Pipe Dream, oil on panel, 6 x 6 in.
The Light, oil on panel, 8 x 6 in.
JODI GERBI | INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Q. How did your passion for art begin taking shape for you—at home, school, a mentor, and other artists who inspired you or a personal experience that started the fermenting process?
A. During my childhood, art became my way to escape the environment I was in. I would draw and eventually paint to have some peace in a home that was frightening to exist in.
Q. How would you describe your artwork, in terms of materials or mediums? Has it changed or evolved since formal training and what are your goals for it?
A. My paintings are small in scale and detailed focusing on the color, light and different surfaces of objects in oil paint on a wood panel, Within the past two years, having recently graduated from the MFA program at the New York Academy of Art, my work has become more representational and I am always looking to advance my skill as a painter in this direction. I have a great respect for this kind of painting and drawing.
Q. How important is a personal style to you as an artist or does your work reflect larger social and cultural issues?
A. Personal style is the mark of the artist. It is like a fingerprint and makes each of us unique. This is what connects the artist to his or her viewer.
The goal in my work is not about the social or cultural issues. It is about human connection and the fact that if we strip away the specifics of what each of us has experienced as individuals and just had the representation of the emotion we could see that we are not different. We all feel the same basic emotions. The images I paint are specific to me but the emotion that I am conveying is something every person has felt. I hope that this allows the viewer in.
Q. Has being a woman affected your work and others’ perception of it?
A. I actually don’t think of myself as a woman making art, I usually just think of myself as an artist. Since I am just beginning in my career, I am not sure if my gender is a factor in others’ perception of it yet. The natural empathy or role of being a caregiver as a woman might be apparent in my painting and drawings but it is not a conscious choice.
Q. How do you feel about being part of a woman’s art organization?
A. I am grateful and proud to be able to stand amongst strong female artists who achieve in art and share the same passion for creating work as me.
