ELvis IN hawaii

Interview with Andy Wicks

2012-01-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)I was born on the southern edge of London, a world of commuters and slightly wider streets. I spend most of my time in east London these days where I have my studio practice and do a bit of technician work.

q)How would you describe your work?

a)I'm interested in the city and the role it plays in our lives. I enjoy walking paths and looking for things that others may miss, subtle oddities in the environment that take my imagination. My current body of work has taken River Thames mooring structures (dolphins) as an motif for a forgotten past, one of the remaining elements of the River's (and the city's) shipping heritage. Still rooted to the mudbanks but gently rotting away with the movement of the tide. There's a form of romantic longing and storytelling held within these structures for me. The paintings I've make as a result walk a line between the heavy ugly brutality of their construction (rotting and rusting colours) and a simplistic beauty in their form.

q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?

a)I wouldn't say one person did as such, but growing up I enjoyed playing with art materials. I would always be painting and drawing on family holidays even from a young age. While at school it became apparent that the only subject I really cared about was the art lesson so I just took each opportunity to study further until I got to the stage that I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

q) What is your favorite medium?

a)I work mainly with oil paint and use resins to create a flat layered surface to work on to. I enjoy the constant discovery of the medium, the way it can be manipulated to perform in numerous ways on the same canvas.

q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?

a)The world around me informs my ideas, often from walking somewhere with my camera and having an appreciation for the undervalued.

q) How long does it take to complete a piece?

a)With long drying times especially using resin I usually have a few canvases on the go at once. They can take anything from a couple of weeks to few months. I don't tend to come back to unfinished pieces, if they aren't working for me I move on to something that has more potential.

q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?

a)My tastes are split down the middle between 'clean' abstraction (Tobias Lehner, Thomas Scheibitz) and a more out their 'messy' approach (Albert Oehlen, Anselm Kiefer). I guess I should also say I'm particular into German artist if that wasn't already apparent... I'm also into the work of Gert & Uwe Tobias who are known for producing large woodcuts but their output also includes sculpture, collage, drawing all tided together through interest exhibition design.

q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

a)I'm not represented but try to be proactive when it comes to exhibiting opportunities. I had a painting in the London Art Fair recently and have two group shows coming up in April/May, both are the debut exhibitions for new project spaces in South London; Collectible at Zeitgeist Project Space in New Cross and Past and Present at Occupy my Time in Deptford. I'm also looking forward to making my first sculpture which will be on display at WW Gallery's Patio Projects in July, which is part of a public art commission series.

q) Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

a)I prefer to get into the studio early and ease into the day by looking at what I've been working on, I also need to get in early as I know I can procrastinate with my ritual of catching up on the news so I try to build that into my day. I usually have music playing while working but don't feel that I need a particular sound to get me in the mood for work, if I'm in the mood I'll get stuff done, the music just keeps me going.

q) What is your favorite a) taste, b) sound, c) sight, d) smell, and e) tactile sensation?

a)A hard question to answer.. a/ taste is best when when unexpected flavours work together but I like spicy things b/ the sound of the sea, seagulls & a gentle wind blowing c/ an uninterrupted landscape of rolling hills and openness d/ burning coals (or the non romantic answer - hot tarmac & petrol) e/ cold soft powdery snow.

q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?

a)I push myself to be better, to enjoy the journey and grow with each opportunity. I am very driven and like most artists I never really switch off, but at that level of involvement with your own practice and the surround artworld you have to love it to keep the level of energy up.

q) When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

a)I suppose I am part of first home computer generation (a child of the 80s) . I was an early starter with websites and actually brought my domain name in my mid teens while at school to show my developing art activities. I now rely on the web to communicate what i'm up to and have found Twitter to be a great tool for networking, I also blog regularly and use Mail Chimp for exhibition mailing list. I find using a mix of social media and websites keeps me connected and up to date with goings on and helps get my work to new audiences (such as being asked to take part in online interviews!).

q) What do you obsess over?

a)Career, life/work balance, quality of work produced etc. Its all to easy for an artist to get obsessed by everything but generally I try to keep a balanced head and get on with it.

q) Do you have prefered working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?

a)I recently did a year long residency at the Florence Trust (a charitable artist studio program in a Grade 1 listed church in North London), while there I worked full days up to 7 days a week. An amazing experience but not possible for a sustained existence living in an expensive city. I'm a freelance art technician so now have a mix of odd days off in the week, evenings and weekends. I prefer an early start and have full days but realise I have to make do whenever I have the opportunity.

q) Do you do commissioned works?

a)I've done a few bits for friends and family but even those I found stressful and incongruous with my usual way of working.

q) Any tips for emerging artists?

a)A visiting tutor said to me on my foundation that the only reason why he didn't get further with his art is he didn't have the energy for it. At the time I was worried I didn't have the drive and determination to make a go of it but I knew I enjoyed making work. Over time I saw people around me get opportunities and have some form of success, as a young artist a group of peers is an invaluable thing, a great motivator and education in the workings of the system. Don't expect too much too soon but love what you do and observe others. Don't wait for opportunities but create them - organise shows, studio groups, meet people and engage.

q)…Your contacts

a)www.andywicks.co.uk

www.andywickspaints.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/andywickspaints

Interview with Karel Balcar

2012-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)I’m a figurative painter, living and working in Prague and East Bohemia’s village (which I call brixen – that’s why I (especially in this period) sign my paintings .KB von brixen. My artistic development went from abstraction to figuration. Before I decided for painting, I studied technicaly oriented schools and also music. Finally I graduated at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts. Since then, most of the time I managed to make my living as a painter.

q)How would you describe your work?

a)My work contains contemporary topics executed in depictive painting, which takes inspiration in Renaissance, Mannerism and Baroque – especially works of Bartholomeus Spranger and Hans von Aachen, the court painters of emperor Rudolf II. (those days working in Prague), as well as Caravaggio. So, from the form aspect, I’m not true “hyper- or photo-“ realist, although I use photograph in my work. Mostly I paint over-life-size details of human bodies, in erotic context, with “suffering from existence” aspect also, sometimes ironic. My palette is darker, flesh tones more pale, avoiding loud colors.

q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?

a)Basically, I’m a typical self-made artist, at least in first period of my development. Later on, when my decision was quite firm, I got lots of support from my family, especially from my sister and my wife.

q) What is your favorite medium?

a)Mostly I work in oil only, with little use of gouache, alkyd or acrylic colours.

q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?

a)Sometimes I give myself a task, like I did at Academy, when working on theme of the death ( resulted in The Abortion, Section I & II, Variations on The Suicide of Lucretia paintings ), but mostly my ideas are abstract, or I take inspiration from music. Simply speaking, I have a kind of “feeling” and I’m trying to paint it using figurative form.

