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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Art can be social, too, says local painter

‘Loner artist’ expresses through painting

By Jennifer LaRue, jlarue99@hotmail.com

It’s not hard to imagine artist Audreana Camm prancing in the woods as a child in Elk City, Idaho, a small (population 202 as of the 2010 Census) isolated town; without the distractions of a large social circle, she let her imagination and creativity take hold.

When she moved to Lewiston at 14, used to being alone, she became the “loner artist.”

“I have this need to express and to reach out to others, and to be understood,” she said. “Growing up I was always sort of the eccentric, very religious, loner kid. To me creating art is another way of being social.”

Now, the 25-year-old lets her eccentricities, as well as her dreams, rule through art.

After graduating high school, Camm moved to Spokane. She took a few classes at Spokane Community College, designed art projects for preschool children and then worked as a nanny. Currently, she works at Pinot’s Palette, helping others realize their creative potential as they sip adult beverages. The rest of the time, the self-taught artist paints and assembles art.

Camm paints what moves her, including references to popular culture, other people’s selfies and the juxtaposition of unrelated items. She paints from her dreams. “I asked to be shown my path and I started having weird dreams of orbs,” she said. “I painted what I saw, displayed them, and sold them all. To me, they represent hope and the human spirit.”

She began working with bread clips after holding one and contemplating its worth. The habit of tearing up phonebooks began when she had a few hours to kill with nothing but a phonebook and an empty foyer which, after the few hours were up, had a paper carpet in the shape of a bird.

“Though my styles vary, hope and connecting with others is a common theme in my art. With the bread clips and phonebooks, the whole point is taking something that doesn’t appear to have a purpose and giving it one,” she explained. “I think in our society people often feel like they don’t have a purpose. Working with these mediums is a metaphor for that.”

Over the past year, Camm has been creating prolifically and selling regularly. She has shown her work at Andy’s, Agave, Whitestone Winery, Perry Street Pizza and Ramblin’ Road. In February, her work will hang at the Satellite Diner in a group exhibit. During the diner’s First Friday reception, she will demonstrate her techniques at an easel. In March, her work will be at the Big Dipper.