Holiday Spotlight: The Journalists of Venison

Our Holiday Spotlight comes to an end this week with:
Lucy Wonsower @lucysour - Journalist//Editor
Katherine Saviskas - Freelance Journalist
Christina Mrozik @christinamrozikart - Freelance Journalist
Nazish Chunara, @zishery - Freelance Jouralist//Weekly Blog and Social Media Coordinator

Lucy Wonsower

Lucy grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas and was involved in the arts and literary magazine at her high school. She and Amber, our Editor in Chief, have known eachother since they were infants. Lucy started making fine art in 2005 and was involved in Weeknight Rodeo, since its founding and was instrumental in the development of Venison, including naming the publication. She's is currently an avid yogi and bicycler, and lives and works in San Francisco, California.
​                                                                      Check out her artist picks for 2015!

Katherine Saviskas

Katherine lives in Pennsylvania and works in Media Production that is currently education oriented. She's producing The WHO Question, which discusses  the nature of who we need as teachers in the public school system, along with Teachers Like Me, which documents the lives of five teachers who are taking part in Californias "Grow Your Own Teachers" program.
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Adriana and Amber met Katherine at Elsewhere Studios during their second month of residency there. During her stay, Katherine edited footage about students who were studying to become teachers in low-income areas in the Denver area. You can read more about her residency at Elsewhere Studios.

Among the artists Katherine has interviewed are Mary Mazziotti, Channing Morgan and Alice Fate. 

Christina Mrozik

Amber met Christina at an opening at Modern Eden. She and Caity Hackett, a highschool friend, were both showing and they knew one another from a residency they both attended after undergrad. They went to the Academy of Sciences, the next day, on a drawing trip and have kept in touch via phone and social media ever since. 

Christina currently lives in Oregon, and as you may have noticed, was featured in our Winter 2015 issue. She was our first ever podcast style interviewee!

'Thicket.' Part of a 'Intricacies,' a collaborative Project with Zoe Keller. Currently showing at Antler gallery in Portland, Oregon.

Nazish Chunara

INTRO by Amber Imrie-Situnayake
Adriana and I (Amber) met Nazish in the snowy January of 2015. We had all found ourselves at Elsewhere Residency in Paonia, Colorado. While Adriana and I applied together, we couldn't have been more lucky than to be bunking it up with Nazish. The three of us enjoyed one of the best months of my life. Between Nazish baking us concoctions from the Boozy Baker cookbook, watching Space Jam on the projector together, and having loud 90s dance parties in the art studio, you could say, we got along well. Over the four weeks we grew into good friends and we were so excited to continue thinking and collaborating with Nazish through Venison after our residency had ended. She has worked on Venison ever since, working her way up to Manager of the blog and our social media networks. We have to give a HUGE thanks to her for all her awesome hard work!!!
 
Nazish lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. She paints in gouache and ever since Elsewhere, has been experimenting with installation!

You started writing for Venison about a year ago. You have increasingly become more involved in the behind the scenes working of this organization. Recently you became our Weekly blog manager and have taken on a lot of social media rolls. With this you've brought great ideas to the table and invested hours into Venison. What has prompted increased interested in working for Venison and what about this magazine do you enjoy most? 
It's interesting that you ask that, because I wonder as well. I mean, for survivals sake, most of us do things that bring in money. But Venison purely voluntary, brings in a different kind of wealth. 

Study of Dusk, an installation. Gouache on Bristol, 2015

I know it sounds cheesy, but it's honestly what it feels like. The concept of being part of a team, with people you get along with, who have a mission you admire, who work as hard (or harder) than you is incredibly important. It's inspiring. Venison is inspiring. What I enjoy the most is being able to pick the brains of artists. I love discovering, learning and being smacked across the face with new information. Good, positive, storied, mission oriented information. It's nice to be able to bounce ideas off of fellow artists, as well. When I spoke to our other journalists, each one of them had one common thought on the importance of Venison, which was the building of community and a support system. So this, I too, enjoy.

"Venison...brings in a different kind of wealth."

How has your involvement in Venison influenced your own art career?  
Being part of Venison has opened up the doors to a community I honestly didn't know existed. I don't have formal training in fine art, so throughout school, I had a different idea of what was to come after. It's introduced me to new avenues of thought and opportunity. I've come to realize that there are so many people and concepts to be discussed and learned from. Venisons has taught me that being an artist is a constant process and that it cannot be pushed, but can be encouraged if you open up a little bit. Being part of this organization has helped me take myself and my art more seriously, and to try to fight the fear of becoming vulnerable. It's an ever long process, but I'm less afraid each day. The possibilities are endless, as we can see with all the artists we've been introduced to.

Close up of Dusk, gouache on Bristol, 2015

Close up of Dusk, gouache on Bristol, 2015

What have you been working on in the studio? 
There's a ton of experimenting right now and I've been working on my second installation of the year. I'm using pine and poplar wood; learning to use new tools such as a circular saw. I'm more interested in the materials and tools I'm using than what I'm creating. Sounds unproductive, but it's important. I've really set myself up for a challenge. Normally, I create 2D works, so designing and executing an installation is completely different. I'm literally building something and it's intimidating. I'm also experimenting with using only primary colors. It's another challenge that I quite enjoy, because it pushes me to create as many colors as I can.

In progress, Dawn, an installation. Acrylic on Poplar wood, 2015.

"I've really set myself up for a challenge."

What are you excited for in 2016? 
I'm excited to continue what I've started this year. A new installation, forming stronger bonds with others and with myself, continuing to contribute to Venison; watching it grow. Along with that, enhancing my writing skills, exploring what role art plays in my world and studying for my pilots license! The more I journey, the more I find I can do. In January, I'll be part of a group pop up show called Module, at Art Share LA in downtown Los Angeles. I'm excited about this because I'll be revealing the installation titled "Dusk," that I'm currently working on. What I'm most excited about for the coming year is seeing how much further I can push myself. 2015, alone, has been a year of major growth, both personally and professionally.