How did you get into making art?
My whole life has been filled with projects that involve creating, taking things apart, or trying to repair them—everything from basic mechanical objects to drawing and inventing new images. When I was an undergraduate, I studied philosophy, which was an intense journey of reading and writing. It was challenging and exciting, opening my mind in so many ways. However, I found it unnatural to navigate a world so deeply rooted in my head.I took my junior year off to travel and work across Europe. Every day, I immersed myself in the cities, museums, and churches, spending weeks in each location, with the backdrop of Western philosophy playing in my mind. When I returned to finish my degree, I took more concentrated philosophy courses, focusing on ethics and feminism. I also enrolled in studio art classes. Moving between thinking and making felt incredibly satisfying, and it became clear to me that I wanted to be an artist. I loved that being an artist was a choice—a way of life, rather than a degree.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m focused on paintings that revolve around body/landscape abstractions. The ideas for these forms came from my desire to depict eyes, nostrils, and mouths. They’re abstracted and the forms shift in meaning as I move through the complex process of creation that i have created over the years. Lately, I’ve started to think of them as resembling patterns on butterfly wings, which has been a surprisingly beautiful place to land.
Moving between thinking and making felt incredibly satisfying, and it became clear to me that I wanted to be an artist.
Jean Alexander Frater
What inspired you to get started on this body of work?
My work is an ongoing exploration where ideas emerge and develop as I create. I’ve established a vocabulary for the recurring forms in my work—things I refer to as strange bodies, mounds, or swelling bodies. The extensions that reach beyond the rectangular space are what I call frames or appendages, while the canvas itself serves as the support or skin that holds everything together. This naming process helps me create in the studio, giving my materials a deeper significance. The rectangle functions as both a frame and a constraint, while the canvas is quite literally the support in the language of painting—it supports the paint. I want the support to play the leading role in my work.There are moments when I realize I’m heading down a predictable path, where the outcome feels obvious. That’s when I pause. Right now, I am moving through this complicated process that I’ve built up over time, where I draw, paint, tear, and build or weave. Each phase starts as a translation and then has to make sense within its specific iteration. During the process, I think it’s important for me to maintain a kind of active waiting for the form, or whatever, to declare itself. That’s discovery.
Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?
I have built up this complicated process of making work where I move between all kinds of abstractions: from geometric abstraction to abstractions of the landscape or human form. Moving between these formal categories is super important to me. I have a tendency to get myopic and then bored when everything follows an obvious linear trajectory. I enjoy doing, undoing, and redoing. I want to build on the vocabulary of forms that define my work, but I also want the freedom to abandon that when necessary. When I have the opportunity for an exhibition, I aim to engage with a specific theme or idea. This often manifests formally and may include art historical references that I use to enrich the dialogue between my work and broader artistic conversations. These references allow me to connect with other artists whose voices help me articulate my own.
What’s a typical day like in your studio?
For the past 12 years, I’ve walked to the studio every day while my twins were in school, returning home earlier when they were younger and later as they grew older. This year will be different, as they will both be away at university. Typically, I have lists of work that I’m considering or actively working on for exhibitions or commissioned projects. During the times when I’m between exhibitions or commissions, I experiment a lot.This phase involves a great deal of drawing, painting, repainting, building, and rebuilding. I refer to this as my Research and Development time, where I allow myself to explore a variety of styles and ideas rapidly. When I’m in the studio, I try to limit my computer use, saving that for the weekends, so I can fully immerse myself in the work at hand.
Who are your favorite artists?
Right now I am loving the work of Howardena Pindell, Elizabeth Murray, Frank Stella, Pablo Picasso, Eva Hesse, Faith Wilding, Barbara Hepworth, and Ruth Asawa.
Where do you go to discover new artists?
I mostly rely on recommendations from friends, as well as insights from other artists and writers.
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