Elena Agostinis
I was born and raised near Cape Town, South Africa, and received a BA in Graphic Design from Stellenbosch University. My husband and I emigrated to the U.S. in 1976 and have two grown sons.
I have always made art. Since childhood I have been drawn to the use of familiar and un-precious objects and materials to create art. This has been a recurring concept in my work.
Most of my sculptures are made from papier-mache and painted with ordinary house paint. On my canvases I apply house paint using my fingers and hands, preferring not to use brushes. For my jewelry designs I frequently use items from the hardware store in combination with beads and semi-precious stones.
The use of color and texture to transform the ordinary goes hand-in-hand with the need to use the ordinary in my work. This is most evident in the Paint Project, which I started in Tannersville, N.Y., in 2001 and which still continues.
The original idea was simply to paint the run-down buildings as they were, using paint schemes reminiscent of the Victorian-era “Painted Ladies.” Decorative shutters and embellished trash receptacles were added to dress up the drab look of Main Street, Tannersville. The idea took hold, and I joined a local Foundation that had received government grants to improve the facades of properties along Main Street. So far, more than 30 buildings have been painted, with several more scheduled. Tourism has improved, and so has the business climate. The project has been extensively covered by the press, most notably in The New York Times, Ladies' Home Journal and on “The Today Show.”
More examples of my use of simple, everyday objects in decorating and art can be found in the following books: Faux Chic by C & G Sterbenz; Houses of Los Cabos, 3rd edition; and Inside Cottages by Brian Coleman.
A small, independent film company, Saffron Productions, is currently making a short film about creative energy, focusing on my work and the Tannersville Paint Project. I was invited by NYU Stern Business School to address a group of students on the topic of Social Entrepreneurship, covering the Paint Project and its effects on the Village. I am in the process of writing and illustrating a children's book on the same topic.
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Patricia Grace Stevens
I was born and raised in Bloomington, Ind., and in 1976 moved to Champaign, Ill., where I met my husband. For the last 12 years we have lived in the New York City area, first in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and now in lower Westchester County.
I am a renaissance woman in both education and experience, and many of my vocations have been held simultaneously. I began my first career post-college as a surgical nurse, where I was part of a team performing open-heart procedures. I returned to school, majoring in journalism, and then put my combined knowledge and experience to good use working as a medical writer and editor. My husband's avid interest in horse racing paid off for me as I took his turf tutorial and blended it with journalism to become a syndicated sports columnist covering Thoroughbred horse racing.
My artistic temperament and entrepreneurial nature is responsible for my two decades in the fashion industry, first in Illinois and now in New York. The women's clothing boutique I opened in Bronxville, N.Y., in 2001 has evolved into the current Peoria Emporium, with a second store opened in Tannersville, N.Y., in 2005. These stores allow me to express myself as an artist, making jewelry, collaged furniture and, more recently, clothing designed with my partner, Elena.
The major inspiration for my art stems from my childhood and education in Indiana. For example, I look at the quilts made by my grandmother and see their effect — the recycling of fabric, the abstract yet studied piecing of color — upon my own creations. At Indiana University I was fortunate to have studied jewelry design under the renowned Alma Eikerman and to have been taught the beauty of African Art from Professor Roy Sieber. My lifelong love of books and pets is also reflected in my work.
In addition, I have always been an avid collector and am considered a "kitsch curator," housing the offbeat and unusual. My collections have been on loan to museums and are often used by set stylists.
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