Liz Stekette
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Website:
lizsteketee.com
Social Media:
Instagram
How would you describe your work?
Photographic collage and mixed media with heavy focus on textiles and fiber sculptural and the theme of family.
What inspires you?
The outdoors, painting, sculpture, animals and their pure souls, perseverance.
Can you speak about your process?
It is through art that I make sense of the world. I use my life and family as material for my work. By doing this, I am able to explore the complexity that exists in the everyday and the richness found in the mundane. Through the use of montage, collage, and purposeful juxtaposition of photographs, it is my intention to examine the “truth” in life. I do not feel tied to chronology, linear expression, or one media exclusively. My belief is that life experiences are a combination of independent, non-linear moments that we construct into memory. These memories can shift and change over time. They have specific colors and levels of visual clarity. I create works in a manner that reflects these notions. I take photographs daily to remember and to sketch ideas in my mind. I then use these photographs as a jumping off point for further artistic explorations.
I use photography, collage, sculpture, textiles, and installations in my work. I prioritize experimenting with new combinations and exploring uncovered ground. After the primary construction of any works, I often move on to deconstruct then reconstruct again. This back and forth is non-linear and allows for an ongoing discovery of layers of meaning in each piece. At the heart of my work is the notion that it is the ordinary in life that is truly extraordinary, that memories are fluid and ever-changing. My work is an investigation of memory, family, and the role art plays in these ideas.
How did you become interested in art?
I was born knowing I would be an artist. I could just feel it. I never thought differently.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies or books?
Anselm Kiefer, Hannah Hoch, Sheila Hicks, Massimo Nota, Chiharu Shiota, Eva Hesse, Robert Rauschenberg, Carole Beadle, Martin Parr, Ed Panar, William Eggleston, Kiki Smith.
What advice do you have for younger artists?
Try to enjoy the journey as the results are often different than what you expect.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Art is a balm for the soul. Make art for the experience, not the outcome. My pandemic work has turned toward a meditation on loss gratitude, and the cycle of life. What else is there?
