Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Bayer.
Hi Chloe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I have been painting and creating for my entire life. My mom was an artist- she painted, spun wool on her spinning wheel, wove on a floor loom, sang, and played harp, so my childhood was filled with creative experimentation. She taught me that learning new ways to create wasn’t just a silly indulgence for “when you have the time”- it was necessary to keep your spirit alive and moving. I went to Kendall College of Art and Design for photography for a semester, but I found that I was more passionate about painting and that I preferred the freedom of being self-taught. I have a husband and three sons who are all teenagers now, and I am the caretaker to my brother Phil, who has Down Syndrome. The lessons my mother taught me about keeping your art central in your life have been particularly important when the business and exhaustion of caretaking and motherhood catch up to me. In my non-art life, I am a Social Security Benefits Specialist and Project Manager for an organization called Disability Advocates of Kent County. I work alongside folks on Social Security benefits to help them understand the intricacies of the system as well as how a return to work may affect their benefits. Empowering other Disabled individuals with knowledge and guidance is incredibly meaningful work for me, and I often find that the problem-solving and tenacity that I have developed as an artist translate to my weekday job, as well.
I briefly co-owned and ran a gallery in 2005/2006 and curated for another a couple of years later, and I was on the board of directors of an arts organization called Arts in Motion for 4 years, so I have experienced the art world from many different angles.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have experienced many personal losses and also struggled with depression, anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia, CPTSD, and a mixed connective tissue disorder for my entire adult life. These experiences have, at times, made it harder to have energy for my creative process, but they have also taught me the resilience, tenacity, and ingenuity that have gotten me this far.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As far as my art, I love bold colors and deep lines and the ways in which compositions play with textures. I love being able to feel the depth of the paint and to create an interconnectedness between forms. I do both abstract and objective paintings. My objective paintings are often animals or vintage objects because I enjoy bringing forward the personality of nonhuman subjects.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my earliest memories is cutting my own hair because it kept falling in my eyes while I was drawing. My mom tried to fix it, and I had choppy, crooked bangs for the rest of my childhood.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.viening-butler-studio.sqaure.site
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/chloe_bayer_art
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Vieningbutlerart
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/chloevieningbutler
