We are honoured to have the fine art series "This one goes out to the one I love..." by Krista published in our latest issue of OPALUS. This truly engaging series addresses her experience of "...working through frustrations and the emotions inherent in wanting to help, support and 'save' a loved one who really may not want, need, or even, at this point, be capable of being 'saved'."
We found this series so fascinating and each piece so individually strong that we felt we needed to create a special 3 part interview series with Krista to give us more insight on three of our favourite pieces from the series, and discover more about her brilliant perspective and imagination.
Part Three - "Dissected"
OPALUS
One of our favorite pieces from this series is the rat, entitled "Dissected", can you please tell us more about this piece.
KRISTA ACHESON
I'm so glad you enjoy my rat! He's been getting pretty mixed reactions. The rat means a couple of things, actually. The white lab rat is kind of an icon in terms of animal models for the purpose of drug testing and psychological experiments.
It was also one of the earlier pieces in the series and at that point I was trying to discipline myself to take a more clinical approach to the situation, instead of being so emotionally involved. It represented my desire to dissect the situation ( and the person) to make sense of the origins of the behavior. It also represented how I tried different approaches and took note of the reaction, trying to troubleshoot what was best as events unfolded.
I then made duplicates of the piece, turning it into a functional purse to be sold at the show, Edmonton stores and my etsy shop. I thought he was pretty cute and I'm so glad that you agree!
OPALUS
Do you listen to music when you work, if so what inspires you most when creating?
KRISTA ACHESON
I religiously listen to music while I work! But it's always something pertaining to the piece I'm working on. If I had an event or pertinent conversation occur while there was a song on the radio or a movie, I immediately took note of it.
So I listened to music less out of enjoyment of the band or song but more based on how much it related to the piece.
I then play one song on repeat until that piece is done; consequently driving everyone in the house mad.
There are several art pieces in the show containing song lyrics. The exhibit title itself is the lyrics to an REM song.
I made mixed tapes of the songs and left them next to a ghetto blaster at the exhibit. People, if they were so inclined, could match the songs to the paintings and pop them into the player.
OPALUS
What do you hope we leave feeling, or pondering after we view this series?
KRISTA ACHESON
Well, for anyone who couldn't relate to the exhibit topic, I hope that they found the show intriguing and appreciated the emotional and physical effort that went into creating the pieces.
For the ones who did relate to the topic, and there were actually quite a few, I was hoping they would feel less alone and could maybe see their own feelings and frustrations expressed in some of the pieces.
And for anyone that was actually dealing with addiction problems I had hoped that they could see that although they may feel that it is just "their problem" and no one else's business.. that their behavior does in fact deeply impact the people that care for them.
Title - Ain't Life Sweet
Size - 12" X 24"
Medium - Acrylic, Wood cutouts on wood panel
OPALUS
In "Ain't life sweet" we love both the symbolism and imagery you have created here. If you are open to telling us, we are so curious what the ticks of 7 on the table mean? We have thought, perhaps it is how many times she's felt she has "died inside", are we right!?
KRISTA ACHESON
I often include multiples of things, such as lines or birds, to mark a passage of time. So in a way I guess you are actually right...7 years of observing disappointing behaviour is very much like dying a little over and over.
OPALUS
What can we look forward to in the future from you?
KRISTA ACHESON
I will be participating in a group show entitled "Talking Creatures", under the alias " Gerri Harden" at the AGSA where I'll have a series of new sculpture pieces. The opening reception is March 5 from 6 – 8:30 pm and the show runs until May 2.
I am also currently applying at galleries in hopes to hold my next show entitled " Cat's in the Cradle", which will be a similar mixed media installation styled show as "This one goes out to the one I love..."
This concludes our three part artist interview with Krista Acheson an artist to be watching, as we know something brilliant will always flow her mind.
If you are interested in owning a piece from this thoughtful and enlightening collection, there are a select few still available for purchase. She even has created "Rat purses" that are beautifully handcrafted and completely functional - a true conversation starter.
(You can see our very own black Rat purse up on display (see left photo) in the OPALUS studio!)