EAST Interview: Jennifer Chenoweth of Fisterra Studio
Saturday, November 15 - Sunday, November 22
Various Venues (Austin)
free, Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm
[info]
Tell us about the history of your house and studio. How long have you lived there? Describe your amazing remodel process.
I bought the house in October of 1999 after I finished my MFA at The University of Texas and decided to stay in Austin. This year's EAST will celebrate 10 years here, which is exciting. The house was built in 1907, and had been a boarding house and a rental for years, and not well maintained. It was a total remodel that took 8 years, step by step, to do. The overall footprint wasn't changed, but every surface and structural part were revisited. I'm so excited to just have regular house maintenance to work on now, and I built a chicken coop this summer with my kids.
In visiting your home every fall, many people get the impression that art plays a key role in the life of your family. Can you describe everyone's involvement with art?
It's an interesting life around here lately. I spent years setting up what I needed, and now I just flow from painting in the studio, to weeding the garden, to letting my 5 year old paint on big pieces of scrap wood, to tinkering in my shop, to cooking meals. It's been a long time coming having a blended and whole life, and it's really satisfying to get to experience that.
What is your favorite part of EAST? Can you share any great EAST memories from years past?
I felt like I had done something right in life somehow to have one of my hero's attention for a moment.
Oh, I seem to be always in motion. I try to get a lot done and make things prettier wherever I'm called. I help a lot of people with design work for their houses and picking colors. I love driving around town and seeing houses painted great colors that I picked. Two really good paintings are up at Austin City Hall for a few more months. That's my favorite place to show in Austin so far; I love that building and the People's Gallery Show.
Every year you have amazing guest artists show at your house during E.A.S.T. Who are you featuring this year? What excites you about their work?
I have two guest artists this year I'm really excited about. One is Monique Capanelli of Articulture Designs. She makes art out of plants that have beautiful compositions, and to boot, she's an awesome person. My other guest artist is C. Andrew Boyd, who is a photographer. His work is about the subtle interaction between the human and animal worlds; his curiosity is profound.
What are some of your favorite sources of inspiration?
I read a lot, mostly fiction, and I find deep inspiration from the words and ideas. One of the paintings I'm working on now, "Last of the Cherry Blossom", is from a thought in one of my favorite author's books (David Mitchell) about the brief moments of life's perfection.
What tips do you have for aspiring or inspired tour visitors who might want to follow your lead and bring more art into their homes?
I just look at what interests me and try to identify the particular qualities of what I like. I look at my house or a canvas and think about what it wants to be and try to make it that step by step. I try to listen to my own voice, which is sometimes loud and sometimes very quiet, and feel into where the questions lead me.
And finally... is your home and studio always that neat and clean?
That's funny! I do work like a maniac to get it all spit-shined for the tour. But I have two little boys, an old indoor dog, an outdoor cat, and now, six chickens, so it is quite an effort to keep all the systems in order. And I make big messes in my studio and have to clean up after myself regularly. But I am a quadruple Virgo, and it makes me happy that there is a place for everything.