q) How long does it take to complete a piece?

a)As I work in superimposed layers, it’s difficult to say “how long does it take”, it varies also depending on the size of a painting, since smaller pieces can be done (with use of fast drying colours for underpainting) relatively continuously and finished in terms of several days or weeks, whereas larger paintings are executed in oil only (on gouache imprimatur), with longer drying periods for each layer, so finally it makes several months altogether. I would like to mention, that I rarely use primed canvasses, I make my own “old style” gesso, so this extra work takes some time too. And also, a painted picture is not just a mere result of paint transfer from palette onto canvas, there’s some “brain work time “ too, “waiting for inspiration” time, “do it again” time (when not satisfied with result of a day’s effort) .... and still not speaking about self education, relationship investments ... J

q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?

a)It’s interesting, this question I find very difficult to answer when speaking about visual arts. Maybe, the reason could be , the more I go back into past, the more compact life work of artists seem to be, and on the contrary, the more I go forth to contemporary, sometimes only one or several pieces I like, and it even changes, one name replaces another ... maybe the reason of difficulty lays in “professional” aspect – one famous soprano singer, when asked what kind of music she listens to in her free time, replied “ I prefer silence ..” . If I would have to name at least several names from art history (painters), following wouldn’t be missing : van Eyck, Rogier van der Veyden, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Tizian, Caravaggio, von Aachen, Spranger, Velazques, Rubens, Rembrandt .. Magritte, Delvaux .. . When working, I often listen to music, either classical ( Bach, Wagner, Grieg, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Janacek, Martinu, R. Strauss, Schoenberg, Dupre, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Verdi ..), or “easier” (F. Zappa, Young Gods, Ministry, ZZ Top, Vltava, Natasha Atlas, Faith No More, Dire Straits .. (nice mixture, isn’t it ?). I never listen to a radio when working, unexpected contents disturbs me, so newest things I listen to from radio in my car, but I don’t find any reason to remember names of authors ... just “consuming”)

q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

a)I am cooperating with several galleries in Prague and one in Germany. This is a most frequented solution for czech scene, it works in our specific situation. I’m preparing exhibition in Vltavin Gallery, Prague in May.

q) Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

a)When I enter my studio in summer, then with teapot in one hand and glass of water in other. In winter carrying banana box with wood in both hands. In any case I say “ good morning”. Then I sit on the sofa, drink tea and think of the day’s task. When all disturbing thoughts are far away and I feel ready for work, I prepare colours on my palette, prepare brushes I expect to need, sometimes eat a piece of dark chocolate, sip my tea from time to time. When feeling like, I listen to music, till lunch classical only, starting with sth soft (like Janacek “In Mists” or Grieg’s “Heart Wounds”). After lunch, not to fall asleep, I listen to more rytmical, energetic music, never classical. When I feel the day’s work is over, I look for the last time at the painting, and if I decide to leave, I never look at it again till next day (on “Sundays” I avoid looking at work in progress at all, not to start thinking about it). I clean brushes and palette and leave as quickly as possibile. I say “good bye” before I close the door of studio.

q) What is your favorite a) taste, b) sound, c) sight, d) smell, and e) tactile sensation?

a)Taste – of kiss ;-) , spicy, sweet

Sound – human voice, preferably soprano

Sight – landscape, human body (preferably women)

Smell – smells, which remind me of childhood, heavier exotic scents

Tactile – human skin ( preferably .... J )

q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?

a)a difficult question, a friend of mine has told me once some Asian proverb - “work well (good), not better ”, and with knowledge of this it’s difficult to say “I’m trying to make better compositions, I try to paint my topics in a better way, generally speaking trying to make better paintings”, and so “ to make a good painting” sounds reasonable to me.

q) When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

a)I started using internet couple of years ago, I don’t remember when. Since then, internet has important position for me, as means of communication first. Not so much for direct business, as my paintings are not those sold via e-shop. But some people got known me through the internet, no doubt. Nevertheless, personal contacts, galleries and exhibitions are still of biggest importance for “the business”. I’m not browsing all the time, looking for inspiration etc., what internet gives me, is feeling of being a member of artistic community, possibility to give and get moral support (as artist’s life isn’t that of easiest ), to see other artist’s development and results, which gives me subliminal whisper “couldn’t you work just a little bit harder ?” J

q) What do you obsess over?

a)... reminds me of Woody Allen’s “What’s your perversion ?” J I was on the way to tell how it surprises me, that I haven’t been thinking about this topic yet, but it wouldn’t be true .. When at the Prague’s Academy, I was given nickname “lacemaker” (besides of “ daddy” for I had a son already), simply because ladie’s underwear appeared on my paintings more often to be just a coincidence. But for me it’s primarily way, how to get detail contrasting with flesh into painting, I like the way it can divide the body into areas, thus giving it sense of rhytm. Erotic context not denied, of course. Much more true “obsession” for me is to have always clean brushes & palette, “tidy” studio (although I clean it once a year regularly, when the “heating period” is over – maybe more precisely “keep it tidy without cleaning” J ), starting day with breakfast and having enough of outdoor sport activity ..

q) Do you have prefered working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?

a)I prefer working in daylight, just because it’s best for painting. But unfortunately, I’m not the one, who likes getting up early and even my brain seems to wake up after 9 am (it means around 10-11 am is reliably in working mode). So, from around 9.30 am till approx. 1 pm is my first phase of work, then after lunch I go on till I complete intended part of work per that particular day (mostly finish when light gets weaker before twilight). Basically, I don’t like starting after lunchtime, so first “opening” phase of work in the morning is very important for me – sometimes, if I don’t succeed to start painting, it may happen, that I will not paint that day at all (sometimes it’s the way my instinct tells me this day isn’t suitable for working (I’m too exhausted, the weather is changing ..)). When working, I don’t respect days in week, I proceed in the way painting requires, taking “sundays” when I can’t paint from some reason ( and of course, there are “sundays” when I have to manage sth for my family etc.)(.. sometimes nervous when having too many Sundays in a week J).

q) Do you do commissioned works?

a)I have no problem with working on commission, provided ... it interests me, it doesn’t affect my freedom and it serves as a means for my artistic development. (I’m learning from my past J )

q) Any tips for emerging artists?

a)I think it’s important to discern things, you should change in your art from those you should keep, it means where to be stubborn and where to “feel the wave” (if it’s not all about “following instincts” J ). And of course, you’ll never plough the field by turning it around in your head” (J. Joyce), so practising your art as much as it’s reasonable.

