getting to know crystal neubauer

power and fragility inhabit their shared space

harmoniously 

in crystal neubauer's work. i discovered her collages,

mixed media paintings and encaustic pieces on etsy

a couple of years ago and i have been enraptured

with the visual feast and sheer poetry of her work

ever since.

equal parts the nature of the material 

and the sensitivity of the artist,

her work tucks unutterable prayers

between delicate layers

of vintage ephemera.

i know you will enjoy getting to know the woman

behind the breathtaking work

as much as i did.

some things you love: 

old books falling apart and slightly musty with ragged torn covers.
my cat curled up on my lap, or following me from room to room begging for milk. hanging out with my family over a meal. spending long quiet hours alone in the studio. walking out the front door and bumping into a friend. comfy clothes. long hot baths. perusing the magazine aisle at the book store and then lingering with a stack of them over a cup of coffee.

some things you love about yourself (go ahead, brag a little): 

i see things a little differently then others and i believe this is evident in my art. i am learning to use my voice after having lived most of my life believing i didn’t have one. i tend to be a defender of the voiceless minority, a rooter of the under-dog. i don’t believe in going against the status-quo just to be different, but i have a hard time remaining silent when i see an injustice. i am learning to stand in the uncomfortableness of that moment and i think that is pretty cool.

what you're working on at the moment:

i have been experimenting with encaustic painting in combination with drawing on the surface of the wax. recently i’ve begun “sculpting” on a 2-d collaged surface by drawing on top of a layer of wax and scraping, adding ink or chalk or graphite and scraping some more. the process begins to resemble a sculpture being chiseled from a hard surface.

 

where do you draw inspiration from?

i am inspired by texture and line. i will squint at a landscape and see the color blocked look of the scenery or notice the way a few random objects are lying in a drawer. i love to decorate from the items i collect and i carry this inspiration into the studio. and of course, the internet has a plethora of inspiration, almost to the point of overkill.

what is your creativity nemesis?

over scheduling my time to the point of not making it into the studio for days, sometimes weeks at a stretch.

and our most effective weapon against it?

remembering that I am the keeper of my schedule and prioritizing the studio time. allowing myself to work in my pajamas, early in the morning before the tasks of the day begin to press in.

something you've learned the hard way:

everything does not depend on me.

would you please recommend a book?

i am a huge anne lamott fan. 'bird-by-bird' is excellent for the creative process, it is geared toward writers, but i read it with my art goals in mind.

favorite natural food to snack on:

tender white buttered popcorn with sea salt. frozen dark chocolate peanut butter cups from trader joe's. i think they qualify as natural? i love pears and freshly cut pineapple too, but those frozen peanut butter cups are hard to resist.

 

when i say feminine you say... 

beauty wrapped in many packages.

i don’t have to be girly to be feminine and i don’t have to be masculine to be equal.

something you need to do less of:

worry

 

something you need to do more of:

pray

your perfect day:

my idea of the perfect day changes with my mood and circumstances, but today it is having a good friend who lives far away come hang out with me in the studio and then unwinding with my favorite gluten free pizza and a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. and ice cream. the perfect day always ends with ice cream.

 

 

thank you, crystal for giving us a glimpse 

into your beautiful world!

for more of crystal's work, studio,

process & inspiration, please stop by her website

and blog.