Table Of Contents May 2011
Artist
10 Artist-2-Artist: Buck Squibb and 22 Adam Brochsteain 34 Sean Brady 57 Sam George 66 Geo
4 Abstraks May 2011
Articles 50 Kulturez
80 Boston Cyberarts Festival
Worp
Coming Soon
Founder/Editor-In-Chief
Darius Loftis
Art Director
Brianna Calello
Writing Editor
Claudia Puccio
Contributing Writers
Brianna Calello Darius Loftis
Marketing
Pete Cosmos Darius Loftis
6 Abstraks May 2011
May 2011 Abstraks 7
Artist-2-Artist
Buck Squibb
Buck Squibb and Adam Brochstein are both local photographers and friends.Abstraks decided to let them take the wheel and interview each other in something we¹re calling "Artist 2 Artist" Adam Brochstein: Hi, Mr. Buck Squibb! Buck Squibb: Hello! AB: I’ve got some questions for you, what was your first introduction to art? BS: That started pretty early on, my mother is an artist - a painter. Art was surrounding the house at all times, whether she was buying art and bringing it into the house, or she was producing it right under my bedroom in her studio. Also, my entire family has been involved in the arts in some way, shape, or form... writers, painters, printmakers, as well as my father who is a carpenter. That’s a strong art form for me as well, seeing these amazing structures that he builds, so there was always a feeling of creation within my household. AB: When you were growing up who were some artists that influenced you? BS: Back to my mother, who is definitely a key figure, and my father as well. Past them, just family for the most part, it’s been such a heavy part of my home that I didn’t really need to look outside; all of the influence was being brought to me through my parents. AB: Can you talk a little about your creative process? BS: I like to photograph strangers; I like to find a connection with somebody. The connection for me, within an environment or a specific place, occurs when I have
no reason to be a part of it, but through photography make myself a part of it. I kind of hunt, in a way I’m a little bit predatory, I know the type I want to make an image of, and even so I’ll go beyond that type and try to make this connection. Between photographer and subject this relationship manifests and it either lasts that split second or it lasts a lifetime, I’m still talking to people that I’ve photographed. It’s more than just the click of an image and light on emulsion, it’s actually this real feeling between a stranger and myself. AB:You tend to combine portraiture, still life, and landscape; do you feel that combination of genres emphasizes what you’re trying to say in your body of work? BS: Definitely. Once I’ve gathered all of these portraits of strangers, the next step is to begin to form the portrait of the place without the figure. I look towards environments, or to the still life to be made that show either cultural signifiers or just a description of that particular place that cannot be found anywhere else. I feel like the addition of all these pieces weaves everything together to make it more cohesive; whereas just portraits standing still within a whole body of work just falls short - you never actually meet the place - this allows you to become a part of it. It’s all about the organization of these types of people that cannot exist without the environment, and neither can the environment exist without them. AB: Who are some artists that you’re currently following?
“I kind of hunt in a way I’m a little bit predatory, I know the type I want to make an image of, and even so I’ll go beyond that type and try to make this connection.”
BS: Alec Soth has always been a huge influence, I feel like he works with environment, landscape, portrait, and connects all of those things so fluidly, which is something that I need to accomplish in some ways and am working towards. Also, Richard Renaldi, he is a similar photographer. I look at a lot of documentary photographers; I love Bruce Davidson, especially his work Subway. Man, there are a lot, Adam just showed me this guy Nicolai Howalt, he’s brilliant! It doesn’t look anything like my work but it’s so good! Taking influence from all of the people completely opposite to my style is such a great help, and taking influence from painting, and printmaking… all of the art
Page 13: Nick and his Dog, Cape Cod, MA - Photography Page 14: Burger King, Cape Cod, MA - Photography
Page 15: Elks Club Basketball Hoops, Cape Cod, MA Page 16: Mann, Chez Vous Roller Rink, Dorchester, MA
12 Abstraks May 2011
forms are in translation together that’s how you can reappropriate them in a way in a still image. AB: What you working towards now?
this need to create a portrait. I think Detroit is definitely on my list, I think I look towards places that aren’t thriving, and if they are I want to show you the other side of it, what you wouldn’t expect along with what you would.
