Artists of La Crosse: Allison Utz
Artists of La Crosse, WI: This is a series dedicated to local artists of the La Crosse area.
The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to the art community, what artists stand for, their purpose, their mediums, about the artist themselves and most importantly to connect everyone to one another.
For my project, I will be creating a piece dedicated to the artist and their art. It is a piece that integrates the two together; The process of this involves me taking a portrait of the artist and then creating a double exposure of the artist with their art
In conclusion ~ Make art of the artist and their art
It's like art to the third power or art inception!
This is a fun and interactive way for other artists to meet one another or learn about eachother. I will be sharing a new artist weekly so please make sure to check back in to see the new featured artist.
as always~ Enjoy!
This Week's Feature
Artist name: Allison Utz
Medium(s): Photography
Website: https://allisonceciliautz.wixsite.com/auphotography
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/152292102@N05/albums
Instagram: @auphotography
Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/AUPhotographs
Email: Allisonceciliautz@yahoo.com OR Allisonutz04@gmail.com
When did you notice that you had a love for art?
Photography has been one of my passions such I was about fourteen years old. It started with a miniature digital camera and photographing literally every moment I encountered for the first few years. After that, my parents purchased a Canon Rebel T2i camera to photograph my sporting events, but were not very technologically advanced or photographically creative by any means to operate it. Therefore, I took on the Canon camera and fell in love with photography even more than I had before. People started to notice my photographically creative eye and told me to stick with my passion and continue improving my abilities. I have recently upgraded to a Canon 77D DLSR and I cannot express how much I love this camera. I have grown from the fourteen-year-old me whom once only photographed with a digital camera. Since then, I have created my own small and growing business on the side called AU Photography. AU Photography was created by me with passion and love. I have photographed a variety of events and people, from babies, seniors, families, sporting events, nature/landscape, and much more.
Are you originally from La Crosse? If not, where are you from and how long have you lived here?
I am originally from Marshall, Wisconsin which is located about two hours South of La Crosse in the Madison area. I had come to La Crosse as a transfer student my sophomore year of college and enrolled at Viterbo University. After graduation in May of 2019 I had moved back to Marshall temporarily, and then ended up moving in with the love of my life abruptly, and we have been here ever since September 2019.
Growing up what were your major influences as an artist? Other artists, Life events?
Growing up I did not have any specific influences when it came to photography. I was more intrigued by larger platforms whom incorporated photography within their work; platforms such as: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, VOGUE, and various others. I absolutely love photographing sports, they are high-tense and very interactive. But I also have a huge love for photographing fashion and aspects seen in higher profile magazines such as VOGUE.
What message do you want to share about your art?
I think the primary message I want to share about my art is taken away from my “Breaking the Stigma” mental health series in which I originally presented at a RAW Artist showcase in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I want those struggling to know that they are not alone, and that if they ever need someone to lean on I am here for them as more than a photographer.
What do you stand for as an artist?
As an artist I stand for other artist supporting other artists. When it comes to art, I do not see it as a competition needing to be won. I believe we all have different journeys traveled by, different lessons learned, and different stories to tell through the expressions of our art.
What is your process or headspace you get into while creating new pieces?
When creating a new piece, once I have an idea inside my head, I cannot do anything else but eat, sleep, and breathe it. A prime example of me as an artist experiencing this was when I had the idea of creating my “Breaking the Stigma” series regarding mental health. Though I do art for myself and create primarily for myself, I like to be able to take the aspects/outlooks of other people struggling, so they can relate to it on a more personal level.
What does the piece you chose for this project mean to you? Why did you choose this one vs other pieces you have created?
I chose two pieces from my mental health series. I chose these because I have struggled with mental health for most of my life and continue the battle hidden behind closed doors. Within this series I took aspects that people (including myself) felt who suffered with mental health issues. Some of those aspects included: drowning, suffocating, broken, romanticizing medication, and so forth. I am diagnosed with depressive-disorder, bipolar-disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and am a recovering alcoholic (sober 559 days and counting). I think mental health disorders have a huge stigma connotation within society and I want to help those who are struggling like me feel something that sparks them to want to have the conversation so many people are afraid to have.
