Studio Visit & Interview with Zach Searcy
By Jes Distad
Dolly Parton and drag queens aren’t the only amazing artists to come out of Tennessee. Zach Searcy was born and raised in Knoxville and his blossoming art career has brought him to San Francisco for the past three years. I had the absolute pleasure of getting to visit his Studio in SOMA at Root Division recently where we talked about art and play and everything in between. We bonded over our experiences in East Tennessee, which is a place near and dear to my heart.
Zach's approach to creating art is so fun it's nearly impossible to gravitate toward it. I think in many ways, his paper pulp paintings are a subtle nod to the days when he was making mud pies in his front yard- no hidden agendas, no deadlines. Just play - and the end product is work that is fast, rhythmic, and exciting.
I also got an insider look into how many different things can be a painting. Some of Zach's work has literally layers upon layers. One piece can actually be ten separate masterpieces, with careful considerations taken in the work's engineering and composition. These paintings, which are also sculptures and puzzles, evoked a childlike wonder that I can only imagine Zach gets to experience tenfold while he's creating his art! If there is a window, you're looking at and through it at the same time. I'd have a hard time realizing Zach wasn't a trained and tutored artist if he hadn't told me he was self taught.
There's something to be said for getting out of your own way. The level of generosity and openness Zach takes when creating art is where magic happens. He's not afraid of things going wrong, which I personally feel is the right approach. You can tell Zach trusts the process and loves what he's doing, and the results speak for themselves.
Before I get back to my studio to start experimenting after being inspired by Zach's approach, let's talk art!
Interview
Hey Zach! Thanks for letting me take a bunch of pictures in your studio and talking to me about your art. For those that don't know you, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what type of art you make?
Thanks for coming by the studio! I am a self taught artist from Knoxville, TN. My practice has always revolved around abstract painting, but lately I find myself working between painting and sculpture. I still consider everything I make a painting, but I am very much interested in how painting can exist as a physical thing.
Your paper pulp works are up at Moth Belly's current show “Songs to Swoon For”. Can you tell me a little bit about your process and making those?
“Water Bed” 12”x9” Acrylic, watercolor, and paper pulp on wood panel. Part of the exhibit Songs to Swoon For.
These paper pulp pieces were a reaction to a recent body of work which required a lot of time creating the sculptural supports for my paintings in the woodshop. I found that moving between the fabrication of the support to the painting of it, while interesting, a bit cumbersome when it came to being a reactive painter. You can't exactly get into an improvisational playful state of mind when you realize the next move you just envisioned will take another full day's worth measuring and cutting in the woodshop. Paper pulp allows me to still think of paintings as a material, and not just a picture plane, but I can get from point A to point B much faster. It gets my hands moving in a way that I find to be more generous and fun.
I think all the sculptural elements of your work are so cool! So, tell us, how many different things can be a painting?
Haha, what even is a painting? Something with paint on it? A handmade image? Something on your wall that you eat your oatmeal next to? Something to be carried around very carefully while wearing gloves? The picture plane in your mind? I really do my best to stay as naive as possible as to what paintings can be, but once upon a time I was laying in bed looking at my laundry basket debating whether or not it is a painting, and so I'll just say I think a laundry basket can be painting.
“Untitled” 24x18” Inkjet on PVC foam board.
You grew up in the South. How does the art scene in Knoxville compare to the art scene in SF?
I find them comparable in that they both punch way above their weight. There's always some article comparing the art scene of SF to LA or something, and I think sometimes people forget that SF has around 10% of the population of some of these places. It's such an iconic place with such a rich history and resilient community that it still gets mentioned with the biggest art scenes in the world. Knoxville, despite being known as a conservative area, has some of my favorite contemporary painters on the planet. Also, both are full of good people. There is some crossover between the Bay and the South in that they both have easy going folks that are happy to enjoy life simply. There's a lot of wisdom in not keeping things too complicated.
Work in progress pieces for Songs to Swoon For.
It sounds like your family has been supportive of your creative endeavors. How has that influenced your work?
Yea, my mom has always been supportive of the arts. I think the simple act of not saying no and not keeping strict walls or boundaries around how we "should" live is a great help. She doesn't like the word "should" and prefers the word "could" which is probably a good way to think about painting!
I like what you said about art is as much about spending time with art as is the art itself. Can you tell me more about that?
I noticed that when I do not work on a painting for some time, and I maybe even turn it around for a while in the studio, it is different when I come back to it even though materially nothing has changed. I realized this is because I have changed, and so in that way I found an innate relationship we have with art as it relates to time. Art is a bit like a daily horoscope in that it provides a pivot point for you to check your adjacency and relationship to everything around you.
Is it safe to say there's a dichotomy of order and chaos both in your work and in your process?
Yes, but at the last second I want it lean into the order side of that spectrum. I have a deep appreciation for minimalism, but sometimes more is more, and I like to find how things can still rhyme as they become more maximal.
Are there any artists or inspirations that have been influential on your process and or your work?
“Movie 1” 60x36” Paint and pigment transfer on canvas.
Robert Rauschenberg was my first favorite artist. I really enjoy the pace of his compositions. I admire Frank Stella a lot. He can give it to you any way you like it from minimal to maximal and it's almost always good. Im into Richard Tuttle right now. His work can be pretty subtle, but he makes beauty look easy. I also think about the music of Aphex Twin, Holly Herndon, and footwork artists such as Jlin quite a bit with their ability to remain very articulate and find unexpected organization within maximal compositions.
We've talked a lot about your process and the discipline to not do more. How do you know when a piece is finished?
There comes a point in the making of a painting where it has a certain freshness to it - some unique ability to keep you in a heightened state of curiosity that evades any kind of intervention. Like an itch you dont scratch because having an answer wouldn't be as fun.
“Threads” 20x16” Acrylic, watercolor, and paper pulp on wood panel. Part of the exhibit Songs to Swoon For.
Follow up to that, what rituals or comforts do you seek to get into your most creative space?
I think a lot of it is just showing up and getting moving. The ritual of going every day makes it's own generative rhythm and something always happens even if by accident. If I havent been to the studio in a while then a cup of coffee and some loud music will certainly help, but other than that I get roped in pretty easily as long as I am showing up. Maybe it's comparable to the feeling of getting into a good book. It's just fun to see where these things go.
Thanks again for taking the time! Where else can we see your work in the coming months?
I'll have work up at the Ramp Gallery at SOMArts in the later part of April and May.
Lastly, is there anything else you want us know?
Yeah, you should make art. Everyone has an artist in them somewhere. Dont pressure yourself too much and have fun exploring your curiosities :)
You can find some of Zach's work at Moth Belly's current show "Songs to Swoon For" at 912 Larkin now until the end of March.