BS: I’m moving to the Cape, to P-Town. I’m originally from the Cape but I’ve never spent a summer in magic P-Town, it’s a very different place. I’d like to continue my process of forming a portrait of place. I really want to photograph tourists on the beach, and begin to show the separation between a summer of perfect vacation life on a touristic part of the Cape (of those that invade in a way) with that of the off-season where things aren’t always as they seem. I’m going to travel and hopefully each place I visit I’ll find
You can find more of Buck Squibb’s work on his website at www.bucksquibb.com and he can be reached by email at bucksquibb@gmail.com
Page 17: Father and Son, Chez Vous Roller Rink, Dor., MA Page 18: Homes, Cape Cod, MA Page 19: Beach Bath House, Cape Cod, MA
Page 20: Javon, Chez Vous Roller Rink, Dorchester, MA Page 21: Entrance, Chez Vous Roller Rink, Dorchester, MA May 2011 Abstraks 21
Artist-2-Artist
Adam Brochstein
Buck Squibb: What was your first introduction to art? Adam Brochstein: My first introduction was when I was five years old. My mom thought that giving me a wellrounded education in the art scene was a good idea, so I took drawing classes at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston for about two years. I think the reason I lasted so long was because I was the only dude who wanted to draw, there were about twenty girls and when you’re five, that’s a pretty good thing. BS: Any artists that influenced your childhood? AB: When I was growing up most of the artists that I recognized were more musicians than visual artists, I think early in high school I was introduced to more exotic music. I was introduced to more jazz and much more Page 24: Zebulon & His Other 35x28in Digital C-Print Page 25: Hulk - 28x35in Digital C-Print
24 Abstraks May 2011
thoughtful musicians, it wasn’t until after I pursued music for about six years that I started discovering more visual artists and photographers. I guess while I was growing up it would be people like Dave Brubeck, Allan Holdsworth, more instrumentalists than photographers.
“I try to find people that interest me in someway, and I think I’ve figured it out. It’s either a flaw or something of myself that I see in them that I try and capture when I’m making work.” Page 26: Jonny at Alewife - 28x35in Digital C-Print Page 27: Andrew & His Scar - 28x35in Digital C-Print
BS: What’s your creative process when it comes to photography or other creative art forms? AB: Recently it’s been a lot of brainstorming before each photograph; I tend to work really slowly. I’ll brainstorm a photograph for a certain person and it will probably take me three or four attempts photographing a person before I get there. I also tend to find people that I want to photograph and I’ll revisit them multiple times before I actually get a picture that I’m happy with. It definitely depends on the individual. I try to find people that interest me in someway, and I think I’ve figured it out. It’s either a flaw or something of myself that I see in them that I try and capture when I’m making work.
