Interview with a great Bay Area artist and CCA MFA graduate.
I first spotted Weston's work at last year's CCA graduate show and was instantly impressed. It was by far my most favorite work in the show, and ever since then I've been trying to get him up on the site even though I know that the work won't translate as well as it does in person. Most of the work you'll see below is so much detailed and larger than what it appears... Let's just say that you should go and check out his show that's taking place at Patricia Sweetow Gallery the first week of November. You'll be pleased you did. -Trippe

In the process of moving from the Mission to South Berkeley. A year ago I was moving from West Oakland to SF so hopefully I'll stay in this new place a little longer this time. In high school I think I was much more driven to be a "nice guy"...whatever that may mean.

Usually I start with some loose sketches to get a sense of the layout of the piece and work through some of the narrative and conceptual ideas The first part to go down on the actual paper is typically a stencil/spraypainted section. From there I'll build up on the surface, either by adding the cut out elements like the roots, fences, texture for the trees or other drawn elements like the shisa (guardian figures). Then I'll finish up any last details of the drawing with gouache. That being said, in the larger pieces there's a little more room for play. I might have this overarching idea of what the piece is about, but as I start working through the piece, I try to make sure that the original sketches are loose enough that I can respond to things as they go down. Because I generally work from a pretty consistent base of images and visual elements, it's important that there's some leeway in there to make sure not everything is predetermined.

I actually just finished up the MFA program but have another year for a MA in Visual Criticism. The dual degree mashes together the 2nd year of the MFA and the 1st year of the Vis Crit program which is a nice option because I think it allows for some additional theoretical backing if that's your thing. I think CCA's strength is definitely their studio practice (independent study) units which you can use to work one-on-one with faculty or outside curators and artists. I went to a liberal arts college with about 4 art faculty for my undergrad so the experience of getting to work with such a wide range of folks is pretty mind blowing.

I’m fond of my increasingly beat up truck.

I've just been up here for 2 years now. When I first got here for school I remember walking through the Mission at one point and seeing all the art spaces, posters for upcoming shows, small boutiques or cafes with art on the walls and feeling both like I was a small fish amongst all this and glad that I was somewhere that there was so much going on. I was in LA prior to this; obviously there's a strong art scene there, but the geography makes it hard to get a sense of things unless you're already in the loop.

I relate to each city very differently. SF, being the place where I got my MFA, is where I have a visual arts community and the entryway to what’s happening in that sphere. My relationship to LA was built through activist and community work, so my network there covers a different kind of territory. The Bay is growing on me but I still have a loyalty to LA. Probably because it gets shit on a lot. And having been there for so long, it’s closest I have to “home” outside of Hawai’i.

I was fortunate enough that Patricia was able to sell a small piece and the large drawing that was in the show. I actually have another show coming up at the gallery at the beginning of November. It's been great to work with her through this process. I'm still learning a lot so I'm just lucky that things have been going well in that regard.

At the moment my routine is a bit scrambled since school just started up again. One of the constants tends to be that no matter how hard I try, I lean toward a fairly nocturnal schedule. I’m usually most productive somewhere between about nine to four in the morning.

It’s not SF but for a bar, I like George and Walt’s in the East Bay (Rockridge/ Oakland).

With my partner a couple of days ago. For being a selfish and neglectful bastard.

I used to be into Blu and Stress when they were being published. Usually candy bars are more about a lack of other options for me so almost anything works as long as it doesn’t have too many nuts.

The show at Patricia Sweetow at the beginning of November.

For more info on Weston, check his site: nocturnalguerillatactics.com {moscomment}

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