Women with Tools

Woman with Tool I, 1987. Oil on canvas, 48x48" (Please forgive the blurry old slide scan.)

People with tools -both actual and metaphorical- tend, shape and repair our world. That is but one reason I portray women with tools. I strive to depict female characters as active, aware and engaged with the work essential to cultivating and sustaining society. So,it isn't altogether new for me to portray women with tools -within and beyond the domestic sphere. Indeed, some of my first figurative work out of art school was of that subject. (For example, Woman with Tool I of 1987.) Though most of these images are positively inspired, some arise from the anger I feel encountering persistent prejudices about the capabilities of women our culture today.

In the spirit of Kathe Kollwitz (one of my artistic heroes), I  have sometimes referenced the capacity of tools meant for cultivation to be used as weapons.

Whetting the Scythe, 1905. Kathe Kollwitz

Political events of 2016 brought to mind the Furies of Roman mythology: avenging goddesses of the underworld. I portrayed the ongoing efforts of women to achieve equality in our society with degrees of both fatigue and determination in Second Wind I and II. These "Furies" arise from the dark earth with heavy labor ahead.

As I worked on those images, I envisioned a pared-down version of that commitment to work -and if necessary fight- for justice. Sickle I, Sickle II, Sledge and Mattock were the result.

The Hands On series was born, and from there the prospects grew. Gray Areas of 2018 evoked the divisiveness of contemporary culture. There may be some true blacks and whites in these paintings, but the gray of graphite prevails.

Hammer & Bell alluded to the rallying folk song by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, "If I Had a Hammer". Calls for justice and freedom ring out in this diptych of 2018.

In a more humorous vein, I "painted the town red" in slightly different dimensions than most of these art works, typically 14x11".

The Town, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 11x22"

In a truly celebratory spirit, I went on to create Spectrum in 2019. Most of the models for this series are artists from the Pattee Canyon Ladies' Salon drawing group in Missoula. All of them are artists in one medium or another. Though these images hardly qualify as portraits in the traditional sense, I hoped to honor each of these women with vivid colors, and array them in creative camaraderie.

Spectrum, 2019. Graphite & oil on wood panels, each 14x11"(11x100" overall)

In 2020 the Hands On series continued with tools of domestic labor.

Planter 2020. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

Weeder, 2020. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

Shears, 2020. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

Cleaver, 2020. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

Source, 2020. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

Mender, 2020. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

During the Pandemic I made a couple of paintings to honor hard-working teachers who continued to serve their students under difficult and changing conditions.

Teacher: Chalk, 2021. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11'

Teacher: Primer, 2021. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

My experience with this series exemplifies a transformative power of art. Inspiration may come from outrage, but with time and deeper investigation, something joyful can emerge. I embarked on Hands On in 2016, and six years later, I see no end to it. The ideas keep coming, along with willing models.

Many thanks for the contributions of Carla Bissinger, Julie Chaffee, Nancy Erickson, Julia Galloway, Kristi Hager, Amy Martin, Indigo Millar, Leslie Millar, Lisa Simon, Martha Swanson, Linda Tawney, Janet Whaley and Agnes White.

The Hands On series makes the simple, yet significant assertion that given the right tools, woman can do anything.

Tabula Rasa, 2019. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 14x11"

A page devoted to the Hands On series appears on my website:

www.stephaniefrostad.com

Inspiration (Pestilence & Other Woes)

Windrows, 2011. Oil on canvas, 12x24"

As an artist I am often asked what inspires me. While I certainly take inspiration from beauty and wonder in the world around me, I am also inspired by trials and tragedies. Indeed, I doubt the creative impulse would be so powerful if it did not help me face the sorrows of our world. My artistic practice -and the Arts at large- support our engagement with both the light and shadow of life.

Four Horsemen, 2020. Graphite on paper, 5x7"

As a child I was taught about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, found in the Bible's Book of Revelation. I grew up anticipating the end of the world. 

These biblical characters came back to my consciousness when the third US school shooting in one week took place at West Nickel Mines Amish School in October 2006. This heartbreak upon tragedy upon horror made me feel like the world was coming to an end. In that incident eleven girls were shot, four dying instantly. I desperately sought some creative response to this violence. But how to reference such madness and brutality without depicting it? Ultimately, I imagined those slain girls mounted on the apocalyptic horses, riding off in peace. By the time I began the painting, a fifth girl had died, but I held to my vision, adding a fifth rider. At Dawn was one of the first art works I made to honor children killed by gun violence. (I am sorry to say it was not the last.)

At Dawn, 2006. Oil on canvas, c.20x30"

 This painting represented a significant step in how I might artistically address human tragedies, and involved a new conception of the Four Horsemen. They are known by their colors: the Black Horseman of Famine, the Pale Horseman of Death, the Red Horseman of War, the White Horseman of Plague. Rather than seeing these as harbingers of our doom, I view them as symbols of the challenges we must face in order to survive, individually and collectively.

Four Horses, 2010. Oil on canvas panels, each: 5x7"

The next series of painting on this theme employed the horses as distant figures, signaling the challenge faced by human characters. While hunger is certainly a condition of famine, the black horse might suggest other sorts of lack or scarcity.