to kind of deal with that. I’m in the works of experimenting with a project called Post that will hopefully have new images soon. More of Adam Brochstein’s work can be found on his website www.adambrochstein.com and he can be reached by email at adam@adambrochstein.com
BS: Can you name some artists that you follow? AB: Hmm, some photographers I’ve been looking at everyday are Hellen Van Meene, Katy Grannan, and Chris Verene. As far as painters and other visual artists go I’ve been looking at a lot of Holbein, and for multi-media there is a husband and wife team, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller that I’ve kind of been obsessed with for the past couple of years. Ideally if I could afford to make installation work I would emulate them as much as I can, but throwing down $300,000 on one piece is not in the cards. BS: Within the still image what genre do you follow mainly? AB: I’d say for the most part it’s been mainly portraiture. I’ve experimented with trying to go out in the landscape or trying to do a little still life but I always gravitate back towards portraiture and I think I’ve started to embrace that. BS: So what are you working on now? AB: I took a pause from a project I’ve been working on for about a year, a few months ago and I’ve just started getting back into it. There has been a lot of… not turmoil per say, but action happening in my family life. The project I had been working on before was influenced by the relationship I have with my father, how that can either visually or emotionally manifest as one grows up, and because that relationship at the moment is tense- to say the least, I’ve been trying to figure out another creative project outlet Page 28: Myself & My Father - 35x28in Digital C-Print Page 29: Buck & His Shoulder Blades - 28x35in Digital Page 30: Myself & My Father - 22x28in Digital C-Print
Page 31: Matthew & His Bed - 35x28in Digital C-Print Page 32: David - 35x28in Digital C-Print May 2011 Abstraks 33
Sean Brady
Sean Brady is an artist who is knowledgeable about and influenced by art history. This background is evident in his work and in his conceptual thinking. He is also an artist who has a great appreciation for contemporary art. D: Explain the type of artwork that you like to produce? Sean: It’s conceptual, contemporary pop art. I like taking images from everyday life and turning them into paintings. Like when I take religious paintings and juxtapose them with issues going on today. And the scratch tickets, it’s almost perfect for a painting because of the dimensions, cool graphics, flashy images. I just really like how pop art took stuff from everyday life and used it to comment on everything going on. Like Barbara Kruger would use everyday images and put text over them and make you think about what’s going on. D: Besides Barbara Kruger are there any other artists that inspire you? Especially since you said pop art really captures you. S: I would definitely say [Marcel] Duchamp. I liked drawing and painting, and I remember when I went to Bridgewater and I had a art history class. We started reading about Dadaism and Duchamp, I started thinking this guy was a genius. He just had this ability to play with the words and play with visuals and put it all together and make it a coherent idea and present it that way. He kind of blew it open for artists where you didn’t have to paint a picture, or create something.You could just take something and present it.You have your idea for what the metaphor is behind it, but then just by changing it a little bit people can see it in a different way. Duchamp, Jasper Johns, and [Andy] Warhol; I kind of like his stuff. Some of his mentality was kind of tough.
paintings I like and I still have them, or I gave them away to some people. So I was just struggling with this idea of what to do next and I was working at this gas station. And I was going into work there was this scratch ticket on the ground, I picked it up and it was unscratched. I was thinking this thing could be like a million dollar winner or it could be nothing. Right there it was already cool because there could be endless possibilities, it could be a $5 winner, a $10 winner or nothing. It was that idea of being something and being stuck in the middle. I started going through scratch tickets and I had a stack of scratch tickets that reminded me of my dad. I remember as a kid we’d go down and play baseball or basketball, and we’d go to the store. I would get something to eat and he would buy scratch tickets, and if he won he’d go back in and buy another one. I remembered that so I started collecting scratch tickets, like a whole box full of scratch tickets. Just going through looking at the titles to see what they came up with and, how I can relate them to things going on right now or relate them to ideas I had. Also [I] try to bring art history into them like each painting has some art history reference to it. I did this painting of Lady Luck because you see all this great art by men but they’re all of woman. I liked that idea that these ladies were lucky for them and made them famous artists. ‘King For A Day’ was based on Basquiat because he had the three-pointed crown. When I do my work it’s very methodical, I copy straight lines and stuff like that. I love looking at his work because he knew he was a graffiti artist and he knew he wanted to make child-like paintings so he treated them like he was a child. He was just an amazing artist to me.
S: I don’t think anybody has really seen that. I remember I was just out of college and I just graduated and, I was like what am I going to do with my life? Can I be a painter? Can I be an artist? I was kind of struggling with an idea because everything I did in college I hated. I did some
D: Judging by your style and knowledge, it seems like you’re the type to spend some time at the Museum of Fine arts. Is that true? S: I try to go to museums and galleries as much as possible. To me, art is huge, I love art. Once I started learning about it, I wanted to learn about the history of it, I wanted to learn all the styles, and I just wanted to soak it all up. I wanted to see what other artists do and how they create their work. My wife and I went down to Philadelphia this
Page 37: King For A Day, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas Page 38: Sudoku
Page 39: Blue Diamonds, Oil and acrylic on Canvas Page 40: Bullseye, Acrylic on Canvas
D:Your scratch ticket series is real interesting, I don’t think that is something that a lot of people have seen in the art world.
