able parris (www.notpaper.net)

What stood out for me at first was this designer's use of Letraset letters in his collages. I find it interesting how many of us are graphic designers as well! I think sometimes it is obvious who is and who is not a graphic designer because of the amount of typographic elements used in their artwork. I admire Able's work, it has a nostalgic quality to it but still feels new and modern, probably because it's like nothing I've seen before.

Name (Real or Screename): Able Parris
URL (Blog, Website):www.ableparris.com (blog, but portfolio site coming back soon!)
Location (Where are you from?): I am from Wyoming, but keeping a nomadic lifestyle. Currently in North Carolina, USA.

Q: Describe your work in 10 words or less.
A: Somewhat minimal poetic storytelling collage.

Q: What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!
A: Since I don't have a word limit on this question, let me start out by saying thank you for the interview. It's an honor. (No problem!) I like to work with magazines from the 70's and 80's, although I do try to incorporate many different sources to keep myself challenged. The older clippings have fewer printed colors which makes for a more timeless feel to each piece. Letraset, acrylic, maps, and bright solid colors are also wonderful.

Q: How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?
A: In 2002 I found myself collecting flyers and posters from the street in Providence, RI and pasting them into my sketchbook. I studied them to see what it was that attracted me to them in the first place, then began to sort of give myself "assignments" to create my own collages. Looking back at my sketchbooks from those days is encouraging, because it really helps to see more of a progression into bringing all of the parts together, which is the biggest challenge with collage. During that time I was collaging musically with some friends. We hosted an open mike night in the Carr Haus at RISD. I played with a couple of guys each week, and it was always improvised. I'd have my sampler, a record player, and some spoken word pieces, and they'd play drums and bass.

Those times were very influential to my sketchbook, because I would try to bring that sound to each page. I have even collaged in some of my poetry. My first chapbook, Nimbus Apparatus V1, is full of poems that are essentially collages of fragments on a page.

Q: Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?
A: I am a graphic designer/artist. I had my own business, called "office of studioQ," for two years before taking a position at Newfangled Web Factory. I am still taking contract work on a limited basis.

Q: Do you have any formal art training?
A: Yes, I went to Rhode Island College, and Rhode Island School of Design, although I was not able to finish. Why does art school have to cost so much?!

Q: Explain your favourite techniques.
A: In a few of my collages, I layer Letraset characters until they become black forms over the image. I love it when the letter become abstracted like that.

Q: Describe your favourite piece ever created.
A: I created The Shapes of Numbers using the process I just described. I love it.

Q: What other artists do you admire?
A: My wife is an amazing artist, and I have a lot of friends that are. Famous people: Robert Rauschenberg, Pablo Picasso (sans anything Cubist), El Lissitzky, Wendell Berry, Rainer Maria Rilke, and T.S. Eliot are some names off the top of my head. All amazing.

Thanks Able!