By Damion Huntoon
Photography by Ellen Hyrka and courtesy of Striped Light
January 27, 2015

It is a frigid winter’s day and Striped Light founders Sarah Shebaro, Brian Baker and Jason Boardman are busy arranging things in the fledgling business’ 4,000 square foot building located at 107 Bearden Place in Knoxville. A radiant heat lamp sits atop of one of the many large metal presses of the massive production room. Large pallets of dye, paper and boxes of printing paraphernalia crowd the back. In the front retail space, complete with large-pane glass windows overlooking N. Central Avenue, a kitchen table and some chairs are moved into place and coffee and donuts are passed around. There is obviously a lot of work to be done, but the three seem comfortable with the challenge, and with years of friendship between them, each other.

“We all have different wavelengths of how we work and different roles,” says Shebaro. “It’s been really encouraging to work with two other people who are so committed. We don’t have a ton of money to work with and we’re really ready to do it ourselves. I think that’s paid off and will continue to do so.”

Beginning with Baker’s planned return to Knoxville from Detroit, Michigan, where he had mentored and taught printmaking, Baker and Boardman began developing an idea of what their new endeavor, Striped Light, would actually consist of.

“A long time ago, we had talked about collaborating with a record label concept using the print shop,” says Boardman. 'He brought that up again – he said, ‘Why don’t we just do it now?’”

As a fellow masters recipient from the University of Tennessee, Baker pitched the idea to Shebaro, who, at the time, was working as a printmaking technician and visiting instructor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

“I thought that would be an amazing opportunity to work with two people that I respect a whole lot and have a really unique and awesome vision,” say Shebaro. “I was really, really excited about it.”

As long-time proprietor of the music venue, Pilot Light and resale store, Hot Horse, Boardman had begun to use the Striped Light moniker for his independent record label – which has one LP release and three more in the immediate works – and felt it applied to the overarching vision they were forming. With the record label working with packaging and promotion and the letterpress being focused on print orders three to four days of the week, so too the business will teach technical aspects with classes starting at basics and moving on to more advanced techniques. This is designed to eventually allow aspiring printers an option to rent shop time to create their own work. Baker’s work with Signal Return Press in Detroit and familiarity with Arm Letterpress in Brooklyn, both letterpresses that educate and mentor aspiring artists, Striped Light will reflect the community involvement that has worked so well in other cities.

Despite this template, Striped Light does not want to be a mere copycat.

“It became difficult to zero-in on a distinct singular mission because we all have things we want to do,” says Boardman. “We’ve got a set of tools here, and so, we’re not trying to be very limiting in how we talk about it.”

Part of this expanding vision is an openness to allow people to become involved with teaching expertise to anyone interested.

“The idea is for the classroom to be open to things that aren’t printmaking – the novel aspects of what could be taught,” says Baker. “I’ve recently talked to a local magician who’s going to possibly teach a workshop.”

With all the brainstorming Striped Light has been doing in its first weeks its underlying focus is a dedication to the arts in Knoxville and developing a community spirit.

“Every city has their different aura, and Knoxville’s has always really impressed and enchanted me because of its unique nature,” says Shebaro “It’s just a great energy.”

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Striped Light will have its grand opening for First Friday on February 6, with performances by sound/visual artist J.S. Bowman, along with an open house. Learn more about Striped Light at stripedlight.com.

Interview and photography by Dan Hood
January 14, 2015

SINE sat down with Lauren Sanders in her studio to talk about her January 2015 exhibition “Breakfast and the Repetition of Mark” at Gallery 1010. Sanders is a senior in painting at the University of Tennessee's School of Art.

SINE: What is the inspiration for the work in your upcoming show?

Lauren Sanders: The show is about pattern and repetition. I have been looking at a lot of textiles and fashion designers recently. I have been thinking what it means to repeat a certain shape over and over again – what it means to repeat a mark. Also how making a painting about mark-making is different from approaching it as a whole composition. When I make paintings with a focus on the mark, I feel like I’m in a more comfortable space. It feels easy to make – natural.

