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Barbra Beeler's art, though intensely personal in tone, is larger than life in its technique.
By BRANDY STARK
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Doma Gallery (formerly Fusion Gallery) has opened with the eye-catching and thought-provoking pop art show "For Thoughts." The show belongs to a 30-year-old Tampa artist with berry-red hair, Barbra Beeler.
It's not her deeply personal subject matter alone that distinguishes her show, as Beeler recently discussed with the St. Petersburg Times.
How do you produce your art?
I use a special camera technique using a rare Polaroid camera that produces images 20 by 24 inches in size. There are only three of these cameras available worldwide, which can be rented for use. Since each camera stands 6 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds, artists are expected to travel to the studios that house the cameras. They are housed in New York, San Francisco and Prague, Czech Republic. These cameras are the same used by William Wegman to photograph his Weimaraner dogs.
So, each piece of art in your show is an actual Polaroid picture?
I utilize the transfer technique. Once I take a picture, I remove the film from the back of the camera. I have to do a transfer process to create my images. I peel the film before it has time to develop, and I put the negative side on watercolor paper, then squeegee it to (push) the chemicals off of the negative side and onto the watercolor paper. It is kind of like a rubber stamp, taking the ink off the stamp and putting it on something else.
How would you describe the subject of your artwork?
It's a view of myself and my emotions seen through the identity of the toys and pop culture that I grew up with. For example, I use action figures because I can build feelings around these figures, much like a child does when he or she plays make-believe with toys. I also have several self-portraits in the "Erotica" series. The camera, since it is taking a large picture, produces a hyper-reality showing every bump, line and pore I have. For me, it's a way to a comfort level with myself, working with my own self-image issues. I think it's something many women have to deal with.
How did you get involved in doing this kind of photography?
I took a class from the Gulf Coast Museum of Art about small-scale Polaroid photography that Florida artist Anna Tomczak taught. She later took me out to San Francisco and introduced me to the large camera.
What is the message you are trying to convey through your current show?
I am very excited about the direction I am taking. I really feel that I have gotten some emotions and inner turmoil out in some of these pieces. I am working on pushing through and dealing with some ideas that I have about myself and my sexuality, and my relation to other people. I am doing it, however, in my own lighthearted and humorous way.
Where do you see your art going in the future?
I do see myself pushing and exploring the sexuality envelope more. I would like to continue working with action figures and ideas, though I want my future works to be less structured and more free-formed.
Do you have any advice for budding artists?
Apply for as many group shows as possible. Work on building an art resume of experience and exhibitions, and always continue your art education, be it a class or a weekend workshop.
"For Thoughts" is at the Doma Gallery, 540 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, through June 6. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Call (727) 492-7227.