Left: Artist Ann Tarantino
Right: Brazil (stripes), 2008
Ink and gouache on paper, 18 x 24 in.

Hello and Happy Friday collectors. Today is a very fine day to get back into the Friday interview pattern with 20x200 artist Ann Tarantino. Ann has been spending her summer teaching art in Italy, but she graciously managed to find a little time to help us get to know her a little bit better. Grazie Ann!

Breath Portrait (favorite pinks), 2007
Ink and gouache on paper, 10 x 7 in.

Firstly, how did you come to work in Italy this summer?
I teach at Penn State, and came to Italy this summer to teach a drawing class for one of their study abroad programs. We're in Todi, a lovely little Umbrian hill town that I'll be sad to leave.

When did you first feel a calling to be an artist?
I think I first felt that calling as a child, although it wasn't until much later in life that I articulated it as such. From a very young age I remember constantly making and inventing, always needing to do something with my hands--baking with my Betty Crocker oven, or crocheting, or making collages and drawings. Later there was knitting, journal writing, making gifts for people. I felt a tremendous outpouring of creative energy but I didn't really understand it, or know what to do with it. It wasn't until the end of my second year of college that I took my first painting class and something finally clicked; I knew instantly that I wanted to be a painter. It just hadn't occurred to me until then that this was something that I could do, something that people did with their lives.

Do you collect art?
I DO collect art, and I love it. I started by trading pieces with friends while in graduate school, and later on starting buying a few small things when I could afford it, or bartering with other artists. Now I have a small collection and am in the process of building it. I have bought two prints from 20x200: one by Linzie Hunter (for myself) and another by Aili Schmeltz (to give as a gift).

Brazil (candy), 2008
Ink and gouache on paper, 24 x 18 in.

Which other 20x200 artists do you enjoy?
l particularly loved the strangeness and mystery of Rachel Sumpter's two pieces and the great empty space in Carlo van de Roer's photograph.

Do you have a favorite artist? Or artists that inspire you?
That's such a hard question! These days many of the contemporary artists I love aren't necessarily traditional painters, but do lots of different kinds of work, or combine painting and drawing, or 2D and 3D. I love Nina Bovasso, Leslie Wayne, Monika Gryzmala, Tara Donovan, Sarah Sze, Judy Pfaff, Jessica Stockholder...

You've named several female artists that also work with installation, is this an area that you see your work moving towards?

I am quite interested in installation--partly because I don't feel I have much aptitude for it and wish I did! The artists I mentioned all make what feel, to me, like living paintings. I love the idea of stepping into a painting and that's what I feel like when I look at their work.

More favorites, please! Your favorite photographer? musician? author?
Elger Esser. Mike Tarantino. Peter Carey.

Breath Portrait (coral reef), 2007
Ink and goauche on paper, 30 x 22 in.

What are you working on these days?
I'm working on a million things or at least it feels like it: a series of paintings about Italy, where I'm spending the summer; a new body of works on paper; and, more generally, a synthesis of my works on paper and works on canvas, which often feel really different from one another. I like making both, and I am trying to find an intersection between the two. It's been harder than it sounds, but fun, and I think I'm finally getting somewhere.

What would an ideal day include for you?
This perfect day would involve waking up early after a good night's sleep and having a scone and espresso with my husband while the world is still quiet. Then, a long hike in the woods, where it's sunny, bright, and cool. My brothers, whom I adore but rarely get to see, would then magically appear, and join us for lunch and a glass of wine. I'd come home tired and spend the rest of the day working in the studio.

Lastly, what are you looking forward to?
I'm looking forward to seeing my husband when I get back from Italy! I've been here for two months and I miss him like crazy. I'm also looking forward to fall, my favorite season; to raspberries, which should be growing in my backyard in a few weeks; and to starting some new works on canvas, based loosely on some of the art and architecture I've seen here this summer.

Sounds like a charmed life to me! Brava Ann!
Ann's 20x200 edition print: Breath Portrait (favorite colors)
Ann's website