Ravenous, 2010. Oil on canvas, 16x20"

The wayfarers in The Foggy Vale may have lost a loved one to death, but they appear displaced, in transition. Perhaps what they have lost is home and community?

The Foggy Vale, 2010. Oil on canvas, 16x20"

Displacement seems a likely possibility as these women make their departure below the towering red horse of war or conflict.

A Departure, 2010. Oil on canvas, 16x20"

In A Consultation, the white horse of pestilence -or illness and injury- appears between the medical visitors and the women digging echinacea roots.

A Consultation, 2010. Oil on canvas, 16x20"

Most often it is the black horse of famine or scarcity I have conjured up in compositions where people strive for their sustenance.

Late Harvest, 2011. Oil on art board, 10x8"

Furrow, 2011. Oil on canvas, 24x12"

Three Sisters, 2012. Oil on canvases, 16x12, 16x20, 16x12"

By 2018, these four horses were well established in my own symbology. I decided to foreground them in another series of paintings, The Four Horses Quartet. Here each horse is also associated with a season. Winter's dormancy holds the presence of death. The diminishing light and warmth of Autumn hints at lack, or resources running low. The heat of Summer provides conditions for tempers to flare. Spring's "in-betweeness" hints at the vulnerability we experience between Winter's vagaries and the revival of growth to follow.

Four Horses Quartet, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panels, each: 24x36"

Given our immediate circumstances (Covid-19 Pandemic) the white horse representing our physical vulnerabilities- to illness, to injury, to wide-spread contagion, seems more salient than ever. In this historical moment we must also anticipate death, scarcity and conflict. Sadly, we are already beset with these attendant troubles. In this series I've depicted people stepping in and stepping up to address suffering or an impending challenge.

Flare Up, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

Attempting to settle disputes without violence is a way to avert further injury and ongoing animosity.

Gleaners, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

Here gleaners answer the threat of scarcity with thrift. Young and old, male and female, work together in hopes of gathering in all sustenance from the crop of potatoes.

Blue Gloaming, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

Meeting the grief of loss with consolation and companionship, despite the penetrating chill provides the human warmth in Winter.

House Call, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

In House Call I portrayed a doctor coming out to provide care in a rural environment. I referenced the special challenges of health care in a rural place. The home health visitor provides an essential service to people in remote settings, and is essential throughout our broad society.

We must contend with conflict, with scarcity, with loss and illness. These are inevitabilities in human life. But we are not doomed if we act with compassion, courage and creativity to face these challenges.

News of the World

I am honored to have 37 new drawings and paintings on view in News of the World at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, Montana. The exhibition runs from September 20th, 2018 through February 4th, 2019. What follows is a selection of the work on view, and the artist's statement for the exhibition.

News of the World, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 18x36"

“Literature is news that stays news.”

- Ezra Pound, The ABC of Reading, 1934

I believe what the poet Pound said is true of all the Arts. In stories and paintings, songs and plays we encounter themes that are relevant for every generation, even as circumstances change. This is one reason I am drawn to history, mythology and folklore as I investigate my current interests. Imagery and allegories of other times and places continue to illuminate our lives today.

Edge of the Woods, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 20x30"

In Norse mythology the god Odin appears with animal companions, including two wolves and two ravens, Hugin and Munin. The name Hugin means Thought, while Munin has been variously interpreted as Memory, Emotion or Desire. Each day, these birds would fly out to gather news of the world and report back to Odin. 

Higher Ground, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 16x20"

Sparks Fly, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 16x20"

I love the notion that ravens might be engaged in such reconnaissance. What’s more, this legend aligns with what we know scientifically about the capacity of ravens to learn, reason, communicate and remember. I consider these borrowed characters as witnesses who bring historical consciousness and reason to what they observe.

Blue Gloaming, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

House Call, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

Flare Up, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

Gleaners, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 24x36"

I have also drawn upon biblical symbols in my recent work. In the Book of Revelation, Four Horsemen appear as harbingers of doom. To me, they represent the challenges we must face in order to survive, individually and collectively. The Red Horse of war, the White Horse of plague, the Black Horse of famine and the Pale Horse of death each stand along fields in changing seasons. And in those landscapes, we find humans striving for reconciliation, healing, sustenance and consolation.

Dust Storm, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 30x20"

As a narrative painter, I work in a composite process. This entails investigating characters and other elements before they take shape in a greater context. Such study delights me, and I’ve chosen to incorporate many initial explorations - including numerous images of ravens - in the show. I want to carry the freshness of my studies into more complex compositions.

Strutting in Dust, 2017. Graphite & oil on art board, 8x10"

Dust Storm Study, 2018. Graphite & chalk on paper, 7x5"

Alighting in Wind, 2018. Graphite & oil on wood panel, 7x5"

The past two years have been a time of great experimentation in my work. In many ways, I am attempting to bring the immediacy of drawing into more fully realized paintings. This has involved changing media and developing new approaches with the materials and themes that have engaged me for decades. One of the things I most prize about artistic endeavor is the continual learning and discovery it provides.

Three Ravens in Flight, 2018. Mixed media on paper 8x10"

p.s. A group of ravens is called a Conspiracy.

I am a recipient of an Artist's Innovation Award made possible by the Montana Arts Council, an agency of State Government, through funding from the National Endowment of the Arts.