Rachel Bubis: You mention that your prints "explore our relationship with other living creatures as we become further removed from the natural world.” How did your passion for animals and the environment first begin? Ashton Ludden: I think we all first have that fascination with animals and the wild world when we are children. For me, I’m sure it began in my young childhood, particularly when I was between 2 and 8 when I lived out in the countryside of Western Miss...
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Emily C. Thomas creates art at the intersection of painting, sculpture, performance, film and installation. Her work has been characterized as eco-feminist. Taking cues from animistic philosophies, she engages with issues of body politics and planetary consciousness. Applying techniques from experimental therapies such as self-hypnosis and psychodrama, in her films and performances Thomas assumes transpersonal identities of an enigmatic, feminine persuasion: a Private Eye, Bride of the Ocean, and Abbess of the Galactic Center. In the worlds she constructs, domestic...
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Rachel Bubis: You incorporate imagery of physical landscapes such as rock formations and fields of flowers as a way to portray the different layers and roles of your life. Do you spend a lot of time outdoors? If so, do you ever consciously go out into nature for inspiration for your work? Do you do any sketches? Are there any particular spots in TN you derive inspiration from? Jessie Van der Laan: The imagery I use from nature I usually...
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