PS I consider myself to be an emerging artist too J

q)…Your contacts

a)balcarkarel@seznam.cz

www.karel-balcar.cz

www.facebook.com/ karel balcar

www.saatchionline.com/yourgallery karel balcar

Interview with Julie Weitz

2011-12-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)I’m an artist currently working in Cleveland, Ohio and Tampa, Florida.

q) How would you describe your work?

a)My work is a combination of graphite, gouache and collage. In the past year I’ve also begun working in video. My work generally addresses the complex and entangled ways we picture others and ourselves.

q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?

a)A number of teachers encouraged me through the years, for which I am thankful.

q) What is your favorite medium?

a)I love the simplicity of the pencil, but gouache might be my favorite.

q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?

a)My head ;)

q) How long does it take to complete a piece?

a)Larger drawings will take a few months, smaller ones sometimes only a day or week. The video projects have taken much longer because the process is dependent on other people and technology.

q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently
looking/listening to?

a)Lately, I’ve been looking at Oskar Schlemmer, Bridget Riley, Indian miniature painting, Sonia Delanuay, Juan Gris, Picasso’s cubist period, and ancient Greek vase painting.

q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

a)I have an upcoming solo show at William Busta Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio: http://www.williambustagallery.com/

q) Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

a)Organizing and preparing the studio to work is always a part of my daily ritual. I also download podcasts everyday and load up new music.

q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?

a)Broadly speaking, my goal is to form a visual experience that is contemplative, surprising, stimulating and complex.

q) When have you started using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

a)The Internet’s illusion of being infinite and endless while filtered through the flatness of the monitor is actually influencing the organizational space of my current work.

q) What do you obsess over?

a)Tiny details.

q) Do you have prefered working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?

a)I mostly work during the day but I also love late nights in the studios.

q) Do you do commissioned works?

a)Rarely.

q) Any tips for emerging artists?

a)Keep working and stay humble.

q)…Your contacts

a)www.julieweitz.com

http://julieweitz.blogspot.com/

info@julieweitz.com

Interview with Bayrol Jimenez

2011-12-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

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

a)Bayrol Jimenez, I work in Mexico

q) Why do you make art?

a)-

q) How do you work ?

a)I m focus on drawing from that point I can go to installation, video or sculpture.

q) What´s your background?

a)I went to the National School of Art in Mexico city for a couple of years this formation was more technique but then I changed of School, I went for a couple of years to "Villa Arson" in Nice, France where I had the chance of work with people who were critic in order to push you take different options that you have in the process of creation, I been moving around the last 3 years learning more of experiences.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)Art has to work as something that can show the many ways that life can work, in a way it has to work as an antibody against the virus of mass control.

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)The fact of been able to live in different countries gives you a different way to see life, to realized the importance of other cultures and to appreciate yours.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)its always in a process.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)----

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

a)I was lucky to lived in the country side, I grew up in a little village of Oaxaca in the south of Mexico, in a beautiful landscape of mountains right before the city started to grow and the pollution destroyed the nature, so I have a lot of good memories from that time...

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)I like to work with different subjects every time, I try to work with a social themes that I mix with an imaginary exercise.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)Everyday its a real life experience

q) What´s your most embarrassing moment ?

a)----

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

a)To do art you have to work in many things, I worked in shops, bars, restaurants all that kind of stuff that gives you a little bit of money...

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)I dont know, I´m lucky to have done a couple of projects and I m happy to keep working on art but its hard to say that I had a good or bad response because I have a long way to go yet...

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)when art becomes egocentric!

q) What research do you do ?

a)I enjoy doing research, thats the based of any kind of project and I m a curious person, so from real experiences to books, literature, cinema, music etc... I m quiet obsessive with cinema for example.

q) What is your dream project?

a)every project at some point works as a dream then it becomes a mutation of reality.

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

a)Don´t live of art!!

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)------

q) What makes you angry?

a)Politicians

q) What is your worst quality?

a)I m a little bit obsessive sometimes with the things I like that of course can be annoying!!

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Fish

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

a)Well drugs, meditation, high levels of concentration, spiritualism, shamanism all those kind of things can bring you something good or something bad not only in art but in life, I believe that those are tools that the human being should used for good and creativity because it opens the view of perception, but it can also be just an excuse of selfish behavior to have a good time...

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)I agree with this idea of Gilles Deleuze about "le vol createur", when we make a good copy , when we make better than the original, we create. But when we make a bad copy when we stay below the original WE BETRAY!

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)"chingar" its a mexican word that its in a continuos mutation, it means a lot of things from "screew" to "joke" for example....

Interview with leighcooney

2011-11-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)I’m a self-taught artist. I’ve been painting for about three years, but after two years of painting I quit my day job in a hotel to dedicate my time to a career in art. I paint animals, people, and objects, but I inject everything with a little humour and whimsy.

q)How would you describe your work?

a)Odd.

q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?

a)Growing up, my parents were always very encouraging, but it was my wife who convinced me to quit my job and attempt to do it full time.

q) What is your favorite medium?

a)Oil paint. I’ve never worked with anything else. I use pure oil paint from the tube, and I only use the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue,) and I mix everything else from there. I’d like to try my hand at sculpture soon though.

q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?

a)I believe that life is like a series of autostereograms (remember the Magic Eye books?) Many people go through life not realizing that there is profound beauty and sadness everywhere, one just needs to know how to adjust one’s eyes to see it. Once you learn the technique, you can see the magic in a comic strip, a television series, a derelict building, the chewing gum we got as kids from baseball cards, Science Fiction, children's literature, Gordan Korman books, an old chimney, or a shimmering wheat field. And no amount of description will help someone who doesn't see the magic... they are either unwilling or unable, and will never be truly happy.

q) How long does it take to complete a piece?

a)Anywhere from two days, to six weeks generally, but I’d like to some really big pieces, like a battle or riot scene (think of Picasso’s Guernica, or the Da Vinci’s the Last Supper) as soon as I have a buyer who is looking for something really big and detailed like that. Right now I have to focus on making a living, and therefore I have to focus on small pieces.

q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?

a)I’m a huge fan of the German artist and illustrator Michael Sowa, as well as the late Jean Michel Basquiat. Contemporary artists that inspire me are Mark Ryden, Matt Sesow, and Tony Dotson. I’m also a big fan of comic strip artists like Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and Gary Larson (the Far Side.)

q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

a)I represent myself, and I generally prefer it that way. It gives me the opportunity to have full control over my art content and pricing, and it means I can work with galleries all over the world. I’m always looking for new galleries to work with. I have upcoming shows at galleries in Stratford Ontario, Cincinnatti Ohio, Waterloo Ontario, and New Jersey. That’s about as much as I can handle at the moment as I sell a lot of work directly through leighcooney.com or facebook as well.

q) As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

a)Because I do this full time, I don’t have the luxury of waiting until I’m in the mood for working, I just force myself to get into the studio each morning and start. A big cup of coffee helps though. A big enough cup of coffee makes me think I could wrestle a bear though.

q) What is your favorite a) taste, b) sound, c) sight, d) smell, and e) tactile sensation?

a)Taste: The first sip of a really good beer when you’re parched.