SINE: What is your process when you come into the studio to create a piece? 

LS: I make a lot of sketches about patterns away from the studio. I consider the time away from the studio very valuable. I don’t feel like I need to be in the studio all hours of the day because to me that feels stressful, and I don’t want my work to feel stressful. I’ve been in periods in previous times in my life where it is about the struggle and it being hard and me being in here and being super frustrated with it. But now I’m in a space where I love spending time in the studio and spending time outside of the art realm and coming back into the studio and just getting work done. That has been so eye-opening to me in terms of how my work gets started. I come in here, and I get going – I’m like a speed racer. My work, recently, can seem almost unfinished, but I don’t necessary feel that is has to be finished. I don’t feel like I need to carry a painting out as much as I used to. You can totally see my hand in everything I’m doing right now and I’m completely OK with that. It’s all about the mark that I make – about leaving the mistakes in there. I want to leave the history of my marks in there – evidence of my hand in it.

SINE: When making your work how do you make your color choices? Do you have a specific color palette that you tend to use?

LS: I’ve been evolving recently. I feel like maybe earlier in my painting career I was using colors that were super-attractive – maybe eye-catching. I felt this need to use colors that people liked. Not even that I was thinking about it in that way – I was just doing it without thinking. (But then it) got me thinking, ‘Why am I using these colors that I’m not even wearing in real life or even want around me in real life?’ I think that ties to me wanting to not be in the studio that much anymore. I’ve been thinking about what palette would more match me better as a person. So I’ve been really into things that are a little more minimal, a little quieter (and) more specific to the things that I’m looking at and responding to.

SINE: What can we expect to see in your show at 1010?

LS: You can expect to see a lot of pattern, repeating marks – not necessarily a whole body of the same marks, but within each painting there is going to be a language of marks that aren’t all similar but different from each other. The shapes and lines become (their) own language. They have their own set of marks similar to textiles that could be used on something other than a painting. I think that they’re each their own individual world of repetition and language.

SINE: Can you tell us more about how you came up with your title for your show?

LS: Breakfast. (Laughs) I really hate titles, to be honest. I think I hate titles because of the same reason everyone hates artist statements because the language of words is totally different from the aesthetic language I am exploring in my paintings right now. But to answer your question, I was going through all of these titles and found that I was just trying way too hard. Titles shouldn’t be hard. If you try too hard with your title, it just makes you sound like a dumbass. I ended up with “Breakfast,” honestly, because I love breakfast! That sounds totally dumb, but I feel like breakfast is that thing that you start with every day. It’s so much of a routine thing – everyone loves it. It’s an easy meal, and I feel like my paintings are easy to be with. I didn’t want the title to be super conceptual. I kind of wanted it to be arbitrary. I arrived at “Breakfast,” and it just kind of sounded like it fit. I feel like my palette right now is very breakfast. It’s a little pesto. It’s a little oatmeal.

SINE: How has the UTK art program influenced you as a creator? Has there been anyone in particular that has been really helpful at pushing you or guiding you in your work?

LS: I’ve been both in sculpture and painting, and I can’t say that it’s one person in particular, but more the bounce-back between the 2D and 3D departments. John Powers has helped me kind of explore the world between the three and two dimensional. My show is mostly going to be a 2D exhibit, but it’s going to feel a lot more like an installation, which lends itself for to the 3D conversation. Last semester, I had the visiting artist Molly Zuckerman as my painting professor, and at first in the semester, she really pissed me off. She was challenging me in ways I didn’t want to be challenged, and I’d leave class really mad some days because I felt like I didn’t want her to be asking me these questions, but at the end of the day, I feel like she played a big role in my work that I’m making right now. Even though I really didn’t want her to. But she was the one that was asking me questions like, ‘Why do you feel your paintings need to have this much paint on them?’ and ‘Why do you feel like you have to be making this?’ I feel like I’ve arrived at this investigation of pattern because of her. She’s helped me to not be stressed when making my paintings because I’m now more comfortable as a maker and in terms of my identity as being an artist. She kind of forced me to ask myself these questions. Now I’m comfortable with my work being unfinished whereas I used to be so anxious about what people thought about my work or trying to make paintings that people liked or expected me to make. I think her and John Powers really lead me further in my investigation into the work that I'm making recently.

