Local Artist Residency - Caleb Levine

Thanks for sharing your work here at Local. It's easy to drift into a conversation about your age and the ability to capture this level and context of imagery - so let's get it out of the way. You're 17 now, when did you start taking photos with the desire to share them to a broader audience?

I've been taking pictures for about five years, beginning in the summer after 6th grade. Public display has never been at the forefront of my creative process, but when an opportunity arose to show my work to my community and support a great cause in the process, I seized it.

Your generation was born with a camera in their hand (b/c of cell phones) as prior had to actively go and purchase a SLR to capture imagery. How do you either bundle yourself with your peers with respect to regularly taking photos OR separate yourself because of your photography intention?

There are elitist photographers who consider pictures taken on mobile devices to be less valuable or worthy of praise, but I find this ridiculous. The advent of pocket-sized cameras has democratized photography in a fascinating way and is responsible for some truly remarkable images. I enjoy taking pictures on my DSLR and not my phone, however, for two main reasons: my camera allows me to manipulate the components of the lens and sensor more directly and finely, and the act of shooting on a bona fide camera provides an intentional headspace that mobile cameras lack for me.

I appreciated the time we took to post your photos at the shop as you had a POV on what went where and to what degree the images played off of each other. Is there a particular story you are working to tell?

Though I was intentional in my placing of the pictures, accounting for color and contrast and brightness and subject matter, I didn't bring one cohesive theme to my installation. It's more of a collection of my best work.

What type of camera do you use for these photos and what technical aspects have you learned about photography from when you started to now?

I shoot on a Canon 80D, and over time have come to refine my use of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance and flash. These are the parts of the camera I handle regularly.

You are donating the proceeds from your sales to the Montclair Sanctuary Alliance. Tell us a bit about the organization and the work they do, especially now during some challenging times.

The Montclair Sanctuary Alliance is a network of interfaith religious bodies of Montclair aimed at supporting and advocating for recently-immigrated families from Central and South American who are at risk of deportation or detention. Moving to a new country is jarring and difficult. But coupled with a language barrier, a pandemic and economic downturn that makes job-search more difficult, young children who struggle academically and socially, and alienating political rhetoric and the impending threat of deportation - you get the idea. These people need help. And the MSA works to provide it.

What's next for your photography platform? Are you aiming to broaden your understanding of this discipline or simply see where the day takes you?

For now, I hope to have a successful show and support the MSA as much as possible. I'm truly honored to have been given this opportunity. Long term though, I plan on studying photography in college and continuing to shoot for years to come.

More about Caleb and this exhibition here

Local Art Residency: Q+A with artist Natalya Khorover

Natalya, what a treat to share your work here at Local! I don’t think we’ve shared anything quite like it. Tell us a bit how you arrived at this format.

It’s a long story, but I’m happy to summarize it - I was a kid in the Soviet Union, which meant I had thrifty upbringing. That was the only way to be. It was only natural that the thriftiness eventually found a way into my art. I enjoy the challenge of creating with the materials on hand, of making do.

Of all the work we’ve had at the shop, this seems to rank up there with level of physical challenge to create each work. How difficult is it?

Not difficult, just time consuming. Or slow, deliberate and meditative.

The vertigo series has captured my interest in a major way. It sort of reminds me of those beautifully crafted Marvel comics with no detail left out - but you create it with a sewing needle! Tell us about the genesis of this series.

That is the first time someone has related my work to Marvel! I am honored. I am one of those New Yorkers who drives, and back before covid, experienced plenty of traffic. Imagine sitting in your car in standstill traffic, caught under the BQE overpass or on the lower level of the GWB or the Queensborough bridge. If you’re me, instead of leaning on the horn, I look up and notice the large trusses, the interlacing beams, the rusty patches, the graffiti tags. That is where this series started.

The graffiti series offers this juxtaposition of small and fun but there’s a lot of them. Where/ How did you start and where did you end with this series?

I’ve had a fascination with graffiti since high school. I went HS of Art and Design on 57th street and had a lot of budding graffiti artists in my classes. This is my take on graffiti, again playing with the make do and use what you have strategy. Letters cut off from plastic packaging and rearranged with lots of stitching. Not sure if I’m done yet, still plenty of words I need to stitch.

