We were lucky to catch up with Kirsten Hoving recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kirsten, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I have worked on a variety of photo-based series, most notably “Svala’s Saga” and “Fabricated Visions.” “Svala’s Saga” was a collaborative project I did with my daughter, Emma. Powell. We devised a photographic fairy tale about the disappearance of the world’s birds and our heroine, Svala’s, rescue of them. The photographs were shot almost exclusively in Iceland and then edited and printed using the historic platinum/palladium process over modern digital prints on watercolor paper. The series was exhibited widely and printed as a book. “Fabricated Visions” is a recent project in which I print digital photographs on silk organza and mount so that the silk either flows freely or produces a three-dimensional effect when mounted over a second print in a frame. The combination of silk fabric with other photographs and materials creates mysterious images that allude to poems, myths, and transcendent experiences. Although the subjects are quietly commonplace – a ladder propped against an apple tree, a figure entering a doorway, a swimmer lifting an arm – the are presented in unusual ways that elevate them to poetic visions. The materials and processes support the metaphors in the work, as silk, whether flowing or three-dimensional, provides the underpinning for imaginative musings and fabricated visions.

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 background and context?

After a long career as a professor of art history and a weekend artist, I retired, moved to Charlesotn, SC, and began a second full-time career as an artist. I show my work in galleries and other venues in Charleston and other places. I am proud that within a relatively short time period, and against the backdrop of the pandemic, I have established a reputation in Charleston that has led to many collectors acquiring my work.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having the opportunity to experiment with unusual media and, well, just play. The comment I most often get from viewers of my work is “”I’ve never seen anything like this,” which for a photographer is pretty unusual. I love coming to my studio and seeing what will happen as I interact with my ideas and materials. I also love watching people respond to the work as they try to figure out how the effects I produce are made.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

The goal that drives my creative journey is to be open to experiment and to take risks with my materials. Yes, I have lots of unsuccessful pieces, but each is a stepping stone for moving on to the next work. My mission is to explore the world around me through the filter of my inner, imaginative world, and to be willing to be vulnerable when the work calls for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kirstenhovingartworks.com
• Instagram: @kirstenhovingartworks