective works. While painting on the middle passages I tried to honor the initial concept of the piece and to add tension by pushing the color palette or developing spatial elements. I also drew in fragments of images and art history references to add forms or
chaos for the next artist to work through.
Kiki McGrath
kikimcgrath.com
Completer
The enigmatic phase of completion is always a challenge. I view the last 15% of the work as the most difficult. When is it finished? Have I fulfilled my concept? Does the work express that first fresh impulse that caused its genesis? Is there something crucial that is still missing, after pondering all the complex decisions, and expanding questions? I found that completing in collaboration was different in some ways. My decisions extended from my initial concept of reclaiming the person in various perspectives, working with the face and figure using transparent layers of color to conceal and enhance. Finishing the work called for a careful inquiry into the ideas and images of Tim and Kiki as the paintings developed. I felt an obligation to remain true to the aspects of the piece that seemed to be most dear to them, as well as to my own sensibilities. Completion was more free, and more fun, as I exercised creative sleuthing to uncover and recall what each of us offered in the making, and to converge the wandering directions we had taken along the way into a happy return.
Anne Emmons
anneemmons.com
In honor of Diane Marie Schoenike
On Collaboration as Spiritual Practice
by Dr.Deborah Sokolove
In contemporary Western culture, the image of the artist is often that of the lone outsider, plumbing the depths of experience on a solitary voyage, with the goal of returning with an exquisite object of aesthetic perfection as the record of an important truth that no one else has ever seen. Artists are taught to trust their inner vision, to be wary of the expectations and influences of others, even as they look to the long generations of artists before them for inspiration, technical expertise, and validation of their calling. To call oneself an artist is to take on the mantle of shaman, prophet, truth-teller, revolutionary, mediator between the ordinary and the divine.
When artists agree to enter a collaborative process, they no longer are able to maintain whatever illusion of control they may cling to in the sovereign solitude of their ordinary studio practice. In order to allow another artist to alter what they have begun, they must silence the protesting ego, which never wants to let go of the divine vision to which they have begun to give form. Likewise, receiving an unfinished work from another artist’s hands requires the sensitivity to honor the initiating artist’s contribution while taking it in a new direction.
For the three artists in this show, the giving and receiving became an intricate dance as each one repeatedly took the role of initiator, mediator, and completer. This collaborative process is a spiritual practice in which gratefully accepting what is given and gracefully letting go of control becomes as important as creating artworks that are aesthetically satisfying and conceptually intriguing. Anne Emmons, Tim Timmerman, and Kiki McGrath entered the diving bell together, each trusting in their mutual interdependence on one another and God. The resulting paintings are the trace of their journey, the visible evidence of the Holy Spirit moving among them, around them, and through them.
by Dr.Deborah Sokolove
In contemporary Western culture, the image of the artist is often that of the lone outsider, plumbing the depths of experience on a solitary voyage, with the goal of returning with an exquisite object of aesthetic perfection as the record of an important truth that no one else has ever seen. Artists are taught to trust their inner vision, to be wary of the expectations and influences of others, even as they look to the long generations of artists before them for inspiration, technical expertise, and validation of their calling. To call oneself an artist is to take on the mantle of shaman, prophet, truth-teller, revolutionary, mediator between the ordinary and the divine.
When artists agree to enter a collaborative process, they no longer are able to maintain whatever illusion of control they may cling to in the sovereign solitude of their ordinary studio practice. In order to allow another artist to alter what they have begun, they must silence the protesting ego, which never wants to let go of the divine vision to which they have begun to give form. Likewise, receiving an unfinished work from another artist’s hands requires the sensitivity to honor the initiating artist’s contribution while taking it in a new direction.
For the three artists in this show, the giving and receiving became an intricate dance as each one repeatedly took the role of initiator, mediator, and completer. This collaborative process is a spiritual practice in which gratefully accepting what is given and gracefully letting go of control becomes as important as creating artworks that are aesthetically satisfying and conceptually intriguing. Anne Emmons, Tim Timmerman, and Kiki McGrath entered the diving bell together, each trusting in their mutual interdependence on one another and God. The resulting paintings are the trace of their journey, the visible evidence of the Holy Spirit moving among them, around them, and through them.
