Blair Chisholm: So when did you first become interested in graphic design?

James Thorpe: In graphic design, oh specifically got more interested in it around 1970. When I was– Well actually, I was really interested in high school, my last few years of high school, ‘68 ‘69 in Germany. I was raised in the military. We were stationed over there and posters in Europe were really big. Had these wonderful kiosks and that was during that period of you know psychedelia and rock and roll and all that and I was very influenced by a lot of German poster designers at that time even though I eventually went into painting and sculpture but then I crossed back over into graphic design around 1977.

Chisholm: How would you describe the subject or theme of your work?

Thorpe: [laughs] I tend to look at art in general as an element or projection of the self-portrait. I don’t care what medium it is whether you’re a writer, choreographer, filmmaker, poster designer, or painter or whatever. It’s still– there’s this strong element of self-portraiture in the work of the artist. And a lot of the work I do addresses political themes or cultural themes or art about art you know, things like that, but a lot of cultural and political stuff I’m concerned with.

Chisholm: The pieces of your art that I’ve seen, that you showed me the other day, all seem to have a clear message. To what extent do you think your art is open to interpretation by the viewer?

Thorpe: I approach my work pretty much, particularly posters, of I try not to cater too much to what the audience would expect. I don’t like the work to be safe. And I want people to experience the, the message somewhat through my lense but also sort of to throw a mirror in front of them about what the optic is or the theme and I tend to try to design people or the– [laughs] I know this sounds kind of weird but I try to design a poster in such a way that there’s some people that shouldn’t even waste their time to look at it because they really aren’t really that concerned about the topic or theme anyway. In other words, I try to block out people that I’d be wasting my time on. [laughs] I know it sounds arrogant but true. You don’t get– If you don’t get it you don’t get it so that’s the way it is.

Chisholm: What is your process when you create a new piece?

Thorpe: I was very influenced by the surrealists, particularly Max Ernst had a big impact on my work in Germany you know. Surrealists Rene Magritte the Belgian surrealist and the poster designer John Heartfield. All of them had sort of a sense of a collage montage of taking dissonant elements, reassembling them in illusionistic space to create a whole new realm of possibility of interpretation with just enough of the specific shall we say key you know the observer to grasp. That’s pretty much the way I do it.

Chisholm: What formal art training have you had?

Thorpe: Oh I mean obviously ever since I was a kid I started, I had, I maintained interest in art and drawing and painting since I was a kid. And then formally I studied here at the University of Maryland. I’m an interesting story because I did my undergraduate and graduate work here, then went back to Europe and worked as a freelance designer illustrator, then came back here and started teaching at Prince George’s Community College. Then I got picked up by College Park part-time, then they put me on full-time year to year, and then eventually I got tenure, ten years.

Chisholm: Has teaching art affected your own work?

Thorpe: Oh absolutely. Being around students is wonderful, it’s not work. I mean, I love coming to work every day as you’re around a lot of creative energy with a lot of different points of view and histories and the influence of you know each generation has a different way of looking at things and the way– the different music they listen to, my students always turn me on to new music, new film that I should see and you know art creates art so it’s a lot of fun. It’s not work. So crazy but you don’t make a lot of money. No, I mean I learn as much from my students as they learn from me I hope and they never cease to amaze me with their ideas. It’s a lot of fun.

Chisholm: Ok, is there anything else you’d like to share?

Thorpe: The only thing I would probably mention is be aware of the impact of the new technologies on the creation of art and what people are capable of seeing with that technology but also at the same time we get sort of blocked out or eliminated because of the rapidity or the speed of the technology. You gotta be a little careful or wary of that. I always warn my students. I mean, computers are wonderful don’t get me wrong but they do have certain limitations i.e. you know, what are you gonna do when you know the electricity runs out, you know? Or if you had a brownout and no electricity. Be able to draw a room with a pencil or a piece of charcoal is a remarkable thing to do. You’d be amazed how many people can’t. [laughs] So keep that in mind. Spatial thinking.