Interview with Aleta Aaron, Artist and Psychotherapist

Above Image: Sculpture by Aleta Aaron

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

My name is Aleta Aaron. I am an artist and a psychotherapist. I was born into a family of artists and have loved making art since I was a young child. I have been a psychotherapist for 30+ years working with individuals, couples and families. With gratitude, my career life as an artist and psychotherapist has evolved together over the years.

2. What's integral to your art and or art career?

When I sculpt I seek to capture the spirit and beauty of the human form by relying on the simplicity and purity of abstraction in my sculptures. My sculptures reflect inner dialogues, the complexity of the emotions.

Above Image: Sculpture by Aleta Aaron

3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?

I primarily sculpt in clay, caste in bronze. I do enjoy dabbling some in painting, photography, wire art & create with whatever treasures I find around me!

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?

Someone expressing or acting disrespectful towards another upsets me. Spending time with my daughters and their family and pets, my husband, our families & friends, gardening, sculpting and creating art make me very, very  happy.

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?

Among the people in my life who are an inspiration and inspire me is my mother, who is 90 years old. She is a sculptor who has worked in stone for many years and more recently in her late 80's returned to painting and drawing. She is an amazing woman and mother. I am also inspired through my work with clients. Thus, my art reflects upon matters of the heart.

Above Image: Sculpture by Aleta Aaron

6. What superpower would you want?

The power to heal the pain of suffering such as Cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's & AIDS etc...would be an incredible super power to possess.

7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?

Among some of my favorite artists are: Andrew Goldsworthy, Barbara Hepworth, Constantine Brancusi, Henry Moore, Frank Lloyd Wright, Georgia O'Keefe and Alexander Calder.

8. What advice would you give to other artists?

Especially when one is going through a challenging time in life -create art. Be patient with yourself and preserver. 

9. Contact details

aleta2@mindspring.com

404.405.0540

Interview with Sally Eppstein. Artist, jewelry maker and current WCAGA President.

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

I was born in Augusta, Ga and considered myself an army brat since my West Point graduate dad retired when he was 53 and I was just three.  I grew up visiting  the campus of Augusta College where he taught accounting as a second career. My sister who is 17 years older  and my three brothers lived around the world but I believe there are pros and cons to how we were both raised.

Food and art are my main two loves. I debated about going to culinary school or to art school and art won because I knew I wanted a family and I did not want to work restaurant hours while I raised a family.

I went to Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC for an associates in jewelry and received my BFA from Augusta College that is now call Augusta State University.

2. What's integral to your art and or art career?

Peace and quiet. When I lived by myself before I got married, I was quite prolific but since I have been married and raising my son and step kids I have found it harder to be as focused on my art as I would like. My youngest will be going off to college soon and I am looking forward to being prolific again.

 3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?

I started painting with oils as a child until after college but now I mainly use acrylic paints and different gel mediums from Golden Paint. My latest adventures have been making sculptures with wood and stainless steel.

All of my art is inspired from nature.

 4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?

Clear cutting of trees makes me angry/sad and being in nature with my family and dogs makes me incredibly happy.

 5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?

Being a part of the WCAGA is my biggest inspiration right now because I am surrounded by so many incredible talented women. 

 

6. What superpower would you want?

The one superpower I would love to have at the moment would be to convince Georgia  politicians to create strong zoning laws that would save land/environment from over aggressive developers. 

 7. What is your favorite artists and or other person?

I have quite a few favorite artists but the top of my list is Alexander Calder mainly because he made large heavy steel sculptures to  putting on performances with his small whimsical circus. I love that he was not limited to any media or that he took himself too seriously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6jwnu8Izy0

Two of my other top two artists are Niki de Saint Phalle and Alice Neel. 

 

8. What advice would you give to other artists? 

Love and respect your teacher’s advice and then learn to let go of most of what they taught you so you can find your own art.

 9. Contact details.

Sally Eppstein

sallymail@yahoo.com

sallyeppstein.com

678-642-5300