Your work was recently up in the shop in the Rocket to Nowhere show. You created both prints and paintings for the show. Can you talk about how your creation of the two mediums vary?
I’ve been painting for a while now. I am lot more comfortable with the process and materials than I am with screen printing. When painting, my hand is involved and I can manipulate and control the composition, color, paint, and support as I wish. Silkscreen does not afford the same kind of freedoms. It is a process that demands pre planning, and a real technical skill/knowledge. It’s more about producing an image. Rarely do I approach my paintings with a pre-mediated plan. They are usually worked out over an extended period of time, resulting in something that is unexpected. WIth the silk screen prints I did for the Rocket to Nowhere show, I really tried to approach the process of printing more like I do with my paintings and drawings. I treated each print as an experiment. I have little experience with screen printing, so I had a lot of fun working on the series for the show. The images I used for the prints were created from my drawings, and photos. I cut them up, and reassembled them on the photocopier. The compositions feel fragmented and very abstract... None of the prints I did are the same. I used the images in a way that let me really mess around with over printing colors, and screens. I could really work with color in a more direct way than I do in my paintings. I wanted to work with bright, intense colors that give off a sense of light and luminosity.
You and Jeff are a couple who also share a studio, how does this environment have an effect on your work?
When Jeff and I arrived in Providence 3 years ago, we spent weeks looking at studio spaces in Pawtucket, Olneyville, Lincoln, and Wakefield. We finally stumbled upon a space in the Providence Metallizing building in Pawtucket. Within a very massive space, we ended up building out our space with the help of my dad. There was always some question about how it would work out sharing the space. When we finally moved in and got working, it took us a few months to get used to the new set up. Jeff puts up with a lot of my crap, you know, but I couldn’t imagine working in a space without him!! We’ve worked out a real balance in there, and have a lot of respect for each others work. He inspires me!
And finally, what are some local things in Providence that are inspiring or have interested you lately?
AS220 Print Shop, B-Sharp, RI Antique Mall, Ken Weber, RK Projects, Amigos Publishing, Ada Books, La Arepa, Fort Wetherill, West Bakery in Hope Valley, Pizza Strips from Borelli’s on Charles.
You can purchase the above prints in the shop or here:
