Summary
How do you work? Well, I am a stonemason, so it's very physical. It's dirty and hard. A bit like war and peace actually! With my work in stone, it's all about taking away material, about reducing and freeing something that's inside the stone. So I used to always have pre-conceived concepts about what I wanted to do, I am beginning to change this, though. With my painting and when I work in clay, I let it just grow. Because that's not there yet, the way something in stone is. It's more about looking for something that doesn't exist.
If you weren't an artist then what would you be? There was never another option, really. Most kids draw when they're little, I just never stopped. I started at age 2. Then my parents weren't very supportive and they kept saying "You can't do this." And so it took some time for me to develop enough confidence to do it. I was in my mid-twenties when I finally was able to discard these negative feelings. On the other hand, when I finally came out in the art-world I was used to rejection and never expected anything, so I wasn't hurt that way.What has NY taught you? I don't really know! I've spent most of my adult life here in New York and although I am absolutely Swedish it has formed me. It's very difficult to answer. I am so totally shaped by New York, that I don't know what kind of person I would've been had I not come here.See the full content of this document
Extract
Scandinavian in New York
America is a nation of immigrants, and the New York art scene has always been invigorated by the fresh ideas of newcomers from the other side of the Atlantic. Transplanted Scandinavian artists who settle in the Big Apple thrive in NYC -- the most cosmopolitan city in the world -- which is also home to many of the wealthiest and most sophisticated art collectors.
Cecilia RodheWhere are you from: Gothenburg, SwedenHow long have you been in NY? I first came here in 1978. Then I lived in Paris for ten years. So, off-and-on for over 20 years.Why did you come to NY? I came to model for Eileen Ford.How has NY influenced your art? Well, I think I as a person was first influenced by New York as a melting pot. I have lived in Sweden and in Africa, and there's a rich culture in New York which makes you openminded and inspires art. I am trying to find something that's true. And it's so endless here, so in amidst all I am trying to find something straight and true.What has NY taught you? I think that the best New York can give you is something over a long period. Sure, you can become a superstar over night, but...You ha...See the full content of this document
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