Welcome to our new series profiling the creative artists who call Artspace home. Artspace, located at 20 Terry Street, held its grand opening last summer with the goal of attracting artists to Patchogue Village. We will use this series to introduce you to some of the talented faces behind its doors.

Courtney Pure (C. Pure)

Age: 22

Hometown: Farmingdale

Q&A

Patch: What is your art, and how long have you been doing it?

Pure: I specialize in animation and photography. I’ve only been doing animation since I started college. When I was little I always created comics and illustrations but once I got to SVA (the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan) with my love for films and drawing I just got the best of both worlds in animation. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts last May with a BFA in Animation. 
  
As far as photography goes, I got my first camera at age five. It was a Fisher Price Perfect Shot 110 and I’ve been taking pictures ever since. Only recently have I’ve been doing it freelance. 
 
Besides freelancing every now and then I’m currently working full time in the commercial film industry as a production coordinator in NYC.

Patch: What drew you to Artspace?

Pure: Well, I had just graduated school and I still wanted to immerse myself in an artist community and keep networking. I can’t afford living in city at the moment, so I wanted to find something on Long Island and thankfully this came along. I graduated SVA and then the next day I moved in! It kept the momentum going of my creative drive and pursuits. 

Patch: What benefits have you found by living in an artist community?

Pure: Every day there is a new idea. With animation and film, it’s always a collaborative effort. I need artists of all mediums to make things work. I found if I’m without the help of friends and fellow artists, most of my projects would have never been possible. Here at Artspace it’s continuous critiques, ideas, and collaborations and I really love that kind of environment. The community pushes you to limits and promotes growth. The possibilities are infinite if you use your resources. Everything is here for you!

Patch: What is your favorite aspect of living in the Patchogue area?

Pure: I like being close to the beach! I love just riding my bike around the area, and being able to get out in the open. Also Artspace is near a train station, and that was a big deal because I work in the city a lot and besides my bike, that’s my main mode of transportation. The Main Street is great as well. I love cupcakes and having a shop like Queen City Cupcakes is great; there’s yoga, variety of restaurants, a nice mix of things.

Patch: What are your future goals?

Pure: Short term: I hope to travel more. In March, my thesis film Potty Monsters is headed to Film Streams in Omaha, Nebraska as part of the Animation Block Party’s Animation for Kids program. For program date and times you can check out the Film Streams website (http://www.filmstreams.org/) I hope to make it out there for the show and also have my first trip out West.

Long term: I hope to work towards more animation gigs. AniBakery Animation Collective, a group I founded will be working on their first animation project this year. So I hope to just continue on building more projects with the group. The members consist of Jessica Honore, Yanise Cabrera, Joan Hur, and Stephanie Lynch; all recent SVA alumni.   

Want to learn more about Courtney Pure and her work? Visit her website here. She is also on Twitter: @courtneypure.

Live at Artspace and want to be featured on Patchogue Patch? Email michael@patch.com.

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