Beth Frey is an artist best known for creating artistic narratives on topics often considered austere or touchy in child-like and playful manners. She works primarily in pen, marker and watercolor because it adds to the playful feel of her work while also giving it a certain permanent feel due to the difficulty of drawing over such permanent mediums. Even though she is based primarily out of Montreal and Mexico City, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview her over skype, and talk to her about her styles, influences, and other art related topics.
Two Strangers Console One Another While the Artist Checks Her Instagram c.2018
Andrés-Sebastián: I just want to remind you, this will be recorded. Good evening, My name is Andrés-Sebastián, I’m a student at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. For my ART 425 class, we had to pick an artist and interview them. I was looking at the list and I was told you were really funny and talented.
Beth: I hope I don’t disappoint.
Andrés-Sebastián: To start out, I will be honest. I was not familiar with your work before this class, so I looked into it and I found a few Beth Freys. So I had to do some background information and I think I found yours. I don’t know for sure. Did you do the Lucy, Lucy from the peanuts?
Beth: I did, so you did find the right one. Awesome. Okay. Thank you. It is okay that you haven’t heard of me. I don’t think I am famous or anything. I mean, I’m making art and showing [it], but I think it would be really surprising if somebody in Baltimore knew who I was. So yeah, don’t worry about that part.
Andrés-Sebastián: Well, I mean, you have a studio in Toronto, and in Mexico city, those two are not close together, so you must be known a decent amount.
Beth: Actually, it is normally Montreal and in Mexico City.
Andrés-Sebastián: I apologize, I used the link you gave me and I put it into Skype and I think your original profile shows up and it says Toronto, which is why I said Toronto, so I apologize.
Beth: Well, hey, I did live in Toronto at some point. I don’t use Skype a whole lot, so that’s why the account was deleted or changed. And this one too, I had to reopen and all my contacts disappeared. So I have no idea what is on skype. Also, I am all set up, so we can start whenever you are ready.
Andrés-Sebastián: Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry about the slight fuzziness. I am trying to figure it out. I want to start out by asking you about the mediums you use. I was looking at a lot of your work and I couldn’t figure out what you used. What mediums or materials do you like to use most?
Beth: Well iIt ranges. I kind of go through different phases. So right now I’m primarily working in two streams. One is doing watercolor on paper and the other is doing video art, where it’s kind of video performance where I’m in it. And, with that, I am using apps from social media mixed with water colors. Those are the two main kinds right now, but also working with textiles and stuff.
Skinned Thigh, Watercolor on Paper, 2018
Andrés-Sebastián: Okay, so I am by no means an expert, but I have studied a decent amount of Latin American art. I myself am from Puerto Rico and have grown up around latin art, but do Mexico city and Montreal styles influence your art? Like the culture, and how do they differ?
Beth: They’re quite different. I mean, I think Mexico City has a very interesting tradition in painting, like you go to Rivera and Frida Kahlo. There is a really strong history with murals and also realism. You have your colors as well. You have artists like Leonora Carrington, who was British but lived in Mexico city for a long time, and she was a famous surrealist. I feel a kind of a connection to that. So many artists were women artists who lived in Mexico city, like historically, and in Montreal, I don’t know if there’s a huge tradition. I enjoy looking at kind of the “tradition” and scenes of both places, but I think when I’m creating my own work, I’m looking at things from everywhere, kind of globally rather than just where I am. I don’t know if there’s a direct connection between what I’m doing and the traditional art here.I say that, even though I am big fan of it.
Andrés-Sebastián: I can understand that. So, I know of Mexico City and the art from there, obviously the artists you named are very famous, with muralism and the revolution, but I can honestly say I don’t know much about Montreal. What is the art scene like over there?
Self-Portrait of the Artist, Beth Frey
Beth: I have to think about what I can say about Montreal because I’m actually from the other side of Canada. I’m originally from the West coast and Montreal kind of came in the picture later in time. There was a time, I don’t know how much of Canadian recent history you know, but in 1995 there was a referendum in Quebec, where Quebec almost separated from Canada. When that happened, because it was so close by, a lot of people left Montreal, and a lot of English speakers came and drove down the economy. After that, Montreal became really cheap to live in. There were all these empty apartments and it drew in a lot of artists from across Canada and other parts of the world. You could get a cheap studio or apartment. You didn’t have to be working all the time. It became pretty vibrant in cultural life as far as the cities in Canada go. It is also much less populated than a lot of cities in the U.S.A. It is a hub and it brings people from different places. I think that’s kind of what drew me there and as kind of a base. The feel in Mexico City is very similar to me, though much more populated. In Mexico City, I think that right now there is a really dynamic art scene. There are a lot of independent spaces, shows, and unconventional places that I think are a lot harder to come by in Canada or the United States and that keeps it really exciting. It is strange right now because of the pandemic so there’s not a lot going on. Before [the pandemic] there was just so much creative energy flowing through it that I could not see anywhere else. So I think that is what keeps bringing me back, at least one of the things. But, I just love the art scene and community there.
