An Interview by Thomas Deshays, May 5, 2023
Perhaps I am an artist; perhaps not. What I do know is that New York shaped me into who I am today. Living here forces you to constantly understand situations, not just as a survival mode but as a human one. I’ve spent part of my adult life in the East Village and Tribeca, near the East and Hudson Rivers, and I’ve come to take a real interest on the city’s enginered industrial architecture—the bridges, especially the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges, always draw me in.
My goal is to keep creating wood engravings directly on-site, using just a piece of wood and a single cutter, something portable that fits in my carry-on so I can work anywhere in the world. What I enjoy in the process of woodcutting is the physicality of it, I believe it fits the intensity of the energy of this city. There’s something about pressing into a resistant material—it’s an organic struggle, a kind of response you just don’t feel when you’re drawing on a tablet for exemple.
In addition to sustaining my practice, my hope is to maintain health not only for my own well-being but as a means to contribute meaningfully to my community and support my friends. Health, here, becomes a collective responsibility, one that empowers sustained creativity and connection.
Regrets? No, I don’t believe in having regrets. If you dwell on regret, you stop growing.
Acknowledgment
I would like thank awarded documentary filmmaker Thomas Deshays for his caring, support and interest on my artwork.
Dessin . drawing . disegni . original linoleum cut and woodcut . linogravure originale et gravures . xilografie e incisioni – iPad [works-oeuvres-opere] . Copyrights © Raymond Verdaguer 2023. Copyrights © Thomas Deshays 2023.
