Artist Spotlight – Anna Leigh Biedenbender
There are incredible artists creating artwork that showcases, reflects, and explores their faith. I’m hoping to occasionally highlight some of these talented Christian creatives through this platform via artist spotlights such as this.
The first person I’m delighted to introduce you to is Anna Leigh Biedenbender, a visual artist and classically trained soprano based in the Twin Cities. Anna was a student of mine years ago as a talented teenage artist at Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School. She has gone on to do extraordinary things following those early days, and I am always excited about opportunities for us to collaborate together as peers.
Patients that took part in the trials reported that they became more focused on family, and friends, which is the most suitable to your own need. discounts on viagra Mostly all doctors and patients suffering with erectile frankkrauseautomotive.com levitra from india dysfunction who visits a general practitioner or a urologist should be certainly referred for a cardiology work up to determine existing cardiovascular diseases and proper treatment as well. Many bodybuilders also purchase cost cialis viagra Proviron since it works great in boosting sex drive, say studies.This fruit has a compound which works similarly on blood vessels the way ED medicine do.Apart from that watermelon has a lot of water content, and lycopene, an antioxidant that’s beneficial for heart, prostate, and skin. 2. There are many people who are not able to swallow the hard pills. * Kamagra is a non specific solution order levitra without prescription that treats erectile brokenness issue experienced in men.
Anna, thank you for joining us on Bread for Beggars. Could you please tell readers a little more yourself and your work?
I am a visual artist, classically trained soprano, speaker, and ministry coordinator based in the Twin Cities (though currently living in Glenwood, MN since mid-March due to COVID-19). Pre-coronavirus, my life seemed like a multi-faceted, creative ball of:
- painting in my studio in NE Minneapolis
- singing with the Twin Cities’ Magnum Chorum and with my church’s worship team (obviously also in the studio as I paint)
- playing whichever sport the season called for
- and working as the Director of Operations at Mt Olive St Paul, designing, coordinating, and implementing communications, worship, and music.
Since I ended up in the Cities for graduate school at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where I received my Master of Fine Arts, I’ve worked with various mentor programs, galleries, and arts organizations, spoken at different churches and religious gatherings, and got to show my work at venues like the MN State Fair and galleries such as Modus Locus Minneapolis and the Owatonna Arts Center.
Post-corona arrival, I spend a lot of time thinking about painting with my oils, which are back at my studio, while watching Netflix and getting my tan on (since the fam lives on a lake). It’s been a solid chunk of time to reflect on my studio practice: what I truly love about painting and drawing, what and who I really want to paint and draw, and how I can continue to learn more about the human condition, empathy, vulnerability, and my Savior, even in quarantine.
You have two series specifically that I wanted to highlight: “Prisca” and “And Also With You.” What are these two series about? What inspired you to explore these topics?
“Prisca” is all about highlighting women (or soon-to-be women) of the church, while “And also with you” was a visual study of the liturgy.
I’ve always been interested in dissecting how God and humanity are connected. The series “And also with you” was my first visual attempt at better understanding a beautiful aspect of my Lutheran heritage. Worship for humans, and the Word-based “system” (liturgy) that Lutherans (and other denominations) worship within, is full of emotion and moments of vulnerability.
“Liturgy” literally means “work of the people.” A mentor once told me how they saw the liturgical worship service as an intentional rollercoaster where we, as broken people, come together and experience joy, guilt, anticipation, sorrow, courage, relief, and solidarity, all within about 60 minutes, and all in the presence of – and only by the grace and mercy of – our God. The paintings in “And also with you” are snapshots of those emotional moments.
“Prisca” was an opportunity for me to practice empathy through painting, specifically for the females of our churches. For many of my paintings, I have a conversation or simple interaction with another individual and take a number of quick pictures of them with my phone. As I go back and look at the candid photos, I see glimpses of the individual I might never have caught in a simple 5-minute chitchat. I look at those images for 40+ hours as I paint them, all the while thinking about who they are and what I gleaned from our interaction and details I probably missed. For women in our churches, I think there are many stories we have yet to hear. This series was – hopefully – just the beginning of being open to those conversations.
Both series ultimately focus on the empathetic and vulnerable nature of the church. God is the one who is solid and perfect. The church, not so much. But through Christ in us, we try to reflect the image of our Savior.
Walk us through your creative process for these two series. Who are the models? What materials did you use? How did you approach the canvas? What was going through your mind as you painted each image?
After I’ve taken those many photographs (see answer above), I print my favorites out and scatter them around or keep a stack in my hand as I begin painting on my wood panel. I primarily use oil paints, but only after a first coat of almost random color in acrylic. This gives me a less intimidating foundation. I’ll paint with brushes sometimes, but I mostly use (expired) credit cards. I’ll cut them to different sizes and use them to put paint down much like a palette knife. The solidity of my wooden surface coupled with the flexibility of the plastic cards, the large size of other tools like squeegees, and the masking ability of blue painters tape allows me to get pretty aggressive in both applying and scraping away paint.
