Photo by Kelly Burgess
Artist Statement:
I love making things: whether in motion, in scraps of forgotten imagery, in the marriage of unexpected colors and textures, in the blink of a shutter, in the lilting of my voice, the tilt of my pencil, the rolling frames of raw captured humanness, and in the gentle space I hold for storytellers. What I love the most about being an artist is less about what I create and more about what I notice. As an empath, an autistic, and an introvert I am at once profoundly overwhelmed and in complete awe of the world around me. These days I seek more and more to calm the roaring seas within me and create an antidote to speeding up by slowing down; in my dance, clowning, photos, films, fashion, and collages.
I am inspired by minimalism, decay, juxtaposition, experimentation, ephemera, and an innate reverence for nature and the ocean originating from my unique island upbringing. I love using layers because they portray my constant inner tug of war between inspiration and overstimulation; my need to hide and be seen simultaneously.
Lately on Instagram:
Photo/Video/Performance Art/Fashion: @fionarosesmall Collage/Mixed Media: @fionasmallcollage
About:
Fiona Small, a multidisciplinary artist born on San Juan Island, Washington, discovered her creative passion from an early age and began exhibiting her work at age 11. After studying musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, she delved deeper into the arts during her six-year residency in Colorado. Fiona was recognized with Naropa University’s Rising Artist Award upon graduating with a BA in Music and a Minor in Performance in 2020. Her work explores multi-sensory experiences, relationship to nature, neurodiversity, sustainability, contemporary clowning, and whimsy through vibrant collage, unconventional fashion, performance art and multimedia pieces. After spending 2.5 years in Vermont and collaborating with renowned musicians including Moira Smiley, Seamus Egan, and Mikahely, Fiona now splits her time between San Juan Island and Seattle, WA.
