On The Walls: Cold Hands, Warm Hearts.

Words by Gallery Director, Michelle Pierson.

Evgeniya Parish and April McCarthy are featured in the First Friday show called Cold Hands Warm Hearts on display in Art Mart this month. It features delicate, yet strong abstract, geometrical paintings in a very different manner.

This was specifically for Valentines Day and the concentration on love for art, abstraction, and anatomy (because, you know, the whole heart thing). It’s going to be a great show so bring your loved one, get some free food, and meet the artists.

Below are some questions I wanted to ask them. Funny enough they both think life is their biggest inspiration. So why not seize everyday, not just Friday,to create art and share it with others. You are capable of doing so much! I’m the busiest person in the world and I still managed to write 2 blogs (one for OurHappyHouses.com), do some painting, some sculpture, wood burning, photography, video, logo designing for Olde Towne Butcher, and jewelry all this week.

Even though I do all these things there’s always a need to create more. Going to shows, seeing good inspiring work, and then talking to these artists face to face; this atmosphere reminds me of Warped Tour when it was good.

Have you made it down to see Art Mart yet? Now it’s on the trolley tour for First Fridays! See you there!

6-9 PM- Vegan food provided by #foodnotbombs.

April McCarthy

1. Where did you grow up?

​Upstate New York. Not too far from Syracuse. The air smells lovely up there year round.​

2. Who is your biggest inspiration?

​Life. I find it difficult to narrow inspiration down to one individual or a famous artist. I guess I’m too scattered for that. Being in nature can inspire me just as much as a drive in the city. I started painting again a few years ago thanks to a​n art​project I did with my two ​children, so I that would be when my inspiration jump started.​ ​For nearly ​a decade leading up to that point, ​my creative endeavors were nothing more than the occasional costumes or crafts. My children, through that project, gave me a much needed outlet from some personal experiences I was trying to process at the time and the spark to me creating again on a regular basis​.

​For this show, I drew from my relationships and people I know, the little details, the slight differences between them.​

3. What encourages you to create everyday?

​Oh, It would be wonderful if I was creating art everyday. I’m not nearly that prolific or organized. I create because it’s fun. My grandfather has always said, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.” While this could be taken to mean you should only do things that are enjoyable, to me it means that we create our own perception of fun. I try to enjoy myself wherever I may find myself (of course I fail at this a fair amount of the time). Creating just feels right. For me, it is like talking a walk in the woods, that is where I feel most like myself. Creating helps me feel at home.

4. What do you want your audience to walk away with after seeing your work?

​When the audience likes your work, that’s nice. I also enjoy when people dislike it too. Some of the anatomy pieces have been called “creepy” or “disturbing” and while I see them as pretty mild, it still tickles me when I see that reaction from anyone. My favorite is hearing another person’s interpretation of what they see or what struck them about the piece. To know that you could make someone respond to a painting is the most rewarding interaction I could hope for. In reality, I would just like people to put their phones down and experience something. For this show, it would be wonderful if anyone walks away considering the shared humanity in another individual. That would make my heart happy.

5. What is your favorite thing to draw?

​Drawing on cotton is probably my favorite. And the subject doesn’t matter. That’s my comfort zone, drawing on tee shirts with permanent ink made for fabric. On occasion I will even try out an idea for a painting on a shirt first. I enjoy subjects inspired by nature, science, or vintage items...or a combination of all three. I once drew a customer’s dog on a shirt for them and it was really challenging, but enjoyable, to capture the personality of the pooch in fabric and marker.

6. When was your first show and where?

​The first show I ever entered was at Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts (FCCA), back in the summer of 2012.​ I wanted to throw up on the way to drop off three paintings for judging because I was so anxious. Two pieces were accepted. And during the reception, I wanted to hide or runaway or both. I’m so grateful I pushed myself out of my comfort zone for that opportunity.

7. What would you say to younger artists knowing what you know now?

​To pull from the previous answer, “Push yourself out of your comfort zone. EVERYDAY”. Not just artists. Don’t give a (fill in your favorite choice word here) _____ and do what makes your heart happy. Do what feels right, even if it feels uncomfortable. The paintings that came out of that project I did with my children have all sold now, but they meant so much to me. That was a turning point in my life and so much has come from trusting my own judgement. When you do things you enjoy, you’ll meet people that share a similar passion, ​and those people can become wonderful facets of your life.

8. What is your favorite tool or utensil on your desk?

​For this show, a little metal ruler. I misplaced it yesterday and thought I might go mad looking for it. Overall? My watercolor pencils. They were a gift when I was much younger. They are a treasured and very useful gift still in their original, albeit weathered case.

Evgeniya Parish

1. Where did you grow up?

Voronezh Russia and Manhattan, KS are both my home.

2. Who is your biggest inspiration?

Don’t really have a “who.” It’s more of “WHAT?” LIFE, with all it’s prettiness and ugliness. It is all Beautiful.

3. What encourages you to create everyday?

It is like breathing. You paint- you breathe.

4. What do you want your audience to walk away with after seeing your work?

Whatever they want. It’s a pocket of emotions you can not predict or control.

5. What is your favorite thing to draw?

Symbols. Women.

6. When was your first show and where?

My first show was at a coffee shop when I was getting my undergrad in Oil Painting in Manhattan, KS. I did not think people would understand it and I was pleasantly surprised when 75% of the show was sold out.

7. What would you say to younger artists knowing what you know now?

NOTHING really.

Do exactly what you are doing. Live! Experience! Love! Feel! Mess up! And paint course you can’t live without painting. Or don’t.

8. What is your favorite tool or utensil on your desk?

It is always paint! But I do feel bad ass using my cutting saw to build my frames.

As always note:

wear warm clothes when visiting AM.

Free off-street parking.

Flyer by Justin Young and April Morgan for AM Studios.