image PJ Sykes

Artist: Chris Norris title: detail of untitled medium: ink on paper year: 2008 size: 20” x 20” represented by Ada Gallery

Artist: Joan Gaustad title: “Samples” medium: mixed media on formica tile sample year: 2008 represented by Ada Gallery

Artist: Randy Hesstitle: “Diddle Bang Bang”medium: acrylic on paper

year: 2008represented by Ada Gallery

Artist: Bruce Wilhelm title: Untitled II medium: graphite, watercolor, acrylic, paper on canvas year: 2008 size: 18.5 x 24” represented by Ada Gallery

Artist: Bizhan Khodabandehtitle: top “Softening Our Footprints”

medium: screen-printsize: 11 by 35.5”

title: right “Inaction Reaction”medium: archival digital print

size: 17.5 by 21”

title: far right “Gabriel Prosser Strikes Again”medium: screen-print

size: 9 by 19”represented by Gallery 5www.mendedarrow.com

Artist: Qaisar Iqbaltitle: from the “Islamic Calligraphy” seriesbased on Qur’anic Versesmedium: acrylic on paperrepresented by ISHQ Gallery

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Golden Daze

Heide Trepanier“I take paint, the material, with all of its faults and messes, and use it to create an odd, sad, and sometimes violent narrative.”

Publisher / R. Anthony Harris

Advertising / John ReinholdManaging Editor / S. Preston DuncanOmbudsman / Adam Sledd

New Media / Ian M. Graham

Music Editor / Landis Wine

Fashion / Casey Longyear

Copy Editor / Matt Ference

Trusty Interns Anna Whittel, Alex Barrett

WRITINGSShannon Cleary, S. Preston Dun-can, Lauren Vincelli, R. Anthony Harris, Karen Seifert

ILLUSTRATIONSBrandon Peck

PHOTOGRAPHYKaren Seifert

CONTENTS

DESIGNAnthony Harris, Brandon Peck, Grant Shuler

Catherine Brooks“For me, painting is not of ten an active intentional thing, I con-stantly feel like someone else madeit. The works feel completely unfamiliar when I am finished with them.”

Ghostprint’s Drawing Blood“The Drawing Blood show concept ...is to present tattoo artists work-ing seriously in other mediums.”

Joshua Barber“Did I have a bad upbringing? Do I have major mental issues? Is there something that I’m blocking from my past? Nothing couldbe farther from the truth.”

Pulp Tones: Hate Your Friends“We’re living in a time in which bands can go from non-existent to blog sensations in little over a month....”

The Reviews Are Back. Jemina Pearl- Break It UpConverge- Axe To FallThe Flaming Lips- EmbryonicLightning Bolt- Earthly DelightsBrand New- DaisyTranscending The Gig:The Art Of Show Posters“Show posters are definitely some of the purest examples of my work on my terms....”

Fiona Ross“Her recent drawings play on that sort of goal setting with the ambi-tion of making drawings whereeverything touches”

Volume 5 Issue 8

cover by Catherine Brooks

Branding / Christian Detres

RVA TV / Ben Muri, Jon HeadleeBaylen Forcier, Elliot Robinson

The Holiday Gift GuideOur selection of local goodies to help with your shopping this Chrsitmas season.

NEW GALLERY OPENING

“ARCHETYPE” --A 2-person art exhibition featuring the sculpture of Jim Daigle and paintings of Nat Daigle.

Artcraft Designs Gallery, a woodshop/gallery space at 508 W. Broad St in Richmond, VA, at the gateway to the First Friday Art Walk, will open its doors on Friday, December 4th, 2009, from 6:30 to 10:30 pm, to present the works of these 2 artists. The gallery will be open throughout December. Followed by a second show with new works in January.

Artcraftdesignsgallery@gmail.com, Natdaigle@gmail.com

Jim Daigle @ (804)986-5053 or Nat Daigle @ (804)852-0275

photos: Brandon Hysell

Heide Trepanier is one of Richmond’s most prolific artists. Her studio is tucked into the corridors of Artspace/Plant Zero, where she creates colorful abstract paintings and drawings. Her work features glops of paint transformed into wild narratives with bold outlines. Her vibrant characters tangle together in fluid motions to comment on desire, debauchery, and other human emotions.

She has been awarded the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship as a graduate student at VCU and as a professional artist. Her work is represented by Stefan Stux Gallery in New York, and is known internationally from her shows in Spain, Qatar, Costa Rica and Russia, and around the United States. She is currently working on a new series of drawings and working as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond.

Heide Trepanier by Lauren Vincelli

From Heide Trepanier’s recent artist statement:

“I take paint, the material, with all of its faults and messes, and use it to create an odd, sad, and sometimes violent narrative. This links the ‘failure’ of the paint to do what we are used to, or what we may want (clean, orderly and representational), to our failure to create order and control. This is my overlying theme. Within that theme, I use the frozen action of the paint to form a narrative. Most reference prosthetics and machines, or props of human behavior. These prosthetics are psychological in nature, and do the things that I cannot, they act the way I may perhaps like to but wouldn’t dare. For example, they misbehave, throw up on each other, have orgies, rip each other apart, become divas, destroy small towns, ride waves of paint, and produce other worlds.

