Scratch Art Space is delighted to introduce visiting artist Joshua Rampage as our current Artist in Residence. Born and raised around the foot of Lake Michigan, Joshua studied Fine Arts at the University of Indiana. In 2005 Joshua settled in San Francisco where he explored music and art in relation to his immediate environment in particular collaboration with people. Only recently Joshua began a two-year stint in Australia to feel the ‘southern hemisphere dirt beneath my feet’. Lucky for us he is also engagedin a 3-month residency at Scratch Art Space.

While at SAS Joshua will continue to work on conceptually based paintings that focus on the exercise of purging secrets. These canvasses resonate with buried secrets and the din of murmurs are weaved through to a structured but jumbled surface of layered text.

Already Joshua’s contribution has triggered dialogue and collaboration with other SAS resident artists and he is currently working with Director Carmel Byrne on an installation piece for the soon to be opened Exhibition Space. The dynamic of hosting artists from different cultures, whether it be international or regional, is crucial to the evolution of art ingeneral. It’s a core value for Scratch Art Space to develop international and regional relationships through residencies.

Joshua is working at SAS until late August 2012 when he, in collaboration with Carmel Byrne, will hold the inaugural exhibition for the new gallery at Scratch Art Space.