New York based artist who specialises in Reliquarium Art
Some Secrets Should Stay Secret, 2010
Found bottle on wooden stand containing instructions on how to build a ship in a bottle
Winning Bingo, Losing Bingo, 2011
Two matching frames containing one single winning bingo card and a large uncounted quantity of losing bingo cards, each with a hand stamped metal plate.
The Entire Life of This Pen, 2011
ballpoint pen and paper in a handmade frame constructed of antique wood and glass
What is more
important to you, the subject of the work or the way it is executed?
This is a really
interesting question, I could probably rant about it for an eternity. I'm
interpreting it to mean the dichotomy between my ideas and my craft.
In my work, I'm
very concerned with the execution (construction of the shadowboxes, the mounting,
materials, etc) because I constantly find myself giving weight and importance
or celebrating and drawing attention to some fairly diminutive objects and
ideas. A solid and thoughtful construction and execution lead the admirer to
want to spend time with the artwork. I did struggle and toil with woodworking
and a poor shop and little knowledge of tools, it took some time (and some
neighbors in Manhattan that hated me for running a table saw in my living room)
for me to really get it down, and become confident and quick in executing my
artwork that it has allowed my ideas to flourish. I enjoy working quickly and I
have a hard time leaving things unfinished at the end of the day, but the
hardest part for me is to learn patience and skill within my craft, to really
refine my craftsmanship. I'm lucky that I haven't had a very long stretch of a
lack of ideas (I know at some point it will happen) But, to conclude... the
conceptual aspect of my work is the most important to me, but the execution is
what makes it worth looking at.
Yes, I do have a
degree. BFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design.
What
environment do you find yourself working in the best?
I definitely work
best alone. I would love to have a studio in my home because sometimes I want
to just wake up and be in my studio. I did have a wood shop in my
apartment right after I graduated from school because I literally had no other
option. It was quite unbelievable that I got away with it. I think it was only
because I lived on the second floor in the loudest neighborhood in New York
that my neighbors didn't completely hate me. Now, I have a studio a short train
ride away in Hoboken, New Jersey I've split it into two rooms, my sawdust room
where I spend most of my time and the other which holds random junk (I have far
too many things) as well as my desk and all the artwork I have on hand so when
I have a studio visit I can display work there.
What is
your main inspiration?
I'm inspired by life, and under appreciated
and overlooked objects, people, and places. I only have ideas when I'm in a
certain frame of mind that comes quite rarely. Maybe one thing or a combination
of a lot of sleep, a perfect book I'm reading, an overwhelming calm, the vast
resource that is the internet, long road trips across America, things like
that.
What
advise would you give to a fresh graduate that wants to pursue a career like
yours?
The advice I could
lend a graduate is to find a way to incorporate creating art in your everyday
life. I had experience while on break from school working 5 days a week
at a day job, and I could not commit myself to working on my artwork. I didn't
pursue a career in an artistic-professional field ie. gallery work or as a
studio assistant or anything in that realm because I knew I wouldn't have enough
time for myself. I ended up talking my way into a string of nighttime service
jobs waitressing then bartending because it allotted me the daytime hours to
work on my own. The first year after graduating was absolutely the most
miserable but became the most rewarding for me. I found a way to balance making
a living and making art. I also really refined my practice and spent a lot of
time experimenting without the constrains of school. I also felt really lame
for spending so much time, money, and energy on making art that no one besides
myself was seeing and I considered just giving up and trying to find a
"real" career so many times, but I didn't. I applied to every open
call I could find, showed at self-sponsored art fairs, even a flea market and
made my own shows. I made contact with collectors, curators, and gallery owners
in the strangest of places and I had to let my work speak for itself because
networking and selling myself is something that is literally impossible to me.
I suppose my advice is to find what works for you, but try and do something
creative every day and find the balance between "real life" and your
artistic life, and never give it up.
What motivates you to create your pieces?
I'm motivated my
finishing a piece. I love to have accomplished something in a day. I love
making things maybe because I know how much I DON'T like NOT making things. I'm
frustrated and crazy when I'm not making anything. I'm also frustrated and
crazy when I am making something and I'm working through a problem but it's a
far more constructive and fun crazy me. I honestly feel as if I have no other
choice.
Does failure motivate you?
Failure... it
definitely teaches me lessons, and yes, in a way motivates me. I've never thought
about it that way but that's definitely true. I have a whole closet full of
failed artwork I'm storing at my mothers house. I hate it and will never look
in it but it definitely has helped me to grow.
Where do you
feel your practice is going?
My practice is
evolving right now. I have some great support from a gallery owner here in New
York who is giving me an outlet to show some larger long term projects. I just
built a 9.5 foot tall cabinet (sorry so american, probably around 3 meters) it
contains 36 velvet lined drawers holding every spoon I've eaten off of since
July 7, 2009. Also large piece containing a paint sample from every subway
station in New York. I spent an exorbitant amount of time underground. I also
had a show this summer where I created a full room installation paneling the
walls of the gallery with a ton of found wood to embed my artwork within the
walls so that you could peer inside to see each piece. I'm focusing on both
long term ideas and ideal setting for my work to be seen. I'm really lucky to
have the opportunity to have this all being shown.
Did you ever
think you wouldn't get this far?
oh my. I doubted
myself and this career choice many times over and over again. I always had
faith in my work but never had enough faith that I could sell it enough to make
anyone ever see it. I'm constantly doubtful.
Who is
your favorite artist?
My favorite artist
is certainly Dario Robleto. His work is
fantastic, I can't even speak about it. The first time I ever saw his work was
a piece titled "The Sin was in Our Hips" at the Massachusetts Museum
of Contemporary Art. It's a pair of male and female pelvic bones constructed of
ground vinyl records and human bone dust. I love the way he transforms
materials and how every aspect of his work is so meticulously constructed.
It's both universal and autobiographical.
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