We recently connected with Eleanor Aldrich and have shared our conversation below.

Eleanor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I see my whole artistic practice as part of the same larger project; seeking something deeper than language through painting. The practice of painting itself is meaningful: it structures my day, occupies my mind and provides something to work towards. I find meaning in doing something that is intellectual, intuitive, surprising, and outside of capitalism for the most part. Sometimes I make an unsalvageable mess, which is humbling. Sometimes I am surprised by what I make in a good way, which is rewarding. Continually returning to the studio gives me the hope that I am more that the product of marketing- and I flourish under the hope that I can bring something new, if incredibly niche, to the table.

Though the subject matter of my paintings carries meaning (like how the Nancy Drew paintings are about mystery, the female body as object/subject, and female agency) I feel that the deeper subject in all my work is illusion versus reality. I explore this in my painting by having sculptural paint that has an undeniable physical reality to it in conjunction with flatter, illustrational, or more abstract elements. The question of what is real and what is an image is woven into the history of painting as well as our everyday experiences.

Eleanor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in rural eastern Arizona, where my parents—who are both artists— taught me how to draw and paint. I attended Northern Arizona University and spent a year as a study abroad student in the Netherlands, which was my first exposure to art school. I went on to get a Master’s degree in Painting and Drawing from the University of Tennessee in 2012, and taught drawing and painting there for a few semesters. I was a participant in the Drawing Center’s first Open Sessions in New York, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, and an artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, CO. I now live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

My practice is driven by experimentation and the use of unruly materials, which I find assert themselves in unexpected and exciting ways. All of my work shortcuts or complicates illusionistic rendering, which I have a deep mistrust of. Often I do this through the use of  low-relief to create a sense of physical reality.  I attribute my interest in the tension between reality and illusion to my Catholic childhood in the Southwest. My work has been included in New American Paintings, and reviewed in Art in America and on Artforum.com.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think our country should fund a lot more grants and opportunities for artists, and strengthen art programs in public schools. I think our society would value art and how fulfilling a creative life can be for everyone if children were more educated about it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to redefine success for myself. As a child who got straight A’s in school, everyone thought I would be successful in terms of having a more traditional career. When I worked in academia, I felt and enjoyed the social capital of saying I taught at the university, but when I decided to work solely on my own work, it took me a while to be ok just saying that I am an artist. There are a lot of assumptions that are made about artists- but maybe I am at the age now where I just don’t care what is assumed. I am incredibly lucky to be able to work on my art without much pressure to support myself, which allows me to follow what I need to do in my work, rather than what I think others will want to see. Success to me is now moving forward in my studio practice, contributing to artistic dialog, and being supportive of my community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eleanoraldrich.com/
• Instagram: @eleanoraldrich

Image Credits

Eleanor Aldrich