Rapport: The Artist Studio by Moda Madison

RAPPORT The Artist Studio

MODA Fashion Editor Photography Director Editorial Fashion Assistant Fashion Writer Hair & Makeup Model Cover Dress Artists

Fashion Designers

Paige Schultz Roberto Leon Marissa Monett Alyssa Sage Jen Anderson Anna Thomas Emma Wimberley Suzy Peterson Aaron David Nadja Mataya Sophie Lillie Madalyn Manzeck Sarah Lauren Nasgowitz Hailee Von Haden Caitlin Wagner Emma Wimberley

RAPPORT The Artist Studio

volume 11

As a platform for conversation on the interdisciplinary relationships between fashion and culture, this volume of Rapport seeks to forge associations between several forms of artistic expression. In evaluating the consistencies between painting, glassblowing, printmaking and fashion design, we explore the definition of art and its unifying elements to pose the question: Is art a united form of expression, no matter the methods?

Suzy Peterson THE GLASS ARTIST

onsidering the commonality of artistic inspiration through urban elements, Suzanne Peterson’s artistic passions flourished in an arguably unlikely location. A midadolescent, cross-country move to Boise, Idaho would likely plummet most teenagers into a dooming bout of me-against-the-world angst, but for Peterson the relocation provided comfort in the form of a local ceramics community. Immersing into Boise’s ceramics culture allowed her to cope with the challenges of settling into a new town, while also introducing Peterson to the art of glassblowing. Unlike her experience with ceramics, she approached her admiration for glassblowing as a spectator rather than a participant. Since she wasn’t actively creating glasswork, she obtained her fix by gawking at the pieces on display at a local glass studio. Since earning classification as a distinguished art student and validating her passion for three-dimensional art, Peterson has experienced elements of her obsessive personality seep into her identity as an artist. Her creative process is relatively clear-cut. The ideas that actually materialize are generally the ideas that she uncontrollably obsesses over, both personally and within her artist network. Peterson’s occasional periods of ‘artist’s block’ are met with similar obsessive behaviors. To avoid the frustrations of creative dry spells she keeps a notepad next to her bed, so as not to forget any winning ideas that develop in a half-conscious state of mind. Peterson’s identity as an artist has also evoked an interest in fashion design, namely in its functionality as wearable art. While she understands designs bear a need for both marketability and practicality, she is most appreciative of the designs that cease to function for “anything other than relaying a concept and aesthetic.” To Peterson, an inspirational designer is one who strives to create oneof-a-kind, over-the-top, sculptural garments. Fueling her fascination with fashion is an observed consistency between the object-to-body relationship of fashion design and glassblowing. Both art forms exude a sense of intimacy in the way they make materials like glass and fabric vulnerable to human interactions. Peterson is so intrigued by these interactions that she’s devoted the near future of her artist to career to expanding her portfolio to recognize the human body as a landscape.

Aaron David THE SCREEN PRINTER

ontrary to common belief, an artist’s success is not always determined by a predisposed agenda. Aaron David’s motivation for entry was not illustrated by an overtly artistic childhood or an admiration of gallery artwork but, instead, by adolescence years immersed in music. His concert attendance was often completed by the purchase of a band t-shirt, depending on the allure of the available designs. Though aware these wearable souvenirs were produced through screen-printing, David did not treasure them through an artistic perspective until halfway through his freshman year at UW-Madison. Shortly after, he secured his place in the art department and an increasing fascination with printmaking and placement also lead to exploration of other forms, including neon glasswork. Upon building an artistic relationship with these mediums, he realized the avant-garde aesthetic appeal was not what piqued his interests. Instead, the initially subconscious ability these art forms had to evoke his deep-seated emotions. Admittedly an emotional artist, Aaron relies on art to express the oftenmelancholy emotions from his childhood, interpersonal relationships and day-to-day challenges. David’s emotions also influence the trajectory of his creative process. He admits that his moods are a direct determinant of his ability to generate ideas. A considerable flow of potential ideas is constantly circulating in his mind, but the ambivalence of an unfinished idea often discourages him. While he advocates that every successful artist should own and utilize a sketchbook to cultivate their ideas, the development of his pieces is executed sans doodling. Thankfully, he’s coped with his “perpetual state of artist’s block” by realizing that often times his best ideas are cultivated when he’s under the most pressure to create. Besides citing the origins of his artistic identity from his cherished band tee collection, David’s associations with fashion design have been minimal. While he understands the allure it elicits from fellow art students and recognizes the skill involved, he is more inspired by personal feelings and the varying ways artistic mediums can be utilized to convey them. Despite his disassociation with fashion design, David’s keen in his belief that “everything is an artistic creation and everyone is capable of creating art.”

Nadja Mataya THE PAINTER

Coming of age in a household overwhelmed with artistic diversity, Nadja Mataya’s likelihood of blossoming into an artist was essentially inevitable. Her childhood home was wellstocked with expertise as well as books and art supplies. No sooner did she find her artistic curiosity sparked by the allure of her dad’s studio than did she find herself second guessing her artistic ability in tasks as menial as decorating her first grade graduation certificate. During these bouts of adolescent uncertainty Mataya found solace in the discipline and precision of drawing. Fortunately, her transition into college allowed her to trade self-doubt for the confidence afforded by independence and a newfound fascination for the expressionistic gestures of painting. Nvow in full pursuit of a fine arts degree, Mataya has vastly expanded her prospects by experimenting with graphic design, printmaking and sculpture. While she still grapples with the adversities of her controlled but lingering perfectionism, she does not allow it to hinder her development as an artist. She finds that the developmental phases of her artwork are better executed when she experiments with a variety of art media and seeks to embrace the assimilation of artistic mediums that is often omnipresent in contemporary art. Of modern society’s ever-expanding definition of art, Mataya appreciates the highly refreshing, inclusive approach to selfexpression. Deeming art as a representation of “human experience that both attracts and unsettles,” she firmly believes that such visual depictions can be effectively created through the discipline of any craft and that the most engaging works are the ones that successfully “[unite] concept and visage.” Mataya has consistently extracted inspiration from fashion design. She notes painting and sartorial visions can utterly transform a canvas, whether that canvas is the contours of the human body or the gritty structure of a brick wall. Mataya also observes a connection between the two crafts’ reliance on color and texture as storytelling mechanisms. She’s so succumbed to the allure of fashion design that she foresees herself reformatting the techniques of various designers into two-dimensional paintings in the near future. More specifically, she plans to create a piece that pays homage to the “elaborate organic repetitions” visible in the collections of haute couture designers like Iris van Herpen.

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