SARATOGA SPRINGS – Jamie Weiner, a senior at Skidmore College, will be presenting her diverse and inventive artwork at Skidmore’s Case Gallery from Thursday, November 19 until Tuesday, November 24. Below, she shares her creative process, her passions and her plans for after graduation.
Admission to the gallery is free of charge and is open to the public between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. each day. For more information, contact Skidmore College at 518-580-5000, Julia Slaff (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or go online at skidmore.edu/art/galleries.php.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
We are each unique, but we are also highly connected to our history, each other, our environment, and the tools we use and make, sometimes in ways we are not conscious of. In order to communicate through my art I am constantly searching for entities beyond my perception to make new and all-encompassing connections, creating an endless challenge not meant to be mastered. This inspires me without a limit, and allows me to be real and be myself, with no hesitation, with no apology. I am driven to make those connections to include every person, but fully understand there will always be exclusions. This understanding drives me further, to keep reaching, which is all part of my creative process.
Which artists do you admire?
Salvador Dali and M.C. Escher.
What about art brings you joy?
Art is limitless in possibilities, so it frees me in a way that no other activity can. It is my special way of reaching out to others who are all connected to me in some form, and if successful, touching others’ lives by communicating the way I think and how I perceive my experiences.
How did you become an artist?
I am an artist just by my existence. I don’t ever remember not being one, so I don’t know. I did improve and develop my art as a solitary habit, as I was quiet, and as an only child, I was able to communicate even while alone.
What do you enjoy drawing the most?
Organic forms.
Future plans?
I’d love to continue making many forms of art and ultimately find a way to make a living using my creativity and my full potential. Currently I’m a senior majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Japanese, English Literature and Asian Studies. I hope to find more meaningful connections to help others, and by helping others, succeed in a higher understanding of what my role and place in the world should be. As my graduation from college approaches in 7 short months, I’m leaving my options open and flexible, but I know that I desire my ending role to focus on the interconnectedness we have to all other beings.
