Jane Gottlieb’s dynamic images transcend the norms of both reality and colour. Utilising technology, the compositions are a saturated depiction of cities and nature, reworking recognisable locations into hallucinatory snapshots.
A: How do you think that your works seek to find a space between reality and the fantastical – creating a type of bold utopia through the translation of colour?
JG: I feel I escape reality with my fantastical vivid palettes; I create my own world of beauty and emotion.
A: What does the creative process involve in terms of photography, composition and collage?
JG: My creative process starts with my photographs. I look for something that jumps off the page at me… an image with a strong composition, of something interesting and beautiful, maybe mysterious, intriguing or odd. I have a lifetime of 35mm Kodachrome slides to pick from my world travels. I have a small digital camera on me at all times. I then edit these using digital programmes to enhance the colours and create a larger sense of alienation, or a sense of the utopian.
A: How do you think that the works create a sense of idyll? Are you interested in art as a therapeutic medium?
JG: We all know that colour is therapeutic and can evoke many feelings; I wonder why most people don’t appreciate colour. My home is painted inside and out in many bright colors, as well as my furniture, down to my clothes. It’s a full on commitment and healthy addiction for me!
A: Are you interested in the emotional or semantic value that colour places onto the landscape?
JG: I am very interested in the colour and emotion that I add to my landscapes, which I often call Dreamscapes. I want my art to draw in the viewer and keep them interested, ultimately giving them positive emotions.
A: What artists are you most inspired by?
JG: I love Matisse, Leger, Derain, Miro, Diebenkorn and Hockney.
A: Could you tell us more about your new show, Fantasy Gardens, at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden?
JG: Fantasy Gardens is the inaugural exhibit at this beautiful new building on top of a hill with spectacular views.
A: What other projects / exhibitions do you have coming up in 2017?
JG: I am having a solo exhibit at the University of California at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, in January 2018. I am just beginning to works with two curators and I am very excited. I also have a new gallery representing me in New Hope, Penn.
Jane Gottlieb: Fantasy Gardens runs until 5 July, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara.
Credits:
1. Courtesy of Jane Gottlieb.
