VARIAtioNS in NORThern DEGradATIons

Interview with Greg Farndon

2011-12-06T05:01:00.000-08:00

Q. Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

A. My name is Greg Farndon. I'm from the UK & i currently live in London.

Q. What is it that you do? What media do you use?

A. I have always been interested in using a variety of mediums, not necessarily being loyal to one over an other.

Its important to let the idea govern the material & be open to the possibility of change. I'm currently making assemblages that use mixed media.

Q. What do you think sets your work apart?

A. What sets everyones work apart is the individual making it. I am unaware if my stands out any more or less than the next persons.

The trick is to be happy with what you're making at the time. Writers are often told to write

about what they know, as the work will flow and be more believable for the reader. I think that sentiment extends throughout the arts.

Q. How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

A. 'Big Breaks' as you put it are rare. I haven't shown for a long time but i hope, with the new direction my work is taking, i will exhibit

again next year.

Q. What are some things that have inspired you?

A. In an era where we walk around with the world in our pockets, surely everything has the potential to inspire.

Q. What have you been working on recently?

A. I think its always best hearing someone explain about the work rather than read about it. So much can be lost in written translation.

Like when an album is reviewed for a magazine. Whats written is never descriptive enough to do justice to the actual sound.

I would encourage anyone who may read this to visit my website and take a look.

Q. Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

A. Music is a very important part of my life and work. Its an added dimension that assists with the process.

An invisible factor that can change the look, feel and structure of an idea. From the initial concept, to the title of a work.

As for examples.... Radiohead are alway a staple sound whilst i work. They create sounds that really fit my way of thinking and assist with my process.

I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks as well as individual artists. Jazz, blues, classical.... The list is endless, i'm just not great remembering names!

Some recommendations would be the soundtrack to the movie 'Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer'.

"Through Low Light And Trees' a beautiful album by an English Duo called 'Smoke Fairies'.

'The Boy And The Tree' By Susumu Yokota. His work is stunning! This list could go on. I would encourage people

to discover their own soundtracks. Thats the fun part, discovering something by chance that can enhance your process.

Q. Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

A. I would like to work more in sound. It will happen as i like to traverse mediums and see what i'm capable of. Like i said before, i don't

have a particular loyalty to particular materials, so we'll see what happens. I do have two experimental sound ideas on the website 'Soundcloud'.

Q. What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

A. I'm probably not the best person to ask but find a way of showing that suits you and just keep at it.

If you have no funds but you have the internet, you can show your work that way. Simply find what works for you.

Q. Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

A. For the moment i'm concentrating upon making and then will focus on exhibiting. If someone shows an interest in my work, i'll happily show

but for now i'm continually making.

Q. Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

A. If you have a moment you can find me at www.gregfarndon.com

Interview with Julia Selin

2011-10-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

q)Please tell us your name and where you practice.

a)Julia Selin, lives and works in Umeå, northern Sweden.

q) Why do you make art?

a)Because its fun.

q) How do you work ?

a)With drawing, painting and installation.

q) What´s your background?

a)I studied at the Nordic art school for two years, now I'm studying at Umeå Art Academy, taking my MFA in Fine Art.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)Don't know!

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)When I dug a deep hole in the ground.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)I guess its changing all the time.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)I guess a lot, but in different ways. Recently I've been looking a lot at the weird dead horse-sculptures of Berlinde de Bruyckere.

q) What´s your strongest memory of your childhood ?

a)Maybe once when I got stuck in the mud, trying to cross a field during a very rainy fall.

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)A sort of relationship between human and nature, and the nature and its soil as some kind of flesh and blood-creature. And about places where the ground seems to be a passage to the underground, like swamps and meres and marshes.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)Walking in the mountains of Lapland in Sweden.

q) What jobs have you done other than being an artist ?

a)Ive been a graveyard janitor, a stable worker and an art teacher.

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)I guess mostly positive.

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)Male artists.

q) What research do you do ?

a)Field trips, and the library.

q) What is your dream project?

a)Spending a year in a small hut at a place with a good view, with a lake and mountains and not too many trees and no people. There I would paint and make installations outside.

q) What´s the best piece of advice you have been given ?

a)To do what is fun and interesting and not to do only what you think is expected from you.

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)My baby and his father.

q) What makes you angry?

a)Rapists and war and violence and injustice.

q) What is your worst quality?

a)No patience.

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Both.

q) Making art is a lot like being on lsd. Know what I mean ?

a)Maybe, but I havnt tried lsd so I dont know.

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)I think copying is good. I think its impossible to copy someone perfectly. If I see something I like I often try to copy it, but then it ends up being completely different anyways.

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)Satan.

