Episode 82: Naomi Schlinke - Being Mobile

“You don’t just believe in yourself, You behave in a way that you can believe in yourself, trust yourself. You have to show up. You have to show up everyday in the studio. You have to put in your time to make this unreal thing real.”

Naomi Schlinke is an visual artist who after many years as a professional dancer, decided to shift her energy primarily to painting. But dance and movement still inform the spirit of her work and the way it is created. As Naomi says in the interview, she provokes the conditions where her work comes to life through many specific choices, but also leaves much up to chance and strives to push the elements of each piece until the whole is activated by the limitations of the extent of the chosen frame. Her most recent body of work, Being Mobile, expresses the movement and iconic form of entities and symbols that seem familiar but also mysterious, elusive, and timeless. Naomi was just a joy to speak with and we laughed quite a bit. I love talking with artists who are so thoughtful about their work and who have such an interesting life journey and experiences to share.

Big Blue 2019 60” x 48” ink on mulberry paper collage mounted to panel

Bio courtesy of Naomi's website

In the 1970’s and early 80’s, Schlinke danced with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and the Joe Goode Performance Group, both based in San Francisco. At that time, the San Francisco art and dance scene were strongly influenced by new concepts flowing from artists such as Merce Cunningham, John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg, many of whom emerged from the hot house for avant-garde work at Black Mountain College, North Carolina. Much of Schlinke's approach to painting is founded on the experiences that she absorbed as a dancer in those decades. Before moving to San Francisco, she received a B.A. and M.A. in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently a resident of Austin, she grew up in Dallas, Texas.

Since relocating to Austin, Texas from San Francisco in 1994, Schlinke has exhibited her work at numerous venues including the Robert McClain Gallery in Houston, The Dallas Contemporary and the MAC, Women & Their Work, Texas State University in San Marcos, D Berman Gallery in Austin, D. M. Allison Gallery in Houston, the Dougherty Art Center in Austin, and Northern-Southern Gallery also in Austin. Before returning to Texas, she exhibited with the Braunstein-Quay Gallery in San Francisco.

Coil Up 2019 48” x 36” ink on mulberry paper collage mounted to panel

NAOMI SCHLINKE and JAMES TURNER

Steps on Steppes

now showing at

NORTHERN-SOUTHERN GALLERY

1900-b East 12th Street near Chicon / Austin, TX 78702

Phillip Niemeyer, curator

Show Run: January 11 - February 15, 2020

Gallery hours Saturdays Only:

Jan 18, Jan 25, Feb 1, Feb 8, Feb 15

3:00pm - 6:30 pm

or for appointment, contact:

the gallery: [email protected]

or the artist: [email protected]

Some of the subjects we discuss:

Resonating work

Creating an environment

REM-Gensler

Daydreaming

Immersion

Studio visits

Describing new work

Religious art

Abstraction/movement

Beginnings of dance

Studying dance

Touring and performing

Writing and painting

European art tour

San Fran in the 70’s

Dance experiences

Mind of another time

Foundational influences

Slowing down

Engaging with materials

Print with Coronado

Starting to use ink

Quoting myself

Ink and mulberry paper

Creating a life

Loft in SF/showing work

Move to Austin

Adventurous spaces

Collectors/prices

Chance/choice

Making paintings

Aesthetically rewarding

Arranging the pieces

Name and titles

Northern-Southern

Thanks

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian

Support this podcast. Links:NAOMI SCHLINKENaomi Schlinke, James Turner : STEPS on STEPPES — Northern-Southern