Given this current existence and challenges with plastic - how does this material play in your messaging?

Plastic pollution is one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis. With my work I hope to keep at least a small portion of it out of our oceans and alert people to the problem at hand and hopefully inspire some to act on it.

Growing up in Soho/NYC - I was blessed with some of the best local galleries on the world. I can’t help but think this work needs a bigger stage. What’s next for you and this truly unique craft?

I am still looking for that NYC gallery for my work. Know anyone? Meanwhile I am happy to have an opportunity to exhibit my work, I look for opportunities to create site specific installations in public places and I teach my techniques virtually at the moment and hopefully in person in the near future again.

Thank you so much! Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for opening up your beautiful space to artists

Visit Natalya’s website here

Darin Wacs is Back with 'More Cute'

Created specifically with Local's magnet wall in mind, this series of plasma cut, autobody-painted, metal sculptures are analogous to magnets on a refrigerator door – well, a giant refrigerator.

Working directly on and with the metal, from drawing and outlining each playful shape, then plasma-cutting each figure, the forms produce their unique characteristics, accentuated by the perfectly smooth enamel paint colliding against the jagged and rough plasma cut edges.

Asked about the project's name, Darin replied, "The name of this project comes from a conversation I had with a friend who was a designer at Sanrio. One day her boss looked at her work and replied MORE CUTE!  And, who doesn't want 'more cute'?"

 This is Darin's second site-specific project for Local.

See Darin’s first Local installation from 2017 here

| darinwacs.com | instagram @wacswork | twitter @darinwacs |

A Local Collab - Local X Kayla: 36

This installation is the product of imagination and inspiration and answering a simple question, ‘What if...?’

A collaboration from the mind of one of Montclair’s most creative and talented and your favorite coffee shop – we took to imagine what creative ventures could be developed in a shop where customers could temporarily (because of environmental factors) not join each other to sit and enjoy their coffee. ‘What if’ we utilized these chairs for another purpose?

Well, these chairs are now part of the installation ‘36’

This installation features a unique bespoke image on each of  the 36 chair legs, each design inspired and tied to that respective number – 1 through 36.

Find below each number, applied to each chair leg, and the design that it inspired:

1.

Correlation coefficients. Used to measure the strength of relationship between two variables. A CC of 1 indicates a strong positive relationship, as shown through a line with data points which would be measured as having a CC near 1.

2.

Abstract depiction of a binary star, a stellar system which has two stars circling around a center of mass.

3.

First triangular number (number that can form a triangle). Shown through a triangular pattern.

4.

Sticker shows the common 2D depiction of the four dimensions.

5.

The number 5 in Persian looks similar to an upside down heart. This is distorted to form a pattern.

6.

Number six can be formed by the sum of its factors (1+2+3). Shown through fractions.

7.

The seven wavelengths of light.

8.

The eight planets and the route of every satellite/spacecraft which we have used to explore.

9.

Cats have nine lives!

10.

The smallest number where its status of what is called a ‘friendly number’ is unknown. A friendly number (represented by a smiley face) is ‘Two or more natural numbers with a common abundancy index, the ratio between the sum of divisors of a number and the number itself. Two numbers with the same "abundancy" form a friendly pair’

11.

The number for the Jack card, and the fourth Sophie Germain prime (a SG prime is when the number p AND 2p + 1 are both primes) . Germain is depicted as a jack.

12.

The twelve lunar cycles.

13.

Depiction of a bell number as a flower. An ordered bell number is the number of weak orderings on a set of elements- not that I know what that means.

14.

There are 14 Bravais Lattices, which are depicted. A Bravais lattice is “infinite array of discrete points generated by a set of discrete translation operations described in three-dimensional space”.

15.

The second hexagonal number. Has 15 points.

16.

A base to the power is the same as the power to the base: 2^4 = 4^2 = 16.

17.

Total number of Brodmann areas, which has to do with the senses.

18.

The number 18 in Morse code.

19.

Centered hexagonal number repetition.

20.

Twenty circles of lunations in the Metonic cycle.

21.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s birthday is November 21st, 1985. We ❤️ Carly Rae. Call Me Maybe?

22.

Maximum number of sections created when you cut a circle with six lines (Lazy Caterer’s Sequence)

23.

Birthday Party Probability- number of people where there is a 50% chance two people share a birthday.

24.

Kissing number (greatest number of non-overlapping unit spheres that can be arranged to touch a common unit sphere), in fourth dimensional space.

25.

Octagonal number.

26.

Shows sporadic groups, which is one of twenty-six groups in classification of finite simple groups.

27.

27% of the universe is dark matter.

28.

There are 28 convex uniform honeycombs.

29.

Number of days in February during a leap year.

30.

Forms a square pyramidal.

31.

Messier object M31 is the Andromeda Galaxy.

32.

Freezing temperature of water in Fahrenheit.

33.

ASCII code for exclamation point.

34.

M36 is the constellation Perseus, famous for killing Medusa.

35.

Number of combinations of six squares.

36.

The number of degrees of each angle in a pentagram, and the ASCII code for $.

About the artist

Kayla Weaver is a senior at Montclair High School and a person with many passions and pursuits. Her top three may just be art, science and coffee.

Somehow, all three of these passions came together in one very interesting and inspiring project, hatched in collaboration with Local.

Local Art Residency: Q+A with Street Photographer Scot Surbeck

Scot, it's fun to think that this is your second exhibition at Local. You're still taking photos and we're still serving the community. How has your passion for your art evolved since we first displayed your work back in early 2019?

My passion is constant. It’s been there from the first time I pressed a camera shutter, many years ago. What is evolving is my emotional growth. Also the ability to see something photographable, compose the picture, and click the shutter, usually within 1 to 2 seconds.

It's challenging to have this Q+A without mentioning the current state of affairs in the world. As the person behind the lens capturing this environment as it unfolds, what significant trends are you able to highlight?

New York City is recovering, as I discuss in my artists statement. What’s trending is the awareness that this pandemic can be defeated only when we, and our governments, study history and respect science.

This past question leads us to the current state of our beloved NYC. At 50 years old myself, I've lived through quite a bit in the city and always felt that some mix of pure grit and spiritual vibes would enable the greatest city in the world to persist through difficult times. Please share your POV on how NYC will continue to persevere through challenging times as you review thousands of images over the past 5 years.

New York City has always been a potent and unique mixture of enlightenment, brilliance, awareness, toleration, humor and strength. I go to the city, day after day, to be recharged by that energy. Taking street photos is a wonderful plus. My photos confirm what I already know. New York City has an indomitable time tested spirit. It will defeat the pandemic and beat back the foes of democracy, and in the process solidify it’s position as a beacon of civilization for the world.

You mentioned in our last Q+A the desire to 'get better' (sic) at Street Photography. Would you be able to compare more recent photos to your initial from a technical perspective?

In my previous show, I used 26 large format pictures,  (20) - 13"x19' and  (6) - 20"x30". Set in two grids, they were easily seen from a distance. 

In this show I've used 108 pictures, all 5"x7", set in one grid. Though the overall grid of pictures has a strong visual presence, you have to get close to see the details. There is also a much stronger sequencing effect here, with paired photos selected for their shared emotions, actions, colors, shapes, etc. This technique, along with the smaller photo size, creates a slower and more intimate viewing experience than the large format pictures. It is a presentation technique I will continue to explore.

A client asked me yesterday, how does the photographer capture these images without intruding on or modifying the moment? From a purely technical perspective, what insight(s) or recommendations on Street Photography can you share for our fellow Photophiles out there?

You have to learn how to blend into the scene, to move in a way that doesn’t draw attention to yourself. It’s very difficult to do. It’s takes years to learn and master.

Mindful of current environment, Scot was thoughtful to recreate the exhibition here for online viewing

Local Art Residency: Q+A with artist Meaghan Bates

Thank you for being a part of the Local community from our early beginnings four years ago! It brings us joy to be able to share your work, especially now as our country and world at large is going through some painful times. That said, you used just these conditions to develop this installation. Please tell us about the work and what was the moment you knew you needed to start developing it.

