What prompted you to use graphite for this series? Does this material and how it looks relate to the idea of suburbia you are trying to convey?
The choice to use graphite for the Scenes from Suburbia drawings had two parts. The first part was that I felt that out of all the different drawing materials that you can use, graphite was the most relatable to the suburban experience. We all have graphite pencils in our homes, whether for daily use or left over from when we were in school and they were required for tests and such. The second part was that I wanted to push my own drawing skills with pencil further. As I have taught drawing for a few years now, I felt I could push my own technical ability further and gain a deeper understanding of what you can accomplish with just a 2H and 2B pencil.
Did you realize the peculiarity in suburbia subtly throughout growing up in or did you discover it through creating your art pieces and analyzing the community?
I think I may have always been aware of it in the background, which is why my art has always dealt with the environment, both man-made and natural. But I don’t think I became truly aware of the peculiarities and quirks until I started taking regular walks and taking photographs about 4 years ago. I gave myself the challenge of taking a photo every quarter of a mile to generally become more observant of my surroundings and from that I started to recognize the components of the suburban experience.
You say that your work explores our relationship with both natural and man-made environments. Does your idea of suburbia correspond with either of those primarily or is it an interlocking idea?
My idea of suburbia is an interlocking idea of the two but not all suburban experiences feel that way. Greenbelt, MD is a strong example of the interlocking idea because the city and its residents have always been environmentally conscious. They try to alter as little of the landscape around when any construction happens and there are large sections of city property that are preserved as forest areas. While when I lived in Tempe, AZ, for graduate school, it was very much a suburbia of only man-made aspects. One of the oddest things about it was the green grass and oaks trees in peoples’ yards, even though they lived in the desert. So people were altering the very environment they lived in to fit what they expected/wanted.
What brought you to print making and inspired you to teach it? What elements of printmaking do you find separate it from other forms of art?
Printmaking stuck with me because of the process oriented approach to making work. I went to a high school that focused on Science and Technology, so the scientific method was heavily emphasized and when I went to art school I found printmaking to have a similar methodology that I could grasp, understand easily and really enjoy the experimentation of process.
Teaching was always a strong direction for me. Through high school, college and grad school, I taught classes to all different ages. Sometimes they were one off workshops, sometimes multi week or semester long classes, it was something I always enjoyed. So moving on to teach college as a lecturer just made sense, and I love the idea of bringing my knowledge to the next generation of artists, especially printmaking.
I think the main element of printmaking that separates it from other forms of art is the repeatable nature of editions and the option to make many, many copies of a work instead of just the one unique. Some might see this as a downside for investing in art, but I see it as an advantage for the artist. An artist who works in print can have multiple copies of a print go out into collections and let that many more people see it in person than a single painting or sculpture. There is also a tactile nature to printmaking that is unique because prints can be sculptural and yet flat at the same time. The ink sits on paper so differently than any other medium.
What music are you listening to right now?
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of mellower, more rhythmic EDM artists, like Bonobo, RJD2, Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar, plus the Guardian of the Galaxy soundtracks. It’s very nostalgic to when I used to listen to my dad’s favorite oldies radio station as a kid.
