Tell me about your class and what excites you about teaching at Anderson Ranch.
So the class is woodcarving; it’s a cool class because my father taught me how to carve on stone, but wood is actually a much easier medium to get going on. It’s what I did at Anderson Ranch when I came as a visiting artist, so it’s just fun for me to utilize one of my favorite parts at The Ranch so other people that are coming get to see what I find extra special about it. I am hoping that people find similar inspiration like I did and can share what’s so special about The Ranch.
When do you make art? What is your art-making schedule like?
I am here in my studio from 9 – 5 pm or 10 – 6 pm. I treat it like a job; I produce everyday and then I take time off like the weekends and I take vacations. I treat it like a normal 9– 5 pm job.
Are there any crazy or wild artistic projects you have not done that you want to do?
There is this one idea I had, like useless architecture. I want to make a house that really serves no function at all. Just to have a good time at, and that would be like, you go in, take your clothes off and anything that felt constricting. You would go naked into it and then you can sleep, bathe and do all that stuff but nothing would feel normal. The bathroom would have water spitting out the wall from one side and it’s much more of an experience, but you couldn’t really live there, so that is a hard thing to try and convince someone to do. It’s a lot of money to spend on a useless space.
Niki Haas will be teaching a Wood Carving Form workshop at Anderson Ranch from June 12 – 16.