SINE: What do you see yourself doing after you finish your BFA?

LS: Well, I’m going to take a couple years off just to do Lauren. I want to get my MFA eventually, but I don’t want to be pressured to do that right now. I’m not super career-oriented. I don’t have some sort of concrete plan about what I’m going to be doing. I’m always going to be making work, but I make a living for myself right now waiting tables, and it’s fine with me. As long as I can support myself to continue making work, I don’t really care to be honest (with) what I’m doing. That may be totally dumb and naive, but I just really want to be making work. I don’t have a plan, and I feel like that’s okay. It’s kind of like the plan with my paintings, they kind of just unfold themselves, and I don’t really push it, and that’s why I’m here.

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See more of Lauren Sanders' work at lsandersart.com.

Interview by Pratishtha Singh
Photography courtesy of Samwich Glassworks
February 11, 2016

Sam Meketon’s move to Knoxville is contributing to the city's diverse and developing and fine art. His work was featured in 2015’s edition of the Dogwood Arts Festival here in Knoxville, TN, and we will be seeing more from him in the 2016’s festival, as well. Check out Sam's work in the glass art gallery at the Pretentious Beer Glass Company in the Old City (downtown Knoxville).

SINE: What was your introduction to the world of glassblowing?

Sam Meketon: My introduction was my senior year in high school at a small arts and music affiliated alternative school called The Crefeld School in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. They have a small glass program there that I was able to learn the basics from, from two teachers named Scott Wolfson and Doug Ostroff. After my quick introduction in high school, it was apparent that that’s what I wanted to go to school for, so I began to research different art programs with glass as a major. After a couple visits I came to Tennessee Tech’s satellite campus called the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee. While visiting, I realized that it was the perfect place for me to go to study glass because my professor, Curtiss Brock, is such a talented craftsman and he is willing to share his knowledge with anybody with the desire to learn … also, it’s located on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere on a peninsula surrounded by a lake – it was a good reason to get me out of Philadelphia and into a place where I’d be forced to do nothing but study my passion.

S: Since you are not from Knoxville, how did you hear about the Dogwood Arts Festival, and what interested you about contributing to it?

SM: I heard about the Dogwood Arts Festival from Matt Salley, of Marble City Glassworks – he owns a small, private studio outside of the city. We linked up at the studio because we’re some of the few glassblowers that are in Knoxville, so from a networking angle, it only made sense that we’d run into each other.

As an artist, it’s really important to take as many opportunities as you can to present your work to people, and Knoxville only has a few arts festivals per year, so collectively PBGC, being Matthew Cummings, Thoryn Ziemba and I decided to sign up. Thoryn wrapped up in Knoxville a while ago, and since we have added Everett Hirché and David Wiss to the crew. And we didn’t regret it! We really look forward to seeing all the people that come check out lots of different art going on in Knoxville.

S: What pieces do you enjoy making the most, and why? 

SM: I enjoy making a large variety of objects. Throughout my time in art school I was pushed to consistently create new bodies of work. This led to a lot of creative development in my early years as a glass artist … at one point I was infatuated with pickles and made jars and sculptures that revolved around my strange affliction with them. Shortly thereafter I started to realize my love for shapes, form and shadows and began making a series that was based off of that. Now my work tends to take a more formal approach where I find myself in love with ancient styles of different cultures. 

S: Will you talk about what inspires you when you are conceiving a design for a piece? How much of it is structured, and how much of it is free-form – or do you leave any room for improvisation along the way?

SM: Most of it is extremely structured. The way that I work is very methodical. I spend a lot of time doing a lot of color prep that allows me to create different pieces and parts that I end up making my most complicated pieces with. I enjoy sketching – especially the more complex pieces, creating them and then spending time sitting with the finished product before I begin my engravings.  Some of the work that I do is free form because with glass you have to work with what you’ve got, and no matter how much time I spend sketching or prepping my pieces, they’re always subject to change. I also enjoy the tactile process of sitting with finished pieces before and as I engrave them to figure out exactly how my patterns will work.

