a) I live and work in Portland, Oregon amidst the rivers and forestry.
q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?
a) Re-mixed and appropriated found nature and wildlife images with geometric lines and patterns intertwined.
q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?
a) Well, my mother used to paint a lot with oils and acrylics. I tried getting into that years ago and it never really worked out. In college I took some pottery classes and really felt connected to that process. I still like entertain the idea of someday getting back into making pottery. The process is meditative and self-medicating. When I finally started doing my own thing (in about 2004) I sorta happened upon it by accident. I really only starting making art in this manner to help soothe my OCD. It worked as a remedy and soon I was making pieces non-stop. I never intended to sell or show any of my work, seriously, I thought it sucked for the most part and really just did it for myself. I feel like I'm not a real artist, but rather just a guy who perhaps maybe got lucky with something that not a whole lot other people were doing. The art world is strange to me and I really do not understand it at all. I do love art, and seeing other people's art inspires me. But at the same time there is a ton of crap out there and it is getting attention for whatever hyperbolic reason. It drives me nuts. I'm sure a lot of people have seen my work and thought, "Who the hell is this guy??" Haha. I make art as a way to cope with the horrors of real life.
q) What are your favorite art materials and why?
a) I use Chartpak graphic tape, Formaline graphic tape, Letraset graphic tape, and many other antiquated design/architectural devices. Basically, if I could raid the supply room of a big architectural firm in perhaps the mid 1980s, I would be a very happy person. Of course, I use the images I find as a sort of "medium" as well. I like the idea of all of these things being not so readily available. It takes me a long time to track down this out-dated tape in the colors that I like. It also takes a long time to find just the right image to "re-mix". I enjoy all aspects of hunting down these materials. It makes me feel like I am truly doing something different. But really, this world is huge (or small) and there is likely some guy just down the street doing the exact same thing as me, know what I mean? He just hasn't taken the time to get it seen yet. I soon shall be yesterday's news.
q) What/who influences you most?
a) Outside forces. Laserbursts in the woods. Unnatural occurences in natural settings. The sleepy strange. Dusty old memories of simple and meaningful times. Seeing the treeline in a forest and imagining myriad colors shooting around it.
q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.
a) Well, after I work my boring day-job. I come home and start right in on a project. Sometimes it is done in 1 hour, sometimes it takes 1 week. Depends on the size and how many times I've scrapped it altogether and started over.
q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?
a) I would LOVE to do this all the time, full time. But America is fucked and does not treat its artists very well. So I still have to have a full time job and basically do my art on the side. But it is very much a second job to me and I treat it as such. I dedicate all of my useful energy into making art. It really is the only thing that makes sense, art is the only thing that makes sense -- now more than ever before, anywhere.
q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?
a) Hmmmm....I am such a luddite when it comes to this. I really enjoy the works of Mark Gonzales, Ed Templeton, Chris Johannsen and Ian Pedigo. I like the scrappy sense of these artists, and their non-conformative ideas on how things should be put together.
q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?
a) I include the time it takes to hunt down proper images, so it depends, really. 1 hour to 1 month in some instances.
q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?
a) I do enjoy selling them, though there were some pieces that I am very sad are gone from me forever. They certainly represented a time and place, a certain thought or feeling that I'll never get back. But hopefully whoever purchased it enjoys it and it means just as much to them, in a different way, of course.
q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?
a) I love music and I play music. I play drums. I play in a couple of bands here in Portland. These days I'm listening to just a bunch of random bands. I really enjoy the early '90s UK shoegaze scene -- bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, and Slowdive. These bands will always be my favorites. But one new-ish band had inspired me to start making my nature paths series of artworks and that is a band called Boards of Canada. I can't explain it really, but I would like some of my pieces to actually sound like songs from BOC's Music Has a Right to Chilldren album. I think that came out in 1999 or 2000, so really not that long ago, but the sounds on that album are timeless. Listen to it, you'll see!!
q) Books?
a) Jonathan Ames is my favorite author. I like graphic novels too -- A. Tomine, D. Clowes, and Joe Matt.
q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?
a) The creative process is so fickle; here today and gone tomorrow. When I get an idea I try to work as fast as possible. I like to get into a flow and just keep going until the I feel the piece needs a break. I like to come back to it in a day or two and continue where I left off. I feel very satisfied when I know everything is coming together the right way. Sometimes it goes the wrong way and it is very discouraging or perhaps encouraging. I've made so many mistakes and then just gone with it that it actually turns out better than expected. I love the idea of chance and trial and error.
