Interview with Eli Craven

q)For the people who don't know your work - how would you describe it ?

a) I use photography, found imagery, sculpture and collage to create pictures and objects that suggest something tangible behind the surface of a photograph. I gather images from 

books and my own personal history, and with 

a delicate blend of humor and melancholy they are reconfigured to interrogate 

the ostensible values of the original.

q)What are the key themes running through your practice?

a) The primary focus of my practice is the exploration of images in processes of socialization.  Specific social themes that recur in my work are sexuality, gender, religion and ritual.

q)Your favorite place on earth?

a) My favorite place is home.

q)What influences your work?

a) The influences in my work come from my own personal history and observations, social media, current trends, along with books and magazines I collect.  Artists that have influenced my research and practice include Robert Heinecken, Larry Sultan, John Stezaker, Elad Lassry and Amanda Ross-Ho.

q)What music are you into right now?

a) Scout Niblett, Dirty Projectors, Cass McCombs, White Fence, etc....

q)Describe your thought & design process...

a) I spend a lot of time thrift shopping, specifically looking for books and magazines with imagery that interests me.  I might find an image that interests me and keep it around for a while, maybe pin it to the studio wall until I understand what I want to do with it. I also spend a lot of time in the studio talking with other artists and friends, and we often help one another work through our processes. 

q)Which emerging artists are you looking forward to seeing more of?

a) Flemming Ove Bech, Elijah Jensen-Lindsey and Stephen Eichhorn 

q)Favorite place on the internet?

a) I check www.latentimage.us and www.ilikethisblog.net on a daily basis.

q)Do you have any upcoming projects/exhibitions we should know about?

a) I have work in a group exhibition right now at the Linen Gallery in Boise, ID.

q)Tell us something we don't know - but should...

a) I am a part of the collaborative studio/gallery Black Hunger, a space dedicated to contemporary art and ideas.  Go to www.blackhunger.com.

q) Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a) You can view my work at my website www.elicraven.com or on my flickr page www.flickr.com/photos/eliseyebrows/.