5 Questions with Andy Harris
by Dwight Easter
DE- What is it that drives your artistic vision and process?
AH- I think that changes for me, and good thing too. I’ll have an entire series of works in my head or a path I want to go down for a bit, I’ll make a few pieces and then I’m bored, ready for the next thing that will excite me. What’s weird is there is nothing else in my life like that, I like everything simple and routine and mellow.
But if I had to give an answer, I would say depression and a general uneasiness. These are the two outcomes that inevitably begin to creep in if I close the studio doors for a while. Pushing myself creatively is some sort of strange survival mechanism I’ve developed.
DE- Your impression of managing the year 2020 and early months of 2021
AH- Well I think about all the big breaks I missed in the last year and I just start to feel bad for myself and then I do a gut check - people are REALLY suffering and I need to be grateful for the good things that have come my way this year. From another perspective, it’s been hard to sit back and watch the world do its thing, but I know my place. I use my gifts to teach young artists, and I take that responsibility seriously. I never use useless art lessons, cookie-cutter activities of fill this in and cut this out. Instead, I break down complex concepts and try to create opportunities for them to find their voice, to make their mark on the world when their time comes.
As far as my work being affected by the chaos and insanity I see, it’s hard to tell exactly what impact that has had on my work. I know that I used those first three months of the shutdown last year kind of like an artist residency and I cranked out over 100 collages, many of which are in my current ODU exhibition. It’s crazy to think, but I’ve grown more over the course of the last year than I have since I started pursuing art seriously.
DE- Where do your contributions to the Norfolk Nightmares fit in?
AH- I’ve always played music, started on drums as a kid, had a punk band called AFRONT with my friend Ryan, then a few years later we moved to Richmond and started Municipal Waste, a cross-over thrash style band. Since the Waste I’ve found a lot of value in hanging with musician friends and making music. I treat it like making art, but in a group setting. My take is make a bunch of stuff and see what sticks out. Keep those. The Nightmares was an established band I joined out of pure luck, and to be honest that project has since fallen by the wayside. Steve, Charles, and I teamed up with two other members and started our new band Crime Line. In fact, last night I recorded my last bit of bass tracks and I think we’re ready to mix it down, master, and release - so look for that to be streaming free real soon!!
I also think of art-making much in the way I think about writing music. It’s all the same, use your personal experiences say something in ways other than just writing it down or telling a friend. Art is about bringing ideas to life in new ways, ways in which others can connect to.
DE- What medium is intriguing you the most right now?
AH- I’m really into painting paper and gluing it down ha-ha. I mean seriously, the process I love to use to make my work is super simple, it’s the concepts and driving meaning that challenging me most these days. Even the simple, seemingly mindless works I crank out are meaningful, just depends on your mood:)
I just completed a contract with PLATOON, a music industry platform that was designed to give artists more freedom than the record labels have in the past. This has been my most successful body of work to date as far as reaching wider audiences. It’s crazy to think almost a million people have seen your art but have never seen you or talked to you or heard you or know you. It’s been a really challenging project, but it has opened my eyes in many ways. I am way more confident in my work now; I can see the future and it is bright my friend! Right now, I’m working on content and cover art for the band Prayer Group from Richmond for a release on Reptilian Records in the coming months.
DE- What strategies/ideas are you utilizing in teaching art students virtually?
AH- My students have been dissecting and translating concepts such as change, cause and effect, hierarchy, empathy, power, etc. I do make art packets that students can pick up that are full of materials, but really I’m more into teaching them to look at the world around them and discover what materials they can use around their environments to make art, to communicate visually. I have them digging in their trash cans, pull stuff out of the fridge, hoarding takeout menus, scavenging as much cardboard as they can, asking for paint for their birthdays, I mean the list goes on and on. To be honest, even when we are face to face, I’m still kind of doing this type of thing to get them thinking like the creatives I know they all can be.
Part of me has focused on more drawing tutorials as well. When we are in the studio, I rarely make them watch me draw or paint, maybe for a few minutes but with 50-minute classes, that eats precious time. I have warmed up to that a bit more, I have the technology at home to do it so I’m giving it a chance. Hey, if they don’t get anything out of their time with me, at least they’ll know how to observe and draw at a way more advanced level.
Andy has current shows running for both MOCA and ODU. He’s hosting an Art-Bikes-Coffee ride Saturday 2/13/21 at 9 AM from The Larchmont Library. Andy is an Art Teacher for Old Donation in VB.
About Dwight Easter: Digital folk artist, family man and bread merchant. Some of the best moments in my life are experiencing the power and influence of great art. I came up in the Norfolk era of the M80’s, Buttsteak, and Antic Hay.