q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?
a)Being with my wife, walks with the dog, playing druns, skateboarding, and watching old Northern Exposure episodes on DVD.
q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?
a) Not at the moment. I have a little show coming up at this hipster coffee shop in here in Portland in October, but nothing sooner - I should get on the ball with that!
q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?
a) Not really. I never have time to follow those things. I'd rather just work on my own art and if somebody (like yourself) sees it and likes it, that makes me very happy.
q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.
a) This is tough! Hmmm...okay...q) How much longer can you keep this up? a) 2 more years and then I need to move onto something else. Soon enough they'll know I'm a charlatan with no fine arts degree. Shit.
q) Any advice for aspiring artists?
a) Take long walks and breathe deeply exactly five times. I do this and it helps me think and focus on projects.
a)My name is Shira and I am an Illustrator, designer and artist.
q)Where do you live and work?
a)I live and work inTel-Aviv area, in Israel.
q)How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?
a)I draw figures, usually girls, in situations that express certain moods or capture certain atmosphere. I try to show a glimpse into their inner world.
q)How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?
a)I have always enjoyed drawing but I didn't really see myself as an artist until very recently. I was working as a multimedia designer for a few years and in the last couple of years I gradually shifted my focus to art and illustration.
q)What are your favorite art materials and why?
a)I mostly work with pencils, pens, inks and markers, I think that these serve my current style of work best, but I always experiment with new materials so this is likely to change…
I also love old papers, and if I can't find any I sometimes use coffee or tea to stain the paper in order to create the old effect.
q)What/who influences you most?
a)Life and childhood experiences, dreams, nature, the people around me and in particular my husband and family. I am also inspired by many artists, and the internet, of course, is an endless source of inspiration for me.
q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.
a)I would normally spend the first part of the day doing research on the internet or more administrative stuff like answering emails, printing work, packaging orders and going to the post office. I try to save the evening hours to art making where I would make some pencil sketches and if I like what I came up with I would make a tighter ink version of it. I sometimes scan my drawings and try different color combinations in Photoshop, and then paint my drawing either with markers or digitally. I also try to make time to work on my traditional painting technique and experiment with various media.
q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?
a)Exhibit, collaborate with other artists and designers and have my art printed on apparel.
q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?
a)I love lowbrow art and artists such as Seonna Hong, Stella Im Hultberg,mark ryden, Audrey Kawasakiand Amy Solto name just a few.
q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?
a)This really varies and depends on the particularpiece butoverallI would say a few days.
q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?
a)I am emotionally attached to my pieces but I think that the fact that other peopleactually want to buy it is very rewarding and this great feeling usually outweighs the difficulty in separating from a piece.
q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?
a)Music is very important to me, in fact, being married to a musician, music is part of my everyday life…Lately, I find myself listening mainly to jazz music while working. Recent favorites include Keith Garrett's 'The Köln Concert' and John Scofield's 'a go go'.
q) Books?
a)At the moment I am reading Italo Calvino's 'If on a Winter's Night a Traveler' and I recently finished: 'Love in a blue time' by ' Hanif Kureishi who is a wonderful writer.
q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?
a)It's not really a theory but in general, I think that creativity is about curiosity and open mindedness. I think it's important not to be afraid of trying new concepts and ideas.
q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?
a)I like to go for walks, read, meet up with friends and listen to live music.
q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?
a)Next month, I am going to participate in the Curvy 2009 book and exhibition. The book and exhibition are produced by YEN magazine in Australia and feature 100 of the most exciting female artists around the world. The exhibition launches on April the 2nd at Mori Gallery, in Sydney, Australia.
q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?
a)I follow contemporary art scenes mostly through the internet. I am a web junky and much of my surfing focuses on art related sites. Current favourites include mocoloco.com, Juxtapoz, and Hi-Fructose.
q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.
a)A: What would you like for your birthday (tomorrow!)?