36 Abstraks May 2011
“But there are hundreds of billboards while driving down the highway of advertisements. So if you pay for space it’s ok to put your stuff up, but if you don’t pay for it, it’s not ok to put your stuff up.” past summer and you read about these paintings and you look at them in a book, but once you get there and you see how big it is, and you’re looking at it - oh my God. It’s just amazing when you get up there and you can see what they did. How artists can communicate any way they want is amazing to me, it’s a different language.
remember in ceramics class, I was terrible. The one thing I made that I really liked was we had this project of making bowls. We had to make 3 different bowls and I made one that was a regular bowl, and then I was thinking of a toilet bowl. I put it on a stand and a back onto it so it was a toilet bowl, I put chips in the back and dip in the toilet bowl. My professor hated me but he actually liked it and said it was a really good piece. I’d love to do more 3 dimensional works. This painting I’m doing now is really cool but I’d love to do a 3 dimensional aspect of it, or sculpture. D: Where are you living now and how is that for you as an artist?
S: I would definitely say oil and acrylic are the main things I work in. I do drawing with color pencils but that’s usually preparatory. I would like to do sculpture but I don’t think I’m good enough at it yet. When I took classes I always struggled with ideas of what to do with 3 dimensional. I
S: I live in Bridgewater in the Southshore. I grew up on the Southshore. The toughest thing about living where I live is not being close enough to the city where I can get in everyday to check out the art scene; working a 40 hour job and not being able to make it to gallery openings. The group I’m in S.N.A.C. (Southern New England Artist Community) and the show we did [at Hancock Gallery] was a great motivation for us. It was me and this kid named Scott Francouer; we went to college together. So he called me and asked ‘do you want to start an artist group’? We just started it out as a way to bring our work together so we can talk to each other and have that critique back and
Page 41: The Immaculate Deception. Oil on canvas Page 42-43: The Creation of Adam and Steve, Oil on Canvas
Page 44: Royal flush, Acrylic on Canvas Page 45: Lady Luck, Acrylic on canvas
D: What are the mediums you like to use?
40 Abstraks May 2011
forth. But then one of our old professors, Filipe Miguel joined and he’s an amazing artist with really great ideas. He joined and started talking about getting shows, then we got more people involved, so now we all work together to try and find shows; to create coherent themes and present our stuff. We actually have done a lot of work together to try and show anywhere we can and expose our work. We have a show in New Bedford coming up in July, a show in Raynham. They’re some good places to show, but not as much exposure as you can get in Boston. What I’m trying to do now is find places in the city and start putting my work in, and moving it more north towards the city. D: I think that’s awesome, and I actually ran across your work at Hancock Gallery. There are quite a bit of street artists so with your style it’d be a nice addition. S: I always try the idea of street art but like most artists Page 46: Fortunes In The Cards
46 Abstraks May 2011
you have to kind of find who you are in that art. I really like Banksy’s work, and I really like it because it’s not just a tag. It says something, like when he did the wall in Palestine, that was great because he was making this commentary on everything that was going on around there. And then when he went down to Louisiana after Katrina and did all those pieces down there. I like graffiti because it’s just that kind of vandal aspect where you run out and do this painting that people see. My uncle and I get into arguments about graffiti; whether it’s art or whether people have the right to do that. But there are hundreds of billboards while driving down the highway of advertisements. So if you pay for space it’s ok to put your stuff up, but if you don’t pay for it, it’s not ok to put your stuff up. I read about a kid in Boston, I can’t remember his name, but he started cleaning things in a graffiti style and he was kind of poking fun at that idea of “is it that people hate
graffiti or that they hate personal expression”? The fact that someone is personally expressing them self on someone else’s building. He would go and clean buildings but do it in the style of graffiti, so it was kind of cool that he was making those two connections. D: What are your future plans from here on out? S: To keep working and keep painting, to keep coming up with ideas, try and show my work anywhere, and definitely get more into the Boston art scene. There are some great artists that I’ve seen by going to galleries and art New England. Just seeing the caliber of work that people create, just trying to see if I can create work to that caliber. Not to compete, but to show my stuff in that essence of really good quality work that people want to go see. Sean Brady Email: Seanbrady5@yahoo.com website: http://www.zhibit.org/seanbradyart and http:// www.zhibit.org/snac Blog: http://seanbradyart.blogspot.com/
May 2011 Abstraks 47
103 North Beacon St Allston MA 02134 (617) 782-3250
Hours: Mon - Thu 10:00AM - 9:00PM Fri - Sat 10:00AM - 10:00PM Sun 12:00PM - 6:00PM
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/ MartysBigBuys http://www.yelp.com/biz/martys-big-buys-...