Sound: Silence. I suffer from a severe case of ADHD and it amongst other things it makes me really sensitive to noise. A lot of things have a dog-whistle like effect on me. No one else seems bothered.

Sight: My wife after I haven’t seen her for the day.

Smell: Wood smoke from a chimney on an Autumn evening. There is nothing better than that.

Tactile Sensation: Hot bath water. I can spend hours in the bath. I really enjoy isolation, and the bath provides me with that.

q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?

a)My main goal is just to keep working as a full time artist. I’ve done many many different jobs over the years before I started painting, and I was never truly happy before I became an artist. I get my drive from remembering what it was like to work on a hot, stinky, factory floor in a back breaking labour job. Then I return to painting with a fervour. Ideally I would become rich and famous, but I don’t think I create the kind of art that is going to make me rich and famous, or appeal to the people with that kind of money. The art world is a funny place. My long term goals involve making enough money from art alone to live a little more comfortably. Right now I make barely enough money making art to survive, and I own a really old and cheap flip phone. I’d like a new smart phone, with cool gadgets. Than I’d know I was successful ; )

q) When did you start using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?

a)The internet has changed the way the art world works, and I think artists and galleries are either adapting or falling behind. I started using Facebook to market myself as an artist and promote my art when Facebook was very young, and it was this type of social media that allowed me reach out to the world with my art and meet other artists, galleries, and collectors. I post all my new work on Facebook and leighcooney.com right away for my 4000 FB friends to see. What gallery in the world can guarantee that they will have 4000 potential clients from all over the world come in the door in one day? None, period. In the beginning I sold almost all my work through social media, but now I have more of a rapport with galleries and collectors. However I still sell a substantial chunk of my art through social media every day. I spend a couple hours every morning before painting updating my various profiles, responding to e-mails, and marketing myself. I recently sold a painting within 4 minutes of finishing it. That’s the fastest yet. It’s a good time to be an artist.

q) What do you obsess over?

a)Everything. I have a very addictive personality.

q) Do you have preferred working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?

a)I prefer to work during the day. I’m not a night person. I’m up every morning at 6am, and I work until the natural light fades. I will work under artificial light when I have to but I don’t like it. And I don’t like being up late, I get grouchy.

q) Do you do commissioned works?

a)I do a lot of commission work. Commissions keep me going, and allow me to have the time and income to focus on my own ideas. I’m currently working on a large 4 foot x 4 foot commission for a client in Los Angeles. It’s of him and his wife, but done in the style of the American Gothic by Grant Wood. I’m using the opportunity to really push the boundaries of what I can do. I’m very excited.

q) Any tips for emerging artists?

a)Yeah, utilize social media and work really hard. But work equally as hard at marketing yourself as you do at painting. But don’t be a spammer, find a balance. I love to chat about art and social media marketing in general, and I’ve done various radio shows, and magazine interviews on the subject. I always take e-mails from emerging artists and I answer as many as I can. Feel free to send me an e-mail to say hello, or add me as a friend on Facebook, just be sure to send me a message if you do, at this point I can only accept so many more facebook friends and I like to save the space for people who want to know me or my art personally.

q)…Your contacts

a)www.leighcooney.com

www.facebook.com/leighcooney

www.facebook.com/popfolkart

leighcooney@hotmail.com

www.twitter.com/leighcooney

InPrint Mag

2011-09-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

.....the new issue of''InPrint Magazine'' is out!!!!!Naturally I'm on with my art....with other fantastic artists....go now to watch it!!!!!!!!

http://www.inprint-mag.com/

Interview with Francesco Liggieri

2011-07-06T04:40:00.000-07:00

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

a)Francesco Liggieri, Venice, Italy

q) Why do you make art?

a)I make art because since the beginning I feel the urge to do it, I paint and draw since I was a child and it’s still a great passion to me, it’ll be like this forever.

q) How do you work ?

a)It depends, recently I work on childhood, studying its positive and negative side, the result of those studies are my artworks. However I work on everything that attracts me or is around me, being it public domain or not.

q) What´s your background?

a)I studied economy at high school while I studied artists I liked by myself. When I was 21 I came to live in Venice and attended Art Academy, where I learned a lot, I had the possibility to compare with others and I grew up increasing my art.

q) What role does the artist have in society?

a)I think that an artist should be artist, the role is not important. In my opinion an artist must express himself with complete freedom, not belonging to any “master”, he must be an observer that expresses himself through his artwork, speaking about his times.

q) What was a seminal experience for you ?

a)I was lucky to know many people travelling and through my art way. I think each of those persons and situations has been a basic experience to me, now I’m a more complete man and artist also because of them.

q) Has your practice changed over time ?

a)I believe it’s primary for an artist to change practice in time, I think it’s a positive deal, changing is always positive if you’re not afraid of it. I like to change, to express myself basing on my intents, with different mediums… yes I like it.

q) What art do you most identify with ?

a)As an artist I don’t like to be identified in some way or another, some style or another. However through exhibitions often happened to me to be “classified” as a neo-pop artist or post-pop artist.

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

a)It’s fixed in my memory as it was yesterday: on a newspaper at my grandmother’s I draw and painted with chalks on a photography of the “Guernica” by Picasso.

q) What themes do you pursue ?

a)Everything that does surround me, everything that does not, this matters to me.

q) Describe a real life experience that inspired you.

a)I have seen disabled artists painting with their feet or their mouth. Wonderful artworks, I was stupefied, talent is something indomitable.

q) What´s your most embarrassing moment ?

a)When I met Gerhard Richter at the 52° Venice Biennale. Wow! A “sacred monster” and me, was a strong emotion. Great one!

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

a)Many.

q) What responses have you had to your work ?

a)I was lucky having a public that recognizes me through the artworks I realize. Beautiful. Responses are almost always positive, and I love stop and talk with people attracted from my work, nice talking always start and both parts leave with something more.

q) What do you dislike about the artworld ?

a)I don’t like who fakes interest.

q) What research do you do ?

a)I look for imperfection in a world that looks after perfection.

q) What is your dream project?

a)My dream is to become one of the best artists of my generation.

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

a)“Don’t stop, work, don’t listen what’ll be told on you, produce, express yourself as you trust. I was right but they found it out just after many years” Leon Ferrari, an Argentine artist of some importance, told me at one of his exhibitions in Venice.

q) What couldn’t you do without?

a)What I love most, that’s for sure. Painting.

q) What makes you angry?

a)You trust me if I tell you I’m peaceful with the world?

q) What is your worst quality?

a)I never give up, never get to compromise.

q) Dogs or Cats ?

a)Cats.

