Cover Art Preview and Interview with
Artist Shannon Elizabeth Gardner
Artist Shannon Elizabeth Gardner
1. In Koru, what thoughts or feelings are you trying to evoke in the viewer?
The spiral or coil is that of an unfurling fern frond. This symbol is a common similarity connecting civilizations world wide. I feel the viewer would recognize this symbol as a journey representing growth and rebirth, beginning from the center expanding out.
2. How does art shape your life?
Art is in everything I do. I know of nothing but to live a life that represents your true aesthetic in every way. I choose to live among my work while surrounding myself with gruesome, ghastly objects that relish in the horror aesthetic.
3. If you could ask an artist to paint you (either present or past), who would it be and why?
Visionary Tim Burton influences much of my work. It would be an honor to have the legend create a portrait of my likeness. The twists and curves of his German Expressionist strokes create an angular strangularity that comforts me.
Shannon Elizabeth Gardner is a recent graduate from UWSP, with a Bachelors in Studio Art and a Minor in Art History. Throughout her life she has been interested in horror and the macabre. Fondness for death and decay came about while exploring nature and the paranormal. Gardner believes her work stimulates memories and emotions that relate people with death and decay. Her goal is to reach the extreme and address the taboo.
The spiral or coil is that of an unfurling fern frond. This symbol is a common similarity connecting civilizations world wide. I feel the viewer would recognize this symbol as a journey representing growth and rebirth, beginning from the center expanding out.
2. How does art shape your life?
Art is in everything I do. I know of nothing but to live a life that represents your true aesthetic in every way. I choose to live among my work while surrounding myself with gruesome, ghastly objects that relish in the horror aesthetic.
3. If you could ask an artist to paint you (either present or past), who would it be and why?
Visionary Tim Burton influences much of my work. It would be an honor to have the legend create a portrait of my likeness. The twists and curves of his German Expressionist strokes create an angular strangularity that comforts me.
Shannon Elizabeth Gardner is a recent graduate from UWSP, with a Bachelors in Studio Art and a Minor in Art History. Throughout her life she has been interested in horror and the macabre. Fondness for death and decay came about while exploring nature and the paranormal. Gardner believes her work stimulates memories and emotions that relate people with death and decay. Her goal is to reach the extreme and address the taboo.
©ShannonElizabethGardner