Page 63 - Reader's House magazine

Brian Hubble at work in his Brooklyn studio, crafting layered, evocative pieces that merge detail, surreal elements, and a sense of exploration into art that invites discovery. manifested as hasty scribbles or crayon markings. These impulsive drawings held as much significance for me as the “harder” pieces. Years later, as an art student, this ebb and flow became a driving force in my work. I was always interested in creating artworks that serve as a rebuttal to those that came before, both in timing and content. I still work this way today. You mention the use of image transfers in your work. How has this technique evolved over time, and what does it add to your creative process? As a longtime admirer of Robert Rauschenberg’s work, I have always been fascinated by the various techniques for creating image tweaking because, for me, one of transfers. My version is quick and the joys of being an artist is form inexpensive. I print on silicone discovery. I hope that the forms in coated release paper—typically discarded after peeling off envelope labels or stickers. Its surface has just enough coating to retain the printed image yet pliable enou- Hubble’s art captivates with gh for an effective transfer onto its emotional depth and clean paper. I photograph the most successful transfers and technical mastery, weaving refine them as single images in post-production software before past and present into integrating them into an overall visionary pieces that redefine artistic boundaries. D R A F T bition I organized at the Museum of the Moving Image! I spent 16 years studying everything in Andy’s my work poetically mingle with world and cherish the friends- tension. I want to share the weary hip I developed with his family yet hopeful, meditative space I fall during that time in my life. While into while creating them. I experimented with performance art in graduate school, I have since You discuss creating a sense of “dre- transitioned to a hermetic studio amy uneasiness” in your work. What practice. Although I wouldn’t say specific techniques do you employ there’s a direct line from performan- to achieve this effect? ce art to the paintings and drawings I believe contradictions play a I’m making now, I like to think that crucial role in dreams—an idea I a bit of Andy’s spirit is woven into composition. This method is keep in mind when merging original them from time to time. repeated for every element of a and classical imagery. I collage piece until it is nearly exhausted appropriated art historical figures into completion. At this point, such as cherubs and charmers, an ultraviolet print of the com- with curious animals and saturated position is made onto a large flowers. I assign both familiar and sheet of canvas. I work on top of the surprising surfaces to the images print with graphite, colored pencils, I draw and paint. For instance, oil, and pastels. I intentionally leave multiple layers of colored pencils select areas in their UV print form, can render skin with the translucent exposing colorful yet disquieting quality of marble. Graphite lends backgrounds. This multi-step drawings of filing cabinets the chill process allows me to slowly mani- of cold metal, while a combination pulate volume and stillness within of materials imparts a warm patina the piece. to wood. Illogical yet nuanced sce- Your drawings exhibit a blend nes feature recurring elements like of laborious detailing and orbs, rainbows, and patterned lands- cartoon flatness. How do you capes, which blur the line between navigate this balance, and representation and abstraction. what do you hope to convey Your exhibition on Andy Kauf- through these contrasts? man explores the intersection Deciding whether to make a de- of art and performance. How tailed drawing or something quicker do you see your own work ref- What role do you believe nostalgia plays in your art, particularly when you incorporate drawings from 20 years ago with your current work? Incorporating work I made in the past with newer pieces has led to unexpected breakthroughs. When reviewing my previous works, I don’t feel a sense of the past or longing for what once was. At the time of making them, I probably didn’t fully grasp how they might function down the road. I may have felt they were complete, but perhaps I was mistaken—I’m not entirely sure. I’m interested in introducing them to recent images to hopefully produce something surprising and genuine as a result. Many of these experiments fail, of course, but I suppose the idea is to fail a bit less with each attempt. depends on the subject at hand, and lecting or challenging traditio- how previous pieces were created. nal notions of performance art? My next concern is the interaction We may someday need to have between each drawing and the a separate interview about my time surrounding images. I’m constantly with Andy Kaufman and the exhi- Reader’s House II 63