An Interview With Joe Kievitt

Joe Kievitt is an artist, carpenter, craftsman and designer, who resides in Portland, Maine. He is best known for his abstract works, which not only exist as large scale works on paper, but public art commissions including numerous mosaic and mural projects as well. So precise that they often appear digitally rendered at first glance, Kievett’s geometric creations are a product of his meticulous drawing process. Through careful consideration of dimensions on the page, the line weight of the pencil line, or the tape that he uses as masks to create open space, his paintings are meditative labors that unite delicate coloring using ink and watercolor with an underlying structure of pencil lines. He currently also works as a designer and builder of residential spaces. Joe’s designs, Plumb, Linework and Hester are featured in Digital Studio.

Where do you call home? 

Portland – Munjoy Hill

How do you typically start your day?

Whether working on the computer, drawing in the studio, building on site, or working in the wood shop, I take time to clear my head of anything, but the project at hand.

How would you describe your creative practice?

This changes, depending upon what I’m immersed in. These days, I’m designing and building spaces. The initial design process is on the computer, where I work with spatial and budget limitations, starting with preconceived ideas and references. Then as the designs take form, unforeseen options present themselves, leading to discoveries. This is similar to my drawing and painting process. In the building process, much of the designs are followed, but inevitably, changes are made due to practical material limitations, further functional considerations, and a clarity when the designs are seen in the actual space or while handling the actual materials.

What are some of the recurring themes and explorations in your work?

Predetermined processes, combined with the handmade, chance, material and spatial limitations.

What studio item can you not live without?

A pencil.

What is your earliest memory of making something?

Drawing as a kid – aged 4 or 5.

Who are your biggest influences?

Donald Judd, Wharton Esherick, Alfred Jensen, Agnes Martin, the Grateful Dead, experimental electronic music.

What do you do when you encounter a creative block?

Move to something else. Something easier.

What are some small pleasures you have been folding into your life?

Listening to music, being on the ocean.

How do you know when a piece of work is complete? 

Both my art and design work are typically predetermined – essentially a chronological checklist – so when the checklist is complete.

Tell us about the designs you’ve created for Designtex. 

One of my designs, Hester, is a detail of a larger drawing, made with ink and acrylic paint through multiple stages of masking areas with tape and applying ink/paint.