Justin Marable, BFA: Printmaking '05

Q: When did you graduate from KU, and what was your Major/Minor?
"I graduated from KU in 2005 with a BFA in Art.  Printmaking, specifically Serigraphy, was my emphasis."

Q: What have you been up to post-graduation?
"What haven’t I been up to would be more accurate :) I have lived a very full life as a working artist and parent for 20+ years. After graduation, I moved to Topeka and established a print studio in the basement of my home for 10 years. Within that decade, I grew an independent art business selling my screen prints at regional and local galleries, art fairs and festivals, annual open studio events, and online at justinmarable.com. I also developed new skills in my explorations with music, expanded media, public art, and carpentry in that time, which has helped me become a more versatile artist.

In 2015, I moved back to Lawrence and set up shop in a few collective studio spaces in East Lawrence. While working for Spencer Museum of Art and establishing a home in Sunset Hill neighborhood, divorce and Covid-19 simultaneously converged to collapse what I knew my world to be. Upon this life reset, I bought a home and backyard studio in North Lawrence in 2020. After another several years of major home and life renovations, I now work as both independent craftsman and artist, remodeling homes, pulling prints, and leading a creative existence making life-art daily.  The power of imagination drives much of my work alongside creative action mixed with tragic beauty on a shifting horizon of magic and mystery."

Q: What would you like to share with current and future Visual Art students?
"Creating art with integrity is an enduring and patient process. Pushing beyond the boundaries of what is expected, seeing the undersides of social structures, and interpreting those patterns is key to making honest art that is truth seeking. Remain true to your vision, trust your intuition, and respect others who are here to help and guide in the journey. There is a certain amount of isolation that comes with sustaining a prolific studio practice but know that you can’t do it alone. Collaboration and remaining open to others’ help and feedback is key to personal and creative growth as well as retaining your inner child’s sense of play and curiosity.  

As a creator, there’s always internal and external resistance to practicality that comes with pushing into new frontiers, but creating systems to keep track of time, tasks, and money management is vital.  Being vulnerable, honest, and compassionate will help provide perspective to interpret the often paradoxical nature of human experience and expression. To interpret mystery with confidence and clarity takes time to develop and burnout will inevitably happen. Just remember to remain steady, persistent, and grounded in the creative flow state that ebbs and flows. Take action, practice patience, let go, and opportunities through change will emerge."