Interview with CRISIS Art Residency Project

This is a recording of an interview I did with Kate Osmond from CRISIS Residency. https://www.crisisresidency.org/

Saturday Studio Shot

Finally getting back into a good process after a post-grad school break

Thursday Thoughts: John Dewey on what makes bad art

“We derive the impression that the artist is trying to regulate by conscious intent the nature of the emotion aroused. We are irritated by a feeling that he is manipulating materials to secure an effect decided upon in advance. The facets of the work are held together by some external force. The author, not the subject matter, is the arbiter.”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way that I make art. Aesthetically, I find order and structure fascinating. A problem arises when that interest in order expands into a desire for control over every facet of the creative process and the subsequent experience of my work. I want to know ahead of time how a piece will turn out how my viewer’s will “read” it. When an artist starts with a message and stays on task, analyzing every element to be in as much control as possible over his audience, that is propaganda. Good art is made by those who are looking for truth and meaning, not those who already have all the answers. I want to have a posture of openness and humility as I work. In an undergraduate paper I once wrote, “art-making is a process of discovery and response,” a sentiment I’d like to hold on to. I could just make pretty pictures from a place of comfortable control, but the whole reason I make art is to learn and discover.

Thursday Thoughts: Avoiding Contrived Art

Close-up of a new drawing: Mist, Ash, Dust. I used this piece to experiment with the possibilities of ink, graphite, and graphite suspended in water. The complete drawing is 40″x10″ and took 35 hours. 

When making art about something (a work of literature, for example) it is difficult to avoid being contrived. My method is to spend time exploring my materials with no agenda other than discovery. This allows me to develop a broad visual vocabulary. Then when I sit down to “illuminate” a story or poem my ideas are phrased in this visual language rather than direct one-to-one symbols. I hope this language grows more subtle and complex as I continue to develop my practice.