andrw fx is a visual artist/writer/editor/multi-instrumentalist/chef/bicycle enthusiast who aims his work at subverting tradition(s) and opening dialogues that supersede the limiting polychotomy of the emotional, the political, the environmental, and the romantic. andrw is the author of a handful of zines with a focus on poetry, fiction, and culinary instruction, and currently works as a freelance editor and creative consultant.
andrw’s practice of making can best be categorized as multifaceted. His expressions have been within the public realm for the better part of fifteen years. He has played in numerous punk bands over the years, while exploring the various subsets of art that seem to trickle off of the genre leading to the exploration of DIY culture: audio recording, zines, stencil making, screen printing, tailoring, and the like.
While attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania, andrw catalogued a handful of zines, countless unpublished poems and stories, and a few dozen radical folk songs that were housed in self-released cassettes, CDRs and digital formats.
In the 2 years following university, andrw mostly employed a Burroughs-esque cut up method as a means of making poetry while taking time away from making music and typical writing practices while coping with addiction and what would eventually be diagnosed as borderline personality disorder.
Since seeking treatment in 2016, andrw has been committed to both physical and emotional wellness. During this time andrw has become an editor and creative consultant serving numerous clients while committing to helping each and every one of them to grow as writers.
In 2017 andrw drafted and released the working demo tapes for an apocalyptic musical titled: Love in the Time Just Before the End Times.
In January 2018, andrw released a composition of atmospheric meditations on the exploration of non-verbal communication primarily made up of acoustic guitar and field recordings.
This culmination of three years of obsessive work was titled: Semiotics Volume 1: The Kitchen Window and Other Stories and was released via Pittsburgh/New York based label: Until the Quasar.
August 2018 saw the public release of a short film titled: The Dialectics of Falling (In or Out of Love). The content of which contained a long form spoken word piece of the same name, culminating nearly three years of writing and editing accompanied by minimal guitar scoring. Shot and edited by life-long friend and collaborator, Mick Filegar.
In early 2019, andrw composed the scoring for two films by Pittsburgh-based writer and film-maker Amy Edwards: Wolves in Winter and Spring Drip.
In October 2019, andrw released his pen and ink meditations to the public for the first time in a solo exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 60+ piece show was called: Zen and the Art of (Cyclical) Radical Acceptance and contained a collection of drawings that spanned four years of practicing mindfulness via drawing.
March 2020 saw the release of andrw's most recent exploration of redemption in his accordion-based drone project: hyacinth. hyacinth's fuzzed-out debut: A Budding Reconciliation of Values was released by Pittsburgh's own Coolidge Records. In April 2020, the title track for hyacinth's debut release served as a score for Amy Edwards' film: The Uninvited Guest.
In January 2021 andrw rereleased all of his original solo musical works as well as never before heard demos and a final unreleased EP from 2010-2015 in the digital album: p.s. I don't huff glue anymore: songs I'll never play again.
andrw continues to make drawings, paintings, assemblage, philosophical street art, and audio recordings on a regular basis to continuously navigate the absurdity of existence.
Education
2010 - 2014
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Exhibitions
2020
2019
Art All Night. Special Online Covid-19 Series, PGH. Group.
Zen and the Art of (Cyclical) Radical Acceptance. Bantha Tea Bar, PGH. Solo.
Publications
2016
Microcosms. Poetry Collection, Zine.
New Years, New Fears. Poetry Collection, Zine.
2015
2014
Cut the Shit Volume One. Poetry Collection, Zine.
My First Shaving Kit. Short Story. Black and Grey Fashion Magazine.
Says the House to the Rats. Poetry Collection, Zine.
2013
Notes from the Ashtray: Medication Time. Fiction, Zine.
Five Ways of Improving Your Relationship with Ramen Noodles. Cookbook, Zine.
2011
Paper Hearts Burn with Glowing Embers. Poetry Collection, Zine.