The Spring 2015 Artists of Charleston Supported Art
The acronym “CSA” stands for more than local produce in this city. Charleston Supported Art was created by seven powerful women in the Charleston art community who have the common goal of connecting artists with future art collectors.
With community supported agriculture programs as a model, CSA sells three seasonal shares of art per year. The 12 visual artists were chosen in a competitive application and voting process to participate in either the Spring, Summer, or Fall share. There are four artists per season, and each artist is given a stipend of $1,500 to create 32 works of art for the 32 shareholders of each season. CSA invites the public meet and greet events where they can interact with the artists, and gain a better understanding of their work. We decided to hold our own meet and greet by asking the Spring 2015 CSA artists a couple of questions about their artistic process and lifestyle.
Gwynn, 14×18 in, acrylic on birch wood panel
Chambers Austelle
Chambers Austelle
Acrylic Paint
Process: I normally start with a general shape or gesture, and I let the idea evolve from there. I feel like I work similarly to a collage artist. I’ll play around and layer drawings until I find the composition I like.
Goals: I try to stay busy, and I jump at any opportunity that comes my way. I am very excited about an upcoming collaboration with one of my favorite Charleston photographers, Landon Phillips.
Inspiration: This might sound cliché, but I love imagery and find inspiration from anything and everything. I look for stories in everything I see, and when I find one that’s evocative enough, I translate it.
Appalachia by Chris Nickels
Chris Nickels
Mixed Media, Ink, Digital
Inspiration: I think living in the Atlantic South is really inspiring in itself. There’s a really unpredictable mixture of imagery and people down here. I really enjoy exploring places that I’ve never been. I’m that annoying guy that wants to stop in every small town during a long drive and take a ton of reference photos. As far as artist influence goes, I’m a fan of Japonisme, specifically Henri Toulouse Lautrec and Mary Cassatt.
Best Ah-Ha! moment: Honestly, this might sound really boring, but it’s when I learned about nondestructive editing techniques in Photoshop. That was an absolute game changer.
Favorite thing in the spring:
I have a couple ‘secret’ spots that I like to go fishing and crabbing when the weather warms up.
The Elemental Collection by Elizabeth Calcote
Elizabeth Calcote
Elizabeth Calcote
Block Printing on Silk
Process: I carve patterns on blocks and print them on silk. Some blocks are individual designs for pocket squares and scarves, while other patterns complete themselves, and they can be printed on any size fabric. After the ink cures, I dye and treat the fabric and create a wearable textile.
Goals: To create more collections with my brand, Sistersgrimm Design, and to eventually start a block-printing atelier in Charleston.
Inspiration: My patterns are inspired by figures in our past, like Cleopatra, Montezuma, Theodora, and others who brought about significant change in their time. I find inspiration for my colors in the natural world.
Favorite thing in the spring: Biking down to Dudley’s on Ann for a cucumber mojito with my wife and friends outside on the patio.
Intracoastal Perfect Day by Karin Olah – Fabric, Gouache, Acrylic, Pastel, and pencil on birch
Karin Olah
Karin Olah
Fabric, gouache, acrylic, pastel, and pencil on canvas
Best Ah-ha! career moment: After a frustrating day of painting in my studio, I returned to my apartment to unwind and do something that made me feel comforted—quilt making. I have always been attracted to and inspired by fabric—growing up near the quilting heartland of Pennsylvania Amish country, as a fiber major in art school, and working in fashion design in New York City. That night in 2004, as I was arranging fabric squares into a pattern, before I picked up needle and thread, I heard bells go off and saw how I can use fabric as my medium, as they are very much like paint brush strokes. I figured out how to approach the realm of fine art using fabric, a material usually reserved for fine craft.
For more information on buying a share, the 2015 CSA artists, or the selection process, visit CSA’s website at charlestonsupportedart.com.
words: Rachel McDermott
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