Yes! We’ve got Parking!
Kulturez
You have to love a store that caters to some of the coolest sub-culture subjects; like hip-hop, punk rock, skateboarding, graffiti, and more. A store that has a laid back staff and walls covered with artwork and murals. What is essentially a big cultural melting pot. Kulturez is a store where any sort of sub culture you can think of is embraced and accessible to the community. The store officially opened back in October of 2010. It’s run by three friends - Raodee Rekloos, Mayan Tamang, and Eddie Jones - who all have something different to bring to the table. Together they make up Kulturez and bring their unique skills into the business from, graffiti, b-boying, and a business background. “We are Cambridge boys man” Raodee says, and they’ve been embraced by their own community with a loyal fan base. They’re happy to be in Cambridge and wouldn’t have it any other way.
52 Abstraks May 2011
Prior to Kulturez in the same space was the store Proletariat. Raodee tells me, “Proletariat; was the corner stone or the building block to emulate Kulturez.” They have a lot of respect for Proletariat, and wanted to keep a similar feeling. At the same time they also have changed the store to make it their own. They’re currently in the works of creating their Spring/Summer line for the store’s Kulturez apparel.
Kulturez Dynasty Flaship Store 36 JFK Street 2nd Floor Cambridge, MA 02138 - 3865 (617) 661 FUNK (3865) kinfo@kulturez.com www.kulturez.com
Besides that, they plan to get the shop more situated so they can showcase more artists and galleries. Local artists fill their walls now with pieces of work, and they plan to continue this and display influential art. The folks at Kulturez say they’re looking towards the future where the sky is the limit. Over all they aren’t looking to become pigeon holed, but to have an understanding of what’s hot and continue to give to the community.
May 2011 Abstraks 55
Sam George
Sam George was the first peer I met in art school that made me excited to come to class and see the work others were making. I had the opportunity to collaborate with her a couple of months ago on a short photo series and learned more about the craft than in many of the classes I’ve taken; she may not know this but I look up to her in many ways. It’s funny because I’m not sure if she has recognized it yet, but she is definitely on the verge of figuring herself out as an artist, and so it makes me really happy to feature her at this stage of her career. I think that’s what Abstraks is really about, it doesn’t matter what point of your career you’re in, sometimes what’s more important is finding someone who believes in you. I have a lot of faith in Sam and I think her work has a lot of important things to say. Brianna Calello: Talk about your first introduction to art and when you knew you wanted to pursue it. Sam George: My first introduction was from my grandmother who did a lot of crafts and things to occupy her time, eventually I started doing them with her and realized it was something I really enjoyed doing. Senior year of high school I realized I wanted to pursue it outside of school because I knew doing anything else wouldn’t make me happy. BC: Did you know you wanted to work in photography specifically? SG: I knew photo because I’m not necessarily good at other forms of art; I can’t really draw or paint that well, but I can compose and frame things well which is way more fun for me to do in photography. BC: Were you working in photography throughout high school?
year until I graduated high school. By the time I graduated I was the one who had to maintain the darkroom because no one else really cared about it. BC: Can you talk about your creative process? SG: I guess my creative process would be observing things, I observe everything and from that I draw ideas, or I sketch little drawings of how I want the photos to come out, but a lot of the time it comes from making a still that I see in my head. And then I set up the photograph I see in my head and work through it as many times as it takes until I get it the way I want it to. A lot of the time there is a happy accident that comes from it, and many times the photos end up not being what I originally thought them to be but accidents that turned out well. BC: I know that music is really important to you, does it influence your process or the work you make?