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

a)Yes I know what you mean. But I think it’s many more things, not just like this!

q) What does “ copy” mean to you ?

a)I don’t like copying, I’d rather quote Picasso “I don’t copy, I steal”, I think it’s more correct.

q) What´s your favorite cuss word ?

a)“and you haven’t seen anything yet…” I love this sentence.

Interview with ManuelPabloPace

2011-06-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

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

a)My name is Manuel Pablo Pace, I was born in a post-industrial city, in the north-east of Italy.

I have been living here and there, especially in Spain, at the moment i live in Bassano del Grappa.

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

a)I realized for several years collage full of information; in the last year I felt the need to isolate the single scrap/frame so that it could enlarge and deepen... a story in the story.

Specifically I create portraits of children, adolescents with their families, using acrylic, pencil,

watercolor on paper, canvas, wood.

However I don't preclude any type of media and support, working with video, site-specific

installations, toys, assemblies, walls and everything is emotionally related.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)My work is a reflection of reality loaded with a strong subjectivism, and as such is evolving and in perennial movement. Non-static, the imbalance in the daily creeping doubt to whoever is willing to incorporate free images from superstructures. A sort of univocal conceptual line that plasmas itself with the flow of time, that changes shape but not substance. A cathartic process of self-analysis that works through the de-contextualization and self-appropriation of images of others to describe an intimate and personal experience.

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

a)I draw and paint since ever. In '93 I was doing graffiti.

At the age of twenty, while travelling, notes and sketches I worked as art-director on several short films, therapeutic art workshops and small self-managed exhibitions.

From an institutional point of view and visibility I consider the experience in Scope New York 2008 with the Stuart gallery ( Santiago de Chile ) has been very important, maybe a good opportunity.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)The things which inspire me are many, and their level of importance is univocal, therefore hard to select some or apply a ranking. Of course there are elements which recurs me: Clockwork Orange, Georges Bataille, Friedrich Nietzsche, Marcel Duchamp, Dostoevskij, Mozart, Crass, Fluxus, Situazionismo, Caravaggio, Basquiat, Goya, Picasso, ecc. ecc.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)“Humanoid” a collective in Milano at Mad Agency.

http://www.four-roses.it/blog/four-roses-presents-%E2%80%98humanoid

%E2%80%99-250311-photo-gallery/

“Ex-Voto” in Verona at Malacarne a site-specific installation made four-hands with Diego Knore

http://ammalarti.blogspot.com/

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

a)Absolutely, I listen to music.

Rock'roll, surf, garage, classic, punk, jazz, blues, minimal, electronic,...

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

a)Also in this case I don't want to preclude me anything. Every period has its own support and own technique, In addition to painting I am part of the Infart collective, organizing events and essentially exhibitions; for a couple of years I have followed the artistic direction of Ortobotanix, the physical gallery of Infart Collective.

I've also followed the artistic direction of various short films, I would to select one in particular in 35mm, made in Barcellona, with the director Juan Miguel del Castillo.

http://vimeo.com/8013360

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

a)Don't wait for anyone: collaboration and self-promotion are the fundamental elements for begin to show own work and to continue to show it.

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

a)“Pulsart” in palazzo Fogazzaro in Schio by Anna Pezzin on 2 July and

“Vulpem Pilum Mutare” at the civic museum in Bassano in the Infart event, exhibition curated by Carolina Lio, on 2-3-4 september.

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

a)http://www.deliriohouse.com/residents/ManuelPabloPace

http://www.infartcollective.com/

Interview with Jonh Brosio

2011-06-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

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

a)Who am I?! Still trying to figure that one out. I was born in Pasadena, CA and live just a mile or two south of that hospital now. I am currently 43. Incidentally, much of my family is from Piedmont and Torino but I have only been there a couple times. There is still family there.

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

a)I do just about everything but one day realized that life wasn't long enough for that so I stuck to oil painting - very traditional oil on canvas.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Not sure. I do recall when I kind of "gave up" on a few things and decided to just paint what I wanted to see. That is the secret. One cannot second guess their audience. It is most often a mistake to even try. You can dialogue with your audience because that is what you end up doing in any case. But my proclivities had me working with imagery that edges close to both life and death at the same time: tornadoes of course, dinosaurs, sharks, US military craft - things that are gorgeous in one way, deadly in the other. There is a lot of "definition" in what these objects represent, the degree to which they put us in our place and let us know how big or small we are.

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

a)One big break? I don't think so. As soon as I started showing my tornado paintings they sold rather well. But even some of the attention I originally sought was wary of my subject matter. I guess that can be a good sign too. But there is definitely quite a range of subject matter coming up. Stay tuned... :)

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)The power of nature, the cruelty of sadness, the need for noise to keep from thinking too much. As I get more mature these elements will hopefully become more palpable in the work. Right now it sometimes looks like a kind of goofy subject matter anchored in place with competent execution. I got that latter dynamic from Wayne Thiebaud, a very influential teacher of mine who would paint bright little toys out of a connection to more than was always depicted. A great little bright toy can be such a sad little miracle - something so optimistic in a world that always ends in stone cold death. I think he caught that.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)My octopus on a house painting, called "Fatigue," is both recent and has become very popular. It set the tone for a departure from twisters although there are many of those in progress. I have started seeing more brides show up in my paintings too - not so much like "Fatherless Bride" but as close and distant figures in my scenery. There are some still lifes coming up too.

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

a)I enjoy film scores very much but Beethoven is a huge influence. There are few things as visual to me as his music. I'm not even sure of what I'm seeing but I sometimes almost feel as if I'm stealing from him. Lately I've gotten into more obscure, modern classical of the last 50 years or so.

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

a)My hobby is still mask making. It happens from time to time still but takes more effort than I have time to give in doing it right. I also write. I have a book I've completed but still poking away at it, making it better. Don't know if I'll do much with it but hopefully!

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

a)Be excited about showing the work but not excited about "the scene." Work, yes, to be accepted by your peers. Start of showing in a coffee shop or some place you enjoy - some place where your friends already go. Perhaps slightly "underprice" your pieces at first. Maybe. Understand that a gallery addresses your work as product, as whether or not they can sell it, not whether or not it is any good. And a lot of galleries, if they do sell your work, will ask more of you than you can produce. Be careful not to become an employee of the art market. DEFINITELY watch out for that. Art, if it is any good, results from a need to codify and reconcile your relationship to the world, to realize something for yourself - if you lose this intimate experience then you are done already. I have been lucky in working with some galleries that are run by good people but I have definitely run into rapacious types as well.

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

a)Right now I am building up work. A lot of work. I hope to be approaching galleries very soon with the results. In the meantime I am in group shows here and there.

