Look Closer

See beneath the surface with April Surgent

April Surgent’s work looks like a photographic painting from afar. Upon getting closer, the work is glass in a 2-D sculptural form. She uses a traditional carving process called cameo engraving to discuss contemporary issues about place and identity.

Jenn Morgan: How do you describe your work to people who have never seen it?

April Surgent: In general, I describe my work in 2 ways, the technical aspect and the conceptual aspect. Conceptually, the work is about place and identity and the relationship between people and places. Technically, my work is low relief cameo engraving, or carving on glass. I remove one layer of color to get to the next layer to make an image. Cameo engraving is a traditional craft that I am using in a contemporary context.

JM: What does cameo mean?

AS: Cameo means to carve through layers to reveal something underneath, to make a low relief design or image. In my work, I am carving through white glass to reveal the dark colors below. You know the old school brooches of women’s busts? They were usually a profile portrait of a woman in white relief on a blue background from the Victorian era. Its the same technique as that. They were also carving on conk shells, it doesn’t have to be glass. It is just to remove a top layer of material to see an underlying layer that creates a low-relief 2D “sculpture”.

JM: What lead you to this process?

AS: 13 years ago, I started off as a glassblower I was seduced by the material and technique. After a few years of that, I started to get frustrated that I could not connect my ideas to the blown glass objects that I was making. At the time I was doing a lot of printmaking and nearly stopped working with glass all together. I was interested in telling stories through imagery and couldn’t do that how I wanted in glass. Then I discovered cameo engraving in a short course with Jiri Harcuba in 2003. It seemed to be the thing that I was searching for. Finally I could use the material that I was drawn to and wholly incorporate my ideas.

JM: What is importance of the photograph in your work?

AS: An image caught through the camera lens can record a passing moment. My work is about the passing moment, person and place and how we move in and out of our surroundings. The photograph is an essential part of the compositional structure of the work.

JM: On your website, I read, “My work is an investigation of the inherent link between person and place.” And I’ve noticed reflections come up often in your work and even more with this newer work. What are your thoughts on seeing our image in a reflection?

AS: I really just started focusing on the reflected image in 2009 and made a series of work based on reflected imagery for a show I just had in February. That body of work is still about person and place but going a bit deeper into the ideas. I am getting more and more interested in ideas of social and political issues of people and place and different types of economic statuses. I started taking pictures of shop front windows to capture reflections. Looking at the subjects in these photographs both literally and metaphorically, the subject is reflected on their surroundings and their surroundings reflected on them.

JM:What is the name of that series?

AS: Reflect. Reflect is a show I had in Feb [2010] and it is also a descriptive word for the body of work.

JM: Do you have a name for the work before?

AS: They are two different story-telling approaches. I never named the first one. It was all I had done. So now I created this body of work and I’m talking to people about it, I need a word to differentiate it from the rest.

JM: So ‘Reflect’ is the first evolution in your work?

AS: Yea

JM: I notice these two different story telling approaches in your work. The first is what I consider, an establishing view. We as the viewer know what we are looking at and feel as though we are being drawn into the story. I found a quote on your website “My work is a record of our time as I perceive it to be.” Tell me about how you see yourself as a storyteller.

AS: I do view myself as a storyteller. I’m not trying to take pictures and engrave things that are super out of the ordinary or trying to capture things that are crazy or far out – its just everyday things and normal pedestrian life in 21st century America. I’m really specific about, and I try to get across that my story isn’t necessarily relevant to your story or anybody elses. I talk a little about my story in the titles of all my pieces but that is as much as I give. Each piece is a very specific story to me, but I’m hoping that when people look at the work, they make up their own ideas about what they are seeing and then relate it to their own lives and stories.

JM: The second story telling approach is so tight that it almost goes abstract, but it doesn’t. Is that intentional? Are you trying to keep the image recognizable? Or are do you see yourself heading into more abstract imagery in the future?

AS: My work, traditionally, has been very recognizable. And, I, I think this ‘Reflect’ series is a change from that because I was getting frustrated that people just look at the work, see what it is and move on to the next thing without much thought. I didn’t think people were getting what I was trying to say. So I felt like by making a more complex story people would have to look at it harder to try and figure out what is going on. I don’t know where its going – to be honest, I just kind of bumble along and wherever the work takes me, it does. I’ve worked with the same theme of person and place for a really long time so I feel like the underlying concepts are the running theme. Where the imagery takes me is where I follow.

JM: Do you want the images to look recognizable?

AS: Which pieces?

JM: I guess it is the ‘Reflect’ series, but there also the images “Estacio de Franca” and “The Great Market Hall” that are much more abstract, and the viewer might not know what they are, but we definitely do.

AS: I do want people to recognize the imagery. I don’t want it to be so abstract that it looks like circles and triangles on something. But, for the, “Reflect” series – I do want people to have to look a little harder to actually see what is happening. The reflected image series comes from noticing that we often kind of look around and see our environments but don’t actually realize what is happening around us. For me, the more abstracted compositions are a way to make people look and try to figure out what is happening rather then skimming by and thinking. “oh that is just a guy on the street”. Not to say that I won’t go back to the other work, cuz I like that to. That is just where I am right now.

JM: You are personally looking deeper into those moments, and into what a person or subject is all about – and, at the same time – requiring your audience to do the same. I like it.

AS: Yes

JM: I heard a rumor about a show at the Bellevue Arts Museum.

AS: The curator Stefano Catalani approached me about doing a large-scale installation for the Pilchuck gallery at the museum. He said, “here is this space, I want you to transform it and make something for it.” Now I’m in the beginning stages of figuring out what I’m doing. I’ve never done an installation project before, so it’s a little daunting but it is really exciting. It is both my first installation and first museum show.

JM: Is it correct to think it is going to look like your pieces but on a much bigger scale?

AS: I suppose you’d be correct in saying that. I’m still working things out right now. I am inspired by old mosaic domes in churches that look down onto you. I like seeing the tiles as being mosaic but you know, different. It will be 120 6”x 12” panels.

JM: Does the museum pay for that?

AS: No. It’s going to be tricky. I’ve applied for a few grants so we’ll see. So far I have received a grant from the Bellevue City Council. My gallery is trying to get sponsorship and BAM will try to get sponsorship. Its all coming together, but a lot of it is out of pocket. The idea behind a museum show is that hopefully it will travel to other museums. When it is done I can take it down and put it in my gallery. They can try to sell it or take it on the road.

JM: And the pieces I saw on the table, are they part of the ‘Reflect’ series?

AS: Yes, they are the last of things I am working on until I move on to the installation full time

JM: They are going out to a show in London right?

AS: It is a show called ‘COLLECT’. 30 galleries from all around Europe come together and show work. Bullseye Gallery in Portland is taking mine and 3 other artists’ work to the show. Bullseye is the gallery that represents me you can see my work at their website: www.bullseyegallery.com or I have just started a website (still under construction) www.aprilsurgent.com