Let me start today’s Jan-Ai Scholarship Drive post by apologizing both to the blog readers and the artists who agreed to participate in this week’s event. Blog problems earlier in the week followed by a Wednesday storm-related power outage have conspired to derail the plans I had for this week. Things seem to be in order now and so we are soldiering on. And thankfully the parts of this week I have been most excited about continue today: the interviews!

[As a reminder to those who may not know what the Jan-Ai Scholarship drive is all about, I refer you to this week’s opening post.]

You may remember the work of artist Rachael Direnna from her Friday Favorites feature back in April. Her sculptures are so unique and resonate so strongly with the part of me that enjoys nature, loves trees, etc. that I immediately asked her at that time if I might conduct a future interview with her. She graciously agreed.

Based on a statement in her answer to the first question, I am including some photographs that Rachael Direnna has taken as well as images of her creations. Although she has many photos on her Flickr site, I chose ones that either through her own manipulation or through happy accidents are very striking to me.

With no further ado, I give you Rachael Direnna:

(I had to include a second image of Alice…don’t you just love the hands, the colors, the card symbols on the outfit?)

1. Please start off by telling us a bit about yourself.

Not sure what to write. I am 35, married, 3 kids, artist, full time dispatcher, voracious reader, terrible writer, ridiculously prolific amateur photographer, major pack-rat, good friend, lazy housekeeper, serious nebshit, etc…

I had my kids very young (high school) so my life was greatly influenced by being a single mother for a lot of years.

[Carl: I love learning new things. According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘nebshit’ is: n., Pittsburghese slang :One who is extreme nebby; One who is always involved in the business of others and is often a gossip.”]

2. Did you start off in the art world doing work similar to what you are doing now or were there other artistic ventures before your current work?

I’ve always been artistic in my own life – my paper mache sculpture is the only thing I’ve ever done publicly.

3. What you do with your sculptures is truly amazing. How would you describe your art?

Different, strange, organic, strong, beautiful (to me) – my way of seeing the world.

3.b What process do you use to make your sculptures?

I create each piece over a strong armature I construct using wire & found objects.To make my clay I shred junk paper (office paper, junk mail, newspaper, etc) soak it & mix it with paste & glue to make a pulp. I add calcium carbonate for strength & to buffer any acid in the paper. Each piece is sculpted in layers so that it dries completely & when finished is sanded, gessoed, painted, covered in decorative or handmade papers & then sealed.

[Carl: The results are incredible. This is certainly not the paper mache we learned in elementary school!]

3.c. Do you have a set apart studio space that you create in?

Not really. I carry a lot of bags around & work wherever I can.

3.d. How much of a typical day do you spend creating art?

Ideally several hours – but usually more like 2 or 3 hours.

3.e. Are there any specific habits, rituals, structure to the way you work?

No, I am pretty much all over the place.

3.f. How long does an average piece take to create?

A couple of weeks with drying time factored in – about 10 to 20 hours of actual work time.

3.g. How do you know when something you are working for is done?

I have to listen to the piece – sometimes I don’t stop when I should & then I mess it up.

3.h. Do you sketch out plans for your sculptures or do you just begin and see where it takes you?

Sometimes I will sketch but no piece ever turns out the way I think it will.

[Carl: It is always heartening to me to hear creators say that. I believe it helps allay fears that surround ever getting started with a project. I’m sure some of the most wonderful creations of any artist are ‘happy accidents’].

3.i. The pieces that you create convey a great deal of emotion in both their faces and in the way that they are posed. How much of the finish product is a result of what you knew/planned going into the piece?

My pieces NEVER look exactly the way I plan – especially the faces. They take on a life of their own & end up entirely their own self.

4. I am always fascinated by how artists view their own work. Are you generally happy about the way your pieces turn out or are you very critical of your own work or somewhere in between? Do you have your own work as decoration in your own home?

I go through several stages while I am sculpting – everything from disgust to awe – but I usually love the finished piece. I just worry that others won’t. I have my own work all over my home.

[Carl: Based on the response you received when I featured you as a Friday Favorite, I certainly believe others find your word awe inspiring as well.]

5. What are some of your influences and inspirations in creating your art?

Nature of course. Also I read a lot of fantasy, science fiction, folklore, fairytales, mythology, etc. & love artists like Rackham, Nielsen, Dulac, Beardsley, Mucha, the Pre-Raphaelites & so on.

Forever favorite movies are Princess Bride, Legend, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Mirrormask, Pans Labyrinth, LOTR, the Harry Potters.

For serious inspiration check out my links list on my site [blogroll at the bottom] or better yet mine the Endicott archives.

[Carl: Great list of ‘forever favorite’ movies! Needless to say I was excited to read those as they are favorites of mine and many others in this blog community. Ditto on the artists that inspire you!]

6. Your work seems to me to be very nature-oriented. Is nature, the environment, etc. something important that you are trying to speak about with your art or is that just one of the many ways others can interpret your work?

I find beauty in nature that I just don’t find in man-made environments & I hate to see waste. I don’t presume to lecture people & I don’t want my art to. It just feels right to me to use found objects & recycled paper to create with – especially to portray nature spirits.

