Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Weisend. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Anna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. f you needed to find a key partner or facility – how did you find them, what was the process of striking a deal like and what would you do differently knowing what you know now?

Most visual artists who are showing their work, create independently. Their work has their signature and their signature alone, and I did that for a while on and off. However, in my previous adventure as the owner and pastry chef of a custom cake boutique, I learned that my creative pursuits were greatly enhanced when I worked collaboratively. As my daughter, Sam, was graduating from college with an art degree, we started bouncing ideas off each other for different projects. We found that we were helping each other create things that were better than if either of us forged on alone.

We discussed what this would mean for us individually and how the family dynamic could help or hinder our prospects.. As a mother, I never wanted Sam to feel as if she had to do this for me. As my daughter, she wanted to make it clear that I couldn’t always take control with a “Mom vote”. We discussed the subject ad nauseum for months. We realized that our strengths and weakness were complimentary and not competitive. She likes to work large. I like to work small. She is a better painter. I am a better sculptor. She likes expressive. I love details. Neither of us likes to be pegged down to a certain medium or technique. With that evidence and a hug, we became Seraphs & Salt Studio. We are now officially Collaborative Mixed Medium and Assemblage Artists.

Every piece of our work has input from both of us. Every piece is signed SSS Weisend. We baffle a lot of people who don’t understand the collaborative part. There are not very many “teams” in this line of work and even rarer, a mother/daughter team. We are, in that way, unique.

We’ve been at it for about six years now and there have been adjustments. Having two women at different stages of their lives requires flexibility in scheduling, expectations, and direction. We have successfully been able to do that. We still love each other and haven’t had to make decisions that would impact our family life. We have had to pivot a few times.

We are currently working on “solo” show for October and setting our goals on getting ourselves a more conducive working enviornment by this time next year.

Anna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always been in creative mode for as long as I can remember. I grew up with parents who creative and were always trying new things. My own curiosity had me moving in that same vane. I have had a lot of creative pursuits- bead embroidery, tapestry weaving, quilling, and sugar art. For 20 years I had my own business working as a pastry chef and a sugar artist, making custom cakes for clients. I was fortunate enough to have my work published in the USA, the UK, and Russia as well as receiving accolades along the way. My favorite part of that was mimicing a variety of techniques and mediums into something edible. When I switched from edible to non edible art, I was determined not to limit my options, and so took on the title of a Collaborative Mixed Medium Assemblage artist.

I think what sets me apart is the same thing that I am most proud of. I work collaboratively with my daughter and we have been able to keep patrons on their toes because our work is hard to categorize and different than many other artists. We upcycle 85% or more of each piece, finding beauty in things that others have cast aside while also paying homage to Mother Nature by incorporating nature, both literally and figuratively into our work. We are currently working on a moon series that will debut this fall.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Our Mission is quite simply joy. We find art cathartic for ourselves, it is away for us to shed the distractions and disappointments of the world and find joy. In turn, we want to share our perspective of joy with those who are seeking it.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

We wish we had found community earlier and it is still an ongoing part of our creative journey.

In the beginning we had only each other and no real knowledge about how to go about getting our art into public spaces or finding moral and creative support. We are now part of a cooperative gallery that has been pivotal in helping us in those areas. We have been on the recieving end of a lot of generous people helping us to expand ourselves and our business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: seraphsandsaltstudio
• Facebook: seraphsandsaltstudio
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

Anna Weisend