ZACHARY CUMMINGS is a young painter living and making art in Brooklyn. I always love hearing where and how people come to doing what they do. In his case, he has a physics background. I love seeing if i can feel that translating into his work. It might not be obvious now as he is just starting out, but often in retrospect, the path in which you take as a creative always seems so clear.
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BE SURPRISED TO FIND IN YOUR SPACE?
I have a stack of crime scene photos from cases that my mom has tried as an assistant DA. They aren’t gruesome or anything. I find their compositions, their harsh direct lighting, and their status as “evidence” interesting.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL WORKSPACE IN THREE WORDS…
Lots of space.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
The neighborhood is a strange mixture of warehouses and “luxury” lofts. It’s across the street from the Navy Yard, so there is plenty of industrial business being conducted. However, it’s also considered a nice neighborhood to live in. Further complicating matters is its close proximity to Pratt and the projects.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOWS?
I see other buildings with artists’ studios. There is an alleyway with a large dumpster that is perpetually filled and emptied as they renovate the building next door.
WHAT THEMES DO YOU PURSUE IN YOUR WORK?
I’m interested in themes that are both integral and transcendent to painting. I’ve been exploring the meaning of surface, mark, and information. I’ve been using source material such as crime scene photos, 35mm slides, and tie-dyed T-shirts to open up my practice and explore how these themes exist beyond traditional painting.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM PROJECT?
I would like to create a site-specific installation in a space with many windows. I want to incorporate the shadows and the play of light into the work. This is difficult to accomplish in my studio because there is only one window located in the wood shop.
FAVOURITE SONG/BAND WHILE WORKING?
I go through phases, but I always return to post-punk bands such as Sonic Youth and The Fall. Lately, I’ve been listening to Spray Paint.
WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN AND FROM WHOM?
This is a tough question because a lot of advice has been important to me. I wouldn’t be a painter without the encouragement of my undergraduate professor, Denyce Celentano. In graduate school, I remember some great one-liners from Stephen Westfall such as, “go towards the deadpan.” I think a lot of advice comes in the form of conversation, though. It’s not always purely verbal.
WHAT MINDSET/MOOD DO YOU MAKE YOUR BEST ART/WORK?
I need to be wired but level-headed and focused. I need the right ratio of coffee and beer.
Where They’ is a visual documentation of the creative environments of artist & people, that meet during my travels, of homes and studios.
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