The first person in our NSA Times Visual Artist Spotlight is Bridget Curtis. She’s currently a junior, and her work has been exhibited at the Nasty Women Nashville Exhibition, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Hermitage. We sat down with her to talk about her art and her experience at NSA. NSA Times: What sort of subjects do you like to explore in your artwork? Bridget Curtis: Personally, I like to explore subjects that are sort of reminiscent of my own personality, whether it’s a landscape or a figure drawing. I like to reflect on whatever emotion I’m feeling at the time. NSAT: What mediums do you use? Bridget: I tend to use ink, watercolor...I hate pencil. I can’t stand pencil because I hate erasing things. I’d like everything that I do to be intentional. NSAT: While looking at your instagram, I noticed that you were experimenting with oil paint. I know that the art teachers don’t really let their students use oils in class because of the ventilation issues. What is that whole process with oil paints like, and where do you go to do oil paintings? Bridget: Honestly, I set up a fan in my garage and I paint in my garage. It’s probably not the safest way to do it, but my mom oil paints too, so she’s taught me about techniques and how to not inhale the fumes. NSAT: Compared to acrylic, or any other type of paint, do you like oil better? Or is there another paint that you love? Bridget: Oil paint is probably my favorite, and then gouache because… I can’t stand acrylic because it doesn’t blend. You have to layer things, and that’s not exactly what I’m into. I like how oil paints are very soluble, you can put a little turpentine or whatever medium with it and you can just blend it. They don’t dry quickly-- they can take days to dry-- and that makes it easier for me to work with. NSAT: What artists are you influenced by? Bridget: My favorite artists are... Egon Schiele, his artwork is semi-provocative, and his subject matters are really interesting. I also like Francis Bacon, he also created slightly provocative art, and they’re interesting because he used color really well and his backgrounds are fascinating. Another one of my favorite artists is Gustav Klimt. I did a piece for my final project in Profitt’s that was based off of Klimt. He’s so unique in his subject matters, and the way he uses shapes and textures are really interesting. NSAT: Do you prefer collaborative or individual art projects? Bridget: I think they both have their own merits. I tend to do more individual art projects, but I think that when you’re around the right people, collaborative art is really inspiring. NSAT: What are your most memorable or favorite NSA art projects? Bridget: My favorite has to be Elizabeth Nim’s mural in the hallway. I got to work on it myself, and she’s one of my good friends. It was really cool to see her vision be realized. NSAT: What do you plan to do after NSA? Bridget: I want to go into a field that relates to art, not necessarily become an artist. Graphic design is interesting. I enjoy computers and I also enjoy art, so I’m trying to find something that balances the two of them. Maybe even architecture or animation, something like that. NSAT: Are there any art schools that have caught your eye, or are you not searching for colleges yet? Bridget: I’m not committed to any, but other than the big-name ones like the Art Institute of Chicago, I haven’t really dug into the more niche colleges. NSAT: Do you have any other hobbies? Bridget: I used to dance. I’m into kickboxing, and that’s fun for me. NSAT: Do you have any advice for the younger artists of NSA? Bridget: You have to keep an open mind. Some things may seem pretty terrible when you first start them, but you can actually grow to enjoy them. I’d also say don’t sell yourself short. You can probably do more than you think you can.
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Student art spotlight: Corbin ChandlerCorbin Chandler is the fourth person in our NSA Times Visual Artist Spotlight. He’s a senior, and his work has been exhibited at the Frist Center for Visual Arts, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Belmont Mansion, and the Hermitage. Corbin sat down with us to talk about past projects, his current work, and his plans for the future.
NSA Times: What subjects do you like to explore in your artwork? Corbin Chandler: Usually I draw things that I enjoy or that I’m interested in. When I do the political comics, I often focus on Trump, because I really disagree with him and I find joy in that. The other stuff that I do, I’m usually drawn by aesthetic, like looking at something or sketching something out and going “Yeah, I like that.” And If I don’t like it, it usually doesn’t end up in my final pieces. NSAT: What mediums do you use? Corbin: I work particularly well with ink, but what I’m really trying to work on is digital, because it’s becoming more important, and I want to be an animator, so that’s definitely a big part of my future. NSAT: What artists are you influenced by? Corbin: A lot of artists on Tumblr, a lot of digital art, often using pastel colors. I don’t usually use those specifically in my own art, but I really enjoy looking at that. I also read a lot of graphic novels. NSAT: What are your favorite graphic novels? Corbin: One of the ones I read this year was called Fun Home. It was really good, and the art was really interesting. There’s another, it’s a manga, and it’s called Wolf Children. The art is really beautiful. Even though I kind of got out of the reading manga phase of my life, I still have that book, and it’s really beautiful and one of my favorites. NSAT: Do you prefer collaborative or individual art projects? Corbin: It depends, because collaborative, you have to work with people. Sometimes the people you work with aren’t people you get along with. That usually ends up to be a piece that isn’t really cohesive. But if you work with people that you get along with and mesh with in the intellect section, or just you like being with them, you probably will create better art. NSAT: Could you explain your concentration idea for AP Studio Art? Corbin: So my concentration has changed a couple times, but what I’m working with now is seeing the beauty in vultures and how they’re very important and how they shouldn’t be looked at as scary, death-bringing creatures of hate. The history of vultures is really beautiful. From Egyptian mythology, they’re referenced as creatures of motherhood, purity. They help eat things that carry diseases, and they stop anthrax from spreading, as well as rabies. They’re just really really important creatures to our ecosystem, and people don’t see that. So that’s what I’m trying to explain in my pieces. NSAT: Are there any memorable NSA art projects? Corbin: We talked about collaborative pieces, and we’ve done several with Ms. Spadafino. One of them was a print project which didn’t turn out very well. We painted the school from three different angles and it didn’t turn out as well as it could have, and people didn’t work on it like they should’ve. What we need to do is take down those pictures, because I really wish we could re-do them or something, do something that really shows what the seniors have reached. We were sophomores when we did it, I don’t think we all were practiced enough to be able to accomplish something like that. NSAT: So those projects are memorable in a not so good way? Corbin: Yeah, I think they were good ideas at the time. We weren’t able to do them well. I can remember a lot of our projects. We got the pictures the kids drew, which was interesting. We never gave them to the kids, they’re still in the library. NSAT: What do you plan to do after NSA? Corbin: I’m gonna go to college. I’m going to college in California, so I plan on getting into animation or digital art after i graduate college. I’m going to either USC for their animation program. I still haven’t heard back from them. I’ve been accepted into the Academy of Art University for animation. NSAT: Do you have any other hobbies? Corbin: I write a lot. I've been writing with one of my best friends for the past 3 and a half years. We’re working on a couple of things that might be turned into comics or novels. That’s my other thing that I do, I don’t do anything else. NSAT: Do you have any advice for the younger students of NSA? Corbin: My advice would be to not focus on a lot of other people. Keep yourself enough self-centered to the point of where you can get your work done, because when i got into high school, I thought everything was about making friends and trying to be in a group. And even though I got that, what’s most important is the fact that I’m passing. I know a lot of kids joke about how they’re not passing. You know, it’s free education, and I feel like you should try as hard as you can, even if you don’t feel like you really can accomplish things. I think it’s important to try, because a lot of kids don't try. AuthorArticle by Jessica Cardona |