We had the good fortune of connecting with Nell Potasznik Langford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nell, why did you pursue a creative career?

The groundwork for becoming a lifelong creative really began early in my childhood. My family was full of creatives – artists, philosophers, teachers, makers, and musicians. Family get togethers were energizing, full of laughter and big philosophical discussions. No topics were off the table, kids were given equal opportunities to participate.

We traveled quite a bit with my mother at an early age – experiencing all of the different tastes, sounds, and smells of different cultures. This made a huge impression that filled me with a desire to make objects, tell stories, imagined and/or real.

I could not see having a career where I my daily activity did not include some type of creative expression or observation.

Allowing myself to pursue this type of life means that I am free to experiment, challenge, and get out of my comfort zone. It is never a dull moment!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My work deals mostly with feminism and female condition. I worked in luxury retail, high fashion for several decades. Most of these prestigious fashion houses ( Hermes, Christian Dior, Harry Winston ) subscribed to many of society’s typical views on beauty, sex, objectification of women and youth, etc. Working in this type of environment can really skew your perceptions as a female – and we have seen some of the consequences especially my generation. These brands also facilitate artistic expression at the highest levels – creating micro economies for artisans and keeping specialized “know how” alive – so I’m grateful that the fashion world provides a gateway to creativity in this way.

I am not the same person I was pre-pandemic, or even 5, 10 years ago. So I am most excited about allowing myself to experiment with new materials. I’ve always painted fairly large pieces and lately even paintings don’t seem to have enough space or volume. So I have been experimenting with some soft sculpture, air dry clay and found objects. People tell me I am very funny and I have been trying to include that in my work – either in titles or secret messages in my pieces. My studio is the one place I can let myself be messy, less OCD.

How did I overcome the challenges? Well, I haven’t. As an artist there are always challenges. You don’t do it because it is easy. You do it because you are compelled to create even when it doesn’t makes sense. No one would choose to be an artist because most of the time it feels like torture. It is the ultimate problem solving environment you will ever enter. Why? Because there are no rules and if there are, they are unwritten, or often not shared or communicated. It can feel like a land mine – and that may be just the part that is in your head, the ole “inner critic”. And never mind the atmosphere of the art world at large. That is a whole other layer upon layer.

The lessons will sound like a cheesy self help manual. Trust your gut.
Don’t listen to other’s opinions, or at least not too much. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Find your tribe.

I am excited about the new body of work a result of experimenting with these new materials. I look forward to presenting it in a dynamic space as a solo presentation or with a group of artists drawing on the same themes. A potential summer residency and visiting my family in France and Belgium will be a great way to celebrate the end of a long artist block.

My work is about mostly about storytelling. If the viewer is compelled to question or think about the subject or narrative long after they leave the piece then I have achieved my goal.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

When friends visit I love taking them to my favorites spots.

East Dallas Sights:

White Rock Lake: The perfect place to take a short or long hike along miles of trails. You’ll see lots of wildlife, classic and contemporary homes by notable architects and don’t forget the Dallas Arboretum which offers year long programming. Thursday nights on the lawn are my favorite. East Dallas is a hub for creatives, cultured transplants, and some of the city’s most influential taste makers past and present – you might see signs saying “Keep East Dallas funky.” It’s true!

Coffee: LDU on Garland Road with Aussie owners and no screens, just friends.
Cultivar on Peavy: Grab a coffee and check out the lunch menu at Good Friend Package.

Lounge Here on Garland Road. Your first task will be to find this little gem straight off the set of Mad Men. It’s dark and mysterious inside. The food does not disappoint.  Note the photo mural of Marfa by Donald Judd’s daughter, Rainer Judd.

Shopping; North Park Mall is anchored by iconic Neiman Marcus. Raymond Nasher and his wife Nancy spent a lifetime collecting art and placing it in an incredible space where the public can interact and appreciate it without pretense. See work by pop icon KAWS, sculptor Henry Moore, painter Frank Stella and the outdoor garden near Louis Vuitton features Leo Villareal’s Buckeyball. See a movie at the imax theatre and try some cured meats and wine pairings at Eataly. Grab a sparkly piece at Tiffany and Co. and a pair of kicks at the Nike store.

