When you see the work of our February Artist of the Month, the first thing you might notice is color – lots of vibrant color. Through a processed-based practice, Amarette Gregor combines her love of color and the inspiration she finds in her materials to create incredibly unique jewelry and small sculptures. Read on to learn more about Amarette!
I think art and craft is a combination of expression and human endeavor. Both involve acts of human creation meant to communicate ideas or emotion.
What is your artistic background?
I’ve been making things since I was itty-bitty, and have always loved all forms of making. My first experience with metalsmithing was at 14 at an art summer camp, and the rest was history! I studied art in college, with an emphasis on metalsmithing and fibers. I then got a post-bacc certificate at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, and very much consider myself a fine craft artist. Since then I have always tried to have making in some form be my main pursuit, recently transitioning from mainly jewelry to more mixed-media sculpture and art objects.
What are your favorite materials to work with/types of items to make?
My favorite way to make is through material exploration, so I would say my favorite material is anything I can get enough of to experiment with. I adore found or scrap materials, since I feel passionately about minimizing what goes into the waste stream, and reusing the things we have. Any material that is brightly colored is also something I look for, since one of my main lines of inquiry is color. I enjoy creating usable objects, infusing craft into everyday life and creating emotional connections to our material relationships. I also enjoy sculptural objects that evoke joy or strong emotions in those that share space with them.
From where do you draw your inspiration?
I enjoy creatively processing material until it is unrecognizable, and is perceived as something entirely new. I love taking a material and making it do something very different from its original purpose — like I do by turning old sewing thread into fields of color. My other love is color, and I explore how color can be conveyed or contained in different materials. The characteristics of the material itself is my primary inspiration.
What is your creative process like?
I focus on the material, and what it can do. My creative practice is very process-based, and I typically work fairly intuitively, letting the work evolve as I create. I enjoy responding to the materials as I work, even if I start a piece with a general sense of my end goal. I rarely sketch or plan a piece exhaustively. When I use a material I have to plan ahead with, such as metal, I am always thinking about the next piece and what iterations will come out of the experience gained from the current work.
What is the most rewarding thing about your practice?
Being able to be so close to color is always intensely rewarding. I also love when someone responds strongly to my work, especially if it resonates with them in the way it resonates with me. I love the moments of connection when what has spoken to me creatively strikes a chord in my viewer, and I am able to speak with them about their feelings. The process of turning waste or scrap into something new and surprising is also always an amazing experience.
And what challenges do you face as an artist?
I think a lot about the ways our society values art/artists, and how these are expressed (or not) in our support of the arts. If art disappeared tomorrow, I think we’d roundly agree our world would be more bleak and harsh. No one will dispute the general statement “art is important.” But it is difficult to see this in funding and cultural support of artists and the space they need to create. Capitalism and the realities of American culture in particular don’t support art without it being some form of product, and I think this creates an emotional struggle as well as practical difficulties for many artists.
Outside of your practice, do you do any other creative activities/what are your interests?
My whole life is a creative activity! I love learning new things and getting creative whenever possible. I’ve dabbled in most mediums, and nothing makes me happier than noodling away on a project. I also enjoy reading and time with friends.
What role does the artist have in society?
I believe artists have many different roles in society, from the highly-political to the spiritual and emotional. I don’t think that as artists we have to address this full range, but I believe at its core art is meant to inspire thoughts and feelings. I also think artists are meant to create connections between humans.
What is art/craft to you?
I think art and craft is a combination of expression and human endeavor. Both involve acts of human creation meant to communicate ideas or emotion.
You can shop a selection of Amarette’s work in our Store at 5645 Butler Street, Pittsburgh. Amarette is also this quarter’s featured artist for the Janet Krieger Artist Spotlight, and you can find Amarette online at amarettegregor.com and on Instagram.
Janet Krieger was a painter, printmaker, ceramicist, and long-time supporter of CC. The spotlight is a gift by Karen Krieger and Karl Krieger, in tribute to Janet’s artistic career and desire to support working artists.
