Thesis interview with Sarah Berry
Blair Schwartz: So, this is an interview with the Sarah Berry done by the Blair Schwartz.
Okay Sarah Berry, so how did you get into art?
Sarah Berry: My kindergarten teacher, his name was Mr. Mac. he saw my art and he treated me like I was special, like I was a little better than everyone else. he did that to a few people and put them in a gifted and talented program so you got to draw instead of going to recess, you get to like go to his class. And I think he just kind of gave me confidence to believe I could be an artist or like he put that idea in my head by calling me special.
BS: And what was the art you were making? Like drawings or was it little sculptures made out of clay or something?
SB: You know, it’s like elementary school, so I guess it wasn’t just kindergarten. I guess it was like kindergarten through fourth grade. So, there were clay sculptures, lots of sketching, we did linocuts, and I was the only person who got to do an etching. It wasn’t like a dropped in acid etching, I just carved into the metal. So, he made that seem like it was a tricky thing.
BS: He was like here you special person. Okay, so then who was your first favorite artist? like the first one you remember really being like ‘oh my god’ they’re amazing.
SB: Probably Michelangelo
BS: Okay, like the Sistine chapel?
SB: the Sistine chapel or any of his other big works of art. and when I was younger I used to think that those were realistic renderings of humans. I just didn’t know. For some reason, I didn’t compare it to a photograph in my head. I was just like, ‘well that is the epitome of painting’ cause I feel like that’s what I was told.
BS: That’s what people looked like in the old times [Laughing}
So, when did your interest in tarot cards start?
SB: oh man, that’s a hard question. It was probably when I was in high school and I started exploring kinds of spirituality. and someone gave me a deck of Rumi tarot cards to borrow. So I just started looking at them and doing readings for people. I was just enamored by them.
BS: What age was this again?
BS: Cool, how do the tarot cards influence your work?
SB: So what imp really concerned about is symbols and the tarot cards I look at especially the popular deck the rider weight deck, she uses symbols from hermetic societies and the occult and babala, and just all these different spiritual trains of thought and beliefs and she just draws all these symbols together in each card and puts them together in a way to create a new meaning. I think that’s really exciting. and I love the amount of knowledge you have to have about the symbols and their past. You have to understand so much to understand the full depth of the card. but you can still understand it at a surface level. like you don’t have to know everything but if you do you get so much more out of it.
BS: I never really knew that. I mean I knew that tarot cards were symbols based…
Okay, what does design mean to you?
SB: So design I see as a very practical skill. I think its given me a good eye for composition. A steady hand because of how many times I’ve – I mean I can measure with an exacto knife very well. because so much of design is just that perfection and the nice edge. and you have to have the technical ability to make it exactly how you envisioned it.
BS: How do you start a project? What do you do? Like do you sketch in your sketchbook?
SB: my favorite way to start a project is to search imagery that I'm interested in or research a topic that I’m interested in and find like medieval style imagery that is associated with the topic. I draw from that and then just kinda go for it. I start with an idea but then kinda let intuition take over.
BS: What was your favorite project?
SB: probably the etching I did last year of the two hands with the circle between them.
BS: What do you prefer out of drawings, print, etching, all of the things you do?
SB: I think they do different things for me.
BS: what’s your favorite process to work in, regardless of what piece comes out of it?
SB: I think, probably pen and ink?
I get the results immediately. so, they’re satisfying in that way. I mean I love print because you get multiple copies of it. but you get instant gratification with pen and ink.
BS: I wrote these questions a while ago so this question goes, other than cats on shelves, what do you plan on doing this semester? Can you explain the cats on shelves?
SB: Well I was just thinking of making myself another studio buddy. like I have my chameleon in my studio and he’s been with me for, I don’t know, maybe six years.
BS: Wait, the chameleon has been with you for that long?
SB: yeah, he’s been there for about six years. I take him with me everywhere I go and I put him up on my wall and somehow he’s stayed very clean and very flat. I just love how I cut him out and then I feel like he came to life.
BS: Did you draw him and then cut him out?
SB: yeah I drew him and then cut him out. So I was just thinking maybe I could use another one.
BS: and put a cat on a shelf?
BS: So other than that, what do you plan on doing this semester? What are you working on?
SB: So I want to delve into the idea of symbols and really explore in an abstract way and conceptual way. so maybe drawing imagery and symbols and then taking the symbols out after. so then just explore symbols more through paint and print and everything
BS: Last semester you were talking about a book that you were gonna make for thesis. Want to explain the thought process behind the book even if you’re not going to make it? It’s a lot of work
SB: It is a lot of work. so the idea for the book is to make an artist book. So make a series of etchings that have influence by medieval style drawings also by scientific illustrations and just draw these creatures, these fantastical creatures and label them with kind of mysterious descriptions. the idea being that it’s like kind of if you’ve ever seen supernatural the father has this –
SB: Yeah so like every creature they’ve ever encountered he knows how to kill it and he’s written down the way. So something like that perhaps and then take all the prints and bind them into a book.
BS: We will see what happens. Is that still a viable option or have you not started it yet so its not going to work?
SB: I’m worried about the content. because it’s a lot of illustration. I know I could handle the printing even though it would be a lot. I could handle the printing and the book binding but coming up with the content is going to be the hardest part for me.
BS: yeah cause you want it to be a decently thick book. That’s a hard thing to come up with in a semester.
SB: I might want to come up with a looser concept. so then it’s easier for me to come up with ideas. if it’s not so specific.
BS: I’m gonna avoid going brainstorming with you on this idea cause that’s what I want to do. So what art movement do you think your work best fits into?
BS: Far in the past? medieval style work?
SB: Yeah, I don’t think its style is very relevant today I think it speaks to people in a thinking about the past way.
BS: Okay, Last question. who are your favorite artists now? who are you looking at.
SB: I love mocha. mocha’s a classic. incredible line work. I guess there’s been a revival if interest in him in Japan recently which I didn’t know. he’s great. Art Noveau artists, so him and Aubrey Beardsley. I mean most of the artists I look at I really don’t know their names because they’re from so long ago.
BS: so how do you look at images? How do you find inspiration?
SB: So I google. I’ll start broad, with something dumb like occult. See some symbols that come up and then look into them or ill happen upon a new symbol and I’ll start reading about what its connected to all of its history and how relevant it is to today. and then find something else connected to that and I’ll go down these weird rabbit holes of imagery. and then I’ll just keep this folder of inspiration
BS: Well, that concludes our interview. Thank you, Sarah Berry, for being interviewed.
SB: of course, thank you for having me.
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