My name is Mary Catherine Ballou and I am from Columbia, SC. I received a BA in English and French from Emory University and I enjoy drawing, painting, and making music. My art experience includes a Visual Arts magnet program in high school, art classes in college, and singing and listening to music as much as possible. I admire many artists but some of my favorites include Mark Rothko, Salvador Dali, and Frida Kahlo. I love the colors in Rothko’s pieces, and I admire the freethinking and confidence embodied in both Dali’s and Kahlo’s artwork. One of my favorite musicians is Patti Smith because I think she channels raw musical emotion through her work, and I admire her combination of poetry and rock and roll. I look forward to writing about visual art and music for Jasper.
My name's Ony Ratsimbaharison and I grew up here in Columbia, and studied Writing for Print and Digital Media at Columbia College, where I graduated in 2014. I play bass in a band called fk mt. and have been playing guitar for almost 10 years. My favorite band is Unwound because they made me think of music in a totally new way when I first started playing electric guitar. Their music still resonates with me today, and they continue to be a big influence on my songwriting. One of my favorite writers is Haruki Murakami because his writing makes me notice the surreal and unreal in everyday life. I look forward to writing about music, films and books for Jasper.