S: How can an interested buyer contact you if he/she is interested in purchasing your glass art?

SM: Anybody can email me SamwichGlassworks@gmail.com or stop into the shop at Pretentious Beer Glass Company in downtown Knoxville Monday through Saturday. In terms of custom pieces you can contact me via email, but I am mainly a gallery artist that tries to sell my own personal work hoping that other people will enjoy as much, if not more than I do, the creation of them.

From top to bottom:

1. "Bend"
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 48" x 36"

2. "Voicebox"
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 48" x 36"

3. "Light Places"
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 60" x 36"

4. "Finish Line"
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 30" x 24"

5. "Extremophile"
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 40" x 30"

6. "Merciful Heavens"
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 8' x 6'

7. (Untitled)
Paint and pigment transfer on canvas, 8' x 6'

8. "Rips"
Digital collage

9. (Untitled)
Digital collage

Learn more about Zach Searcy, mixed media artist and curator of Zach Searcy Projects (ZSP) in Knoxville, TN by visiting zachsearcy.com. All pieces featured in this sampled collection are original pieces created by Zach currently held at the ZSP gallery.

From top to bottom:

1. "Coaster"
Acrylic and oil on canvas, 10" x 8" (2015)

2. "Ian's Plate"
Acrylic and oil on canvas, 18" x 24" (2015)

3. "Courtesy of MZH"
Acrylic on canvas with glitter pom-poms, 16" x 20" (2015)

4. "Portrait of Two Artists"
Acrylic on canvas, 60" x 36" (2015)

5. "Untucked"
Mixed media on canvas, 20" x 16" (2014)

6. "El Girasol"
(One carnitas, one chorizo), acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30" (2015)

7. "Belong"
Acrylic and oil on canvas, 48" x 44" (2014)

8. "Something Good"
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18" (2014)

9. "Easter Day"
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18" (2014)

Marta Lee is a graduate of studio art from the University of Tennessee's School of Art. See more of Marta's pieces at martaleeart.com.

From left to right:

1. "Free Gasoline"

2. "Knoxville Painting"

3. "Nightshade"

4. "A Fresh of Breath Air"

5. "Pencil on Paper"

6. "Fire Escape"

Ian Cato is a graduate of studio art from the University of Tennessee's School of Art. Learn more about Ian's art by visiting ianpatrickcato.com.

From top to bottom:

1. "Barriers" tour schedule
 Flyer, Sharpie on paper, 8.5" x 11" (2015)

2. Print for "Barriers" tour

3. Installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

4. Installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

5. Installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

6. Installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

7. Installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

8. Installation from "Barriers"
Austin, TX (2015)

9. Installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

10. Installation from "Barriers" at Omni Commons
Oakland, CA (2015)

11. Dan with his installation from "Barriers" at the Amity Building
Bryan, TX (2015)

Dan B. Hood's "Barriers 2015: A Pop-Up Art Exhibit" toured across the United States and Canada from May 20-July 27, 2015. See more from the "Barriers" pop-up tour at dbhood.com/barriers. He is a senior in 2D studio art at the University of Tennessee's School of Art. Learn more about the rest of Dan's art at dbhood.com.

From top to bottom:

1. "A Testing of Five New Markers and a Dip Pen"
Ink on paper, 4" x 6"

2. "A Testing of an Old Graffiti Marker and New Graphic Liner Pens"
Ink on paper, 4" x 6"

3. "A Testing of Three Markers Then Etched Away by an X-acto Knife"
Ink and an X-acto Knife on paper, 4" x 6"

4. "Paper Pocket"
Paper and spray paint on plywood, 12" x 18"

5. "Acrylic on Plywood"
Acrylic and an X-acto Knife on plywood, 12" x 18"

Daniel Hughes is the in-house graphic designer and artist for SINE. He is also a senior in studio art at the University of Tennessee's School of Art.