Collaboration – Party of 3

Collaborative, mixed media works
What happens when you take three artists from different genres and have them work on the same canvas? “Collaboration.” In July 2006, Truckee artists Carole Sesko, Eve Werner, and myself (Sara Zimmerman) began meeting weekly to analyze each others’ artwork,  share information, and inspire each other to push our art beyond our comfort levels. After establishing a strong rapport, the three of us began a collaborative series of artworks, and named ourselves “Party of 3.” We have produced a series of canvases and sculptures that we each have worked on, then passed on to the next artist to add their contribution, creating a series of works called “Collaboration.”

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Press release about the Party of 3

“Although all three artists work in acrylic paints, each has a distinct style that has earned regional respect. Sesko is known for her vibrant, textural work in which acrylic paints are layered with found and recycled objects.  Werner’s best known works feature expressively painted horses in bold colors.  Zimmerman’s work often juxtaposes vast Sierra and urban landscapes with extreme close-ups and silhouettes of objects.  They have shown work individually at regional venues and in greater California.  “We like the idea of coming from different places stylistically,” says Sesko.  “We each bring a unique viewpoint which allows us to complement rather than compete with each other and enlivens our discussions.”

How “Collaboration” works

First, the Party of Three chooses a theme for 3 of the canvases, such as a country or a color. Then each member takes one canvas and picks something from the theme. One week later, the artists take a picture of their works in their stage and exchange their works.  The next artist adds to that canvas while keeping the one and only rule in mind: stick to the theme of the painting. The result: a lot of thinking outside of the box. “I never thought I would be adding cardboard and texture to my paintings,” exclaims Werner, a painter of impressionistic tradition. “Yet this experience has me really searching outside of my comfort zone and into the recycling for new materials.”

Collaboration

The product of this experiment is a show of all of these works called “Collaboration.” “Since we were pushing outside of our own comfort zones, we weren’t sure if there was going to be a cohesiveness to each of the pieces,” remarks Sara Zimmerman. “Yet once we put them all together, we realized there was an interrelativeness in all of them.”