Interview with Winston Chmielinski

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)Crimson berries grow wild around my childhood elementary school... I would mash them up, smear the color on cheeks, into my hair, and since my hair was already quite dark brown I would sometimes involve the blondes.

q) Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

a)Francis Bacon, Egon Schiele

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)For now, Golden Open Acrylics on canvas, panel, clay board. Really old brushes.

q) Is a formal education important?

a)As for painting I’m self-taught. An effective artist is perceptive, and effective schooling opens up the eyes.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)That it can be confined to a category.

q) Which is more important in art - concept or execution?

a)Both have their place, maybe at different times. If I try to follow the oscillations between the two I get confused; I theorize outside the studio (I think a lot, a lot,) and let loose inside.

q) What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?

a)Confined accidents, moments of menial rendering beset by freefalls and vice versa.

q) What is your favorite piece of art in your home?

a)Of my own, “Color Me Quiet” – it resonates with memories, and powerful objects are exhilarating

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)Sticking with it

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)Someone else will determine that in retrospect.

q) How do you define success?

a)If intense individuals find my artwork intensely relatable

q)What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?

a)Just do

Interview with Jeremy Wagner

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)My Grandparents collected art, they a few scary pieces like this one painting that depicted a life sized woman running on fire her breasts were exposed and she was screaming with her hands on her head, that was a powerful piece, especially for a young child.

q) Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

a)It’s hard to name a singular influence, I’ve looked at a lot of artist like Ed Ruscha, Robert Betchle, William Steiger, contemporary artist like Erik Benson, Brian Alfred, Julian Opie, I like artist who depict stylized everyday scenes that make us examine them in new ways.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)I use Cameras, Computers, exacto knifes, Sheet metal, contact paper, charcoal dust, and enamel paints.

q) Is a formal education important?

a)Of course, education in any form is important; it especially helps to be informed in your field.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)That you have to be educated in art to enjoy it or have an opinion.

q) Which is more important in art - concept or execution?

a)I think the best artwork has a brilliant concept and is well executed.

q) What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?

a)My work is very architecturally influenced; I like geometric shapes and repetitive patterns.

q) What is your favorite piece of art in your home?

a)My home is filled with my own artwork and my wife’s artwork, I try not to be too attached to it because, it is all for sale. I have been collecting works on paper from my friends and peers, I have a couple great ink on paper pieces from my studiomate at grad school Evan Gruzis whose work is now selling for big bucks.

q) If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

a)Probably Andy Warhol. He was definitely one of the most significant artists of the 20th century.

q) Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?

a)My wife Jiyoung Park, she’s super talented. www.Jiyoungpark.com

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)I think building a solid career is a gradual process; a lot of young art stars that are overnight successes don’t have longevity, I intend to be in the art game for the duration and am proud of my accomplishments thus far but know my greatest achievements have yet to come.

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)My biggest roadblock in my artistic process is coming up with concepts for imagery, or once I have a concept finding the proper source material to paint from.

q) How do you define success?

a) At the moment success for me means making work I believe in and having an audience that enjoys what I make as well as have patrons who buy my work and allow me to keep producing and evolving.

q) What will be the name of your autobiography?

a)I’m too busy making paintings to write one.

q)What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?

a)Not to allow yourself to feel as though your work is too precious that you won’t take risks. I learned that lesson from a art teacher in high school who had his students work on a drawing for weeks only to have us rip it up and reconstruct it into a new piece.