Artist-in-residence
September 25 – October 9, 2015
Kirsten Furlong
Solo and group exhibitionist, Instructor, Professor, Lecturer, Commissioned Artist, Gallery Director of the Visual Arts Center at Boise State University – Kirsten Furlong has quite the list of titles and experiences within the art world. And now she’ll be adding another to her extensive resume. With a varied and detailed journey behind her, Furlong has laid out a plan of experimentation for her time in Good Hart.
“I plan to work with a variety of materials and processes including drawing, painting, photography, stitching/embroidery and printmaking on paper, canvas and felt. Processes and images will be led by exploration of the area and research into the local flora, fauna and landscape.”
Earning her MFA at Boise State University with a concentration in painting and printmaking, Furlong currently works at the university as Gallery Director. Having focused on specific disciplines hasn’t pigeon-holed Furlong or her creativity – thread works, felt pieces, installation and public art, and garments for animals all fall under her pursuits. Furlong’s focus as of late has been on nature and the relationships between humans and animals.
My current artistic practice engages with a series of questions about our culture’s multifaceted relationship to nature and the geography of human/animal interactions in urban and wilderness settings. These inquiries are utilized to contemplate various issues about the natural world and the concept of representation of animals, the landscape, and the environment. I create artworks based on first-hand observations in the natural world and internal responses to objects, illustrations, and texts about various species. In the work, animals serve as emblems of nature and as metaphors for human desires.
I employ a series of visual strategies including linear detail, repetition, and patterns inspired by those seen in various species. Additional ideas and visual sampling comes from the cultural, scientific, and historical models used to describe various environments, animals, and plants.
