Stephanie O'Connor

Region: South

Website: http://www.stephanieoconnor.com

City / State: Markham, VA

 What interests me as an artist is being able to explore what crafts emanate from an Indigenous society: the particular color palettes, the different techniques and terms used to classify each craft. Like all the different languages of the world, there are so many regionally specific crafts that play important roles in history, and it is fascinating to study and incorporate bits and pieces of the techniques into my own practice. What I find is they often have a religious or spiritual significance, if not a monetary value from their use once for trade. The origins of all traditional handicrafts are native, and I find it very interesting to let that inspire the direction of my work, because through this way I can educate myself about the world.