Getting Some Answers with Mary J. Saran

With a group show on the horizon for the New Year, Amos Eno Gallery is taking a moment to get to know a little more about our member artists who will be exhibiting in the next show. First up is Mary J. Saran. Saran joined the gallery in the summer of 2016. Her solo show in June 2017 shared with the public a vision that recast the earth as "other" and journeyed to a new realm of art made without the familiar planetary restrictions. Let's find out more about Saran's vision as a painter as we anticipate the upcoming group painting show:

AEG: What is your favorite tool besides a brush?

MJS: Well, the practical answer would be my hands. When working with plaster, mixed media - it’s a very hands-on process as one can imagine. Yet recently my favorite tool has been involving other people’s hands, brushes and creative minds in the process. I think an artist as an individual genius is outdated and at times narcissistic. With collaboration comes more ideas, concepts and perspectives that otherwise would have been left undiscovered. It takes my work in a whole new direction, while also inspiring my collaborators and others viewing the work. This loss of ego is currently feeding into new projects and is a part of my thesis. I encourage other artists to try it.

AEG: If your painting took on a life of its own, what would it do next?

MJS: If “The Other” came to life it would attack me in my sleep and morph into my body and then project my changed self into space and inhabit an unknown planet. Maybe then I can finally escape this dying planet. It would force me to leave this decomposing earth and everything familiar and immerse myself in intergalactic space exploration. When do I leave?

AEG: Thinking about painting's long history, is there yet more to paint?

MJS: Yes, as a society we are in constant digital sensory overload. We are obsessed with fake highs and are slowly losing our sanity. We cannot forget about one of a kind, hand made objects. Painting forces us to contain past histories, maintain humanity in this consumer capitalist nation. Painting maintains its relevancy through mixed mediums and appropriation. Artists always have something more to say and express regardless of the medium. That’s why we have dedicated our lives to this complex empathetic career path.