Interview with Gavin Worth

2011-10-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

q)Please tell us your name and where you practice.

a)My name is Gavin Worth. I was born in Zimbabwe, Africa, grew up in

Las Cruces, New Mexico, I lived in San Francisco, California for 8

years, and just two months ago, I moved to Cairo, Egypt to teach at the

American International School.

q) Why do you make art?

a)I guess I make art because I don't really have another choice. It's

just what I do... it's what I've always done. It's like an itch that has

to be scratched. And when you have an idea in your head and you actually

create it with your hands, well, there's almost no feeling in the world

like that.

q) How do you work ?

a)It depends on the media and concept of the piece. For my wire

sculptures, I always start with a pencil and paper, sketching. I work

through different poses, until I get something that clicks. This isn't

cerebral work, you can't sit around and think about what would be a good

sculpture -- this is all done on paper. The real ideas come while

drawing. Once the drawing is finished, I work on making the sculpture,

finishing the base, and mounting it.

q) What´s your background?

a)My background is in acting. I was a trained classical actor and

musician, and for several years, I worked with various Shakespeare

Festivals around the country as an actor and teacher. I always drew and

painted, and during my acting career, I got the opportunity to do a lot

of set design, scene painting, and fabrication. I even made a full size

Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton out of foam using a chainsaw once. In the

past 5 years or so, I've really focused on making art more full-time.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)I think the good artists, the ones that I really admire, have the

roles like the shamans did in ancient societies. They cut through masks

and show truth. It might be a pretty truth, it might be an ugly truth,

but it's always in good art. Have you ever been in a place that has no

art, no culture? If you have, you'll know why it's SO important. It

gives you air to breathe.

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)When I was 16, I took all the money that I had saved and traveled to

Paris. I lived on cheese for a week, but I saw unbelievable art. One

day, I saw a sidewalk chalk artist reproducing masterpieces out by the

Louvre. I couldn't stop watching him. When I got home, I tried to do the

same thing. It's the first time I took making art seriously.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)I've become less structured and more able to trust my instincts.

It's terrifying to let go and work without a plan, but there's only so

far you can go unless you do that.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)Seriously, lots of it. I love Michelangelo, I love Schiele, I love

Lucien Freud, I love street art... Figurative art has always spoken to

me.

q) What´s your strongest memory of your childhood ?

a)A big one, I guess, was when I was bitten by a rattlesnake when I

was 6. That changed a lot.

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)I like to champion honesty. I think it's the most important thing

there is.

q) What´s your most embarrassing moment ?

a)My entire life from 12-24.

q)What jobs have you done other than being an artist ?

a)Tons... teacher, office drone, barista, Gap employee, restaurant

table busser, did work in landscaping, and I even worked cleaning the

floors at an upscale spa. Work's good for you.

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)Across the board. Some people love it, some people hate it, some

people are indifferent. The most baffling response I had, and I got a

lot of it at a certain unnamed art festival that I went to, was,

"They're good, but why all the nipples?" Seriously? We're still

uncomfortable with nudes in art these days?

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)There's some unpleasantness in the business side of it, but what

bothers me the most is the general sense of alienation that exists for

most people who wander into galleries. Elitism and the "You mean you

don't get it?" attitude bother me.

q) What research do you do ?

a)I've been doing a lot for an upcoming project.

q) What is your dream project?

a)Ha! Funny you should ask... I'm hoping to start work on it during my

time in Cairo. Top secret right now I'm afraid, but it's going to be

awesome.

q) What´s the best piece of advice you have been given ?

a)Never drink on an empty stomach.

q) What couldn't you do without?

a)Pencils come in pretty handy.

q) What makes you angry?

a)I've cursed plenty of times while playing "Angry Birds."

q) What is your worst quality?

a)Maybe my lack of skill at playing "Angry Birds?"

q)…Dogs or Cats ?

a)Whenever a cat lover is describing how great their cat is, they

always say, "Oh, Trixie is a great cat. She's just like a dog!" So if

the best of the best cats start being compared to dogs, why not just get

a dog, which is always awesome?

q) Making art is a lot like being on lsd…Know what I mean ?

a)Never taken LSD... sorry.

q) What does " copy" mean to you ?

a)It's a cool way to say "I got it" over a walkie-talkie.

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)Jerk. Try it, it makes an impact.

Interview with Kasia Piechocka

2011-09-22T03:11:00.000-07:00

q) Please tell us your name and where you practice.

a)My name is Kasia Piechocka. I am a Polish born, London-based Jewellery Designer.

q) Why do you make art?

a)I’ve been doing creative things since I can remember. It gives me great amount of pleasure and satisfaction. I can’t really imagine my life without it.

q) How do you work?

a)Quickly.

q) What´s your background?

a)I have a heavy background in Fine Art. I studied Fine Art at college from the age of 15, learning many disciplines including drawing, painting, photography and sculpting. I took up jewellery design three years ago and just graduated from Central Saint Martins two months ago.

q) What was a seminal experience for you?

a)Although I grew up wanting to be a painter, during my final year at college my tutor told me that "I should try Jewellery Design". That was a decisive moment as it was one of the reasons that I decided to take up Jewellery Design.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)I have only been involved in Jewellery Design for three years, and those years were spent at university. My techniques and practices are constantly changing and improving as I learn and develop. I think that I will continue to develop in this manner for a while to come.

q) What themes do you pursue?

a)I really like basing my collections on real people. There is something about hearing somebody talk about a person that they look up to that inspires me. I am also heavily influenced by architecture and the works of Beksinski.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)My memories of my father and his passion for fishing inspired my new collection, About the Man Who Loved Fishing.

q) What responses have you had to your work?

a)I have had some really positive comments from art lovers and fashion lovers alike. I think the great importance that I place on the themes and inspiration behind my work appeals to people.

q) What research do you do?

a)I spend a lot of time researching into the character of the person that I am designing around. Their hobbies, jobs, life goals are all subjects that I want to find out about before 'putting pencil to paper'.

q) What´s the best piece of advice you have been given?

