Schine Defines His 'Most Basic Human Drive'

Author: Lucie Greene

The musical, dance and theater-oriented activities at Middlebury College, by virtue of their perfomative nature, are highly visible on campus. It's rare for a weekend to pass without seeing at least one talented student showcase his or her skill in either McCullough, the Center for the Arts or at any other arranged event, be it a party with a band or a choral concert in Mead Chapel.
Music, dance, and theater, however, don't even come close to accounting for the vast amount of artistic expression and skill contained within the student body. Johnson holds not only Fine Art facilities -- painting, drawing and sculpture studios -- but also printing, etching and architecture workshops inside its four walls. In short, it is a fundamental element of the arts scene at Middlebury. The building is literally oozing with talented people, yet rarely, unless you visit one of its exhibitions specifically, does this element receive enough attention. With this in mind, The Middlebury Campus wanted to spotlight one of Middlebury's leading student artists -- Joseph Schine '03.
Graduating this year, Schine is proficient and skilled in almost every medium and has exhibited numerous times in each throughout his studies here. Amidst the chaos of sketches and canvases, we caught up with him in his Johnson studio, to get a better picture of the man himself. The insight we gained was not to an inaccessible creator (ear cut off, couple of bottles of absinthe and a harem of nude models), but to a sincere and articulate artist whose visual perception and ideas have led him in a number of directions, often to both interesting and beautiful conclusions.
The Campus: So Joseph, when did you first become interested in art? How did this talent manifest itself in you?
JS: My first piece, that I can remember creating, is a marker drawing on a plate. It's a plastic plate, and the drawing is encased in the plastic, so we still eat off it. Though, it has some artistic merit, as an object that is in use I feel it has more to express ... But seriously, I can't remember when I first started drawing, but I remember taking after-school art classes here in Middlebury from Ann Jackson, now Anne Cady, who did the painting for the College poster a couple years ago. "Strength of the Hills" is what it's called. I think Legos were a very influential medium, now that I remember, I spent countless hours creating objects with my brothers up until ninth grade.
The Campus: How did this develop to the kind of work you do now?
JS: Visual art has always been tangential to my life. I am constantly involved in other things, making movies, theater, hiking, canoeing, climbing and drawing is what I do on the margins of the page. Although, I've been recognized for the skills that I've learned in the visual art field, I'm unwilling to settle on any one thing. Living with my family in Middlebury has given me the luxury of exploring all these interests. And here at the College, I have continued exploring art in the same way.
The Campus: As well as painting and formal sculpture, what other mediums do you use?
JS: I draw, etch, do metal casting (of silver and other semi-precious metals) and also do some conceptual work. I still think drawing is my medium, though. I've only recently discovered the figural possibilities of sculpture, which has been really exciting, but drawing or drafting is what my art is all about now. The possibilities for image making are so tremendous with copiers, color printers, computers, that I find the conceptualization of images most exciting. The drafting itself comes as a secondary process.
The Campus: Would you say you have an aesthetic or style? If so, is it possible for you to define this?
JS: An aesthetic. I think that I must have one ... but it would take a lifetime of work to begin to define. I can look back on the images I made in high school and notice how I was intrigued by the drama of images, the shifts from light to dark, the powerful use of perspective.
The Campus: Is that what you'd say inspires you? What do you get out of doing this kind of work?
JS: The challenge. I have only recently fully committed myself to exploring the visual medium, and in doing so, I've realized the vast possibilities of what I can do. I have a great studio, great mediums to work with and some ideas, but what is most exciting to me is the process. I suppose what inspires me the most is the idea of the creative process -- the most basic human drive.
The Campus: So what's your most recent work about? Where did it come from?
JS: I've been playing with a series of drawings and creating a video projection. I like video imagery, you know, because there's something so much more engaging about it- the flickering image. It's hard to explain, but its almost the change and not the image that's interesting. I've been collaborating with a friend who works with sound samples, so this is going to be a bit of a joint venture. Some of the images are quite literal, like photos and collages, but they're not presented in the conventional "filmic" way. I want different sounds to correlate with different views and kind of synergize both the sight and sound into almost an experience rather than an abstract piece.
The Campus: I see you've also been working in this sand medium as well as for your canvas work. Does this relate, or is it something else you've been exploring? (These are white canvasses, laid flat on the floor with a layer of sand leveled across them. Images of bones and skeletons have been carved out of the sand using the white background to create tonal value.)
JS: They don't relate in the immediate sense. I looked at the work of an artist called Vik Muneiz and took inspiration. I think what I like is that it's all rather immediate... I'm trying to engage in a process that's immediate enough to pursue what I want instinctively. This links to the drawn images in my projection work, because I'm trying to get to the root of where my ideas come from ... look at the concept and how it grows almost organically as a process rather than concentrate on the final product. I like these pictures because the medium is so direct and flexible. I have complete freedom to create gestural marks and work into them.
The Campus: You've also been doing metal casting recently, haven't you? How's that been going?
JS: I really loved working in this medium, creating such small ornate objects. There's something so sublime about large objects, their monumentality and so on ... but there's also something amazing about an object fitting in the palm of your hand -- it's so intimate it almost becomes your world. I also really like working in metal. I like the baseness of working with fire to mold it. It's so raw.
The Campus: How do you feel about being an artist? Do you think there's a lot of pressure doing something like this, creative but often conceptual, to legitimize yourself?
JS: I don't' think I'm ever that easy on myself. That's the paradox about art, and that shouldn't really be the case. You feel like you have to justify yourself a lot, not just to others but inwardly. It's quite frustrating, and I'm always worried I'll embarrass myself, but sometimes I think it's really important that I do. I feel like we as humans, do not risk embarrassment enough, you know, really put ourselves on the line.
The Campus: You exhibit a lot in Johnson, and have had various works published. Where do you intend to head with this now? Can you see yourself working as a commercial artist or having this merely as a hobby? Do you see it as central to your future?
JS: I intend to make art a practice for my life. The mediums will change. I remain hopeful that the exploration of multiple perspectives in the creative arts, from theater, to dance, to architecture, city planning, to painting, jewelry, sculpture, drawing, to psychology and theology -- that pursuing these with vigor will allow me great flexibility in what I will do next. Working as a commercial artist implie
s a kind of stability that is not yet appealing. From reading Anne Bogart's ... okay now I'm babbling.
The Campus: No seriously -- it's ok.
JS: No really, I am.
The Campus: Well thanks anyway -- good luck.
Some of Schine's print work is currently on show on the Johnson Mezzanine, and he also has some pieces for sale at "Frog Hollow" in Middlebury Center. He also invites anyone interested to visit him at his studio to look at the work first hand and ask questions.