Maria Ylvisaker: NOSTALGIA
2021 Artist-in-Residence at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
How was your experience as an Open AIR Artist-in-Residence?
I loved my experience as an Open AIR artist. I was able to make more work than I thought would be possible, thanks to the studio space and resources at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Getting to know the other artists as well as the community of Missoula was wonderful, and I'm so grateful for the conversations I had while I was there. Biking in Missoula was an added highlight!
Missoula 4, 2021 - Watercolor on paper, 25” x 40”
What was your research process during this time?
I started by looking through the museum, both the exhibits and collections, recording objects that piqued my interest visually. Then I spent a couple of days shooting photos of the objects, both on film for later use in printmaking, and on my phone for reference. Once I'd collected these, I started making large drawings of different combinations of the objects in space. At the same time, I was reading Svetlana Boym's The Future of Nostalgia, and thinking about what drew me to the particular things I chose to photograph. My work is mainly about nostalgia and domestic space, so I was looking at hair dryers, irons, beer cans, milk cartons, things like that.
Missoula 3, 2021 - Watercolor on paper, 40” x 25”
What are you up to now (post Open AIR)?
This fall I set up a studio in Upstate New York and installed a Riso machine. So I'm working on some artist book and printmaking projects, several of which involve imagery from my Open AIR residency. I'm also getting ready to head to another residency in Sonoma County, California in December.
Missoula 1, 2021 - Watercolor on paper, 40” x 25”
Have your material choices changed over the years?
Materials are something I think about a lot, and I'm interested in a lot of ways of making things. I started in drawing and collage, and have been incorporating film photography, printmaking, textiles, and watercolor and acrylic painting over the past several years. I got interested in Riso printing in 2019 and was pursuing that until the pandemic hit. Losing access to studios where I could print made me consider other ways of working, particularly as I utilized the small space of my Brooklyn apartment. I experimented with linocut printing and acrylics, but watercolor (specifically Case for Making's super-pigmented colors!) surprised me as the thing that stuck. I'm back to Riso printing now that I have my own machine, but am continuing the series of large watercolors that I started in Missoula.
Any new projects in the works?
In another turn in materials, I'm working on a series of hand-embroidered patches based on one of my watercolors from Missoula. I'm experimenting with creating garments that follow the look of the watercolors, where each object is represented as a patch. It's slow-going, so don't look for these any time soon!
See more of Maria’s work at www.mariaylvisaker.com