Newnan Art Rez Artist in Residence - Christina Laurel

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Each month, Newnan Art Rez invites a talented artist to live in Gray Cottage and simply spend time creating and interacting with the Coweta community.

This April, Christina Laurel left her home in Greenville, South Carolina to sample some Georgia hospitality and create an installation.

We visited Gray Cottage to speak with Christina and view her latest installation.

Christina was not always an installation artist. Early in her career her preferred medium was colored pencils.

During her time as an art student at State University of New York Brockport, her professors recognized that she was not pushing herself out of her comfort zone.

They encouraged her to explore the outer limits of her creativity. This is when her art moved out of the realm of two dimensions.

Her first three dimensional piece was a deconstructed kimono installation.

Christina explained to us that she is drawn to Japanese culture and aesthetics.

Her kimono installation preceded many Japanese inspired installations.

Later installations included Japanese cultural icons such as the fan and the ginkgo leaf.

A colleague introduced her to Japanese shoji paper. An almost translucent fabric-like material.

Because Christina once aspired to be a fashion designer, it seems natural for her to be drawn to this paper, which lends itself to the same manipulation as certain fabrics.

Christiana’s current installation is a series of shoji paper lilly pads on a collage background.

The installation is deceptively simplistic. 

Christina compares her art to the work of a sous-chef. She spends hours preparing the “ingredients” for her installations.

Her collages are formed of found paper, which includes pieces of her previous art, deconstructed books, and gifts from friends.

She often modifies the paper by removing layers or adding texture through distressing and tools.

Her goal for finished installations is an intimate, relatable work that has echos of nature.

She enjoys viewing her art through other’s eyes. Viewer’s feedback often gives her a fresh perspective on her work and allows her to see it in new ways.

You can learn more about Christina's work and process on her website and blog.

To find out more about past and current artists in residence, visit the Art Rez website.

Newnan Artist in Residence - Christine Cassano

PLEASE NOTE COWETA LIFE IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THE PLACES, PEOPLE, OR THINGS WE COVER. PLEASE CONTACT EACH BUSINESS OR PERSON DIRECTLY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. SENDING AN EMAIL THROUGH OUR CONTACT PAGE WILL NOT GET YOU IN CONTACT WITH THE BUSINESS BUT WITH COWETA LIFE. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO REPLY OR FORWARD EMAILS MEANT FOR THE BUSINESSES WE COVER. THANK YOU!

Coweta is home to a number of talented artists. The Coweta art community is constantly flourishing. In order to further cultivate the arts in Newnan, an artist residence program was formed.

In conjunction with The University of West Georgia, The Newnan Artist Rez program invites artists from all over the world to spend time in Newnan engaging with the community and enriching Coweta through their artistic expression.

Previous artists have included talented painters like Peter Tudhope and brilliant poet B.H. Fairchild.

The program houses its artists in the charming Gray Cottage. The little house is nestled in a quiet area next door to the McRitchie-Hollis Museum.

It’s close enough to downtown that the artist in residence can easily walk or ride a bike downtown, but also have a tranquil area to inspire creativity. This spring, The Artist Rez program was fortunate enough to secure Phoenix artist Christine Cassano.

She was kind enough to invite us to Gray Cottage to take a look at her current works in progress and learn more about her process. As soon as we walked into the cottage, our eyes were met with the results of art she has been immersed in while staying in Newnan.

The floor was covered with what at first glance appeared to be the fossilized remains of some long gone sea creature, but upon closer inspection were delicately constructed porcelain pieces stamped with a motherboard. 

Christine is a small woman with masses of thick, wavy brown hair. She spoke of her art with an enthusiasm that left us in no doubt of the passion she feels for her chosen profession. 

She began her artistic career as a two dimensional artist. Eventually, her work evolved beyond the canvas and she found she could express herself better with a three dimensional format.

Her art is not confined by conventional mediums. She works with a variety of unusual materials.
In addition to incorporating found objects into her pieces, she also uses metal, clay, concrete and even her own hair.

Much of her recent art looks as if it was excavated from an archeological site or found growing in the wild. When you look closer however, you will find elements of technology embedded in the piece.

This reflects her keen interest in biology as it relates to technology. Everything she puts into her art emphasizes this connection. 

She showed us a beautiful study of a very organic looking porcelain piece that was stamped with a motherboard. There were holes pierced through each point of electrical connection. Through this she weaves sutures made from her own hair. This is her expression of how similar the cellular function of the body is to the programming of a computer.

A series of serious health problems forced Christine to closely examine human biology and the way in which it interacts with modern technology. She takes these deeply personal issues and through her art, applies them to the whole of human history and evolution. The results are beautifully provocative and relatable pieces.

Christine is enjoying her stay in Newnan. Her removal from the blanching desert environment of Arizona to the lush foliage of Georgia has shifted her focus. She also loves the challenges that come with being removed from her studio. Being in an environment with limited materials has pushed her out of her comfort zone, inspiring new thoughts and ideas.

While she is here, she has been working on an installation piece for the university’s permanent display. The piece incorporates rolled porcelain stamped with a motherboard and medical vials filled with Newnan memorabilia. The university also purchased an additional piece that will go in their permanent collection as well.

This is Christine’s very first artist residency and she has been impressed with the kind welcoming hospitality that she has received from the residents of Newnan, the Artist Rez members and The University of West Georgia faculty and staff.

You can view her art in West Georgia’s permanent collection or by visiting her website. To learn more about her process and art, visit her blog or follow her on Instagram.