On March 15th, painters Natasha Sweeten and Rick Briggs sat down with Hearne Pardee to talk about their work, and about what it means to be painters who also write. The conversation took place on the last day of Project #5, their show in Hudson, which was also the final exhibition in Jean Feinberg’s “Project” series. The series brought together artists whose practices, she felt, were already in silent dialogue with one another. They talked about writing, looking, making, and the strange intimacy of being on both sides of criticism. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
HEARNE PARDEE: Since we’re painters who write, I ask, why do we do it? I remember I had a teacher who once who said, Painter: paint! Don’t talk, don’t write, don’t get into other people’s business.
So why don’t you stay in your own lane? (chuckle) How did you get started, and do you enjoy it?
NATASHA SWEETEN: Oh, I totally enjoy it. I love writing. It doesn’t hold the same place for me as painting, so in a way it’s easier. It’s a lot easier to write about someone else’s work than to write about mine. We’re all opinionated, we all go see shows, we all think about things. I’d go see shows and have conversations with artist friends and sometimes write them down. At one point I thought, That’s almost a review! Maybe I can do that? It became a fun thing to do, and Sharon was willing to publish me in Two Coats of Paint, which a little bit shocked me. It was a new identity for me…