ASYA PALATOVA MFA 04 CR

GLEENA

Based in Cleveland Heights, OH

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

All my tableware pieces are porcelain and are hand poured and crafted in a small studio/shop in Cleveland, Oh. This process I learned while earning an MFA at RISD. Slip-casting was part of my thesis, and the pieces I created for an installation launched my current line. I mix my own porcelain slip and glazes using food-safe clays and minerals, all recipes that I developed at RISD.

What are some of the most productive and rewarding aspects of your practice or business?

The most productive and rewarding aspect of my business is building relationships with clients and retailers who collect and carry my work. I have been seeing my pieces to stores across the country for over ten years, and have met so many fantastic shop owners, and private collectors. Our conversations and exchange of ideas have inspired and evolved my work.

What are some of the most productive and rewarding aspects of your practice or business?

The most productive and rewarding aspect of my business is building relationships with clients and retailers who collect and carry my work. I have been seeing my pieces to stores across the country for over ten years, and have met so many fantastic shop owners, and private collectors. Our conversations and exchange of ideas have inspired and evolved my work.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

It is challenging to stay inspired and creative while producing the same pieces. I introduce at least one new shape every year, and a new glaze. I also experiment a lot. Even if the piece never makes it to production, it is important for me to just play around. I also have started teaching workshops, and student excitement and work re-ignites my passion for the material and process.

To see more of Asya’s work, visit www.gleena.com

EVIAN ZUKAS-OGUZ 98 TX

EvianZO Designs

Based in Greenville, PA

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

At RISD I learned to embrace “mistakes” and work with them instead of restarting everything from scratch. I learned to work intuitively and really push the boundaries. I also got a strong work ethic from all of the hours spent in the studio, and I still spend many hours each day designing and creating.

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

One of the most productive and rewarding aspects of my business is being able to fulfill my creative ideas from the start to the finish of a project. I like the transformation from concept to finished piece and all of the steps in between.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

I take inspiration from everything around me, particularly from nature and the breadth of natural beauty that can be found anywhere you look.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

I am looking forward to showing my knit pieces of art that are derived from my photography. They are all knit only using two colors of yarn. The stitches create the shading and definition. I really enjoy taking photographs and translating them and transforming them into pieces of fiber art.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

I have shown in numerous juried exhibitions throughout this past year. The most notable being Focus: Fiber 2019, a national juried biennial, which was held at Kent State University Museum, from March – July, 2019.

To see more of Evian’s work, visit www.evianzo.com

JULIE CLENDENEN SIMPSON, 91 TX

JULIE SIMPSON ART

Based in Olympia, WA

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

The discipline and consistency of LOTS of studio time, just like being a student…. is so important in developing a creative practice. I learned to sit and weave for hours and hours- still doing that 30 years later!

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

I practice 2 art forms – and love them! I divide my studio time and art practice around designing and weaving one of kind Textiles and mixed media painting. Both seem to inspire the other, as color and texture are prevalent in both mediums. Traveling and selling work nationally at juried art shows and developing relationships with new clients, collectors and fellow artists is really rewarding.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

NATURE. WATER. COLOR.
My work as a textile designer and mixed media painter fuses my fascination and love for repeated patterns and natural textures.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

I will be at Art Providence for the third year this November 8-10 2019 at the RI Convention Center

To see more of Julie’s work, visit www.juliesimpsonart.com

NICOLE HAVEKOST 94 PR

nikimade

Based in Rochester, MN

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

I make work because I want to see what it looks like. Learning to trust that curiosity and investigate is a lesson learned from RISD that I still practice. Twenty five years later, I have much less fear about failing in that process; failure is where the learning happens. I wish I could share that experience with my younger student self, but in my time since RISD, I feel like I have grown into the possibility of artist that the school first recognized.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

I recently found the best estate sale ever in my neighborhood. The homeowner was a doll collector, and I brought all sorts of dolls, parts and accessories home with me. I am already taking the dolls apart, reconfiguring the body parts and sculpting brand new parts for them. These dolls will be cousins to my Frankenstuffies, but allow me to tell a different kind of story.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

I recently had a solo exhibition in the Anderson Gallery at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, California. A lovely review written by Gabrielle Gopinath can be viewed here.

I will be exhibiting 5 large scale works at the Southbend Museum of Art Biennial 30 in Southbend, Indiana in July 27 – September 29, 2019.

I will be teaching the workshop “Doll as Storyteller” at Arrowmont School of Art and Craft, November 3 – 9, 2019.

