Lyn Southworth Interview

Yesterday I interviewed artist and friend, Lyn Southworth, about how she got started in art, and her career as an artist. The following is my transcription of the interview.



CT: How did you get started in art?

LS: I got started in art by taking Japanese classes at UCLA. It was totally all-consuming because I knew nothing about it. As a Japanese major there are an awful lot of courses that you have to take besides language courses that have to do with Japanese culture, like Japanese art. Once I saw Japanese art and started taking those classes, I said, "Wow!" And the artist in me just came alive. I had never seen anything except European art. I loved European art, especially the impressionists, and I grew up with that, but it was always something that ended in the previous century when they were drinking Pernod in cafes. It wasn't anything that had anything to do with me or that I could ever aspire to. But Japanese art really, really spoke to me. I started working with fabric, because that's a Japanese traditional thing -- working with fabric -- dyes on fabric. And exploring a lot of Japanese techniques for fabric. Surface design, it's called. And that's how I got into it. Then I started selling pieces, and I realized -- Hey! -- make a business out of it. You love doing this, so let's do it!

CT: When did you first know that you wanted to be an artist?

LS: It was at that time, in the early 80s. Before that I saw myself in an entirely different light. It was like I lived an entirely other life. I was a mother and a minister's wife. Those roles didn't have artists. There was nobody in my family who did that kind of thing, and art was something you went to the museum once a year and saw on the wall.

CT: What other artists have influenced you?

LS: From my childhood and my growing up, the French impressionists, and the one who stands out for me is Amedeo Modigliani. That continues to this day. I love his work. His work really speaks to me -- and the way he paints people. It's a way that I would like to be able to do it. And the other big influence on me are the paintings and woodcuts of Japan. I'm sure you've all seen them. The geishas, the woodcuts of women, and the beautiful soft colors. When I first started, I really thought maybe I was going to start making woodcuts, and actually doing that. And I learned a lot of the processes and so forth. But now I've brought that feeling into other medias, so I don't have to do the woodcuts.

CT: What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

LS: Wow! To me, an aspiring artist is somebody who wants to make art, rather than go jogging or find something else to do. It doesn't really have anything to do with being a professional, or making a lot of money, or having a career. I would just say, make all the art you can. Make art, look at art, and don't ever apologize for spending your time making art. Because it's a worthwhile thing to do, and artists live a long time because it's such a healthy thing to do. Go for it! Just do it!

CT: What do you like to do that's not art related?

LS: Not art related? I still like housekeeping. I still like all of the domestic stuff that I was brought up to do. I like being a grandma. I like playing with my DVD-R and taping stuff that comes on at all hours of the day and night and then watching what I want. I just think that's the coolest thing ever!

CT: Anything else you'd like to add?

LS: It's such a privilege to be able to have the time, energy and space to make art. I just hope that anybody who has the slightest wind of desire will follow up on that and make a place for art in your life. Just like taking piano lessons, even if you never got to be very good, it makes you appreciate all music much more. Just doing art, at whatever level that you do it, makes you appreciate the beauty of the world around you. It helps you to see. It helps you to live to the fullest.