I was invited by a dear friend into a small artist's group that was made to keep us productive  and provide artistic support during quarantine. That really shifted everything for me. It made me start using all the time in the house in a productive way. It kept me off facebook and away from the news. It gave me a way to start processing the fear and sadness into something creative. I want to share the hope that I found in my studio. I funneled the alternating fear and joy into these pieces. As the Black Lives Matter movement finally took off, I started on the large pieces. I began to think about my struggles with identity as a biracial person and have some healthy perspective on many of the things I've experienced. I spent a lot of time thinking about Black Joy and Black Sorrow and how they exist in the same space. 

 We installed the work last night and this morning at a very early hour with the sun just coming up, I found myself staring at the contrasting imagery and was moved. How were you able to pour yourself into these and capture so much emotion?

Time. That was one of the gifts of quarantine- time. My days were reduced and clarified and it gave me a lot of mental space. I practice yoga almost every day, and now that it's all virtual, I was practicing in my art studio. So I'd spend my time in my poses staring at these pieces and really trying to assess their validity. If they can hold my interest through a really tough pose, I know they're going in the right direction!

You mentioned that cutting up the work and reassembling was a major transition for your work. Can you speak to this a bit?

Yes, this is new to my work since quarantine. I think seeing the world fall apart gave me permission to take my work and just cut them; do something that seems violent to them. But I did it with the goal of rebuilding new pieces from the cut-ups, much like what we've gone through over the past months: we watched things fall apart and we are putting it back together in a new way.  I came to my own understanding about what was at stake in our world. The work had to reflect the intensity of what was happening or it wouldn't hold up against the new reality.

 We continue the Artist Residency at Local, even in these difficult times - as we understand how art is a critical element in helping to understand and heal our communities. What do you hope could be an outcome of displaying this work?

I hope that people will be able to see that this difficult time is also full of beauty. The fear and sadness and uncertainty can go hand-in hand with moments of joy and tenderness and compassion.

What has living in Montclair meant for your work? 

Living here has allowed me to let go of the pressure of living in the city. It's incredibly expensive to have a studio in the city and I found myself working so much to pay for a studio that I could barely use it! Montclair has given me a lot more space, both physically in the studio and mentally to create with less pressure.

 What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Matcha Latte or a Breve Cortado

Learn more about Meaghan here

Local Art Residency: Interview with Professional Photographer Donna Dotan

I’m so grateful for being able to share your work here at Local. It’s like nothing we’ve been lucky enough to display.

What were your thoughts in deciding to post in these confusing times? 

First of all, I am so grateful for the opportunity to post this series at my favorite coffee shop! So thank you! I think now is actually a great time to have this work on display. Life is going at a slower pace for many people, so I think art will be more appreciated now than when you're trying to get your coffee as fast as possible to catch the train! 

You are by far one of the nicest people I have met since moving here to Montclair. Where does that come from? 

I'm always nice to the person giving me caffeine and baked goods!

In our conversation, I was reminded how important it is to continue to support the arts. Musicians, actors, painters, illustrators, photographers...all still need to express themselves through their craft and encourage us to challenge what we know and believe. How have you used this time to continue your artistic journey? 

I wasn't working at all during the first few months of quarantine, which was a very drastic change for me because I went from shooting 3 times a week and running a creative agency with my husband and business partner, Brian, to being a full time momma of my two boys - Liam who is 5 and Jesse who is 19 months. 

In retrospect, I think stepping away from work as an artist is incredibly valuable. It allows you to step back, recalibrate and come back with a fresh perspective and renewed energy. I recently went back to shooting and it was amazing how differently it felt to absorb the space and create compositions that I might not have considered before. I hope all artists can use this time to look at their passion from an internal view, and then activate your work based on what you see.

Tell us specifically about this exhibit. What prompted the approach? Given its POV, what challenges were there in capturing this landscape?

This series is called Reflections from Above because the shots are all taken from the tops of glass skyscrapers in Manhattan. I "found" one of these reflections while on a shoot with Brian and from then on we were on a hunt to find more mind blowing reflections! 