The drawing series I am working on is more graphic and representational in nature. They are a glimpse into the ‘worlds’ I mentioned in the paintings but rely heavily on Freudian-like desires, anthropomorphized pop culture items, disconnected parts, etc., to tell stories instead of the actions of the paint.”

www.htrepanier.com

Fiona Ross, 44, brings electricity to her drawings, working with ideas of connection and separation. Her recent drawings have become a bit more autobiographical, with the addition of her own silhouette serving as a basis for many of her new works.

Ross spent many years a sculptor fascinated by nature. Her geode-like sculptures highlighted an original use of delicate and durable materials like iron oxide, porcelain and feldspar. For as much time as Ross spent on these works, she allowed gravity, fire and nature to affect the work as well. The glasslike, glossy texture of some materials and the parched, cracked and charred surfaces of others lent a beautiful juxtaposition to her work that left viewers to think on nature vs. nurture.

Her early drawings took on some of the same sculptural forms as her earlier kiln work. Delicate Japanese paper warped and puckered under the intensely black, shiny, plastic-like sumi-e ink. Her painstakingly organized designs were filled in with organic shapes resembling the cracked surface of a dry desert. Her goal was to make a work where nothing touched. Ross often sets goals for her work in this way.

Her recent drawings play on that sort of goal-setting, with the ambition of making drawings where everything touches. This is a play on the idea of a labyrinth or a meditation technique known as “threading”. Much of her new work includes just a single line woven back and forth on a surface. Sharp U-turns in the line create accusatory fingers pointing in judgment. Ross recalled her mother’s adage, “When you point at someone three fingers are pointing back at you.”

Images from news and popular culture are sometimes woven into these meticulous line drawings, but are quickly swallowed in the labyrinth of ink. Recently Ross has been using her own outline as a feature in her work-- an interesting addition to her already fingerprint-like designs.

Ross is thoroughly invested in the Richmond arts community. She has served on the board and in several other committees at 1708 Gallery since 2005. Ross is an adjunct professor of sculpture at the University of Richmond. Her work is represented locally by ADA Gallery. Ross’s sculptures, paintings and drawings have shown all over the country and as far away as China, South Korea and India. She is currently preparing for a site-specific show at Hollins University titled “Walking the Parallels to Terminus.” The show will open January 7, 2010.

www.fionaross.net

Fiona Ross by Lauren Vincelli

T h e fa m i l i a r s to r y wo u l d b e a b o u t a t a l e n te d a r t-

i s t w h o c u l t i va te d t h e i r a e s t h e t i c vo i ce i n a s m a l l

c i t y w i t h a r i c h u n d e rg ro u n d c u l t u re , a t t a i n e d a

fo l l o w i n g , a n d m ove d awa y to a re g i o n k n o w n fo r

m a k i n g ce l e b r i t i e s o u t o f p a i n te rs , w h e re co l -

l e c to rs a n d g a l l e r i e s p i c k t a l e n t l i ke g ra p e s a t a

d i s ce r n i n g v i n e ya rd a n d a u c t i o n t h e i r wa re s to

a f f l u e n t p a t ro n s .

A n d t h a t ’s t h e s to r y o f C a t h e r i n e B ro o ks , b u t i t

d o e s n’ t e n d t h e re , a n d l u c k y fo r R i c h m o n d . C a t h -

e r i n e re ce n t l y re t u r n e d f ro m L A , a n d h e r wo r k i s

a te s t a m e n t to v i s i o n a n d c ra f t . H e r i m a g e s a re

i m p e c c a b l y re n d e re d j u xt a p o s i t i o n s o f f e m i n i n e

b e a u t y w i t h t h e d a r ke r e l e m e n t s o f ex i s te n ce ;

i n s e c t s a n d e t h e re a l d e p i c t i o n s o f n a t u re . T h e y

a re s ex u a l a n d m o r b i d , a n d n o t w i t h o u t a ce r t a i n

S co r p i o a p p e a l . T h e y i l l u s t ra te a p e rs p e c t i ve o n

t h e h u m a n co n d i t i o n t h a t s p e a ks to d e l i c a c y a n d

v u l n e ra b i l i t y, s e n s u a l i t y a n d h a rs h n e ss , a n d m a i n -

t a i n a n exa l t a t i o n o f t h e h u m a n fo r m t h a t t ra n -

s ce n d s t h e a c co m p l i s h m e n t s o f re p re s e n t a t i o n a l

n u d e s . By p o r t ra y i n g t h e s u p p l e a m i d s t t h e a u s -

te re , s h e e l eva te s h e r s u b j e c t s f ro m a t t ra c t i ve c u -

r i o s i t i e s to h e ro i c a l l y e n d u r i n g a l l e g o r i e s o f p e r-

s eve ra n ce a n d p o te n t i a l , reve l a to r y t ra n s i e n ce , a n

e m b ra ce o f f l e e t i n g i d e a l i s m . H e r wo r k i s h a u n t-

i n g a n d u n i q u e , a n d h a r n e ss e s a vo i ce t h a t m a n y

o f h e r co n te m p o ra r i e s h ave a t te m p te d to ex p re ss ,

b u t fa l l e n s h o r t o f f u l l y i m p a r t i n g .

