Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
Day to day, I tend to my volcanoes like The Little Prince. Make sure the stoves are on, the buckets are set for the storm. Make sure the kiln isn’t going to burn the castle down, and that the plants are watered.
Are there any influences that are core to your work?
Folklore. Specifically Icelandic folklore because that’s where my grandmother was from. Icelanders take Huldufólk (hidden folk) very seriously, and will divert highways for elf communities. In this culture, the lore of the land and the lives of humans coexist in a way that feels abstract in a place like New York. In the world of the work that I make, humans and nature and creatures – mythical or not – don‘t have any hierarchy between them.
How were you introduced to the mediums that you work with?
I spent a lot of time alone and in my own head as a kid, with a lot of markers around. Everything I do starts with drawing, but I always want to try everything.
Is there a moment you look back on as being formative to your identity as an artist?
My friend gave me a cheap tattoo kit for Christmas in 2013, I don’t think I ever would have become a tattooer without that. Some people told me it wasn’t worth pursuing, but someone else believed strongly enough in me to give me the tools (albeit trashy ones) to try it. It changed my whole life. Tattooing gave me the confidence and financial flexibility to fully embrace living an alternative lifestyle.
Describe your current studio or workspace.
I live in a historical building in Rhode Island that used to be an old banquet hall. My ceramic studio is in a dreamy room with rainbow windows and coffered ceilings.
The mediums used in your practice span mark-making like tattoo and illustration to sculptural like ceramic, mosaic, and installation. Do the differences in these areas of your practice influence each other?
Everything I make exists in the same world. The different mediums are just ways of describing it.
Your recent solo show, Skeleton Key, opened in New York at Entrance this fall, where several works depict fantastical or medieval themes. What draws you to this imagery? Is there a conversation you want the work to communicate to your audience?
I like the way things were represented before there became a more formalized structure around artistic training. I like how Byzantine art is really trying to be fancy, to appease the elite, but with, like, a freaky looking jesus baby or lizard monster on the side. Part of it is the mythology and the wildness, silliness and expressiveness of the imagery. Part of it is wondering how different it really is to make art for a gallery now, than it was to make work for a church then.
What is something you want to see more of in your world or in your community?
Slowing down. Everyone having the time and space to learn how to build, make, and cook for themselves. For people to be able to move slowly enough to observe little things like bugs or plants growing, or a beautiful tomato.
What is one of the larger challenges you and/or other artists are struggling with these days and how do you see it developing?
Every city in America feels like fast fashion and fast building and fast friends… all so people can sprint back to working or scrolling. Everything is getting insanely expensive and its harder to find work or maintain a job that’s super demanding. Almost everyone I know is in debt and afraid and the storms are getting worse and the summers are getting hotter… Kinda feels unsustainable and insane.
How does travel influence the work you are drawn to or the work you make?
I get to peek into many different universes this way and carry parts of them with me. In one specific way, I became fixated on mosaics while traveling. It felt to me like cities that were covered in tile were cities full of joy and vibrancy. I would like to move in the direction of making work for public spaces with the people that inhabit them.
What do you collect?
Shark teeth, animal toys, things my friends made, pieces of tile, sea glass, plant cuttings, stickers, shells, wooden beads, & cigar boxes.
Interview conducted by Luca Lotruglio.