elite level art training
is learning how to plan effective recovery time
Hello there! It's Jocelyn Mathewes from Appalachia, and I’m writing to you from the shore of Lake Lanier. (I’m on vacation this week.)
Fittingly, I’m going to talk about rest.
Recently I listened to West Virginia artist Mike Ousley interviewed on I Like Your Work. He said it’s important for artists to take rest when you can get it, "because inevitably it's going to get crazy again." This flipped a default setting in my brain which seeks to fill every time gap with some kind of productive task.
It’s time to leverage my years of problem-solving (to fit my art and work in the gaps between domestic engineering duties), and reorient them to seek spaces for rest.
A similar lesson I’ve been leaning into comes from the world of elite running (which I’m learning about via my athletic children). Their coach sent over a whole video about things pro runners do to train for races.
TLDR; Besides benefitting from genetics, etc., elite runners are paid for their ability to gauge their training within just the right zone of challenge so it minimizes their recovery time.
This means they have to know their bodies really well, so they don’t over-train and burn themselves out before a big race. They plan for just enough exertion means planning for a specific kind of recovery.
And after the big race, they rest, big-time.
Over the last several months, my practice intensified as I prepared for a solo show at Samford University, and teaching at the adjacent summer camp.
It’s going to be a wonderful experience. And inspired by my recent revelations, I’m working on how to shape my recovery time. (More on that in a future newsletter!)
in the studio
”Cloud of Witnesses,” is my latest work created for Samford University. It contains all my tangled thoughts about what a traditional Orthodox Christian icon is and what it does.
Iconography fits squarely in the realm of liturgical art. These are images “written” for the spiritual enlightenment of those who behold them. They contain narratives and portraits, as well as abstract concepts.
When completed, an icon generally must be presented to the priest to be blessed prior to liturgical use. Various traditions of icon painting and carving can be passed down in ways similar to apprenticeship models. The tradition of iconography is a beautiful mix of boundaries and creativity in the service of communicating theology.
With “Cloud of Witnesses,” I struggled to walk the line between making work about icons and making an actual icon. I consulted with my husband-priest frequently. I asked fellow believers what they thought. I brought works in progress to a local meetup so I could see it through fresh eyes. I made my way through iteration after iteration after iteration; some never seen outside my studio.
Now it's done. But I still feel unresolved. Maybe I'll understand it later.
in the wild
Here are the latest comings and goings for my work in the world—
My work just came down from Taking Up Space at ClearStory Arts in Chattanooga. I’m forever thankful to artist Rosie Fiztgerrel for organizing that exhibition.
Snippets from the exhibit and its opening. Even if I can’t make it to a show in person, it’s always gratifying to know that people came to see and appreciate the work.
If you missed Taking Up Space and you happen to be on the West Coast, you can see my work at Viral Integration at the University of California, Irvine now through December 2024. Two pieces, Do I want to be made well? and Side Effects (Did I remember to take my medicine?) are a part of a large group show curated by artist elin o’hara slavick. These are two of my absolute favorites —
On Monday I install my show Filtered Through at SamfordArts, on view through the closing reception on September 26th. Exhibit photos to come shortly, and if you can, please join me for the closing reception on September 26th from 4:30 - 6:30pm.
Your open invitation to my upcoming show at SamfordArts! The show will be a mix of fresh works and older pieces with similar conceptual threads.
After that, I’ll have work in the Small Art Gallery in downtown Jonesborough, TN in October. (Just in time for the International Storytelling Festival!)
parting words
Thank you for being here. I’ll see you on the other side of my residency!
xo,
jocelyn
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