Your use of ribbons seem to bind your figures without touching them, is this a reflection of socially imposed expectation? Is it something gender-specific, a statement on the general role of women in our culture?

I wo n d e r i f m a n y p e o p l e s e e t h e r i b b o n s a s b i n d -

i n g . I k n o w t h a t t h e m o m e n t i f i n i s h a p i e ce , a l l

o f m y i n te n t i o n s b e co m e m o o t a n d t h e v i ewe r b e -

co m e s t h e a u t h o r i t y o n i t s co n te n t , b u t I wa n t to

s t a r t o f f by s a y i n g i t i s h i g h l y i m p ro b a b l e t h a t I

CatherineBrooks

Interview by S. Preston Duncan

w i l l eve r m a ke a s t a te m e n t a b o u t t h e g e n e ra l ro l e

o f a n yo n e w i t h m y wo r k , a n d i f I eve r d o t h e n i t

i s h i g h l y i m p ro b a b l e t h a t i t w i l l b e a c c u ra te . I

h a d h o p e d t h a t i n m y w i n d i n g r i b b o n s a n d o t h e r

l i n e m o t i f s t h a t te n d to d e f y g rav i t y t h a t I co u l d i n

s o m e wa y co nve y t h e e n e rg y t h a t l i f e c a n h ave

a n d t h a t s o m e p e o p l e s e e m to a l wa ys b e s u r-

ro u n d e d by. I l ove ra d i a n t p e o p l e , a n d eve n m o re

s o t h a n t h a t I l ove b e i n g a ro u n d p e o p l e t h a t re c-

o g n i ze t h i s e n e rg y a n d wa n t to wo r k w i t h i t d e f i -

a n t o f t h e t h re a te n i n g e n t a n g l e m e n t i t ’s u nw i e l d y

n a t u re te n d s to a l wa ys h ave . To m e , t h a t d e s i re i s

b rave r y i n h e ro i c p ro p o r t i o n s .

Where does a piece start? Do you work from photographs? Source im-ages? Do the various components come together in the process, or are their arrangements more precon-ceived?

I o f te n f u t i l y [ s i c ] p re a r ra n g e a n i d e a fo r a p a i n t-

i n g . I wo r k f ro m p h o to g ra p h s , i m a g e s I h ave t a k-

e n , i m a g e s o f f r i e n d s o r i m a g e s o f s t ra n g e rs o f f

t h e i n te r n e t . I t d o e s n’ t m a t te r t h e s o u rce , a n i m -

a g e w i l l j u m p o u t a t m e t h a t h a s s o m e p o te n t i a l ,

s o m e h i d d e n s to r y I c a n d raw o u t o f i t , s o I s ave

i t o r s c a n i t i n to m y re f e re n ce f i l e s o n m y co m -

p u te r. A s e r i e s w i l l s t a r t to fo r m a n d I w i l l m a ke a

n ew fo l d e r w i t h i m a g e s t h a t I c a n u s e to co nve y a

p a r t i c u l a r co n ce p t . O n ce a s o l i d n a r ra t i ve fo r m s I

s t a r t p a i n t i n g . I t t h e n q u i c k l y t a ke s a l i f e o f i t s o w n

a n d w i l l d e m a n d i n g a co m p l e te l y d i f f e re n t d i re c -

t i o n , o r d i ve b o m b i n to t h e a byss o f m y u n f i n i s h e d

a r t p i l e .

I n a c l a ss i c n o d to H e g e l I wa n t to m a ke s m a l l ,

b e a u t i f u l i n t r i g u i n g o b j e c t s o r g i a n t p i e ce s t h a t

d wa r f t h e v i ewe r a n d q u i e t t h e m i n to a m o m e n t

o f awe .

You recently moved back to Rich-mond from LA. Why? And how do you feel your surroundings affect your art?

O i ! M ov i n g b a c k to R i c h m o n d , VA wa s a s awe -

s o m e a n d i n f l u e n t i a l fo r m e a s l e av i n g i t . T h e h o t

d a m p s o u t h e r n a i r w ra p p e d a q u i l t o f p u n g e n t

o d o rs a n d l i g h te n i n g b u g s a ro u n d m e w h e n I to o k

m y b re a k l a y i n g i n a h a m m o c k a t 7: 3 0 eve r y eve -

n i n g . I l ove d i t . T h e re i s s o m u c h h i s to r i c a l l a m i n a ,

p a tc h e d a n d a n c h o re d . T h a t q u i l t d o e s n’ t g e t p u t

awa y i n t h e fa l l , i t g e t s a n o t h e r l a ye r. I t i s s o v i v i d .

