Heidi Martin Kuster

Heidi Kuster has lived and made art all over the world. She has been in Nashville for the past two years and creates abstract paintings that have colorscapes that are sometimes reminiscent of the Mediterranean, and then at other times dry and earthy like the desert.

I got to spend some time with her in the studio watching her work. She also took me to an exhibition she is having now in the Tibbot Gallery of the UniversitySchool of Nashville. It's a beautiful show and I suggest you see it!

What is the theme of your work?

My work is about memory and how we hold onto it, along with how we respond historically to instants in time. It might be one of the earth's memories, frozen in the surface of stone, or one of my personal memories in which I have experienced the natural forces of nature-usually near water, or on rock. A stone in the palm of my hand is a reminder of a specific place and time, a space that holds an event worth considering more carefully. Marks on rocks and stone are evidence of and event in earth's history. To me they are a perfect way to examine the earth's recollections. My process starts with drawing directly from my subject. I then paint, usually with many layers. Right now I am doing a lot of collage work, in which I deconstruct (cut up) paintings I have done on paper. For me it is like taking apart an experience and putting it back together with a new sense of direction. So I guess you could say I definitely start with form and content and then move on to create a structure that defines my process. When I use plastic in my work, it is as a direct metaphor for our human impact on the earth's evolution.

What inspires your work?

I am inspired by traveling, and being in nature where I can find interesting surfaces and stones. Many of my favorite experiences have come from the beaches of Costa Brava in Spain, Normandy in France, and The Outer Banks of North Carolina. I am also inspired by other artists and their processes. Per Kirkeby, the Danish painter and poet talks about "building art on the ruins of your ideas". He works with geological sites, and his paintings and words are a "go to" inspiration for me. Another artist, Diana Cohen, who I met in Barcelona, after we had both shown work with Elizabeth Budia Gallery, sparked me to think more about the relevance of my work to environmental issues. She has used plastic in her work for years, and has become a serious environmental activist for public awareness about plastic. I am also inspired by listening to story telling, usually as podcasts. I love Moth Radio, I guess in a way it is another form of holding onto, and learning from a memory.

What are the goals for your work?

My goals for my work are to remain consistent with form and content, and continually create new structures. I want to keep refining my style and expression with my medium. I want to push my ideas, and be open to directions that keep my work relevant to how we are responding to contemporary issues of environmentalism, and how we are living with the earth. I look forward to exploring more community based projects in the next years. Having been back in the States, for a bit over a year, I’d like to find gallery representation here.

What are your thoughts on the Nashville Arts Scene?

I think Nashville has been a really great city to live in after having lived in Europe for so long. It’s a welcoming city and just the right size. Having space here at Ground Floor Gallery + Studios has helped me be in touch with the Wedgewood-Houston part of town and see how much this city and the art scene is evolving. I think Nashville is on the cusp of being a more art-focused city. I think that will also have to do with the eventuality of more collectors realizing that they can buy great art here and not have to travel to bigger cities like LA or New York.

To learn more about Heidi's work visit:http://www.heidimartinkuster.com/

Stephen Watkins-Multimedia artist

When I walked into Stephen’s studio I was blown away. Lining the walls were numerous faces staring point blank at me. What was disarming about these faces is that they were much bigger than me, at least 8 feet tall. As I stood face to face-no pun intended-with these larger-than life creations, I felt all of sudden very small and vulnerable. And perhaps it was me reflecting what I saw in the paintings around me-nakedness of gaze and sheer vulnerability. Sometimes Stephen uses graphite and paint in these renditions, sometimes he even uses a blowtorch but no matter what medium is used they all communicate the same strong personal and mysterious thread that ties us together in being human.

I hung out with Stephen in his studio and got to see him at work. To the sounds of Trip Hop and the light of a utility lamp, he set to the job of bringing another face, another emotion to life.

What is the theme of your work?

I would say the theme of my work has to do with making a connection with the viewer. It’s about showing that though we are all different, with different lives and different backgrounds that we all share the common thread of humanity and all the emotions that come with being human. Also, my work is about the experience that you have the first impressions when meeting someone.

What inspires your work?

Music is a huge inspiration for me, and I often listen to music when I work. It helps me in the process of creation. I can also be inspired by the wind, rustling through the trees, or other sounds of nature. I am also influenced by my religious upbringing, stories and parables that I grew up hearing. Besides that, I am inspired by other artists like Van Gogh, Pollock, and especially Basquiat because he went against the establishment.

What are the goals for your work?

First and foremost I want to make a connections with the viewer. If I feel that I’ve elicited some sort of emotional response from them, then I feel I have been successful. Continuing to show my work in galleries and other spaces is very important to for me.

What are your thoughts on the Nashville Arts Scene?

It’s very supportive and I think great things are starting to happen here. It’s growing and gaining more national attention.

Stephen will be exhibiting his work during this month’s Art Crawl on February 7 at 40 AU in the Arcade.

Carla Ciuffo-Imaging Artist

Carla creates dreamscapes from photographs she's taken and digitally manipulated. Ethereal and haunting at the same time, these images stay with you long after you look at them. They did for me. That's why I sought her out, wanting to know more about how she creates her work.

What is the theme of your work?

The theme stems from sensory experiences, memories of childhood, elements of danger that are present in day to day living. One particular body of work-Stasis-is about living in a positive/negative space. It’s about bringing in a lot of negative space, light and a bit of danger in an area but at the same time allowing ourselves to be in a nonjudgmental place of serenity, which is where we find ourselves in those moments before we take the next step, into whatever that maybe. A new course of action, a new way of life, whatever. It could be anything. It’s about that moment before we make a choice, that hesitation that is sometimes felt. This is what I’m trying to visually articulate in Stasis.

What inspires your work?

I started with photography when I was living in Arizona. I was fascinated with the incredible light sources that exist in the Southwest. I’m inspired by light around me, from the sun to the little squiggles you see when you close your eyes really tight, these with other sensory experiences and memories inspire me. Also the magic of photography inspires me. The fact that a moment can be recorded with a camera amazes me, and also the fact that I can apply my own vision to these images with post-production methods never cease to fascinate me.

What are the goals for your work?

To create an emotional experience that someone else can visualize and interpret for themselves is my biggest goal. As far as my medium is concerned, I’ve been exploring the idea of 3D and holographic art and hope to manifest some of these ideas in the near future. I’d love to bring some of the images that I make into installations, to bring them to life.

What are your thoughts on the Nashville arts scene?

It’s definitely burgeoning. There are so many creative people here and more seem to be coming. There also seems to more of interest in purchasing art which is fantastic for the artists.

You can learn more about Carla's work at: http://www.carlaciuffophotography.com

Carla is represented by Tinney Gallery
http://www.tinneycontemporary.com