a)Anything is possible.

q) What makes you angry?

a)I am bit of a neat freak. I am addicted to tidying and keeping everything in the right order. Mess makes me ANGRY!!

q) What is your worst quality?

a)As much as perfectionism is a very good quality to have, I think it can also easily become the worst one. I believe this is the case with me.

q) Dogs or Cats?

a)Definitively dogs.

q) Making art is a lot like being on lsd. Know what I mean ?

a)Ha! Ha! Ha! I can't say that I personnaly know what you mean, however some of my artistic friends would definatly agree with that statement!

q) What does “copy” mean to you?

a)Luck of personality.

q)Your contacts...

a)http://www.kasiapiechocka.com/

Interview with Johann Büsen

2011-07-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a) My name is Johann Büsen, I was born in 1984 in Paderborn (Germany), studied from 2005 to 2010 at the University of the Arts in Bremen. Right now I live and work in Berlin as an independent artist.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a) I create digital collages, printed on canvas.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a) The use of new media technics, contemporary topics and the visual language.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)Since I've shown my early works at my first group exhibition in 2003 I have participated at about 70 exhibitions at home and abroad. More projects are in process.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)You can find a lot of influences in my pictures. I work with topics and quotations from politics, movies, science, nature, art, every day live...

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)For my last solo show I printed 130 square yards black-and-white motives and painted the hole gallery room. - http://gast.johannbuesen.de/galeriemitte

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I like jazz and chill-out music. As well while working i often listen to audiobooks.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I do different kinds of other work - photography, animation, streetart, illustation, graphicdesign...

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Don't stop being creative.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)The upcoming groupshow in september is called "open art space".

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)At www.johannbuesen.de or get in touch at Facebook.

Interview with Istvan Nyari

2011-07-11T03:44:00.001-07:00

q)Please tell us your name and where you practice.

a)My name is Istvan Nyari. I work in Budapest and in London for an equal amount of time - 3 month here and 3 month there

q) Why do you make art?

a)Perhaps because this is when I feel well mentally and connected to other people and to the world. I am just doing my own job.

q) How do you work ?

a)If you are interested in the technical details I work with acrylic on canvas with brush and I use app. 20% airbrush to deepen the colours. It takes about 2 month for an average painting (150x200cm).

q) What´s your background?

a)My parents were fine artists and I went to an art secondary school at the age of 13 and then to an art university for 5 years.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)It depends. In terms of economics there is no role to play. In terms of cultural education artists might reveal important, sensitive questions and give responses which cannot be expected from others in politics, churches nor from philosophers or aesthetes.

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)I remember the moment vividly - I was 6-7 years old and I saw two painting easels, my parents were painting in a room next to each other. I recall that one easel started to fall; my father kicked into it, my mother got extremely scared and pulled me away from the crashing death. We moved out the same day and my parents divorced soon after. This is why I have a painting titled " The wedding of my parents, ten years before their divorce".

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)Yes, it has been constantly changing but not in a usual way because it experience never builds up, the work never becomes easier. Every time I start a new painting I have to start everything all over again, I do not remember how I've finished the previous one. I start every painting if I had never painted before. There is no routine, no practised movements, so it is always a challenge to start a new one. In term of techniques I have a total short memory like a fish in a tank within its own surroundings who gets surprised every single second about the world around him. Perhaps this is an advantage or luck, you name it.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)Pop-art, realism, pop- surreal, lowbrow art,

q) What´s your strongest memory of your childhood ?

a)I was 16 when my drunk stepfather attacked me (I was with a girl in my room) and he got envy and tried to sexually seduced me. We got into a fight and he was staggering out of my room, picked up his gun and was shouting that he would kill me. I had to knock him to the ground and get the gun out of his hand.......

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)I always search for topics and situations that could happen in the real life but for whatever reason they don't. I create and set these situations as a film director would do. On other occasions I try to call the lifeless subjects, puppets into life (as Pygmalion) so as they would be connected to human life.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)I was searching on the net when I found a picture of a beautiful model girl who was dead and had an autopsy. The picture was showing her from above (until her waist), her face was calm and beautiful and only that awful " Y" sign across her upper body ,made it clear that she had an autopsy. I was totally outraged by the picture and decided to bring her back into life. I have created a painting which is called " Hurray, her self-autopsy was a great success!"

q) What´s your most embarrassing moment ?

a) It was when I was sitting on a plane crossing the Atlantic and there was a huge storm. We were all sitting there, no stewardess nor stewards to comfort us as they were also shaking in their seats and it was very very dark, everything was moving around me, small items were falling from the cabin, everyone was praying, even I was praying altough I am an ateist, and trying to survive this. To be small, tiny little and slowly liking everyone on the plane, holding the hand of the person next to you until things began to calm and then finally we were arriving to JFK where there was stabil ground and then friends waiting for me with a rented limo with a chaffeur (funny surprise!) and we were happily driving to Manhattan...

q) What jobs have you done other than being an artist ?

a)Graphic design, fashion design, set design in movies

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)In most of the cases the response is that they are very well painted, satiric and at the same time scary (except for some) and they are difficult to live with, do not really fit into a "normal" living environment. They would rather fit into museums.

