Chandler Woodfin was gracious enough to offer her art for our latest print edition, Monarch 3, she was even chosen as the cover artist for the book. Her work is bright, beautiful, abstract, generous, precarious. She is also a new mom. We had the chance to chat with Chandler about her work, her recent life balancing act and her new work. 

Jake Uitti: Before we get to any of your (stunning) work, I have to ask: you’re a new mother, ohmygosh what is it like trying to be a working artist while raising an infant?

Chandler Woodfin: It is all about time. Time is different and sought out with a renewed fierceness. Imagine inviting a baby monkey to live in your home, and then hoping it will take a lot of naps. And while I am filled with True love, I still have that insane hunger to paint the world. I think the question itself is difficult because it implicates a loss or devastating change in practice. At this point I feel I am still working feverishly, but maybe I can’t always make it to events after 7 p.m. Also, having a partner that understands the amount of work involved helps. We can trade studio time without resentment. Having a child has only added to my life, and I refuse to think of it any other way. Grey (my son) and I started drawing together recently, kind of a co-lab situation. I have learned a ton about mark-making from him, although he gets stuck sometimes in a ‘stabbing’ technique. Lots of tiny holes.

JU: What do your instincts tell you in terms of teaching him about art and letting him play around with it on his own?

CW: I know that I will teach him a lot of art history, and he will of course have to go along to a lot of shows. As far as the making of art, I let him play how he wants. He might not be interested at all down the road. I mean, right now his thing is airplanes, and that’s exciting for me because I get to learn everything about them.

JU: Alright, let’s get to your art – what are you working on now that’s most exciting for you? And how has that come from your recent pieces?

CW: Right now, I feel a great abundance of the light side of living. I am full of brightness, and it shows in the paintings. I’m excited and terrified by this new feeling of being cracked open, and I am enjoying the surprises that come onto the paper.

Because I know this is a temporary shiny moment, I am recording it as energetically as I can. In the past, I was drawn to tragic content—war, violence, loss—as a way to mitigate or put into perspective my own darkness. I have learned that I do not need that barrier anymore (or should I say, at least for now).

Don’t get me wrong, I still have dirty things lurking in the work, but they are more comforting than threatening.

JU: Can you offer an example of your latest work? And let me know what stands out about it to you?

CW: My previous paintings were very controlled in some ways, formal and carefully constructed. I am now practicing holding nothing back in order to see what happens, and the result is explosive. This image is an example of what I am finding this new work to be–volcanic, unpredictable, sexual. I am riding a very thin line of control, knowing that at any minute all is lost. This way of working is thrilling and heart-breaking.