Meet NUNUM's Contributor: Carol Radsprecher

NUNUM

Blending Flash Fiction & Art

Interview with Carol Radsprecher

Carol Radsprecher gave NUNUM

Poulpe which became the cover for our 2020 anthology and was absolutely, hands-down the best way for us to wrap up our second year of blending. 

We were lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with Carol a few weeks ago, and I'm sure you can guess the first question we had for her, the answer on the other hand might be a touch of a surprise. 

Poulpe by Carol Radsprecher

A Little Squished by Carol Radsprecher

Carol, thank you for Poulpe, it

was exactly what we needed to put a face on what turned out to be an amazing year for us here. And speaking of books, what was the first one you remember reading all by yourself?

Babar the Elephant. Other than school books (Fun with Dick and Jane), Babar was my first book. I read it over and over.

Finally, one I have read. Okay, what about more recently, what was the last book you read that made you say 

damn that was a good book?

Edward St Aubyn’s The Patrick Melrose Novels (there are four in this autobiographically-based series). I urge everyone to read them who hasn’t read them.

Ah, back to normal, something I haven't had a chance to read yet. But one, or rather, four more for the list. Pen, pencil or phone which one do you reach for when you need to write something down?

Almost Free by Carol Radsprecher

Black Black by Carol Radsprecher

My iPhone

Easy enough, let's flip to art. Contemporary artists, who do you admire?

Elizabeth Murray. Jenny Saville. Dana Schutz. Gerhard Richter. Kerry James Marshall. 

Jenny Saville, I know, and yes, her work is just ... well just wow. Let's get local though, there must also be some artists in your community we should be keeping our eyes on.

I live in Brooklyn, so there are

way too many artists in my local community! I recommend these artists, most of whom live near me in NYC or NJ: Joan Mellon, Theresa DeSalvio, Robert Lobe, Patricia Dahlman, Shelley Haven, Mary Pinto, Eileen Weitzman, Elizabeth Riley, Barbara Lubliner, Lesly Deschler-Canossi, Jane Dell , Karen Starret, Susan Lisbin, Richard Staub, Amy Geller, Effie Serlis.

An intro to the Brooklyn art scene, thank you Carol. Let's get back to you, who has  influenced your current artistic direction?

Cat and Woman by Carol Radsprecher

Doll Baby by Carol Radsprecher

Philip Guston, as he appears

somewhere in many artists’ work, and we might as well acknowledge and welcome him. Dana Schutz as well.

Another one that I have to ask Carol, what advice would you give someone who is just starting to send their work out to journals?

Don’t expect to get acceptances right away. Do not get discouraged; keep working and keep submitting work. Before submitting work, see what each publication publishes. 

Increase the chance of getting published by sending work to as many places as possible.

Well said, the chin has to stay up. But let's get back to your work, how do you feel current world events are affecting your work?

My images seem more bizarre and death-related these days of turmoil and disaster. Here in the States, ever since Trump got into the White House, we who loathe him and the Republicans are alternately infuriated, depressed, frustrated, and mind-boggled at 

Drop-down Head by Carol Radsprecher

Even Better by Carol Radsprecher

the destruction of our democracy, 

the environment, and just about everything else that is life-affirming. Art-making often seems frivolous or futile. However, I and others continue to make our work (why not?).

Interesting times for sure, but it seems that no matter when you're alive they are. Speaking of life and how it goe, how has age affected your work?

Being an older artist is alternately

freeing and scary. My future is compressing. The elderly are devalued, and this holds doubly true for women. The art world seeks young artists. On the other hand, reaching early old age has allowed me to have a nonchalant attitude towards what people think of my work. I’ve been there, seen a lot, and can look back over decades of my work and others I’ve seen. And much of my work derives from childhood memories that seem to sharpen as I age.

How does the relationship of you with your own body affect your images?

Exciting Bed by Carol Radsprecher

He Man by Carol Radsprecher

Good question! Being a woman

gives me license to use the female figure with perhaps more freedom these days than if I weren’t living in a female body. As with every person, one’s body and one’s perception of one’s body changes through life. My body has gone through typical alterations and some threatening ones, and my images reflect these. Representations and distortions of the body and face are the wellsprings of my imagery.

Carol Radsprecher is a restless

artist whose images combine figurative and abstract elements. She earned her MFA in painting from Hunter College, CUNY. A longtime painter, she discovered the wonders of digital image-making and found that media well-suited to her need to make a succession of rapidly evolving, narrative images based on distorted representations of the human body, especially the female body.

Carol's work has appeared in several solo shows and numerous group shows, and has been published in print and online publications. Her Web site is www.carolradsprecher.com."

Wanna A House by Carol Radsprecher

Went to Hunter by Carol Radsprecher

Before It Got Worse  by Carol Radsprecher

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