Head West to the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge. There you will find Trinity Groves where many restaurants join in a large covered patio. Very family friendly and parking is always free. Continue down Sylvan Ave and look for the graffiti park to guide you to Dallas’ most hidden but active artist colony. The area called the Tin District because of all the tin buildings housing a handful of contemporary artists who exhibit locally and internationally.

Stop into Cluley Projects, the gallery I co-run with gallerist Erin Cluley. It is located steps away from the Belmont Hotel at 2123 Sylvan. We are now in our second year of engaging new & established collectors and institutions from around the country. The city’s top architects, Droese Raney Architecture are located right across the street. Just another 5 minute walk up to Sylvan30, grab a lavender latte at Houndstooth or a fresh veggie juice at Juiceland. On Tuesday nights you will find Bocce ball tournaments on the grassy park in front of Cibo Divino – try the gnocchi and the pizzas are always on point.

Head back over the bridge onto 75 North and park in the underground parking lot at the Dallas Museum of Art. It’s free and you will have access to the museum and the Klyde Warren Park. It’s the perfect setting day or night to walk in the Arts District, see the sights and sounds of the city. Grab a table at Miriam and order the ceviche, it is too die for. Chef Miriam ( from the Dominican Republic ) has never met a stranger and will treat you as if you are part of the family. Try the mole if you are still hungry!

Take a few laps around Klyde Warren park. You might see a troupe of ballerinas or hear one of the lead opera singers on the outdoor stage or just enjoy meditating in front of the newest set of fountains at the north end.

Walk across the street to the Nasher Sculpture Center and find Dallas’ own, artist/sculptor, Nic Nicosia’s piece entitled BIG HANDS, conveniently placed near the Rodin. Plan a picnic when they have a movie night and bring a selection of your favorite fromage.

You can take a detour through downtown and hit the usual spots like the grassy knoll, or Adolphus but don’t miss Tony Tasset’s 30ft tall “Eyeball” and the renovated Statler close to a new section dubbed “East End.”

To see another side of town just minutes away, head North, up 75 and exit Mockingbird towards the Park Cities. You will want to head to Highland Park Village after 5’oclock to see millions of twinkling lights in perfectly manicured trees surrounding international luxury brands like Chanel, Hermes, and Harry Winston.

Here, you can meet friends for cocktails at Bistro 31 before you pick out day jewelry at VCA ( ask for Justin ) or a timepiece at Cartier ( ask for Kent ). Don’t miss your opportunity to look at the latest Birkin handbag at Hermes ( ask for Olivier ). If you have a Park House membership or a friend with one, you can join them on the rooftop patio and enjoy an incredible sunset and dinner in sexy surroundings.

You will be ready to get into your pjs or a night out on the town depending on how high your heels are… Either way it won’t take you long to get where you need to go & you will feel right at home once you arrive.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I recognized early on that being a creative is often lonely work. It does take a village, but the slow path often happens behind the scenes. I was very fortunate to have many strong, creative women that have paved the way for my generation to have a voice in a (still) male dominated art world.

My mother, also an artist passed away at the beginning of the pandemic. I abandoned my art practice for months while I was mourning. One of my mentors, artist Viola Delgado invited me to attend an afternoon with a group of other Dallas based female artists at the home of feminist artist & philanthropist Kaleta Doolin.

When I arrived we were greeted and invited to tell our current path in our art practice. It was such an intimate and supportive gathering. Many of the artists were women whom I had admired for many years. I had not considered they had the same struggles or fears as artists because they appeared to have “made it” in the art world.

There was a lot of laughter and a few tears, too. Everyone was re-energized after allowing themselves to be so vulnerable. That afternoon made a big impression and I continued to think about the experience over the following months.

A year ago I moved into a new studio in the Tin District in West Dallas. It was the perfect getaway during the confines of the pandemic..a return to making.

During that same time with the encouragement of Dallas art collector, Shannon Wynne, I approached West Dallas gallery trailblazer Erin Cluley about a project space focused on local and regional artists. After many weeks of open conversation, the gallery named Cluley Projects was born.

I have checked so many boxes on my bucket list in the last two years – and many new boxes I never knew where possible without the help of other “weirdos” like myself!

Website: www.cluleyprojects.com

Instagram: @nelly_de_texas

Linkedin: Nell Langford

Twitter: @nelly_de_texas

Facebook: Nell Potasznik Langford

Other: www.studionell.com email: nell@studionell.com

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