SG:Yeah, the first dark room photo class I ever took was at FIT in the 9th grade and from then on I took it every
SG: It influences everything; it influences my mood while I’m in the process because there is always music playing while I’m taking pictures. It sets the tone for the picture that I’m making. I originally come up with ideas for vid-
Page 59: Leroy and Alexis - Photography Page 60: Autorun - Photography
Page 61: Doll House - Photography Page 62-63: Constructed Final - Photography
58 Abstraks May 2011
“The memories are so specific to my own life experience, but since I haven’t shown my face in most of them it can become a universal conversation about women. “
say that my work is really feminine. BC: How has the dollhouse played a role in this, figuratively and physically in the images? SG: Along with the crafts that I did with my grandmother, the dollhouse was something that we really bonded over and spent a lot of time on. It really developed my skill for creating things, as well as my relationship with her. She’s a huge part of how I was raised and who I am.
eos while I am just listening to music on a daily basis, and it sets the pace for them as well.
BC: Has she seen your recent work?
BC: I’m really interested in the project you’re working on now, can you give some back-story on it?
SG: No, I think she will like it, but I definitely think she will cry if I ever explained it to her because it is so much about her.
SG: It’s pretty much become my way of getting memories and feelings out from how I was raised as a child, and what I remember about being raised that way. I was raised predominantly by women and that has had a big impact on the person I am now, and the work that I make. People
BC: As a photographer constantly using yourself in your work do you look to any artists that use the self-portrait, and do you feel it is important that you place yourself in your work in order to have a particular conversation?
Page 62: Still - Photography Page 64: Tea Cup - Photography
Page 62: Knees - Photography Page 64: Porch - Photography
64 Abstraks May 2011
SG: I think it’s been a really important way for me to get my ideas out because I am so much in my own head, I feel like using myself in my current work is super important. The memories are so specific to my own life experience, but since I haven’t shown my face in most of them it can become a universal conversation about women. BC: I feel as though you are on the brink of figuring out the real conversation that you want your work to have, do you think that conversation is ultimately about femininity?
SG: I see myself finishing school, and learning things. I want to learn as much as I possibly can before I go out on my own and show my work to people, or try and get it noticed. I think I need to learn everything that I can. Sam George is a Junior at The Art Institute of Boston working towards her BFA in Photography, some of her work can be viewed at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ samgeorge
SG: I’m not too sure because I know that having a conversation entirely about femininity also excludes a large population that could relate to the work. I mean I am feminine because I’m a woman, but I wouldn’t consider that to be the only thing that the work is about. I think the way I’ve been photographing it lends itself to that but there are definitely ways for me to turn it around and talk about something bigger. BC: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
May 2011 Abstraks 65
G3.O
The best way to describe G3.O is that he’s a jack-of-all-trades. He is an artist that cannot stick to one medium or a single art form. He’s well-rounded in numerous styles, and plans to keep learning. Darius: G3.O, you do photography, fine art, graffiti, and I’ve heard you’ve dipped into tattooing. What is it like being a jack-of-all-trades? G3.O: I guess as an artist I just want to do everything. Anything that I find interesting and I get an opportunity to actually try and learn the trade I jump right into it with no question. Photography fell into my lap when I got into this, art school horizons for a summer. They offered photography and the program paid for my equipment and I just kept on going with it. Same with tattoo, someone asked me for a tattoo and we went and got a tattoo gun and did tattoos. If a door opens I don’t let it close without at least trying it. It might not be for me but I’ll at least try it. I’ve even done glass blowing and ceramics. D: Do you have a favorite medium that you like to use over any other one? G: Acrylic is my favorite but I love photography. It’s something that you can kind of do a little faster and say the same thing. If you do it right you can create something beautiful and I really enjoy doing photography. Working with kids they’re constantly moving you can’t really sit there and sketch them so you take a picture and you’re all set. D: At what age did you really start getting into art? G: I think I was in second grade with my brother Ju. He used to draw a lot of typography and calligraphy. That really inspired me because I liked the way it looked. We’d always have brother competitions like I can do that better, and that’s what really started me off was trying to outdo my brother. I learned a lot from him just watching him and kind of copying his style. I think I was in middle school when I came into my own style. D: What is the type of artwork that you like to produce? Geo: I really like work that just influences people, to show some type of purpose or some type of meaning.
