My Interview with Francesca Fiore

Before the interview started I took a look at some of Francessca's work. I was instantly intrigued because I haven't actually seen work like hers before. I was shocked because almost all of her stuff practically looked like it was floating mid air. It might as well have been. The images on the glass were fantastic. I would have to say that my favorite piece of artwork of hers is the girl painted on plexi-glass which is sitting on the bed. That one was so intriguing. I think the contrast between the actual bed and this girl who was painted on a 2 dimensional glass in a 3 dimensional way was sitting on top of this bed that was found on Craigslist. There were so many interesting things that I was even asking questions before the interview started. I asked how long things took. Why she did things the way she did them like that and by that point I realized I should actually be recording all of this stuff. So I did.

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[MC] So you do paintings, how long have you been painting?

[FF] Since I was 12 years old, it's actually funny story, we have a local art association where you can take art classes. I really wanted to learn how to oil paint but I wasn't old enough. So my parents lied and said i was older so I could get into the class.I remember I was the only one who hasn't been through college yet, everyone else was from 30-80 years old. I started really young and have been working on it ever since and it doesn't get any easier.

[MC] Other than oil paint what kind of art do you do?

[FF] Well coming to Rutgers i have classified myself as an instillation artist. I do allot of large scale installation work. People have classified my paintings as sculptural. I don't see them as sculptural but I see where they are coming from. I also have dabbled in video work and am still exploring those options. I'm open to any way to express what I am saying. I don't close any doors.

[MC] How did you get into installation because I know that's not really a common form of art?

[FF] Yeah it's not like you pick it up one day and say hey lets do an installation

[MC] ha yeah yeah

[FF] Actually the first installation i did was for drawing class. The second semester foundation drawing. The teacher gave us a project. It was either and installation or a big drawing project. I just remember it was the first time i had the feeling that i knew what I wanted to do, the image popped into my head, it was immediate and urgent and it was the first time I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It's about my grandmother. She has Alzheimer's. In this piece i was trying to capture the mind of an Alzheimer's patient. What it's like to step into that world. So I took pictures of her life and i drew them and printed them onto acetate and mounted them onto glass and hung them from strings so I had them floating to space then i used her furniture to make this corner. I wallpapered the walls. I had picture frames at the bottom. There would be really intricate drawings. where it would be my grandma, whoever else would be with her would be empty space. Because in my mind she doesn't recognize them so she sees them as white space.

[MC] And that was your very first installation?

[FF] Yes it was

[MC] And you did it by yourself?

[FF] Yes i always have help. Like putting it up. boyfriend dad build a room and get better at carpentry

[MC] So what's the biggest installation you've ever done? Was it the room?

[FF] probably yeah it was the bathroom water show, it was thrown together really last minute, biggest done in a week

[MC] oh wow

[FF] Well I was working on something and it wasn't going anywhere and my teacher said to have it covered up but you have to have something done in a week and the water show was next week so I decided.

So i have all these pictures on a bulletin board and there was a photo of my mom brushing my sisters hair. the wallpaper was of these crazy tassels which made the image look flat because the tassels looked like they were pushing up against my mom and sisters face so I just looked at it and I was like that's the image. And I figured the sink had water so it fit.

i had to build a space that would allow the wallpaper to encrouch apon that

i build a space that the audience. the mirror helped to act as that

when the show happened i had 9 hours to put it up

walls out of foam so it wasn't that bad

[MC] How did you get started painting on glass?

[FF] My first installation, the grandmother one, got me interested. I got inspired by that

these were regular paintings i experimented with the medium trying to figure out how to work with it. I came to the realization that keeping to the rectangle did not reach it's full potential that's why i branched out and painted without background. I am very interested in the physicality of things, not in the painted objects. I want the paintings to be on the level of a person. I want the person to look them in the eye. Instead of being on the wall and making people enter 'this' world it's on the same plane, on the same realm, its standing on the ground. Everything i've done is standing where it would be if it were a person. It's exactly life-size. And it's interesting because after you paint you realize how tiny people are. People are small.

[MC] Ha ha ha, well cause to me that's huge

[FF] Well it is a 6 foot panel but when you get close to the face you realize you can hold it in your hand

[MC] Yeah wow

[FF] So yeah, any other questions?

[MC] You said you had ideas for thesis. What were you thinking?

[FF] You've seen the progression of my work. This past semester i was in Italy for 6 month. I didn't have many resources cause i couldn't bring my glass pieces and there's no way of doing that. So i took a photo class there and i was taking allot of photos. I started seeing these characters in my photos that i was working with. I've always loved theater allot but this past year I realized how much theater is a part of my life. I do at least one show a year and my other major is English. And I fell in love with play-writing. So the work i wanna do this semester is really very theatrical. In a way its like set design. My focus has drifted away from painting allot especially because of last semester. I realized I didn't need paintings to say what I wanted to say. So i'm actually playing with the idea of doing a couple of large scale installations with the same kind of idea. So my thesis is kinda huge so I'm gunna need a grant ha ha ha it's going to be incredibly difficult but I think I can pull it off. I mean this is the thing. Every time i come up with a project I'm always in way over my head and yet somehow i always kind of achieve it. But like I said I'm not always 100% pleased with it. because i think its like so fake I need more experience with more materials and more money. And i can't count on always getting money for my work. I have to be able to succeed on my own. There are other works this year I need to finish first.