March Artist of the Month

Meet our March artist of the month (as well as one of our founding members), Maggie Crisler.

Tell us a little about yourself (name, affiliations, etc.)

My name is Maggie Crisler and I am a photographer & graphic designer. I graduated from the University of Alabama last May with a degree in graphic design & advertising. I moved back to Florence after 4 years in Tuscaloosa to marry my sweetheart. I'm also a barista at Rivertown Coffee Co.

What materials do you commonly use in your art (and why)?

As far as photography goes, I work mostly with my Canon 30D and Photoshop. I have an old 35mm Minolta that I still play around with from time to time. For design work, I like to stick with Adobe Illustrator. I also like to hand-print some of my design work and prefer either linoleum blocks or screenprinting. I love the slight variations and imperfections that result from hand-printing things.

Describe your artistic style and/or approach.

People are most definitely my favorite subjects. I tend to talk a lot when I'm shooting...I feel it makes my subjects more comfortable. The more comfortable they are, the more natural the photos...and the closer I can get (which works well for my composites). I love shooting close so I can capture every detail possible. When designing, I spend most of my time manipulating type. I took a typography class when I was a junior in college and it ruined me. I'm a type freak now. I love design that is clean, simple & straight-forward. I suppose I feel the same about photography as well.

What influences your art?

People. The way they move, look, act, dress...everything. People fascinate me.

What do you want the viewer to take away from your art?

I want them to see the beauty in the subject the same way that I do. I want them to notice all the little details that I do, and even some that I may have missed.

What do you do when you're not making art?

A fairly sizable part of my time is spent doing things for the Art Hive. I can usually be found at Rivertown - working or not working. I enjoy spending time with my husband and our Scottish Terrier, Simon...we're pretty hooked on The Office and Arrested Development. I love sewing and cooking. I spend a good deal of time with friends as well.

How can someone contact you if they are interested in purchasing your art?

My website has contact info on it...please visit. www.magpie-photo.com or you can follow my blog: magpiephoto.tumblr.com