Interview
Eileen Starr Moderbacher
Eileen Starr Moderbacher is a graduate of California College of the Arts in San Francisco with a MFA in Painting. She is a bi-coastal artist based in Berkeley, California and Brooklyn, New York.
Most recently she exhibited her work at Sticks Framing and Art in Berkeley. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I started my journey when I was a very little girl, which is also when I decided I want to be an artist. At age three, I knew the names of all the colors in the 64-package Crayola box. By the age of 10, I visited the Art Institute of Chicago every Saturday to take drawing and painting classes. In high school, I took special arts and continued going to the Art Institute Classes on Saturdays. After graduating high school, I applied to the University of Iowa's Art Department and was accepted. I attended for one year and then transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago, where I received my BFA in printmaking.
Then life took over — I got married and raised two wonderful sons with my husband, while working as a graphic designer. After many years, I encouraged my son, Nikolai, to get his MFA in sculpture. I was so ardent about it that I realized I always regretted not getting my MFA. So I applied at about the same time and went for my MFA at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Since achieving that goal, I have been painting full time and exhibiting globally.”
What inspires you most?
“What inspires me is color. I love color! Light or dark, vibrant or dull, subtle or harsh—I love it all. The joy of working with an endless array of colors gives me great satisfaction.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“As an abstract painter, the main themes I’m concerned with are movement, motion, composition, color, and form. If there is any underlying message, I’d say it would be optimism and joy.”
How would you describe your work?
“At this point in time, I’d describe my work as abstract narrative and non-objective.”
“The movement and composition of each painting changes and unravels dramatically as I add new elements and eliminate others. The painting and I are in deep dialogue.”
Which artists influence you most?
“My work is influenced a lot by Per Kirkeby, Max Weiler, Linda Geary, David Huffman, and Wassily Kandinsky.”
What is your creative process like?
“My process involves merging inspiration with emotion to create original works that resonate with people. When I see a captivating artwork or even an intricate pattern on a simple piece of fabric, I’m flooded with fresh ideas and a new artistic vision. I use this ‘aha’ moment to create an original color palette, which I then take to the canvas with renewed enthusiasm.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The role of an artist in society is to enrich people’s lives in one form or another. Creativity is a basic human drive and need that tends to get minimized and ignored in our type of post-industrial society. As technology develops and people do not need to work as many hours as they used to in pre-industrial society, more people could be engaged in much more meaningful and fulfilling creative activities.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I recently had a solo show at Sticks Framing and Art in Berkeley, California.
On November 5th 2022, I’ll be having a show at Colorida Art Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal.”
