CORONA TIMES - Jasper Talks with Dre Lopez about Designing During COVID

Cindi Boiter November 14, 2020

Please don’t give up. Your worst days will always pass, even if that is difficult to see sometimes. If you won’t do it for yourself anymore, do it for your loved ones. Always keep fighting.

In keeping with Jasper’s coverage of arts and artists during these weird quarantine times, we had the fun of a virtual interview with Columbia-based artist Dre Lopez last week. Catch up with Dre below & see what he’s been up to in this parallel universe we’re calling 2020.

JASPER: Dre, you’ve been a stalwart figure on the Columbia arts scene for a while now, but not everyone knows your story. Can you tell us about where you grew up and how you came to be the artist you are now?

DRE: Thank you for having me! Well, my family moved around a good bit when I was a child so there’s several places that I sorta grew up in. That said, I moved to Columbia from Miami. In regards to my journey as an artist, it’s a big mixed bag of experiences and influences. I’m self-taught so I’ve been creating since I was a kid and have pulled my lessons from all over the place. Illustration of different kinds, renaissance painters, Graffiti writers, animation, graphic design, fashion design, etc. I’ve always been a student of the craft so I just kept practicing and experimenting but forayed into professional waters as a freelance illustrator in 2003 and started doing professional graphic design around 2007. I’m lucky to have dove into so many mediums and methods which allowed me to become a fairly versatile artist. I’ve been able to work in several different fields which is so important as a freelancer, to stay productive and busy. I’m still learning (which I love), so the journey to “master” what I do will end when I die. That feeds me, keeps me excited, seeing that there is so much more that I can add to my tool belt as I see improvements still after all these years.

DRE: You are a designer, illustrator, graphic artist and more – where do you spend the bulk of your time and what would you rather do if you could do whatever you wanted?

DRE: The bulk of my time is split between graphic design and illustration. Depends on the season, it varies. I love doing it all and prefer the variety. It keeps things fresh and challenges my mind to work in different ways, from one project to the next. Helps with boredom as well, my mind gets bored easily. Now, if I had the ideal conditions, I would add even more variety, lol. More illustration, more design, more painting, murals, sculpting, custom fashion, etcetera, etcetera.

JASPER: Do you mostly do freelance work or do you have a regular day job?

DRE: Yeah, for the most part I’m a freelancer. I’ve had other jobs throughout the years that are both in my field, as well as other areas that have nothing to do with being a creative.

One thing I’ve learned is that your goals can change as you go through your career, and allowing that perspective to take hold will open up so many other opportunities and accomplishments that you may not have realized were possible when you started.

JASPER: Who have been your greatest influences as an artist and what have you learned from them?

DRE: Hmm, that’s a tough question. I’ve researched, studied, and pulled inspiration and lessons from SO many creators and creative fields. With illustration most of my influences come from comic books, anime and editorial illustrators. I still use a sense of storytelling with most of the work I do, this being part of what I learned specifically from sequential illustration and animation. With my painting, the masters of the Renaissance and the Baroque Period were the main sources I looked to for technique and foundation to better my process. My graphic design is probably most influenced by German minimalist aesthetics. I would also say that Street Art and Graffiti have influenced all of my mediums as well. Honestly, I would say that all the fundamentals and techniques I’ve learned, no matter the concentration, all have crossed over into the many things I create on a daily basis. All of them have made me a more fundamentally complete creator.

JASPER: Do you have any great goals out there on the horizon or are you chill doing what you’re doing now?

DRE: Definitely not chill where I’m at. I’m not satisfied and know that there’s so much more to accomplish. I will always freelance and continue to create my own work, so I will ride that wave wherever it takes me. I’m also open and intrigued to work with art/design/illustration houses in the U.S.’s major cities, as well as Europe and Japan. That’s one thing I haven’t done yet so the possibilities and challenges of that excite me. I’ve done freelance work all over, but to work in one of those houses, especially overseas, would be amazing. One thing I’ve learned is that your goals can change as you go through your career, and allowing that perspective to take hold will open up so many other opportunities and accomplishments that you may not have realized were possible when you started.

JASPER: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your work as an artist?

DRE: It’s been weird. I think the constant stress of it has at times affected my focus. Many routines had to change as well, which threw off schedules and the consistency of how I did things. That’s been an adjustment, but not the worst part of it. With COVID and the turbulence of what this presidential election year has been, it really has been challenging some days to deal with both of those burdens riding you for months, on top of whatever my “normal” life stressors have been. I’m used to working under a lot of pressure, but it’s been mentally and emotionally exhausting on some days. Some of these heavier days have dwindled my creative energy, which has been something new and strange for me. I’ve never lacked in the creative energy department. That said, having done this work for many years, I’m thankful that I have picked up enough skills and experience to maneuver through creative slumps, pandemic and chaotic political climates be damned. Take breaks when your mind needs them, power through when you have the chance.

