The following brief excepts were taken from my Mooky Chick ART HAGS feature from a few years ago. A very special Thank you to Magda Knight.
Mooky Chick: What do you aim to capture/reveal/explore in your art? Has this shifted over time?
CGR: From day to day my focus shifts. I attempt to catch my racing thoughts like a fisherman catching sea beasts. I fixate on things in order to conquer them and move on. Despite having clear ideas of what I want to paint and sometimes confining myself to a piece, nothing changes my desire to express myself. My constant aim in art is to be truthful and explicit in what I choose to express, and to continue to explore all that creeps into my mind.
Mooky Chick: Is there a time when you transformed creative ‘failure’ or “I can’t do this” into success?
CGR: I have struggled with perfectionism in the past. I understand that ”perfection” is more of a myth than anything else but the idea of messing up was deeply troubling to me; it’s something that began in my childhood which eventually seeped into my art. For a while, I was so caught up in the ”what ifs” that it began to affect how I viewed myself as an artist… which then led to me doubting myself and my abilities. I remember years and years ago, when I received my first order of canvas panels. I was so ecstatic. I had so many ideas and couldn’t wait to spring out the paint and begin. Then, suddenly, I was overcome with doubt. It honestly just came over me in a wave. I was nearly in tears. I began painting and for some reason I just did not feel happy about it. Every brush stroke seemed wrong, and I remember feeling like I couldn’t do it. Eventually I did finish the painting and afterwards I understood that taking my time – both in thought and in painting – was a better way of going about things.
Mooky Chick: What are your thoughts on art’s place in society?
CGR: Art has been around for a very, very long time. It holds evolution, it holds fairy tales and it holds time itself, along with many other curiosities. I feel that the presence of art is paramount in society. In a world where everyone is yelling and everyone is using their voice to interrupt one another, in this seemingly never-ending argument, art sits above that. Art is a final statement.
Mooky Chick: Some say that creating art can be solitary. What do you say?
CGR: Every artist is different. In my experience, some artists are misunderstood, which leads to them isolating themselves. Some just don’t want to be bothered by others because their craft commands focus. As a young girl in school I was pretty much expected to drop everything and ”fit in”. People were of the mind that I was lonely but in fact I was protecting myself as best as I knew how and I simply did not have interest in cliques. My art was more important to me. I have been called a ‘hermit’ and a ‘home body’ before, but I do not feel alone. Regardless of if anyone can empathize or take the time to understand, it has no effect on my devotion to what I do. I have never been the social type, so there is no loss there. For the most part I think that every artist, on some level, knows what they need and if they’re comfortable with it, that’s all that should matter.