Went to the final MFA students art lecture series Wednesday at Mills College. Their guest speaker was Squeak Carnwath. Squeak was a professor at UC Berkeley when I finished my art degree there. I was never impressed at CAL by Squeak. Although I never took a course from her, never even signed up, I had this opinion based on her presence in the Art school and events. I found her a pompous, superior person who didn’t want to share her knowledge, techniques or experience with her students other than to be an expert about every idea and every method. Calling her a “teacher” was a stretch as far as I was concerned.
Well, I’ve changed my opinion after Wednesday. It was a non-lecture, as Squeak put it. She had a conversation with us. She scrolled images of her work and videos behind her as she talked and answered questions. She was funny and engaging and vulnerable about her life.
Squeak has produced a tremendous amount of work…a tremendous amount of work. Her approach to her subject matter and painting is to “just do it”. Don’t think about it too much, just get in there, start painting. Add things. Paint more.
Squeak has a methodology about the business of her art and her profession. She planned and worked and developed her practice. She and her husband bought a 20,000 sf warehouse years ago in an Oakland area that is now up and coming; her work in cataloging, tracking and storing her work is impressive and her ability to get out there and get started and engage her art with people took courage and hard work. I get down with that. Anyway, I’m glad I went. It was an utter pleasure.
