Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorothy O’Connor.
Dorothy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My career as an artist began in photography and over the last 15 years has broadened and grown into installation, performance and public art. I went back to school for photography when I turned thirty, deciding it was finally time to try to make a living doing something I really enjoyed. After graduation, I spent years assisting commercial photographers and working in various roles in the commercial realm, all the while knowing that shooting commercially just wasn’t where my heart was. I continued to do my own photography on the side and started to build life-sized fantastical sets in my garage to photograph – while constantly learning as much as I could from those I was working for and with. Slowly, I began to work less and less for others and more on my own projects.
In 2008, I incorporated performance into my work and began to open my installations to the public in the style of a tableau vivant. I started applying for and receiving, grants to continue to build and photograph my Scenes. In 2012, my work gained larger exposure when I received a Flux grant which allowed for one of my projects to be featured in a public venue for Flux Night, a large public art event in downtown Atlanta. This experience allowed me to move beyond my garage and to feature my installation’s performances to a much larger audience. In 2013, I had my first artist residency in Nashville, at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. Being given this residency was a very pivotal moment for me, not only did I have the acknowledgment of a respected institution but I proved to myself that I could create my work outside of my studio and far away from home. It did wonders for my confidence and opened up new possibilities for me and my work.
Has it been a smooth road?
As any artist can tell you – the financial aspect is always a huge struggle. I racked up quite a bit of debt in the beginning by self-funding my own projects, which I would definitely advise against. It is so important to get your work out into the world but it is also really important to make sure you have the proper savings and funding in place before you do. That advice also goes for having a gallery show as well. It can be incredibly expensive to put on a gallery show (printing, framing, shipping) and those expenses are most often all the responsibility of the artist. It is very important to research a gallery and their sales record (and collector base) thoroughly before agreeing to a show.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with your business – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am an Atlanta based artist who works largely in installation, photography and public art. I have been working on a series of photography based installations called “Scenes” for the last twelve years. Scenes centers around transforming spaces, often a room, into fantastical landscapes which frequently utilize elements of nature and the natural world to tell a story. Each concept, shaped predominantly by events in my life, creates a sort of conceptual autobiography, an interpretation of my own dreams. Building these life-sized installations also allows me to literally live inside my own imagination, if only for a short time and satisfies the need to create a more aesthetically pleasing reality. Each project takes months to complete, allowing me to fully immerse myself in its meticulous details. I enjoy creating many of the components in each set by hand: crocheting the ocean, crafting hundreds of paper birds, hand-stenciling wallpaper, weaving roots from jute, etc. Learning a new skill each time I build a new scene helps to keep the process fresh.
This work began as a photography project. The scenes are captured on film and a photograph remains the lasting imprint. Opening them as tableau vivants, however, installations which feature a live model, allows an audience to experience them as I do but to add their own interpretations and ideas, thus making the story a shared experience.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I spent a lot of time outside exploring and away from the TV when I was growing up. For me, nature is a place full of imagination, stories, and mystery. My parents always encouraged and arranged creative endeavors and projects for me and my siblings which gave me an interest and a confidence in working with my hands. We also grew up with animals as part of the family which gave me a love and a respect for wild things. I think leading a more active childhood with animal friends and an encouragement towards imaginative pursuits really shaped me early on and still inspires me as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dorothyoconnor.com
- Phone: 404-307-8692
- Email: dorothy@dorothyoconnor.com
- Instagram: dorothy.oconnor.9
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DorothyOConnorPhotography/
Image Credit:
Dorothy O’Connor
Dustin Chambers
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