I t h a s b e e n a ye a r o f p e rs o n a l l o ss fo r m e . T h i s

h a s b e e n m y f i rs t o b s e r va n ce o f t h e fa l l s e a s o n i n

4 ye a rs a n d j u s t h av i n g s e a s o n s a g a i n h a s h e l p e d

s o o t h e a n d p a tc h t h e wo r n p a r t s . H av i n g m ove d

i n to O re g o n H i l l I a m co nve n i e n t l y s u r ro u n d e d by

m y favo r i te p a r t s o f t h e c i t y a n d s o m e a m a z i n g

p e o p l e . I h ave b e e n co l l a b o ra t i n g a l o t w i t h s o m e

“So much of life is chance; every moment is a freeze frame full of things free falling, ungerminated, but an instant from their realiza-tion. To capture this moment is one of the goals in my work.”

I have to admit to being surprised at the size of your work when I first encountered it. Have you always worked with such small canvases, or is this something you’ve been ex-perimenting with recently? Is there a conceptual basis for this, or is it a matter of comfort within scale?

a m a z i n g p e o p l e s i n ce I m ove d b a c k . I t h i n k i t m i g h t b e m y favo r i te

p a r t …

You recently had a show at Gallery 5 that was a collaboration of more installation, sculpturally based pieces. Are you leaning towards multi-di-mensional work for the future, or was this just a foray into something different for its own sake?

D e s p i te m y c l e a r l y i l l u s i o n d o m i n a n t wo r k I h ave a l wa ys b e e n

fa s c i n a te d by a r t a s o b j e c t , a n d co n s t a n t l y wo r k i n g o n t a n g e n t s

i n t h a t d i re c t i o n . M y o r i g i n a l m a j o r a s a n u n d e rg ra d a t Pra t t wa s

s c u l p t u re , b u t o n l y re ce n t l y I h ave I b e e n a b l e to m a r r y m y l ove

o f o b j e c t , i l l u s i o n , a n d fa s c i n a t i o n w i t h s c a l e . B e fo re I l e f t L A , I

wa s wo r k i n g a t a s c u l p t u re fa b r i c a t i o n s t u d i o, a n d i t re n ewe d a

s e n s e o f a c ce ss i b i l i t y i n s c u l p t u re a n d i n s t a l l a t i o n to m e . I l ove

i t ! M a k i n g wo r k w i t h Ta m a ra wa s o n e o f t h e m o s t n a t u ra l t h i n g s

I h ave eve r d o n e . O n e o f t h e m a j o r re a s o n s fo r m ov i n g b a c k to

R i c h m o n d wa s m y a s p i ra t i o n to a t te n d g ra d s c h o o l a t VC U. Re -

g a rd l e ss o f m y f u t u re m a r i c u l a t i o n c a n o n l y s e e i t g e t t i n g co o l e r

f ro m h e re .

If I’m not mistaken, your mom’s a landscape art-ist. What influence has that had on your work, if any?

M y m o t h e r ’s l ove o f g a rd e n i n g a n d m y t i m e wo r k-

i n g fo r h e r h a s h a d a t re m e n d o u s i n f l u e n ce i n m y

wo r k . I n t h e e a r l y ye a rs o f B l o o m i n’ G a rd e n s ( h e r

b u s i n e ss h e re i n R i c h m o n d ) t h e re we re s eve ra l

g e n e ra t i o n s o f wo m e n wo r k i n g to g e t h e r a t w h a t

s h e re f e r re d to a s “ l a d i e s g a rd e n i n g ” . Fo r ye a rs

we s h a re d g e n e ra t i o n s o f s to r i e s ove r t h e to ps

o f t h e f l o we rs we c a re d fo r. T h o s e e co s ys te m s

p rov i d e d a f ra m ewo r k a n d co n text to t a l k a b o u t

t h e m o re co m p l i c a te d p a r t s o f l i f e . T h a t i s w h e re

m y i m a g e r y co m e s f ro m . T h e co n ce p t o f m y l a s t

s h o w, “ T h e S e e d e d Wi n d ” co m e s f ro m t h e i d e a o f

p re g n a n t c re a t i ve w h i m s , i s a l s o a d i re c t re f e r-

e n ce to a fo rce i n m y l i f e t h a t wa s b o t h a re a l -

i t y a n d a m e t a p h o r. Yo u c a n wo r k i n yo u r g a rd e n

n eve r n o t i c i n g t h a t a p l a n t h a s vo l u n te e re d a n d

g ro w n t a l l r i g h t i n f ro n t o f yo u , i t ’s yo u r g a rd e n ,

a n d yo u d e f i n e w h a t i s a we e d a n d n o o n e e l s e . S o

m u c h o f l i f e i s c h a n ce ; eve r y m o m e n t i s a f re e ze

f ra m e f u l l o f t h i n g s f re e fa l l i n g , u n g e r m i n a te d ,

b u t a n i n s t a n t f ro m t h e i r re a l i z a t i o n . To c a p t u re

t h i s m o m e n t i s o n e o f t h e g o a l s i n m y wo r k .

