This upcoming month for our July First Friday we have a photographer and a printmaker. They are both experts in their differing fields with unique backgrounds that brought them to where they are today - Stripe and Stripe MEN. Let me introduce you to Trey and Bridget.
Trey Roberts
Growing up, what did art mean to you and how did you find yourself drawn to creating? Where did you start diving into your medium?
Growing up art was always a fun outlet, I started skating at a young age and loved the artwork on skateboard decks and skateboard culture. It got me into drawing and trying to recreate photographs in magazine i would read. I started diving into photography at a young age and throughout high school. I picked up a camera again in 2014 with a renewed sense of purpose and an idea of what i wanted to accomplish as a photographer.
How were you trained and who/what are some of your influences?
I learned from trial and error. Shooting film is an expensive way to learn and experiment. But it is also very rewarding. I was first influenced by skateboarding and photographers like Spike Jonze. My influences range from the great photographers like William Christenberry and Eggleston to contemporary photographers like Jason Lee.
What do you find yourself being inspired by lately?
Lately I am inspired by the everyday stories that people carry with them. On a recent road trip through California I met a number of people whose stories are fascinating. I love to spark a conversation with a person and get to know them before I start photographing. It makes me have a better understanding of how to photograph them and gives the photo a back story that will give it more meaning.
What is something that gets you out of the house to go shoot some film?
Some things that get me out of the house to shoot some film is the sense of adventure and the spontaneity of it all. I like to pick a part of town I have never explored and just drive there and then get out and walk. I might find a scene that speaks to me, meet someone with an amazing story to tell, or I might end up with nothing. But it’s all fun. Shooting film helps me understand myself better, and also helps me connect with the people and places of my community. I want to help share stories while I am out shooting.
Bridget Henry
Growing up, what did art mean to you and how did you find yourself drawn to creating? Where did you start diving into your medium?
Growing up I loved reading and particularly loved Grimm Fairy Tales and their illustrations. My brother’s and I were encouraged to draw and paint and we had an endless stack of recycled paper to create on. Like most kids I had a pretty big imagination and loved trying to recreate with drawings what I saw in my head to try to make it more real. I really began to dive into my medium when I was a art student at UCSC where I was taught woodcut printmaking. When I first carved a block of wood and printed from it I felt an immediate affinity with the process. My image ideas and style were a natural fit and I have been working in this medium since then.
How were you trained and who/what are some of your influences?
I was a student at Cabrillo College and first took intaglio printmaking from Howard Ikemoto and then transferred to UCSC and learned about woodcut printmaking from Paul Rangell. Some of my influences are Swoon, William Kentridge, Artemio Rodriguez, medieval woodcuts, and fairy tale illustrations.
What do you find yourself being inspired by lately?
Lately I have been inspired by stories of resilience and strength in the face of personal and political obstacles. I am inspired when I read about the tiny tardigrade that can survive extreme conditions of heat, cold, air deprivation and radiation and the mushrooms that can clean up oil spills.
How do you feel you have changed or are changing as an artist?
In the last few years I have begun to explore working with stop motion animation. I am using my prints, paintings and collages as the material for these pieces and learning more about how to incorporate sound and most recently trying to write some text to go along with these videos.
Stop by Friday, July 6th from 5-9 to see Trey and Bridget's debut. We will be serving up drinks, and donating 10% of our sales and 100% of our tips to Santa Cruz Boys and Girls Clubs. See you there!
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