Art in America called her work "pure optical pleasure" -- "shimmering" and "optimistic." Grids of tiny hand-painted numbers laid out in bands of color across the canvas. Artist Xylor Jane is sharing the process and the philosophy behind her work with art students this spring as the University of New Mexico's 2019 Frederick Hammersley Visiting Artist. She will give a public lecture on April 24 at 7pm at the Albuquerque Museum and host an open studio on May 2 between 6pm and 8pm in the UNM Art Annex. Both events are free and open to the public.
Xylor Jane's painting method is meticulous -- her eyes are often only eight inches from the canvas. "I spend a lot of time painting. It's my favorite thing to do," she says. "Wearing the magnifying glasses, the world gets shut out. Even my own thoughts get erased. The thing that I'm painting has more presence than the self. And that can last for a long time, until there's an interruption and I have to move away from the panel."
In this longer version of the interview, Xylor Jane talks about her hopes for her residency at UNM.