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

a)My site is best: www.johnbrosio.com

Interview with Abdul Vas

2011-05-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

qWho are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)my name is Abdul Vas, I am from guyana Dutch and was born in 1981, I live in madrid

q)What Is It That You do? What half do you use?

a)work in very different media, from drawing, to collage, I do inspired by the power of AC/DC

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)IF I THINK MY WORKS ARE OFFERING TO AC / DC

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

a)me my first opportunity the proposed gallery miami luis adelantado gallery, miami, FL, perform a series of truck inspired by the music of AC/DC

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Anal sex movies laura angel or sabrina rose, power of ac/dc, cockroaches, zon Very slutty girls in bed, Zionism ....

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I'm collecting all pictures of my series on North American trucks, for an exhibition that I will perform in September in the city of barcelona

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, Would You Give some example? I hear

a)AC / DC, maddy Waters, Pink Floyd, The Beatles ........

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

a)if there are topics that interest me for support, my works have a format established interest me the answers, no support

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

a)not have much experience in these matters, everything is a matter of working hard and not expecting anything in return

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

a)My next solo exhibition in September, private space barcelona

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

a)In this links: www.casadosantapau.com, http://www.flickr.com/photos/abdulvas/

Interview with How&Nosm

2011-04-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

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

a)We are the twin brothers How&Nosm, born in Spain, raised in Germany and we are currently residing in the Big Apple, New York.

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

a)Our passion is to paint large scale murals with spray paint and latex paint when we are outdoors and the rest of the time we spend in the studio painting canvas.

q) What do you think sets your work apart?

a)The main thing that sets us apart from the rest of the muralists is our elaborate murals with our own style and by using our signature colors white, black and red which in combination with our intricate imagery makes our body of work unique and recognizable at first sight.

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

a)We have been painting in the streets more than 23 years now and during that time we have had quite some highlights in our career that brought us a step further. But regardless of that each year we set ourselves a goal and that gives us the motivation to keep on working harder than others and reinvent ourselves and our style in painting.

q) What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Many things have inspired us but the most inspirations we get from influencing each other with our drawings.

q) What have you been working on recently?

a)Lately we have been working in the studio on canvas and have been getting ready for a solo show at the Known Gallery and Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles.

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

a)Yes we listen to music while painting but only in the studio. Groups like Junior Boys, Skyward Project and others are fun to listen to. But the rock oldies on the radio do it too.

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

a)Besides spray paint we use vinyl cell ink, acrylics and indian inks to to our canvas and we also use different types of materials to build sculptures.

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

a)Believe in yourself and be patient. Hard work will guide you to where you want to be and mistakes are being made so you can learn from them.

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

a)Like mentioned above we are having a solo show i LA this year on October 15th at the Known Gallery.

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

a)www.howandnosm.com
And on our flickr How and Nosm

Interview with Klone Yourself

2011-03-02T04:41:00.000-08:00

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

a)Most people know me by the name of Klone or Klone Yourself , I've been using this name for the last 7 years so it kinda stuck .
I was born in former USSR in Ukraine and moved to Israel about 16 years ago , nowadays residing in Tel-Aviv so this is my home , this is where I mainly paint and sleep , though whenever I travel , my home is on my back .

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

a)I paint most of the time and recently experimenting with installation/sculpture abit , I use mainly watercolor/acrylic/ink/spraypaint at this point , each medium for its surface .

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Hmm , I dunno if my work is that special or better then anything out there , for me its a way to try and understand my surroundings , I communicate better through visuals then words even though I'm not sure anybody out there actually understands this language I'm making .

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

a)I think my work is shown from the first time I painted outside which was in 1999 , but if you mean gallery wise , I started to take part in small group shows around the world around 2005 and shown here and there , in and out . I dont think I realy had a big break and I'm not realy sure what its all about , I would like to be able to keep painting , creating and living my way as long as I can .

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)The city , my childhood in Ukraine , my weird friends and everyday life .

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)Nowadays I'm preparing work for an upcoming art fair in Tel-Aviv , experimenting with paper and wood for an installation and planning out a mural for a museum show in the summer .

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

a)I usually put on local student radio station - 106fm.co.il that are playing indy music most of the day without any commercials, I spend many hours listening to music while in studio or while riding my bike and radio is the easy solution , plus you cant get more random then that with the music selection .

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

a)As I mentioned before , I've been experimenting with installation involving paper and wood at this point that hopefully I will be able to show at some dirty space :)

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

a)If youre looking just to show your work - just go outside and do it on the street , you can do whatever you want , will have tons of cool/weird/funny/scary experiences along the way , you will learn your city much better then you ever thought you can and you dont need anybody's approval .
On other hand , if youre looking for art world approval then maybe you need the art world way which includes artschool and all that jazz , anyway , no matter what path you choose , or combine them both , most important thing is to enjoy the process , if you loose the fun then its time to do something else .

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

a)Yes , I will be exhibiting as independent artist at the "Fresh Paint" art fair in Tel-Aviv in the first week of april 2011 and also I will take part at a group exhibition dedicated to artists that came from street work at Helena Rubinstein pavilion of Tel-Aviv museum in august 2011
other things might or might not happen along the way so if you realy wanna know updates on shows , check my site once in awhile - www.kloneyourself.com

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

a)www.kloneyourself.com

Interview with Judith Page

2011-02-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

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

a)I am Judith Page, an artist, writer and educator, who lives in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, I began making art as a child, absorbed in a world of words and gothic visions. I continued my focus on art and writing through high school and into programs in painting and art history at the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University in Lexington. I had little exposure to art other than what I found in books or slide lectures. My most profound encounters with “art” until I visited New York at age twenty-one were the sculptures in the Catholic Church that I infrequently attended with my father and visits with the vernacular artists and craftsmen of Kentucky.

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

a)I am a multimedia artist who focuses on the human condition and whose art consistently includes the presence of the figure. The form, however, has swung between representation and abstraction, and between painting and sculpture. Many works combine both these approaches in an installation format, and for the past ten years my art has also included collage, drawing, photography, sound, and text.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)My art is distinguished by its expressive use of media and biographical material. Using recycled objects, and real and constructed memories, I selectively reveal aspects of my personal history as I expose the underlying passion-filled dreams, persistent anxieties, and dark desires of humanity. An integral component of my art is the acrylic medium Tar Gel that has both sculptural and painting applications. Mixed with paint, it renders a full-bodied flexible high gloss surface perfect for creating “skins” that resemble, for example, lava or melting plastic. Tar Gel creates a sense of flux that bridges the gap between process and object—a gloriously seductive movement that spills across canvas or paper, and envelops whatever lies in its path. In other words, I want my art to express the relentlessly patient movement of time coupled with the possibility of cataclysm.

