Ruth Tomlinson and Kelly Sheridan

Ruth Tomlinson presented her practice in the form of a love story; quite a beautiful love story at that. It had all of the elements of a love story, including the difficult parts. Her art form seemed to be high performance and experimental mixed media. Her love for Montana and its richness in life is woven throughout her work. It seemed as if her ideas were simply a result of her love for her environment. A result created out of a desire to connect and become one with the world. 

Kelly Sheridan presented her practice in the form of a story as well, but it was more so the story of her young adult life, which she clearly sees as her most formed years. Her glory days appear to never be far from the forefront of her mind. I imagine that living among the rich and famous and living among the general population are two incredibly different experiences. One that seems to be most obvious from Kellys work is that the world of stardom is must more difficult to comprehend, giving it an element of mystery that continues to inspire her. Her work seems to be primarily driven by nostalgia.

Both artists seem to find inspiration in a world they are no longer a part of at all, or at least as much as they would like to be. Ruth does have the luxury of going back to Montana for a certain part of the year, but the longing for it bleeds through the months during which she is away. Kelly seems to have a deep sentimental regard for the time she spent as a hair stylist, a world she can re-enter through her art. I found the artists to have more differences than similarities. In my opinion, I feel as if Ruth’s work has more continuity to it. There is nothing that I’ve seen of her work that seems drastically different than anything else. However, with Kelly, she seems to have such a broad span of influence and a wide range of skill sets, giving her work less continuity. I actually relate to Kelly quite a bit because I often feel as if I am pulling from some incredibly unusual circumstances that I’ve lived through by such a young age. Both artists work was inspiring and it urges me to remember the vast differences that I will have among my peers throughout my career.