JASPER: For those of us who don’t have your skill sets, what words of wisdom can you offer us that would help us communicate with design artists more successfully?

DRE: One of the first and most important things I was lucky enough to learn early on, is to study and learn fundamentals. I always had natural ability and style, but I lacked in the fundamentals department which is common for many self-taught creators. Depending on which creative field will make a difference as to which fundamentals to focus on, but the rule applies the same to all of them. Then practice, practice, practice. Repetition in any skill is paramount. The idea is to get as natural and comfortable with the fundamentals, so that once you know them intimately, then you can play around, twist and bend them to your will. The beauty of creative fundamentals no matter your concentration, there’s crossover for many of them so you can use them across the board regardless of the work you’re creating. Examples like color theory, composition, the way you lead the viewers eyes on an image, texture, lighting, are among a few of the fundamentals that can be applied to most visual creations. Oh, and grow a thick skin as quick as possible.

Talent lives here, determination and passion live here. The money? The money does not live here, unfortunately. Figuring out how to embrace quality creatives that are serious about having a professional career and make Columbia their home base is the main problem.

JASPER: Can you tell us about any arts organizations you are affiliated with and what their mission is?

DRE: My most consistent collaborations and affiliations are with Palmetto Luna. They are a non-profit organization based in Columbia that focuses on the arts and Latinx artists in the southeast United States to expose communities to Latinx culture through art. I’m a Latinx/Latino artist so the collaborations have been a natural fit (being that I’m passionate about both of those parts of my identity), thanks to the wonderful efforts that Ivan Segura and Alejandro Garcia-Lemos have put forth throughout the years for that organization.

JASPER: What one thing could we do in the Midlands – something that is actually within our power to do – that would make life here so much better for artists?

DRE: This is one I’ve been trying to figure out for the many years I’ve partaken in the Columbia art scene. The main problem for most artists in this town is not being able to survive and succeed financially. Many artists I’ve known here have burned out on creating and/or moved to other cities give at least an opportunity to make a decent living. Talent lives here, determination and passion live here. The money? The money does not live here, unfortunately. Figuring out how to embrace quality creatives that are serious about having a professional career and make Columbia their home base is the main problem. I’ve seen several ideas implemented but nothing has been tangibly successful to make a real difference. The support from both the city and the arts patrons has to be with real money, not just platitudes and high fives.

JASPER: Anything else exciting going on in your professional life these days you can share with us?

DRE: Sure thing! The next thing I’m about to birth into the world and am excited about is an apparel line I’m releasing called Gutter Baby. It’s gonna be a lifestyle brand/fashion line of shirts, hoodies, hats, accessories, one-of-a-kind customs, and prints inspired by many of my influences in Punk, Hip Hop, horror, sci-fi, lowbrow, pop art and street culture. It’s more or less my uncensored, whatever the fuck goes art line. The store link, soon to be released, is www.gutterbb.com

Benzel front cover illustration by Dre Lopez

JASPER: And how can readers get in touch with you to learn more about your work?

DRE: Different ways, on IG look me up @infidel_castro_x and @gutter.baby.apparel and if you’re interested in my more corporate/conventional work my website is www.drelopezcreative.com

www.drelopezcreative.com

JASPER: Anything else you want to say or suggest or complain about – here’s your platform!

DRE: No complaints. Keep fighting, nothing is permanent. Many people in general and especially in these times of uncertainty with COVID and political unrest are dealing with great amounts of pressure, anxiety, depression, and PTSD of some form. Suicides are rising everywhere. Please don’t give up. Your worst days will always pass, even if that is difficult to see sometimes. If you won’t do it for yourself anymore, do it for your loved ones. Always keep fighting.

In His First Show Since COVID, Christopher Lane Considers the Necessity of Unity in Dividing Times - by Christina Xan

Cindi Boiter November 4, 2020

“A lot of people feel desperate out there,” Lane says. “And on a humanistic level, I get an idea of why people feel the way they do—they just feel helpless.”

It’s unusual for Modern Surrealist painter Christopher Lane to take such a large break from exhibitions.

Lane is no stranger to sharing the stories he weaves together on his canvases. In fact, 2020 started with a show in Minnesota, followed by acceptances to Art Fields in Lake City and Spoleto in Charleston.

Then, the pandemic hit.