b e c a u s e I n e e d a vo c a b u l a r y t h a t i s a c ce ss i b l e

to a w i d e r a u d i e n ce . I ’ m n o t s u re h o w m u c h o f i t

i s a co n t ra d i c t i o n o r j u s t ext re m e l y a r ro g a n t to

c re a te s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s ve r y m u c h a n i n te r n a l

ex p re ss i o n , a n d t h e n h o p e i t w i l l co n t r i b u te o r

re p re s e n t i n s o m e a u t h e n t i c wa y to o u r c u l t u ra l

p e rce p t i o n s .

Perhaps it is the complete honesty with which Catherine Brooks culti-vates her internal landscape, and the skill with which she expresses it, that allows for the accessibil-ity of her work to her audience. In any case, her aesthetic vernacular hints at something universal, and gives voice to an element of the col-lective subconscious that has some-thing valuable to contribute to the conversation of what it means to be beautifully human, alive, and dy-ing.

thearborgeistproject.tumblr.com

Who do you make art for? Do you have a target audience or is it sim-ply an expression of something in-ternal with little consideration to-wards public perception?

“So much of life is chance; every moment is a freeze frame full of things free falling, ungerminated, but an instant from their realiza-tion. To capture this moment is one of the goals in my work.”

Fo r m e , p a i n t i n g i s n o t o f te n a n a c t i ve i n te n t i o n a l

t h i n g , I co n s t a n t l y f e e l l i ke s o m e o n e e l s e m a d e

i t . T h e wo r ks f e e l co m p l e te l y u n fa m i l i a r w h e n I

a m f i n i s h e d w i t h t h e m . B u t I d e f i n i te l y a c k n o w l -

e d g e t h e co l l e c t i ve w h e n I a m t h i n k i n g a b o u t

w h a t I wa n t to co n t r i b u te to i t . L i ke a c re a t i ve

l i m b i c e r u p t i o n o f o u r co l l e c t i ve m y t h s I wa n t to

b r i n g to t h e s u r fa ce t h e s to r i e s t h a t s ew to g e t h e r

o u r i d e n t i t i e s … s e m i o t i c a l l y, we a re co n d i t i o n e d

to t ra n s l a te m o re i n fo r m a t i o n o u t o f i m a g e s o f

p e o p l e , s o o n a te c h n i c a l l eve l , I p a i n t f i g u ra t i ve l y

image S. Preston Duncan

DRAWING BLOOD By S. Preston DuncanImages courtesy of Ghostprint Gallery

Tattoos have always been the un-soliciting recipient of cultural stigmatization. The notion of the body as canvas has had a complicated relationship with police, potential employers, rival gangs, and the art world. Tattoo artists are generally seen as a seedy sub genre of the creative class, toiling under the negative as-sociations of their epidermal medium. But as experimentalism and an openness to the non-traditional seeps into the consciousness of the new artistic movement, tattooists have found themselves transcending the marginalized confinements of their previously imposed occupational identity, and making work for galleries that is complimented by their inky profession, not devalued by it.

One such opportunity for tattoo artists to showcase their work in other medi-ums is the annual Drawing Blood exhibit at the Ghostprint Gallery. The show runs through November 28th and includes the work of Daniel Albrigo, Jeff Srsic, Timothy Hoyer, and Phil Holt. I shot gallery owner Thea Duskin some questions about the vision behind this new Richmond tradition.

Where did the idea for this exhibition come from? How has it evolved?

Being a tattoo artist myself is the most likely explanation for its origin. This is only the second year, so it will be interesting to see how it evolves! The first Drawing Blood was a massive group to represent variety, wheras consecutive years will focus on more work by a smaller group. As a concept I see it as discovery of the creative potential of a specific group of artists united by their craft. I hope to have a totally different and though-provoking juxtaposition every time.

Can tattoos be fine art? Is fine art ever restricted by medium?

I don’t think of art as a restrictive concept, whether you term it fine or not I suppose is relative...... A lot of “fine” art these days is not exactly technically demanding so I think

it’s a bit of a misnomer in the modern context. I think “Traditional” may be a better term for dif-ferentiating what used to be called “fine”. Why should one medium be taken more seriously than another? In my opinion, the only art legiti-mately up for exclusion is mass production.

How does this show seek to af-fect the general perception of the tattoo aesthetic?

The Drawing Blood show concept (which we will continue every year) is to present tattoo artists working seriously in other mediums.

In particular I want to show more versatility, and challenge the perception of tattoo art-ists doing “flash art.”

As a painter and tattoo artist, how does the creation of one differ psychologically/emo-tionally/creatively from the other? Is one more cathartic? Significant?

Well, there’s a lot more pressure for the tat-too artist to be a perfectionist, whereas it’s safe to be 100 percent exploratory in other mediums.

