Poise, Posture & Profanity: Meet Visual Artist Arabella Proffer

Cool Cleveland recently caught up with painter Arabella Proffer who currently shares in a dual show on exhibit at the William Rupnik's Gallery (WRG). Poise, Posture and Profanity showcases Proffer's work, paired with Pacific Northwest artist Andrea Heimer; the two painters share the freshly renamed space until Sunday, May 17. Proffer's new portraits of punk rock supermodels, cats and cool chics are a part of the display. Although she hails from a few different regions of the country (Los Angeles and Boston, after growing up in Ann Arbor) Proffer moved to Cleveland, and resides here with her husband and evil cat, Milkshake. She continues to showcase her work both here and elsewhere.

Proffer graduated from CAL Arts and has exhibited her work all over the country; in 2009, her work will be on display in Harbor, MD and Pittsburgh. Proffer's success can be easily found on her very velvety smooth artist website and smart blog, ArtyFarty.Vox.com. Proffer paints realism with a punk filter and offers amazing detail, depth and color in each portrait.

Cool Cleveland asked, "How would you describe your painting style?" and it opened the floodgates to a great conversation.

"My style has been called Magic Realism, Pop Surrealism and everything in between," Proffer offered. "The portraits I do now started when I was 17 years old and just grown since then. I’ve never used photos except for portrait commissions, and for little things like hand positions – I am really bad at hands -- or the way fabric is flowing or a lace pattern on a costume. The paintings always turn out totally different than how I draw them initially, the faces just kind of morph out of nowhere.

"Oddly though, I do tend to run into people I paint later on, it is very weird. I’ll see them years after the painting was done sitting in an airport or something," she added. "I used to think it was scary but now I just stare and think it is kind of cool, it is some bizarre psychic ability perhaps."

As an artist who has local, as well as national success, what it is about this region that is a positive aspect of Cleveland's art scene?

"Most of the studio spaces are really cheap -- not all, but most. I work from home, but at least I know if I wanted a studio, I wouldn’t have to look far to get something decent and in a good spot," Proffer replied. "There are actually quite a few excellent galleries in Cleveland; I get so mad when people say Ann Arbor -- where I grew up until I moved to Laguna Beach at 16 -- has so much culture because Cleveland has more galleries and cultural institutions bar none. I feel like I’m pretty central and can travel anywhere while maintaining a home base that has a low cost of living.

"Cleveland has all the same stuff every other city has, and I can have time to work and not be stressed or driven crazy all day,” she added.

As an artist who does not need a tenured teaching position to tie her to the region or a grant, is Proofer still able to make a decent living and still draw a hip following nationwide? Is Cleveland supportive and what could be improved?

"It all comes down to economics and the way the city is run. I could go and on about that; how everything seems to be amateur hour or moves at a rate that seems five years behind other cities," Proofer offered. "Cleveland needs to find something else to be known for other than manufacturing to bring better companies and jobs here. Building overpriced condos in crappy neighborhoods isn’t the answer. No one wants to see a play and hit the art galleries when they are in constant fear of layoffs, or are being underpaid to begin with.

"Being involved in the arts and culture is considered by many to be a luxury pass-time, so until you get a population that feels as though they can enjoy those things, the arts won’t get supported," she reasoned. "There are non-profits that do good work, but then there are those that run a for-profit enterprise in all aspects but still are classified as 501c because of some technicality. So, the grants they get are basically a failsafe against a lack of business sense it seems.

So what's the answer for artists, venues and galleries? "[They all] need to use the capitalist model, not the begging for money every year because you have 'good intentions' model," replied Proffer. "If really people want what you are offering, they will buy it. Complaining about how bad business is all the time and having a 'benefit' every 6 months isn’t cute; it just makes me think you don’t know what you are doing."

Economically, our region is not eactly leading the nation in art sales or even considering a tax-free art district to boost cultural dollars... so how is an artist like Proffer doing with financial support?

"I’d say my sales in Cleveland are good for the smaller works and small commissions, but I exhibit throughout North America, sell in Europe, and do not limit myself geographically. At this point 50% of my sales come through my website alone," Proffer confided. "The inclusion in shows has been good, and the turnouts at receptions are always great. I was shocked at how many people came to my solo show at Asterisk last year considering I am not from here and didn’t feel many people knew my work. But I’m the type that expects to sell nothing, and for no one to show up -- that way it is always a nice surprise.”

Proffer uses social media on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Flickr (to share her artwork and travels to her exhibits) to further her buzz. You can punch her name up in any of those sites to find her.

You can log on to http://www.ArabellaProffer.com and http://ArtyFarty.Vox.com to learn more about Proffer and her work. Her current dual exhibition Poise, Posture and Profanity continues at Artchitecture Gallery through mid-May. Visit the gallery online at http://www.ArtchitecureGallery.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Bridget Ginley tegdirb1017@gmail.com

Ginley hosts the "Erie Effusion" radio program on WRUW 91.1-FM and is a well-established Cleveland artist. You can find her online at http://erieeffusion.blogspot.com and http://www.bridgetginley.com.

Photo by Shannon Okey (:divend:)