7. Are there any artists who may not be a source of inspiration for your work but that you are really drawn to?

Probably not obvious influences but artists that I love are of course the old masters – Michelangelo, Da Vinci, etc. I also love Dali, Georgia O’ Keefe, Ansel Adams, Trina Schart Hyman, Gil Elvgren, Kate Greenaway, & many more.

8. Are there projects you are working on outside of the art you are creating and selling on Etsy that you’d like to discuss?

I love to work very large but it is hard to sell 6 foot or better sculpture on etsy so you won’t see it online.

[Carl: Oh wow, I would love to see the big sculptures, I hope at some point you photograph these so that people can see them.]

9. Any dream projects that you hope to work on in the future?

I really want to play with my pulp recipe to the point that it is outdoor friendly & then the world is my oyster.

10. Where do you hope your art takes you? What other venues of art would you like to pursue? Are there any other kinds of art outside of what you are currently doing that you either work on now or would like to pursue?

I hope someday to be able to be a full time artist – I dream of doing workshops someday. I would love to create large public installations, architectural installations, – I want to see just how far paper mache can go.

[Carl: Considering the process you use to make your sculptures I can definitely see viability in teaching workshops. I can imagine others would love to learn how to take paper mache beyond the ‘shapping glued paper around a balloon’ method learned in school.]

11.. Are there things outside of creating art that you would like to try (hobbies, interests, unfulfilled wild goals)?

Unfulfilled wild goals…. I wanna be a pirate, a gypsy, a fairy, a warrior queen, a werewolf, a pilot, an astronaut, a surfer, a skateboarder, a race car driver, a cowgirl, a train hopper, a carnie, a bellydancer, an archaeologist, a used bookstore/cafe owner, a jockey, a pool shark, an archer, an herbalist, etc
I would also really like to road trip across North America … & then Europe.

12. Besides the Etsy site, where do you show/sell your art? Do you have gallery showings, attend art fairs, etc?

I sell in a couple local galleries & I do one high end art fair a year. I enjoy it immensely & would love to do more but I am not in a position to quit my job & travel.

[Carl: I would love to see your work at the annual Kansas City Plaza Art Fair, which is certainly high end. Hint, hint…]

13. What are some of the more memorable responses you have had to your work?

So many people tell me they feel a connection to my work & I love it. There is a woman that bought a piece several years ago who still seeks me out whenever she can to tell me how close she feels to it. Also I love that children are often drawn to it & it is safe & strong enough for them to actually touch.

14. You mentioned both reading and favorite movies earlier which makes me wonder what some of your favorite books are, what is the most recent film you’ve seen that you really enjoyed, etc.

My favorite author is Charles de Lint.

Favorite books: anything by de Lint, LOTR, Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potters, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Anne of Green Gables, anything Jane Austen, anything Robert Heinlein, anything Neil Gaiman, anything Peter Beagle, The Outsiders, The Wizard of Oz, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, the Dragonriders of Pern series, the Dark is Rising series, Little House on the Prairie, Little Women, Wuthering Heights, I could go on but won’t.

Most recently read – finished Chocolat last night – wonderful.

For somewhat recent films I loved Stardust, but I don’t watch much tv/movies.

[Carl: Always great to discover another Anne of Green Gables fan. I am especially pleased to read the ‘anything Robert Heinlein’ statement. I have found it rare to see female readers who respond positively to his later works which are all that I’ve read. Despite their ‘issues’ I’ve really enjoyed them and no doubt will enjoy his earlier juvenile fiction works whenever I get around to reading them.]

15. Do you collect anything?

Books!!!!!

Aside from that anything strange that catches my eye.

16. What do you hope that people take away from the experience of interacting with your art?

I hope they actually do interact – anything else is gravy.

Thank you so very much Rachael Direnna for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m sure the readers will enjoy it as much as I did reading them as I was putting this post together.

I am especially amused and thrilled by your ‘unfulfilled wild goals’! It certainly shows that the child within is alive and well and made me smile and say ‘me too’ many times over…(yes, my secret desire to be a belly dancer has been exposed!).

I was also of course excited to no end to see the films and books that have influenced you and live on as favorites. Many of which are things that I too find inspiration in. There is something really fascinating about discovering artists whose work can be wildly different and yet some of the inspiration for those works, for the way lives are lived, etc. can come from the same place. I find that fascinating.

I am excited to announce that one of the random giveaway items that I am adding to the list for those who donate any amount to the Jan-Ai Scholarship fund this week (and I will be getting back to everyone on when this week will ‘officially’ end due to my aforementioned issues) will be a print or a set of cards, winner’s choice, from Rachael Direnna’s Etsy Shop. Rachael can no doubt answer whether or not any of her images that are not currently on the Etsy site are available.

Thank you all again so much for taking the time to enjoy the art, and the inside look, of these artists. I appreciate your willingness to do this Rachael and I thank you again as well.

Don’t forget that there is much more of Rachael Direnna’s art and photography that can be viewed on her:

Blog
Etsy Site
Flickr Site