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| The Skin Series latex and acrylic paint; various sizes, in process |
Deborah Bohnert in her studio (above)
and as one of her works, (below)—Public opinion no longer worries me
Deborah: As a child, I lived with my American parents for many years in Japan. I was raised there also by Yoshiko, a kind Japanese woman who impressed upon me the culture of Japan and the importance of being mindful of the environment.When my family moved back to America, we lived in many different places like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia.
Now, I live on the coast of New England with my husband and two cats and we also have a camp in Ripton,Vermont in the Green Mountains. In connection to my art: my art has been shown in numerous museums and galleries and has won many awards.
"We Are All Flowers"
Installation, Art Performance at Mobius 2010
Art For Free AKA Art/Life project, (The Blue tutu turns continuously)
Art For Free AKA Art/Life project, (The Blue tutu turns continuously)
Detail: "We Are All Flowers" Installation 2010 at Mobius
LH: Can you describe a bit about your work in general. What is your media?Deborah: I am a multi-disciplinary artist whose work takes the form of sculpture, installation, painting, photography, and public intervention performance art. I explore the possibilities of performance art as a way to continue my desire to create a connection between people, objects, my art and nature.
My work is process driven. I don’t have any preconceived idea of what I am going to do when I am making art. Play and enjoyment are a huge part of the experience. I find joy in seeing what occurs. I work in many different mediums photography, painting, sculpture, installation and art performance.
piece submitted to Off the Wall, Danforth Museum 2010
Detail of piece from above
LH: What is your current work about?
Deborah: My current work is installation and art performance. I bring together my painting, sculpture, drawing, artifacts, and objects that I collect and engage the audience or observer in my work by inviting them to become part of the art.
“The found object becomes a talisman for (Deborah) the artist.
In the transformation of the studio, it takes on autobiographic or psychological meaning…Deborah creates a dialogue in the pairing of an object and a painting, the spark, the charged space, between the object and the painting is experienced by the viewer.The tradition of the objet trouvé and Pop Art meet in ahead-on collision with both an aesthetic and a psychological point of impact.The history of women and surrealism is invoked. Deb is a collector, a gleaner, an artist.”— Barbara O’Brien, Curator
“Deborah Bohnert's art comes from the inside.... Depending on the viewpoint, one also seems to recognize a part of oneself - as if the artist would hold a mirror to look into. Deborah Bohnert plays with colors, forms, and materials, placing everyday artifacts into a new, artistic context.... Her pictures and objects tell stories everyone may detect individually for him/ herself. In the presence of her art, everyday life sometimes appears a little less dreary!"
— Dr. Ulrich Haegele, Curator
Untitled #8
Canvas 52" x 36"
Box 14 x 10"
Mixed Media
2008
Canvas 52" x 36"
Box 14 x 10"
Mixed Media
2008
LH: What is your workspace like?
Deborah: A very messy muddle and sometimes chaotic. My working studios are filled with objects, paint, photographs, material, anything that I can find that I feel a strong connection to and that I wish to transform. It is a process in mindfulness to walk around my studios because they are so cluttered. But, this is what excites me, holding, seeing, thinking about these materials and seeing connections between them. Recently, I rented a clean space where I can look at my finished work without clutter around it and breathe.
a glimpse into Bohnert's studio
LH: Did you receive any formal art training?
Deborah: Yes, I graduated from Boston University painting program in 1976. I also studied for many years with Bernd Haussmann, an outstanding abstract American/ German painter who greatly reinforced my devotion to nature.
In Plain Sight
12/2009
21" x 16"
High gloss digital image on aluminum
21" x 16"
High gloss digital image on aluminum
LH: Do you ever get stuck with your work and how do you remedy this?
Deborah: I never get stuck with my work. My problem is feeling too overwhelmed with so much that I want to do but not enough time, space or money to create it.
LH: Do you have particular habits that you think support your art practice?
Deborah: Yes, I think that art is in everything I do. So I am doing it all the time. It is an ongoing process.
LH: Do you have other jobs other than making art?
Deborah: Yes, my husband Robert Merrigan and I are in both psychotherapists in a successful private practice for 30 years.
Blue: 24 x 26"
Pink # 1: 60 x 16"
Mixed Media
2008-2009
Deborah: Loving what I am creating and showing it to the public.
Little fruits
LH: What are you reading right now?
Deborah: Lifting the Lid- An ecological Approach to toilet systems by Peter Harper and Louise Halestrap, Ways of Seeing by John Berger
You can see more of Deborah Bohnert's work at:
Thank you Deborah!
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