Secret Still

PA artist Dan Rule (previously mentioned) took time to answer my mind numbing questions with interesting answers. He even tells me where I can get good noodles in Pennsylvania, which, believe me, will come in handy someday. He’ll probably already be long settled into his soon to be home of New Orleans, but when I sip some delicious noodle broth years from now, there will be an instantaneous connection between us and we’ll both smile. Trust me. I’m very wise. You can increase your Dan Rule wisdom after the jump.

1. Name, Age, Location, Art Education?
Dan Rule, 31, currently Lancaster PA but soon New Orleans. I have
an MFA in traditional Printmaking.

2. What brought you to (keeps you in) Pennsylvania? Why go to New Orleans?
I teach at the college/university level. This last year I was at
Lock Haven University in Fall 07 and Pennsylvania College of Art &
Design in the Spring. I’m starting in the Imaging department at the
University of New Orleans this Fall.

3. Where do you get your inspiration?
Really everything. Good books, music and films, taking aimless
walks, other peoples’ works and concepts.

4. What’s the origin of your style? How would you classify your work?
I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil so my style has
developed out of sketching and being especially attracted to the
graphic arts. I’d classify most of my work as graphic art (drawings,
prints) having particular affinity towards pop & folk art.

5. What ideas are you trying to discuss with your work?
Conceptually I’m interested in a lot of the larger issues; the
progression of man, differences of time & space, sex and our views of
it, quantum physics and relativity, etc. A lot of my subjects/objects
come about while mindlessly thinking about these things while
sketching. I try not to be too literal with my art on these concepts.

6. Do you find it difficult to discuss such large-scale concepts with your work?
I do sometimes because they are so nebulous and I’m so prone to
ambivalent stances. So a lot of times my work is not taking a stance
on an issue, but just showing my thinking/responding to it. Usually
it’s enough just to say this piece is generally about so-and-so and
let the viewer respond naturally and intuitively.

7. What occupies your mind aside from art?
As my last response probably indicates, I’m interested in a lot of
fields. That and the typical middle-class blahs, worries and thoughts.

8. Explain your process for creating a new piece.
In the past it was primarily through sketching that I would arrive
at subjects and such that i would want to develop into finished work.
I still do that, but I have let more of my sketching mentality and
actions take over in the final piece. Allowing the piece to come
about without all the planning and stages that I normally would impose
upon it. I also think more conceptually now, just thinking about
concepts and themes that interest me while creating.

9. What other projects are you working on right now? Any shows coming up?
I’m starting to get into video, motion and more digital work and I
have a few ideas for medium-format photography and sculpture. Some of
my work is in a few group shows currently in St. Louis, Denmark, Italy
and Washington State. And there’s some coming up in Hawaii, Monterrey
Mexico and New Orleans. That’s one of the major benefits of being a
printmaker, you can have an edition in many places at once.

10. Top five things to eat and places to get them?
Honestly my tastes in food and drink are not refined at all (I
drink instant coffee most the time) so I’m not the best to recommend
places to eat. I do love Vietnamese and there’s this great place in
town called Rice and Noodles where the owners are originally from New
Orleans, which is where we are relocating to.

11. Sketch something for us quickly, whatever come to mind first, then scan it or take a picture so we can see your raw style.
This originally started after watching the Bicycle
Thief (bottom right) and went from there. (Click for to make it big)

You can see more of Dan’s amazing work on his Flickr site.