Interview with Catherine Ryan

q)Tell me something about yourself….What’s your background…?

a)I grew up in New Jersey and have lived in Oakland, CA for the last 10 years. I got a bfa at the California College of Art and recently dropped out of the mfa program at the San Francisco Art Institute.

q)When growing what was the greatest force pushing you towards art?

a)I don’t know. . .I just really enjoyed drawing from as early as I can remember and my parents were always really supportive.

q)Were you inspired/encouraged by any one person to pursue your craft?

a)I think everyone I knew was very supportive.

q)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

a)Drawings and paintings about people, animals and sometimes both.

q)Are certains colours,shapes that you’re drawn to?

a)I really like the effects that certain colors have when placed next to each other.
I like circles, but I generally like straight lines more than rounded ones.

q)What other talent would you like most to have?

a)I wish I could write songs and play the piano.

q)What’s your favourite mediums to work in/on?

a)Charcoal pencils

q)What artists influence or have influenced you(these need not be visual artists)and how have they done so?

a)A lot of the movies i watched when I was a kid, like: Return to OZ and Watership Down, so I guess all of those animators, artists, and cinematographers have been a huge influence. I think that I generally try to approach each drawing/painting as if it were a still from a greater movie/story-line.

q)What non-visual art interest you and does this have an impact on your art?

a)I think books have influenced me as much as visual art.

q)What do you think about artists using the Internet as a forum for sharing their work?

a)It’s good- it allows you to get exposure on a global scale and costs basically nothing.

q)What is your favourite toy,game or other artefact from your youth(and do you still own it)?

a)Trend Stinky Stickers----I still have the entire collection.

q)Got any new projects planned?

a)May:
•two person show at Tinlark Gallery in Los Angeles.
•shows with the Thin Ice Collective in Germany, Sweden, and England.
August:
•show with the Thin Ice Collective at Mina Dresden Gallery in San Francisco
September:
•solo show at Paperboat Gallery in Milwaukee.
•group show at SQFT Gallery in Nashville.
2008:
•solo show at Third Drawer Down Gallery in Melbourne, Australia

and this summer, the book Downy Bird Art Kingom Vol. #1 is coming out with a release party at OnSix Gallery in San Francisco. (downybird.com)



q)What advice can you give to other artists to help them improve their chances of survival in this global village we call our home?

a)Make art that you like.

q)Favourite books/authors?

a)I just read The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov-- that was pretty good.
But my overall favorites: Salinger, Joyce, Hemmingway, and Maupassant.

q)Favourite music?

a)I’ve been into really sentimental love songs lately (from the 60s and 70s).


q)What do you fear most?

a)Most recently, it’s been earthquakes.

q) Your contacts…

a) catherine@catherineryan.org
catherineryan.org
thinicecollective.com
thirddrawerdowngallery.com
tinlark.com

Interview with Rai Escalè

q)Tell me something about yourself….What’s your background…?

a)I´m Rai Escalé, painter from Barcelona, Spain.
I studied fine arts ages ago, but my background comes from my infinite apetite for images, and my eternal inner reflexions on painting.

q)When growing what was the greatest force pushing you towards art?

a)I always felt like I had to vomit my own images, something inside made me paint everything.

q)Were you inspired/encouraged by any one person to pursue your craft?

a)Everybody thought I was a failure, and some still think it.
Others think I make great images, and are right,

q)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

a)I would hit him in the stomach with my fist.

q)Are certains colours,shapes that you’re drawn to?

a)I always do portraits, and black is the queen of my pallette.
Absolutely.

q)What other talent would you like most to have?

a)I would like to draw and paint like all my masters together.
In general life, flying could be good.

q)What’s your favourite mediums to work in/on?

a)I don’t really care much about the medium, it depends much more on where I am and what’s available, but acrylics and indian ink are most used.

q)What artists influence or have influenced you(these need not be visual artists)and how have they done so?

a)All the great painters in history, I think,
For years I was obsessed by Goya and Bacon… now I take from every single one, from Leonardo to Pollock. Actually I love Barceló a lot, he keeps surprising me.

q)What non-visual art interest you and does this have an impact on your art?

a)Well music is a passion for me, and the moods it induces makes me paint in different ways, I think. I always paint hearing loud music, so my brain thinks very little or none, so I can paint free of trash… My favourite group to play while painting are Tindersticks.
I do it nearly always in my studio.

q)What do you think about artists using the Internet as a forum for sharing their work?
a)Internet has become a good place to share, and even more to network; thou is a different path that those in real life, sometimes being well placed in the net may help you with some opportunities, but one’s way still depend on those concentric real life circles and its growing… its your career that grows with them. And also, one needs to exhibit and sell pictures to live, and its silly to buy young art through internet. You must see it and smell it.

q)What is your favourite toy,game or other artefact from your youth(and do you still own it)?

a)I have bad memories from my youth and I don’t keep any toy or else.

q)Got any new projects planned?

a)In a few days I am meeting the slovak painter Milos Koptak, and we’re going to paint a mural in Pamplona(spain too). A piece 4 x 1 m. After that I am preparing my next solo exhibition, next September in Valencia (Spain)

q)What advice can you give to other artists to help them improve their chances of survival in this global village we call our home?

a)Work work and work in your studio.
If you haven’t got any studio, look for it and work work work there

q)Favourite books/authors?

a)Good ones

q)Favourite music?

a)Good one.

q)What do you fear most?

a)Violence .

q) Your contacts…

a)www.raiescale.info
http://raiescale.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/raiescale

Interview with Ellen Groth Reddie (Artoony)

q)Tell me something about yourself..What's your background...?

