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

Alright, Aubrey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

So far in my career, I think the most meaningful project I have worked on has been the life-size torso, ‘mercy.’ This piece is also a self portrait done through a few large mirrors. That in and of itself was a very challenging mind flip to work through. I used calibers to take down my measurements and of course I wanted to position my head to where it was impossible to see everything in one glance. But I was determined to not rely on any photos until it came time to do the skin over where my shoulder blades were, not a place easily seen without. The struggle is one of the themes that gives this piece great meaning. I think I went through it in every sense of the word. To make a dramatic story short, I had been working on this piece for just a few weeks when two things happened….One I got taken away from the torso project to take a casting job from another artist, making one of his large pieces (a literal dinosaur unicorn with wings) in resin and in my personal life, things finally came to a violent end with my ex. In the weeks that followed the traumatic incident, I couldn’t really manage much but I was at least talking to my therapist and going to the studio to work, I still had that massive dino-unicorn to finish. The studio had become my safe space, not only did I have the most amazing studio mates one could ever dream of, but I was really able to get lost in the work and feel free.
When I came to back around to working on the torso, it (she) had taken on a different meaning. It was not only a physical work of building up the clay pieces of my self one by one, but a spiritual work of mending the pieces after a traumatic blow. She (It) in turn ended up giving me mercy at a time I needed it most. Recently, when trying to come up with an artist’s statement about the piece, I just keep coming back to the most literal definition(s) of the word mercy. Webster lists a few and I guess depending on the day would determine which one I would choose.
Its my hope and dream one day to see her realized as apart of a fountain where she can take on a more universal feel. Just as Mother Earth would so graciously provide us with water, a fountain of mercy could giveth as well.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Being from a small town in Tennessee, the move to Chattanooga for university at 18 seemed like such a big change for me. So it should’ve been more surprising things ended up the way they did. In my five years in Chattanooga, I was being introduced to old world artists and falling in love with the Renaissance, one master copy at a time. In 2013, I had my first taste of Europe while studying drawing and painting in Southern Spain for a few months. During this time I was building my portfolio in hope of attending school in Italy for more intensive studies. While staying in Spain, I took the short flight to visit Florence for validation to go all in. I immediately felt so comfortable in the city, a stark contrast to how I felt sometimes in the small village where I had been staying. In 2014, I started the sculpture program under the direction of Robert Bodem at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. It was truly a dream to learn sculpture in such an environment, the entire city is an outdoor sculpture museum. I graduated the three year program in 2o17 and after a few brief months in America, I moved back to my favorite city.
Working in Florence for the 3 years after graduation has really seeped into my system and I think it will continue to show itself in my work time and time again. Even though the pandemic relocated me back to my home state in 2020, the pursuits have not stopped. During this time I have been so grateful to have been found by clients who are wanting to commission pieces and selling pieces I have done personally, I hope to continue building those lasting connections. One day I would love to collaborate with an architect or designer to make something uniquely site specific for a client’s space!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

It is hard to narrow it down to just one goal in particular but I do feel as though I am on a mission to bring people a beautiful some ‘thing’ to keep with them. Whether it is a figure, portrait, object, or painting, I hope to make things that can bring a deep sense of peace and beauty to its owner. The world today gets a little more hectic with every year so it is my hope that each piece saves a place of calmness in a client’s homes. It might be naivety, but I truly feel like the world needs more of it now more than ever. Just a little treasure that you can call your own. Also, going back to before when I said I would love to collaborate, to be a part of designing something very large scale, like a grand European garden, would be an absolute dream! Maybe what really drives my creative journey is just the act of the pursuit itself.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the constant growth. Not only are you continuously growing and learning in skill and technique, there is something deeper still. For me, the biggest reward is there is also a constant spiritual aspect. where I get to feel out this connection to the universal Source. There are some days when I have gotten done working and felt like I “came to” just in time to wonder who did that? As strange as it sounds, it reassures me that I am doing what I am supposed to in this life, a sense of divine guidance. I feel so lucky to do what I do!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aubreycharnell.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/aubreycharnell
• Facebook: facebook.com/aubreycharnell.fineart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-charnell-338649185