Interview: Miss B - Impressionism and Interactivity through the Eyes of Monet

Hello trusted readers! I'm Ella, one of PovA's newest interns. I'm so excited to be working with this organization and cannot wait to watch it grow as I meet more supporters and artists along the way. As a new face here at PovA, I decided to get to know some of our artists and their styles little better. I had the opportunity to interview Miss B about process and inspiration relating to her recent works. This month marks Miss B's first whole year working with PovA . We are so grateful to have her as a part of our Artist's Collective, she is such a lively and genuine person and brings so much light to those around her. Below is the transcript from an audio recording of the interview. 

Is there any piece that you feel has been pivotal in your career as an artist with PovA?

Yeah, It sold though. My wallflowers. It is an impression of the impressionist Monet. It’s all stippled. And I sold it for $250 - I sold it at the Gold Key Gala and there were like three or four guys behind the partitions we had behind the table. They were standing on the other side of the partition and I could hear them talking -not arguing but talking heatedly- over which one of them gets to have my piece. (One of their mothers had a birthday and she loved Monet) He was the one who got to take it.

That seems to be a really gratifying feeling.

It was.

Did that piece have any personal symbolism?

Well I love Monet. And it was like - I let myself go. The flowers were just beautiful. I might have a greeting card or a postcard with it and you’ll see it- the green background and all the clusters of flowers. All different colors, all different combinations of colors - its beautiful. And it’s kind of blurry, kind of like Monet’s piece - because I didn’t have my glasses. You know why Monet stippled? He had bad eyesight. So I could see through his eyes through my eyes.

That’s beautiful.

I looked him up on the internet and looked at some of his pieces and said ‘Okay, I wanna do one like that one’. My next project, I wanna learn how to do one of his water lilies.

Oh my god, one of my favorites of his work. Would you say your process is a big part of the making of the piece, like the way you use the paint and the materiality of it?

Yeah, yeah. I have OCD so it’s all a process, you know. It was really hard making those flowers - and they all matched. Pink and yellow, yellow and pink, green and blue, orange and yellow, yellow and orange, red and blue, pink and orange - they all matched some way. They all had connections. And any of my art - I don’t know if you’ve seen any of my stuff but..

I found the Calvary painting, and that one is interactive, I’m thinking about donating it to my church. You’ve got the crosses on calvary - two over here, you’ve got the big one here where Jesus was. You’ve got a crown of thorns, blood dripping down. And I’ve got luggage around the bottom of it. Burdens, like your burdens are luggage. And I learned that from a Max Lucado book called Traveling Light about your backpack of fear or your suitcase of addiction or your trunk - you could put all kinds of burdens in that. And I’ve got a sleeping bag of homelessness. All these different burdens are written all over it (the painting) and I’ve got this little black box with a hole in the top of it. This little cardboard box. And a notepad and pens, and people can write their own burdens down and put it in the box. And I don’t read them. When the box is full I empty it out. And I had it there at the Gold Key Gala - it’s interactive, and people were writing down their burdens and putting them in the box and when I got back to the studio a couple weeks later I tore them up into little pieces and put them in the trash. Not my business. That was between them and God, you know? And I think that’d be good for the church.

Miss B showed me her piece and let me write one of my own burdens down and put it in the box. It was a truly comforting experience and helped me to understand the healing intention behind what she creates. You can find more of her Monet inspired works, as well as other beautiful pieces in our Artist's Marketplace : http://povertyandthearts.org/shop-by-artist/miss-b... As well as in our Grand Opening Exhibition which will take place June 9th at our new location from 6 to 8 pm. We hope to see you there!

Poverty and the Arts via Ella Roche