Joan Moffitt

"As artists, we need to be conscious of creating archival work that will inspire future generations. There is no substitute for skill and hard work."

Although the artist is working with the figure, Joan Moffitt's sculptures are incredibly reminiscent of the caves and rock formations of dry landscape. The organic lines and surface of her pieces look as if it were nature itself that molded them. It is the deep, dark cavities of her sculptures that bring the work to light.

GE: After working with 2-D pieces for a long period of time, you completely immersed yourself into sculpture work this year. When did the shift occur and why?

Untitled, 2011. Structolite Plaster

JM: People tell me I spend too much time “in my head”, which is true.  Sculpture takes me out of my head.  When I’m sculpting, I literally have my hands in my work - I love that.  The tactile nature of making sculpture keeps me engaged and alert in the studio.  Making large sculptures, it’s physically exhausting, which I like.  I find that I have a good rapport with my sculptures because of that physical connection; I carry them around, trip over them in the studio and lean on them when I’m tired.  Making sculpture is more literal than painting I think.   A sculpture will literally crack and break if I put too much emphasis on its weight-bearing element.  A painting will sit on the wall and stare at you until you scream, but a sculpture will talk to you.  Besides, sculptors use the coolest tools; knives, fire, power tools… 

GE: Where do you draw your inspiration from? / What artists are you influenced by?
JM: My work is inspired/ driven by my internal life much more than then the physical world.  I am inspired by the books that I read (Flannery O’Connor is my favorite author) and by my faith.  I grew up in the Catholic tradition, which gives me a wealth of  images and subject matter to work with.   There are many artist’s whose work I admire, Michelangelo, Goya, Giacometti, and Elizabeth Murray just to name a few.  Right now I am quite taken with the work of Raoul Hague and Stephen De Staebler.   Another important influence are the artists/mentors in my own life whose work I admire, in particular Ed Smith and Lindsay McCulloch, they have had a substantial impact on my work and my life. 

Untitled, 2011. Structolite Plaster

GE: What kind of emotions do you believe play into your work?
I suppose all of my emotions play into my work in one way or another, whether I am consciously aware of it or not.   Anger is my most valuable emotion in the studio, which may sound strange but anger can be a great motivator, it cuts through procrastination like a knife.   Anger always trumps fear, fatigue and frustration and enables me to make big, bold, and fearless moves and that’s when things really start rolling.  I am fascinated by the relationship between creation and destruction. Sometimes, I practically destroy a piece in order to understand its true nature and make something worthy out of it.

GE: Do you work on multiple pieces at a time?
JM: I do.  I find that when I have multiple projects in the works at one time keeps things from becoming too precious. When I’m bored or frustrated with a piece I can leave it alone for a while and work on another. Sometimes the little side projects I start as a distraction turn into some my best pieces.

GE: Do your pieces often come out the way you envisioned them or is the final product a result of a variety of twists and turns? Are you always satisfied with the finished product?

Figure Study, 2011. Terracotta

JM: I find that the look of a piece might change greatly from inception to completion, but the sentiment or truth I attempt to professes through a piece remains constant and often becomes clearer and purer as I work.  That’s the curious thing about making art, sometimes I don’t know exactly what I believe or what I’m trying to express until I see it front of me in the form of a sculpture, drawing or print.  It’s almost like seeing a piece of myself outside myself, which is a startling experience.  So I try not to be stubborn and let surprises, twist, and turns occur where they may.  I think that’s the only way to get to the heart of things.   I remind myself to let go and let things happen so I can get to that place where “thinking does not proceed doing” as Guston says.  As for the finished product, I’m rarely satisfied. 

GE: New York City is considered by many to be the capital of the art world - what about the NY art scene do you find unique?

Untitled, 2011. Structolite Plaster

JM: Ingenuity, creativity, grit and guts are what made NYC great.  Unfortunately, a stroll through the major galleries in Chelsea these days will leave you feeling flat and uninspired.  The best shows I saw in Chelsea last year were all retrospectives, Picasso, Miro, Elizabeth Murry. We need new blood, new life and vigor to be pumped into the “art world” of NYC.  NYC is a big city but the art scene is small.  It’s encouraging to see unconventional galleries like Baang & Burne or to talk to students and artists who are putting together independent projects because these are the people who encapsulate the qualities that made NYC the art capital to begin with. These people are the ones who are still willing to roll up their selves get their hands dirty.

GE: How do you feel about performance art, such as Chris Burden’s “Shoot” or “Transfixed”?

JM: Posterity will not be kind to the performance art of the 20th and 21st centuries. As artists, we need to be conscience of creating archival work that will inspire future generations. There is no substitute for skill and hard work. Being shot in the arm voluntarily isn’t art - it’s just stupid.

GE: If you could help re-write the dictionary, how would you define the term art?
JM: Well, massive student loan payments should never enter the picture, let’s start with that…