Better late than never I always say! This artist survey features the responses of my dear friend and collaborator, Chelsea Wilde. I met her and her husband, Joel, when he requested a pin for the Alley Art show. From then on the three of us became fast friends, collaborators and conspirators. Take a look at the images and words below then take a look at Chelsea’s site and studio in downtown. There has been a lot of collaboration going on between us, or at least us talking about collaboration, so expect to see a lot more of her work in future posts.
{Medusa : Photograph}
{Picasso : Hand Beaded Cuff}
{Honey Bee : Photograph}
{Finch : Pen, Sharpie, Colored Pencil}
Name: Chelsea Wilde
Location: Twain Harte, CA
Medium(s): Film, digital, & Polaroid photographs. Pen & Ink. Needle & Thread. Piano keys & vocal chords.
What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? An old soul. A make-believer. A fort builder. A Photographer. A musician.
Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Various blogs & a few online shops, www.etsy.com/shop/liftedindustries , on Courtney Love’s neck, www.newresolutionphoto.com, and my studio in downtown Sonora, CA.
When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I most likely made cave paintings in the womb.
Who/What inspired your interest? Being an only child in a mixed-up family of artists and musicians.
Where do you first remember being exposed to art? Home, for sure.
What is your day job? Photographer.
Why do you create? To keep my brain from exploding. The ideas have to go somewhere.
Is there any recurring theme in your work? Whimsy, conflict, and wicked fashion sense.
What do you want from your work? Satisfaction & growth.
What do you want viewers to take from your work? Inspiration & unanswered questions.
How often do you work on personal projects? I make all my work personal. If I can’t, I don’t do it.
How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Not as often as I’d like.
Does your art support you financially? It’s getting there.
Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? I don’t think of much else.
What do you do in your spare time besides your art? Cook, kayak, discover delicious pairings of beer & tobacco, build forts, explore forests, and hang out with a bunch of animals.
Which musicians are you currently interested in? Peter Wolf Crier, BRMC, Mumford & Sons, David Bazan, Maps & Atlases, Meursault, Born Ruffians, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Pelican, etc. etc. etc.
Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Local art shows & musical fantastic-ness!
How long do you generally take on a piece? Planning & creating for a conceptual shoot typically takes me a few weeks, at most. If I create the wardrobe, it can take a week to several months.
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Nothing important, that’s for sure.
Do you work on multiple projects at once? Guilty. I prioritize, though. Secondary projects take up my free/break time from primary ones.
Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Polaroids and OOAK pieces, yes. Everything else makes my heart dance a bit.