Interview with Castro Edward Smith

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)I was born in the year of the dragon, My name is Castro Edward Smith,

I am part english part japanese and part philipino,

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I work outside and I don’t work because my art is play,

I try to never work in doors as I see the artists as the one who escaped the office space.

And I think as artists we are lucky to be, and we must take every chance to be outside as others don’t have this chance so we must live it out as much as we can.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a)I’d say that little of my work is connected to each other, I have other names and other art

that you will never guess is me. I think I am a tool like my pen or paper and the situations create the pieces this is why I try to create as little as I can in the bedroom so the environment is never the same.

So I guess my art is environmentaly and socially created

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)I am realy not too sure , I think like anyone we evolve in life through music taste art or anything, our choices change and we molt our shells, I always used to draw, at first it was monsters and myths animals too as they are closely related. H R Giger was my first inspiration I was very young perhaps 11 or 12, from there my art was dark but I slowly developed it too more abstract pieces, this stage of my life was also into old school hip hop as they were the only cds my brothers had. I went to the philipines when I was 15 and saw these colourfull jeepneys, jeeps used as buses that america left in world war 2. They are so beutifull you should check them out on google or find book is you have the time. When I saw them I think maybe thats when I decided.

q) What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)In my left pocket is my sketchbook and my right a few pens, thats all you need when your out. Even when I’m out clubbing or at house partys I’ll draw people drunk or fuse them with objects around me, I draw out in the rain and anywhere because whatever happens in the moment is forever in the soul of the piece I do no matter how good or bad it is,

crayons and chalk is also amazing they draw on anything!!!! I don’t use them enough however

q) What/who influences you most?

a)everything around me, if I don’t feel inspired il still draw till i atleast get one thing I like sometimes I’ll go through 50 or 60 pages before this happens. I remember one day I was out all afternoon drawing but it was all rubbish. Then it started to rain my hands were cold but I was creating better things faces in the rain etc

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)My perfect saturday may start with a 12pm start if I’m lazy and sleep in, I listen to music that is usualy downloaded because i cant afford the music I want but i get it anyway , the beauty of the internet is its free, downloaded music trancends social class and this is how art should be too, as if art is not cheap what are we doing but creating the social barriers we are fighting against.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)All I want to do is please my creativity, draw outside and influence as much as I can in a positive way, I have great respect for volunteers, A painting you leave is nothing compared to what you can leave as influences to other people.

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)Graffiti is the most interesting development to me, It has caused the freedom of art to the street. Although it is villainised by law I think it is a right thing depending on how it is done.

It is free art for every class of person and fullfills the full soul capacity of the piece as it is in the street and seen by all. The moment of it being created is forever engraved in the street.
There are advertisements all around us that are created just because some people have the money to rent the street space graffiti artists fight this............well some

the evolution of graffiti to street art is very important

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)I work on pieces at different times and come back to them,

some of my larger street pastes take seconds to draw and take ages to paste up and create

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)I am it is hard as an artist to not be emotional attached but I do think that art should not last forever , you should not keep your art , some of my best things were given away I think this is because the capacity of a piece is fullfiled and it helps me create a better piece.

Sometimes I wish I could take my street art away with me but it is best on the street , there it can fullfill its purpose. After all art created for yourself is useless and egotistical to me.

Serve your purpose as an artist and create for others

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)Music is so important to me I change so much through music. It is such an important influence as with film or any of the art disciplines. Right now I am into POST HIP HOP such as busdriver or Deadelus, I am also into jazz alot and Amon Tobin who combines classical and electronic. I would have too much to write about music, almost as much as art

q) Books?

a)This is my greatest regret in life , at a young age I would pretend I could read well but i could never stay concentrated, I know I have missed a great deal. However the internet again provides! I download audio books right now I am listening to Audrey Huxley the doors of perception and a scifi novel ENDERS GAME which is very good!

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)I dont drink or take drugs not because its wrong or anything simply because it brings me MOMENTARY SATISFACTION . The law that holds our society up is flawed , LIVE BY YOUR OWN MORALS and understand them before you set them ! What law can make it right to kill a man by joining the army? what law allows alcholhol but not drugs? Wake up early look at the sun , be outside. Live in society against the social walls that are created by money. Make your art cheap or free make your music cheap or free to those who cant afford it. live by ideas ,

most importantly practice what you preach don’t be an artist who stays indoors all the time,

talking about possibilities and theorys, live life in the now.

