Artists {Sue Coe}

Since I discovered the work of Steve Baker, I have been researching artists who specially deal with the rights of animals. I am not to familiar with contemporary art dealing with animals, especially artists who are critiquing the animal/factory farm industry. One artist that I found through Steve Baker's writings was Sue Coe, an English artist and illustrator working primarily in drawing and printmaking. 


I discovered an interesting video of Sue Coe from Our Hen House, a vegan activist group. It was really interesting hearing from the artist herself and what she thinks about her own work and the creative process. I think that is one benefit of researching and writing about an artwork/artist that is more contemporary. You can have a first hand account and your questions might be answered a little more easier, even though you can't always trust what an  artist says about their own work. 

http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2011/12/new-video-sue-coe-art-of-the-animal/

From watching the video and looking at her work, I am truly inspired. I haven't come across any types of prints like Coe's before. They move you and make you think about the factory farming industry. One thing that I really came to appreciate from watching the video was the face that Coe grew up near a factory farm and had a first hand account of the horrible acts that took place inside and outside the farm. Not many people are not able to have a direct account of the industry and how horrible it is. 

I think that I would like to somehow include Sue Coe into my paper. I am just not sure how exactly I want to go about doing that. I know that I will be able to find a way, just not sure how I want to incorporate her works, either as an example or a main focus of the paper. 

Exhibition at Galerie St. Etienne in New York. 
http://www.gseart.com/- click on Sue Coe's name for information on her past exhibitions.  

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I think when you are researching something that you really care about makes the process both easier and more enjoyable. When I first started researching on Mexican churches I was not really into it. I could tell that when I was trying to find out more information on the subject, it was more of a hassle and wasn't really interesting to me. When I switched over to animals rights through the arts, I wanted to keep researching and I found out more information. I think that it is very important to want to really ask questions and figure out something that you really care about. I am pretty certain that I will be writing on animal activism in the arts and not on Mexican churches.