Artists Speak: Interview with Waeeny Abelle Des Sources
Waeeny Abelle Des Sources, an architect currently specializing in luxury retail design, is making a name for herself with intriguing paintings that explore the architectural abstract. An avid traveler born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Waeeny has a diverse background in art, having studied painting, sculpture, photography, and drawing since her elementary school years. Architectural spaces, in a whirlwind of conceptual and imaginative forms, form the basis of her artwork. We got a chance to sit down and speak to her about her influences, training, and aspirations as an artist.
D: Tell me about the artists who inspire you, and why?
W: Among the many are Richard Diebenkorn, Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning. Although Picasso’s cubist aesthetic varies from the abstract expressionism of Diebenkorn and de Kooning, they all produced works with multiple layers of meaning, work that is conceptual as much as artistic. Their art just invites critique like no other. Not to be too academic, but to me, critique is what art is all about! I don’t mean that in a negative way. Being able to create something that others can interact with or critique in various ways, aesthetically, conceptually, and even politically, that is a kind of fodder for that kind of conversation, is something that inspires me to create more.
D: So instigating critique, or a kind of conversation, is what you aim for in your work?
W: I can see how you would conclude that, but in reality, as I paint, I always go back to what Picasso said about art. He said that “Art is a lie that enables us to realize the truth.” I see my art as part of a concerted effort to reveal a kind of hidden truth about architecture, if you will, to my audience.
D: An artist in the quest for truth. Almost sounds religious!
W: (laughs) I’ll try to answer your question. I am an architect as well as an artist. We live in a world where architecture surrounds us, and artistic elements too – colors, forms, imagery. Think of Mondrian’s “Broadway Boogie-Woogie” (which is at the MoMA). A cacophony of forms and elements. These things resonate with me and as I live and work in this city, taking it all in, they communicate ideas, even rules, which we all fail to acknowledge. In my work I seek to unearth these ideas, reveal the hidden language undergirding these forms, binding them together, stitching them into place on canvas.
D: Interesting and kind of mysterious! So when you begin a piece, do you make a conscious decision about what the outcome will be? Are there a series of sketches that precede each painting?
W: Prior to beginning a piece, my mind is displaced, for lack of a better word, into a three-dimensional space. As I begin to examine and maneuver in my surroundings, the spatial attributes, in plan, perspective, and section, become visible and act as the starting point of my composition. The order underlying a particular environment sets me off. But although my sketches for any particular piece are all representative of similar ideas, informed by my training in architecture, the end product is always unpredictable. There is a dialogue that takes place between me and the canvas over a course of time. Color also plays an important role in my work; it sets the tone while creating depth and unveiling elements about a space that exist beyond the façade. Color infuses my paintings with a dynamic tension that is missing from the geometry of architecture. And even when I create a ‘faulty’ piece, I allow the canvas to communicate new forms through my brush strokes, changing the direction of the piece and creating something else that is equally legitimate. I strive to make the most of any piece I begin, and actually find that the ‘faulty’ pieces are the ones which speak more to my audience.
D: Architecture obviously informs your art . . .
W: Well, I am an architect, and not just by day. In the past, architects were artists and vice versa; think of Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo Da Vinci. In my opinion, architecture is art systematized. My high school studio art curriculum stressed the importance of building technical skills, 3D drawing and painting still life, the human anatomy, landscapes, etc. Although this was fundamental to my artistic formation, architecture school allowed me to design outside the box. I was then able to use my creativity from a drastically different approach, and I loved it! My work incorporates aspects of architecture in their natural form, with an abstract mixture of forms and objects as I understand them. In the minds of many architects lives the idea of being an artist. Architecture is still, despite everything, a field that demands creativity and imagination.
D: You sound pretty analytical. Is there space for passion in what you do?
W: Of course. Passion drives me in life. Passion for creating, whether it is an art installation, architectural model, a design sketch, a dress, a painting, or an actual structure. Being able to travel around the world and experience the different artistic identities that various cities possess, their varied building blocks, is something I enjoy, along with creating work that reflects my perception of these spaces. The ability to work in different mediums is what intrigues me most about creating both art and architecture. I generally alternate from watercolor, graphite on paper, oil on canvas, and sculpture. The outcomes of these mediums differ in so many different ways, and I intend to explore that aesthetic in my pieces.
Waeeny Abelle Des Sources’ Art Show “Unfolded Clarity” premieres on Saturday, June 4th from 7- 9pm at Foley Gallery, 59 Orchard Street, New York.
Photo Credit : Alexander Lev Sakin
♥ See more of Waeeny’s artwork here