I was once told a story where a father and son where fencing, the father blinded the son in a match oneday but the son never told the father in hope that his father would live a happier life. We should do this for everyone

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)music and dreaming although I try not to sleep too much I live on 6 hours sometimes,

I also play games too much, strategy ones with friends

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)So many but most are just stuck in my head! tihngs I want to do and create, it’s hard to do everything and yet I know I can do so much more if I did 15 hours or more of art eachday,

one day I will I just need discipline!

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)I do all of these i suscribe to juxtapoz and hi - fructose , i look online for artists who dont get into magazines like myself, You can simply notice trends of art by looking at friends work etc

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)Do you regret anything? nothing at all for I am a different person with everychoice I make, Too regret the past is to regret your self and things around you, you can never be at peace this way.

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Keep wax crayons in your back pocket.And draw on anything when u feel like it

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a) www.beargami.eu will be up soon

Interview with Yogœme

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)I’ve used several artist names, among them, Gaiihin, Agaiihine, Yogœme, Logoeme. I don’t like names. I have no soul. I used to search for someone to give me their christian soul so I would have had something to offer to the devil. Now, I’m OK.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)In Grenoble, France. I’ve travelled here and there.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a)I usually say that I’m writing underground comics. I guess my stuff would be classified as outsider art. My work used to be expectation, now it is aftermath.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)The rain was colder than snow. The wind was solider than stone. In the red night, I was strolling alone. Suddenly a horse fell from the sky (it made a disgusting sound when it reached the ground). I didn’t pay attention to it and passed it by; but later on, when I reached my home, I started to realise that it was kind of weird. I may have been a bit confused and excessive when I fiercely believed that this was an absurd scene. So I decided my art was to be a fortress to defend myself against the absurdity of life.

q) What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)I used to work a lot with oil paint. At the moment I only draw with felt pens. I need their inexpressiveness, however I pay attention to thicken the line here and there to have a livelier achievement.

q) What/who influences you most?

a)My memory, cultural aberrations, people.

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)There are many steps to go through when you’re writing comics. But I guess, typically, I’m a maniac.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)I’m not inclined to applaud any kind of complacency. I wish people who are interested in my work to understand that neither pompous discourse nor raw facts nor any kind of narrative deserves to be ignored or regarded as affectation. I’d like to increase the lyrical intensity of my work. My career doesn’t matter.

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)When exactly did contemporary art begin? Was it with Ingres, Cezanne or Käthe Kollwitz? (Chuckle) All right. Often my friends are surprised by my knowledge of twentieth and ninetieth century art. Now, I focus very much on uncompromising living artists who are part of the underground. I’m taking part in many zine projects which are visible on my blog. We try to do things together.

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)When I paint sometimes I would need one week to achieve a piece. I can draw one comix page per day.

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)I was happy to sell my life drawings or paintings. I’ve often given some drawings to friends. I’m emotionally attached to my pieces because I like them to belong to somebody else.

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)I play the guitar (I have long nails) and the double bass (with the Italian bow). Oum Kalthoum makes me shudder. I have cold waves inside my torso when she sings. I love lyrical music: The Kindertotenlieder by Mahler, Il Lamento d’Arianna by Monteverdi among others. Actually I listen to a lot of different types of music. I’ll switch brutally from jazz music to death metal and noise core…

q) Books?

a)I love silkscreen art books and zines. I like literature very much. Well may be I should mention famous writers I like so it can give you an idea of the sort of things I read: Albert Camus, Søren Kirkegaard, Nietzche, Samuel Beckett, Virginia Wolf, Ionesco, Balzac, Thomas Mann, Colette, Kafka, Rimbaud, Jaques Prevert...

