Selective Focus: Birdie Knox-Rose’s Mixed-Media Art

Churning curiosity and feelings into art since a child, Birdie Knox-Rose has explored many different mediums on a path toward healing. Whether creating dolls out of several different textile materials, dioramas out of found objects or exploring encaustic painting, many of her pieces center around authenticity, finding a place in the world or speaking gently to a younger self. She shares more about her work and upcoming gallery display, below.

How would you describe your main mediums and work included in your upcoming show?

What you will see in my show is a collection of work made over a long period of time, spanning a variety of mediums. There are pieces I made when I was 5 or 6 and pieces I made six months ago. There are encaustic paintings/collages, bodily/alien/abject papier-mâché sculptures, a soft sculpture, a couple assemblage pieces, and some Frankenstein-ed dolls. What you’ll see is a pretty good representation of my art practice as a whole.

Why did you title the show, “I Love Your More Than You Know”?

The show is dedicated to little kid me, who often felt kinda lonely, sad and was definitely lacking in self love. The space/art I create now would blow her away and make her feel so seen and inspired. If I could go back and talk to her now, I would tell her that she is so loved and that she will build a life that is authentically her all through her art. So the title is directed toward her, but also it is directed toward my loved ones, whom there are many glimpses of throughout my work. I feel as if my love runs so deep for them that I couldn’t possibly begin to make them understand, and that is something I explore in my art.

What are some of the main themes in the show?

Childhood, trauma, love, hatred, bad/good, dark/light, home and empathy.

What is an encaustic painting and what inspired you to use that medium? Can you describe how you utilize this concept in your art, and what materials you use? One of your materials is beeswax?

Encaustic painting is painting with beeswax and (oftentimes) damar resin (a type of resin that comes from a tree). You use a hard surface (often wood) and paint layers of the melted wax/resin medium onto it while periodically fusing the layers with a heat source (often a blow torch), the wax/resin solution tends to be clear so you get a very cool layered effect. You can mix pigments into the wax/resin liquid and paint with it, use transfers of graphite, collage paper into the layers, paint ink onto the wax service — the possibilities are really endless.

My mom bought an encaustic painting from a friend of hers when I was a teenager. It was this really eerie, beautiful painting of leafless trees suspended in grayish blue/green wax. In the middle of the piece the artist cut a hole in the wood and placed this significant looking charm. I had never seen a painting like it before and always wanted to learn the medium so I took a class about two years ago. What I really like about encaustic painting is the bodily effect it can create. I often think the wax looks like layers of thin skin and playing with that effect is so interesting to me. I also think that the wax inherently gives a sort of nostalgic feel because of its cloudiness and often yellowish hue. It makes for a fun medium when I am exploring childhood and memories and depicting trauma through bodily abjection.

What is your oldest and newest piece included in the show?

I think the oldest piece you will see is a doll named Genevieve. If I had to guess, I would say I made her when I was 5 or 6? She is an attempt at following a tutorial in a book called Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy. I was given that book for a birthday and it so deeply inspired me as a kid. I truly believe it is one of the big reasons I still make dolls (especially out of second-hand material) today. There is so much we can express about ourselves and our stories through our physical bodies and I think dolls are such an interesting way to tell those stories.

The next oldest piece is a doll I named Vinchezo. I think I made him when I was eight or nine with my dad’s partner at the time. She taught me to use a sewing machine which was pretty revolutionary for me and sparked a summer when I cranked out multiple dolls in a day. Vinchenzo was my first self-designed doll and I wrote a whole story at school about him and his life. My favorite touch is that his toenails are made of one of my dad’s old shirts.

The newest piece that is displayed is a piece I titled “Home is with you.” It is a goofy painting/collage that depicts a strange little world I have recently started building with my doodles. I think of it as a childlike dream world where all the characters I create live. Recently I have found myself inspired by folk paintings and the symmetry that is often found in them. I find it really soothing and inviting. So, essentially this piece was me exploring the warmth in this imaginary world I am building and different ways to get this feeling across.

How has your art evolved between childhood and now? In what ways do you think that’s represented in this show?

Honestly, I think the main thing that has evolved and changed is my ability to execute an idea. That’s partly why I named the show what I did, because I think as a kid I carried all these ideas and images in my head but didn’t know how to actualize them, so it’s sort of like “see, you did it — you got there.”

What appeals to you about working with dolls?

As a child I was really drawn to dolls and that you could create a whole world with them. Looking back I much preferred playing games and telling stories through my dolls rather than playing pretend with my own body (like being a character and playing with your friends). For a time I definitely even personified my dolls and believed they had feelings, I thought of them as real ‘imaginary friends.’ As an adult and within my art practice I explore similar things but with slightly darker themes. One day I would really like to put on a show where I can create a whole installation with my dolls, where there are scenes that tell a story and connect all the pieces of the world I have in my head.

