On View Magazine 07-09.2015 | Page 97

30TH ANNUAL Tallahassee International Christopher Owen Nelson “Through my work, I explore my own personal relationship to a variety of subjects that I have developed an important bond with. I spend a majority of my time outdoors. The environment puts me in a state of meditation. Absorbing information from the water and the trees makes me feel connected and attached. I try to address the spiritual and emotional impact that a particular tree has had on me by trying to understand its life, and by studying its characteristics and changes throughout the seasons, asking myself, ‘How are we connected?’” —C. Owen Nelson t Christopher Owen Nelson, Glimpse, carved and painted cast acrylic, 20 x 16 inches. Kortney Niewierski “Organic shaped objects reminiscent of anatomical or animal-like forms and metaphorical imagery are intended to intrigue one’s curious side. The choice of fabric as a medium and sewing as a means of construction speaks to a level of feminization and domestication. Fluid forms and fleshy casts dominate the vision of the work and imagery of the pieces exposing an underlying tone of self-evaluation, while the attempt of the work is to blur the lines between playful, appealing and humorous, and naughty and off putting.” —K. Niewierski t Kortney Niewierski, Forget Me Knot, wire mesh, fabric, piping, rubber, 60 x 20.5 x 5 inches. OnV i e w Ma g a z i n e . c om • J u ly /S e p t e m b e r 2015 97