Q: Mark Ryden's 'The Tree Show' book and a Hi-Fructose Magazine subscription, thanks! :)
q) Any advice for aspiring artists?
a)Do what you love and what comes from the heart but also work hard and practice a lot so you can best translate what you feel into your art.
a)My name is Kimiaki Yaegashi aka Okimi. Graphic designer and illustrator.
q)Where do you live and work?
a)Tokyo,Japan
q)How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?
a) My expression keeps always changing like the amoeba.However,it is sure to contain the humour.
q)How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?
a)In my childhood,my cousin scribbled Japanese animation “Mobile Suit Gundam” on the notebook. It was very beautiful, and stimulated me. The event made me advance to the art.
q)What are your favorite art materials and why?
a)Because the real trash is not generated,I mainly use the computer. However, I love analogues.
q)What/who influences you most?
a)Everything related to me.
q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.
a)It's irregular, I don't understand.
q)Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?
a)I don't have a special aim.
q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?
a)Pop art and the illustration.
q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?
a)About half a day.
q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?
a)I'm not selling my works. I distinguish my works and the illustration for the business.
q)Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?
a)My name is David Rosado and I´m a Visual Artist.
I was born in Évora, Portugal, May 3rd 1976.
I have a degree in Painting/Multimedia from Universidade de Évora
q)Where do you live and work?
a)I live and work in Lisbon / Portugal.
q)How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?
a)It is a non-linear process.
My day to day resembles the action of closing your eyes with strength and open them in a sudden.
All fuzziness in the beginning but soon black and white spots in the air, moving and flashing constantly.
“Obsessive organization of seemingly unrelated flashes/ideas/notions/spots” is the simplest description of my art.
q)How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?
a)My first self-expression came through music but soon I realized the need of visual arts to fully express myself.
My first song was written in 1995 and my first plastic work (which was a piece of shit!) was produced while at University, in 1999.
I do not know when, if ever, the transition to an Artist occured. I have always felt the daily need to express myself. This is my only concern.
q)What are your favorite art materials and why?
a)I do not have any favourite materials. They are all good to me.
q)What/who influences you most?
a)From Spinal Tap to Cicciolina anyone/anything that generates a provocative though influences me.
q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.
a)My typical day starts at about 8h30, with email reading and a cup of black coffee, listening to Parkway Drive.
From 9:00 to 18h00 all I do is painting and sketching in my atelier. After that I do, at home, research in magazines, books and the internet to be used in the following day.
q)Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?
a)I want to be put alive in a tank of Damien Hirst’s work and swim a bit.
Other than that, I just want to keep painting, doing what I like to do the most in life.
q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?
a)My closest links are with the Portuguese contemporary scene and all it’s ramifications, but I follow closely several foreign artist, among which Damien Hirst, Matthew Barney, Maurizio Catelan, Marina Abramovic, Allison Schulnik, Martin C. Herbst, Max Papeschi, Gino De Dominicis.
q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?
a)It obviously depends on the piece, but on average slightly less than a week.
q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?
a)Yes I do like selling them. What matters to me are the forward steps.
q)Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?
a)Other than my work (Reptile, DarkDave and Prime) I like to listen to Parkway Drive, at the drive in,
Sole, Valient Thorr, Tosca, Kaney West, Most Precious Blood, Mc Santiago, Him, Cradle of Filth, John Zorn,
We are the Damned, Anthrax, Napalm Death, Noyz Narcos, Truceboys, If Lucy Fell, Atreyu, etc…
q)Books?
a)The Flatland, The Winter, De Profundis – Valsa Lenta, A Balada do Subúrbio, “El animal Publico”,etc...
q)What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?
a)I’m inspired by the current overload of information between people and spaces, physical spaces that people fill in society such as their marks in those spaces, making the gap of communication a lot bigger pushing the development of their sociability to a direct confrontation
q)What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?
a)Playing music, doing sports, reading my books and hang out with my friends.
q)Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?
a)Yes sure.