I still feel there is plenty of room for experimen-tation and development of tattoo technique and style, but one is more conservative about pushing these limits.

I think they are significant in different ways: a tattoo is hugely impacting on the individual who wears it (usually their lifetime); whereas a painting can af-fect the general public transcending generations, but is not necessarily something they look at daily.

Some of the work in this show seems vi-sually connected to tattoo work, while other pieces do not at all. What were you looking for when curating this show?

I am after a good mixture of styles and ideas, particularly atypical styles (at least in tattoo culture), to drive home the idea that tattoo artists are more multi-dimensional than the public is typically aware of, and to encourage tattooists to ex-press themselves individually.

Does tattooing fuel your paint-erly instincts or exhaust them?

It’s totally complimentary - the more you do one, the more it informs the other. I generally prefer a painterly approach to tattooing, but also enjoy a somewhat traditional, graphic or line-based application when appropriate. It helps that I like to work in a lot of different mediums anyway.

In the center of Joshua Barber sleeps an optimist. His thoughts put to canvas might not immediately speak of that to the casual glance but there is hope in there. He speaks in a child’s voice having conversations with adults about adult things.

Why did you get into creating art ?

Art is a family tradition. I was fortunate to be exposed to different avenues within the art world even before my first kiss. I was that runny nosed kid at exhibits looking for the pepperoni cheese dip because my folks didn’t feel like getting a babysitter. I was encouraged at a young age because I showed a little bit of promise, but it really wasn’t until I became a young adult and started to have fun with art that I started to think about it as a career. Then I realized everything I had absorbed as a child. So long and short, fun.

“Before I Just Wished You Would Die, Not So Much Now”, “I Come For Your Women, But Only Your Women” “Ground Control, We’ve Got A Prob-lem Here”. When the titles of your pieces are read back to back, the viewer gets a glimpse of your inner dialogue. Do you ever feel like you are revealing too much to total strangers?

Definitely. I’ve been developing my style for over ten years now. Now that I’ve mastered my technique -- muted colors, rough lines and balanced composition -- there have been times where I’ve felt like the bread maker who can bake bread in my sleep. That’s an unset-tling and a very unfulfilling feeling. For me to continue to challenge myself, I need to feel a sense of vulnerability with my work. What better way than just laying out all your cards on the table and saying “bring it”. After that there is no fear because you’re honest about where you stand and you can’t turn back.

The titles seem to be of equal impor-tance to the paintings themselves. What if they didn’t have titles, would the meaning be lost?

The meaning would be lost, but the feeling wouldn’t. I’ve always focused on the feeling of a piece as my primary objective. The titles have been the conclusion and the

JOSHUA Interview By R. Anthony HarrisBARBER

“ I need to feel a sense of vulnerability with my work. What better way than just laying out all your cards on the

table and saying bring it.”

icing on the cake. Do I use wordplay to assign meaning? Perhaps. Or do I use words to help communicate the deeper ideas behind my art? Only an audience can really decide that. I like paint and I like words. I think it’s fine for them to hold hands and be friends.

Are you the characters speaking in first person to the viewer? Am I imagin-ing this?

No. They are.

Dead things, playful night-mares, innocent horrors, why do you find yourself coming back to the dark side over and over again?

The intention of my work isn’t to rumi-nate over the dark side of life, but to make light of the darkest corners. Ev-eryone is lonely. Loneliness pervades all the moments we collect in life. It feeds our darkest moments, whether the innocent fear you feel two hours after hearing your first ghost story or something more sinister, like profound regret. We, as people, have the ability to put on many faces, but the truth of

the matter is that we’re all the same. I feel my work connects the dots and lets us realize that we’ve all been in each other’s shoes. My greatest joy is when I see people actually laughing at a piece. At that point, I feel accomplished.

Do you ever step back, look at the whole of your portfolio and wonder what people think? Does it mat-ter?

The funny thing is that I don’t have to wonder...I’ve been asked every ques-tion under the sun. Did I have a bad upbringing? Do I have major mental issues? Is there something that I’m blocking from my past? Nothing could be farther from the truth. I feel that I create work that sometimes people are afraid of thinking about themselves, so they project it back on me. Does it matter? No. I’ve found myself more concerned about their opinion of my cooking skills than my painting ability.

