Abstract artist Connie Saddlemire delves deep into intuitive, fascinating abstraction. Saddlemire is currently exhibiting a body of her recent work at Diversions Fine Arts Gallery, work that is inspired by “Things that I see, either in nature, or man made— colors, textures, shapes and patterns, particularly linear patterns. I especially like the look of manmade things that have been affected by time and weather.”
Her printmaking, photographic, and complete art process has shifted over time. “I switched from making representational images to doing abstraction when I was in college, in about 1968. I was fully committed to abstraction by the time I started grad school for art, in 1976. In grad school my work became more minimal and I started making images made up entirely of lines drawn with a crow quill pen. That was before I had ever seen Agnes Martin’s work. People ask me if she was an influence on my artwork and I say ‘No, because I was already making my linear images before I saw her work.’ But I know that she was the pioneer who paved the way to make it ok for me to do what I do. The work I do today is more complex, though, even if it appears relatively simple.”
Saddlemire’s work has evolved in part due to the circustances of her life, as well as “happenstance, such as meeting master printer, Sue Oehme, who introduced me to Solarplate printing. Solarplates are metal plates with a photosensitive coating. The artist exposes black and white images— that are either photographic or drawn by hand— onto the photosensitive plate and that image on the plate is inked up and printed the same way etchings are inked up and printed,” she explains.
According to the artist, around that same time, she was invited to take a class with a friend in altered photography, something she pursued for awhile, realizing that she could “expose some altered photos onto Solarplates.” This is the process she now currently has on display.
Saddlemire reveals that her prefered medium is printmaking. “I fell in love with printmaking when I was in college, in my junior year. Things just came together in my work like they hadn’t done before. I really feel that printmaking chose me… that I was made to be a printmaker. It’s how I think and what I love to do,” she attests.
“Thematically the images I’ve been making since 2020 started with a photo of corrugated Corten steel and are very linear. But I’ve recently purchased a new set of 5 plates that are also photosensitive but they’re a different brand of plate that is higher quality than Solarplate and captures more detail.” Saddlemire adds that “The most significant difference is that they’re almost 4 times as big as my Solarplates were. So I’m now working bigger and the images I’m creating have more 3D dimensionality. ”
Her images are still made from photos of corrugated Corten steel and still linear, however she is now printing both horizontally and vertically to create plaid. “Crazy I know, but I’m going on 78 years old and I’ve reached the slightly rebellious ‘why the hell not?’ stage of my life… and the plaid images are really pretty fascinating, especially with the 3D thing going on. Continuing this new exploration is what excites me for the near future.”
Also exciting are upcoming plans for an exhibition in Maine, and in Basalt, Colorado, after her show in Manhattan Beach.
Her work is technically and visually innovative. “I don’t know anyone else who has been making prints from altered photos for the past 6 years. There have also been other techniques that I’ve ‘thought up’ on my own over the years. It’s part of my particular way of being creative,” she says.
Another part of her creative process is based upon how much she loves working with color. “I started layering translucent colors years ago and I love the unique and often surprising effects that I get from doing that. It’s my biggest reason for using the altered photos of corrugated Corten steel.” She notes that “I altered the photos to make plates with ‘lines,’ and spaces between the lines of varied widths, so when printed in sequence, with inks of different colors, the lines don’t land squarely on top of each other. The effects of that can be quite fascinating.”What inspires me? Things that I see, either in nature, or man made— colors, textures, shapes and patterns, particularly linear patterns. I especially like the look of man made things that have been affected by time and weather. Seeing the work of other artists also inspires me… usually when it’s similar to the kind of imagery that I make.
These exciting works are especially striking in person. Saddlemire relates that “An artist friend of mine told me that she loved the way my work is very wabi-sabi. I took that to primarily mean the embracing of imperfection, with the irregularity of the widths and spacing of the lines. There’s an earthiness, as when both natural and manmade things show the wear of time and the elements. I call it intentional randomness and happenstance, with the hope of serendipity! And that, to me at least, can be seen as a metaphor for life.”
It’s a valuable and lovely metaphor indeed when visualized by Saddlemire. Her work at Diversions Fine Arts is on view April 11 through May 3rd at 1069 N. Aviation Blvd. in Manhattan Beach.
- Genie Davis; photos provided by the artist and by Davis