Page 69: Untitled - Acrylic Page 70: Dance - Photo, Photoshop
68 Abstraks May 2011
D: Do you have any artists that push you, in terms of your inspiration? G: Actually a lot of artists that I work with really inspire me and make me work harder. When I look at the stuff that they’re doing, it’s the type of stuff that really pushes me into the world and makes me want to be better than what I am. Working with kids is another one and I’ve been working with kids for a few years now. Their energy and their ideas, when they get a good idea, ain’t no stopping them. So that’s really a big part of me as an artist. D:You mentioned that you like working with kids and you recently landed a job working at Artists for Humanity. I’m sure you are really excited about that. G: I went in this past week just to kind of get the feel of my coworkers and the students and the environment blew me away. The amount of talent that is in that one building is out of control; from the youth to the staff. Working with Pro Black as a team for Swat and a kid named Mikey who is amazing on the computer. People with their skills are amazing and seeing what the kids can do, I’m like dude, this is where I want to be. AFH is a place where I hope that I can stay for a while. D: Are there any projects that you have in mind like doing a children’s book or even your own organization involving children, possibly being a teacher? G: I actually want to go back for my masters in art education. I’ve had a few projects working with kids, one with being around my son all the time. He asks questions that make you think whether you can make an illustration from this and turn it into a book. He asked me “where does the sun go when the moon comes out?” So I came up with this little story explaining where the sun goes and how it and the moon interact with each other. Then I had another project where I’m working on this non-violence piece. I’ve lost a lot of friends and I wanted to say something or ask a question to the kids that are actually doing all the violence. Both of those projects are kind of up in the air right now because I’m still working out the details. Page 71: Poli - Photo, Illustrator Page 72: TMNT - Leather Paint
“Everything is digital but personally I feel as if you have to be able to sketch and create manually before you take it to the computer.” But those are the two things I really want to push out and create some noise with, especially in our neighborhood. D:You live in Roxbury now, How is that for an artist? G: Its quiet and not what I’m used to. I grew up in Archdale, which is in Roslindale. That environment is completely different from where I am now. Where I am now I don’t really hang out in the area, it’s just so quiet and it drives me nuts. I like the noise and I like the kids running around and yelling. I was in Charlestown in the projects and it was loud for no reason (laughs), and I can work better in that environment. D: I was looking at your work earlier and we got into a brief conversation about airbrushing. It’s really rare these days to see an airbrush artist, and I remember growing up and seeing those airbrush stands on the corners in front of barbershops. Do you think airbrushing could come back like that? G: I think a lot of people try it but not everybody can do it. Airbrushing is kind of like fashion; it comes and goes. Everybody wants their sneakers done and T-shirts done when summer comes around and then it dies down after that.You got your people out there over pricing for work that isn’t quality work. I think it’s just a beautiful way of painting. D: Are you an artist who spends a lot of time on your pieces? G:Yeah, I’m my worst critic, if I don’t like it I won’t put it out. D: On average how long do you spend on a piece? G: I guess it all depends on what it is and how intricate it is. If it’s a portrait it can go a few days or a week, more than that sometimes, you know. Page 73: La - Airbrush Page 75: Dance - Study - Bic pen
74 Abstraks May 2011