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)At the moment I need to make my work naturally but in this interview I’ll try to define what I call (clumsily maybe) “axiomatic belief”. I’m aware of the power of belief even though I’m inclined to nihilism and atheism. “Axiomatic Belief” is the capacity to believe in presupposed ideas and to assume the consequences of them. This process is dangerous because it can lead to schizophrenia. So it needs the capacity to switch ideas and not to impose upon others the truth which is developed. It shouldn’t be confused with analysis of unconscious objects or objective looks at what condition us. Well, it could be but it isn’t limited to it. It is about belief. I give you a far fetched example: the presupposed universe would be materialism, God is accepted as real, and the consequence, the action is aphorism; the result could be the sentence “their god created us, materialist, to be the only one who could understand limitation and death which god cannot understand”. Here the action is writing. The action could be sensual experience or art making as well. When it is about art making it isn’t necessarily an experimental gesticulation which is based on nothing but the desire for mysterious incarnation. It could be actually very heavy and full of elements to take on.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)Hehehe! Here we are entering the domain of privacy…

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)I should make a comix for La Commissure. I’d like also to develop my collaboration with Yumyam. I should include texts of him and make images about his wanderings. It is about strange and soft fetishist behaviours. When Yumyam was narcissist he had a string tied to few of his pubic hairs. All the rest of his genitals were carefully epilated. His confidences should deal with daydreams, sensual experiences and taboos.

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)As I already said, I like outsider art, there are links on my blog to people I’m working with. Also, http://www.ubu.com/ is a good web site I think. I respect and admire very much the books which are produced by Le Dernier Cri.

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

Do you like poetry?

a)Yes.

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Be careful. Don’t fall into the traps which you think are related to typical artist behaviours. Don’t kill yourself.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a) http://gaiihin.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36556191@N02/

http://eatenbyducks.blogspot.com/search/label/agaiihine

http://eatenbyducks.blogspot.com/

Interview with Manuel Donada

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)Hi everyone! My name is Manuel Donada (aka mdonada)

and I live in Madrid, which is the capital of Spain

(for those who don't know).
Hello...

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I live in Madrid in a little nice apartment in Chueca.

I don't really have a place where I work, I could say that

my “real” office is my own apartment but I spend more

time sailing the world, places like cafes, other cities,

planes, trains, other people´s houses... What I like the

most is drawing at cafes, where Im a complete stranger,

i observe, let the real world posses me, absorb light and energy,

images, colors and patters. Other people´s behaviour.

Being outside is what influences me the most. Life itself I guess.

q) How would you describe your work to someone

who has never seen it?

a)I’m not very good at this!. I don't think I'm able to describe

what I do. Its a mess of things, a mixture of emotions and

experiences in my head that fight desperately to get out

and be the chosen one. Its like a herd of buffalos crossing a

river. Aggressive and fast. Only the strong will survive.

Like a bubble full of butterflies. You can see them and tell

they are butterflies but cant really picture one and say out

loud how it looks like, extract it from the rest.
Its like my head pukes and my hand cleans up the mess.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize

you were an artist?

a)Well, I have been operating pens and paper since I was

little. I remember my family being VERY supportive and

all. I spent a lot of time drawing by my own, at home, at

school... Its hard to imagine today but I was a quiet boy

back then, always alone. That changed after the years.
All my books and friends notebooks at school were full of

little characters and comics, my table too (which the

principal made me clean a million times!). I always carried

a pen with me but never thought about it in a serious way.

It was more an entertainment than something I could do in

a future, know what I mean?.
I cant remember the day I decided to take a further step and

think about making a living from this. I guess it was always

there and it just came out naturally. One day I quit school

because I wanted to do cartoon animation which I did for 3

years in Madrid. Probably the clearest idea I had back then.

After that I worked for Cartoon Network which wasn't a

big deal anyway. Then tired of people telling me what to do

or not to do I took the mysterious and hard path to

Freelance Kingdom.
After the years, before I could even realize, I found myself

doing graphic design and leaving my pencil case in the

drawer for a long time. Paper sheets were no longer

everywhere around my room. I guess my mum was happy

with that more than anyone else.
Its weird because I could say that I have been 2 totally different

creators. Like 2 different entities with different names

and pseudonymous. One doing cartoons and the other one

doing Graphic Design. Both living at the same time.
Some people even thought I was two different guys and they

would come up to me and say: “hey, have you seen this?

, you might like it!”, and it was mine.
Nowadays I combine both and I'm very happy with that!.