At the end of the day, it’s art...it comes with the territory.

joshuabarberfineart.com

All of these awkward paradigm shifts are beginning to make me queasy. Every time I’ve sat and begun to gather notes on bands that are emerging (I’m fighting my hands to keep from putting that word in quotation marks), I’m un-nerved by how quickly the internet is digesting and shitting out bands. Keeping up with the trends is starting to make me feel sleazy, as if we’re all feeding into some unsustain-able bubble. Even so, this is a beast that begs to be viewed from different angles. We’re living in a time in which bands can go from non-existent to blog sensations in little over a month, most recently evidenced by Washed Out, a solo project by a mid-twenties South Carolinian that went from his bedroom at his parents’ house to a feature on his first live show in the New York Times in a span of three months. This artis-tic vampirism has now begun to descend on rural pockets of Virginia. Whereas once musicians relied on a city and a scene in which to cultivate themselves, earn a follow-ing, and enjoy all the incestuous perks that go along with sharing band members and significant others, the lurching zeitgeist has begun to fetishize the rural. Among these are Eternal Summers, a jittery pop group from Roanoke, who have found themselves increasing their profile in influential circles exponentially within the past six months, and have become fast-tracked with adulation from Pitchfork and gaining coveted spots at CMJ. The same can be said for

Blacksburg’s Wild Nothing, a bedroom recording project that has suddenly started popping up everywhere online thanks to a dreamy cover of Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting.” Both are artists whose relatively obscure locales (at least to those outside of Virginia) have played a role in their in-creased visibility. This isn’t to say that the music they make doesn’t warrant the attention, but it’s no secret that we’re living in an age where a compelling angle is more impor-tant than ever for an artist. We are now operating less on a band’s aesthetic presence and more on an interesting personal story or synopsis. We’re not scanning album art-work in a record bin anymore, but merely scrolling over paragraphs punctuated by streaming audio. This is a boon for bands who aren’t operating in a metropolitan scene, but it can also create a horrifyingly hostile environment for the bands once they leave home. Take for instance the band Girls, who appeared on the national stage mere months ago on the strength of their Californian melodies, Elvis Costello whine, and, most of all, a backstory that included a cult, mountains of drugs, a Texas millionaire, and a dozen other press points that rang with the sort of sensationalism of the Weekly World News. This hype storm took them directly to Rolling Stone, Spin, Pitchfork, and every other major music outlet here and climbing aboard either out of true enthusiasm or the fear of looking out of touch (I’m looking at you, Spin) while backing an album that is a passable pop record containing a collection of songs singer Chris Owens casually notes are the first he’s ever written. This isn’t to say they’re bad,

per se, or that there needs to be some magical period of de-velopment. Leonard Cohen’s first record was released when he was thirty-four and contained his first forays into song-writing, and rings as masterful many decades later. However, that record had time to gestate, and now that Girls have em-barked on their first headlining tour after being in the public consciousness mere months, things are starting to get ugly. Writer David Maltz of the Washington Post fired the first deafening shot after their DC show by stating: “Girls played an hour-long set that was amateur in quality and execution and not even engaging enough to qualify as boring. Usually talking at shows is an annoyance; last night you just wanted the conversations -- and they became more prominent as the night went on -- to be louder so there might be something interesting to listen to in the club.” This, I assure you, will be the first of many articles determined to “expose” the band as charlatans. This is being done by the same press that saddled a band that was, admittedly, quite naïve and inexperienced. Eternal Summers faced a similar problem after playing a sub-par show at CMJ (I should note that they were nothing short of magnetic the last time I saw them) and had the blo-gosophere nipping at their heels the next day. Each of these bands are perpetually at risk of failing to live up to the bizarre expectations of their preying benefactors. In short, I couldn’t be happier for the bands in the state who are getting attention that they deserve, as well as labels like Shdwply Records, The Perpetual Motion Machine, and oth-ers who do a great job at pushing past any of the limitations that their location could impose. Still, I can’t help but feel ap-prehensive that once this wave crests, even the most talented among those riding it will get a raw deal by those desper-ate to move onto the next trend. It’s a frightening time to be loved.

REVIEWS

Jemina PearlBreak It Up Ecstatic Peace Recordswww.jeminapearl.blogspot.com

ConvergeAxe To FallEpitaph Recordswww.convergecult.com

The Flaming LipsEmbryonicReprise Recordswww.flaminglips.com

Lightning BoltEarthly DelightsLoad Recordswww.loadrecords.com

Brand New DaisyInterscope Recordswww.fightoffyourdemons.com

Send your 50 word reviews to Landis@rvamag.com

Jemina Pearl’s solo debut picks up where her former band, Be Your Own Pet, left off. Their snotty punk atti-tude is tempered here by a dose of bubblegum tuneful-ness--think Bikini Kill mixed with the early Go-Gos--but the rebellious spirit still comes through loud and clear. Pure, irresponsible fun. - Andrew Necci

If you thought Converge couldn’t create another masterpiece this late in their career, think again. Filled with blasting speed, brutal breakdowns, and the most memorable thrash riffing Converge have yet produced, Axe To Fall is comparable to their 2001 classic, Jane Doe. An abso-lute must for fans of metallic hardcore. - Andrew Necci

25 years into their career, The Flaming Lips have re-invented themselves again, leaving behind the sunshine pop of their last few albums for a harsher psychedelic sound that may alienate recent converts. But dig deeper--the overdriven keyboards that dominate Embryonic hide hypnoti-cally beautiful tunes that reward the patient listener. - Andrew Necci