Atlântida Gallery February 5th Vilamoura, Portugal
Voghera11 Gallery February 12th / Roland the Butcher Boy / Reloaded (www.voghera11.com), Milan, Italy
Voghera11 Gallery February 26th / Porno Star / (www.voghera11.com), Milan, Italy
a)My name is Jon MacNair and I am an artist and freelance illustrator living in BaltimoreMaryland. I went to school at the MarylandInstituteCollege of Art and have been living here ever since. When I’m not working on my own projects or doing freelance work, I can be found doing exhibition installation at the ContemporaryMuseum in Baltimore.
q)When did you really get into art?
a)I’ve always loved drawing and doing creative things. As a child, I distinctly remember doing things like painting rocks to look like animals and making paper-mâché replicas of Tutankhamen’s death mask. My parents used to take my sister and I to art museums pretty often when we were very small and still in our strollers. Somehow I absorbed all that great work and it stuck with me.
q)How did you come to the realization that you should try your luck at art on a more serious level?
a)I began to think more seriously about art as a career in high school. As a senior, I was faced with the same decision as everyone else, what to do after graduation. I had been always been a good student (with the exception of being terrible at math) but never really excelled at anything as much as I did in art, so it was a relatively easy decision to attend art school. Before high school ended I had spent two summers at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit doing a pre-college art camp sort of thing. It was a valuable experience in that it gave me a good sense of what to expect at art school. The people I met there were great and I knew that I wanted to be surrounded by more of these type of creative individuals.
q)How did you discover the particular style that you have?
a)I think many artists would agree with me when I say that style it is an evolution. Unless you just rip somebody off, it’s not something that just happens overnight. You have to go through those phases of your work looking similar to the work of artists you admire. Eventually, all your influences that you’ve mentally acquired over your lifetime become conglomerated and filtered through your own eyes until they resemble a creation purely original to you.In high school my art began to have a somewhat recognizable style, and that just continued through college and up to now. However, I do remember being somewhat worried about developing a style in college. I was an illustration major and had been told by my teachers of the advantages and disadvantages that having a distinct style could bring. On the one hand it was a crucial part of successfully marketing yourself so clients would know what they were getting when they hired you. On the other hand the danger of being “typecast” so to speak and tied down to your style was also a concern. It’s just an aspect of the business every artist has to deal with.
q)How would you describe your style?
a)A lot of people have used adjectives such as “dark” and “creepy” to describe my work, and I would say I am just now beginning to not mind that so much. I used to think that was a negative description and didn’t like how it sounded so one-dimensional, as if that was all that really stood out about my work. I realized that I was the one who was making it negative by thinking that way, and realized that some people think of“dark” as an appealing or interesting aspect of it. In my own words I would probably used adjectives like narrative, intimate, dreamlike, mythical, and maybe even voyeuristic. I think “weird” can be a very positive word to describe art too.
q)Who or what influences your art?
a)If you just want names, I’d say artists like William Blake, Frida Kahlo. Max Ernst, Giorgio De Chirico, Henri Rousseau, Odd Nerdrum, Hieronymus Bosch, Henry Fuseli and Ernst Haeckel, I also love the look of German Expressionist films (silent era)and 1960’s Japanese cinema. Illuminated manuscripts, medieval tapestries, fairy tales, mythology and music are all strong influences as well.
q)How often do you create a new piece?
a)It’s usually an inconsistent flow when it comes to producing, but I try on average to do a few new pieces a month. The size and level of detail of the work of course plays a big part in that. Having deadlines for shows is always a good motivator too. From 2007-2008 I had a daily art blog that I would post to and that was a great challenge for me. When it ended I felt as if I had really accomplished something.
q)What kind of success have you had with your art?
a)I’m still very much in the beginning stages of getting my art out into the world, but I have participated in a few group shows and sold a couple pieces. I’ve participated in some online zines and various projects I’ve been invited to do. This year has been a very productive one for me and I hope to continue to participate in shows. I am scheduled to hang my work in a local café at the end of February for a month, so right now I am preparing for that. I’ve also had some success with my freelance illustration working with numerous editorial publications.
q)What would be the ultimate goal for you and your art?
a)Like most artists, I would like to be able to live off of my art and avoid the monotony that a real life job could create. While being rich would not be a bad thing, I don’t expect to be and that’s okay. I am most happy when I am making art and right now all I need to be happy is enough money to live on without having to worry about paying bills every month etc. I just want to keep producing. Fame is something that seems so far away right now that it is hard to imagine it, but some kind of recognition is always welcome. I think that if I ever actually became extremely famousone day that would scare me a little and I would end up shying away from it. Like most people I like recognition, but too much attention is a little overwhelming to me.
q)What do you see as an accomplishment in the way of art?
a)Staying true to your own unique vision and continuing to make art; working through the creative droughts.
q)What kind of message, if any, do you try to convey through your art?
