Collection: Yael Dresdner

A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE ARTIST

1. What do you do when you’re not making art? (Day job etc...).

When not making art, I am a freelance graphic designer. Walking in Central Park or Riverside Park in my beloved, bleeding city of New York, my longing for nature is soothed a little. Yoga and Zumba classes with amazing, intense teachers, keep me in shape and help me gain more focus in my art and life.

2. Why do you make art?

There's a restless need to create something, and when the artwork is done, I realize I'm saying something I needed to say. My work is personal, dealing more with the general human/woman condition than with the political and social issues of the day. Inevitably, there is some mixing of the two.

3. What inspires you?

Intense life experiences, both external and internal. In turn, I want my artwork to create an experience for the people who see it. Maybe the work evokes and explains moments from their own life, or elicits feelings – positive or negative – for them to explore. I am also very inspired by good art from other artists. It can be visual art, or poetry, or music.

4. What/who are your influences?

Any art that I love, from cave drawings to Rembrandt to Mary Lovelace O'Neal. Hers was the last art show I saw before the Quarantine began. I am very influenced by nature, and have several series based on photos I've taken in my travels. One of my pieces on the AllArtWorks.net platform, Snapshots In the Dark 4, is based on a photo I took on a trip to the South of France.

5. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?

Just one? That would be Rembrandt, the consummate diver into the human condition. The original selfie-maker, I think he's one of the only artists throughout history who painted piercing self-portraits throughout his life.