Check Out Sri McCarthy’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sri McCarthy. 

Hi Sri, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Sri Soekarmoen McCarthy, a mixed media artist and owner of OETJOEN Art & Photography. By day, I work full-time at a West Michigan company. On nights and weekends, I pursue art. 

My artistic journey began when my parents gave me a 35 mm camera. Photography was my window to the art world. In 2015, I took a watercolor lesson from a local artist who advised her students to practice every day. I have never stopped painting since then. I paint with acrylic, oil, watercolors, papers, and encaustic media. I create art intuitively where inspiration comes from observing my surroundings – people, landscapes, books, music, or current events. 

I had a solo exhibition, “What If? Experimenting and Exploring the Possibilities of Art,” at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center in Autumn of 2022. One of my collections in the exhibit, Finding the Old Script No. 2, was invited to the 36th Annual West Michigan LowellArt competition in the same year. In 2019, I won 1st place in the Grand Valley Artist/Holland Area Arts Council juried competition and was among the Top 20 artists featured in the Holland Art in Bloom Tulip Time Festival art competition. 

In the evening of the second Thursday of each month, I facilitate a “playshop” at Grand Valley Artists, one of the oldest art communities in the Greater Grand Rapids area. During this playshop, artists/members are encouraged to experiment – to play time – to try something beyond their comfort level. 

I live with my husband who claims that he knows nothing about art and yet, he is my number one supporter. We have a lazy cat named Minmei who cares nothing for art. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I came to art without any formal schooling. As I mentioned earlier, I paint intuitively and I am mostly self-taught. What I lack in basic knowledge of art, I compensate it with fearlessness. I am fearless when it comes to trying out something new. People often asked me, ‘what’s your methods?” … I have none. I throw colors and go from there. This methods pose lots of challenges – I failed quite often. 

BUT I considered failure as my friend. It is the only way to progress to the next step. It might be small incremental progress but it is a progress nonetheless. 

What obstacle? Obstacle is just another opportunity to see things differently – to perhaps take a different route. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Flora. Fauna. People. Abstract. Paper. Paints. Wax. Canvas. Wood board. Claybord. Digital. 

I work with diverse materials and interests. I paint from whimsical to poignant pieces that make people laugh or think. I painted rooster, cows, and other animals with attitude. Growing up in Indonesia, I believe that every woman is somebody’s sister, daughter, aunty, mothers. This belief is reflected in Sisters.Sisters and shoe collections. In the past few years, I painted pieces that were inspired by current events near me and globally. “The Disappearing Boy” was inspired by famine in Northern Somalia while “Flag” was inspired by the riots and demonstrations that happened across the United States. 

Currently, I am working on an exhibition at LowellArt in May through June 2023. I am also preparing for art shows in a handful cities in West Michigan. My dream as an artist is to go beyond Michigan and the United States. It will be a dream come true if I can work collaboratively with other artists from my motherland, Indonesia, or other countries 

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I consider myself as new in the art world. So, I am not in a position to offer any advice to anyone. However, I know that I like to take my time. I take joy in exploring and experimenting with materials and methods. I learn from other artists. I value my own failures. I failed a lot and I am glad I failed. It is the only way for me to move forward and upward. 

I believe an artist is also an entrepreneur. We prefer to spend time creating rather than selling art. Despite that, we need to learn about the marketplace and pricing. We need to observe what people like or dislike without sacrificing our artistic integrity. More importantly, we need to learn to tell the story of our own creation – our why. 

My father once said to me, “There is no such thing as ugly. Change your lens and you will find beauty in everything you see.“ THIS I believe. 

For me, the joy of art is in the infinite possibilities to create art. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.srimccarthy.weebly.com
• Instagram: @oetjoen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sri.mccarthy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sri-soekarmoen-mccarthy-a91b4636/
• Other: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sri-mccarthy?tab=artworkgalleries ; https://allartworks.com/collections/vendors?q=Sri%20McCarthy