On the Spot
Salt Lake's Jared Clark

Jared Clark was born in Provo, Utah on June 1st 1976 but was quickly moved to southern Mexico where his father dug as an archaeologist. He was next relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan through grade school and came full circle back to Orem, Utah for Jr. High and High School. Jared served his church as a missionary in southern Spain and came back to graduate from BYU with a BFA and then went back east to Virginia Commonwealth University for his MFA. Before moving to New York Jared participated in artist residencies at Art Omi in upstate New York, the Vermont Studio Center, and Kompact Living Space in Berlin. He again returned to Utah after his time in New York and currently calls Salt Lake home. He is the recipient of one of the Utah Arts Council's 2011 Visual Art Fellowships.
What have you been reading lately?
Right now at my bedside there is evidence that I have been reading The Brothers Karamazov, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Roald Dahl: Tales of the Unexpected, and a biography, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life.
What hangs above your mantel?
Over my mantel sits a heavy diptych I made years ago by cutting and mounting an old rusting steel billboard onto old plywood panels. Originally it was 10 X 12 feet and made of 18 panels and painted with white out and beeswax - so these two are the last in my possession. I sold the rest off cheap when i moved out to grad school in 2005 to afford gas for the Uhaul. There is also a strange sculpture by Brian Christensen (BYU Sculpture Professor), a non-life-size elephant made of marble, an equally small elephant made of painted plywood, and things related to the two cellos in the house like sheet music, rosin, and bows.
What's the most memorable exhibit you've seen recently?
I got to catch Christian Marclay's "The Clock" at the LACMA this summer. I was excited to get the chance after hearing about it from friends in New York when it was first shown and then the buzz about it at the Venice Bienale. It's a 24 hour video piece that collages film segments of clocks, watches, and time references and it is all synced with real time. It's completely mesmerizing and difficult to tear yourself away. I hope to someday watch the other 23.4 hours I missed.
If you could choose one artist (living or dead) to paint or sculpt your portrait who would it be?
My first thought was DeKooning but that's because I was just reading about his MOMA retrospective and want to go there. If I think about it the answer is....Chagall. I would love to meet him and sit for him while he gave me grandfatherly advice about life and love in his happy Russian accent. I'd like to see what distortions he would make and if he added any floating items to the painting. Speaking of distortions Answer #2 is Alice Neel. Answer #3 is the great Bruce Smith (x-BYU Professor).
Is there a piece of artwork in your home growing up that you remember?
My parents weren't much for hanging art but my father, being an archaeologist, had this large rubbing on canvas of a carved stone artifact from Mexico that was framed and hung in our home since my earliest memories. It proved to me the mythos of my father-as-Indiana-Jones. It's still up and I still believe in my father's exciting secret life as Indiana.
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15 Bytes: About Us
Our editorial contributors this edition
The content you see in this magazine is provided by a fluid group of volunteers whose ability with the pen or camera is matched by their curiosity and enthusiasm for Utah's art world. 15 Bytes is an open community forum. If you are interested in writing an article, or providing images for our magazine contact editor Shawn Rossiter at editor@artistsofutah.org
Simon Blundell is a Salt Lake native and has studied art, communication, journalism, design, and advertising. He has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and continues to explore photography and art in all its aspects. He loves music, literature, film, good food, travel, and motorcycles. |
Laura and Matt Chiodo have lived in Salt Lake for six years, having moved back after art school in Southern California. Matt is currently the Gallery Curator for Alpine Art.
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Ehren Clark studied art history at both the University of Utah and the
University of Reading in the UK. He is now a professional writer. |
John Hughes is an award-winning artist and teacher who has been painting the landscape both in and out of the studio since 1983. He maintains a studio in Taylorsville and teaches students in private workshops and in a course at Salt Lake Community College. |
Gerry Johnson was an engineer in a past life. A former film, now digital photographer, his work over the last 3 years has been "to capture the 'moments of beauty' that surround each of us in our daily lives, and present them to the viewer in a way that they can also experience the spirit of beauty." |
Sue Martin holds an M.A. in Theatre and has worked in public relations. As an artist, she works in watercolor, oil, and acrylic to capture Utah landscapes or the beauty of everyday objects in still life. |
Edward Reichel, author, writer and composer, served for many years as the primary music critic for the Deseret News, and currently writes for a number of publications including Chamber Music America. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. |
Zoe Rodriguez, a native of San Francisco, is a full-time photographer and designer. She is currently working on What I Thought I Saw, a book project that challenges our perceptions of how we see people.
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Shawn Rossiter, a native of Boston, grew up on the East Coast. He has degrees in English, French and Italian Literature. He dropped out of a Masters program in Contemporary Literature to pursue a career as an artist. He founded Artists of Utah in 2001 and is editor of its magazine, 15 Bytes. |
Sarah Thompson is a retired physician and psychiatrist, as well as a writer and a fan of the arts. Her writing has been published in a variety of magazines and textbooks and she is currently working on a short story and a novel. |
Will Thompson is a local photographer who specializes in work that is textural, intimate, and speaks to the space in our subconscious that seeks peace and tranquility. His work ranges from portraiture to abstract fine art. |
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