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Interview With An Artist
Studio Five Series: Christi Friesen
Interviewer: Alyice Edrich
I ran into Christi Friesen online one day when I was reading another blog. They referenced her artwork and of course, being the nosey body that I am, I had to check her out. What I discovered was a talent in polymer clay like none I’ve ever encountered before.
Her work was not only exquisite but touched a part of my soul that told me it was okay to be different, to be unique, to follow your instincts. And I was simply blown away with her “Victorian clockwork meets futuristic-nostalgia-fantasy” works because that’s just the type of art I envision creating one day. I’m always glued to sci-fi channels that host shows based on this premise.
Christi, like many artists, believes that she has always had a knack for art—an artistic talent—and it was nurtured by her art appreciating parents. She had her first “formal” paint lesson at the early age of four—with oil paints, of all things—and remembers countless baths featuring turpentine.
During her teenage years, however, she moved away from painting and began creating sculptures—after her father brought home a kiln. About seven years ago, she discovered polymer clay and has never looked back. She loves the creative process that can only come by combining various media: paints, polymer clay, beads, gemstones, and found objects.
Her drive, her passion, in life is to create. Nearly every waking moment is spent around art, whether it’s thinking about what her next creation will be, learning new techniques, or sharing her skills with others via workshops, online classes, magazine articles, blog interviews, or books—like “Polymer Clay and Mixed Media…together at last.”
One of the things she teaches all her students is to “Find the joy! In each person’s creativity, there is some aspect that really brings them joy; find that part and make sure it doesn’t get lost.” She also insists that focusing solely on creating or supplementing an income with one’s art can become a burden and zap the joy right out of the creative process. That’s why it’s important to “still have enough joy in our art to keep it satisfying!”
Furthermore, she says, “Many people want to be artists but they don’t make the time to find the joy in their art. It’s a little here, a little there, an unfulfilled wish to create more. They must grab that artistic joy and make it a part of their lives. And one way to do that is to share the joy of creating without becoming territorial, petty, or arrogant—which only shuts down the creative flow. Oh, and ‘finding the joy’ is also about ‘appreciating the silly’: a little goofiness is a good thing from time to time!”
Well, I think you’ll agree that Christi’s work truly is a reflection of her joyous spirit and her ability to find the silliness in life.
Studio Inspiration
Below are seven photographs, taken by Christi, in her studio. Along with those photos are explanations on why the images in those photos are an important part of her studio.
“I have two-and-a-half studios, actually. There’s the spot at the kitchen table where I can be with my family in the evenings and weekends and then there is my real studio which is located inside our family business: a screen printing shop. The ‘and-a-half’ part contains my computer which occupies my time for a lot longer each day than I’d like and a big o’ cluttered area which really should be cleaned but it’s the creative spore that seeds ideas: sketches, supplies, random bits and pieces that will grow up to be interesting things once they are taken out to the ‘real’ studio and germinated. Here’s the clutter spot!”
“The work area in my main studio was clean and organized once, but organization is overrated. As long as I can find what I need, when I need it, that’s all that matters. This is a nice sturdy table that holds a lot of stuff—stuff I need at my fingertips when I work. I am me putting the finishing touches on a ‘steampunk gryphon’ for an online class.”
“Books are very important to my creative thought process. I have books for reference, inspiration, and for hiding secret messages in—not really, I hide the secret messages in the candy jar (wink). I have devoted an entire wall in my studio to bookcases. It’s those books and magazines that I turn to, to jumpstart an idea. All it takes is just a bit of browsing and something usually pops!”
“I have two favorite spots in my studio. The first spot is a big window with lots of sunlight and a row of plants in front. I like ferns, orchids, and jungle plants because, that way, I can imagine that I’m on an island paradise.”
“Then there’s my…drum roll please…chocolate drawer. It’s my favorite spot of all! Gotta’ have that sweet stash for when I need a little treat!”
“As for a favorite piece of art, it’s often so hard for an artist to pick a favorite piece! Each thing you do has a piece of your soul in it, but I have to say that the art jewelry piece ‘Emerald Isles’ remains one of the pieces I’m most proud of. Sometimes everything just clicks and it did in this piece—not to mention the fact that this piece won an award and was featured in several magazine articles. This piece was one of the very first larger, dramatic art necklaces I ever created. This type of piece is now one of the things I am most known for so it marked an interesting milestone in my artistic time line. I think it’s important to have favorite pieces that make you feel proud of your accomplishments as they give you motivation to keep striving to be the best you can!“
“If I can have more than one favorite piece of art it would be the steampunk turtle. I really have a soft spot for this piece. It’s part of a line of steampunk creatures that I’ve been wrapped up in creating. The whole steampunk look is very fun—sort of turn-of-the-century Victorian clockwork meets futuristic-nostalgia-fantasy! I thought he just looked so sweet and all decked out in his mechanical gizmos.”
To learn more about Christi Friesen’s sculptures, visit CF Originals
Artwork used with permission. © Christi Friesen, All Rights Reserved.
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