David R. Modler is an artist, researcher, and professor originally from Baltimore, Maryland. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Education in Art Education from Towson State University and his Master of Fine Arts in painting from James Madison University. He currently works as an Associate Professor of Art in the Department of Contemporary Art at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
I have known David for twenty years now, and he is the one who first introduced me to the visual journals all those years ago. He was my original artistic accomplice, and we spent a lot of time together sharing ideas about art, teaching, and the visual journal. Together we have presented countless presentations, seminars, and workshops a a wide range of artistic and educational venues, and we have coauthored two books on the visual journal, The Journal Junkies Workshop and Journal Fodder 365. It was a pleasure to sit down with David and have a discussion about his artistic journey, the mentors who have influenced him, and the process he goes through to create his artwork.
David creates mixed media work and assembles the work into site-responsive installations, and the visual journal is a key component of his work. As an off-shoot of his journal work and as a way to explore creative collaborations, he has teamed up with good friend Samuel Peck to create the tet[R]ad: Draw and Play Here project where they facilitate one-on-one journal exchanges.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with David Modler.