Jacob Duquette is a third year, BA Graphic Design student here at Plymouth State College. He is proficient in many branches of Art, and is accomplished in music, visual art, electronics and has even stabbed at acting.
The Clock: What is the most important thing, concerning art that you do, and why is it so important?
Jake Duquette: I guess the most important thing to me is my music. I concentrate on that more artistically, because I get the most satisfaction from it.
Clock: What are some other things you do and how did you get interested?
JD: I work at Silver Cultural Arts Center; I’m an audio tech guy there. I do recordings and maintenance, like wiring and things like that. My brother got me interested in when I was very young, we had a computer at my house and I was just amazed by the whole idea of computers and electronics and I got sucked into that world.
Clock: How do you tie all of it together? Music, computers and electronics?
JD: When I create music, I visually know what’s going on. It’s like a movie and I’m creating the soundtrack to it. I think of it as though I’m doing a scene, as if I were doing a CD, from start to finish I have my movements or my acts. A beginning to a finale, I like to have everything progress. And it is the same way with my paintings.
Clock: Let’s talk about your paintings.
JD: I’ve been painting since I was in seventh grade. I don’t do any traditional stuff I’m not really into that. Whatever goes goes. I experiment a lot. Hopefully, I can get my music published through a company and I can corporate my paintings with my music. Like with my cover designs. I can take a picture or paint and put it right on the CD.
Clock: What is your music like?
JD: It started off electronically and it still is but I’m starting to gear away from that and it is more orchestral and more classical but mixed in with electronic stuff. My music is all like synthesizers and a lot of drum work. I try to incorporate every instrument I can get my hands on. I’ll borrow instruments from people and play them myself.
Clock: How many instruments do you play?
JD: Play?…Like sit down with music? Really only the saxophone. I mess around with a lot with instruments including piano, guitar, saxophone,,,
Clock: Are you self-taught?
JD: Yeah, I get a groove; I get what I want it to do out of it and stay with that for as long as possible until I can’t grow anymore on it. Then I buckle down and know that I have to learn more about it. Right now, music wise, with instruments it’s very experimental. I’m trying to find a lot of non-conventional types of instruments.
Clock: Would you consider yourself an artist?
JD: Yeah, simply because I try to be as broad as possible, with music, visual… I tried acting once.
Clock: How did the acting go?
JD: It was weird cause I don’t like scripts and I was being told what to say. I understand that that is the whole point of a play.
Clock: What play were you in?
JD: It was a play by Rick Morten, directed by Sarah Edmunds. It was called “Triple Bluff” It was in Spring Feast last year. It was really cool.
Clock: So why else do you see yourself as an artist?
JD: Artistically I think if your going to call yourself an artist you shouldn’t just be a painter and say, “I’m an artist.” I know it’s a broad definition. But I feel you should be broad.
Clock: If you could make any dream, involving your work, come true, what would it be?
JD: My dream would be to make a movie and pretty much do everything in it except act. I don’t want to act in it. Visually, because camera work is just as much of an art as photography as photography is to graphic design and painting. I would be the camera man do all the photography in the movie, do all the music, do all the sound, some else can write the script. I would like to do everything else.
Clock: Even directing?
JD: Yes! Definitely directing. Directing interests me but only if the opportunity came by, like if someone said, “Hey, you want to direct this?” I would jump all over it. Until then I’m not going to pursue it.
Clock: Where do you see yourself, artistically, ten years from now?
JD: Really well developed, super confident, and with a large repertoire. I’ve been trying to build it up as much as possible. I’m trying to have a broad vision on things. It’s hard when you get good at something you need to break away from it and try something else. But ten years from now, hopefully, I’ll be able to sell my own music, sell my own art, and maybe own a studio. Be happy, have kids.
Clock: Is there anyone who inspires you? What about their work generates your interest?
JD: There’s a ton of people that inspire me, visually Russell Mills. He does some really amazing texture works. Musically, the top three would have to be Tom Waits, Richard D. James from Aphex Twin and Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails. I’ve always been fascinated that Trent Reznor can take any idea that he’s got and pretty much take a pop element of society and incorporate into something completely a polar opposite of what society wants to hear and integrate it and have people like it. I think that that is really amazing that he can do that. Tom Waits is completely opposite, he did not want anybody to listen to his music, and he tries to push people away. And Richard D. James…well he’s just nuts. He’s amazing when it comes to electronics and music. He’s fascinating and the he’s like the father of what music I would like to make.
Clock: Is there anyone you consider a huge support?
JD: I would have to say my girlfriend Meagan. She never gives up on me. No matter what I want to do, she’s completely fine with that. She has so much confidence in me, that I’m doing the right thing for me. Well if I didn’t have a backbone she would be it.
Clock: How has Plymouth State College helped you?
JD: When I came here I didn’t have a good, solid working background. I want to go into the field of sound and over at Silver Cultural Art Center it’s a learning spree. Whatever I want to learn I can learn. Silver defiantly made that possible for someone like me, who’s inspiring to be somebody of a specific field; to be able to learn all these things, from carpentry to electronics and music or anything. You go there and your free to learn.
Clock: Is there anything coming up soon that you are involved in?
JD: I was thinking about submitting some pieces into the student jury gallery thing. I was also thinking about performing live music during Battle of the Bands. I’ve only performed live once in high school. Some people don’t want to hear what you want to play. I hope I can get up there and if people don’t like it I can play off it. I want to be able to like: “You don’t like it? Well I’m going to make you not like it even more. I’m going to ram it down your throat.”