An Interview with Vanessa Osmon
For March, we say hello to spring and to painter/Army-spouse Vanessa Osmon. Mil-spouses are no strangers to change, and that change can sometimes make us reluctant to start new projects, but Vanessa found a way to embrace that change and upheaval and turn it into an artistic project.
MilspoFan: Tell us a little about yourself, your journey as a military spouse, and where you are today.
Vanessa: I have been a military spouse (Army) for almost twenty years, since 2005. My husband and I met at UCF (the University of Central Florida) in the late ‘90s. We didn’t marry until after his first Iraq deployment, and I haven’t regretted a day since. However, the first duty station I accompanied him to was Ft. Drum in Watertown, NY. It was quite a weather shock for this Floridian. Since then, we have moved up and down the east coast – 8 PCSs. I have accompanied him while his career progressed from Kiowa helicopter pilot, to the Naval Test Pilot School student, to Chief of Flight Test, and finally instructor at USMA, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. Along the way, our family grew to include three kids and a dog. Like most spouses, I worked hard to maintain my individuality, foster creativity, and keep my independence. This generally meant that I worked in my profession when I could, volunteered often, and took odd jobs not related to my field. (I am a teacher at heart.)
MilspoFAN: How did you become a painter?
Vanessa: Drawing- Making- Painting,
I think like many artistic people, I was always making something or thinking about making something. My first artistic language was drawing (as with many) because those are the simplest materials to get your hands on. Eventually, in college, I developed a more complex drawing vocabulary, cultivating my mark - making and pushing it beyond simple line illustrations. These drawings eventually began to pull in paint, morphing and evolving into drawing-paintings.
While I am a painter and categorize my work as painting, I still consider myself a drawer who paints. I think primarily in line; it is my first language, despite utilizing painted forms in my work.
MilspoFAN: Describe for us your creative work and the aesthetic of your painting?
Vanessa: My work is bright, expressive, realistic, and figurative (without being photo-realistic). I keep my ideas fresh by rotating through a few different series or categories: Tall-Tales, Disrupted Military Spouse Portraits, Military Spouse Project, studies, and illustrations. These are all ideas and themes that I am very interested in, but sometimes when working for an extended period on a piece or several in the series, I need something different. This ability to rotate through themes with slightly different aesthetics only helps my work.
For example, my Military Spouse Project consists of realistic-painterly portraits. These require an intense study of the form, color, and rendering, an excellent skill builder. However, they can get tedious, and after a few, I find myself urging for looser, more abstract figurative work. When working on these, I am still interested in form, but there is a focus on the materials, the way the paint or pastel drags across the surface, the line that dances in and out of the composition: the way line chisel and sculpts form, and how paint stacks on top of these. This work is about layers and materials; it’s about what has happened during the entire process, not just the finished image (like the Military Spouse Project Portraits.)
So in many ways, you can say I have a broad aesthetic but it is essentially figurative with an emphasis on line and color while appreciating the formal aspects of my materials.
MilspoFAN: We love your series of portraits of military spouses. Tell us more about your project.
Vanessa: As mentioned above, I have two series involving military spouses: Military Spouse Project and Disrupted Military Spouse Portraits. The Disrupted Military Spouse Portraits was a response to how life can feel as a military spouse. These are my ways of expressing the psychological impacts of our intense, nomadic lifestyle. While it is normal for military spouses, the rest of the population really doesn’t understand. So, I began thinking about our constant moving, starting over, and repeating. I began to develop a process, through mark-making and materials, that tried to express this. I wanted there to be a certain amount of chaos; I wanted multiple layers (representing our moves); I wanted figures to be fighting with the background (representing the struggle for individual preservation); I wanted layers that revealed layers beneath (because each of our moves or duty stations is another layer to our lives and part of our story); and I wanted the figures to be realistic, beautiful and strong, utilizing a feminist lens to project their personas and stories (not idolized or exaggerated). As a result, the figures often confront the viewers with their gaze and abstracted figures.
So, I started meeting with spouses and taking photographs of them for reference. I try to get to know them and see what they want to tell me. I see if there are any vital elements I should depict. Are they an artist? What is their profession? What are their interests? How do they feel about this lifestyle? Can I find a universal truth from their story that fits with other military spouses? How can I translate their story?
