Artist in conversation: Anna Noel
“ In college I quickly realized I could never do anything other than art. I wanted to eat, sleep, and breathe art for the rest of my life.”
Anna’s work consists of mid to large size multimedia sculptures inspired by a variety of topics stemming from her adolescent years, as well as the innermost creations of her mind. Recently, her work has been manifesting itself into plexiglass forms, with hand-dyed polyfill forms serving as the main subject matter. Additionally, she has been working towards large-scale public artworks designed to endure the elements for extended periods. While her individual pieces speak beautifully on their own, her collection of works, as a whole, informs one another and tells a unique narrative that touches on her interesting upbringing and the way those experiences have shaped the way her brain operates today.
With knowledge from her museum studies minor attained during her BFA program, she heavily considers the display methods of her work. From colored lighting to individual custom pedestals and custom-cut rugs, she always strives to consider the entire showing space as much as possible. This all-around approach to the display of her work allows her to draw viewers in and transport them to a delicately altered mindset. Anna does not intend to create entire environments for pure entertainment but aims to pull the viewer from the normal rhythms of their mental processes and briefly absorb them in the art.
Some of her biggest influences stem from both the surrealism era and the pop art genre. She believes surrealism captures the dreamscape style that she values so highly. To Anna, surrealism captures viewers' attention through recognizable objects and then shocks them with unexpected twists on what seemed to be easily digestible mentally. Likewise, pop art plays a role in her creative process as she continuously considers the relevancy of her work in reference to the contemporary era. She is fascinated by the human experience and how the unique experiences individuals live through shape their very being and existence. More specifically, she is intrigued by the current state of modern culture and the human response to the modern environment, proving to be unlike any time period prior.
Her overall intention with her work is to persuade viewers to alter the regular rhythms of their thought processes and allow their minds to wander to an alternative view on human existence and mental play. Ever since she was very small, she has had people around her tell her that her brain works differently than what they are accustomed to. Likewise, she has always placed a high value on simply ‘having time to think.’ She does not claim to be any kind of genius or prodigy, but rather an individual who perhaps has a fold in her gray matter where others have a smooth finish. Thus, her intention with her work is to simply stop viewers in their regular thought patterns and convince them to inspect the intricacies of human existence through her playful lens and perhaps consider their own position in contemporary culture.
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique style?
I came from a large family, I was one of 5 kids. My mom didn’t have time to entertain us all of the time so we entertained ourselves. Oftentimes, this meant that we spent our time outdoors making mud pies, building forts, or making stick dolls. This free time allowed me to foster a creative mind early on. As I grew older I began to realize that I had a knack for art. By the time highschool rolled around I had decided to pursue art in a collegiate setting. In college I quickly realized I could never do anything other than art. I wanted to eat, sleep, and breathe art for the rest of my life. I think one of the biggest moments of inspiration that I can recall comes from an epiphany I had in my undergrad studies at Missouri State University. It dawned on me that I could never see myself in any other career field ever. I knew I could never work a 9-5 and I knew I was never cut out to work for other people or corporations for the rest of my life. At the time, art felt lifegiving and essential. As far as a unique style goes, I’m not entirely sure that I’ve even found mine yet. Of course I think all artists would like to think they have ‘arrived’ at a specific style but I think we all know that styles are something that are constantly changing and shaping as we journey through life. As far as specific imagery that some may refer to as a unique style for lack of better words, I think I really started to hone in on that over the past year in my graduate studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I have been studying my obsession with organic forms recently. These studies stem from my fascination with unbridled child-like creativity and the idea of creation being the driving force of life around us. Well nurtured minds can’t help but create and innovate and I think that inability to shut off the creative process as an artist is what has pushed my use of organic forms into a unique visual language.
Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset when starting a new project?
Absolutely. This may sound crazy, but one of the most beneficial kickstarters for a creative mindset for me, is a clean space. I do not fit the stereotype of a messy and eclectic scatterbrain when it comes to artists. I am very analytical when it comes to my creative process. I have to clean up old projects or old messes before I get started. Nothing kills my productivity like a messy space. Of course art makes messes and my studio could be just as messy as the next guys at any given point, but to truly create a new work I absolutely must have a clean space. I can’t handle the mental clutter that physical messes bring on.
In what ways do you see your work responding to or commenting on the contemporary era, considering the influences of pop art and your fascination with modern culture?
I think one of the biggest correspondences that my work has with the contemporary era and modern American culture is the use of handguns in my imagery. Growing up in rural middle-America, I am far more comfortable and competent when it comes to firearms which makes for interesting opinions in the current political climate on gun control in America. This is a topic I am very comfortable talking about and addressing in my work and I recognize that is not something that every artist is willing to speak on. I think firearms as a topic, speak heavily on our modern day culture and the conversations we are having on gun reform.
What do you hope viewers take away from the altered thought patterns your work aims to induce?
