Today the spotlight is on our member Sandra Klein whose projects The Embittered Heart & Stitched Stories remind us of the tactile surface of photography. An interview delving into her mixed-media process, inspirations and challenges follows
Klein’s website: https://www.sandrakleinportfolio.com/
Klein’s Instagram: @sandra_klein_photography
Sandra Klein is an artist whose images, whether captured with a camera or composited, portray a layered world which, though filled with anxiety and trauma, still is rich with joy. She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and received a BFA from Tyler School of Fine Art in Philadelphia, Pa and An MA in Printmaking from San Diego State University. Her images have been shown throughout the United States and Abroad and she has had one person shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography, both the Lishiu and Yixian Festivals in China, Studio Channel Islands, the A Smith Gallery in Texas and Photographic Gallery SMA in San Miguel Allende, Mexico.
She was the recipient of the Lorser Feitelson Grant jointly with artist Betye Saar.
Her work has been featured on Lenscratch, The Boston Globe, A Photo Editor, What Will You Remember, Musee Magazine, all About Photo Magazine, Dek Unu, Beta Magazine and Diffusion Magazines, and is held in public and private collections.
She is represented by Photographic Gallery SMA in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Walker Fine Art Gallery in Denver, Colorado
The Embittered Heart
The series, entitled The Embittered Heart, consists of visual poems that evoke the universal emotions of pain, loss and cynicism that often come with the experience of betrayal. Although my own such experience happened many years ago, the remnants of it have in some ways remained with me and changed me so that the memories feel vivid enough still to portray them honestly.
I love the study of the layered image and the actual printing process in photography, probably because my background is in printmaking. Here I use the heart and cacti or succulents in general and roots and spines in particular to portray the various responses we human beings have when we end a relationship. As I have in the past, I am also using embroidery in some of the pieces to add three-dimensionality. I continue to find this study of love and loss mysterious and magical.
Stitched Stories
Stitched Stories is a portfolio consisting of visual poems that evoke such universal emotions as loneliness, loss and aging. For the past two years I have created composited self-portraits that are combined with embroidered text, adding a three-dimensional element to the page. The text is gleaned from poems that have resonated with me and speak to issues that I am exploring.
In these portraits I use my body as the “canvas” or “paper.” Although I am a woman, I have always eschewed what I call women’s crafts. There is something, though, about slowly and meticulously sewing these words onto the photograph that really personalizes and enlivens these pieces for me. I do not see the act of puncturing the image in any way as violent, but instead, I consider the embroidering a way to connect with the photograph and in a sense, with myself.
What inspired your journey into photography?
Although I majored in Printmaking while getting my BFA at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, I had a truly inspirational photography teacher in my senior year. He was a visiting professor named Irv Sherman and he believed that being a successful photographer was most importantly about learning to see and he focused on that rather than on technical issues . We were each given a simple camera, an Olympus Pen Wide Angle camera that shot 72 grainy photo negatives to a roll. We had only one type of photo paper. What was important was content. He also believed making art was meant to be joyful.
In terms of my photography themes, I owe my debt to the year I spent with the artist Betye Saar in her studio as part of a joint grant we received. She was inspirational in many ways, but most importantly she inspired me to make personal art about my own experiences in life.
What prompted your interest in embroidering photographs?
I majored in Printmaking in graduate school and taught at a junior college in San Diego for a while, but once I moved to Los Angeles, I didn’t have use of a press and started making collages and assemblages. I began using my own photographs in the collages and started sewing collage pieces onto my images, rather than glueing them. I loved the idea of using a woman’s craft in my imagery. After I took a photoshop class, I began making layered photographs and using embroidery when appropriate. Embroidery is never used as a decorative addition, but rather to be part of the concept. Also I love physically intervening with the photograph and adding a hand made element.
Where did the idea of Embittered Heart come from and what message do you hope it conveys? How does the title reflect this?
I make art about my experiences as a way to understand humanity. Years ago I was left heartbroken after the breakup of my first marriage. I was in pain and bitter for a period of time, but eventually opened myself up to new healthier relationships. I moved on. I’ve thought a lot about the impact this kind of traumatic experience has on people’s lives and wanted to portray those responses. I spent time living in Mexico many years ago and have loved their cultural use of the Heart in their arts and crafts. The idea came to me to combine images of the heart with succulents and cacti from my garden to use as metaphors for the range of emotional responses to heartbreak and betrayal.
What have been the biggest challenges for you as an artist and how have you overcome them?
My biggest challenge is doubting myself and fear of rejection. I constantly remind myself that artmaking is a journey, one’s own personal journey and that comparing oneself to others is foolhardy. I also have the challenge of making photographs that are not traditional and accepting that my work will not be appreciated by many. I think of myself as someone who uses a camera to make art and not coming from a photo background, but rather a fine art background, I am perhaps more open to breaking the “rules” which can be seen as a positive or negative.
Tell us more about one or more of your selected photographs from this series.
Comparing and contrasting two images works best for me. The image Gasteria Brownie is a succulent from my garden. It’s is soft, fleshy and welcoming and I chose to use it as a metaphor for someone who remains open to new and loving relationships. After photographing it I layered it growing out of a heart taken from a scan. There is also a bit of sewing on the heart. Mujer Sola, (woman alone), is an image with many many layers. She is surrounded by cacti with sharp thorns and and a spiky cactus has overtaken her heart and uterus. She remains in pain and closed off from the future.
What drives your continued passion for creating?
Making art is the place where I feel most comfortable. It brings me joy and is a place where I feel mindful. I love searching for new ways to express myself and challenging myself. I love the creative process. I love photographing, but also love layering images in photoshop or by collaging. I love storytelling. Artmaking is part of my soul and I could never give it up.
© Sandra Klein, Torn Soles
