Courtesy photos

ARTIST: Brian Jobe, 26

BEST KNOWN FOR: Using nontraditional materials — plastic zip ties, loop locks, thread, plaster, found objects, vinyl cut pieces, lima beans, kidney beans and insulation foam, to name a few — to create sculptures made up of patterns, often inspired by nature.

For his MFA project at UTSA, “The Forest Underneath,” Jobe created a site-specific installation of 500 pairs of green plaster cones connected by green thread to the ceiling. For the 2007 exhibit “Winter Whispers,” he spent 10 months hand-connecting loop locks to make seven large masses, each with 6,000 loop locks.

“My work has always been about the labor of process,” Jobe said. “I thrive on repetition. I'm kind of a structured person, and I like routine.”

CURRENTLY: For “Tuft vs. Turf” at Joan Grona Gallery, Jobe wrapped zip ties around metal structures such as stakes, cattle guards and gates on a ranch in Boerne. On exhibit are photos of those pieces digitally printed on vinyl sign banners.

Unlike “The Forest Underneath,” which brought nature indoors using artificial media, “Tuft vs. Turf” uses industrial materials to transform the outdoors.

“The zip ties provide a skin or veneer over these surfaces that not only redefine the spots that I've picked to work on, but also redefine what a zip tie is and what it can do,” Jobe said. “Zip ties seem to be these materials that have endless possibilities. I think I could work with them for maybe 20 more years.”

WEB SITE: brianjobe.com

BACKGROUND: Jobe grew up in Memphis and received his BFA from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2004; he came to San Antonio to study art at UTSA, where he earned an MFA in 2006.

PAYING THE BILLS: By day, Jobe is a registrar at Blue Star Contemporary Art Center

PERSONAL LIFE: He's married to painter Carri Jobe.

CHECK HIM OUT: “Tuft vs. Turf” is up through April 26 at Joan Grona Gallery. In June, Jobe will have a collaborative installation with J. Derrick Durham at the MASS Gallery in Austin.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor