A Name to Know: Caroline Absher
Our monthly spotlight on a rising artist
Caroline Absher is a name you should know. When asked what her practice encompasses in a few words, Caroline replies “that magic is real.” What she doesn’t say, but I know she is hinting at based on the formal aspects of her work, is that the magic she is describing requires someone with an open mind and curiosity to search for what might not be obvious on the surface—two qualities the artist embodies both within and outside of her studio. Caroline’s paintings are energetic vortexes of color, that both the painter and its viewer get lost in as they mine the surface for all its chance occurrences. You can catch Caroline’s latest body of view in her debut Los Angeles solo exhibition with The Journal Gallery, The Silver Cord, on view through May 23rd.
Name: Caroline Absher
Mode: Painting
Homebase: Brooklyn, NY
INSIDE THE STUDIO
How does childhood play into your work?
I love the idea that we may eventually return to the themes and ideas that interested us most in our early years. Combining those themes alongside what I am thinking about now as an adult makes sense to me, and all of my favorite artists have a tendency to do the same.
What is your favorite part of the painting making process?
When I get to bring it back to life. Most times, for a multitude of reasons, the original idea “fails”. It is never intentional, and usually comes with a lot of frustration and grief… but something amazing happens almost every time at this point. Something sort of releases, and I begin to work from a place of “reckless abandon” because it isn’t precious anymore. The final result could never have happened without the failures. Most of my paintings have several different other paintings underneath, which gives them a delicate layering effect. That sense of time being visible is important to me.
What is one important lesson that painting has taught you?
Painting has taught me to remain open to all possibilities, which is much harder than it sounds. It taught me that in the same moment we let go of control, we allow the magic to come rushing in. There is a balance between guiding and being guided that I find incredibly relevant to being human.
OUTSIDE THE STUDIO
What is one recent topic that has captivated you?
I was on one of my research rabbit holes and stumbled across a type of guided meditation called The Gateway Tapes, which tricks the brain into calming the body’s nervous system using an audio technique called hemisphere synchronization. Out of fascination and curiosity, I tried it. Now, a year later, I’ve made a series of paintings about my experience working with these tapes. It’s just been a wild thing that I am so glad I found.
What’s another talent you have apart from painting?
Wilderness survival
Describe your personality in three words.
Passionate, romantic, hopeful