So that´s why I use my real surname (Donada) to “sign” all

of them. I'm just one person, the same for everything I do,

so having just one name is the most reasonable and healthy

decision that I could have taken about this matter.

I have never called myself an artist. I just started to think

about it after hearing it from people...its just an etiquette to

summarize and make things easier I guess.

q) What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)I mostly use 8400 Edding pens and vegetal transparent

paper. And as for big paintings acrylic and canvas,

sometimes wood too.
I have a serious problem with pens. I'm an addict. I could

spend hours and millions of euros on stationery. In fact I

have a bunch of books and pencil cases with different

types and shapes of pens from all around the world but

my favorite of all times are the Eddings 8400 (hard to find

though). I can not imagine how much money I have spent

on those. (right now I just counted the ones I have with

me here and the number is 23).
They all follow a process: the new ones are used to draw

new projects and drawings on transparent paper for

silkscreens or clean and detailed illustrations, after

that they go right away to the second case where the

ones with the “used tip” (the ones that have lost their

virginity) rest to be used to put the final touches to the

canvas I'm working on. Then there is no way they are

going to skip the cemetery!. Where a common grave of

old 8400 are resting waiting to spend their last breath

somewhere, dreaming of being used again.
Some do, some just dry and die.
When it comes to share my pens I could be really irritating.

Always ask first and the answer will probably be NO.

q) What/who influences you most?

a)As I said before life influences me a lot. I know this sounds

boring and cliche but its true. Everything I see influences

me. When I walk, what I experience, what I get from people

I love or hate...Sometimes I take long walks when I need

inspiration. Madrid is such an intense city sometimes

and offers a lot if you pay attention to it. Sometimes you

can hear it talk.
Being surrounded by people that do things also makes a huge

impact on me. Like music, art, simple conversations, pictures...

I like active people. Positive. Even though I sometimes

find myself quit depressing.
Sharing ideas and impressions to me is very important.

Different points of view. Listening. Looking. Staring silent.

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)Well, being a freelance is kind of an adventure everyday.

You never know. Sometimes I have tons of work and I'm so

stressed I could jump out of the window. And sometimes its

relaxed and I can visit friends, family, hang around, tour,

experience new techniques, realizing how it feels to be

REALLY broke... But most of the time there is no space

and time to do everything Id like to. If I want to do my stuff

and then work for other people I have to be very responsible,

which sometimes I'm not!. It depends a lot in how creative I feel.

I mean, I could be doing stuff but if I something inside of me

says I'm not doing it as good as i could or should I get really

nervous and pass a really hard time dealing with that.

Dealing with me. Sometimes I hate what I do, sometimes I

love it but maybe you couldn't tell from the outside. I

mean, people wont notice. Its a weird feeling.
I'm a very impulsive person and I guess that's a big

uncontrollable force that takes a big part in what I do.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve

with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)I’d like to meet people doing interesting things,

experience life, never stop learning, grow as person, collect

emotions, travel, get better every single minute, be proud of

what I do I guess... As simple as that. Usual as that.

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art

interest you?

a)Nowadays I'm into comics a lot again. Mostly underground...

I'm looking for awesome stories, from the heart, more

“blood-freezing” than visual. And when I say “visual”

i mean well drawn or with obvious amazing drawing skills.

You could break my heart drawing a simple line if its in

the right place.
I search for new artists all the time but If I have to name

a strong influence in me right now that would be Jim

Woodring. He is a genius. I cant believe there is someone

doing things like that among us. And the best part, he looks

like a wizard to me. I'm sure he is.

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Well, it depends a lot in how creative I feel that day and

how big the piece is or the work I'm into. I might do 3 pieces

during the day or maybe non. If I feel things do not come

easily or just don't flow I think is better to forget it and

occupy your time in a different issue. There is no point in

forcing the machine because in the end I will be throwing

everything away and wasting my time. Which means I will

probably get mad or unbearable, very difficult.

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally

attached to them?

a)To be honest it is. In the beginning it was pretty hard

but now I don't think about it very much. Its weird because

I find more difficult to sell my sketches, the original ones

for silkscreens and all than the big canvas people find more

shocking. I'm more attached to those little pieces that have

been carefully treated. They are like little birds. The rest

are grown-ups than can leave the nest and will be remembered

with nostalgia. I have been keeping some for a long time til I

decided to sell or give them away. I feel that if they are not

prepared to leave I must keep them. Its more paternal and

natural than I thought!. In the other hand, some will stay with

me forever. Like it or not.
You ask if I “enjoy” selling my pieces. I don't but I have to do

it, speaking about real life.

