Check out Constance McBride’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Constance McBride.

Constance, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I don’t recall a specific moment when I thought, I’m an artist. I’ve just always been my happiest when making art. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. We were steeped in the culture there and I spent many family vacations and class trips visiting historic sites and the great museums of the East Coast. I was never discouraged by my parents to pursue art. I was in a large and creative family. Both my parents were artists as were many of my siblings. I tried my hands at playing the piano and clarinet but wasn’t very good with them. I loved music but I put a lot more of my energy into drawing which led me to take a myriad of art classes at weekend and after-school programs. Early on, like many children, I was drawn to nature for inspiration. I’ve been collecting debris since I was a kid roaming nearby woods and beaches. Later, I became intrigued by the human form and the cycles of life. The depth of our connection to nature was what I was after and it’s what I always looked to for ideas. I loved my art classes in high school and expected to continue with them through college. My life took a sharp turn though when I lost my father at an early age. It was sudden and it stunned me and I lost my way a little. While attending Philadelphia College of Art, I lost my confidence and passion and I dropped out. I worked for a time as a freelance illustrator doing logos for small businesses and I had a small business creating hand painted clothing that I sold direct and through boutiques in Philadelphia. I dabbled in painting murals and making mosaic art. So, I kept my hand in it but it wasn’t enough to sustain me and I needed to go out and make a living, For a long time I followed a different creative path. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications and I went deep dive into the world of business.

I knew I would get back to art making, but the opportunity did not fully present itself until after my husband and I moved to AZ in 2002. After 25+ years in business, I slowly began to move away from it and in 2007, I carved out a path in order to shift my focus and be serious about my art. It was exhilarating for me to get engaged in the scene in Phoenix. I became a member of several art organizations, I took ceramics, life drawing and sculpture classes at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) and Scottsdale Artists’ School. And, I attended workshops around the country with figurative sculptors including Tip Toland and Lisa Clague. For the first few years, I showed my work in just a few juried group exhibitions. As I developed my skills and gained more confidence, I found the arts community to be really open and inviting to me. I received my first invitation to show work in 2009, at PVCC. In 2013, Robrt Pela invited me to show at his gallery, r. pela contemporary art, in a two-person show. That experience gave me more visibility downtown where I wanted to be. At that same time, I became a member of the artist collective, Eye Lounge and have been exhibiting my work around the Phoenix Metro Area, the Southwest and nationally ever since.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I work primarily with clay. It’s made from minerals of the earth and it holds memories. It’s malleable and I like to think we are too; not without conviction but flexible enough to ride the waves of change. I think about the layers we add to our lives while investigating the changes our bodies experience over time. I use stoneware, porcelain, and paper clay, known for its versatility and adaptability during the building process. I hand build my figurative pieces by rolling out slabs and coils, wrapping them around makeshift armatures and sculpting the details.

At some point, in our society’s youth-obsessed culture, we lost sight of valuing the real beauty, wisdom, and dignity that comes with age. Playing on insecurities and perceived imperfections, we have been conditioned to feel bad about ourselves. Women are particularly barraged by ugly messages. Combating the everyday affronts directed towards us can become overwhelming and exhausting. So, I use the body as a bastion of autonomy. My crumpled figures may seem to be in ruins, yet they still exist. I untangle my feelings about this by making work that I hope will connect with viewers and encourage a different dialogue.

Living in the Arizona desert made it an ever-present influence on me. Bits and pieces were picked up and saved there much like the bits I’ve been collecting from woods and shorelines since childhood. These bits share aspects of us: both individually transient and collectively existing for thousands of years. Landforms are continually expanding, contracting, and redefining themselves; so are we. In the last few years, I found myself harkening back to childhood inspirations and it led me to create installation work. And, I was heavily influenced by issues at the border and wanted a way to address them. The result was work I titled “From the Hearts of Stars.”

As Carl Sagan once said, “we’re made of star stuff”. The carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in our bodies, as well as atoms of other heavy elements, were created in generations of stars over 4.5 billion years ago. Today, the great hope of reaching for the stars and having a better life clings to everyone crossing the border but the majesty of the sky above and the beauty of the stars in moonlight can’t disguise an ever-present danger in the desert. I created the pieces for this by dipping debris in clay slip. Some pieces were fired, some were left raw. Dirt was scooped up from the Sonoran Preserve and spread across a floor. Amidst it all, sculpted human limbs were intertwined with tree limbs and tumbleweeds. This effort has shifted my thinking and it’s been stimulating for me as I delve into my next body of work.

What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
For me, success is about how well I am doing in the studio. It’s all about getting a full day in and making progress on what I’m working on; it’s about when I have a breakthrough moment and when the idea in my head manifests into a valid piece. It’s also about how I manage my time; I know I need to do things that I’m not exactly thrilled about like marketing, writing, researching submissions, deciding about which opportunity is worth pursuing, etc… this all takes time away from the studio but carving out specific times and building them into my work life keeps me on the track I’ve laid out. Showing my work and connecting with a wider audience is rewarding; selling it is icing on the cake.

Discipline, stamina, perseverance, and mastery of craft are all essential to a successful career. You have to keep chipping away at it in order to get better at what you do. You need to understand it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And, you need to build up a thick skin… rejection is unavoidable if you are putting yourself out there so you need to get used to it. The artist Arthur Gonzales put together a great book titled, The Art of Rejection. He saved his rejection letters after making them into cathartic art. Reading it always lifts my spirits after I get one.

“The ability to stay upright once rejection hits mark the longevity of a career.” – Bill Shapiro, former editor of Life magazine

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen in Arizona at:

Arc Contemporary Fine Art, 747 North Main Street, Cottonwood, AZ 86326
https://www.facebook.com/ARCCFA/

Shemer Art Center and Museum, 5005 Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ
https://shemerartcenter.org/

Coe House, 365 N 4th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003
https://www.facebook.com/TheCoeHouse/

My work is exhibited in national shows and in the Philadelphia Metro Area. It is in publications including the current issue of Snax Magazine published in Brooklyn, NY, Paperclay Art and Practice by Rosette Gault and Who’s Afraid of Feminism published by Women’s Caucus for Art. It’s included in the Four Chambers Press publication InSight and the catalog Self-Made, 15 Years of Eye Lounge, available at the Burton Barr Library and on issuu.com.

People can support my work (and other artists’ work) by including it in their collection. If you don’t have one yet, think about starting one… acquiring real art is so much more personal and makes a statement about you. If a piece speaks to you, take it home with you. You’ll be happy for years to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://constancemcbride.com/
• Email: cmcb@constancemcbride.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constancemcbart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcbridecon/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcbride_con
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/constancemcbrideart/

Image Credit:
Brian Skaggs, William LeGoullon, Michael Healy, Sean Deckert, Phoenix Art Museum

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