Tina
Tina and Laura’s collaboration is one aspect to their work as artists, but they also each have their own distinct and lively art practices.
This page serves as an introduction to Tina Hirsig’s art practice, biography, news, and resources.
Tina Hirsig
I am a visual artist working in Charleston, South Carolina. My art practice consists of creating compositions through drawing and collage. Recently I have been pushing those boundaries by developing a series of work that asks how these two disciplines of art can fluidly blend into mixed media sculpture.
My Process
A vital part to my creative process begins with observation drawing in nature. It is these quiet moments of looking/listening that inspire and direct new work. These drawings are often designed into my mixed media work while other times serve simply as a process of learning and thinking. A natural extension to this quiet practice is my voracious reading habit. Research in the disciplines of science, education, art, and history adds depth and context to my interdisciplinary creative process.
During my not-so-quiet days raising two young boys, I collect and collage objects (natural and artificial). My collections of weathered stones, rusted metal, books, or antique objects found in thrift stores or roadsides serve as direct physical connections to the subject matter I study in my work. These weathered artifacts are a tangible link from my past, growing up with antique-dealer parents and to my present as a visual artist reflecting on culture. Working with found objects enhances my ability to create this personal and physical connection in ways that just drawing onto a flat plane cannot.
Where ever life is taking me each day I fluidly bring along my art practice. The resulting mixed-media work is my narrative of a life well lived.
Biography
Tina Hirsig grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. Having antique dealer parents, she was influenced by all the unique timeless objects she had around her, which now enter into her artwork. Her family spent the summers traveling and camping which has left an impression on her for outdoor adventure and play.
After graduating from Illinois State University with her bachelors degree, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts were she attended the art studio program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This experience solidified her commitment to the arts and arts education. Teaching the next seven years, she gained the knowledge and experience in art education, arts advocacy, as well as maintaining a studio practice. In 2003 Tina moved to Charleston, South Carolina and has since completed her Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. She is currently a full time artist (studio at the Old Navy Yard in North Charleston, 10 Storehouse Row), a parent of two young sons, and continues the tradition of outdoor adventure and play by camping and canoeing whenever she can.
Invent By Tina Hirsig
*see my website for more publications, press, and exhibition information*
