We have all prowled the halls of The Portrait Gallery. Seriousness on display for posterity. But for local artist Sam Deitz the portrait strikes an unexpected balance of beauty and comedy. Deitz’s by-commission pet portraits – playfully called “Creatures of Distinction” – combine a classic medium with modern humor, as she renders the lovable family fur-ball in truly oddball get-ups. With everything from a Renaissance-garbed rabbit to Labradors in pioneer bonnets, Deitz’s brush captures far more than your typical double-breasted dignitary. But while Deitz’s quirky creatures create levity, her art goes further than the surface factor; Deitz’s work is all about different levels of contrast, both on the canvas and beyond.
Tell me more about “Creatures of Distinction.” how did you start doing quirky, pet portraits?
It started out as a joke! One Christmas I was totally broke and I didn’t know what to do for my best friend. It was getting down to the wire. I decided that I would do a painting, but I didn’t really know of what. I was searching through her Facebook photos—and they were all of her dog. So…I decided I would do something of her dog. Then, as I started painting, I got the idea that this dog needs to be in a Victorian sailor suit. Very logical. So, that’s exactly what I did. I gave her a big, ridiculous bow. It was on this oval canvas with this very dramatic background. I gave it to her and her face turned bright red. I thought I had offended her. But she just started laughing. That reaction was so gratifying that I decided that if anybody else wanted this, that I would be happy to do it. And, it turns out, people like it!
What else is inspiring you right now? What has been your focus?
Right now I’ve been responding to this idea of playing with invasive species as a metaphor for emotional responses. You have these feelings – either for someone or about something – and you may or may not actually want to have [them]. They can be beneficial or completely destructive. This is something I see in the same way as an invasive species, like a rabbit in Australia is completely detrimental even though they were introduced as a beneficial thing. Rabbits show up a lot [in my work] because of their dual nature. Depending on what culture, they’re seen either as representative of complete virginity or overwhelming sexuality. they’re also considered a trickster figure. They’re these complete packages of contrasts. I suppose, no matter what I’m focusing on specifically, [contrast] is always the underlying current.
Would you say there is a similar but more light-hearted effect with the pet portraits?
Yes! Absolutely. It’s good, fun exercise.It makes people happy. It’s fulfilling and gratifying in a way that doesn’t come with all of the pretension. While it doesn’t have the same emotional release of something more personal, it also doesn’t have the same kind of burden of being exhausted after having a catharsis. [The portraits] are just the fun part of contrasting reality. They also serve the purpose that I don’t take myself too seriously.
What other ways does art express itself or influence your life? Is there something more you hope to do with art?
I’ve decided to pursue art conservation as a career. It’s something that is very much needed in Kentucky. There’s a huge, huge deposit of folk art in Appalachia. There is just not enough help for making sure that those pieces stay the way that they should, especially because a lot of times they’re made of improvised materials. I am somebody who is absolutely in love with materials and absolutely in love with the cultural context of materials. There have been wars fought over the rights to mine ochre – ochre is mud! People die for mud because it allows them to create this thing that’s inside of them. For me, art functions as something that is both incredibly serious and culturally meaningful, as well as something that’s just for pure pleasure. When you take yourself too seriously in any art form, you run the danger of becoming pretentious. I feel that nothing can be art if it’s not honest; pretension negates that. So, in an effort to always keep myself up front about what I do, and I how I do it, [“Creatures of Distinction”] is a way to remind myself of that.
To find out more about Sam Deitz, her art, and “Creatures of Distinction”
visit her website:
samanthadeitz.blogspot.com
–Erin Day
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Thanks Sam for your gift and always keep at it! We love you.
Sam is fantastic to work with professionally and, separate from that, a wonderful, pleasant person to be around. I love that she’s being recognized in the Paper this month for her (insane amount of) talent.