Inside the Diving Bell is a series of collaborative paintings by Anne Emmons, Tim Timmerman and Kiki McGrath. The title alludes to an image poet Christian Wiman used to describe the creative process, a metaphor for protection while descending to unknown depths to form a work of art. Our practice required a spiritual descent as well, with faith in each other as artists and fellow sojourners seeking God. The twelve mixed-media paintings are made on 300 lb. watercolor paper with water-soluble wax pastel, acrylic, metallic and watercolor paint, ink, and gold leaf. We decided to collaborate on the artist statement as well. Deborah Sokolove compared our working method to a dance where each artist acts as initiator, mediator, and completer. Here we each describe a part of the process:
Initiator
It was at a Glen workshop in Santa Fe in August of 2015 that our workshop director Tim Lowly inspired me to ask Kiki and Anne if they would want to work on a small collaboration involving a set of six pieces that we’d work on over the course of that week. We each began two pieces and rotated the work twice between us. For example, a piece I began could move in a rotation of Tim, Kiki, Anne, Tim, Kiki, Anne. Each of us began four of the twelve with an initial impulse or concept. I intentionally began my first two with a singular figure or image, leaving the rest of the page white, where in my second two I began with a brightly colored wash layout to see how that would change the conversation. Conceptually all of mine were begun with the notion of how one represents God engaging with us.
Mediator
The mediator is both receiver and giver, occupying the complex fertile middle ground of the collaborative process. After the workshop ended we continued our practice at a distance by sending work through the mail. Each artist added a new layer of imagery and materials while exploring initial sources, artistic visions and abiding spiritual questions. The process was dynamic and created a dialog over time, full of surprises and humor. On the back of the paper we noted our additions and changes and shared technical notes while yielding expectations of control. We agreed to trust the decisions of the other artists, knowing the end result would look less like any one of our respective works. While painting on the middle passages I tried to honor the initial concept of the piece and to add tension by pushing the color palette or developing spatial elements. I also drew in fragments of images and art history references to add forms or
chaos for the next artist to work through.
Completer
The enigmatic phase of completion is always a challenge. I view the last 15% of the work as the most difficult. When is it finished? Have I fulfilled my concept? Does the work express that first fresh impulse that caused its genesis? Is there something crucial that is still missing, after pondering all the complex decisions, and expanding questions? I found that completing in collaboration was different in some ways. My decisions extended from my initial concept of reclaiming the person in various perspectives, working with the face and figure using transparent layers of color to conceal and enhance. Finishing the work called for a careful inquiry into the ideas and images of Tim and Kiki as the paintings developed. I felt an obligation to remain true to the aspects of the piece that seemed to be most dear to them, as well as to my own sensibilities. Completion was more free, and more fun, as I exercised creative sleuthing to uncover and recall what each of us offered in the making, and to converge the wandering directions we had taken along the way into a happy return.
Initiator
It was at a Glen workshop in Santa Fe in August of 2015 that our workshop director Tim Lowly inspired me to ask Kiki and Anne if they would want to work on a small collaboration involving a set of six pieces that we’d work on over the course of that week. We each began two pieces and rotated the work twice between us. For example, a piece I began could move in a rotation of Tim, Kiki, Anne, Tim, Kiki, Anne. Each of us began four of the twelve with an initial impulse or concept. I intentionally began my first two with a singular figure or image, leaving the rest of the page white, where in my second two I began with a brightly colored wash layout to see how that would change the conversation. Conceptually all of mine were begun with the notion of how one represents God engaging with us.
Tim Timmerman
timtimmerman.com
Mediator
The mediator is both receiver and giver, occupying the complex fertile middle ground of the collaborative process. After the workshop ended we continued our practice at a distance by sending work through the mail. Each artist added a new layer of imagery and materials while exploring initial sources, artistic visions and abiding spiritual questions. The process was dynamic and created a dialog over time, full of surprises and humor. On the back of the paper we noted our additions and changes and shared technical notes while yielding expectations of control. We agreed to trust the decisions of the other artists, knowing the end result would look less like any one of our respective works. While painting on the middle passages I tried to honor the initial concept of the piece and to add tension by pushing the color palette or developing spatial elements. I also drew in fragments of images and art history references to add forms or
chaos for the next artist to work through.
Kiki McGrath
kikimcgrath.com
Completer
The enigmatic phase of completion is always a challenge. I view the last 15% of the work as the most difficult. When is it finished? Have I fulfilled my concept? Does the work express that first fresh impulse that caused its genesis? Is there something crucial that is still missing, after pondering all the complex decisions, and expanding questions? I found that completing in collaboration was different in some ways. My decisions extended from my initial concept of reclaiming the person in various perspectives, working with the face and figure using transparent layers of color to conceal and enhance. Finishing the work called for a careful inquiry into the ideas and images of Tim and Kiki as the paintings developed. I felt an obligation to remain true to the aspects of the piece that seemed to be most dear to them, as well as to my own sensibilities. Completion was more free, and more fun, as I exercised creative sleuthing to uncover and recall what each of us offered in the making, and to converge the wandering directions we had taken along the way into a happy return.
Anne Emmons
anneemmons.com
In honor of Diane Marie Schoenike