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)I don't like the fact that it does not function properly. Only those are visible who are established, recognised artists and some of them become famous and super-rich. There is no recognition for the less visible ones. Even the private galleries do not take on this reponsibility, not willing to search outside of their usual territory. The market might be far more and better than what is shown in the museums and galleries. We live in a globalised world, everyone can be visible on the internet. The role and responsibility of the galerists and curators would only be to find these less recognised artists on the internet, see their works, select the ones they like and then visit their studios in person. Then make them visible to others, broaden the horizon with them and their works.

q) What research do you do ?

a)Well, I always listen to the radio, read the horrifying news, see all kinds of films from A to Z, I go to see modern opera, alternative theatre, dance and I try to see the good, better and the best fine art exhibitons regardless of type, classical or contemporary. I am doing almost the same during painting I listen to the TV (cannot watch as I am working), listen to the films (cannot wacth as I am working) and listen to the radio.

q) What is your dream project?

a)It's been a great wish to work on a painting as long as I would like to - could be eternity or for years and years until I do not see the smallest technical deficiency and I would see my painting perfectly complete. The longest time I'd worked on a painting was 5 months, that was the "Killer Scene" and when I finished I still did not feel that it had been technically completed. Perhaps another 5 months or 1 painting in 1 year would have been the perfect timing! Of course, this would not make too much difference to the viewer who sees the painting completed already after 2 months or less!

q) What´s the best piece of advice you have been given ?

a)Do not worry about financial constraints, it is not important whether you sell your works. What's important to keep working, your painting will exist, they will live their own lives even after you are gone.

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)The preparation phase: to find the modell, acquire all the objects that will appear on the painting, the photoshoot, computer drawing and painting. Without all these a depressive, deep sweet sleeping period comes.

q) What makes you angry?

a)When they tell me how well my paintings were painted and not about their contents, their feelings, their messages. It is my own private business how techniquely well they have been painted. This is more of necessity and not a merit. Art is beyond that. I also like very much the paintings that were created within a half hour, as long as they are honest works with clear contents and bravely painted.

q) What is your worst quality?

a)That I am fixing everything. Everything around me that goes wrong and it is senseless to spend my time with all these activities.

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Dogs and cats

q) Making art is a lot like being on Lsd. Know what I mean ?

a)Yes, I know what you are talking about. There is a "blessed" time during the painting. For me this time is right before I complete the painting. I feel like a jazz pianist who plays on the piano; I paint a little bit of here and there, the composition is ready and under control no more discipline, heavy work or routine, there comes the joyable part, making highlights and digging into deepness, playing on an instrument, journey on the painting and nothing else but a huge sexual cum!

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)I do not understand your question, therefore I am not able to respond....

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)Shut a Fuck up!!

q)your web site...

a)www.istvannyari.com

Interview with Chris Keegan

2011-06-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I am Chris Keegan, i am from the U.K and i live in London.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I work as an artist, mainly in freelance illustration, i also sell my own prints and hand made artwork.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Thats very hard to say what exactly, i try my best to have a different perspective on the world around us. Then i depict it in a way that is unique to me and hopefully also to everyone else who sees it for the first time.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)Ive been working and showing my art around for 13 years now. I have not had any BIG breaks just a few jobs where i could express myself consistently and then that would enable me to develop and refine my style or creative approach. I then realise this a kind of 'break through' if you like and then i would apply this to other jobs and artwork i would create after that. Sometime ever going as far as reworking old work from a few years ago but with this added new style or conceptual approach.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Yes music, design, science, architecture and nature for example, loads of things.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)In the last few weeks i have completed a few Magazine editorial jobs

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)Yes loads. I listen from anything like Jazz to Drum and Bass, Dub Reggae, hip hop.
I listen to the Hospital podcast. On the BBC iplayer Gilles Peterson and Fabio and Grooverider when im working every week for example.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I take photographs in my spare time a bit which i sell a bit. You can see them on my website

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Never stop developing ideas and promoting your work you never know what you are capable of. And dont get to stuck into one way of working, diversifying can be a great move.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)No sorry non at the mo.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)My site is: www.chriskeegan.co.uk
And i have a shop on: www.chriskeegan.etsy.com
Also if you wont to keep up with my latest work or ask me any questions in on twitter at: @mrchriskeegan

Interview with Chris von Szombathy

2011-05-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)Chris von Szombathy. I live in Vancouver BC and I was also born here.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I make audio and visual work and I use a lot of different media.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Hm. I’m not sure if I’m really qualified to answer that question clearly as I don’t really spend a lot of time looking or listening to related works in my “field”. I like what I do, I believe that there’s a certain type of richness in it that I relate to. If anything, I am just working towards a type of clarity in visuals/production and ambiguity and relativity in concept. That’s what I believe is happening at least. I don’t really control it, but I do guide it from time to time.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)2006 was my big break in the sense that it was the year I started re-showing my work a little bit after disappearing for 5-6 years for health reasons. But perhaps the next “big break” will be when I stop showing my work.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Being alive is the most inspirational thing. Having ideas is the easiest part of the job, we have them all the time. We tend to just put ideas on a conceptual ladder of value and they don’t develop easily that way.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I’ve been working on a couple of sculptures in my sketchbook: prepping ideas for a show that’s coming up closer to the end of the year. It’s the second best part of making something, developing something. The best part is finishing it (for me at least).