Andrés-Sebastián: That is fascinating. I feel like you don’t see that in a lot of other places that are known for their art. Most cities known for their art have had art as staples of their culture for long periods of time, and the fact that Montreal turned into an art town by reeling in artists from all over Canada and made something of their own is awesome. Mexico is just so rich with history and tradition so you have to appreciate that.
Beth: It has changed a little bit. Montreal has gotten more expensive and it has become more difficult to be an artist than it used to be, but I think it’s still kind of unmatched compared to other places in Canada. It’s interesting how different cities have different periods in time where all of this creative activity comes out, and it really is all at once. I am sure you have probably heard a lot about Berlin, for example, where it really was a kind of a hot spot, it was like the place to be as an artist. It’s exciting, who knows where it’s going to be next?
Andrés-Sebastián: This kind of goes with the last question. What artists, if any, would you say you take after, and is there any part of your work in particular that you feel is your very own? I am asking because from what I have seen and read, and even talking to a few of my professors, the artists who make it big are the ones who do something new. So I am curious to know if there are any artists that you kind of took after, while if there is something in your art that you claim as specifically your own, your trademark?
Beth: Well, I think for the video work, especially because it’s about self portraiture and self representation, I think the big name that comes up a lot is Cindy Sherman. Although her work is mostly photography, she just had a lot of just different ways of representing herself as different characters and later on adding kinds of prosthetics and morphing her face into an almost cartoonesque figure. I would say that she’s been an influence in that regard. I think what I’m doing is different from that, mainly because I am using different tools and tying it with watercolor, I am painting and growing it with that. The visual quality is mine. A lot of it to me is creating a visual language, especially when working with traditional media. For instance, with watercolor, people have been working with watercolor for centuries. The important thing for me was to take watercolor and create a unique visual language and also to have a voice as part of the subject matter. For example, when you’re talking about things being funny, having a sense of humor in the work is important to me in order to make sure it’s my voice and humor that people are getting. So in reality, there are two sides, there’s the visible [visually unique], and the metaphorically verbal [what I’m saying], both have to be equally unique.
Andrés-Sebastián: So I am getting a taste of your humor whenever I see your work? That is fantastic. Okay, so I was wondering how long have you been doing art and is there a history of art in your family? Are you the one who broke away to do art?
Beth: My parents are definitely not artists, they’re quite mentionable. I have three siblings, all brothers and two of them are artists in their different ways. One is an illustrator, and one went into the theater realm, designing backdrops and doing different performance things. In a way, I am a mix of both. We don’t come from a lineage of artists but growing up, I think a lot of what influenced me and made me interested in art was that my brothers and I would just play, creatively. We would draw and make comics. This was a big part of my childhood. It is not totally surprising that some of us went into the arts and I think it also gave [us the] permission to pursue something that’s not the most conventional.
Andrés-Sebastián: Having people around you as a child who support you is amazing. I think of myself as pretty creative, but if you were to try to tell me to design a backdrop, I think I might fail, miserably. It is difficult to know what people would like and what would look really good with a certain production. It is great that you had that “formation” of being able to give each other permission to do something a little more off the beaten path. So this next question is a little more unorthodox, but I was talking to some University of Maryland, College Park art students, and they were working on a group presentation on the use of drugs to enhance their creativity. I personally have never tried any drugs , and many artists I know are the same way. I was wondering if you, having two different studios in different parts of the world, or if you have taught a class, if you had heard anything about this. The consensus I was getting from them seemed to be that drugs (particularly psychedelics) are a staple in enhancing the creative juices. If you look at the music industry and the history of rock stars, then I think an argument can be made, but I don’t know about other fields of art. I guess I am asking what your take on the matter is?