As I build up layers of paint and of mistakes, the painting slowly emerges. Allowing those layers of color and error feels like a visual representation of my own vulnerability. While I paint, my ideas and emotions and reactions come out as different marks. So in a sense, painting is thinking to me.
Are there any artworks or artists that influenced these two series or your work overall?
I sing when I paint – partly to occupy my busy mind and keep me present, but also to enhance the emotion of my painted marks. My absolute favorite musical artist is Sara Groves. I did another series, “At Two You’re At Abstraction,” based on one of her songs. Pretty much any music is up for grabs depending on the mood of the day, though my other favorites are typically from the musical theater genre – another “keep you in the present” type of art.
As for visual artists, there are too many to name who have influenced my work as a whole. However, several who I continually look at to get painterly inspiration are: Jennifer Pochinski, Alex Kanevsky, and Jenny Saville (Warning: their paintings are beautiful, but if you look them up with your kids in the room, it may lead to discussions about content…)
A constant influence on my work, and life as a whole, from the Creator himself, would be from 2 Timothy 1:7 –
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”
God always gives us everything we need, but as an introverted creative, I find these characteristics seem to cover the gamut of what is needed to be the ultimate Christian artist.
Do you have a favorite image from the series? Why is it your favorite?
One of my favorite works is from the “And also with you” series. It was one of the first times I realized I didn’t have to “finish” a work for it to be successful. In fact, the success of the piece was in its still-being-formed character. A lightbulb went on when a colleague told me not to touch it after I said I’d only put the second layer down. That gave me the freedom to let a painted mark just be a mark – and it would be beautiful as-is.
Was there anything you learned about yourself while working on each individual series?
I created these series from about 2013-2016, so, as of today, about four years ago. I went directly to graduate school following college, and so as a 22-24-year-old, I learned plenty about myself at the time. I think it’s even more interesting looking back and learning now. I’m finding that talking about these series today gives me an opportunity to find new meaning in them.
I’m still passionate about uplifting the voices of women in our churches. As I’ve better understood the role God’s given me in the church and the opportunities he’s put in front of me, I have both a renewed excitement and frustration on how I can contribute to building up his Kingdom.
With the recent effects of COVID-19, as well as my attempts to better understand the experiences of those different from myself (BIPOC & LGBTQ specifically), every day I feel more and more pressure to better represent Jesus and to better know Jesus personally. That means making better work, better using the opportunities I’ve been given, and being better at regularly getting into the Word of God. In the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5, my prayer this month has been: “God of peace, sanctify me through and through.”
What do you hope viewers take away from these paintings?
Again, with so much going on this year of 2020, I pray that viewers take the opportunity to look at a portrait of an individual they may not know and look at it a little bit longer and a little bit harder. There’s so much in life we could just dismiss because it’s not familiar or seemingly helpful to us. But I don’t know that better understanding people could ever not be beneficial.
As you look at a figurative portrait, ask yourself what that individual’s story is. How did they get to where they are? The church needs to exercise the most empathy, the most love and understanding. Asking just one question could be the way God opens up a whole new outlook on life for you.
Were these two series in line with the work you had done previously? Did the series build upon or impact each other, and how did your work on these impact your artwork that followed?
My work tends to fluctuate on the spectrum of representational and abstract. (Think: Michelangelo v. Kandinsky) These two series were more representational – you could see the people and understand what you were looking at. The series that followed these, “At Two You’re At Abstraction,” was almost completely abstract.
For me, representational work is my opportunity to think of someone other than myself. And I want that to be an opportunity for viewers of that work as well. On the other hand, making abstract work is more of an introverted act, almost selfish in its making. And, since it’s more open to a viewer’s interpretations, also a little selfish. Fluctuating between the two styles is almost my way of balancing relaxation in painting and the work – literally, the job – of painting. You need both.
Anna Leigh Biedenbender is a visual artist and classically trained soprano based in the Twin Cities. She holds an MFA in visual art, with an emphasis in painting and drawing, from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD, ’16). She was one of 12 Minnesota artists invited to the Studio: HERE artist-residency program at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair, and her most recent solo exhibitions were at Modus Locus Gallery (Minneapolis) and the Owatonna Arts Center. She sings with the Twin Cities’ Magnum Chorum and in her studio as she paints.
You can learn more about Anna Leigh Biedenbender at annaleighbiedenbender.com and follow her on social media @a_bieds.
Learn more about Jason Jaspersen at JJJaspersen.com and connect with him on social media @JJJaspersen.
