Interview with Joel Aparicio
Joel Aparicio has studied at Western Washington University, earning his B.A. in Art Studio. Currently, he is now earning his B.F.A. in Mixed Media at Western Washington University. His interest in art had began in Colflax High School, where we worked as a car mechanic doing paint stripping. Though he dabbled with art in High School, it was not until he attended Skagit Valley College where is love for art blossomed, he would do doodling and comic work. Joel has also served in the military, was a tattoo artist, and continued to work on comics. Though he worked in a government agency such as homeland security in his adulthood as well, he was always drawn to art as his form of meditation. He’s always had various styles of painting, working with many themes, forms of mediums, and use of materials. Although his goals have been postponed due to the ongoing pandemic, he aims to have is plans for the upcoming Western Gallery Exhibition Show resumed in late Summer or in late Fall.
Check out more of Joel Aparicio’s Art! Go to https://joelaparicio.com/work
On to the Interview:
1) How long have you been working on Art/Photography?
[Joel]: “I got into it as a mechanic. I was a car mechanic in High school. That would put it at 23 years ago. I started doing art, and always did something. I tattooed and I did comics. My first digital camera was a bridge camera. Ever since then, I’ve kind of always had some form of photography for my own… I used art in the form of a meditation.”
2) What inspired you to do Photography?
[Joel]: “I probably started around 2008, and then I got some regular point and shoot cameras, the 35m ones, but it wasn’t until I got an old Nikon that kind of got used, it was my parents. I got into photography to take better reference pictures for my paintings, and then the photographs became my paintings.”
3) What currently motivates you to keep working?
[Joel]: “It’s been an obsession really, I just happen to create art and paint everyday, and I have done it for 9 years straight now. I guess it’s kind of like my religion. Whatever is between this and this, is what exists to you and what is important to you, and it just simplifies the world.”
4) How has the Coronavirus affected your ability to work?
[Joel]: “Oh yeah, the Western Gallery, that was the goal of ours. We weren’t able to have it. We are trying to come back late Summer or late fall, and have our show in the Western Gallery because like we were supposed to because we earned it. It’s really just deflating to deal with that.”
5) Do you have a preference of style/theme when taking photography pictures or art in general?
[Joel]: “Oh all kinds of stuff, I do charcoal work, photography, airbrush, it doesn’t matter the style or what. There is a plan, obviously I can’t paint daily on stuff like this.”
6) Have you started on any new projects since quarantine?
[Joel]: “The one I have in front of me, I had to rig up and lights and stuff, and a tube, and unrolled painting them sideways. All the color and everything is airbrushed, and basically painted every element in the photograph, I added things that weren’t there to begin with. From a distance, these look like typical landscapes, but when you get up close you see this ‘blocky’ screen pattern, the image starts to fall apart. It’s important to take the photograph and process it, and do everything, because I don’t want any claims that this is someone else’s photograph or whatever.
7) Are you always looking for new ways to improve?
[Joel]: “Yeah, I mean, it’s why I do paint everyday, it’s to get better. But, I do paint with brushes, markers, color pencils, watercolors, wash, I’ve dabbled into so many mediums and trained to do what I want to do. I also just gravitate towards the airbrush.”
8) What is your definition of success in your profession?
[Joel]: “I’m not personally goal driven. To me, it’s honestly sitting back and being like, yeah I pretty much can go as far as I can go with that, and I don’t think I’ve ever reached that point on something, so I’m still striving towards that.”
9) Is there a motive/quote you think everyone should be benefiting from?
[Joel]: “Life really is too short to be wasted in making other people happy, when you should be making yourself happy. Do what’s in your heart, not what people tell you to do.”
10) Are there any recommendations you could give for people who want to get into photography?
[Joel]: “There is a lot of automation and stuff that is really cool, you can make some amazing looking stuff for photographs with a click of a button, but break yourself down the basics and give yourself a camera that has a manual control, go back to the beginning and start learning the fundamentals. That is more valuable, the knowledge of photography than anything else. Knowing how to walk into a room, and you can read the room. Also do a lot of reading, anything that is even remotely doing something similar to you, because you’re able to see one little thing that you like, and you can take it, bend it, serve it in a pot, and make your own stew.”
11) Are you more of a film or digital photo shooter?
[Joel]: “I say mainly digital, it doesn’t matter.”
12) What do you hope to have accomplished professionally and personally by the end of the year?
[Joel]: “Before this Covid thing broke out, we were in February, I already had been ready for the show of the year, you know, the Western Gallery. I was ahead of the game, and then boom, everything stopped. I can’t really say what is to come by the end of the year, hopefully just survive it, try to get in contact, and work as much of that Western action that you can.” My personality shaped my art, you can see me in it. People can spot it right away and know that’s Joel. What can you do that hasn’t been done before?”