Girl with Curious Hair. Photo: Marisa Howenstine.
Marisa Howenstine (BFA 10 Photography) has had a great run the past two years with three images selected by Graphis for its prestigious Photography Annual, this year grabbing a Gold for “Ecce Homo: Behold the Man” and a Silver for “Modern Nature” and last year earning a Silver for “Murder of Crows.” The Dotted Line took this opportunity to catch up with her and find out a little more about this artist and her work.
Dotted Line: What is your genre of photography, and can you talk about your working process?
Marisa Howenstine: At Art Center, I became a conceptual photographer (1st Term, Steve LaVoie’s “Concept” class, to be exact!). For me, conceptual photography is not capturing what Henri Cartier-Bresson called “the decisive moment,” but rather constructing images that create the decisive moment.
Modern Nature. Photo: Marisa Howenstine.
I have a slew of notebooks, napkins, stickies, envelopes, business cards — anything that I can write on — that guide me through my creative process. Research is key; I never create something from nothing. And I don’t stop processing until the photograph is finalized in my mind. I own my concept’s environments; I own my concept’s characters. So no detail goes unnoticed —down to a model’s hand gesture, the fold in her dress, the color of her nail polish…
I have an incredibly talented crew who help execute my visions. I work with photo assistants, set builders, prop masters, clothing designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, wardrobe assistants — whomever it takes to get the job done. And we put in whatever time it takes to achieve what I want. My photographs aren’t snapshots; they’re highly conceived and constructed. I want people to engage with my photography, not just to look at it.
DL: Can you describe one (or two) recent project(s) completed in the last 1-3 years that have been especially noteworthy?
MH: Yes. The most bizarre project I did was a couple years ago when I was hired to shoot a picture of a billboard. I initially thought it was a joke. What made it noteworthy was that this billboard photograph was going to be created into a print and given as a Christmas gift to the ubiquitous actor, James Franco. My friend, Scott Haze, who was the lead actor in James Franco’s 2013 movie, “Child of God,” gave me the project. Franco had painted/designed a billboard advertising “Child of God” that was right next to the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel but both of the actors were out of town and never saw it in person.
Franco Billboard. Photo: Marisa Howenstine
Haze went through several other photographers, but no one could nail it. The job was insane; it took three days to complete from location scouting to light testing to shooting to retouching. Instead of shooting during the day, which produced the most boring snapshots, I decided to shoot at night. Because I couldn’t dodge the cars standing in the middle of The Sunset Strip, I stood with an assistant across the street from Chateau Marmont and waited for perfect “Golden Hour” timing. Once the sun began to set, I started shooting, dragging the shutter to create light trails from the cars zipping by. The end result was this magical collision of juicy colors, compelling composition, and intense mood. It was so surreal to sign the aluminum print that I made of it, knowing the image was going to be hanging on this Oscar-nominated actor’s wall. I have no idea if the image is currently displayed in his living room or in his bathroom. All I know is that Franco was thrilled with the piece; when he posted it on Instagram, it received 15,000 “Likes” in less than an hour.
Ecce Homo: Behold the Man. Photo: Marisa Howenstine.
DL: Describe your experience behind the Graphis awards, in particular the Gold winning shot, “Ecce Homo: Behold the Man”?
MH: “Ecce Homo: Behold the Man” is an image from my ongoing personal project called “The Murder Artist” series. These characters juxtapose their inner pain through outer beauty in some haunting way. I met a “cutter” awhile back who became my inspiration for “Ecce Homo: Behold the Man.” This person had dozens of self-inflicted wounds on their body. “How can someone do something so brutal to themselves?” I thought. While the cutter’s scars were initially jarring to look at, it got me questioning…. Could I create beauty out of this darkness? And what would a pained artist as a perfected man look like?
DL: What was your life like before Art Center?
MH: To say my life before Art Center was challenging is an understatement. I had a difficult upbringing, which is noticeable in my work — at least with the more provocative pieces—there is an edge to them. I’m not afraid to explore the dark side of life because I’ve been there before.
Tea Party for One. Photo: Marisa Howenstine.
I’ve experienced the gamut of emotions from good to bad and I embrace them, sit with them and don’t shy away from them. I think that’s why people respond to my work — my images entertain their emotions. I once had a solo exhibit where a guest looked at one of my images (“Tea Party for One”) and went to the restroom in tears as it resonated so much with her emotionally. That’s one of the most powerful stories I’ve heard in response to my photography.
DL: What made you choose to attend Art Center?
MH: When I decided to pursue a photography degree, I did the research and discovered Art Center was rated one of the top art schools on the West Coast. So I applied and received a 75% scholarship to attend. Even then, I felt so under qualified and was so scared to be a student at this prestigious institution that I skipped orientation during the first week of school!
Murder of Crows. Photo: Marisa Howenstine.
DL: What did you learn while at Art Center?
MH: Acknowledge your fear and do it anyway. I cannot emphasize how many times I looked at an upper-term student’s lighting schematic in Art Center’s photo studio, in awe and in intimidation. Next thing I know, the following semester I’m working with not one strobe and one power pack but with ten strobes and ten power packs! It’s safe to say I didn’t want to be a good photographer. I wanted to be a great photographer.
I also learned how to get serious support for what I was doing. No one else was coming up with these crazy ideas to shoot flying scissors out of cages with a model and mounds of her hair on the floor (“Girl with Curious Hair”). Or shooting a diptych with a model surrounded by 75+ dildos (“Woman & Man, 2009 A.D.”). Building these sets in my house and rented studios was incredibly difficult. I was managing crews up to 10 people at times, which is a lot for a student photographer. I also conceptualized, produced, designed, lit, shot, and retouched each photograph. I received assistance along the way, but at the end of the day, I was responsible for my own image.
DL: Who was your most influential mentor while at Art Center?
Marisa Howenstine
MH: Steve LaVoie, who taught me in three classes, changed my life as a mentor and as a friend. Every collaboration we did was gratifying; he pushed me creatively, artistically and intellectually in ways that no other teacher had done. I remember after the first term’s meeting in his Concept class, I met him in the cafeteria and confessed my sheer terror in being with students a decade younger than me with far more shooting experience. He made a commitment to help me through all my fears, frustrations, and f@$% ups. I graduated three years later from Art Center with Honors and awards for my work. There are no words to describe my gratitude for this incredible teacher. I wouldn’t be the photographer that I am today without him.
Woman & Man, 2009 A.D. Photo: Marisa Howenstine.