Can you tell me more about the window frame that looks like it is filled with blood?

This is a piece I made when I was 15. That was around the time I started exploring more abject art and processing the darker parts of my childhood. Though I don’t quite recall what I was thinking of at the time I made it, I think it depicts a really interesting level of contrast? The ‘blood’ is so realistic and heavy, but the eyes are almost cartoony. The fact that the base of the piece is a house window ties very closely to an ongoing theme in my work which is exploring home and the many different ways that can look and feel.

What do you like about working with collage and found objects? Can you say more about recycling objects and reusing materials?

I like that it keeps me from putting more junk out into the world … There is so much excess in our world and if I can create what I want, in part, by using an object that already exists and isn’t being used, I am not (as much) adding to the excess there is. Of course this isn’t the individual’s job and the excess in our world is because of capitalistic industry, but it is something I like to be conscious of when I create. I also liked using second-hand materials/found objects but I went through a bit of an existential crisis when I was at art school at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I was cranking out so many sculptures with materials I wasn’t thinking about just for an assignment and ultimately I didn’t even have the space to keep them, resulting in so much of my hard made work going into the trash. It just didn’t feel good. So, now I really try (though I still often fail) to choose what I use carefully, reuse when I can, repurpose when I can and make things that can hopefully have a long life. I hope that makes sense and isn’t too preachy.

I also think using found objects and second-hand things is such a sweet way to add feeling to a piece. Whether it is an object that is yours that holds great meaning, or something that was gifted to you, or something you just found — I think the fact that the object had a life before reaching your hands adds a feeling to the piece you can’t manufacture. Because I use so much random stuff in my work, people often gift me bizarre things and it makes for such a fun collaboration between me and that person. Just today my friend Noah sent me a broken, vintage, wind-up baby doll as a birthday present. I am so excited to see what I can do with it and to ultimately show him and see his excitement. I really think it adds another special layer to the art. Lastly I think of it as a fun challenge to transform an object into something else.

Are there any objects or found items included in these pieces you’d like to highlight or tell me about?

It is hard to pick, but a piece that is displayed in the show that has the most found objects is a piece called Goblin Hole, where I keep a fragment of my dad’s bones. It is a dollhouse made of found objects that I started a few years ago. I am continually adding to it. I had a very bad relationship with my dad and when he died I spread his ashes out in Washington state where I was living. I couldn’t hold onto them anymore, they felt too heavy but as I was spreading them I couldn’t quite part with all of them … So I kept a fragment of his bone that hadn’t been ground up in the ashes and I started creating this sculpture to house it. I keep adding to it and the piece of bone gets deeper and deeper in the chaos. It feels very cathartic and healing. I have been given so many random objects that are a part of the piece now and it feels like a physical representation of all the love I have now and how far I have come from the pain. I hope to keep adding to it, and when I have the space I want to make more found object houses and build a little city — like the craziest game of I spy!

Can you tell me more about the “opposing forces” that are in your art and contrasting with each other?

Yes! This is something I think about a lot. I like to think about the dichotomies of life. How we all carry so much grief and all experience immense trauma throughout our lives but somehow it can live beside profound happiness and love and sweetness. I will speak for myself when I say this, but as a kid I experienced so much darkness around me but I consciously tried to maintain a softness that, even as a kid, I knew was precious. So, within my art I like to play with the line between innocence and darkness and see where those parts can meet, overlap and have compassion for one another.

What are some of the repeat images seen in your art?

There are so many! To name just a couple, I constantly find myself going back to eyes. I think they are really easy symbols to use to show perspective and because so much of my work is about all of our collective, yet individual, experiences I often go back to the image of an eye. I also repeatedly draw some of the same characters, one of them being this creature named Jericho. He is based off of a real-life doll my husband made for me out of his old clothes. The gift was so touching to me, no one had ever made me a doll and when I hold Jericho I can feel all the love and thought that went into him. So, the doodle I do of Jericho has begun to symbolize pure love in my art and I find myself sticking him everywhere.

Is there anything else that you’d like people to know?

I want to thank Pete (Pascente), the owner of Studio Café, for letting me have this show in his beautiful welcoming space. Studio Café is so special and has such a wonderful, vibrant, accepting and inviting community and that all stems from how much Pete cares, his generosity and his kindness. Thank you Pete for welcoming me and giving space to my weird art. I appreciate you tremendously.

To view more of Knox-Rose’s work, check out her Instagram, where she also sells upcycled clothes @_thatsthehappyfreak. She can be contacted by email at birdiejoanrose @ gmail.com. “I Love You More Than You Know” can be viewed through July 31 in the back of Studio Café. The opening reception is on Friday, July 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., with an artist talk starting at 7 p.m.