Interview by Jimon
1-Where do you currently reside and work?  I live and work in New York City.

2-How would you describe Carol Saft?  I am an artist. I have made and exhibited videos, sculpture, and lately paintings. I made my first drawings when I was five years old. The comic book I was creating at that time was made from discarded wrapping paper. My character was a little dog.

3-Did you attend an art school or is it inherent?  My first art training was at the Newark Museum children’s program. After college, I attended drawing classes at the Art Student’s League, and then Pratt Institute and SUNY Purchase College for an MFA. But, I feel like I have learned the most from going to exhibitions and museums. And exchanging studio visits with other artists.

4-Do you have a routine when you arrive at your studio or is it different each time? I start painting with my first cup of coffee in the morning. I work about 8-10 hours a day, but the time just flies by.

5-How did you acquire your style? I don’t know if I believe in ‘style.’ I think my use of various materials is a big factor in how my paintings or sculptures appear. We are all influenced by what we have seen around us and the attraction we have for the images we admire can’t help but coalesce in our own work. That is, the ongoing ‘conversations’ you have among the contemporary artists around you.

6-Have you ever come across a piece of art that you could not or did not want to stop looking at? My earliest memories of painting are of Cezanne’s still life and landscapes. I would stand in front of his paintings at the museum for hours. The geometry of his compositions were riveting for me.

7-Do you paint in silence if not what do you listen to? When I am struggling with a painting, I work in silence. Other times I listen to classic rock music or new sounds, other times I listen to recorded books.

8-Why make art? I think those of us in creative fields experience the world through the filter of art. We live within our art-making life and communicate to others through our art.

9-The future is _________?  The future is now. And the future is history. All of it is the result of creative activity for the good of humanity or to humanity’s detriment.

10-How do you know when to stop working on a painting?  I keep looking and looking at what I have painted and there is a moment when the ‘story’ seems complete. A moment when there seems to be solidity yet fluidity to the elements within the work.

11-What is the origin of your paintings?  My paintings come from the diurnal moments of ordinary life. Sometimes there is a bit of humor, other times things are contemplative.

12-Is there any spontaneity in your process or everything is planned? I start out with a basic idea of what I want to capture, and then at a certain point the painting takes over: the painting paints itself.

13-What’s the best advice you’ve ever received in regards to your art?  I was told not to have an agenda when I am working and to lose my ego. Let the work make itself. That is, get out of the way of your work.

14-How do you define success?  Since I want to promote a humane society, success is when visitors to my shows feel the message of compassion and intimacy in my work.

15-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration? I am sure that so many artists feel nourished and restored by spending time in Nature. I feel inspired walking on the beach or being in a forest.

16-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table? This is a tough question, because there are so many artists living and dead that I admire. I knew Elaine deKoonig to be a kind and generous artist. I would like to have dinner with her again. And I think Marcel Duchamp would be very amusing at the table. My third choice is Katherine Bradford, a contemporary artist who is talented, and wise.

17-Name three things you can’t live without in your studio? I need music, I need coffee, I need potato chips and chocolate.

18-How would someone find you on Social Media? Instagram: saft1saft

19-Please name the first thing that comes to your mind while reading the following:

Art=is all around us

Food=hot and spicy

Sports=fun and relaxing

Politics=depressing and frustrating at the moment

Poor=need to be given a fair chance to succeed

God= too big to name

Rich= purple and magenta and gold

Luxury= different for each person

Sex= necessary and fun

Picasso= larger than life

Religion= a private matter that deserves the respect of others