Tray Drumhann is a photographer, mixed media artist and visual poet. Summer Associate, Allison Malecha interviewed Drumhann and paired his work with a number of the literary pieces you will find on our site. The photograph above is titled "Far Away Eyes" and the photograph below is titled "Twin View." 

AM: How did you get a started as a visual artist? You describe yourself as a visual poet—can you elaborate on what this means?

TD: Being from a somewhat isolated area I did not have exposure to many traditional influences and really had no specific direction or guidance to pursue the arts. Now I see these restrictions were beneficial because I had to find my own way, my own voice. There seems to be a lot of debate over what is and what is not "visual poetry". To me it's a melding of art and poetry into something unique that stands on its own. The goal of my visual poetry is to challenge the reader to find meaning, pattern, structure, etc. and yet still exist outside of any set, agreed upon reading or "solution". I consider the reader as a traveler with an ever changing destination.

AM: Describe your artistic style in general.

TD: I can't really pin myself down to any one style because I approach my art in a very intuitive manner which covers several disciplines. For me the creative process is ever changing and dependent on what I am working on at the time.

AM: How do you keep current in such an increasingly digitized world?

TD: The media I work with is ever evolving, and I try to take advantage of new techniques and methods but draw from both old and new to achieve my goals. It seems that there are limitless ways ways to gather information and promote my work. I spend a few hours a day utilizing the latest technology and trying to stay aware of new developments in areas that can facilitate my work or the promotion of my work. I learn a lot from everyday interaction with fellow artists and writers that I work with.

AM: Is this your first collaboration with a literary venue? What intrigued you about Cavalier Literary Couture in particular?

TD: I've collaborated with several publications and been involved in various projects. I have been extremely fortunate to work with some gifted people. What intrigued me about Cavalier is that it has a drive to produce something fresh, meaningful and exhilarating and has the courage to do so.