Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Koerner.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. My mom is a painter and my dad a scientist. They each taught me to be curious about the world and to work hard. I’ve always liked making things. As a kid, I spent time alone in my room drawing and making books and other contraptions. I was given a lot of independence which taught me to follow my instincts. In college, I started out as a sociology major, but a sculpture class made me realize I needed to be building with my hands. I ended up transferring into the Woodworking/Furniture design program at California College of the Arts.
This was a unique program in that I learned woodworking in the context of a design school. I had never been exposed to the design world, and I found it both inspiring and unsettling. But mostly I was thrilled to learn how to build. For my thesis project, I created a series of interactive wall sculptures that related to patterns in nature and the idea of tactile connection to a subconscious, internal landscape. I’m still really proud of that series and can see how it relates to my current work. I feel lucky to have worked with Donald Fortescue as my advisor during those years.
After I graduated in 2009, I got a studio space through the San Francisco art collective Root Division. This was a real transition period. I made not-very-good work and had day jobs in various shops, doing woodworking, cabinet-making, and metalworking. These jobs taught me skills I hadn’t learned in school. After a while, I realized I wanted to be pushed farther and to find a larger creative community. In 2012 I moved to North Carolina where I was awarded a two year Core Fellowship at Penland School of Crafts. While there I was able to focus on furniture making while also exploring textiles, glass, and blacksmithing. It was hugely transformative. I worked with incredible instructors and learned so much simply being surrounded by other artists.
After this fellowship, I spent three years living in Asheville, NC. At first, I continued to make functional furniture and textiles, but then my work started shifting back toward art. I worked for a sculptor and had a studio space through Warren Wilson College. I began applying to graduate programs with the desire to refocus on concept in my work.
In 2016 I moved back to California to attend SDSU. Right now I’m an MFA candidate in the Woodworking/Furniture program. In addition to making my own work, I enjoy teaching others. In the past, I’ve taught workshops for youth and adults and this fall I’m teaching 3D Design at SDSU.
Please tell us about your art.
My recent sculptures are abstractions of everyday household fixtures such as bathtubs, sinks, walls, doors, etc. I deconstruct domestic objects we take for granted by taking them out of context, re-configuring them and calling attention to interior spaces. I’m interested in the idea of the architectural uncanny– elements of the built environment that are strangely familiar and sometimes disturbing. There is a historical tradition of buildings being analogous to the human body. I activate this connection and explore forms that stir subconscious knowledge, desire, or fear. I also use the psychological power of water. Water is something we relate to on a visceral level, and it is connected to many religious and spiritual rituals.
I’m not currently working in textiles, but I still feel a strong connection to weaving. It is a very meditative process. Cloth is the material most intimate to our bodies, and as a craft, it has historically been women’s work to produce. I’m planning to bring it back into my sculptures this year. Water and textiles have a similar power for me as materials that reference ephemerality and physical vulnerability.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success for me is balance. My work is very personal, so it is important to maintain a holistic approach to my life and art. They definitely inform each other. I strive to take failures as learning opportunities, to be disciplined in my studio practice and not compare myself to others. I work to follow my intuition, honor my health and that of those around me. I think it is essential to be persistent: to keep moving and working, in whatever capacity, on a consistent basis.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My website is www.liz-koerner.com. From April 15-25th my thesis show will be up at the University Gallery in the SDSU art building.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.liz-koerner.com
- Instagram: _basalt_
Image Credit:
Personal photo by Tim DeMuth
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