Beth: It definitely is not what makes an artist. Know, with many things, in particular art, that there is a system or culture of openness to differing lifestyles and practices. And there are definitely artists who do drugs. I have a lot of friends who are artists and [are living] very clean and regimented lives. I think there’s different lifestyles for everybody. I think also if you want to be doing this for a long time, like –
Andrés-Sebastián: It is something you shouldn’t do…
Beth: It is not the best idea, I guess. So whatever works for anybody, they could do it, there’s no judgment either way. But I think it definitely exists, perhaps not as common as people think. But I do not think it is necessary.
Andrés-Sebastián: Yes, I was skeptical when they told me this, and then one of them showed me a video of [don’t quote me on this] I think it was John Lennon and he said he was always high when writing music and performing, because it really gets the creative ideas going. He said he was “doing every drug under the sun.” Again there is a difference between visual artists and musical artists. But thank you, I was just curious to see what your thoughts on the matter were.
Beth: I mean, it exists, but I don’t know if it is really common. Though there are so many different types of artists, so maybe. You have to take into account the different types of musicians, you have John Lennon who was a rockstar, but then you might have a blues singer or classical musician and there is a different kind of subcultures around each. For me I don’t think of it as a must to be an artist. I also have not seen it as super common. I know a lot of people who have experimented with drugs from time to time, but, but don’t use it often or repeatedly.
Andrés-Sebastián: Okay, great, thank you. Okay, so I was talking to a few of my classmates in my current class and we were discussing the issue of deciding when a piece is finished. This is a problem I continuously run into. Do you ever keep working on a work cause you can not decide if it is finished or not? Because I just constantly ruin work thinking I can add to them when really I should have left it alone hours before. I just always feel like more can be added.
Beth: Yeah, it is very difficult. I think especially with doing the watercolor, because it’s working on paper, and you can’t unpaint anything. With oil on a canvas or something, you paint right over it if you make a mistake. With watercolor, you can try to add more, but it changes the work completely. I am always like, it could be finished, but maybe I should add something, but then it is just this fear that more is too much, and it gets busy. So it definitely is something that happens a lot. But I think, over time, as I’ve made more and more art, I have begun to recognize and get a kind of feeling that a piece is finished.
Andrés-Sebastián: That’s awesome and good to hear, because it is a huge struggle for me. There are times where I just keep adding and it goes from “like this was okay, and now it’s a disaster.”
Beth: For sure, that definitely happens. It is frustrating to spend, how many hours on something, and then it’s like, nope, I can’t do it anymore. The other thing I have found that works for me, is to put it aside and come back to it later. I do this because sometimes when I come back, I’ll see it with different eyes and I might take it in a different direction. But if it’s something I’ve been staring at and working on for too long, sometimes I can’t see the other possibilities for it.
Andrés-Sebastián: That is such good advice. Okay, I don’t want to hold you too long, so I’ll try to wrap it up. This may sound cliche, but what advice would you give young artists or aspiring artists. What should they do or avoid?
Beth: I think, and this is kind of cliche, but the expression “practice makes perfect”, although I don’t believe in perfect, is so true. I actually had an art teacher when I was studying that was just like really anti-perfect. And he said, “when somebody becomes perfect, it disappears and it’s the imperfections that are beautiful.” So bring that, but also practice. Like I think the important things are, if you have the ideas, to then do the work. I think that’s the best way of learning. There’s a lot you get out of studying in art school, which is an amazing experience, but I think so much of the learning comes from just doing it over and over enough times. That is how I learned different styles and skills.
It went from just doing things and then thinking like, Hmm, what happens if I do this thing this way? I think a lot of it is just like working hard, it’s one of those things. Also, just also having an openness to others and seeing the kinds of possibilities in everything. One of the things that I tell myself whenever I’m making a new piece is I ask myself what would be unexpected here? Like what can I add to this that somebody wouldn’t expect? I think of ways to keep it interesting. That is my piece of advice, like when you’re making something, ask yourself, what would be something unexpected?
It might be just like a search in use of a color or a certain, if it’s pictorial, like adding some sort of thing in the image or just like a different approach. For example, if I am drawing, I like to use different styles, if something is realistically rendered, or is very intricate, then I will add something really loose.That’s the thing, try to ask yourself what would throw them off and keep things new and fresh. Cause the idea is to be creating something that people have not seen before.
Andrés-Sebastián: Thank you so much. That is truly such good advice. Keeping the viewer on their toes. Awesome. But thank you so much for your time. And it was absolutely awesome talking with you. Goodnight.
Beth: Yeah. Same to you. Okay, bye, goodnight.