1xRUN Thru Interview
Buckwild by Joram Roukes
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece, is the original still for sale? Was it created solely for this release or was there an original piece created?
Joram Roukes: The original piece is still for sale at Masters Project Gallery in Brooklyn. Its different from the actual print for which I rearranged the layers of the original into a slightly different composition and added a layer or two to balance it out.
1xRun: Was this piece part of a recent theme, series or show that you had? If so how did it fit into that given grouping?
Joram Roukes: The print draws inspiration from the ugly side of Los Angeles. Living in Downtown LA and fairly close to Skid Row I get confronted with the homeless situation in this city. Something people don’t always know too much about. Its an interesting place with its own rules. I wanted the composition of the print to resemble the kind of assembled and stacked look of shopping carts and layers of clothes and have the elements in the collage be a reference to this kind of wildlife situation in a big city.
1xRUN: What materials did you use to create this piece?
Joram Roukes: I drew the original with graphite on Arches Hotpress watercolor paper. Then cut the layers and reassembled them.
1xRun: When was the piece created?
Joram Roukes: Somewhere late 2014.
1xRun: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight?
Joram Roukes: I made 20 one-of versions of this print as well. All of them hand cut and reassembled in the same collage-like way much like the original piece.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Joram Roukes: I made a drawing some time ago for a show at Stolenspace gallery that I did not like at all. The composition felt off so I decide to cut it all up and put it back together differently. I liked the layering of the result very much so I did a couple more of these collages. This print has been in the making for some time and even though you can reproduce a painting pretty much spot on with enough layers using silkscreen, I am very charmed by the graphic feel of silkscreen itself. This design suited that process very well so for me it was kind of the perfect piece to go with.
1xRun: How long did the piece take?
Joram Roukes: It took about 3-4 days to make the original collage. Then the rearranging of the layers and making everything ready for printing took a long time. When we finally had everything planned and set-up the actual print was done pretty fast.
1xRun: What is unique about this piece?
Joram Roukes: The subdued palette, the graphic feel of it. And the execution of the printing is done amazingly by Seriopress.
1xRun: Why should people buy this print?
Joram Roukes: Because I think its a strong piece which came out amazingly. And because silkscreens are magical. There is a graphic beauty to it that is just so special.
1xRun: Describe the print in one gut reaction word.
Joram Roukes: Raw.
1xRun: Where can we find you?
Joram Roukes: Website – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
-1xRUN