Crystal Neubauer, Kenosha
2018–19 RAM Artist Fellowship Award Recipient
Crystal Neubauer is a self-taught artist. After a career in the printing industry, Neubauer turned to art full time. In the past 15 years she has hosted workshops all over the United States and will be teaching at the upcoming Fiber Arts Conference in Australia in the spring of 2020. In 2018, she participated in the Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago as a guest of an international gallery.
The author of The Art of Expressive Collage: Techniques for Creating with Paper and Glue, published in 2015 by North Light Books, Neubauer has also written articles for and been featured in numerous other books, publications, and podcasts and has her own video series on the art of collage. She is currently represented by galleries in Seattle, Washington; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Chicago, Illinois, and her work can be found in private and corporate collections across the country. In October 2015, she moved to the Racine/Kenosha area where she continues to work.
Artist Statement
Regardless of the media included, my work always comes down to collage. I seek to create a dialogue around the issue of self-worth, identity, and the perception of human value through the use of salvaged materials. I see these items as a metaphor for our own lives, and seek to bring them together in a way that opens the viewer to a deeper experience of an overarching theme of personal redemption—where every part of who you are is embraced and nurtured.
I call my process intuitive, but it all boils down to learning to trust and open myself to the voice inside; the one that can guide creative decisions and bring about a much richer work of art.
From obtaining gallery representation, to writing for a mixed media magazine, and authoring my book and videos, to teaching workshops nationwide and in my own studio, learning to tune in to the voice within has led me on a journey of learning “I can.” It is my desire to inspire others to believe they can too.
Crystal Neubauer, Kenosha
2018–19 RAM Artist Fellowship Award Recipient
Photography: Camela Langendorf, Varitay Studios
Crystal Neubauer is a self-taught artist. After a career in the printing industry, Neubauer turned to art full time. In the past 15 years she has hosted workshops all over the United States and will be teaching at the upcoming Fiber Arts Conference in Australia in the spring of 2020. In 2018, she participated in the Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago as a guest of an international gallery.
The author of The Art of Expressive Collage: Techniques for Creating with Paper and Glue, published in 2015 by North Light Books, Neubauer has also written articles for and been featured in numerous other books, publications, and podcasts and has her own video series on the art of collage. She is currently represented by galleries in Seattle, Washington; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Chicago, Illinois, and her work can be found in private and corporate collections across the country. In October 2015, she moved to the Racine/Kenosha area where she continues to work.
Artist Statement
Regardless of the media included, my work always comes down to collage. I seek to create a dialogue around the issue of self-worth, identity, and the perception of human value through the use of salvaged materials. I see these items as a metaphor for our own lives, and seek to bring them together in a way that opens the viewer to a deeper experience of an overarching theme of personal redemption—where every part of who you are is embraced and nurtured.
I call my process intuitive, but it all boils down to learning to trust and open myself to the voice inside; the one that can guide creative decisions and bring about a much richer work of art.
From obtaining gallery representation, to writing for a mixed media magazine, and authoring my book and videos, to teaching workshops nationwide and in my own studio, learning to tune in to the voice within has led me on a journey of learning “I can.” It is my desire to inspire others to believe they can too.
Interview with the Artist, January 2019
Would you please describe your work—what materials you use; what subject matters you explore?
I have dabbled in many media over the years, but I always make my way back to collage or include collage elements in my work. I see these scraps and bits and salvaged pieces as metaphors for the fragments of our lives—where certain parts look more appealing than others but all are necessary to complete the whole picture of who we are as people and as a society. I seek to open a dialogue around self-worth and identity issues through the use of salvaged materials. While this conversation sometimes crosses over into political and spiritual commentary, it is always about embracing and owning every experience as relevant to the whole.
How often are you in your studio? Do you work outside of your studio much or at all?
I earn my living entirely as an artist now, which means I work at developing multiple streams of revenue through teaching, art sales, book and videos, etc. I am currently working to develop a series of e-courses to allow myself to continue to teach but not travel quite as often. When I am not away on a teaching trip, I divide my time between working at home on the computer and working in the studio. Typically, that translates to a pretty even split—either mornings at home and afternoons in the studio, or a couple of full days per week at each.
What inspires you most these days? But also what do you go to bed thinking about most nights?
My current obsession is working on a large scale with non-traditional foundations to create my work. I went through a season early in my art career, working on small—even jewelry-sized—assemblages, and now I am looking at some of the work that I do as large-scale assemblage. My eye is constantly seeing patterns and possible inspiration in nature, on the sides of old buildings, on the ground underfoot. Everywhere I look, I notice small compositions that I want to translate to larger works. I go to bed rendering foundations and attachments in my head, often scribbling notes for myself just as I drift off, which I then have to decipher when I am awake.
Why the RAM Artist Fellowship? Since we are midway through the process, can you assess how you are feeling at this point? Are you where you thought you would be? Have your plans changed since the fellowship year started?
I applied for the 2017 Fellowship when I first moved to the area and got one of the most encouraging rejection letters I’ve ever received. I knew right away I would try again and was thrilled to be awarded a Fellowship this year. It feels good to have the acceptance of my local peers. I see it as a mutual relationship—where I am able to both give to and receive from the community. One of the things I found most exciting about the Fellowship was the encouragement to be experimental. The body of work I will be creating for the show is not what I had originally planned but has evolved from my earlier ideas. I am really excited to see where it leads!
Sample of Work
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