Artists say differences in age, experience don’t matter (+VIDEO)

Wichitans Josh Tripoli and Chuck Dooms want you to know that art is a team sport. Or rather, that it can be.

The two are collaborating for a Final Friday exhibition titled “Graven Image” at the Donut Whole, 1720 E. Douglas. It’s an experiment, of sorts, that has nothing to lose and only art to gain.

“This is strictly a collaborative show,” Tripoli said while signing pieces for the exhibition, sitting in his basement studio recently alongside Dooms. “Moving the arts forward requires a sense of union and togetherness, and that’s exactly what we want to do with the art community. We want to be able to draw people together and show that you can create a beautiful thing that you would have never expected, just by working with other people.”

The two have been working steadily over the past few months on about 60 digital pieces, with 40 making the cut for the show. Most pieces started with an existing image by Tripoli, a painting, drawing or photograph. He would turn it over to Dooms, who would add to it or alter it.

“I like to think I’m continuing on a story that Josh gave me,” Dooms said. “And re-telling that story in my voice.”

The men say the experience let them explore making art with sometimes surprising results.

“You can’t really control where art takes you,” Tripoli said. “A lot of the time it just kind of happens. You just have to listen to it. And this is exactly where it’s been telling me to go. And I know this is where Chuck’s been going. This is just the perfect stepping stone for him.”

That’s because Dooms is new to Wichita’s art scene. At age 57, he found art later in life.

He retired from a phone company after working there for 30 years. Then a couple of years ago, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which brought understandable frustrations.

“I needed some kind of outlet,” he said.

So about a year ago, he started tooling around with pictures that he took on his cellphone, and manipulated them digitally on his tablet. He loved doing it, and says the act of creating was very therapeutic. He thinks everyone should do it.

“Everybody needs to a have a voice,” Dooms said. “I don’t care if you’re a fellow Parkinson’s patient. If you can’t draw, wait until the tremors go away and draw. If you can sing, sing. If you can write bad poetry, by God write bad poetry. But there is no reason why you can’t create.”

While Dooms is older and just getting into art, Tripoli is much younger and already an art veteran, of sorts. He’s 24 and started his art education in high school at Northeast Magnet.

After he graduated, he got a degree in medical assistance and was working in a medical office, but says “the art kept pushing through no matter how hard I tried to fight it or claw it or scratch it. It just kept coming back harder and harder. It eventually won over.”

He now works full time as an artist. He’s been studying the past four years under well-known Wichita artist Steve Murillo. He teaches classes at CityArts and works with Kansas Arts Partners, designing lesson plans, residencies and murals for Wichita youth. He also works with the Deaf Kids’ Art Network and the Alzheimer’s Association through mentorship and community painting programs.

He has also designed and executed large outdoor murals, many of which can be seen in the Douglas Design District.

Tripoli says such community work is important, and that it’s “really cool to be able to give back to the community this way. What I’m doing with Chuck is just another facet of that.”

It’s an unlikely pairing, at first glance.

“I think people would look at our age difference and think, ‘you know, these guys don’t have anything in common,’” Dooms said. “We’ve got a lot more in common than probably a lot of people would think.”

Both are excited for Friday’s show, and they both hope to do more with other collaborators. And that is an open invitation to all artists, regardless of age or experience, they say.

“Every other artist in Wichita,” Tripoli said. “I just want people to know that we’re here. And we’re ready to work, if you want.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Artists say differences in age, experience don’t matter (+VIDEO)."