To see more of Nicole’s work, visit www.nikimade.com

AKEEM GLAZE 12 ID

Glaze

Based in New York, NY

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

The most rewarding part about running our business is the intangible; the concept of creating something that will someday become a larger part of our future.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

Our studio draws on influences from both of our backgrounds. Steph grew up just outside of Boston, Akeem hails from Palm Beach County, and we currently reside in New York City, so we strive to combine the Northeast with Palm Beach. We take the experiences we’ve had, and infuse the two lifestyles into our products through color, material, form, and imagery.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

If you think about business as an integral part of the creative process, they will not compromise one another. Harmony between these seemingly opposite worlds is key, as one strongly influences the other. Bills will get paid and your creative practice will be maintained if you have a business model that reflects your value proposition.

To see more of Akeem’s work, visit www.glaze.studio

CHARLOTTE HOLDEN 18 IL

Little Bird Studio Co.

Based in Brooklyn, NY

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

I am consistently inspired by lack of knowledge . Drawing is a medium for understanding. I seek to investigate through my artwork and analyze the forms which inspire me to create and share my findings with the viewer, allowing them to learn with me about the small details of life we often take for granted. I want to understand how creatures and objects alike are put together, why they work that way and the purpose behind their beauty. To me, drawing is truly a study. I cannot accurately translate the anatomy of my subjects in a two-dimensional space without first understanding how they are put together and without understanding the anatomy I cannot portray their grandeur and significance. Therefore each brush or pencil stroke represents a functional, active component of the structure of my subjects. In todays world, it is particularly important to consider everything around us and take the time to understand its importance and the impact every living thing has on our world.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

I am particularly excited to share my new line of cards and prints made from a series of Gerbera Daisy paintings. These paintings are part of a larger body of work I am hoping to continue of botanical drawings and paintings. I love being able to share my work directly with the RISD community as it has always been my greatest inspiration and motivation. I would liken the feeling to bringing work to the RISD community to bringing work home for those closest to you, with the opinions that matter most to you, to see and experience.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I have found that the best way to maintain a creative practice that “feeds my soul” and still pays the bills is to take on multiple projects. For me, the answer was to find a job that was not art related, but didn’t take up all of my time so I could still pursue my creative endeavors. It was also incredibly helpful to have a reason to leave my studio and see other faces throughout the week. Sometimes it’s lonely and sometimes it’s frustrating. It has been beneficial to my art practice to have time away from art and be able to come back with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of purpose. Not having 24 hours a day seven days a week to dedicate to art actually keeps me wanting to continue. Scheduling was another important factor in the success of my creative process. After school you don’t have classes to dictate how and when your time on your own work is spent. It is important to build a routine that works for you and do your best to stick to it.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I was recently part of the Washington Square Park Outdoor Art Exhibit in New York, NY where one of my paintings received the second place prize in its category. I also will be starting a project with a researcher at the New York Botanical Garden Summer 2019.

To see more of Charlotte’s work, visit www.teekartworks.com

COLLEEN CLINES 10 TX

ANCHAL

Based in Louisville, KY

What are some of the most productive and rewarding aspects of your practice or business?

I have the pleasure of witnessing the direct power art and design can play in changing a woman’s life. Anchal’s artisans have transformed into empowered and confident women as a result of the design process. I treasure every moment I spend with Anchal’s artisans and am inspired by their dedication and passion to change their families futures. Seeing the artisans purchase homes, send their daughters to school, become the family breadwinner and confidently stand up to abuse is absolutely the best part of our work together. They are my sisters.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

Coming from a background in Landscape Architecture, I am still constantly inspired by the urban environment. When I am feeling stuck or uninspired, I walk the trails of local parks or neighboring streets and consciously look for things I normally overlook. This practice also translates into my time in India when I am working alongside Anchal’s artisans. Together we challenge ourselves to look at our surroundings through a different lens. This can be anything from the siding on a building to flowering trees to the earth that we walk on. The results are captured in photographs and become the inspiration for our textile-based products.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

After the success of our capsule collection with the Guggenheim Museum Store last Fall, we have greatly expanded our line of outwear and jackets. I am looking forward to sharing more apparel at RISD Craft this year!

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

Anchal’s quilts were recently featured in the windows of every Madewell store across the country in tangent with the launch of their Fair Trade Certified denim line.

To see more of Colleen’s work, visit www.anchalproject.org