QUINNSICAL

We caught Quinn in the middle of her shift. With a few plates in hand, Quinn walked out of the kitchen of On Orange, and up to the edge of our table. Alex explained she'd be showing some of her work in Homebodies Lancaster. Alex and Quinn are both servers for the busy cafe. After a brief introduction, Quinn asked, "Do you guys need any ketchup or anything else?...enjoy."

 

Quinn let us go up to her studio to pick something for Homebodies Lancaster, while she finished her shift. We climbed up a tree into Quinn's bird nest workspace. I imagine her tiptoeing around the collages and sketches on her floor with ease. Paintings, drawings, printouts, and writings covered the walls of this tiny room.  This is a rare privilege to be allowed into someone's space without them there.

 

The opening went well. Josh Graupera brought a great following of people. The next afternoon, we arranged to meet with Quinn in her studio for some conversation about her work and plans.

 

During her residency at Chautauqua Institute in the summer of 2013, Quinn met Amber Scoon. Amber asked why Quinn's paintings were paintings. This is a sentiment that Quinn struggled with. In retrospect, she identifies it as a validation of her drawing practice.

 

In Amber's book, Quantum Art is described as suggesting "that the nature of art is the simple desire to mimic." Quinn's training as a perceptual painter aligns itself with her philosophy of regaining childlikeness. She described needing to see without knowing or recognizing and "open [herself] up again." Quinn makes pictures of her pictures; drawing from paintings and so on.

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She pulled out a postcard of Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas.