Tina Hirsig
Artist’s Bio
Tina Hirsig grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. Having antique-dealer parents, she was influenced by the unique, timeless objects she had around her, which now enter into her artwork. Her family spent long summers traveling and camping which sparked a lifelong love of nature and adventure.
After graduating from Illinois State University with a Bachelors Degree in Education and Art, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts where she attended the Art Studio program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This experience solidified her commitment to the arts and arts education. Teaching the next ten years in Boston, she gained the knowledge and experience in art education, arts advocacy, as well as establishing a studio practice. In 2003 Tina moved to Charleston, South Carolina and has since completed her Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. She is currently maintaining an active studio practice, raising two young sons with her husband, teaching at the College of Charleston, as well as camping, surfing, and canoeing whenever she can.
Artist’s Statement
Tina Hirsig is an artist living and working in Charleston, South Carolina. A vital part of her creative process begins with observation drawing in nature. It is these quiet moments of looking/listening that inspire and direct new work. These drawings are sometimes designed into her sculpture while other times serve simply as a process of learning and thinking. A natural extension of this quiet practice is her voracious reading habit. Research in the disciplines of Science, Education, Art, Poetry, and History adds depth and context to Tina’s interdisciplinary art process.
During the not-so-quiet days raising two young boys, Tina collects objects (natural and artificial). Her collections of weathered stones, rusted metal, books, or antique objects found in thrift stores or roadsides serve as direct physical connections to the subject matter she studies in her work. These weathered artifacts are a tangible link from Tina’s past, growing up with antique-dealer parents and to her present as a visual artist reflecting on culture. Working with found objects enhances Tina’s ability to create this personal and physical connection in ways that just drawing onto a flat plane cannot.