Interview: Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Multidisciplinary Artist & Antiques Dealer Elizabeth Bagwell
Elizabeth Bagwell is a multidisciplinary artist from Spartanburg, South Carolina. When viewing the variety and richness of her art, it is readily evident that Bagwell’s mind is perpetually abuzz with a creative force. No single description or word can ever effectively capture the essence of her diverse artistic output. Hard-edge abstraction, vintage children’s book illustrations, and calligraphy-like motifs are among a litany of characterizations that begin to articulate her corpus. As a multimedia artist, Bagwell applies her artistic vision to innumerable mediums: massively scaled horizontal abstract canvas paintings, starkly outlined figurative illustrations on paper, paint-streaked Christmas ornaments, etc.
In March 2023, I conducted an email interview with Bagwell to learn more about her active studio practice, extensive involvement across media, and thematic motivations.?
Liam Otero: I admire the openness of your Artist Statement, particularly when it comes to your embrace of working in a multitude of mediums, styles, and scales. As I went through your website, I felt there were no limits to your creativity! When it comes to your working methods, do you hone in on a single project or do you devote yourself to multiple projects at any given time?
Elizabeth Bagwell: Thank you! I do love creating across mediums. I'm typically working on multiple pieces at a time, and have them spread out on my studio floor. I find it easier to work on several pieces at a time for a few reasons - 1.) the works build off of each other and 2.) from a practical standpoint - while I'm waiting on one piece or section of a work to dry - I can flip over to another piece and all my materials are already in use. Typically, I work in short stints - 30 minutes to an hour. I find the act of creating to be tiring - mentally and also physically when I'm working on larger scale works. Large canvases are heavy and awkward to move around! I don't think the average art viewer realizes how physically and emotionally taxing painting and creating [in general] can be. Because of this, I find that I work best in shorter stints, and then I work on more administrative tasks I need to accomplish for my art practice or appraisal/antique business.
L.O.: Are there other mediums you hope to work with in the near future?
E.B.: Yes! I'm extremely interested in several different materials. I am almost always researching materials that are "new to me". I hope to work soon in metals (brass & copper) and have begun to dabble in clay. I specifically like when traditional materials are used in an innovative way and would also like to try water soluble oil paints.
L.O.: Lines, marks, and black ink are among the most prevalent motifs that appear across your works. Could you please elaborate on why you find these visual markers so captivating?
E.B.: That's a good question. Honestly, I'm not sure why these motifs are so prevalent in my work other than I like the graphic quality of lines, marks, and black ink. I like a line or mark that appears to have spontaneously occurred, even though in reality there's often been a lot of prep work behind the scenes before that mark(s) was made. It just looks effortless. A lot of thought goes into all aspects of my work, from the choice of support(s) used to a mixture of mediums, framing choices, etc. Typically, every aspect has been thought about quite a lot ... and then thought about some more. I do a lot of thinking!
L.O.: For your abstract pieces, I found great delight in studying the direction and position of your brushstrokes, specifically when it came to your more minimalist paintings. Often, it seemed like your brushstrokes were deliberately and meticulously choreographed to the point where it reminded me of calligraphy or as if you were using paint to convey a pictorial language. Did you intend to achieve this effect, or did this manifest organically?
E.B.: Funny you should say that! Over the years, I've had others notice the same calligraphic effect/feeling. I didn't really notice at first, but I can definitely see it now! I have practiced and studied calligraphy in the past, so it shouldn't be a surprise that it shows up in my work. Calligraphy, typography, and beautiful penmanship is something I have always been drawn to from a young age and have observed. I have taken a formal class in the past - many years ago now, but I drew, hand-lettered, and designed my sister and brother-in-law's wedding invitation suite and have addressed envelopes for other weddings/events in the past. I would say this developed organically over time because they are shapes and marks I am naturally drawn to and find fascinating.
L.O.: It is not very often that I encounter artists who are also antiques dealers, to which I find this professional overlap quite remarkable. How does your work as an artist affect your approach to antique dealing and vice versa, as I imagine this must give you a distinct perspective?