a)I can’t say there is any one particular message that I try to convey in my work, but I do want to encourage the viewer to apply their own ideas and experiences to the open-ended narratives I present.
q)Sum up your art in one word.
a)Personal
q)Any additional comments?
a)Just because artists enjoy what they do doesn’t mean it doesn’t qualify as “work.” Making art takes a lot of time and effort and self-discipline. Artists are a valuable part of society and culture and people shouldn’t always expect them to work for free.
a)My name is RT Vegas and I am a mixed media visual artist.
q)When did you really get into art?
a)I have created art, off and on, for many years. I really got into creating and displaying my art about 3 years ago. I discovered artists selling their original art on eBay and I realized I could do the same. Now instead of having a show at a local gallery once or twice a year I can have folks from around the world see and possibly purchase my work year round. I set up my own web site and post new work weekly. I still exhibit in local gallerys but now, through connections that I have made on the Internet with other artists, I can show my work at other venues in other parts of the USA.
q)How did you come to the realization that you should try your luck at art on a more serious level?
a)After I sold my first piece on the eBay to someone who had never met me. In the old days you might sell a work to a friend and/or a person who saw your work live at a gallery opening. That patron talked to you face to face. Selling your art through the Internet and via mail takes a hell of lot of blind trust on both the seller and the buyers end. I think you have to really make a point of good communication with your customers. I know if I buy something on the Internet I want to know when the item has been mailed and when can I expect to receive it. I give as much information to my customers as possible to make it a good experience. I want and usually get return customers.
q)How did you discover the particular style that you have?
a)I have always liked cartoons and was first motivated to try art as a youngster back in the 1960's after seeing the work of Norman Saunders, a great pulp artist and featured artist of Topps 'Wacky Packs'. I was also influenced by the 'Underground' comic artists, Pop art and later by the Graffiti/Urban artists. In more recent years I have added elements of abstract art to my style.
q)How would you describe your style?
a)Just to simplify matters I call it "Outsider Folk Art"...but who knows (or cares) what it really is.
q)Who or what influences your art?
a)Most of the time I will start a new work without any concrete plan. Sometimes I have fleeting thoughts in my head and decide to make a painting out of that thought. Some of these thoughts are strange, twisted, funny (to me at least) or just plain wrong. That is the fun part of not having to make a certain type of art...I can just make a work without any worry of selling it or not. Of course it is a lot more satisfying when they are purchased...
q)How often do you create a new piece?
a)I usually create 3 or 4 pieces a week...on the average. Normally I will have 5 or more paintings going at the same time. It is more fun that way...you do not get bored or frustrated that way. If you get stuck for direction in one painting, drop it and go to the next one. Come back to the first painting a few hours or days later...no pressure. I do not have any formal art training and am not very skilled in any kind of finesse techniques. I CAN NOT do photo realism. I do not have the patience to work on a piece for hours and days. I have tried it before and I end up hating the work in the end. I want to have fun when I paint and be able to smile with the end results. Most of my smaller pieces only take a couple of hours of combined time to complete.
q)What kind of success have you had with your art?
a)Since I started a 'full time' commitment to my art 3 years ago (listing on my web site, promoting, selling, creating on a regular shedule, gallery shows, etc.) I have sold several hundered pieces to patrons around the globe. That being said the averager selling price is about $50. If I step up my prices my sales slow down. The art does not take me that long to do so...why should I let it pile up in my home. Get it out and let others enjoy it. Some artists charge far too much for their work. They get emotionaly attached to it. They will end up being burried with it. That is their choice. Mine is to sell it at affordable prices and make more of it the next day.
q)What would be the ultimate goal for you and your art?
a)The ultimate goal would be to have my art on the wrapper of Chinese bubblegum.
q)What do you see as an accomplishment in the way of art?
a)That anyone would want to buy my work and look at it every day...That's huge to me! In my eyes, THAT is an accomplishment for me and my art.
q)What kind of message, if any, do you try to convey through your art?
a)Although some people have tried to see some hidden meaning, there is none...My art is meant to be interesting to look at and that's about it. It is whatever you want it to be because I am not going to tell you that it isn't. My art is meant to be
q)Sum up your art in one word.
a)FUNKINDOFWEIRD
q)Any additional comments?
a)Everyone can do art but not everyone has to like it.