D:You went to MassArt and you graduated a few years ago. How was the transition for you? G: For me it sucked because I loved the experience of school. But leaving school and not having work and being able to find work, thats the part that really sucks. I finished in ’08 and I’ve been out of work since. I’ve been doing freelance and side jobs here and there but nothing really solid. D: When you mentioned digital did you mean graphic design or just creating digital images? G: In high school I did commercial design, which is basically just graphics. But the teach was just amazing, she wouldn’t let you go to the computer unless you was completely straight. She taught us the basics of everything and I learned how to do watercolor, basic concept, and color theory. [She’d say] you want this color you make it, because she gave us the primaries and we learned how to make every other color. She taught us the basics of everything and then taught us the basics of the computer graphics. I started doing graphics and then went into college for illustration. D:You mentioned typography earlier, which is a huge part of graphic design and you also do graphic design yourself. Do you find it a struggle when you have to do graphic design versus fine arts? They have similarities but at the same time they’re very different. G: I think my creative energy flows a lot better when I’m painting. It’s different when I’m dealing with computers and graphics but I think it flows better with fine art. D: Well it seems that you are an advocate for the digital world at least. G: I think you have to have some understanding and a type of feel for it because if you don’t you are just going to be lost in today’s world. Everything is digital but personally I feel as if you have to be able to sketch and create manually before you take it to the computer. Not necessarily that you have to do it every time, but if you can’t do it by hand - what if the computer crashes and you have a job, then what? If you can ‘t do the basic whatever by hand you’re going to be lost, like a black out. Page 76: Untitled - Conte Crayon Page 77: My First - Watercolor On Wood
D: What are your future plans from here on out? G: I love the thought of being in a gallery. I was in a few galleries when I was at MassArt, nothing real big like a solo show. And I have some shirt designs from this T-shirt company that was started up by me and a few of my friends. Its a spanish influence T shirt line that we can Yo Soy, and we’re pretty much starting with the basic ideas of the drawings with the Dyno Indians. And we’re kind of adding our twist to it. Contact: g3oda3@gmail.com
Page: 78: Young Mad Hatter - Photo May 2011 Abstraks 79
Boston Cyberarts Festival
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the good folks at Abstraks are really into the digital world, really. The Digital Revolution has shaped the lives that we live in numerous ways. So what better way to explore that, than a festival revolving around this subject? What about the Boston Cyberarts Festival? The Boston Cyberarts is a non-profit arts organization, whose focus is geared towards a wide spectrum of media arts along with electronic and digital experimental arts programming. The Boston Cyberarts Festival celebrates technology and artistic outlets. Artists and technologists come from around the world and display visual creativity through new technology and also performing arts. At the Festival you can expect a wide range of music, dance, theatrical performances, visual arts, film and video presentations, educational programs, lectures/demonstrations and symposia. Events from the festival are being held in and
82 Abstraks May 2011
around the city of Boston in places like museums, theaters, education institutions, artists’ studios, galleries, and public spaces. A great place to get started is at Cyberarts Central. Here you can have all your questions answered and more, not to mention it’s where one of our favorite parts of the festival is happening. If you’ve got a smart phone be sure to check out Occupation Forces.You’ll have the opportunity to experience an augmented reality art project where an alien invasion is going on in a public space. And depending on where you’re heading the invasion becomes more intense. Oh, and how could we forget Manifest.AR at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston). Manifest.AR is another augmented reality, and is an international artists collective. It is a medium that takes public spaces and institutions where they can display virtual artwork.
There is quite a lot of stuff to see and do, and it’s all happening for two weeks between April 22-May 8, 2011. So you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy the festivities and celebrate the digital world. Party hard for technology and creativity. Boston Cyberarts, Inc. 9 Myrtle Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 V. 617.524.8495 F. 617.524.9968 info@bostoncyberarts.org
May 2011 Abstraks 85