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things

you're listening to now?

a)Music is VERY important to me. Almost everything is music

related in my life. I first started doing graphic design because

of it. Always drawing with music and for music. I cant imagine

myself not listening to music. NO way!.
Putting on a record is what I normally do when I wake up.

Maybe the 2ND or 3rd thing that I do. First would be putting

on my glasses, then pissing, music and coffee, I guess.

I have been listening to Usaisamonster a lot these past months.

I think their new record is just pure magic. Like a

sentimental journey through lands and wonderful landscapes.

You can feel yourself in the woods, riding your horse,

camping to start a fire, battle mystic creatures and all

that. Its a real master piece in my opinion.
I have also been listening to Clarence Ashley these days

and, even though it might sound weird, I'm a lot into Black Metal too.

q) Books?

a)That is a hard question. Right now I'm reading Douglas

Coupland´s “All Families Are Psychotic” but I could say

that one of my favorite writers is Italo Calvino. I like

his books a lot. He is amazing.
I also read lots of comics as I have said before. Not super

hero Marvel-Dc as much as I used to though.

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding

creativity or the creative process?

a)Non. I mean, I don't really follow any rule or trend

or anything like that or check out things.
If it looks good, breaks hearts, burns your retina and

makes an impact then everything is more than welcome.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when

you're not creating?

a)I play music in a band called Grabba Grabba Tape and

run a record label called Gssh! Gssh! Records here in

Madrid. I also put up shows for bands in Spain and

sometimes Portugal and like to enjoy time with my friends.

Friends are important to me. Sometimes things they say,

share, do or believe are a big inspiration to me (i'm

repeating myself here, sorry). So does family. I need

all of them around.

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you

are particularly excited about?

a)I always have a lot projects in mind. Some die or get lost

in the Woods Of Ideas or stand there to become old like

trees. I need to be more constant to be honest but

time really flies sometimes. I cant do everything Id

like to. Nowadays im considering the idea of going

back into cartoons. Do my own productions. Short

films, simple, just let it come out somehow. I just re-discovered

John Kricfalusi´s work and fell in love again!.
I have been having this idea of making a book forever.

It is all perfectly designed and done in my head. I can

see pages and drawings kind of clearly. I think it would

be called Watdafac but you never know.
Comics! I need to start a comic or an illustrated story...

I might but that is a secret I cant talk about, sorry.
I'm sure that this year I will out out a fanzine about dogs

and the Hexatron that is taking ages. Hexatron is a

collection of silk screened postcards of people that I like.

Friends mostly. Every issue will have a theme and the

fist one is about Mystery. I already have a bunch with me.

Some people never sent anything. Its a slow process but

believe me it will come out soon.
I want to apologize to the people involved in the project that

have been waiting forever and really supported my from

the beginning. They know who they are.
As far as art shows go, I will be doing a split show in

Madrid and LA with my friend Sonny Kay from the US.

He does amazing collages and stuff. He is very good.

Unique.
I like split shows but as usual everything takes its time

and its kind of exhasperated for an impatient person like me.
Lets see how many of the projects i'm into really sees

the light someday. You bet.

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how?

What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)Not really. I could recommend stuff I like though.

Like Will Sweeney for example, CF is like “wow”,

everything Paper Rad does is awesome too, Augenblick

studios are so good that make me nervous... I don't know,

I could be listing things for hours.
The good thing is searching, discovering...The trip itself

towards new stuff is the lovely thing about all this. It

was more intense and pleasant when we had no Internet

and you had to read fanzines, bet for new artist without even

knowing them, ordering from places that seemed to

have hidden treasures, send letters... There is nothing

like expecting a package full of goodies at home.

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer,

and answer it.

a)Would you like a more Spanish omelette?
- yes, please.

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Read comics!

q) Where can we see more of your work

online?

a)I'm working in my new website now so those who

are expecting an update will have to wait.
New stuff coming up. I promise!
www.mdonada.com
THANKS!