In order to achieve the symmetry we wanted, the camera had to be pointed straight down and the shot had to be taken hand-held (without a tripod). This required wrapping the camera strap several times around the wrist, setting a manual focus on the view, and then holding our breath so the camera wouldn't shake! We did all of these at the "golden hour", which is about 15 minutes after sunset, and we only have about a 10-minute window to capture the perfect light and color saturation. We hope to continue to find more of these views and keep the series going, which currently has about 10 images. 

I like to think each new pass at something provides some level of learning or perhaps even personal growth. What did you learn in capturing these images?

We started doing this series at a time when all of our work was commissioned. This series reminds us that some of the best times we have as artists are the times when we are shooting for fun! 

I also think these images say a lot about who I am as an artist. I absolutely LOVE color, and I love enhancing color in photoshop. I love shooting at twilight. I love the rush of shooting from the rooftop of a 90 story glass tower. And I love being the only judge of my work. 

Brian says "It gave me a new perspective on New York City. Most of the time I'm walking around and I'm looking up, but rarely would I take the time to find a new way to see my everyday surroundings. This made me remember what I love about New York City, that it is constantly changing, evolving, renewing, and pushing the boundaries of what is fresh and exciting. 

I look at these photos and can’t help but think about jumping from some spectacular height (hopefully sticking the James Bond landing). What do you think now after seeing them up?

I think I want them to be BIGGER! I had one client print one on plexiglass at 45"x65" and it looked spectacular. 

What projects are you working on moving forward? 

I'm shooting a lot of new developments right now as well as luxury real estate. As far as personal projects, I have plans to capture people in their homes during the Covid-19 era. If anyone's interested in having me capture them and their families at home, they can e-mail me at donna@donnadotan.com. 

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Brian drinks iced coffee all year round! I recently gave up caffeine unfortunately (but I promise to still be nice!) 

Learn more about Donna and her beautiful view of our world here

Local Talk Series: Q+A with Mobile Photographer Marian Rubin

Marian, we're thrilled to have met you and if that wasn't enough - we have your work up at Local! The work is SO good. So much depth and emotion in every single image and frame. 

Tell us how you got started and what is it that allows you to get so much context in your images.

Hi Robert, I am delighted to meet you too and so pleased to be hanging in your shop.  ;)

I have been walking around with a camera since age 9, when my Dad gave me my first camera. I took pictures of my family, my friends, my classmates, boyfriends, and everything else along the way. I have always had a passion for photography and a fascination with humanity. It was only recently that I understood that that is just who I am. Photography has been the backdrop of my entire life, although not my career. I had a 40 year career as a social worker so you see the connection. I think I was always a social worker too. I am an inveterate observer, i.e: voyeur. I guess that’s my context. I call myself a social worker with a camera. The camera is my voice.

You now shoot with an iPhone which is further proof for me photography is about being in the moment and having the ability to capture it. What differences have you noted in your approach with this device?

The iPhone changed everything about my photography, my perspective and my life. The major difference in my approach is that I shoot like a maniac. I shoot every single day. I shoot through the windshield of my car. No need to load film, no lenses and other equipment to schlep along; no worries about costs of film or developing, the ability to post process and share in the palm of my hand; the amazing apps available for editing my images, the availability of my device at all times (you noticed that I wear my phone, right?), and best of all, ideal for street photography and portraiture, (my favorite genres) where I can shoot and move on, with the shutter in silent mode, and no one is any the wiser. Plus, when I am noticed, people don’t take me seriously because, after all, it’s only a phone, not a real camera and everyone has a phone, right?

One of the things I immediately noted and loved was that you take the work seriously, but not yourself - which is one of my favorite personal attributes. How do you see yourself in this world where image has arguably never been so elevated in our consciousness?

