Artist and teacher Kip Deeds has been busy reinterpreting not only the way we see things, but also the techniques he uses for revealing them. Deeds works in a variety of mediums, including printmaking, drawing and painting, to create an ongoing, open-ended narrative. His content often involves pieces of his life, historical figures and images from a variety of sources. These elements come together to create a dialogue revolving around his native Pennsylvania, his process and his audience’s perception.

One of Deeds’ notable series is entitled “Arkadelphia,” which is a combination of the terms “Noah’s ark” and “Philadelphia.” Acting as a sort of metaphorical city and expressing a desire for adventure or travel, the ark is always full of a wide cast of characters. Some are recognizable historical figures, like Andrew Johnson, while others could be anyone you’d bump into on the street. He prints crude little headshots of his cast and places them on the ark as they travel to places like Alaska or even abstract seas of color. Words often make an appearance and help him explain elements or create literary allusions.

Most recently, Deeds exhibited as part of the International Print Center New York’s summer exhibition. He will also be part of an upcoming show in Melbourne, Australia at Impact 7 and is planning solo show at St. Joseph’s University set for early 2012.

His current series of work demonstrates multiples perspectives much like Cubism, but only in practice. Deeds divides the page into multiple sections using drawn or screen-printed wooden beams, which were originally tools from a former project; this recycling of materials can be found in much of his work. From there, he creates scenes in the sections that vary from realistic drawings to collages of postage stamps to abstract colored forms. These perspectives allow Deeds to create multiple separate, yet connected, works of art within the boundaries of one page.

Looking at the world through the lens Deeds presents us with is quite unique, and even then he offers us multiple ways to see. Skilled at realistic rendering, as well as abstraction, every piece varies in both style and content. With a loosely set vocabulary of images and an ever-evolving work process, it will be very interesting to see where Deeds takes his work in the near future.

Visit Deeds’ website at kipdeeds.com.