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)If I’m working on non-musical stuff I will occasionally put music on, but a lot of time if I’m working on producing an album then that album will be on repeat as I need to take notes. In the last month though I was listening a lot to The Harp of New Albion by Terry Riley, Climate of Hunter by Scott Walker, a bunch of Amon Duul II, 10cc, George Michael and UZEB.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)Well… I have been working on video projects for a bit of time now with a small crew of dedicated professionals: AJ Bond and Amy Belling. It’s very difficult for me to work in video as I don’t have the technical experience and I like to be facile when working with anything. Facility equals flexibility so the more flexible you are, especially with video and camera’s and stuff, the more allowance there is for problem solving and creating on the spot. I consider everything I do to be part of the main body of work. Art is part of the main body of work.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)I think it would really depend on why one wanted to show their work in the first place. The drive to make work and the need to show it can occupy two totally different areas and can be the result of two totally different neuroses. A lot of time showing work simply means addressing a bunch of stuff that, personally, you might not care about but have to consider so although you might never have a “real” answer to the questions you will face when showing work you will have to know how to navigate them.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Yes, I have a solo show in Vancouver at the UNIT/PITT Project in June and am also showing in the massive Cheaper Show here also in Vancouver at the end of June. Those would be the closest ones to today.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)The best place would be my website: www.chrisvonszombathy.com.

Interview with Loretta Gonzalez

2011-04-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)Hello, My name is Loretta G. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and currently live in Dallas, Texas

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I am a mother, wife, elementary art educator, and an underground artist. My choice of media is oil on panel.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)What sets my work apart from other artist is confronting subject matter most people choose to “sweep under the rug”.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I have not been showing my work for too long. I consider myself a fairly new artist.

I returned to school at a later time in my life, where I discovered I could paint.

I have been showing my work for three years after graduation. I have been showing in Dallas,

Texas and Los Angeles, California, but I have yet to get my “big break”.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Being a mother, my childhood experiences, and giving a voice to children that have no voice.

Artist that inspire me are Henry Darger, Mark Ryden, and Edward Gorey to name a few.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a) I am currently working on a series titled, I LOVE YOU TO DEATH.

These paintings deal with a worldwide epidemic of mothers who kill their children.

A couple of reasons are because mothers believe God has told them to kill their children,

and sometimes it is simply to get rid of what they might consider to be extra baggage, and sometimes for greed.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a) Sometimes I listen to music. Alternative music, nothing in particular.

I also work with the television on, or I rent a movie so that I have background noise to keep me company while I am painting.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of

work?

a)I also work in acrylic, metal, and clay but have not found the time to develop an idea that calls for alternative mediums.

I need to produce paintings so that I can increase my body of work in oil.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)It is important to find your place in the art world. A few questions to ask your self might be…

Who is your target audience? Where do you feel most comfortable? Do your peers inspire you?

Be diligent about keeping up with the art world and continue to submit your work. Don’t give up.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Dark and Lovely, The Kettle Gallery, Dallas, Texas, May 26 thru June 16.

Austin Comic Con, Austin Convention Center, November 11,12,13

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)http://www.facebook.com/loretta.gonzalez2

http://www.bluecanvas.com/lorettagonzalez

http://lorettagonzalez.posterous.com/

Interview with Wojciech Grzanka

2011-03-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)Hello, My name is Wojciech Grzanka also known as “voogee”. I live in a small town Jelcz-Laskowice located in Poland. I work as a webdesigner with friends in Helldesign.net., and after the work I take my camera and take a walk around my neighborhood taking pictures of everything that interests me: people, nature, macro, animals, and even astrophotography... but I feel best in photomontages, where I try to combine all these categories into one, using different techniques to create something unreal, surreal, unusual - something that is only in my mind.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)As I have said, I take pictures with different themes - gives me a lot of fun, but the most satisfaction I have when creating a photomontages. My work is very emotional and personal, often surrealistic and “dark”... My works are created by digital technology - now I use a Canon 5D Mark II, from which the images are processed in Photoshop and occasionally in other programs. It all depends on the idea and what and how I want to present.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I hope that a load of emotions that are contained in my work, makes people like to watch them. I try myself do not to inspire on anyone, even cut off from watching the work of other people, although it is known that it is virtually impossible.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I have been showing my photomontages relatively short - about 4 years ago. "Big break"? I hope that everything is still ahead. I create mainly for myself and published only on the Internet, but I would like to organize an exhibition with my photomontages in the future.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)My personal experiences are the main factor that have inspired me. Emotions that I feel reflecting on life, trying to understand it... The impact on what I make are also people who surround me, the music I listen to and even the weather ...

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)Recently, I have been experimenting with lights and night photos... I always wait for the right moment, trying to do not force myself, so I leave my ideas in sketchbook, where they are waiting for “materialization”.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I love to work when TOOL or Archive are playing... I like also Clint Mansell, System Of A Down / Serj Tankian, Porcupine Tree and many, many others ...

