Corry Blanc
Genre/Medium: Architectural metal, wood
Where are you from? What brought you to (or back to, or kept you from leaving) Charlottesville? I am from north Georgia, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Just as I was finishing a four-year metal working apprenticeship in Georgia, my girlfriend was starting a Ph.D. program at UVa so we moved up here together. Although I didn’t know much about Charlottesville when I moved here, I quickly saw the support this community has for artisan work and that has been instrumental in keeping me in this area… plus, my girlfriend still hasn’t finished her Ph.D. program.
What are your favorite things to do around Charlottesville? We love to cook and getting to know people at many of the local farms has been a lot of fun. Living in this area makes it easy to have a connection with the people who supply our food. We also enjoy kayaking on the Rivanna, hiking Shenandoah and cycling in the areas surrounding Charlottesville. This area has been perfect to do almost anything outdoors.
What inspires your creativity? Lately, found objects have really inspired me. Salvaged materials from scrap yards or old buildings can be repurposed and used again. I’m kind of a pack rat and never want to throw anything away so I have to find something to do with the cool stuff that I find. Designing for function can also be inspirational. Making something to suit a specific purpose can lead to design features that I might not have thought of without the constraints of it having to function well.
What do you love most about what you do? I love creating. At the end of the day, I have something to show for my work. Each type of wood or metal has different properties so learning about those properties means I’m always experimenting. I can always find something new to explore so the work never gets boring.
What are the challenges and opportunities you face as an artist? Many aspects of being an artist have been both an opportunity and a challenge. For example, owning my business. There is a lot of freedom in owning a business. I get to learn what and when I want to and decide how I want to spend my time. This is also a challenge. It calls for a lot of self-discipline and self-motivation because I’m not accountable to anyone on a daily basis.
What are your favorite ways to stay connected with the arts community in Charlottesville? I believe that everyone has inherent creativity and an opinion on art. I try to get feedback from everyone that I know. A lot of people that I collaborate with wouldn’t describe themselves as artists, but they have greatly influenced my work. In order to be successful, many artists have had to think of themselves as business people and, as a business, we need the support of our communities. Just as I hope people will work with me when they need metalwork, I support locally owned businesses whenever possible. These may be artistic businesses or a hardware shop, coffee roaster or restaurant. Staying connected to the community in general definitely fuels my work in many ways.
