wildscape. literary journal

Title: Smoke Break // Artist: Jalen Martise Micquiel Williams

about the piece

Smoke Break (2024) is a three-layer reduction cut wood print done on cotton paper. This method of printmaking involves carving and printing different layers from a wood block to create a multi-colored relief print.  With this composition, I wanted to capture the feeling of a personal moment being interfered with. This was inspired by me being shooed away as a kid by older family members as they talked, typically having a smoke while they conversed over adult matters. Within the work, I wanted to capture the harshness felt being caught by said olde family member, being singled out as the haze of smoke and reality around you fracture.

Title: Starry Night Sky // Artist: Jalen Martise Micquiel Williams

about the piece

Starry Night Sky (2024) is a single-layer linoleum relief cut print. This method of printmaking involves using carving tools of a block of material called linoleum, typically found in floor covering. With this composition, I reflected upon my time growing up in the rural Carolinas. I decided to represent this reflection by displaying a young man looking up towards the clear night sky. Whether it be sitting on the porch with my grandma or getting home from a late night shift, nothing truly spoke to the beauty of ruralism more than watching the night sky. The inflections of light, along with the strong cuts of abstraction in the sky, always managed to put me at peace, inspiring me to capture it within this piece.

Interview with Jalen

Jalen is our featured artist for Issue 4. Below are a series of questions and responses between Ophelia and Jalen.

Ophelia: When did you initially get into making art? Is there a specific event or person that inspired you along the way?

Jalen: When I was a child, I initially gotten into art due to my interest in capturing the cartoons and book covers I saw in my upbringing. Growing up in rural America also inspired me because I found nothing better to do within my upbringing. A specific event that inspired me was experiencing Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” for the first time when I was six years old. It recontextualized how I captured feeling within art.

Ophelia: What was the catalyst to finally deciding to put your art out there (i.e. submitting to publications)?

Jalen: The catalyst for putting my art out in publications was the yearning for a broader reach. I felt that my work deserved to be obtained and viewed from the outer reaches of my state. With the themes and motifs I tackle within my work, I believe it’s justified that other people (both similar and dissimilar to me) should get the taste and involvement of my body of works.

Ophelia: Your two pieces in Issue 4, “Smoke Break” and “Starry Night Sky”, are both cut prints. Do you generally prefer to make art via the cut print method, or do you have other styles and mediums of art that you enjoy doing as well?

Jalen: While I do enjoy the technical craft of relief cut prints, I have recently grown more of a fondness towards plate etchings and lithography. With these alternative forms of printmaking, I believe it captures my illustrative touch better than the cut method. I have also enjoyed the medium of metal sculpture recently, finding a fixation on experimenting in three-dimensional form.

Ophelia: I particularly enjoy your artwork because of the open emotion portrayed in each piece. Is showing deep emotion part of your goal when making art? What do you hope to make viewers feel when they see your art?

Jalen: Showing deep emotion is an integral part of process and display when making art. I specifically base my practice on capturing “pockets” of emotion while in the creative headspace. I hope to make my viewers feel both thrilled and challenged when they see my work. I want the imagery I present to swell a form of excitement within that leads to intricate discussion.

Ophelia: What are your ultimate dreams and goals, as an artist? Is there anything in particular you hope to accomplish and/or make?

Jalen: My ultimate dreams and goals as an artist are to inspire younger individuals like me upon their artistic journey and to get a better understanding of the nuances of cultural growth. I specifically want my art to give a stronger understanding of how mine and others background can be used to gain a finer understanding of social context, emotional intimacy, and cultural reform.

about the artist // Jalen Martise Micquiel Williams