About JCB Concepts
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Experience
I have been drawing since I can remember, art has always been my place for peace and my way of processing the world. Throughout grade school, I had eight pieces place in national competitions and won multiple local competitions. The older I got, the more I became fascinated with places and how people are impacted by the built environment. This led me to get my master's in Architecture. After working for a commercial architecture firm for a year and a half I realized how much art and creation were missing from my life. This led to me quitting my job six months ago to pursue art full-time. I heard once that if you are an artist, it chooses you. I am finally starting to embrace that I am an artist and this is what I am meant to do.
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Style
I discovered the joy of pen and ink through serendipity and frustration. During a summer architecture course in high school, we were tasked with finding something to draw and using only a pen to do so. At the time, I primarily worked with graphite, charcoal, and acrylic paint. I was far too much of a perfectionist for pen and enjoyed the soft blending that those mediums provided. However, on this hot day, I was attempting to draw with pen and was frustrated that I could not blend my lines. After taking a sip of my iced coffee I smudged the paper with my finger out of instinct, like I would with charcoal. The leftover condensation on my finger from my cup smudged the ink. From there I began intentionally blending pen with water and have never stopped.
Process
My work is primarily inspired by wandering. Whether it is through my hometown, walking a trail, or exploring a new city, my favorite activity is to walk until I am so inspired I have to pause to take it all in. In that place, I listen to the sounds, watch people wander in and out of the space, and usually sniff out a snack or coffee to enjoy. Then I find a café seat, street curb, or fallen log to sit on. There I finally take all of those observations and translate the feelings through my pen onto the paper. This process embeds all of my surroundings into my brain and, I think, adds an added depth to my work. Occasionally I can not always stay at a location for the entirety of a drawing. In that case, I still make sure to pause, observe and, of course, take plenty of photos. This way all of my work stays authentic to my experience in the space.