This is a tough question. I have never been big on self-esteem and am fully aware of the multitudes of artists that are further advanced than I. If you look at the work of many of the other iPhoneographers you will see so much work that is simply stunning and far more sophisticated than mine. I try to judge my work by where I am and not against others. I keep trying to improve my skills but I also have a dedication to aesthetics and integrity. I am fully aware of how much I don’t know. I do enter gallery calls for art and am always kind of amazed and humbled when my work is accepted, so I know, somewhat objectively, that my works meets some kind of standard. (I also get rejections.)

Photography is a journey for the viewer and photographer. What has been your most compelling discovery since starting the process?

I think I am always amazed when people praise my work or my work is accepted into a prestigious gallery exhibition. It took a lot, initially, for me to submit my work for any review as I was so sure  it would be found “not good enough”. This has been a refrain for me throughout my life; this issue of being “not good enough”. For whom? By whom? I try hard to steer clear of that concept and I think I am my worst critic. 

As far as the viewer, I am constantly surprised by the comments that people make about my work, about how they see it and how it resonates with them. Sometimes their comments are not in alignment with my own concepts or mood. I love that!

If possible, can you identify one photo that you have taken but keep coming back to it for further introspection?

Maybe not one photo, but my images of Danny, a homeless young man, are possibly the most meaningful to me, and force me to keep asking why he is unable to make any change and why he effects me so. He touches my soul and sometimes in talking to him, I get teary-eyed. He means a great deal to me. I would like to do a book about him.

You live here in Montclair and I have heard you mention your love for the area. What is it about this town that further fuels your passion?

I worked in Montclair when I was just out of college. I had a job here that I loved and grew very fond of this town. Perhaps it was the cultural environment, the integrated ethnicities, the upbeat and forward thinking environment. I always thought that Montclair was the most urban of the suburbs and the most sophisticated, with so many artists, musicians, theater and TV people, living here. I married and raised my children in Livingston but after my divorce, I came right back to Montclair. I felt that it was the right fit for a single woman, with access to so many cultural activities, as well as the proximity to NYC. I felt that it was the only suburb that didn’t fold up the sidewalks at night, which is very funny, since I rarely go out at night.

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage? 

I am a serious coffee person. I mostly drink my coffee black although I also love cappuccino. I love iced coffee, sometimes with a scoop of ice-cream, and cold brew. Coffee and dark chocolate are my life’s blood.

www.marianrubin.com

Local Talk Series: Q+A with NJ Monthly Deputy and Dining Editor Eric Levin

Eric, we met a year ago while sitting on a panel at Montclair Design Week. How time flies! What have you been up to this past year?

I had the privilege of putting on a large solo show of my work in Jersey City. It was up from early July to the end of October. We had a great turnout at the reception, and many others came by during the run. My best friend and roommate from college, a professional photojournalist, even flew over from London. That was an honor, and we had a ton of fun. He said he wanted a great cheeseburger, and I found him one. I won’t say where, because, in my job, I don’t want to offend anybody or give anyone something to crow about unless it’s a finished piece of work in the magazine.

You are Deputy Editor/Dining Editor of New Jersey Monthly. How has this relationship with the Garden State influenced your photography work?

I am often on the road. I try to get all around the state during the course of the year. Wherever I go, my antennae are always out, looking for things in the ordinary, everyday world that stop me in my tracks. They stop me because they don’t seem ordinary to me at all. I often say that things that seem inanimate to others don’t seem inanimate to me.

You have self-published several books of your photography. How did you arrive at the point when you knew you were ready to publicly share your photography story?

When I discovered how good the blurb.com interface was, and that the paper and printing quality were quite good, I was off and running. I have a large body of work—in digital, going back to 2002, and on film going back to the ‘70s and ‘80s on Kodachrome.

At what age did you begin your craft and what was the initial driver for you to consider photography as a path?

I began by taking a course in black-and-white photography as a freshman at Boston University in the fall of 1967. Yes, I am that old. I learned by using a hand-held light meter and adjusting shutter speeds and apertures manually. A great grounding. I also learned to develop black-and-white film and to print in a darkroom, often staying up all night blasting the Beatles and Clapton and Coltrane. I still have the passion, for music and photography, but my heart has always been with color. As for stamina…I gave up all-nighters some time ago.

Of the current collection of images @ Local, which one brings you back for re-interpretation?