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)Not really. Sometimes I made short movies, but it is a derivative of what I do, so it's not a completely different media. I once loved to draw with a pencil, but that was before I had my first computer :)

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Well, do not force people to watch your works. First of all, you need to focus to open up for the world around us. Sensitivity helps in perceiving things that others do not see. So keep your eyes around the head and draw inspiration from everything that surrounds us and then your works will say for you – let's people judge them. That's the best way.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Yes, but it will be not connected with my photomontages. At April 1, 2011 in Jelcz-Laskowice will be an exhibition of panoramic images of my city, which I am the author.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)In addition to my portfolio: http://grzanka.pl I have my own blog: http://wojciech.grzanka.pl , sometimes I do a panoramic photos: http://jelcz-laskowice.grzanka.pl , also have an account at: http://www.photodom.com/member/voogee , http://www.flickr.com/photos/wojciech_grzanka , http://voogee.deviantart.com

Interview with Vahge

2011-03-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)My name is Vahge. It’s a nickname I’ve had since I was little. I was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs, and spent several years in Santa Fe, NM before moving to Brooklyn, NY, where I am now.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I collage. I mainly use magazine clippings, adhesive, and tiny mustache scissors. I feel most connected to what people are calling the lowbrow, new brow, pop surreal movement. There’s an acceptance within that community of weirdness and imagination, things with which I feel most connected.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I think being a lowbrow collagist is kind of odd. I’ve also been told that my work is highly detailed.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I’ve been showing for about six years. It hasn’t been so much a big break, as many small breaks and a lot of hard work. I’ve definitely had a few exciting moments, jumping up and down on the sofa, and I love those times. But I think most artists would say the same thing, it’s mostly work, work, and more work.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)I recently found a copy of Der Struwwelpeter, an old German children’s book from the 1840s that has inspired a lot of the music and theater I listen to and love. The stories in the book are meant to be lessons for children, but they are all fairly gruesome and depressing. There’s one about a boy who was told not to suck his thumbs or else a man would come out of the wall and cut them off. There’s another about a child who slowly starves to death because he refuses to eat. That book was an amazing find.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I’ve been collaging a 40 ounce bottle for a group show in March. I’ve started work on a large piece on wood panel, and have been making more small portraits. One of my friends, an incredible writer, is working with me on a children’s book. And I’m trying to write a grant.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I definitely listen to music, but I also love NPR, and I’ve recently started putting on episodes of Bones and Lie To Me while I cut out tiny tree branches. If I’m listening to music, it might be Tom Waits, old French pop, Nina Hagen, jazz, or Antony and the Johnsons. It kind of depends on what I’m doing that day.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I sometimes make yeti dolls out of clay, wire, paint, and fake fur. I love making homemade gifts for friends and family. I rarely draw, but I’ll occasionally do large portraits of my beau.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Work hard and keep sharing.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I’m in a group show in March at MF Gallery in New York. That’s where the bottle will be.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)www.vahge.com

Interview with Dean McDowel

2011-02-26T04:27:00.000-08:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)Dean McDowell, a Northern Irish born artist currently living in small grey city that is commonly known as Belfast.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I walk a fine dark line between lowbrow and fine art. My preferred medium is oil on canvas but for deadline reason acrylics can be used extensively.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)That's a hard question that might be better answered by someone who has stumbled across my work for he first time however, if you had to pin me down on the subject, I would say the emotion I try to put into every painting I produce regardless of subject matter.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)Probably around the 10 year mark. I wish I could say a 'big break' just happened on a certain date or event, the reality is I struggle emotionally with my work to the point I only produce a very limited number of paintings each year. Rather than grasping opportunities or 'breaks' I generally shy away from them... I hope and am currently trying to change break that cycle....

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Life, it's that simple. I know that is a common answer I give in most interviews but it is a simple truth, to watch life's goings on whether that be through the media, web or simply lifecasts you really can't get away from the inspiration good or bad that surrounds us on a daily basis.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)Having recently taken a 2 year break from art for purely personal reasons I'm just now getting back into things for 2011. At present I'm working towards supplying galleries both in theUK and US and working towards upcoming shows in 2012. The current works are a mixture of lowbrow and fine arts depending on the mood, I've picked up on my old style but throughout 2011 people should start to see something a little different.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)It's not often I work without music in the background, it's become a bit of a necessity. I'll listen everything from the kidney thieves to suede, I guess my preference is for music with an alternative edge.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I do but under an Alis, maybe one day I'll come clean....

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Art is fickle, and the art world can be extremely fickle... Simply believe in your work and not the almighty dollar, once you produce work for monetary value alone your art will have lost it's soul.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I have just accepted my first show in March 2012, the work will be on show in the Rothick Art Haus, California.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)www.deanmcdowellartist.com

http://en-gb.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001196652149&sk=info

Interview with David Orfé

2011-01-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I am David Orfé. I'm from Lille, north of France. It's pretty hard to say where I live cause I've been travelling a lot this last 4 years. Ireland, Australia, New-Zealand and Canada now. I'm in Montreal at this time and I'm not sure where will be my next address?

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I mostly paint and draw. Little stuffs with simple media on paper while I'm travelling in my "studio house" car. Bigger stuffs with paints on canvas when I'm not moving. I use acrylic, water colors, indian ink, sharpie, pencil, found papers, canvas... Sometimes I like to do prints on Lino as well.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Wow, That's not my role neither my place to give you an answer. I just try to be true and honest with what I'm creating, let the people talk about that.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a) Showing is a pretty new concept for me, I didn't make lots of show cause I was constantly on the move.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)A big mix. Primitive art, ethnic and folk culture, mysticism, mythological, natural and spiritual theme meet colorful psyché patterns in a geometrical world.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a) Finishing a serie of portraits and a large canvas.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a) It all depends of the day! Sometimes everything and anything in my playlist and some days I don't want any noise at all. But I have to admit that I love Rock'n' Roll!

