ARTIST BIO

EXCERPT FROM INTERVIEW FOR GOAT ISLAND ZINE 

1. How would you describe your style?

 

Instant Cubism 

 

2. What’s your fondest memory making art?

 

That’s a tough one, it’s hard to choose just one.  Maybe the first time I developed an image in the darkroom?  There is something magical about watching an image appear on paper seemingly out of nothing, especially for the first time. 

 

3. Whose work inspires you the most?

 

David Hockney’s photo collages and especially his philosophy on art have been pretty central to my work lately.  If you’re looking for an interesting read, I really enjoyed his interviews in “Hockney on Photography” with Paul Joyce.  Be warned that Hockney can come off as pretty pretentious at times, but it was very thought provoking and inspiring none the less.  Joyce Neimanas’ polaroid collages have also factored in heavily to the images I’ve been making, as well as Lucas Samaras.  Theres something nice about the chaos you can create with this medium, and I think both of these artists do a great job of taking that chaos and making it palatable.     

 

4. How do you think your photo collages in this series compare to the narrative of some of your other works?

 

I think it is something I’ve been building up to for awhile, even if I didn’t always know this was what I was working towards. I kind of looked back and picked my favorite aspects of past bodies of work and combined all of those together in this series.  In the past I’ve used photography to create very conceptual series, but with this body I wanted to focus more on perspective and time.  I want to create images that tell the viewer a story as opposed to images that just give them a voyeuristic glimpse into a moment. 

 

5. What are some of the challenges involved with your subject matter?

 

Probably the most challenging thing is transferring what is in my head on to paper.  Making it in my head is easy, and I’m always trying to envision how everything is going to come together.  More times than not though, unforeseen obstacles pop up when printing and arranging the pieces into a presentable object.  Every subject is different too and requires different solutions.  Also, I have to give a shoutout to anyone who has sat for me as the subject of one of these because they take hours to shoot, which is a challenge in itself.