Since the start of COVID-19, the painter has stayed mostly at home, quarantining with his partner, Lisa, and dogs, Loki and Samson. But that doesn’t mean he stopped painting. So, when friend and gallery-owner Rob Shaw asked Lane to do a show in his space, the fragments of United We Stand formed quickly.

The collection is a mix of pieces old and new, and either way, ever relevant. The 52-year-old artist has been painting in response to social and political events for decades, both as a way of working through his own mind and of sharing those inner workings. In recent months, this has only become truer.

“You know, I look around and ask what’s the disconnect,” Lane says. “I don’t understand the disconnect.”

Originally, Lane had titled this most recent collection Divided We Fall as he responded to this increasing disconnect in our country. However, as he continued to paint and watch, which he often does as he watches the news, his mindset shifted.

“I want to emphasize a unity amongst us, regardless of party, ethnicity, race, religion, and gender,” Lane shares, “My work observes the pitfalls of allowing division to thrive and grow amongst a people.”

This body of work builds on top of seeds sewn in his Resist Division exhibition last year, new vines and tendrils wrapping around sensitive and poignant issues.

“It’s election year, we are in the middle of a world pandemic, and we are so busy fighting amongst ourselves that we are no longer paying attention to them,” Lane says, “that small, yet powerful group of people who control our world.”

Lane has always spoken for those small individuals, held an eye in his head and his heart for those details in both people and their surroundings.

“A lot of people feel desperate out there,” Lane says. “And on a humanistic level, I get an idea of why people feel the way they do—they just feel helpless.”

These concerns have pervaded not only Lane’s work but his life, the product of a military household whose father served in three wars and a veteran of the navy himself.

“My greatest desire is that my paintings reflect the one truth, we are all the same. We are all one. And United We Stand.”

Some fights exist within physical places, but this fight traverses boundaries. With this exhibit, Lane desires to speak to all, to promote inclusivity and share humanity regardless of the lines that often separate.

“I like to paint to where someone in another country can look at my work and enjoy it,” Lane says. “You know, they don't need to speak English. They don't need to understand my colloquial behavior to get it.”

“The Grifters”, a featured piece from the show, conveys this desire in a Tower of Babel-esque push and pull of color, conversation, and performance—a struggle we all suffer the repercussions of.

“My greatest desire is that my paintings reflect the one truth, we are all the same. We are all one. And United We Stand,” Lane concludes.

United We Stand opens this Friday, November 6th, and runs until December 1st. The opening reception Friday evening begins at 6pm at the Rob Shaw Gallery in West Columbia. Masks, social distancing, and safety precautions will be in place.

To follow Lane’s work during and after the show, follow his Facebook page, “Christopher Lane Art,” and check out his website for available works and prints: https://www.laneartworks.com/

Tiny Gallery Highlight: Jennifer Hill Shares Creatively Creepy and Cute Life Reflections with New Collection of Creatures

Cindi Boiter October 18, 2020

This month, Jasper is delighted to be hosting Jennifer Hill, aka Jenny Mae Creations, for our October Tiny Gallery show. Hill is featuring a delightful array of little creatures: 13 needle felted, two plush, and one voodoo.

Hill grew up in Chapin on Lake Murray, and her aunt, an artist and a painter, introduced her to the Brian Froud Faeries book at a young age, which she claims left an impression that still affects her work today.

Before she found her way to dollmaking, Hill’s first love was theatre, which she started doing in middle school. “I can't really explain why I chose to do it; it was just something I thought I would enjoy,” Hill recalls, “And I didn't just enjoy it. I fell in love with it.”

Now, years later, Hill is a Company Member at Trustus Theatre, which she considers her home, and the people there, family. Since then, she also started performing on the street as a living statue.

“It's a whole other way of performing that I fell in love with,” she says on street performing, “There's nothing like sharing a theatrical moment on the street with a curious stranger — a performance that only requires me and whoever happens to walk by.”

This aspect of performance is similar to what Hill chases in her physical creations as well. “The relationship I draw between [performance and art] is that it's me expressing myself and putting it out to others and connecting with them,” she states, “Which is something I always feel the desire to do.”

It was in her early twenties that Hill made the venture that resulted in this connection. Between her performance projects, she wanted another creative outlet and found her way to crafting collages and voodoo dolls with found objects.

“I started with collage because I love the practice of taking things a part and creating something new out of it”, she shares, further saying, “I've always been weirdly obsessed by the idea of voodoo dolls ever since I saw an episode of Scooby-Doo when I was a kid that featured one.”

