Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Audrey Stone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Audrey , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
There’s a story, probably apocryphal, of someone asking an artist “How long did it take you to make that artwork?’ and the artist responding, “My whole life.” That response sums up my attitude. Learning one’s artistic craft is a lifelong commitment: continuing to explore, to fine tune, to make changes and progress in the work. Pushing my work forward keeps being in the studio interesting. Even small changes in approach matter. Looking back, I don’t wish that I had speeded up the process. All my previous phases of materials and approaches undergird the work I am doing now. While some bodies of work feel more successful than others, all of it was time well spent. Putting in the time — even on works I might consider failures — matters.
In terms of learning skills, I went to Pratt Institute for my undergraduate degree. We all had to begin with a classic foundation year: Drawing (from life); Form and Space (3D); and Light, Color and Design. I wanted to learn all those skills: Other college art programs did not have this structure, but it’s what I felt I needed. When I went back for an MFA at Hunter College, what I learned was more about opening up my mental concepts of how to create work, what work could be, and how to challenge myself to take risks within my work.
Since being an artist is a very solitary occupation, sometimes isolation can be an obstacle. I spend a lot of time in my own head, often torturing myself over creative decisions far more than necessary. Which means I am probably my own worst enemy and obstacle.