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a) Yes, I do some kind of outdoor installation with wool, cardboard, paint and trees. I try to find a beautiful natural spot and have fun. when I've got the opportunity, I love screenprinting.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a) Pretty hard to answer that cause I don't have a lot of experiences. I should say don't be afraid to accept small stuff, cause you're learning everyday. Never adjust what you're doing for somebody, stay true to your vision, see big, be brave and move your ass!

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a) I've got a show at the beginning of march at "Maison Kasini" and a group show for April at "Usine 106U". You can find some of my prints at "Monastiraki" too. All this places are in Montreal.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)Most of the photos of new work will be found on my flickr: www.flickr.com/orfe_art or on facebook at David Orfé

Interview with Enrico Pitzianti

2010-12-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I am a visual artist, currently living in Sassari, Italy.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I work mainly on collage and painting, but I like to explore other media, using photography and bricolage for instance.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)The most distinctive features are the use of black and white as well as color choice in general, and the spirituality in the compositions. In particular reference to my collages I think the peculiarities are the kinds of material I use, often result of a good mix of research and selection, and the right hint of subconsciousness.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I never had a "big break". I have never stopped drawing, a really important moment to me has been the beginning of my passion for graffiti, but post-graffitism boom was what most fascinated me. After several years of passion for public art I began to believe more in the human and anthropological value of the individual, consequently creating a personal production; personal but not an end in itself, though. Since then urban art has given place to spirituality, reflection and relieve in an more intimate dimension. What I have been showing is various, aside public art experiences and first canvases what most matters to me are the occasions of collage and composition works exhibitions.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)In this very period my biggest influence comes from nature, especially from the mountain. I have always been bound to it but lately, for some reason, this feeling has grown. Atmospheres, aesthetical logics, even just the "mountain dimension", influence what I do. Although there is no influence in the works but in the phase precedent to their creation. Even aesthetic philosophy and its evolution are a big influence, most of all the one between the the thirties and the seventies.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)The last thing I have been working on is a serie of big sized collages. It is something I really care about because of the use of color besides black and white, fairly unusual to me. I hope to show it soon.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I do often, though not always. Lately I have been accompanying my work with drone, industrial and psychedelic rock: Bardo Pond, Sunn O))), Isis, Current 93, Maurizio Bianchi just to mention a few. Referring to something that influences what I do I would say late New Age.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)A musical project, still in development though.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)I do not think I can say it, I am neither a gallery manager nor an expert, but in my opinion timing, spaces and choices made about showing one's work must be taken considering working modalities and types.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)The presentation of a fanzine entirely dedicated to collage, "mekanik copulaire", edited by Willaim Turlisky, featuring several european artists, besides me. Other upcoming events are two collective exhibition, a fantasy-themed one in Cagliari and another entirely dedicated to collage art. Soon there will be more informations.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)I have a temporary site on ptznt.tumblr.com where people can find links and updates.

Interview with Eric Hibit

2010-10-18T04:01:00.000-07:00

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I was born in Rochester, NY, in western part of the state. This is also where I spent my childhood. Now I’m in NYC.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I do acrylic paintings on paper. I also do sculptural paintings, made by stretching fabric over wire armatures.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Sensibility is what sets any artists work apart.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I’ve been showing my work since undergrad.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Mysteries. Nature. New York.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)Well, recently, there is a lot going on. I am planning an installation, containing images and objects presented in a very specific way. Wish I could say more, but I can’t divulge the themes until the work is complete.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)Well, my musical tastes are not very evolved. I’m really an idiot about music, always been. As a teenager I had no sense for what was cool. People had to really spell it out for me, I had no idea. The contents of my ipod are truly too humiliating to list :( Next question....

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I do not work in other media.
Besides art, I enjoy running, vegetarian cooking, all types of cookies and cakes, coffee, my pet turtle Ginger, meditation and yoga, state fairs, astrology, Scrabble, excursions into nature, dancing, and interesting wines.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Honor inspiration.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I will be ready to announce that soon.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)erichibit.com, curatorsoffice.com, annakustera.com,

Interview with Erin McCarty

2010-07-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)Every thanksgiving (when I was really little) I used to make these festive, super elaborate sets of the Native Americans dining with the Pilgrims. This involved life size paper cut outs of characters fully accessorized in head dresses and those little pilgrim shoes with the buckles, a full on construction paper thanksgiving meal and table, and a bunch of little piles of fallen tree leaves. There are all these really creepy pictures of me posing in front of the scene (which I taped onto the wall by the dinner table) in a bonnet and looking really pleased with myself.

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

a)I don’t think it is one particular artist so much as it has been my surroundings and experiences. I grew up in Alaska, and the intense weather conditions and towering, craggy landscape has definitely had the biggest influence on my art. It’s made my paintings more epic, concerned with extremes, and bent on communicating the awe-inspiring. I’m definitely more excited to work on a new piece after going on an outing of some kind rather than trolling around online. There is so much jaw-dropping talent out there that it can get pretty overwhelming and even discouraging at times. If I’m feeling down on myself, it just creates icky feelings that aren’t good for motivation. A good time spent in the mountains or forest always, always puts me in a frame of mind where I become overwhelmed by beauty in a good, healthy way that feels meaningful and not forced. Then I’m more driven to create something that is unique to my experience and perception, as opposed to copying someone else’s techniques.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)Gouache, ink, 400lb archival watercolor paper. I’m really into Holbein Acryla Gouache right now for the insane color options.

q) Is a formal education important?

a)Depends on the individual. All I can say is that it really helped shape me as an individual. I became more serious and engaged. If I hadn’t gone to college, there would have been more potential for me to be aimless. Initially, going in to art school I had a pretty bad attitude about it, and was even embarrassed to tell people that that was what I was doing. It sounds cheesy, but I started to take myself more seriously the minute I took art school more seriously.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)That you always have to suffer for it.

