Interviews

June 29, 2015 - Arna Valsdóttir

From “Vatnið syngur” or “ The Water Sings” from the exhibition "Vatnsberinn-Fjall+Kona” 2015 by Arna Valsdóttir at Ásmundarsalur, The Dome; photograph by Pétur Thomsen

Arna Valsdóttir is currently working at the REITIR arts collaborative in Siglufjörður, in northern Iceland, which annually features diverse, well-known and emerging artists across various disciplines from June 24th to July 7th. As an artist, she creates video and sound installations, often using her own voice and live performance. Her 'life paintings' typically incorporate elements from physical structures with elements of the human being...or being human - as she says in this interview, they are a "portrait of a human being and a portrait of buildings human beings build". She was educated in the multi-media department of the Jan Van Eyck Academie in Maastricht Holland. Arna has been exhibited extensively in Iceland, as well as Belgium, Holland and Germany. She has received commissions from the Icelandic Ministry of Culture, the Akureyri Culture Fund, and others, and has taught at the University of Akureyri, the VMA College of Akureyri, as well as part of the Nordic Light Festival.

In 2014, the Art Museum of Akureyri hosted an exhibition of Arna's work. She is one of the founding artists of the Factory, an artist-managed cultural center in Hjalteyri, Eyjafjördur. Arna is currently based in Akureyri, Iceland. Her website is arnavals.net.

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June 7, 2015 - Niamh O'Doherty

The Long Still (partial clip of installation) by Niamh O'Doherty, 2014

Emerging Irish conceptual artist Niamh O'Doherty is currently inspired by the landscape and near-constant sunlight around her. She is completing a month-long artist residency at The Old School Arthouse (Gamli Skóli) on the island of Hrísey off Iceland's northern coast, just south of the Arctic Circle (full disclosure: so is this interviewer). Using things like Super 8 film, installations, and other means, she explores the notion of time. She has a B.A. in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design in London and an M.A. from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. Her work has already been exhibited in galleries and art spaces in both Dublin and London.

When not under Iceland's midnight sun, she lives in Dublin. Her website is niamhodoherty.com and she is also on Twitter. She was interviewed from her shared living quarters at the Old School Arthouse on Hrísey.

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May 17, 2015 - Tish Carter

From the performance art piece Water Walkers (Rome, 1991) by Tish Carter

Tish Carter has always seen the world in a cross-disciplined way. Listening to her, one realizes just how many different forms and methods of artistic expression intersect. She is a critically acclaimed and award-winning visual and performance artist, choreographer and educator who has toured internationally. Her work has been shown at the Spoleto Festival (USA and Italy), the Kennedy Center and the Hirshhorn Museum in DC, among others. Using different mechanisms, she explores self-awareness, memory, time and perception.

Based in Washington, DC, her website is tishcarter.com and she can also be found on Facebook. She answered some questions about her upbringing, inspirations, her approach to art...and elephants and tugboats.

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May 7, 2015 - Teddy Sczudlo

From the Infinite Gaze series by Teddy Sczudlo

Edward (Teddy) Sczudlo sees art everywhere. His work intertwines with his own spiritual journey, which includes the mantra "Life is art. Art is life" (one that this interviewer also espouses). He has worked with high profile clients including MTV, Newsweek, Time, The Washington Post, Getty Images, among others. He has also worked with world famous photographers Bruce Weber and Steven Meisel. His travels - especially to the Himalayas and South America - have given him perspective on the value of introspection and the importance of seeking beauty and joy...the wide pursuit of which is perhaps lacking in America today.

His website is www.esphotonyc.com and you can find him on Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook.  Teddy - currently based in New York City - answered some questions for Visual Arts Connection...

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April 23, 2015 - Tinam Valk

Sanssouci Triptych III by Tinam Valk

Tinam Valk is a German-born, well-traveled artist living and working in the Washington, D.C. metro area who lived in the Netherlands for most of her childhood and young adult life. Her paintings - visuals ranging from doorways and architectural elements to natural landscapes to the intangible - are highly textured and have an ethereal quality. Her style also ranges - from realist to more abstract. She studied at the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague and received a post-baccalaureate degree in visual communications at the Maryland College of Art and Design. Her work has been exhibited extensively in DC, Maryland, Virginia, New York and New Jersey.

Her website is tinamvalk.com. She agreed to answer some questions about what's behind her work...

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April 15, 2015 - Heather M. and Malcolm Bolivar

Holga 1 by Malcolm Bolivar

Husband and wife duo Heather M. and Malcolm Bolivar are partners and artistic collaborators. With a focus on visuals, they seem to often simultaneously tell their own stories and hold up a mirror to society. Their often-erotic and compelling visual work has been exhibited in traditional and non-traditional spaces in DC and the greater metro region, and they maintain a strong, often boundary-exploring online presence through various social media outlets.

Heather's website for the The Femme Project is www.thefemmeproject.com, and she can be found through the following social media as well: Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter. Malcolm is more mysterious. We recently engaged the duo about their art and their thoughts on Eros...

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March 25, 2015 - Cherry Baumbusch

Scottsdale Valley by Cherry Baumbusch

Cherry Baumbusch is currently on travel. She divides her time primarily between Scottsdale, Arizona and her home studio in Washington, DC where she paints while usually listening to jazz or Spanish guitar. Among her work are abstracts, animal portraits, florals and landscapes - inspired by places she's visited and lived, including Dubai. She is a native to the DC area, having been raised on a farm in a small town just outside the capital.

She completed this interview from a restaurant in Sedona, Arizona. Her website is www.CherryBaumbuschArt.com and you can also find her on Facebook. We interviewed Cherry about her approach to painting, and how art can inspire us to conceive a better world…

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March 8, 2015 - Tati Valle-Riestra

Waves at Pulpos by Tati Valle-Riestra

Maria del Carmen (Tati) Valle-Riestra is an interesting woman. She is a critically acclaimed dancer - born and raised in Peru - who has toured extensively internationally. She is a marine biologist by training. She has also been painting since 2001 and exhibiting her visual works consistently in the Washington, D.C. region since 2007. She just wrapped a February exhibition at The Arts Club of Washington and her work is currently on display as part of the All-Media Exhibit at The Art League in Alexandria. She is the Artist of the Month at ENO wine bar in Georgetown for March, 2015.

Her website is tativalleriestraart.com. We interviewed Tati recently about her work, methods, inspirations and her multi-discipline approach to artistic expression and thoughts on life in general...

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