We recently connected with Chloe Compton and have shared our conversation below.

Chloe, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission as both an artist and educator is rooted in the belief that materials, landscapes, and memory are deeply interconnected. Through my work, I explore how places shape us—how land holds history, and how the materials we engage with carry traces of time, use, and meaning. This mission is personal to me because I was raised with a deep respect for the land in Upstate South Carolina, where my family’s connection to nature has long influenced the way I see and understand place. My creative practice is a way of preserving, interpreting, and deepening that connection.

As an educator, my mission extends to helping students develop their own relationships with materials, process, and place. I encourage them to approach art as an active dialogue—between themselves and their surroundings, between history and the present. By collecting, testing, and transforming materials, they not only develop technical skills but also gain a deeper awareness of how art can be a means of exploration and storytelling.

At its core, my mission is about fostering a sense of curiosity—about materials, landscapes, and the ways we navigate memory. Whether in my own work or in the classroom, I see art as a way to hold onto what is fleeting, to make meaning from what is shifting, and to embrace both preservation and change.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an artist and educator based in Upstate South Carolina, where my work explores the intersection of landscape and memory. My creative practice is deeply rooted in place—specifically the river channels, hardwood forests, and shifting terrains of my home region. I work with materials like clay, plaster, steel, wood, and found objects, many of which I collect from the natural world or inherit from loved ones. These materials carry history, acting as vessels for memory, erosion, and transformation. My work moves between documentation and interpretation, engaging with the tension between preservation and loss.
My path into the arts was shaped by both my environment and my family. I grew up with a deep appreciation for the land and the ways it connects us across generations. That sense of connection led me to explore how materials—especially those sourced from the earth—can tell stories and evoke personal and collective memory. This curiosity guided me through my graduate studies, where I refined my focus on how landscape and memory influence artistic process.
In addition to my studio practice, I am also an educator, and teaching is a vital extension of my creative work. I encourage students to engage with materials through experimentation and research, using collection as a method for discovery. I want my students to see art-making as a process of questioning—starting with an idea or theme and allowing materials and process to refine it.
What sets my work apart is this deep engagement with materiality and place. My work doesn’t just depict landscapes—it is built from them, shaped by the physical and emotional histories they hold. I am most proud of the ways my practice has evolved to encompass both making and teaching, allowing me to share my passion for materials, process, and storytelling with others.
For those who follow my work, I hope they come away with an appreciation for the ways landscape and memory intertwine, for the power of materials to hold history, and for the beauty in what shifts and changes over time.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being creative is the experience of problem-solving—taking an idea and finding ways to make it tangible. I’m drawn to the challenge of working with materials, experimenting with processes, and uncovering new ways to highlight their meaning. Creativity is about exploration, transforming everyday elements into something that invites reflection and connection. Just as my work helps me navigate my own relationship with memory and landscape, it also creates space for others to consider their own. Whether through making or teaching, I find fulfillment in the journey from concept to physical form and in the conversations that emerge along the way.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal of my practice is to foster connection—between people, place, and memory—by exploring the ways landscapes shape our identities and hold personal and collective histories. We all have memories tied to natural spaces, and my work invites viewers to reflect on their own relationships with the land, the passage of time, and the ways materials carry meaning. By working with found and natural materials, I highlight the importance of the natural world, not just as a resource, but as a keeper of stories. Through making, exhibiting, and teaching, I hope to spark conversations about memory, impermanence, and our shared responsibility to the landscapes that shape us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chloecomptonstudio.com
• Instagram: chloecompton22
• Facebook: Chloe Compton
• Linkedin: Chloe Compton

Image Credits

Chloe Compton
Angela Zion