ART PARTY: Just be happy you aren’t watching me eat Pop Tarts right now.
Today I interview art student and emerging artist Brenna Lavin, who should seriously be the one doing the teaching around here.
Amina: First off, I know I’ve said this before, but I’m very proud of you. You’ve taken being an artist seriously and have been progressing so well. What is some of the info that you haven’t learned in school that you wish would be taught?
Brenna: Well, I wish that I’d actually be taught technique in a way that allows me to use it the way that I see fit. I also wish that I was taught that a teacher is not going to validate my confidence as an artist, I’ve got to realize on my own how awesome I am. I’m just starting to feel proud of my work.
Amina: Speaking of work, as an artist you are very conceptual, hearing about your ideas is just as exciting as seeing them. What do you currently have in mind for your next project?
Brenna: Well, for my next project I’m thinking of trying to re-envision the stories Venus. I feel really connected to her for some reason, and have been drawn to doing work based on her birth and her love affairs. I’ve been working with roses and have been trying to loosen up my painting style. I’m tired of being so methodical.
Amina: I notice that you are greatly inspired by mythology and the vastness of outer space. Where do you think inspiration like this comes from?
Brenna: I think it has to do a lot with what I was interested in as a kid, and what my parents got me into. I always stole my mom’s mythology books until I got my own mythology encyclopedia and my dad and I always watched star trek, doctor who or some other space travel show. I was always into aliens and tried to understand why people didn’t believe things in mythology and sci fi existed just because we haven’t seen it/can’t explain it. There’s so much about ourselves and the universe that we have no idea about and it’s fascinating to me to think of mythological beings and scientific ideas coexisting in the unexplored regions of space.
Amina: Final question. I notice that you are greatly inspired by mythology and the vastness of outer space. Where do you think inspiration like this comes from?
Brenna: I think it has to do a lot with what I was interested in as a kid, and what my parents got me into. I always stole my mom’s mythology books until I got my own mythology encyclopedia and my dad and I always watched star trek, doctor who or some other space travel show. I was always into aliens and tried to understand why people didn’t believe things in mythology and sci fi existed just because we haven’t seen it/can’t explain it. There’s so much about ourselves and the universe that we have no idea about and it’s fascinating to me to think of mythological beings and scientific ideas coexisting in the unexplored regions of space.
Amina: What’s next for you? Classes you’re excited for, new show to participate?
Brenna: I’m excited to be taking art and anthropology since it seems to be right up my alley in regards to what I’m interested in. As for what’s next, I plan on working on some paintings, maybe some video work, music and a lot of research. I don’t have any shows yet, but one may be in the works sometime soon, hopefully before i put my thesis out there.
Amina: Okay, I know I said my previous question was my last, but I want to know more about you’re study and research process please.
Brenna: Well, usually when I find an idea I’m interested in, it’s usually during a really emotional time for me which I spend doing a lot of reading. I come across something that I feel an automatic connection to, usually because it parallels what I’m going through or makes me feel a little less alone (mostly because I realize I’m not the only person that has thought those thoughts). Then I flood myself with information, I look up as much as I can on the internet, in books that I have, talk to other people about it, and then incorporate everything I’ve learned into something that I think makes sense visually or conceptually. It’s a bit of an insane process, and I’ve been told that with the amount of information I go through, it’s a surprise I’m not insane. I feel that the learning process is usually more important than the visuals for me though, the visuals are just my way of putting together all of these theories that I have working around in my brain.
