We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Orna Feinstein. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Orna below.
Orna, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I tend to spend a lot of time in the studio, and realized that the more I create the more I want to create. Many ideas come during creating artworks. Since I create in different medias, I often see how one media feeds the other. I may get an idea for a sculpture while I am painting, or an idea for a paining while I am working on monoprints. My art is about nature, especially trees, so travel and observing nature in different locations inspires me, and gives me many ideas. Since I have science education, in addition to my art education, I still open botany books, and get some inspiration from the images and text I see there.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a Houston based mixed media artist specializing in printmaking and sculpture.
I am known for pushing the boundaries of the media. My 2D and 3D prints, sculptures, and installations are both unique and experimental. My art is shown extensively in solo and group exhibitions around the US and abroad. My work is widely collected privately, and publicly. In 2021, seventeen of my artworks were acquired by Museums, seven of them by The Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
In 2023, I am celebrating a new achievements in my career, as I became the first artist ever to create and exhibit artworks in Antarctica and in the Arctic Circle within 6 months. This makes my art truly “Bi-Polar”.
For 25 years, I made art focusing on the subject of nature, and especially trees. Before I went on my expedition to Antarctica, I felt that the thing I will miss the most is trees. In order to fill the absence, I took some art supply with me, with a plan to create more works, with the same nature, tree theme. With the small amount of free time that I had on the expedition ship, I created 10 collages of monoprints. I felt that I am bringing something that doesn’t exists in that area, hence the title The Presence of Absence.
What came as a last minute idea, just 2 days prior to my January 2023 expedition to Antarctica, turned into a project that included the creation of the collages, and exhibiting them on one of the islands on the peninsula. Not knowing how the weather will hold, and how ferocious the winds will become, I chose to work on a small scale, to accommodate the changing conditions.
The exhibition titled The Presence of Absence included 10 collages of monoprints that were created on board the ship on the way to the Antarctic peninsula, and were shown on Snow hill Island, Antarctica. This makes me the only artist to ever show artworks on Snow Hill Island, Antarctica.
Showing the works of art was a challenge in itself, as no structures are available for any purpose on the island. EPA regulation prohibit laying anything on the ground so, I opted for another last minute solution. Five volunteers held the art in their hands, and I held the title of the exhibition.
In a place were weather conditions are extreme, and change rapidly, it was a great relief for me when the weather cooperated with me. The conditions were great at that specific time, sunshine and a mild wind.
On July 2023, I went on another expedition, this time to the Arctic Circle. I created 12 collages of monoprints on board the ship. On July 11, 2023 these artworks were shown on board the ship on Deck 8, surrounded by Sea Ice in the Arctic Circle, north of Svalbard Island, Norway. The next morning, in front of Monacobreen glacier, I created a performance with 4 of my monoprints.
In addition to these 2 exhibitions, on July 12, 2023, I mounted another exhibition on Woodfjorden, Svalbard. Ten artworks that were created and shown in Antarctica, were shown again in an exhibit title the Presence of Absence. This exhibition was viewed by many hikers in that area. These ten artworks are truly the “Bi-Polar” artworks as they were shown on both poles within 6 months. In Total, I mounted one exhibition in Antarctica, and 3 in the Arctic Circle.
This coming September, I will be celebrating 26 years of art making with the focus on the tree trunk. The exhibition will be on view at the Beeville Art Museum in Beeville, Texas. The opening reception is scheduled for September 9th between 12-2PM. The exhibition will be on view until December 16, 2023. More information is available on the Museum’s site https://www.bamtexas.org.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first thing that counts in achieving any goal in any field is getting the right skills and knowledge. I spent many years at the Glassell school of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. I took many classes is almost any field of art; drawing, painting, and sculpture. It was after several years that I discovered that printmaking and sculpture were my passions. After years of mastering the skills of monoprinting, I went to the University of Houston, and got my BFA in sculpture. In my studio, I practice and make art almost everyday, which brings me to the second important thing in achieving my goals.
Once I found my passion, I dedicated most of my time to practicing what I love doing most.
Setting my daily schedule around studio time, and not vice versa is extremely important. There are so many temptations and interruptions during the day, that it’s easy to just go to the studio when “I have time”. However, being disciplined as far as scheduling my time, proved to be extremely important. Studio time without interruption is most valuable, and allows me to focus on my practice, and be creative. In the end, hard work and dedication pay off.
The third thing I want to emphasize is the importance of being experimental, and flexible. By being so, you can discover other ways to do things. It might be after many failures that new ideas will come, but trust the process, as it always happens. Patience is important, as nothing happens over night. After years of printing on paper, and experimenting with printmaking on other surfaces, I developed ways to monoprint on wooden boards and plexiglass. This skill allowed me to create 3D monoprints, and room size installations, using non-traditional materials.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Just like anything we do in life knowledge is power. Knowledge comes in many ways, and from different sources. Obviously, books and the internet are amazing sources of information .
The other way to gain essentials skills and overcome challenges is by attending workshops and classes. Practicing with masters will save time, help solve technical issues, offer advice, and they may help you promote your own career. Be open to learn from everyone, as often times one learns from fellow participants in his class more than from the instructor. It might be a very small piece of information, but it will be very valuable, and will advance your idea or practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ornafeinstein.com
- Instagram: Orna Feinstein
- Facebook: Orna Feinstein
- Linkedin: Orna Feinstein
- Youtube: Orna Feinstein
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
For first picture only, the one with 6 people: Carlos Navarro
