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Justin Plakas started making paintings just out of curiosity and right after he had graduated from high school. He had never taken any formal art courses outside of the ones that he had to take in public school in his hometown of Takoma Park, Maryland. But his little brother, knowing that Justin had always wanted to make films but just couldn't afford the gear, bought Justin a video camera for 40 dollars from a guy off the street. And that, as the story goes, is how he got started making videos. With a computer, he learned that he could make paintings that moved, and with added audio equipment he could add an aural component to his work that he could never create within the context of traditional painting methods.  So, now, with his knowledge of all things technical and the gift of his modest video gear, Justin was hooked. Suddenly, he was a filmmaker, joining audio and visual elements to construct living environments that were unfamiliar and mesmerizing to his audiences.  

During his time at the Hub-Bub residency, Justin continued his work with filmmaking, but also revisited an old love of still photography.  Partnering with The Boys and Girls Club of Spartanburg for one of his most beloved and significant projects of the year, Justin mentored at-risk children with his knowledge of the importance and logistics of taking pictures. After leaving the AIR program in the summer of 2007, Justin (with former AIR Emily Louise Smith) moved to the coastal town of Wilmington, NC where he is currently employed with Signal, a design studio, as their Video/Motion Designer. Despite the complicated transition from full-time artist to full-time employee, Justin continues to experiment with his art – sometimes with an old videocamera, others with a new digital one,  perhaps with a classic Kodak Premo, and often even with his trusty Polaroid. Whatever the medium, the outcome of Justin's passion, skill and perceptive eye is always the same: totally bitchin' art.  

Drop in on his website here:
http://www.justinplakas.com

http://flickr.com/loslavaplatos 

View these photos on flickr.com...