Artist Talk: Faythe Levine

Artist Talk: Faythe Levine

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Faythe Levine's artist talk on Tuesday.  That being said, I was able to redeem my missed opportunity by engaging in conversation with her as she shadowed Johnie's classes on Wednesday—both Intermediate New Media in Art and Intermediate Photography.

I do know that Faythe was a self-taught artist. She was living paycheck to paycheck and working odd jobs/waitressing just to barely stay afloat. But she knew art was her passions, particularly crafts. She had a lot of drive and passion for art. Though she never received a formal education, the amount of experience and knowledge she has regarding the art world would probably be equivalent to a Ph. D. She recently became an Assistant Curator at the Kohler Arts Center in Shawano, WI. This is incredibly impressive, especially considering she never received any formal education.

So during class, we had the opportunity to ask Faythe questions are were encouraged to engage in conversation with her. Though I was pretty distanced in class, I did end up asking her a couple of questions in Intermediate Photography. I asked her if digital photography, in comparison to film photography, was considered less of an art form due to its accessibility and shoot-and-point technology. She didn't have a straight answer, which was totally fine, but Johnie was able to share his opinion on the matter.

Luckily for me, Faythe was showing her documentary called Sign Painters. I attended, and it blew me away. Holy smokes, where do I begin? 

The film was so well produced. I was actually amazed that the person who directed the film was standing fifteen feet away from me. Wow. The film showed the washed-over and nearly extinct career of sign painters in the United States. Several painters were interviewed from all across the country. The part that really shocked me the most was that anyone can do sign painting. That kind of blew my mind. For a couple of minutes, as I was sitting in the Wriston auditorium theatre chair, I contemplated going into sign painting! The work is truly amazing. Faythe actually had the opportunity to meet and interview a couple of the founders of the Letterheads, "a group of sign makers and decorative artists dedicated to passing down traditional sign making skills."

Seeing this film actually was a very humbling experience for me. Not only did I create a contact in the art world, but I was re-inspired to pick up 2D art—something I stopped doing almost five years ago due to loss of motivation and other mental health issues. 

I actually personally thanked her after the film and Q & A had completed and thanked her for really adjusting and shifting my mindset when I think of "art" careers. I am very excited and motivated to start looking at art as a career, not a hobby.

Milwaukee Psych Fest Poster
One of a kind, photocopy hand painted,
collage & gouache 1/6, 16" x 20"
2014

Untitled
Mixed Media, 2013

You Have No Power Over Me
Gouache + ink, 2013



https://www.faythelevine.com/