Moon Beauty: A Q & A With Elena Stonaker

I discovered Elena Stonaker when another mother posted an image of her work to our mom group, in a celebration of women and one another. Elena’s work is undeniably effeminate with her portrayals of the female nude. Who knows what the meaning behind the image was for the artist but I felt empowered by it and wanted to see more.

As fate would have it, a few weeks later I received a request to shoot and interview her. My favorite portraits are of artists but how was I going to shoot this colorful creative whose own self portraits I madly adore? We settled on Angeles National Forest as a backdrop in capturing and sharing Elena’s raw moon beauty.

Q: Where are you during this quarantine? How are you spending your time in quarantine outside of making art?

A: I'm sharing my quaint sublet one bedroom apartment in the "Forgotten Edge" neighborhood of LA (basically the sliver between Chinatown and Echo Park) with my boyfriend, Stephen (also an artist). Our bedroom has become my studio, the living room his studio- it's cozy, and I'm pretty comfortable with solitude, but getting more difficult to stay in most of the time as the weather gets warmer. I've found some spots in the park nearby that the trails are still open and have been enjoying lots of walks. My creative motivation has been oscillating and slowly growing, but I've released myself from most of my expectations about forcing productivity... I feel like this is something I've been letting go of a lot the last couple years, so it doesn't feel like a crazy transition, but I do constantly question the balance of discipline and rest and care. Besides making art though, I have been doing what most everyone else is doing... spending lots more time in the kitchen experimenting with cooking, sleeping, watching things on the screen, doing online breath work courses with my dear friend Carly Jo Carson, dancing with Ryan Heffington, social distance walks, and hopefully going to write more, and learn how to stick and poke from Stephen.

Q: You are a painter, illustrator, performance artist, sculptor and costume designer. Did I leave a medium out? Is there more demand for one medium over the others?

A: Ha.. yes I have a few arms of practice. I also have been playing around with stop motion animation and some set design. The last few years I have been working on pushing my more experiential installations and participatory experiences... making installations with my sculptural pieces that you can tacitly interact with, get inside of, etc. Working at narrowing the gap between the space of the audience and the work by creating inviting environments. I feel like there is a demand for that more satiating connection, although it is a strange edge between creating a good photo opportunity and an enriching experience... That's one of the reasons I started my project, Artist as Muse, a few years back... it is basically an extravagant version of my beloved figure drawing sessions from art school, but with multiple painted models, vignettes of sculpture, musical curation or accompaniment and open to all levels of artists/non-artists.... the bubble of shared creative space is really special... I want to push this more... I love the movement of integrating ceremonial practice and healing into art practice... It is another tricky edge to walk between faux spiritualism but I think there is some very rich soil here, if we are willing to dig deep.

Q: Would you consider yourself an interdisciplinary artist, “one whose art does not show regard to a dominant discipline or a genre”, or multidisciplinary artist who deploys “several disciplines in order to realize their art.”

A: I think perhaps until being asked this question, I haven't created the proper distinction of the two, but I suppose I would lean toward being the multidisciplinary artist. I find that employing different disciplines to create my umbrella of vision, my "world," creates depth and a diversity of engagement which enriches my personal relationship with my work and ideally the experiences of the audience. Do you have a specific routine, regiment or ritual for making art? I'm not very good with routines, which is something I can get frustrated with myself about. I find it more natural for me to act organically depending on my mood. Unless I am working on a collaborative project that requires me to stay on a schedule, I set my own hours day by day, don't use an alarm unless I really have to. If I am given a structure to work within, I am happy to oblige, but on my own flow free.

Q: I would describe your work as raw, magical, indigenous, and feminine with inspirations from Hinduism and Mexican folklore to mysticism and mythology. How am I doing so far?

A: Thank you, feels like you see lots of my angles and deep inspirations.

Q: What’s up with the moon?

I've just always had such a natural love of her and relate so deeply... the cycles of waxing and waning. The sweet light in the dark, such a consistent and beautiful friend.

Q: I recently saw your work at the Spring Break show. Was that your first exhibition with the organization? What gallery did you show with? I liked the curation.

A: It was my first time showing there. I showed with my favorite gallery to work with, Chandran Gallery (SF). The curator is Amanda Krampf, who has been especially supportive and has helped create a really beautiful and respected space for facilitating more experimental work for artists (lots of whom are women). I'd say working with them has been extremely formative since I showed with them in 2017 and I am grateful.

Q: Tell me about the drawing nights you host at Love Adorned? They look elaborate in scale and maybe a little intimidating for a beginner.

A: This is the project I mentioned before, Artist as Muse. They come in a variety of levels of scale, but because I had my whole show set up there, this one was especially elaborate. I truly want all levels to be comfortable at these, and I have had some success at reeling in quite a few beginners... the outcome is completely non-important. My favorite pieces are generally from "non-drawers'' who make the most extraordinary stick figures. It is tapping into that childlike naivety that is so powerful. For me, it is about the energy created when coming together in a focused and calming and whimsical environment... the collective energy that is cultivated is very special.

Q: What music are you listening to?

A: Here's a mix

Q: What was your last day dream?

A: Something about whales, and my grandma... there was lots of tension and beauty but that's all I remember.

Q: Define love.

A: Dedication, care, surrender, generosity, gentleness, observation, acts of balance, transformation, birth and death.

Follow Elena Stonaker at @ElenaStonaker

Photos and words by Estée Ochoa