E.B.: Thank you! My love of art, design, and antiques all fuel one another. Buying and selling antiques inspires my own art - I like to learn about other artists, makers, and their practices, and I also try to soak up the details that I feel makes an antique/vintage piece of art "pop" and incorporate those details in my own work. I also have an obsession with antique and vintage frames. I have a stash and use them when appropriate on my own artwork and on the pieces of art I collect for myself. I also feel that being an artist helps me when looking at antique/vintage art I consider buying. I'm familiar with many mediums, styles, and art & framing practices/techniques employed over the last 100 years. I think that my passion for these two topics plus interior design make my own artwork stronger. The antique/vintage items I curate are distinctive and stand out for their artistic, handcrafted bent. That is my goal at least, and there is always something to learn ... every day!?
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L.O.: As I examined your education and career history, I noted that you studied Antiquarian Books. Older, out-of-print, rare books can often be a wonderful source of visual inspiration, especially when meditating on the legacies of the British Arts & Crafts movement. Given your openness to working in new and diverse media, have you ever envisioned yourself working in book illustration, whether it be figurative, abstract, or a combination?
E.B.: You are correct! I find older, out-of-print books, and ephemera to be extremely inspiring for their layouts, color combinations, binding, physical size of the book, typography, illustrations, and more. All of these details are important and most definitely inspire. And yes, I most certainly want to illustrate a book. I am particularly fond of children's books ... but really any book. Illustrating a book in whatever format it takes is a dream ... It's a topic I study quite closely, and am slowly but surely working on my own stories and illustrations. There's just not enough time in the day to do all the creative things I want to do!
L.O.: I love how you incorporated Helen Frankenthaler's quote on artistic freedom within your website’s introductory page. Even before I noticed this quote, I could assess through your paintings the level of respect you have for Frankenthaler’s gestural abstraction. Which other artists are a source of inspiration?
E.B.: Frankenthaler is a big inspiration as you noticed, but I have many others, too. Robert Motherwell, Henri Matisse (particularly his Fauvist period and interior scene paintings), Pierre Soulages, Franz Kline (for his lines), Ludwig Bemelmans (illustrator and author of the Madeline series), Clement Hurd (illustrator of Margaret Wise Brown's classic, Goodnight Moon), Mark Rothko (his use of color), Raoul Dufy, Wassily Kandinsky, Gustav Klimt, Hans Hoffman, Carl Larsson, and more!
L.O.: In addition to your abstract pieces, your animal subjects are equally worthy of praise. You have a distinct handling of their bodies in profile with thick, black lines that amount to realistic representations full of life and vigor. Could you please elaborate on what compelled you to depict animals in this unique way??
E.B.: I love animals. In particular, cats. I am very drawn to children's book illustrations from the 1920s and 1930s - and illustrations from this time period in general - and really like the look of thick black lines outlining objects, animals, and really anything! I find Russian and French children's book illustrations from the 1920s and 1930s to be very appealing. I love the bright, bold colors, and graphic quality of the illustrations and layouts. I think a black outline around an object, animal, or person can really make it pop. I [prefer] stylistic representation vs. photographic representation. I guess you could say I prefer imagination and whimsy to reality!
L.O.: Are there any particular themes or ideas that pervade your art?
E.B.: I don't think there is anything super specific in terms of themes or ideas like some artists have. I would say my theme is that I want to create what I want, what's in my imagination, and that tends to be a work that is a push-and-pull of bold color and/or mark(s) plus quiet, controlled energy. I often have a lot of layers on works, and it's a balance of spontaneity and intentional marks.?????
L.O.: Lastly, what takeaways would you like your spectators to come away with through their viewing experience?
E.B.: It's okay to be you - to embrace what you like - that's what makes you, you!? But this is, of course, easier said than done. You hear people say something like this all the time, but it's only the older I get that I've begun to understand this sentiment better and am trying to lean into and do only the things I want to - not try to do or create things because I think I should or it's what others say they want. I want a viewer - after viewing my work - to feel inspired, intrigued, happy, and, for a brief moment, [as if] they escape into another reality. I know when I am creating - when I'm really in the zone - it's an escape from reality or the everyday obligations we all face. Escaping those obligations - even for just a moment - is magic!
Please click the link below to view more of Bagwell’s works on her website: