Meet Chelsea Clarke | Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Clarke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, why did you pursue a creative career?
We always joke that when you ask this question, every artist says, “I’ve been interested in drawing since I was a child”! That is absolutely true in my case, but I prefer to think about why I kept drawing. Most people stop around the age of five, which is right around the time I was hospitalized for a short period at Texas Children’s Hospital. On top of being extremely sick, I was also extremely bored until someone brought me some art supplies to keep me busy. I also participated in an art class at the hospital where I made a pink, glittery Valentine’s Day card with my mom! Even after I was released, I had to leave most of my other activities like soccer and ballet since I was simply too tired, which sort of set me on my current career path because drawing became my sole interest. I’ve actually been reflecting on this experience a lot lately, as I had the opportunity to be the Periwinkle Foundation’s Making A Mark Artist this summer. Working with an excellent group of kids from Texas Children’s Hospital to make a collaborative art project was a tremendous full circle moment for me, and I hope I have had a similarly positive impact on their lives.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I consider myself an interdisciplinary artist, working between print and fibers to create dynamic soft sculpture. My hybrid practice was not easy to come by, though! I originally thought of myself as a very serious stone lithographer (a process that requires heavy lifting) until I fractured my spine during my senior year of college. This created a compounding series of issues, including lifelong chronic pain and micro fractures that are exasperated by lifting anything heavier than about ten pounds. When my diagnoses first became clear, I was devastated – I thought I couldn’t be an artist because I had so many physical limitations. Though I now know this reaction was due to a total lack of accessibility and disability representation in my education, you can imagine that is was quite jarring at the time. After going through years of physical therapy in an effort to get back to where I was, I had to come to terms with the fact that I needed to radically change the way I made work. This lead me in all kinds of directions, though I eventually found a new place for myself through weaving and fiber arts. It has been painful, but I am often grateful for this experience because it taught me so much about what it means to be a practicing artist for life, as well as the importance of accessibility and resilience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve actually done this with one of my best friends! For her first visit to Houston, I planned mostly art related events because that is what we are into. We went to the Menil, saw the Rothko Chapel, spent some time at the MFAH, saw whatever was on at the CAMH at the time, caught a play at the Alley, visited Lawndale and the Craft Center… It was a great lineup and entirely free because most of those places are already completely free, plus I happened to work at the Alley at the time. As for food, I’m a Doshi House girl now but I was really into Blacksmith Coffee then so I probably took her there every day. We also has few special dinners – eating on the patio at Coltivare in the Heights, getting Thai food at Street to Kitchen in East End, the bake lab at Pondi… Her next visit was more low key but she loved Phoenicia and all the ducks at Hermann Park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Brooke Inman is the first printmaking teacher I ever had! On top of introducing me to one of my favorite mediums, she also became my mentor as I progressed through my artistic career. I think she is one of the kindest, most generous instructors I have ever had, and I am grateful for her friendship!

Website: https://rosemarypress.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosemarypress/

Image Credits
Installation views of my most recent exhibition were taken by Kevin Lopez.