Noisecore duo Lightning Bolt returns with another installment of distorted bass, effects-laden vocals, and hyperkinetic drum-ming, which they combine into frantic grooves that rattle stereo speakers and make listeners dizzy. Their fifth album holds no sur-prises for longtime listen-ers, but is a solid addition to their consistent discog-raphy. - Andrew Necci

Brand New continue to ex-pand their stylistic bound-aries with this experimental album, which juxtaposes screamed hardcore songs with whispered ballads and rejects the accessibility of their earlier work. Daisy is a difficult and intermittently enjoyable album, and while it may satisfy diehard fans, is unlikely to win new con-verts. - Andrew Necci

“Show posters are definitely some of the purest examples of my work on my terms. Whatever visual ideas I’m rolling around in my head usually show up with little filter in these posters.” –Spencer Hansen

“There is almost always some sort of personal con-nection for me. I’m not often working on something I don’t already care about. I tend to treat each project as if it were my own and a lot of the time it is.” –Brandon Peck

by Shannon Cleary

“I am definitely influenced by the music of the band playing the shows, or often the words involved in the names of the band will serve as a jumping off point for some kind of imagery” – Katie McBride

HOLIDAY

GIFT GUIDE

NARRA BURL RAW EDGE PENDANT

$40.00

One Tribe403 Stockton St.

Richmond, VA 23224(804) 248-0971

www.onetribe.nu

In our continuing effort to suppport the neighborhood,

we bring you a short list of good buys from

great local stores. Happy Holidays!!

RUCHE DI CASTAGNOLE MONFERRATOITALIAN RED WINE $19.99

CHIEF ROBOT $19.99

World Of Mirth 3005 W Cary Street Richmond, VA 23220 (804) 353-8991 www.worldofmirth.com

DRUNK: THE DEFINITIVE DRINKER’S DICTIONARY BY PAUL DICKSON$19.95

Chop Suey Books 2913 W Cary Street Richmond, VA 23221 (804) 422-8066 www.chopsueybooks.com

River City Cellars2931 West Cary St., Richmond, VA, 23221 804-355-1375www.rivercitycellars.com

BUCKYFROM CARDBOARD SAFARI

$16-52

LaDifference125 South 14th Street,

Richmond, VA 23219804 648 6210

www.ladiff.com

VINTAGE LAMPS AND BRIEFCASES

$24.00

LIMITED EDITION SCREENPRINTEDLOCAL SHOW POSTERSrange from $20-45

METAL FLASKS & CIGARETTE CASES$14–28

Exile935 W Grace St

Richmond, VA 23220-4124(804) 358-3348

Plan 9 Records 3012 W. Cary Street Richmond, VA 23221 (804) 353-9996 www.plan9music.com

Bygones Vintage Clothing 2916 W Cary Street Richmond, VA 23221 (804) 353-1919 www.bygonesvintage.com

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND SINGLES 1966-1969 BOXSET $45.95

DIGITAL SCMHIGITALIT’S ALL ABOUT LO-FI ANALOG

PHOTOGRAPHY THESE DAYS$65.00

DEANNA MILLER’S MISSING MONSTER STUFFED TOYS $40.00

Deep Groove Records 317 N. Robinson Street Richmond, VA 23220 (804) 278-9112 www.deepgroovevinyl.com

Quirk Gallery 311 W Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23220 (804) 644-5450

www.quirkgallery.com

Deanna Miller www.missingmonsters.com

RETRO DUO PLAY YOUR NES AND SNES FAVORITES ON THE SAME SYSTEM!$49.99 AVAILABLE IN 4 DIFFERENT COLORS

TESS SHEBAYLO’S ALWAYS MIDNIGHT HAIR ACCESSORIES $5 - $45 PRICE RANGEwww.etsy.com/shop/alwaysmidnight

JULIA DENT JEWELRY $19.95

Play N Trade 2930 Cary Street Richmond, VA 23221 (804) 353-7529 www.playntradecarytown.com

Always Midnight and other local artisans will be at the Bizarre Market Holiday, November 27th through December 24th at Chop Suey Books in Carytown.

Along with the Handmade Holiday event December 11th and 12th and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond at 1812 Main Street Richmond, VA 23220

www.richmondhandmadeholiday.com

Rumors404 N Harrison StRichmond, VA 23220-3615(804) 726-9944www.rumorsownsyou.tumblr.com

EL HEFE PIPE $250.00

TITLED BOUND GAGGED SLINGER & SNIC CUSTOM BUBBLER. ETCHED WITH AUDREY HEPBURN$555.00

COMUNE PEREZ SWEATER$118.00

Kulture2 1/2 N 18th StRichmond, VA 23223(804) 644-5044www.kultureva.com

Rumors404 N Harrison StRichmond, VA 23220-3615(804) 726-9944www.rumorsownsyou.tumblr.com

Need Supply Co. 3010 West Cary Street Richmond, VA 23221 804.767.1825www.needsupply.com

The Toast of RichmondwRiR 97.3FMrichmond independent radio

radio for the rest of us

online at wRiR.oRg