Spotlight on Queer Team member Fauxsure

Interviewed by queenofqueens

Tell us who you are and what the name of your shop is:
i'm keith and my shop is fauxsure

How did you start screen printing?
printmaking was my studio concentration in my undergrad work, and i first worked with screenprinting in '99. i mostly printed on paper (flat prints and also artists' books) and aluminium sheets. i started making t shirts in '02.

Do you work in other mediums besides printing?
How do they compare? i do a lot of drawing, but that's about it for visual stuff. i dj and produce dance music with my husband(myspace.com/ladycreme) but there's not really a strong connection to my visual work. in our production work, we try to make fun music that references elements of classic dance music but still sounds mondern. our dj mixes vary, but are usually in the synthy disco/ melodic electro vein.

You're located in Brooklyn. Has the art scene there had an impact upon your work?
i'm definitely influenced by street art and graffitti. i don't get out to see as much art as i would like, but in my day job i work with artists (managing artist-in-residency programs in nyc public schools and training artists/mfa students to become teaching artists). living in new york is a huge influence on my work in general. i find inspiration all over the place (as cliche as that sounds.)

How does being queer influence your work as an artist?
it's hard to say... there's a definite influence, but it varies and is always changing. in college, my prints dealt a lot with themes around masculinity and masculine archetypes (through superheroes). right now, the "queerest" thing i've done is my "village pigeons" design... pigeons are one of the few forms of wildlife we new yorkers see on a daily basis, so i thought it would be cute/funny to put them in the costumes of the village people. i guess that's pretty gay...

You created the Queer Team logo, what inspired you to use the imagery you chose?
i was inspired by the "purple rhino" logo designed by activist bernie toal from 1974 that was created to help bring attention to gay rights in boston. i thought it would be a fun way to pay tribute to a little-known queer symbol. plus i liked the idea of "charging forward" and the rhino was a fun animal to work with.

What else do you want us to know about you?
i love to cook. i'm disappointed with obama (although i thought i had pretty realistic expectations). i've been with my husband for almost 11 years, and just got married in july. we have an abyssinian cat named sebastian who's super-cute and a little high-maintence. lately i've been reading a lot of zombie-related stuff. i'm a sucker for bad tv. i'm allergic to dairy and beer. i can't stand showtunes. i have an irish temper that pops up every so often. i think the etsy forums are a bit scary. i wonder about the people who buy my stuff and would love to see pictures of them...