This is just one example of themes from Hill’s childhood popping up in her work. Because of a love of dolls from childhood, she was led to a DIY sock monkey kit at Christmas one year. From there, her love for fiber art sparked, leading to a plethora of creations representing a reflection of Hill’s inner self.

“When I'm making things, I'm often processing something that's going on inside me. I think that's why creating is so essential to me,” she ruminates, “And I really like the juxtaposition of something being cute but also a little unsettling and raw. There's often a dose of humor in my work.”

When it comes to the art of making, Hill is completely self-taught. One day during the process of self-teaching and experimentation, she decided to walk into an art gallery with a box of dolls and see if they were interested – they were.

“My big break came when the art director for the film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium emailed me that he saw my plush creations online and wanted to use them in some of their background shots,” she recalls, “I was STUNNED.”

Since then, Hill is always searching for new mediums and modes of inspiration, two years ago, she came across needle felting. For those who are unfamiliar with the process, Hill shares that you start with loose wool, mold it into a loose shape, and then stab it repeatedly with a barbed needle. As you stab more and more, the wool becomes more tangled and then firmer until you end up with a finished object.

“I really love the sculptural aspect of it. The freedom to start with a pile of wool and mold it into whatever I want,” she shares, “I love that it's fiber, but I can sculpt with it using a needle in a way I can't with regular fabric and sewing. I feel like I have more control in a way.”

Whether with needle felting, plushes, or voodoo dolls, Hill keeps walking her “fine line” between cute and creepy, making wounded creatures that don't actually exist and often come from her childhood.

Hill hopes that in showing these personal representations of her own hopes and fears, others might find a sense of reflection and thus comfort in her work.

“I hope that the wounded misfit inside them feels seen. That their inner child may be delighted or even soothed,” she pauses, “We're all strange and hurting in some way, and there's a human connection in that, and if nothing else, they may spend a few minutes with their childhood self that's still in there wanting to be seen.”

Hill has been opening this path to people for years, having been part of several art shows, some local, some in other parts of the country, and one in Italy. “The wonderful people at The Columbia Museum of Art gave me my first one night only solo show when Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium came out,” she remembers.

As uncertain as some aspects of living may be right now, Hill knows creating is her one constant.

“Since COVID, live theater, acting with others, and street performing has pretty much been put on hold,” she admits, “So, I feel very lucky to still have this other way of expressing myself creatively because it is essential in my life, and I plan to just keep creating anyway I can. It's what I need to do to be happy.”

You can follow Hill on her Instagram @jennymaecreations or her Facebook page @Jenny Mae Creations.

Hill’s show will be up until the end of October, so be sure to check out her strange and wonderful creations on the Jasper website—perfect for Halloween and for anytime you want a fun little version of a part of you sitting on your shelf.

Street performer Jenny Mae - photo by Crush Rush

Jasper Galleries Welcomes Thomas Washington to Motor Supply Co.'s Walls (Copy)

Cindi Boiter October 5, 2020

For more interviews with the many exciting Artists of Color in the Greater Columbia Arts Community,

please search for

BLACK ART MATTERS

in the search box on the Jasper Project Blog Page

Artist Thomas Washington aka Thomas the younger

Jasper Magazine visual arts editor and board member of the Jasper Project, Laura Garner Hine, has been busy installing a brand new show of art in the gallery spaces at Motor Supply Co in Columbia’s historic Congaree Vista. Our featured artist this quarter — Thomas Washington, aka Thomas the younger!