I’m not sure what you mean by that. All the pictures at Local are ones I feel good about, but they all represent a distinct moment in time and space, and if I came across those same things again, I would probably walk right by them if the light was dull. The light is always the key thing. 

Photography is an evolution, personal development as well as technology and equipment. Do you like where we are today and where photography is going or do you prefer a past time with arguably simpler options?

I’m glad I learned the basics with film, and a lot of great artists I admire still shoot film. But I for one would never go back. Digital does everything so well. I have a Canon digital SLR, but honestly, the iPhone has gotten so insanely good that it is now my daily camera. I got the iPhone 11Pro Max in September, and it is ridiculously good, opens with a single swipe, is sharp, with true color and now even includes geometrical as well as light and color corrections right in the phone.

I would like to name a few of my favorite photographers. For color, no one has been more influential in getting the art world to take color seriously—and no one has been more inspiring and awesome to me than William Eggleston. He is world famous, and there is no one like him. His pictures are quiet, calm, simple yet unsettling and resistant to explanation. Also deeply beautiful. Check him out! 

In black-and-white my top-line heroes are Lee Friedlander, another world-famous artist, and John Gossage, ditto but less well known to the general public. Both guys have the genius of imbedding pictures with some insinuating energy (and humor) that is hard to pinpoint but is always more than the sum of its parts.

What's next on your journey? Is there a project you are working on or working towards?

This winter I would like to make a book of my recent solo show, which was called Vehicular. I define the term broadly. It includes everything from a rainwater-filled wheelbarrow to an overturned canoe to a beach guard’s skateboard to bulldozers, haywagons, people on a cruise ship and people standing around waiting way too long for an elevator. You can see their impatience in their body language.

What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

I am a cold brew devotee. I make it at home by the pitcher. But I also love a good double espresso.

Follow Eric on Instagram @ericlevin

Local Talk Series: Q+A with Graphic Designer and Artist Tracey Diamond

Tracey, so happy to have your work up at Local. I knew you were a talented graphic designer but didn’t know there was this beautiful art for art’s sake side to you. What discipline came first?

Thank you Robert! The fine arts side definitely came first, but I didn't know to call it that at the time. I remember growing up doodling on the brown paper bags the schools made cover our textbooks with, and trying to recreate the art school drawing application ad in the weekly TV Guides. I think that's where it all started, or at least my first memories of it. In college, I studied Advertising and Graphic Design which is what eventually brought me to having my own Graphic Design/Branding business today, but there were many years in between that I focused more on fine arts, photography and writing. I would hike or sit outside and images or storylines would come to me, so I'd always have to get it down on paper (or canvas) as soon as possible. That is where my dreams would always take me and still do - writing and illustrating would be the ultimate joy in the every day career world for myself. That and also learning how to animate what is constantly playing in my mind when I am drawing, writing or painting.

There’s quite a variety of work on display. Tell us why you selected these particular pieces to share?

It's been over 20 years since I have really had my work on display, at least like this type of showing. So to be honest it was hard to select one style only to show since I was so excited to be stepping back into this world again! I also wasn't sure which style or styles would be what people enjoyed so I wanted to put it all out there (in a hopefully non-chaotic way!) and see what would happen.

You work across a few different artistic tools. How did you arrive at this particular mix?

There is the side of me that loves to paint and those images/styles would come from taking photos of nature scenes that pop out to me with colors and textures. These puzzle piece shapes and textures were all I'd see and that is how I came to create the "puzzle peace" style in my work (naming it after the sense of calm it would create in me when creating and how others said they felt in looking at the finished pieces). In time I developed a similar series to the gouache and acrylics but using ink or Sharpie markers instead - more portable and a different type of color pop result.

I'm also a huge animation lover and have many stories I've written with playful characters illustrated out. So while those particulars are not on display, I did want to display that side of illustration that bubbles up at times too. Sometimes it's cartoony, sometimes more sketch illustration. It's whatever comes into my mind based on what I am seeing in person or in my mind calling out to be drawn.

You spend quite a bit of time on the computer for work. How cathartic (or not) is it to work with your hands to create and develop your art?