What a great question. My hope for my viewers is that they will leave my work with a slightly different outlook on the topics I address, and hopefully take the time to examine their own feelings on the topic. Some of my most successful work has been the work that gives a narrative through domestic objects. My goal is for viewers to leave my work with a more introspective view on their own life as well as the objects that surround them in their day to day life.
Can you discuss a specific piece of your art and the story or message behind it?
Of course. One of my favorite works to date is Heart of the home: Perceptions of My Past. This work has remained one of my favorite pieces as it was the very first project where I really started to grasp the idea of narrative domestic objects. The entire work from top to bottom was incredibly detail oriented. Of all of my projects so far, this piece is one I’ve spent the most amount of time on. The level of detail and craftsmanship in this piece is something I strive for the rest of my work to achieve. I am really looking forward to my MFA thesis show as that will be the next time I have the opportunity to really focus on one project for a long period of time. The message behind the work itself, is centered around what I see as the heart of the contemporary American home; the refrigerator. Refrigerators serve as objects of insight into individuals and families' lives, social dynamics, and cultural backgrounds. Viewing my own refrigerator as a personal indicator to my relationship with and memories attached to food, this work became a sort of self portrait, giving the viewer a glimpse of the complex nature of my upbringing through the relationships with food that my family had growing up and the impacts that this has had on me in the present.
How do you incorporate feedback from critics and audiences into your artistic practice, and how do you balance this feedback with your own artistic intuition?
Being in a graduate program at the moment, I have constant access to high quality critique from my professors and peers who are all artists themselves. I have always welcomed all kind of feedback, even from those outside of my own specialty, as it has always allowed me to view my work in a different light. I try very hard to be quiet when receiving any kind of critique, formal or informal. I find it is best to listen to critique and process it before forming any kind of response to the feedback. Oftentimes I take notes when I get any type of feedback and I refer back to the notes during my next studio session to allow me to really digest it. Sometimes the feedback encourages a groundbreaking idea or a career altering epiphany and sometimes it allows me to hone in on what I really don’t like or types of work that I really don’t want my work to resemble. Of course, on occasion I will receive feedback from a viewer that maybe hasn’t fully grasped my intentions with my work, or I haven’t fully articulated what I needed to with the work, and that is where my artistic intuition takes over. If I get feedback that is entirely off base that tells me that I either haven’t accomplished what I set out to when I began creating the work, or the viewer hasn’t spent enough time with the work.
How do you stay motivated and inspired despite any setbacks or creative blocks you may encounter?
I think my biggest inspiration is knowing where I have come from. I really think I have a unique perspective on life given my lower class and extremely isolated upbringing. I’m incredibly grateful for all off my opportunities in life and anytime I feel as if I lack motivation I remind myself of how far I have come from the trailer home I grew up in. Reflecting on my past always reminds me that I have not come as far as I have just to stop where I’m at. I truly feel my work as an artist isn’t done and this forces me to push through whatever life throws at me. For me art is a necessity, and I think it always will be, so no matter how burnt out I feel I always find a way to break out of a creative block whether that is staying up late into the night pushing through a project or taking a 24 hour mental break.
How do you feel about exhibiting your artworks with The Holy Art Gallery?
Oh, I am so excited! The Holy Art Gallery really is so gorgeous and you all have been so helpful as I prepare for the London show, which is my first international show. I really am looking forward to applying to more of the Holy Art shows in the future.
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
I think on the administrative side of long-term goals, I really plan on being a full time independent artist. I know every artist has their side gig but one of my biggest goals is to be completely sustained financially through my art or at the very least through an artistic outlet. I plan on doing this by opening my own gallery and studio at some point after grad school where I can foster my own creative environment with other artists around me and network through show curation. On the purely artistic side of long-term goals I would really love to see my work shown in some bigger institutions like the MoMA in New York or the British Museum in the UK. I know these are lofty goals for an artist early in their career but I am a firm believer in manifestation and I plan on continuing to align myself with opportunities that will get me closer and closer to that goal.
What role does emotion play in your creative process, and how do you aim to evoke specific feelings or reactions from those who view your artworks?
I don’t want to say that my creative process is emotionless but I do think my creative process tends to fall more on the analytical side of art. Because of this I was actually very good at mathematics in school. One of my high school teachers even tried to encourage me to go into the field of mathematics instead of art. With lots of self reflection, I have noticed I typically approach life from a more rational lens. This outlook bleeds into my work as I don’t typically push viewers to feel any type of specific emotion when viewing my work but rather encourage them to view the world from a different perspective. Like I’ve talked about before, I really try to give a narrative throughout my work using domestic objects that will relate to the viewer and cause them to analyze specific moments in their own life as well. With all of that said however, I do tend to really push the idea of play and adolescent creativity in some of my more abstract works and I think that really evokes a general feeling of happiness and contentment amongst viewers.