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

a)I have been showing my art for over thirty years. My “breaks” are not career enhancements but rather points in time where I feel that my art made a giant leap forward. One of these “breaks” was a trip to Italy in the early 1980s and another was in the early 1990s when I discovered the medium, Tar Gel.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Early influences were my father, an amateur historian, photographer, and raconteur, who instilled in me a love and respect for history and the creative process; my optometrist, the photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard, who influenced me through his commitment to a Gothic vision; and writers such as Flannery O’Connor, Ed McClanahan, and Carson McCullers who provided me with many potent visual images. Other influences include the Roman historian Tacitus; the politician Cassius Clay; the musician John Jacob Niles; and Southern vernacular artists such as Bill Traylor and Howard Finster.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)My most recent work explores the resilience of the human spirit played out through the juxtaposition of my personal history with the political, social and cultural history of our time. Working with the painting medium Tar Gel, my process becomes a metaphor for the fluidity of our dreams and aspirations as well as the fluidity of historical interpretation—an endless flow of vision and voice. I am embarking on a new body of work based on the writings of Edgar Cayce and the Oracle of Delphi.

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

a)I listen to both music (Philip Glass, The Talking Heads, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Steve Earle) and progressive talk radio, depending on the level of concentration I need. Often, I work in silence.

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

a)Networking is essential; nearly every gallery that I have worked with or exhibition opportunity has come through my peer group. An artist needs a good website as that is how your work is initially seen. Research is also important, find galleries or non-profits that are a good match for your art and your career trajectory.

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

a)My website is www.judithpage.com.

Interview with Susie Wright

2011-01-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

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

a)I am Susie Wright. I'm from Scotland and I live in Edinburgh and London.

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

a)I am an illustrator and printmaker. I mainly draw with pencil and pen and do silkscreen printing and photo lithography.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I like to think people can see that I love what I do.

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

a)I have been showing my work for about ten years now. No big breaks so to speak, more a series of continuous ripples.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Family, friends, wildlife around me, summers in Barcelona, being in Scotland, being in London and running.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)Drawing people and getting a new set of prints together.

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

a)I listen to the radio most of the time and a lot of 80's style music. I like the fast beat. But I also like to listen to films sometimes and classical music too.

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

a)I take a lot of photos and I love to cook.

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

a)Keep going until you get where you want to be.

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

a)A few shows coming up in London later this year.

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

a)www.susiewright.co.uk

Interview with Thorsten Schmidtkord

2010-12-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

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

a)Thorsten Schmidtkord. Born in Monheim, Germany, in 1970. I live and work in Düsseldorf, Germany, since 2004.

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

a)Advertising photography, corporate communications, my own creative projects.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I don't go out looking for what's there, but for what's not there. I capture the picture behind the story and not the story behind the picture. I capture the picture others don't see.

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

a)My new portfolio has been available online since the beginning of June 2010. But only my project "Head on Top" brought me a lot of attention - I have been showcasing this project on my website since November 2010, and have since had 3,000 visitors to my website. Many bloggers have been reporting on this project on their photography and designer blogs.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)My environment. Everyday situations. I often get my inspirations when I'm in the shower or in everyday life when things haben by circumstance.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I don't want to say anything about my latest project just yet. But I am very fond of my project "10,000,000" which I have been working on since 2006. Here's a short description:

The biggest invasion we have to fear today will not be the US army or Chinese copyright pirates. It is millions and millions of people who invade a place every year that offers the valuable resources sun and sea: tourists. Tourists like to stay incognito, they don't like to call themselves tourists. Yet, they can be easily identified as such, and tourist has become a swear word.
In Western Europe, Majorca has become synonymous with mass tourism. Majorca is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean, but it has sacrificed its beauty and nature for the sake of infrastructure and amusement opportunities to please the Anglo-German conquerors. Like a drug dealer Majorca lures them with endorphins, pheromones, ethanol and memories to recall back in the grey reality. But what does this temptress look like when she calms down? Reduced, naked, unattractive? Yes, but also natural, relaxed, melancholic....

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

a)No. When I'm outside I focus on my environment.

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

a)No. I only take photographs.

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

a)Go out there and show your work. Blogs are a great medium and will help to spread the word.

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

a)I am currently looking for a gallery to show my work. An exhibition will be the next step.

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

a)I mainly showcase my work on my website, there's a section dedicated to people. Other media might follow.

Interview with Thad Kellstadt

2010-12-13T04:39:00.000-08:00

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

a)My names Thaddeus Kellstadt. I was born in Ohio. I lived in Pittsburgh, pa for many years before moving to Chicago, IL. Which is where I live now.

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

a)I do a lot of different things. Painting, sculpture, video. I make zines and play music/make sound. I would say if I had to pin down one media that I work the most in it would be painting. Even though it’s the most frustrating.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I sign the back every time with my name. That’s a tough question. I guess I have worked long enough and had a particular vision in mind that I feel comes through in what I do/make. Is that style? I don't know. Style is a scary thing but also inevitable.

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

a)Around ten years. The first real show I took part in was in an old horse livery. That was 2001. A big break? Is this my big break? I’m not sure that’s happened yet, but if it has I am calling off work tomorrow.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)American Midwest culture. Psychedelia. My wife. My friends. Music. Some days I look at a weird pile of garbage and get totally motivated. So many different things.

Skateboarding was an early inspiration. Not only the graphics but how you look at things, things that may seem useless or arbitrary can become really

useful and amazing.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)A collaborative video with my friend Jerstin Crosby. We are working on two videos where we work on the sound and video independent of one another. Not knowing what each other is doing, just working with a set time frame.

The first video I worked on the sound and Jerstin worked on the video. You can see it here- http://vimeo.com/16488565

We are working on another with the duties reversed. It’s turned out pretty rad so far.

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

a)I love music. Old folk music. A lot of music from the nineties like older dinosaur jr, pavement and guided by voices. Old punk. Psychedelic music. As far as new bands deerhunter, animal collective and lot of my friend’s music as well gets played in the studio. Wu tang clan or old hip hop if I am a little depressed. I do that instead of taking prozac. Will Oldham is one of my favorites.

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

a)I work in a variety of ways/mediums. Mostly painting and video though. Sculpture but not in the traditional sense I guess. What ever means that I can execute an idea to the best of my ability. Sometimes an idea should manifest as a drawing and sometimes it should be a physical object. So I go from there and figure it out. I like that challenge. I like working outside of my comfort zone. But that can also lead to stress and to throwing away 50 percent of what I make. I also write poetry and I make little zines of those from time to time. And I am playing in a band called BEAST. Its two drummers and a strobe/synth player.

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

a)Find the right space. Be nice. Eat right. Get enough sleep. Don’t drink too much at your opening and let people talk you down in price. I think doing it yourself is a good start. Get some like-minded friends and have a really fun art show. Don’t waste money when you don't have too. Have fun. Embrace utter defeat. At least for a little while. Then again, don't get defeated if you don't have too.