It was my sincerest pleasure to interview Mr. Washington just before his show was installed last week.

~~~

Hi Thomas, and thanks for spending some virtual time with the Jasper Project. We’re excited about the show of your artwork recently installed at Motor Supply in Columbia’s Vista. But first we want to catch up any readers who aren’t familiar with your work.

JASPER: Tell us, please, a little about your background. I know you’re from Springfield, Massachusetts, but what brought you to Columbia, SC and did you go anywhere else along the way?

WASHINGTON: We moved south when my father’s job laid him off, starting a classic cascade of loss. This included the house we’d always known (to foreclosure); friends; community. My mom’s from this area, so we were—in a real sense—following her “home”.

JASPER: How did you get into painting – are you self-taught or did you study under someone else?

WASHINGTON: I’m self-taught...but every piece I’ve ever seen informs me. One way or the other.

JASPER: Who has influenced you most as an artist?

WASHINGTON: Amy Windland’s trees; Travis Charest’s details; Keith Tolen’s focus; Joe Madureira’s structuring; the tenebrism of Humberto Ramos; Stephen King’s storytelling, as well as Ann Patchett’s; Moebius (Jean Giraud); Giger; Whelan; everything about Lucas Sams; the depth of Darrell K. Sweets; Michael Krajewski’s economy; the exquisite technicians, Margaret & The Brothers O’Shea; The Brothers Hildebrandt; The Brothers Lopez; Michael Anastasion’s intensity; every woman I’ve ever loved too deeply, and every woman who returned it; my children; my sorrows and madnesses, too; every soul who ever appreciated anything I generated, especially when I want to wash my hands of it all—I owe much to many, and could not finish their naming in a sitting.

JASPER: how would you describe your work in terms of genre and what mediums and format sizes do you prefer to work with and why?

WASHINGTON: I must leave that “description” to others. I will work in any medium I can afford to acquire, and in any dimension(s).

JASPER: There is a dreamy, magical quality to so much of your work – as if you are telling a story with your paintings. Is there magic in your art? Are you telling stories? If so, what are your stories about?

WASHINGTON: I have a universe. Every project is connected to The One Project...and I imagine this is actually true for most creators, though the degree to which each of us engages that truth...varies. The tale cannot be told, nor summed—it’s a web, and still being woven.

JASPER: You go by Thomas the younger – can you please elaborate on this name?

WASHINGTON: My father—Thomas the Elder—is an artist, as well. (I don’t use “Washington” when I use “the younger”, and I don’t capitalize the initial letters. On occasionally doffing the family name: I’m a black sheep, and I can acknowledge that. When we needed less names, we were more human—I use the archaic moniker because it isn’t dead. Just buried. Capitalization...feels wrong.)

JASPER: I know that your children also influence your work as an artist – can you tell us about your children and how they influence you?

WASHINGTON: My children were born into a dark world. I have no clue how to brighten it—I am, perhaps, too acquainted with its darkness. They, themselves, are lights. Their faces, their spirits, their tableaux—my work is infused with these. Sometimes, in direct homage.

JASPER: You have a Jasper Project sponsored show up at Motor Supply Co. Bistro now. Talk to us about the art being exhibited at the restaurant. Did you paint specifically for the show or did you select from items from your inventory to show?

WASHINGTON: As of this writing, only new work is in the show. If 2020 serves up some 2020esque catastrophe—a flood; a fierce gale; a destructive fury, wherein which I destroy pieces—I’ll adapt. I’ve got too many pieces stacked up in here. Always.

JASPER: If there is a theme to the show, what is it all about?

WASHINGTON: I’m still tightening most of them...which means I’m afraid to commit to a theme. There’s more than one, anyhow. I suppose that description, too, should be left to others.

JASPER: How has the current BLM movement affected you and your work? Are you optimistic – why or why not?

WASHINGTON: There’s no victory without perfect victory...so there’s no victory. Humanity cannot grow out of this inhuman stage, it seems. That’s reality...and we don’t like reality.

JASPER: Artists across the color, gender, and discipline spectrums are particularly challenged now by both the COVID pandemic and the lack of support from the state and federal government. There is no question that it is more difficult to practice your art and make a living at it if you are an artist of color, correct? Can you please address this reality and offer your opinions or ideas on how our culture can better support and promote artists of color?

WASHINGTON: As long as we function under a capitalist model, people of color will merit “a blank check”. This will likely never be issued. Thus—without the interventions/intercessions of wealthy patrons and benefactors willing to pour millions (maybe even billions) into finally lending ballast to we outliers ... we outliers will predictably continue to flounder on the cusp of chaos. This is actually true for the entire swath of poor, marginalized, and systematically destroyed humans—not just “artists of color”. For now, we’re (instead) inundated via “trickle-down wreckonomics”. An incessant deluge.

JASPER: How do you feel about the strength and efficacy of the Black artist in the Columbia arts community? Are Midlands area artists as unified across racial lines as we should be? What needs to happen to create and nurture a racially healthier community of artists?

WASHINGTON: Humans are formatted to prefer an “us” over a “them”. It seems nearly impossible to convince “us” that “us” is the only category. Educate humans to that effect, however, and one could subsequently watch these issues rectify themselves. Effortlessly. There is one race. Regardless of what the colonialist elites enacted. Regardless of how well it worked on the freshly-minted category (“white”), turning them against their allies. Regardless of how we’ve been enculturated. One.

JASPER: What’s up next for you and your work and where can readers find your work on the internet?

WASHINGTON: My website’s thomastheyounger.com, and the work there is never done. Releases, updates, et cetera—betwixt that site and following my Facebook Page (“The Works of Water”), it’s relatively easy to keep up with pending projects.

— cb

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Jasper Galleries Welcomes Thomas Washington to Motor Supply Co.'s Walls

Cindi Boiter October 3, 2020