Joe Small graduated from Drexel University with his BS in Photography in 2008 and is currently pursuing his MFA in Photography at the University of Notre Dame. His work is currently part of Catherine Edelman Gallery’s The Chicago Project and he recently received the Society for Photographic Education’s Freestyle Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in Black and White Photography. His photographs are in The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Permanent Collection, Center for Fine Art Photography’s Collection, and various private collections. His work has been exhibited at many institutions, including Woodmere Art Museum and The Perkins Center for the Arts.
You seem to be having a lot of fun with your photographs. Is there a lot of experimentation going on in your work or is everything preplanned?
‘I do have a lot of fun making my work. I think this is a very important part of my process. I used to experiment a lot more with my multiple exposures project, but more recently it has involved a large amount of pre-planning. I have begun experimenting less in the camera and, instead, in front of the camera by essentially sculpting’.
Where do your ideas come from, and what is your process once you have an idea you want to implement?
‘Most of ideas come from sketching. I probably spend just as much time sketching as photographing. After I come up with a sketch, I spend some time shopping on ebay, grocery stores, and thrift stores looking for the right elements. I bring them back to my studio and try to construct my vision. I often let the construction sit around for a few days and make a few alterations before I finally think it is ready. I then light it and photograph it with a view camera. I have mostly been using a 4×5 camera, but have more recently started using an 8×10 camera. I also use a very simple lighting system of using 2 small clap lamps. I like the look of the lighting, and the long exposures are not a problem because still lifes do not move. Ultimately, I am always collecting new objects that will eventually make their way into the photographs’.
Who or what would you consider as inspirations for your work?
‘I draw my inspirations mostly from American culture. I am deeply interested in how and what people believe in, especially phenomenology. Photography is often thought of as portraying truth, and I am using this assumption to have people believe in my images. On a more obvious note, I am greatly influenced by the long history of the still life art, especially 16th and 17th century Dutch, Flemish, and Spanish still life paintings. More currently I have been influenced by installation artists and sculptors like Damien Hirst and Olafur Eliasson’.
Have you found a market for this work in the commercial world? If so, can you talk about a few of your commissions?
‘Unfortunately, I have not found a market in the commercial world. I have been mostly concentrating on making work right now, and have not sought out commissions. However, in the future I would be more than willing to accept commissions, and will probably begin actively pursuing this option’.
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