LK James is an illustrator and designer based in Atlanta. LK does layout design and cover illustration for Newfound’s chapbooks. PATRYCJA HUMIENIK: Tell me about where you’re from and where you’re based now? LK JAMES: I grew up in…
The Highs and Lows of Daily Life: Artist Interview with Sarah E. Swist and Kevin R. Mercer
Artists Sarah E. Swist and Kevin R. Mercer collaborate on the mixed-media project Bubblegum & Whiskey, featuring fragments from their lives and skills they’ve picked up throughout moves through different rural American communities. The slices of life collected in Bubblegum & Whiskey are always fresh and eye-catching. An interview with the artists follows.
Check out Bubblegum & Whiskey in the current issue of Newfound.
Laura Eppinger: First of all, I am enchanted and impressed by the range of materials and objects you incorporate. Woodwork! Embroidery! Metal! Paint! How do you decide what materials to use? Which artist brings which expertise to a piece?
Sarah E. Swist and Kevin R. Mercer: We’re glad you enjoy the wide variety of materials! We definitely want to explore as many methods of creation as possible. Our formal art studies were technically in the areas of drawing and painting. We created this project knowing it would be based in mixed-media.
Carnage Garden: A Conversation with Samantha Parker Salazar
Samantha Parker Salazar’s paper installations take on a life of their own, a life where light, shadow, color and form vibrate with movement. Her pieces can sprawl across entire walls and ceilings or envelop an entire room.
Within these dancing forms, a story unfolds: Informed by the life and experiences of her ancestor, Cynthia Ann Parker, Salazar explores and exposes a story that has been forgotten over time.
You can see Salazar’s work in Vol. 8 of Newfound Journal here.
In The Garden of Externalities: A Conversation with David O’Brien
David O’Brien is an artist based in Sante Fe who works in video, printing, installation and painting. Recently showcased in Newfound’s Other Worlds issue, O’Brien’s work takes a meditative look into the micro-world of humanity’s discarded waste and the implications our enduring monuments of trash leave behind.
Each painting is a hand-printed photograph, screen printed with multiple layers of resin, ink and other materials, and then stretched around a round frame. These geographical studies take on an informative and thoughtful look into what marks we make as a species. In a recent discussion with Newfound, David shares his thoughts on his work, his artistic process and what influences him. You can see more of O’Brien’s work on his website.
Courtney Simchak: How did your Disc paintings get started? What was your inspiration for the series?
David O’Brien: The disc paintings began when I started getting serious about photographing the ground. They are a way to map and document the landscape from my own perspective. Each title is a set of GPS coordinates, accurate within a few feet of the photo.