Conversations with Contributors: Jedidiah Gist (Cover Artist, Issue 10)

The Adroit Journal‘s tenth issue was released last week, and you know what that means – more Conversations with Contributors! Intuitively, Issue 10 begins with our cover, so why not begin this round of Q&A with our cover artist?

Jedidiah Gist is a freshman at Clemson University originally from Columbia, South Carolina. For his piece “Whirl,” Jed was awarded a National Silver Medal and Regional Gold Key from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Amanda Silberling, Blog Editor: What was the process of creating “Whirl”?

Jedidiah Gist, Cover Artist: I did a push-processing shoot with my 35mm Canon Rebel for my AP 2D Design class. I had this idea for a composite image of four different corners of skyscrapers scrapped together to form one massive building, floating in the sky. I figured I may as well take some shots of the corners of tall buildings during my push-processing shoot, and three of them turned out pretty well. I scanned the negatives into Photoshop and worked for a few days, making about forty of fifty different versions. Most of them I didn’t even save, I actually only have four left, but the one that y’all have is by far my favorite.

AS: What message are you trying to convey through this piece?

JG: I attempted to show how the mundane can be monumental through the isolation and iconization of seemingly every-day architecture.

AS: What media of art/photography do you usually work with?

JG: I usually work with photography, digital art, or sculpture.

AS: “Whirl” is a black and white photograph – how do you think color influences the presentation of a photograph?

JG: The lack of color helps to emphasize the monolith. It adds to the simplicity of the image, emphasizing the simple motif.

“Whirl” by Jedidiah Gist,  The Adroit Journal  Issue 10

AS: How did you get involved in photography?

JG: I went to an art summer camp in middle school, and one of my classes was photography and Photoshop. I loved it, and ended up taking photography in high school and did my AP concentration in photography as well.

AS: What’s the best experience you’ve had so far as a photographer?

JG: The best experience I’ve had as a photographer is having access to the dark room and lab at my high school. I was able to experiment with different methods of film photography, and it was extremely fun.

AS: What do you find most challenging in art?

JG: I’d have to say the most challenging thing is finding time to work on my projects. They are very time consuming, and require a lot of commitment.

AS: How do you plan to pursue art in the future?

JG: Right now, I’m a Chemical Engineering and Physics double major and I’m focused on school. I find time to shoot around every now and then, but nothing serious. I intend on getting into photography seriously once I’ve settled into a job.

AS: Have you had any unique experiences as a teenage photographer?

JG: Getting published in an online publication is a pretty unique experience!

Amanda Silberling

Amanda Silberling is a student at the University of Pennsylvania from South Florida. Her poems, essays, and reviews appear in Crab Orchard Review, PANK, The Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus, among others. She currently serves as the Blog Editor for The Adroit Journal and a writer/photographer for Rock On Philly. Find her on Twitter at @asilbwrites.

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