Meet Ruth Chase | Visual Artist, Lover of Life

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruth Chase and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruth, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“The best teacher you will ever have is yourself asking the right questions.”

This quote came from Carlos Villa, my painting instructor at the San Francisco Art Institute. It’s stuck with me over the years. The questions we ask ourselves can alter how we view or experience the world, our art, others, basically everything.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I am a multimedia artist whose public art speaks to the value of people to their community—working with themes of belonging, visibility, and what it means to be a human. I create large intimate paintings on canvas, public art, and videos that challenge stereotypes.

I recently started a new decorative series called Dwelling. A whimsical body of work that can be painted directly on interior walls or can be purchased in a variety of shapes and sizes. I’ve merged my fine art practice with an ornamental slant to offer to collectors at a lower price point. Smaller work can be purchased and shipped anywhere. Throughout my career as an artist, I have worked in the decorative arts, having painted for several famous people when I lived in Los Angeles, where I’m from originally.

In my fine arts practice, I am most proud to have worked with hundreds of people in creating art that engages the public. I’m interested in presenting contrasting viewpoints, encouraging the viewer to draw their own conclusions.

I have been incredibly fortunate to receive several consecutive grants for public art projects executed in the past five years from The Carl Jacobs Foundation and as an Artist in Residence at the Nevada County Arts Council, awarded by California Arts Council for Artists In Communities. The road to this success took a lot of hard work and came later in my career; it involved thinking outside the box. The question I asked myself was, how can I use my art to serve others, and how can I do that in a new and innovative way?

It has been challenging to make a living as an artist, even with grants. However, the spiritual payment is what keeps me going. If I had to start all over, I would have taken more business classes specific to the art world or sought an artist mentor who had figured out how to make a living as a public artist serving the community. The art world is tricky; the elite art world is rigged, and the “middle class” art world is regarded as unimportant. However, I do see this changing in the next few decades. I think the artist will become recognized as an asset and be compensated for it in future generations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One must always visit the city of Nashville and have BBQ at Martin’s, then dip into the Johny Cash museum. One could really eat their way through Nashville, so many different kinds of cuisine. A short trip away would be to the Leapers Fork Distillery for a tasting tour and shopping in Franklin. With so much water in Tennessee, the number of natural swimming holes and waterfalls are endless. We love renting a boat on the Cumberland River and stopping to eat at dock side restaurants with swimming for miles.

Another day trip is to head to Kentucky and shop at the Amish grocery stores, bakeries, and gardening stores.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My success and challenges come from an inner drive to experience the world fully. I often look back and wonder if I had a mentor, maybe things would have come easier, or I would have taken a quicker path. For me, that wasn’t the case. I have always been hungry and curious for a life with lots of experiences, so much so that I have been willing to fail. I ask a lot of questions and look for help when I need it.

Website: www.RuthChase.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthchase

Other: Dwelling Series www.RuthChase.com/dwelling