Interview with Bex Wilkinson
You've spoken about the profound impact your father's early passing and your late spouse's suicide had on your creative journey. Can you share how these personal tragedies initially guided your return to art after a 20-year hiatus?
I have always had a profound awareness of death. I'm not sure exactly the reason- perhaps it is my Scorpio/Snake nature? LOL. I think a lot of it had to do with the artwork with which I grew up. My parents collected very dark and sometimes macabre art. That is what I thought art was when I was a child! I was painting and studying death before my father died when I was 20 years old of a cardiac arrest. I studied the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Once while experimenting as a teenager with LSD I left my body and saw the effervescent field of light that I believe leads one to death. It was frightening to say the least.
When I gave up my art to become a parent and work in the world, I departed my creative personal path of painting. At the age of 51, my spouse committed suicide. It was a shock, to say the least. The ONLY refuge I could find was to paint. The creativity that I abandoned came in full hilt like a saving grace when I was dealing with his loss and my grief and trauma over the death.
Your work delves deeply into themes of grief and the human psyche. How do you navigate these emotional landscapes in your creative process, and what role does art play in your own healing?
As stated above, painting became my salvation after my spouse took his life. I could not live a "normal" life. Everything seemed surreal. The day-to-day chit chat and motivations of American society seem trivial to me in the face of my loss. I saw how we referenced death every day in our own language- casually. Phrases like, "It was so funny, I could die." People used references to death in such a flippant way without realizing what they were saying. I could hear it. I definitely felt it. So, I isolated myself and started to PAINT what I could hear and see. It was my only refuge. It was my way of navigating that which is incomprehensible (killing oneself) and making some sort of psychological sense of it.
You often incorporate Jungian archetypes in your artwork. How do these symbols help in conveying the deeper messages of your work, and what is their significance to you personally?
Before any of my personal experiences with death, I always had a fascination with the dream life and the works of Carl Jung. I got a Masters in Counseling Psychology when I originally gave up painting at 25. I thought I was not going to be an artist at that time, but I was deeply interested in the human psyche. The archetypes surfaced from a subconscious place in my work- the mandala, the cross, images of MAN and WOMAN. I was interested in Jungian Psychology and studied at Sarah Lawrence College where Joseph Campbell taught. (The Hero's Journey) I have always had an innate interest in these symbols as well as alchemical processes and drawings.
In your works, symbols like the mandala, crucifix, and skeletons are prevalent. What do these icons represent in your narrative, and how do you think they resonate with your audience?
The symbols mentioned here are archetypes. They are universal images that provoke certain energies within the human psyche. It is my belief that even if the viewer has a negative or no reaction to these archetypes, that somewhere in the subconscious these "symbols" resonate on a deeper level. This is why I continually use them as my "language." I am not necessarily painting for a positive reaction, I am painting to evoke a deeper, more subtle message in the viewer's psyche. Art should speak to the soul, not just to the eyes.
Your art uniquely blends humor with darker themes of contemporary society and death. How do you find the balance between these contrasting elements, and why is humor important in your expression?
In my own personal experience, my darkest nights of the soul have always had an element of humor. When I suffered from severe postpartum depression my second time after giving birth, I "channeled" a screenplay about a Peruvian Buddhist hit man who wants to become a chef. I was suffering severely- hearing voices in my head, quite frankly. But some of these voices came as characters in the screenplay and made me laugh. I wrote the screenplay knowing nothing about Peru. When my Beloved took his life, I walked into the room where he killed himself, and strangely, I almost wanted to laugh. Is this a defense mechanism for the horror I saw? Perhaps. But there also was an irony. All of this drama, this worrying, this taking ourselves so seriously ends up as meat for vultures. As a box of dust.
There is much humor in the darkness... if you look. And this is one reason that in some of my darkest paintings I use glitter. I call it "bling in the darkness." That which sparkles and is light in some of the worst horrors of humanity. My painting "Memorial" is about the karma of dictators and the damage they leave on the planet. It also says "HELLO" on the painting. Making fun of hell as an introduction and greeting. Humor is always there. Always, if you want to see it.
Your approach to painting is characterized by bold brushstrokes and a free-form application of paint. How do these techniques help you express the 'mess' of the human experience?
As John Lennon says, "LIfe is the thing that happens when you are making other plans." Yep. We may think we are moving in one direction and then POP! something happens and we find ourselves in a completely different direction. Now, I'm sure that some people lay out their life plans and follow it to a tee. But for the rest of us, it's a mess. It's a beautiful, turgid ride- this Being Human.
Your portfolio includes both abstract mixed-media on linen canvas and life studies in pen and pastel. How do these different mediums and styles complement each other in your body of work?
I had one gallery owner say "You're all over the place!" Meaning there is not a continuity to my work. And that is true on some levels, although I did just publish a catalogue that explains how many of these subjects and mediums are intertwined. The fact is, I get bored. I cannot do ONE thing. That doesn't seem to me to be art- that seems to me to be design. When artists get stuck in one medium, and one type of visual, with the exception of some VERY talented artists, most of it just seems mediocre. I'd rather be considered scattered than mediocre any day.
Your recent works touch on complex global issues like the transgender movement, failing healthcare systems, and the pandemic. What motivates you to address these topics, and what message do you hope to convey through your art?
For the past 7 years I was obsessed with the dark side of existence. I experienced the dark side and had to cathartically exorcise it from my being through painting. And then the world reflected this darkness. Roe vs. Wade being overturned put me into a tailspin and I did 4 paintings VERY ANGRY about this. The "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida was so backwards that my painting, "Don't Say CUNT" was created. It's about all the things we are not allowed to say and what we are taught in school- and what is taboo. Putin invading Ukraine is in "Safe and Secure." I was already working on this piece when he invaded. I hope to convey that these acts of oppression and war are unacceptable. These pieces are my activism through ART. This is my way of wading through all of this incomprehensible bullshit that humans do to one another. Excuse my French. LOL.
Having studied at Sarah Lawrence, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Rhode Island School of Design, how have these varied educational experiences influenced your artistic style and approach?
I personally have a bias that it is very important to have technical training. Outsider artists don't need it, but for anyone who wants to show in galleries and sell their work, I feel the basics of drawing and color theory are essential. I'm still not proficient at either of these, but I keep going to workshops and/or schools to learn more. I studied as an adjunct twice at the Art Institute to learn drawing skills, and once at RISD to learn painting skills. These teachers had wonderful techniques that I still use to this day.
How your current work is guiding your artistic journey. Can you share insights into how your recent projects reflect your evolving perspectives, skills, and aspirations? Could you elaborate on how your experiences, both personal and professional, are influencing the themes, techniques, and mediums you're currently exploring?
After painting about and, frankly, being in the abyss for these past 7 years, I realized this is not the direction I want to continue. Darkness has its ways, but there has to be a balance. I had a show in Berlin this past year, and I went there. I did a tour of Sachenhaussen work camp, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I had an epiphany. I realized I had little idea of what it is like to really suffer. I got freaked out at the labor camp even though I have read many books about the camps. It scared me to my very core. That "humanity" can be so intentionally hateful and harmful.
It was then that I decided that I want to paint things that make me happy. So I started a new series that included, The Sun, Unicorn, my dogs,several paintings of mountains, and I am now working on a series of ABC's- the entire alphabet. These pieces are bright- full of glitter and characters. They make me laugh. They bring joy to me when I paint them. I have plunged to the depths of my angst in and soul, and now it is time to project images of happiness and hope and joy. That being said, there always continues to be an element of the macabre in my work. I'm a scorpio. It's just my nature.