These works are very mentally taxing😊
From these, the Military Spouse Project developed. At first, I was just offering a painted portrait in exchange for helping me with my Disrupted Military Spouse Portraits. They would let me use their likeness and sit for a photoshoot, and I would then create a portrait in return. However, I didn’t realize how they would respond. A photograph is a photograph, but a painted portrait is something different in this age of lightning-fast digital everything. It became such a heartwarming experience to see how much they enjoyed these that I thought, “I want to do this always.” I really do enjoy painting portraits, and I can’t think of a better focus than fellow military spouses.
While my Disrupted Military Spouse Portraits will inevitably morph and change, I see the Military Spouse Project as something I will continually return to to honor them. I have lofty goals of how many I will ultimately create!
MilspoFAN: How has your role as a military spouse impacted your work as a painter- creatively, logistically, or otherwise?
Vanessa: It was rough for a long time. I have a very supportive husband, but multiple abnormal 11-12 month relocations, along with three kids, TDYs, and deployments, left me struggling to survive (forget artistically surviving) for almost a decade. I lived in my sketchbook (it was a lifeline), but I wasn’t able to complete many large or series works.
The studio space has always been an issue. I don’t work well as a kitchen table artist – I use charcoal, pastel, and oil paint, and my work is large-ish and messy. We have used (and I say “we” because it takes a supportive spouse to facilitate this lifestyle) back porches and garages as studio spaces. For example, our current 1920s mini-one-car garage is my studio. My husband installed flooring, cabinets, and bookcases, along with a heater, to transform the space into something usable here in the Hudson Valley. It’s pretty safe to say I am the only spouse on West Point that has a painting studio in their garage…
Additionally, it is difficult to form artistic relationships with galleries and art communities as you move. People are always saying that the art world is about relationships – it is hard to develop those when you have kids and a husband deployed. Of course, it is getting easier with social media.
MilspoFAN: How do you cultivate your creativity?
Vanessa: Listen- Cultivate-Act
Cultivating your creativity is something that takes a certain amount of listening. You have to listen to your hunches, pay attention to things that grab your attention, create lists of ideas in your sketchbook, etc.
Then you have to cultivate those items; research them, figure out why they grabbed your attention, and how you can elaborate on that item. How can you explore it further?
Finally, you have to act. If you don’t artistically express these things, no one will.
Personally, I also respond, in writing, to my work before each studio session in my sketchbook. I spend time looking at things I like in the current work, what’s working well and what’s not, defining my fears about moving forward, and musing about themes or ideas that have spun off the current piece while working. This process, along with “listen, cultivate, act” has really helped propel my creativity and working process.
I also try to live a creative lifestyle, staying curious and open to new things and experiences. This means exploring, learning, and taking on new challenges- with my husband, friends, and often myself.
MilspoFAN: How do you meet other artists or plug into the local arts scene when you PCS?
Vanessa: I haven’t always. For many years, I was just trying to survive PCSs and children. My closest friends were never artists; they were always other spouses paralleling my struggle…Plus, I have always felt we are perceived as outsiders, making it slightly more difficult to jump into the “scene.” Additionally, what time and energy I did have seemed better spent creating art than trying to plug into an art scene. I think this is one of the more isolating struggles of an artist/military spouse. If I had to venture, I would think it’s pretty common.
However, things are changing for me now that the children are older and social media is more active than ever. Additionally, I’m finishing an MFA in Painting, I have started seeking out organizations that promote the arts and artists (like this one), and I am actively building my CV. While I might not be embedded in a local scene, I am working to cultivate my own…
MilspoFAN: What’s next for you?
Vanessa: I have been applying to residencies abroad. I would really like my work to take an international turn. Having met several military spouses from other countries, here on West Point and at other Duty Stations, I am inquisitive about their struggles and how they are perceived in their countries. I think this would add another layer to my work.
MilspoFAN: What is the most practical piece of advice that you would give to other artists?
Vanessa:
Figure out what kind of artist you are. (What do you really want to accomplish with your artwork?)
Develop a realistic practice (2 hours a week? 4-6 hours a day?) and try to stick with it.
Don’t be afraid to set goals and work towards them…
#disruptedmilitaryspouseportrait
#militaryspouseportraits
#stationsareforcomingandgoing