Pens and Pedals: Solo Show Q&A

How did you get into art?

I’ve been drawing since before I can remember. My parents claim that when I was 2 I drew a helicopter and it looked like a helicopter. When I was a little bit older I got into cartoons and comic books like Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman and X-men. I was constantly drawing these characters growing up.

Who are some of your artist influences?

Some of my favorite artists are Sean Phillips, Adam Kubert, Fiona Staples, Alexis Zirrit, Paul Pope and so many more. I got to meet Sean Phillips at TCAF a few years ago and met Adam Kubert last year when he visited RIT. I hope I didn’t nerd out too much when I was talking to them.

What is your background in art?

I have a BFA in graphic design and an MAT in Art Education from SUNY Oswego.

How did you get involved in the Low Brow Art series at Thymeless Tattoo?

I’ve been participating in art shows in Central New York for a long time, most actively in the last ten years. In that time I’ve met several CNY artists like Cayetano Valenzuela, Isaac Bidwell, Jamie Santos and others. Jamie is the go to person for art shows in the Syracuse area and she asked me if I wanted to do a solo show at Tymeless and I said “Yes!” It’s funny, late last year I was talking to my wife about throwing out all my frames because they take up so much space in our house and she told me “Don’t do that yet. You never know what might happen.” Then this year I was asked to do a show at Tymeless on May 12 and then another show at the Oswego Art Association on September 29. Always listen to your wife!

What is “Low Brow Art”?

I’m going to cheat and pull in a quote from Wikipedia: “Lowbrow, or lowbrow art, describes an underground visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles, California, area in the late 1970s. It is a populist art movement with its cultural roots in underground comix, punk music, tiki culture, and hot-rod cultures of the street.”

How is your work low brow art?

I think my work is heavily influenced by comic book artwork and that it always has a storytelling aspect to it. Plus, my background in graphic design is always making me think about communicating information to the viewer. My goal to have people be able to view my work and understand it for the most part. I like figurative art. you may not know exactly what’s going on in some pieces but there will be parts you that you know. That’s probably influence from surrealism. Like; “Oh that’s a boombox and those are fish.” but the message itself may not be super clear.

Who is playing music at your show?

Several of my friends from around the Upstate New York area are playing music at the show! Timothy Day is a singer/songwriter/producer who recently put out great album called “Molotov” that’s full of cool songs and production. Cu-Cu has put out albums that are acoustic and electronic. His most recent outings “Demolisher” and “Young Bloody” are those things respectively. The newest artist that’s playing the show is Drum Movies, a musician who recently sold his guitars and his records and bought synthesizers. He makes electronic loops and textures that are pretty cool.

What kind of stuff will be on sale at the show?

I will have copies of the first and second issue of my comic book “Prizza’s Pizza: Son of a Prizzaman”, as well as T-shirts, prints and post cards. Now through the show I have free shipping on my comics if you want a copy and can’t make it out to the show!