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

a)I just had a solo show at Lump Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina. That was great. Amazing space. Bill Thelen runs it and he is one of the best art dudes/artists I have ever met.

So that was then, now, I am showing some work at Future Tenant in Pittsburgh, PA in Jan. and a few groups here in Chicago.

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

a)My website www.thadkellstadt.com. There are links to my videos and all my friends work there. Thanks for reading!

Interview with Lauren Poor

2010-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

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

a)I am Lauren Poor. I am from around Washington DC and I'm living in NYC.

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

a)I mainly take pictures, most often digitally, but I also love to paint, make videos, and create just about anything.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I'm not sure, I think everyone's art is different because they've made it and not someone else.

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

a)I've never had a showing. I would like to though and am working on some ways to do that. I don't think I've had a big break.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)I've been very inspired by Harmony Korine and Elliott Smith although I'm not sure if that inspiration is always apparent in my work. The inspiration that is used for my work is that which I get from the suburbs, my friends and life. To be honest, I am inspired by too much to put my finger on or explain.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)Lately I've been working on a ton of different projects, some that produce physical work and some that involve making magazines or bringing artists together. I've been experimenting with little videos and have been wanting to make a film for a while now. There is so much work to be done it is overwhelming.

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

a)Yeah, sure, I like to listen to a bunch of different things, but I constantly love Elliott Smith, Ben Folds, The Smiths, The Mountain Goats, Cat Stevens, and Rilo Kiley. I often listen to mixes while I work and I love mixes from this site: http://8tracks.com/teacakes because they have such a wide variety of music.

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

a)Of course, but maybe in some way they are all somewhat related to each other. I like to make little videos and stop motions and design magazines and create hats and paintings.

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

a)I don't know, I've never shown my work! But as for most things, I'd guess that it would be best to just be motivated and do what you like.

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

a)I wish. I have a secret project involving this subject, so I can't really say. If I go into an apple store I pull my website up on every computer, does that count?

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

a)http://laurenpoor.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lapoor/

http://lapoorvideos.tumblr.com/

http://namemag.tumblr.com/

http://untitledcollective.tumblr.com/

Interview with Chris Bird

2010-11-06T05:29:00.000-07:00

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

a)My name is Chris Bird, Im from London but worked in Istanbul for 12 years

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

a)I draw with ink mainly ...in the middle of the night recently I started to use photoshop for collage

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a) I can only say the drawings are a part of the night and a part of me

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

a)I drew for a few publications in Istanbul

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)the music of bands such as The Fall, The Clash and Joy Division, the art of Kathe Kollwitz

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)new more political ldeas..its time to stand against the government

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

a)I adore X RAY spex and a mix of punka nd indie stuff ..Ian Brown, Smashing Pumpkins, Gang of Four

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

a)I paint sometimes to try to test colours out

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

a)dont compromise to the desire of agents..demand the impossible

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

a)I sell posters at The Freedom Bookshop, Whitechapel, London

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

a)www.newseda.com

Interview with Buddy Nestor

2010-09-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

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

a) I am a painter named Buddy Nestor. I was born in Camden, NJ and grew up in Collingswood, NJ.

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

a)I paint loose portraits in acrylic, spray paint, charcoal and graphite on canvases.

q) What do you think sets your work apart?

a)Uhm. I work from photographs in tinted tones of gray, I try to leave hints of the photo in the portraits, but it is probably the glowing red blobs that set me apart, if anything.

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

a)I’ve been showing since about 1997 in California and on the East coast near Philadelphia. The biggest break I’ve had was a solo show at the “Toothless Cat” Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. J.L Schnabel decided to put me in there and introduced me to a lot of the local artists in town. That opened the door for me and I’ve been showing consistently since then.

q) What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Multiple wars, watching my wife give birth to my son, skateboarding, ghosts, cell phones, meat eating, veganism, Republicans, soccer, hippies, dreams, disease, vacations, baseball, self identity, sadness, love, morality, gluttony.............the gray area.

q) What have you been working on recently?

a)The last painting I fiinshed was a clown portrait of my son for Distinction Gallery in CA. I’ll be doing some food portraits soon for a show at Copro Nason in October. I have one large painting and three drawings that I haven’t done yet for the “Sublties in Character” show at WWA gallery in December. I’m constantly working on paintings for the Bloom Art Fair that is coming up at the end of October in Koln, Germany. Once all of that is done I’ll be concentrating on full sized human portraits for a while.

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

a)Slayer, Butthole Surfers, Melvins, A Storm of Light, Unsane, Pavement, Acacia Strain, Elliott Smith, Pinback, Blood Fountains, Pig Destroyer, Mastodon, Baroness, High on Fire, Jesus Lizard, Heavy Vegetable, Black Cobra, Decap Attak, Beyond Dishonor, Neurosis, Mono, Pantera....among many others. Music is the fuel.

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

a)NO.

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

a)Make art everyday. Make it when you are tired and sick. The”Genius” thing is bullshit. Art is a craft that takes time and dedication to perfect (or become semi-pro).

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

a)Yep, see question 6.

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

a)buddynestorartwork.com (which I don’t update much, because I’m lazy) or on facebook-Buddy Nestor.

Interview with Matthew Cusick

2010-06-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a) Making a large charcoal drawing of Captain America.

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

a) I’ve finally shaken off my influences. It was a burden. Good riddance.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a) An X-acto Knife, chisels, cigar boxes, glue, the phone book.

q) Is a formal education important?

a) Yes, but not as important as educating yourself .

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a) That it doesn’t require dedication and hard work.

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

a) Neither. They should compliment one another.

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

a) Persona, aggression, nihilism, language, time travel.

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

a) A Navaho drawing etched in stone from Canyon de Chelly

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

a) Francis Picabia.

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

a) Fay Ku.

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a) The last piece I finished.

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a) Doubt.

q) How do you define success?

a) Making a large charcoal drawing of Captain America.

q) What will be the name of your autobiography?

a) I would never write an autobiography.

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

a) Know your shit.

''I TAROCCHI DELL'ARCHETIPO BLU''....by Claudio Parentela

2010-05-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Wowwowwoooooowwwww!!!!!!!!....&yes....out

just now and just in these days my

new Tarots' deck....I've called them

''I TAROCCHI DELL'ARCHETIPO BLU''....

Do you like them...but naturally yes....

surely yes!!!!!!

They are editions directly cared by the Museum of Tarots

and chosen between artists’ works from all around the

world to leave a trace in the contemporary history of

tarots.These handbooks are editions with precious chacharacteristic,

in which are producted the Arcana in a small series from

500 to 1000 samples.

to buy them ...go to:

http://www.museodeitarocchi.net

http://www.claudioparentela.net