Q: When did you first begin to pursue visual art? Where and when did you train, or are you self-taught?
A: I always loved art from a young age but in 8th grade I had to make a choice between art or music as we were only allowed one elective. It was hard, but I chose music and later went on to get a degree, my first, in music. I didn’t do much with art for the next 30 years until a friend asked me if I’d like to take an intro to pottery class with her. I did and was soon hooked. I love the idea of taking a lump of mud and turning it into anything that my mind can imagine. I throw as well as sculpt, but my passion went to sculpting as it allows me to unleash my creativity with little to no limits. After that first class, which was 6 years ago, I have taken two workshops to refine some specific skills. Aside from that, I am basically self-taught through trial and error, YouTube, and networking with other artists.
Q: Where did you grow up? If you are not from SC, what brought you here?
A: I was born in Baltimore, MD and grew up just outside of Baltimore in a town call Perry Hall. My husband and I moved to SC in 2011 deciding we wanted a different quality of life and my career at the time (I retired 3 years ago) allowed me to live anywhere as long as I was near an international airport. We currently have a second home in DE where we spend part of the year. And in DE I enjoy working at a community studio where I’ve met a lot of other artists who inspire and encourage me in addition to my SC art community. Having two homes in two very different settings has provided me with two different art networks to help me learn, grow, and experiment.
A: What mediums in visual arts do you typically use and why?
Q: At this time, I am mostly focused on clay. But I have explored stained glass and am currently learning how to weld as I hope to expand my cultures to other materials that will hopefully include larger, outdoor installations.
Q: Where do you work now and where do you show your work?
A: I am a retired marketing executive for a large global corporation and am enjoying the privilege that retirement gives me to focus on art. Currently I’ve been showing my art via local art shows and sales, although, I have my first solo show in a gallery coming up in September 2022. I’ve very excited, and a little nervous.
Q: Who have been your greatest influences as an artist?
A: Stan Lee and other cartoonists, Rene Rouillier - a talented artist and friend, Kristen Stingle - artist, and my brother who is a talented and successful artist himself.
Q: What do you feel makes your art unique?
A: My ignorance to know what others think can or cannot be done and what is or is not “appropriate.” Also, 50% of the time I have no idea what I’m making until I start constructing something. So often I’ve started with one idea in mind and changed mid-stream seeing what the clay would apparently rather be. I follow the clay and let it tell me what it wants to be when it grows up.
Q: Who is your favorite SC-based visual artist and why?
A: Rene Rouillier, because our minds seem to work in similar ways. Meaning the things we see in our mind’s eye are often things that others may not, and/or may not understand. Seeing her work allowed me to let go and just create something no matter how weird, funny, strong, or disturbing. For example, I once did a series that was titled Fictional Serial Killer’s Bird Bathes because in my mind I thought, hum, I wonder what Norman Bates, Dexter Morgan, Annie Wilks or Hannibal Lector’s birdbaths would look like. I probably would never have built those sculptures if I had not seen others’ work, like Renee’s, addressing unusual topics.
Q: What are you working on now, will we get to see it, and if so, where, and when?
A: Lately I’ve been consumed with word play. I am a very visual person and when someone says a word or phrase, I often see it in my mind’s eye and think, I need to make this so others can see what I see. For example, “Heart String,” Toe Jam,” “Dust Bunnies,” “Chick Magnet,” “Eyeglasses” and “Milk, Milk, Lemonade around the corner Fudge is Made.” Yep, I made that one too, thanks Amy Schumer. That is why my show in September at the Park Circle Gallery in North Charleston, SC will be called Chilly Waters - Because Words Have Power.