Don Ross

Why are you an artist?

I think being an artist is a calling one is compelled to answer— it certainly defies rationality! It seems that being an artist is something one has to do, almost to complete oneself. The desire to create or that urge to express something -- to put it down on paper, if you will--- seems to come from deep within and has signs of starting at an early age. From what I can tell, it's evident that artists are self-defined and self-made (if allowed) at a young age, often showing themselves to be different, perhaps a bit more solitary, emotional, or more imaginative than other kids. For some it’s clearly survival, you can see it in their art, but for me I enjoy Making art and am committed to it because it’s the time I get to be completely alone with my thoughts and my Craft to try to make sense of my world. After all, we’re probably all in some sense on a quest for beauty & truth…

Could you tell us some more about your art?

My art is about the melding together of a lot of different

Ideas and materials. It started as a kid when I’d go dumpster diving with friends, until one time I found an old instamatic camera. Soon thereafter I also started photographing—with that same camera! Right now my art has developed to be a mix of my love of funky objects with my love of the photographic image. I guess you could qualify me as a mixed-media artist, but I definitely love junk and I definitely love the way silver looks printed on the surface: the clarity and the sharpness of blacks and whites and tones. Beholding a successful print can often

make my heart race, and the wonder of it sometimes takes literally my breath away! That’s when I know I’m onto something big: when I get excited in the darkroom as something develops before my eyes;

technically I know it’s science and chemistry, but it’s also magic. Because the finished image never comes out exactly as I think it might Once it’s enlarged or printed,it too is a process of discovery for me--- not just the viewer. I remember once feeling unsure about where my art was headed, feeling a bit down about the whole

Creative process and a good friend of mine advised me to “Make work that will break people’s hearts.” I think he meant this in a “good” way…In the sense of allowing or inviting Others to see the beauty and wonder that’s all around us in a different way—perhaps that’s the job of the artist, To translate life into something we can all feel. I can’t say I’m always successful at it, and I certainly don’t always try to ‘break people hearts’, but the point about

Touching people and maybe affecting or changing the way they see things has stayed with me. So for me a successful work is a total sensory experience coupled with emotion. But whether or not it's about my story, her story of his story, I think we're all telling stories and trying to communicate with each other those Things that are important to us. Rather than verbally or through writing, I happen to like doing this best visually.

Could you talk about your latest work and what you are trying to achieve? In my latest work I'm looking at modern life with a reference to the past. I’m quite attracted to many of the components that make up the industrial age around us. I guess I'm talking about the gritty side of life, the dirt, and detritus, cast-off, metal, junk and things that people no longer use or find appealing. I like to resurrect those objects back into something useful or "beautiful." Along with this component of street life, industry and grit, I'm mixing in images of trees, mountains, rocks and the landscape. It’s a total dichotomy, and I struggle with finding the right the mix all of the time. Particularly in the urban landscape I’m drawn to trees right now; I think it’s evidence toward how we still h

ave this very necessary connection and need for nature. But I choose to live in a city, which I’m also arrtacted to, built environments, etc again it’s the dichotmy of 21^st century life and how it gets played out in my work, that which I respond to daily. As Robert Rauschenberg once said, “I want make work that exists in the gap between art and life.”

What artists have influenced you, and how? Primarily the one I admire the most and the one I

just quoted:Robert Rauschenberg for his innovative thought in the 50's and 60's and his mixed media and painting techniques. The same for Jasper Johns and his cryptic notions of what it means to be an artist and defy

definition, Bruce Connor for his assemblage works and anti-art sentiment, Marcel Duchamp for the exhaultation

of the readymade, Eva Hesse for her exquisite use of fragile materials , Alfred Stielgitz for his photographic eye and early championing of photography, Louise Bourgeois for pushing the envelope on how sculpture is defined today,

and Doris Salcedo for transforming the way we see tragic events in Colombia through the use of simple but effective materials. I admire these artists because they are unafraid to ask some very tough questions….

What inspires you to make art and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio

As far as photographing goes, the best times are when I take a picture of something and feel like I got the shot "just right"...that’s very inspiring.Other times I might pick something up off the street and instantly know I’ve found its "match” with something else back at the studio—that’s also energizing. For a long time I've been collecting lots of

little bits of trash from the street, like paper and plastic and just “stuff” that look interesting. I'm starting to collage all of those elements together, kind of in a non-sensical way. That part's very fun. Simply because a lot of that material carries a bit of a social charge as the stuff we use everyday it's interesting to put these disparate things together to create something new. When things get tough in the studio more often I just try to "show up" even if it's just for an hour, just to be there. It’s mostly about following your instinct and plugging along even when you don’t feel the inspiration---about having a commitment to it even when you’re not sure. I find it harder to get back into the groove especially if I haven’t printed in a while because it’s so technical and full of nuance, so I try to stay up on it.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist? I still have trouble with this...but I've become better at it, and self-promotion. I usually have one or two commissions going at a time, but they take a while and are pretty open-ended, so in all that freedom it's still tough, maybe tougher. Of course I have other jobs that really pay the bills, but it's nice to get that extra bit if you sell a work--it's like icing on the cake and keeps me motivated to keep creating. And then I think it has nothing to do with money, that if it were really about making art for the masses, I wouldn't be experimenting with the same processes. We all have to sacrifice something, and maybe Life is a big toss-up. I think: In being an artist and choosing this life and its trade-off, my most precious commodity is Time with a capitol T….the time I get in the studio, the time I don’t have to be in some stuffy office or law firm with people I have nothing in common with. Actually, when you look at it like this, you could say being an artist is a luxury! Certainly I try to have gratitude, for what I have, that I’m able to eat and pay my bills (mostly on time!) and

that I have culled great relationships with friends and

people in the community over the years--- the things you can’t really put a price on. Sure, there are definitely

times when I wish I were rich (once in a while I will buy a lotto ticket, and dream!) But in the end, I figure there must be a reason. Actually, it’s best when I forget about this stuff. When I’m making work and just in “the flow”

I do forget about it, which is good!

>>> >>> What advice would you give to an artist just starting out? If you're just starting out, I would say experiment with as many different media as possible, and don’t feel like you have to choose just one. I think there’s shift in more artists now being cross-displinary.... I think it's great. I'd say if at any time you're drawn to paint, then paint; if at other times you want to photograph, or do video, do it. Only if you've tried everything will you have the knowledge to know what feels right. I think we pigeon hole ourselves too easily looking for acceptance in one place. So I'd say do not be afraid to play even if what you're making isn't deemed perfect buy your standards, and especially by the standards of others. Life’s one giant petridish--- don’t forget to play. Oh, and if you can: Try to marry well!!

>>> What do you do for fun (besides art)? >> I like roadtrips, airplane trips, camping, and swimming in warm water. For years my getaway has been a small fishing village off of Cancun where the waters are blue, the beers are cold, and there’s sand between my toes. My favorite thing is to get out on the road. Travel---it’s key. Not only do I come back with a new appreciation for the City, I come back with new ideas and material. When I win the lottery, seriously, I’m hitting every continent!!