I grew up in a time where the creative arts were being taught mostly off the computer.... my college classes of color theory, typography, graphics were filled with spray mount and x-acto knives and rubber cement erasers. That is all still heaven to me. There is nothing like that feeling of doing things by hand and having paint/ink stained fingers. It's like the artist's tattoo - that washes out eventually but you carry it around like a badge of honor. "Yes, I am an artist." May sound funny but it brings such a smile to my face and heart to look down and see my hands stained and materials spread on the table. The same is with taking photos, creating murals, fabric art, wire sculpture, anything creative that I am doing. If it's a hands-on project, I am all in.

Is there a particular message you aim for your work to communicate?

That's an interesting question. When I started this, it was only for myself - it was something I'd doodle on napkins while waiting tables in and after college. I'd zone out while listening to music and draw random shapes depending on what the sounds brought up for me. It was a relaxing way to spend time and just be in the moment. People started to respond to it and with that I suppose grew this hope that people would see the playfulness of what the shapes started to become.... I would find this random shapes were actually images of people or animals, without event planning it. And then my artwork took off in a whole new direction and people really ressponded to that. They would point out images within the images they'd find. It was as if they were finding their own stories inside this visual story before them. It's really amazing. So I suppose I hope that people enjoy what I have created and get lost in the magic for a little while of imagination

What has living in Montclair meant for you in how you approach your craft?

One of the reasons why I chose Montclair as the town to move my kids and I to was because of the support of the arts - for myself and for my kids to embrace the love of their own arts passions. Montclair is filled with so many creative people that having the space to have those conversations sharing the ways we see the world has made it easier to open my time and world back up to something that was on hold for too long. In recent years I have done projects here and there as a result. A few years back I was hired to illustrate Jay Blakesberg's book Hippie Chick with my funky doodle style creations. Total pinch me full circle moment of being a person who would draw random inked artwork in a sketch book at Dead shows to years later creating those same styles to be printed alongside Jay's incredible photos he took at shows along his own creative journey. As people began to see my artwork, I was asked to participate in the newly created Cedar Grove Artwalk where 20 local artists were given street banners to create our own expressions of what Cedar Grove has to offer. Last year, their inaugural year, I illustrated two views of Mills Reservation in my Sharpies Puzzle Peaces style. This year I painted two versions of the same view of mini flowers that scatter the landscape. The banner experiences were so incredible and would never have happened if i hadn't moved to Montclair. It opened myself up to wanting to rework my time, for sure, to have art be more a part of my world like it was once before.

You are very involved with the genesis of MDW (Montclair Design Week). what is your hope for this program?

I was a part of the MDW pioneer group on the arts side of creating graphics and the website in the first, developing year. In being involved, my hope was to be a part of opening people's minds to see things differently. That design is everywhere and it doesn't always mean that Design = Art. Design can be how a program is structured for a classroom, how paint moves across a canvas, how a business is structured for success, how flavors are blended in meal...design is everywhere and is about how we creatively express ourselves. This year my role has shifted a bit to more of the backend needs, but the hope is still the same while seeing what the new volunteers are bringing to the development the second time around.

Is there a current art project that you have on the works?

Yes actually! From having this experience here at Local I was asked to participate in an upcoming Live Painting project in collaboration with photographer Armando "OUTthere" Diaz which was a total suprise and I excited to try that for the first time. I was also commissioned for some pieces based off of what visitors have seen hanging in the space here which I am still smiling from. So that is super exciting too! Outside of that, I am going to look for new spaces to show my work and hopefully make my way into the publishing world with books or albums (ok, I'm an 80s kid, so band related art) or animation. That's all been a huge dream of mine for a long time and feels like it's time to get back to making it happen.

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Oh boy - so I am a big lover of a Dirty Chai Latte, especially when I have a lot of work to get through. And on the tea side, I once discovered the loose tea combination of Hibiscus, Rosehips and Camomile and nothing beats it. One sip instantly transports me back to a peaceful place of drawing inspiration since that is what I would always have next to me while my sketchbook was out.

Learn more about Tracey on her website here