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

a)It varies piece to piece and person to person. For me, concept is more important for now. This is because I can’t get excited about a piece if I’m not excited about an idea first. However, the concept can be as loose as “okay, today I want to make a painting that describes how bright the sun feels”. It doesn’t always have to be major.

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

a)Rendering the grotesque in a way that is really beautiful to look at. Lately I’ve been pretty fixated on the human body…veins, pus, bones, rot, and all that.

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

a)At my childhood home there is this big goat head on the wall. It is the one & only thing my dad has ever hunted and had mounted. He did it alone in Alaska when he was a young man and I think it was a pretty big deal for him. I remember him saying he cried afterwards, and ended up eating some of it that night. It is one of those stories that made my dad seem larger than life when I was a little kid, and feels mythologized to me at this point. Usually people that have animal heads on their walls have about 5-10 heads. We just have the one, and it stands out so much in our little tv room.

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

a)Gustav Klimt. I know we could make some ultra patterned, pervy stuff together. William Blake for his boldness, storytelling, and compositions.

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)Seeing how much stronger my work has become over time. It is a huge motivator to keep doing this.

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)Fear & self doubt, the biggest killer of creativity.

q) How do you define success?

a)Getting to a place where I feel stable enough financially to support myself, as well as help emerging artists make a career for themselves in some way. It is important to give back to the community that opened the gates for you, and after so much time of self reflection I think focusing on other people would feel like a vacation!

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

a)A teacher of mine said something along the lines of , “half of succeeding as an artist is talent, and the other is just pure serendipity”. That just feels really true to me. You can’t always force things, and sometimes the most perfect opportunity comes out of nowhere.

Interview with Maldo Nollimerg

2010-05-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

q) What is your earliest art-related memory ?

a)“ The Night watch” by Rembrandt which can be seen at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. I was between seven and nine years old when I saw it . What I remember is a beam of light in a dark painting.

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

a)It’s difficult to refer to only one artist .Several painters have had an effect on my work but I would rather say there are particular paintings that have had the most influence .For example : the “Holy Trinity”, a fresco by Masaccio; “The flagellation of Christ” by Piero della Francesca; “ Venus” by Titian,Tintoretto and Veronese ; women’s transpiration in Rubens and Courbet’s works “The origin of the world” by Gustave Courbet ; “The luncheon on the grass” by Manet and his “Olympia” (haven’t you ever noticed that Olympia’s feet smell?) ; “Painting” 1946 by Francis Bacon ; Picasso, Beckmann and many others among contemporary painters .... and music .

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)My eye and my hand and taste .Taste is the highest of intelligence – Isidore Ducasse said it-
In a way, our senses are also tools.

q)Is a formal education important ?

a)Yes, formal education is important ; but being self-taught gives freedom from any demagogic proselytism and rigidity of art schools and educational establishments.

q)What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)It’s that art has to do with art . As a matter of fact , art has nothing to do with art .Art is concerned with human being . Art is dangerous .

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

a)Both.But it depends on what we mean by concept.Art is conceptual in itself . It has always been. But I dislike pure concept, the pure idea ; it’s found by removing reality ; it’s an intellectual arrogance and a pompous Duchampian pathology of libido frustration.
As for me , I work with what I see.
But execution is not enough, it must have a meaning.

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

a)My favorite themes are death, , war , family, sexuality, procreation and erotism.

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

a)They are the small things that I’ve picked up outside : minerals , fossils, skulls, bones, teeth, horns , odd dry plants...

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

a)Jesus Christ, Bart Simpson, Spaggiari, Fantomas,Venus, Dr Jekill, Gargantua … ?

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

a)I don’t particularly think of any emerging artists. There are however two french painters who are not very well-known except within the very elitist circle of contemporary art : Vincent Corpet and Stephane Pencreac’h.

q)What has been your greatest achievement to date ?

a)It’s an achievement “in progress” : it’s a question of making a success of one’s death.
It’s an important thing to succeed in.Until it arrives , I would like my work to be found in police files; it would be a great and funny achievement for me .

q)What has been yor biggest roadblock ?

a)I don’t work to decorate middle-class rooms, nor in Duchamp’s style but more with what is dark in human beings; and by criticizing all forms of society, this makes obstacles always present.

q)How do you define success?

a)It depends on what kind of success we are talking about; today, in our society, success is a kind of hysteria and media buzz , an approval by society ; but society has always had bad taste : this kind of success must be avoided.
On the other hand, I would consider it, a personal success , to be approved by those whose thoughts I respect.

q)What will be the name of your autobiography?

a)“ I am not Daniel Buren”

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

a)Well, Society is quite a good adviser because it tells us what to do or not do . Consequently, I do the opposite.

Interview with Winston Chmielinski

2010-04-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

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.