JONNI, WE FIRST MET A FEW YEARS AGO IN LA, AND THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE’VE COLLABORATED TOGETHER. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO RECONNECT WITH 4BYSIX FOR THIS NEW PROJECT?

It feels great to reconnect with 4BYSIX again! This is what the fourth or fifth time? It feels like a continuation of a conversation we started years ago. It’s nice when things don’t feel transactional, but more like a long-term relationship. I’ve always admired the mission behind 4BYSIX and the desire to support communities in need sustainably, but also asking artists to think and create a little differently. I’m just a big fan!

YOUR PRACTICE BLENDS PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, GRAPHIC DESIGN, AND TEXTILES INTO ONE UNIQUE VISUAL LANGUAGE. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH MATERIALS OR DISCIPLINES TO BRING INTO A PIECE? DENIM, BURLAP, T-SHIRTS, EVEN YOUR FATHER’S LEATHER SATCHEL HAVE ALL FOUND THEIR WAY INTO YOUR WORK. WHAT ROLE DOES MEMORY AND PERSONAL HISTORY PLAY IN THE MATERIALS YOU CHOOSE?

I try not to overthink at the start of the process. I just focus on starting somewhere. Eventually, I find myself trying to solve a puzzle that doesn’t really exist, using different textiles with varying tensions. I like to stay curious about these materials and mediums. Sometimes I keep the process practical, using whatever is lying around on the studio floor. Other times, it’s more charged and intentional, like choosing something from my family or an item that holds a special memory. Memory sneaks in whether I want it to or not. Even when I pick up a scrap of fabric just because of its color, I later realize it’s connected to a moment or place I’ve been.

YOUR PROCESS OFTEN BEGINS WITH DIRECT MARKS - SCRIBBLES, SCRATCHES, DOODLES AND THEN EVOLVES INTO COMPLEX COMPOSITIONS. HOW DID THAT APPROACH SHAPE THE WORK YOU CREATED FOR 4BYSIX?

The scribbles and scratches are like a way for me to loosen up. Those initial marks aren’t planned, but they set the tone for everything else that happens in the work. It’s like building a rhythm out of noise. I’ve never really been the type to sketch things out on paper beforehand, and I prefer diving right in on the canvas. For this project, I embraced that approach with these big, hasty brushstrokes because I wanted that rawness to come through.

THERE’S A RAW, ALMOST CHAOTIC ENERGY IN YOUR PAINTINGS, BUT ALSO A DEEP SENSE OF CONTROL AND RHYTHM. HOW DO YOU STRIKE THAT BALANCE IN YOUR PRACTICE?

It’s a push and pull. I make a mess, then I clean it up. I let things get wild, then I try to give the work structure. I add to the painting, then I subtract from the painting when I need to. That tension feels natural to me. I don’t want the work to feel too polished, but I also don’t want it to fall apart completely. So, I’m always chasing that in-between.

4BYSIX IS ROOTED IN SUSTAINABILITY AND USING ART AS A TOOL TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES. HOW DOES THAT ETHOS CONNECT WITH THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT MAKING AND SHARING ART?

I relate to the idea of taking what’s overlooked and giving it new life. Most of my work is stitched together from scraps or cast-off materials, so that spirit of reuse is already built into my practice. And beyond materials, I like that 4BYSIX is thinking about how art can live outside the traditional white cubed gallery space, where more people can connect with it.

THE SURFACE OF YOUR WORK IS OFTEN STITCHED TOGETHER FROM SCRAPS AND FRAGMENTS, FORMING A KIND OF PATCHWORK. DO YOU SEE THAT AS A METAPHOR FOR YOUR OWN LIFE AND EXPERIENCES?

Definitely. It’s been very nomadic as I moved around a lot as a kid and a teenager. My path hasn’t been linear, to say the least. It feels like I’ve had to stitch together different places, different influences, and even different versions of myself. The paintings end up carrying that same feeling - that you can build something whole out of fragments.

HUMOUR, PLAYFULNESS, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY SEEM TO RUN THROUGH YOUR PRACTICE. WHAT STORIES OR EMOTIONS WERE YOU CHANNELING INTO THE PIECE FOR THIS COLLABORATION?

Sometimes the only way I can process things is through humour, even when the subject matter isn’t funny. Maybe it’s how I’ve learned how to best cope with trauma. With this piece, I was thinking about resilience but in a lighthearted way. So there’s this playfulness in the colors and marks, but underneath it’s me working through stuff that’s more personal.

YOU’VE DESCRIBED BEING INFLUENCED BY CARTOONS, GRAFFITI, AND THE EVERYDAY DETRITUS OF THE STUDIO. HOW DO THOSE REFERENCES FIND THEIR WAY INTO YOUR WORK WITHOUT LOSING ITS SERIOUSNESS OR DEPTH?

I don’t try to separate high and low influences. Cartoons or graffiti might seem playful or disposable, but to me, they carry real weight. They shape how we see the world. By mixing them into painting, I’m kind of saying all of it matters, all of it can hold depth, and it’s all worth something to me.

LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT NEW DIRECTIONS OR PROJECTS ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO EXPLORE, AND HOW DO YOU SEE COLLABORATIONS LIKE THIS ONE WITH 4BYSIX SHAPING THAT JOURNEY?

I’m interested in pushing painting into more installation-based work. I’m interested in creating environments and not just objects. Collaborations like this remind me to stay flexible and open to working on new surfaces and materials. That’s exciting to me, and it keeps the work evolving.