In Conversation with Sakurako Reed

Sakurako Reed

Introduce yourself!

I’m Sakura Reed. I am the third artist at feverdream. I make paintings, drawings, stuffed animals or stuffed fish. I’m a multimedia artist. I also do installations. Yeah, I make art with fish about absurdity.

How was your experience at feverdream?

It was a good time. I enjoyed it. Just came in whenever I wanted to basically and got to work on whatever I wanted to. So I don’t really have anything to complain about.

What did you learn about your artistic practice during your stay? 

I think I learned that I’ve kind of grown out of painting and drawing more than I thought I had. I had a feeling I wasn't as interested anymore because I wasn't really doing it at all over the past year or two. Sometimes I’d be sitting here making drawings or paintings and be sad that that was what I was doing. But I’d still do it because the end product was something I wanted. I’m willing to do a process I don't really care for in order to end up with a piece or result that I want. 

That’s perseverance, correct? And the end justifies the means?

Hell yeah. 

How was this opportunity a boost for yourself as an emerging artist? Did it set you ahead?

I feel like over the past year before the residency I was willing to try things that were dumb and I was like “I don’t know how this is gonna turn out.” But during my time here I’ve been willing to do even more of that. Making work that I’m sometimes like “I don’t even know if I can call myself an artist doing this right now as much as shitposter on reddit or something.” During my time here I feel like I really went with that. I don’t care if people don’t think I’m an artist. I’m gonna make stupid  things that satisfy my desire to make and also it’s letting me contemplate whatever I’m trying to contemplate and think through things. And once you throw it up on that white wall—guess it’s art. Somebody bought it so can’t tell me it’s not! (Laughs)

Having a stipend to support probably helps?

Yes. Not worrying about whether or not whatever the audience is is gonna like it or not because at least feverdream has my back. 

How did this experience lend to any experimentation in your practice? What did you experiment with?

Whenever I was painting in the past I always stuck with oil painting. I played with gouache and acrylic before but I never did a lot with them besides assignments really. So it was my first time really spending a lot of time with those two materials. And I realized how much I liked gouache. And also when I was working with acrylics on the Mona Lisa piece I finally understood the meaning of an underpainting and how quick it makes it go. And layering your paint because that was something I never did. So I think it maybe made me a better painter. Or at least I finally started using the, “quote,” right painting process that they try to teach you. 

You didn’t do oil painting underpaintings in the past?

No, I just drew it out. The most I ever did was block things out by like adding a little rendering just so I wouldn’t get lost but I was what they called a puzzle painter. 

Like paint by numbers?

Yeah exactly. 

How did you surprise yourself during your stay? 

Um. How did I surprise myself? I surprised myself by um… I don’t think I surprised myself that much maybe. I don’t think I did. Or I did and I’m not aware yet. Oh! You know It was my first time doing master copies of not renaissance ink pieces. The Murakami and the Kusama and the art nouveau one as well. I surprised myself with how long it takes. (Laughs)

Critique with Sakurako

What did you think about the space you work in? Did it foster creativity?

I think it was nice to be in a space with two other people who are doing [art]— like you, how you’re an artist and a painter and Owen who’s doing all this videography and photography stuff. And being able to ask for feedback or be asked for feedback on certain things and not being sad and alone in an office as a singular artist. 

Did you feel like a member of the community at the studio space?

Yes, people were nice. They’d talk to me and I felt awkward because I didn’t know what to say but they were so friendly. 

They are just like talking to other humans though. You know how to talk to humans right? 

Yeah, I’m not great at it. I’m bad at keeping a conversation going. (Laughs)

Was the neighborhood area surrounding the studio a positive? What is the best restaurant in the area?

I’m gonna be honest, I never really went out. I always brought my own lunch. The sandwich place was good. I had lunch one or two other times. It was always nice to drive through Tremont. 

What was your favorite piece you made while here and why?

I liked the Mona Lisa installation the most. mostly because I like installations. I think they’re fun. But it was also nice to be able to put my painting and installations together into one piece. Using the painting as a prop; it’s not the main piece in it, it’s an important part of it, but it’s not the main thing. And just yeah… the end. 

What was your biggest takeaway?

Sometimes you gotta just make dumb things even if it might be dumb. The work that I make when you look at it obviously doesn't look super serious because it's so cartoony and clearly making fun of something to some degree but… it's okay to think that your work is dumb sometimes. You can have a little more pride in your stupid things that you make. The world needs some more stupid things, you know?