Creating Her Path
After graduating from the Hartford Art School in 2014, Chelsea Norwich didn’t know what career she wanted to pursue–just that she wanted a job that was creative and would allow her to continue to learn. Her first year post-grad provided her with the time she needed to carve her own path.
Through what she describes as a bizarre series of connections, Norwich ended up working as a prop fabricator and assistant in a Brooklyn-based shop, where her team created amazing objects and props for movies, commercials, and theater. While there, she learned the basics of fabrication and production and has been immersed in this field ever since. She has worked with a variety of shops throughout the city making molds, building furniture, fabricating miniature worlds, and now painting architectural models.
For the last two years, Norwich has worked as the lead painter at an architectural model making firm, Radii Inc., where she is responsible for all of the finishing work on their models. She primarily works with painted airbrush techniques, but also uses hand-painted methods, and creates all the landscaping elements and detail work required for the models. When she is not painting, she assists in the building and assembling of the models as well.
Norwich credits much of her success to her HAS professors, specifically Jeremiah Patterson. "His teachings on color theory and mixing have helped me immensely as I hand mix all colors to match real materials. For us to create an impressive model, we must use impeccable color mixing techniques to create realistic and accurate models, and I would not be able to do that without Jeremiah’s teachings."
During her time at HAS, Norwich was also able to study abroad in both Sicily and Florence. Having the opportunity to study in a place with incredible architecture, art, and landscapes has led her to create artwork inspired by her travels. In addition to her work at Radii Inc., Norwich also started an Etsy shop where she sells custom paintings, prints, and original artwork.
Her advice for future HAS grads? Make connections:
"Make the most out of your time by considering internships and artist assistant jobs, and make connections! Connections are so important and will drastically help when you are looking for a career path. Try different things! Not everything will be the right fit for you and you won’t know until you try. You learn so much in school, but real world experiences are incredibly important as well! And always keep your creative juices flowing! Never stop making art!”
Chelsea Norwich, '14My years at HAS had a drastic impact on my life as an artist and creator.