Joshua Ferry

Maine Arts Journal - Interview - Winter 2022

During the winter of 2022, Joshua Ferry discussed his “Stripe Paintings” with Maine Arts Journal.

Does your work aim at hiding or revealing?

My paintings are aimed at discovering - through the process of making.

What are your main sources of inspiration?

I've been thinking about making stripe paintings for a long time and have been drawn to many artists who have painted them (too many to list here). It took me over 6 months of false starts and refining technique to arrive at making these paintings the way I am making them including working on small paintings on paper during the summer. From my previous paintings of crosses to my current stripe paintings I am learning that while appropriating well-known motifs, it is impossible to exclude yourself from the work. Every artist will paint stripes differently. What is exciting and surprising to me is discovering how I make them, which is still unfolding. 

How do you deal with neglect? Just keep making work that interests me. 

How do you deal with self-doubt? By thinking less and focussing on process.

Who do you paint for? Yourself or an audience?

I’ve always made my work for other artists. They are my audience. 

Do you intend your work to reflect the times we live in? 

The paintings I’m working on now started during the darkest days of winter and at the height of Covid last year (2021). I decided to make paintings that were warm, hopeful and optimistic while possessing a strong sense of stability and structure. These were qualities that were missing in my life and painting them helped me recenter. The work will be shown at perimeter Gallery in the spring (2022).  

“The absolutely lusciously warm works of Josh Ferry at Perimeter feel conceptual, pop and lovingly, intensely personal all in one. They glow!” - Kenny Cole

“Mind blowing! The patterns are tricky, some are repetitive and other pieces are not which becomes really boggling to the eye.” - Stew Henderson

“The paintings look crisp and the colors pop.” - Sam Cady

“The work is so vibrant and the colors zing.” - Natasha Mayers

“Colors that create light!” - John Walker

“The colors - the feeling.” - Kayla Mohammadi