Rachel Bubis: After developing your drawing skills for many years, you decided to shift away from realism which you’ve described as an “escape velocity.” What led to that moment, and how did it transform the direction of your work? Was it over time or suddenly? Lain York: It happened fairly quickly coming out of university. I was looking for a particular immediacy for what I was doing. Ideas were coming quickly and I found myself moving away from what I thou...
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Rachel Bubis: You’ve been working in Tennessee for quite some time. How has your practice evolved over the years? Carl E. Moore: I moved to Memphis to go to college, so I’ve actually lived in Tennessee longer than I lived in my hometown. So my practice has changed over a 40 span, all the way from college to now. When I started at MCA I was a realist painting using oils. After college, I took a 5 year hiatus to rede...
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Rachel Bubis: You’ve said that quilting unlocked a confidence and enthusiasm you hadn’t found in painting or photography. What do you think it is about working with cloth that sparked this shift for you? Kelly Spell: I love the tactile nature of cloth and the way it feels in my hands. Our lives are filled with fabric, from the clothes we wear to the sheets we sleep under. It’s soft, comfortable, flexible, and familiar. Those qualities removed a lot...
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