TOWNSEND'S STUDIO
NINA GARNER
My friend Townsend asked me to take some photos of his studio. Isn't it beautiful? Such a great space full of beautiful things.
Blog
BLOG HOP
NINA GARNER
I'm not usually big on words on this blog but when Chambers Austelle asked me to participate in an artist blog hop I thought it would be fun and a good way to let people know what I'm up to. Plus her work is really interesting and you should know about it. Chambers is a fellow Show & Tell artist who lives here in Charleston. She's an incredible painter and photographer. I'm really drawn to her photographic series 'Quiet Spaces', a portrait series centered around various spaces within her home with her husband as her model. I like the way she plays with space and the subtle introduction of the human figure, something I like to play with in my own work. Sometimes you just see a hand or a pair of legs creeping around a corner. There's a ghostly feeling to them. It's like you're viewing a scene from someone's bizarre dream. I also like the contrast of the hard surfaces with the soft human body.
See more of Chambers' work on her website and on Show & Tell Art & Design. Also here's a link to her blog hop if you want to read more about her work and the artist that asked her to participate.
Now as part of the blog hop I'll answer a few questions and invite others to participate as well.
HOW DOES MY CREATIVE PROCESS WORK?
My process is pretty consistent. I try to photograph my subjects first so I have an image to work around. Then I’ll experiment with different materials till I feel confident enough to start gluing. Sometimes it comes very easily other times days and days will go by until it feels right. I think the fact that some photographs look old and some don’t depends on what camera I use. I started out using a manual 35mm film camera and modified the prints as I printed them to make them appear old. Later, I inherited a really nice medium format camera and fell in love with it’s capabilities. The quality and detail captured, to me, is like butter. So I tend to not modify the prints as much and just let them speak for themselves.
HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF IT'S GENRE?
I guess I'm not quite sure how to answer that since my work is a mix of various different genres. So maybe that is how it differs. It is not just one process but a combination of things that come together to create a whole. Not all of my pieces are the same either. Though they are of the same vain each piece is separate and unlike any other. Also I feel like, just like any artist, my work differs from others due to my influences and the way I see and interact with the world.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
I am currently gearing up for a trip to Japan to visit my family. I plan on taking advantage of this trip to explore familial interactions and relationships, the natural landscape and preserving memories with my camera in hand at all times. I am hoping to use some of this footage for a pop up show happening in January.
WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
Because doing so just feels right. It helps me navigate my way through life. To make sense of the world and those around me. It gives me a way to say and feel the things I'm afraid to. It just feels right.
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Now I'd like to hear from these ladies:
Lauren and I had a show together some years ago during Spoleto. Her work ranges from collage to mixed media large scale sculptures. Her work is incredible. I've never seen anything like it. It's so different from my own work that it confuses and fascinates me in the best ways. She was just awarded the International Sculpture Center's 2014 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.
Becca is a mega talented artist. Her skills seem to be limitless. She's a taxidermist, sculptor, painter and overall maker of all things. She can create large scale site specific installations as well as breathe new life into insects and animals to create delicate sculptures. There's nothing she can't do. Becca also has her own fabrication studio, Sisal & Tow, that can make anything you can imagine. If you are a business or just someone who needs her expertise check her out!