a)I'm a Norwegian but now living in the UK.I grew up in Norway, mostly in Oslo but I also spent some years in the north of Norway.I started painting drawing and very early and I tried to sell paintings to the local shops from the age of 10. I think the buyers were being polite!I left home quite young as I wanted to explore the world - always looking for the unusual and exotic.I travelled slowly across most of Europe and on the USA for several years, taking whatever work I could find which all adds to the fun of life!I was in Berlin for quite a while - a very exciting city with lots of art and inspiration.

q)When growing what was the greatest force pushing you towards art?

a)Escapism! I think the cold and darkness of the long Norwegian winters inspired me to create my own colourful fantasy world.Norway is a beautiful country but rather too quiet for me!

q)Were you inspired/encouraged by any one person to pursue your craft?

a)My parents were always proud of me and showed off my drawings to friends and relatives but my inspiration came mostly from dreaming.Later on when I went to art school in Oslo I was inspired and encouraged by my teacher - a lecherous sod but aren't all artists!!!

q)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

a)I tell them it's surreal pop art, or maybe cartoon style pop art with a touch of surrealism in some cases.

q)Are there certain colours, shapes that you're drawn to?

a)I am definitely a blue person, I love blue and use it a lot but I use all colours to create a happy positive feeling.I like smooth shapes and I always use a black line around the shapes, which gives the cartoon effect of course.

q)What other talent would you like most to have?

a)I really wish I had a musical talent and also that I had much better technical skills, but I never stop learning!

q)What are your favourite mediums to work in/on?

a)I have been painting with oil and also on silk which I really enjoyed, in fact I was painting individual dots with a very fine brush - pixels as they became when computers arrived!I also used to make large "sculptures" with papier-mâché which was messy, but great fun.More recently I have moved to my Apple Mac as my main tool, though I do still paint on canvas too.I currently create most of my pictures as free hand drawings on the computer and I then print them up on canvas or paper.

q)What artists influence or have influenced you(these need not be visual artists)and how have they done so?

a)Lots of artists - Chagall, Nolde, Gauguin, Dali and Magritte to name a few of the big ones.I am of course also a big fan of Lichtenstein and the whole pop art movement appealed to my rebellious nature.

q)What non-visual art interest you and does this have an impact on your art?

a)I love experimental theatre, and dance, film noire and animations.Music like Bjork and Nina Hagen and dark or twisted books - Roald Dahl's being an obvious example, another Norwegian who escaped!!!

q)What do you think about artists using the Internet as a forum for sharing their work?

a)If you are not very famous it's the easiest way to get exposure, but I sometimes regret that I can't get the size and vigour of my work across on a small screen.I use the internet to share my work all the time, it is part of modern life.

q)What is your favourite toy,game or other artefact from your youth(and do you still own it)?

a)My play-dough - though long gone.

q)Got any new projects planned?

a)My current project is to sell enough to get all of my pictures printed on large canvasses so I can exhibit a collection of them together at full size.

q)What advice can you give to other artists to help them improve their chances of survival in this global village we call our home?

a)Just don't give up keep on working and enjoy what you are doing. But I'm new to all this and not really the person to speak from experience...

q)Favourite books/authors?

a)I have enjoyed so many books and it is hard to choose a favourite but the one that recently impressed me most was The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri.

q)Favourite music?

a)I really like a lot of different music from classic to electronic and experimental.But as I mentioned somewhere else in this interview I like Bjork and she is somewhere on the top of my list.

q)What do you fear most?

a)In general I think the effects of global warming, with endless words rather than global action, are pretty scary. Maybe not for us but for future generations.I used to be impressed by the USA, but not any more...

q) Your contacts.

a) ellen@artoonyfactory.co.uk

http://www.artoonfactory.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/artoony

Interview with Karla Pringle

q)Tell me something about yourself….What’s your background…?

a)I have a background in Fine arts, animation, web design, and if you go back far enough- tap dancing.

q)When growing what was the greatest force pushing you towards art?

a)Probably my crazy family

q)Were you inspired/encouraged by any one person to pursue your craft?

a)An art teacher at high school.

q)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

a)That’s always difficult- especially with cab drivers – I generally make a lot of hand actions and then mumble something about children. But if it’s to a sympathetic ear then I generally describe it as a visual story that treats trash and images left over in pop culture like a longing love poem to an ex-lover. There is also something about creating places for things or ideas that haven’t been given a space before. The mediums used are mainly collage, felt pens, pencil, watercolour and I do like office materials like fluro markers, red pens and feint ruled paper.

q)Are certains colours,shapes that you’re drawn to?

a)I have a real fondness for supermarket shopping catalogues, especially when they have those sexy pictures of meat trays with a light parsley garnish. Other than that I like the space left over when you remove an image.

q)What other talent would you like most to have?

a)Math genius

q)What’s your favourite mediums to work in/on?

a)I like to work on paper, there is something placeless about it- Sometimes I imagine I’m drawing in a school yard or in a cherry blossom forest on paper I’d just made- or even at some Elizabethan palace dance. Basically I like the fibres, the history of the medium and its ability to move around so easily. But I also love working on computers, you can really do anything you want with them- especially with layering and transparencies –and they aren’t messy!

q)What artists influence or have influenced you(these need not be visual artists)and how have they done so?

a)John Wolseley, an Australian landscape artist. I love his mark making and I also always liked Mr Squiggle (Australian TV children’s show)- I loved how he made silly squiggles into ridiculous pictures and his explanation of them, and Dr Seuss- I love the oddness and naughtiness of his stories.

q)What non-visual art interest you and does this have an impact on your art?

a)I love gardening, open spaces, and weird things that mainly crazy grandmas would collect, like my peacock thermometer made out of pipe cleaners. I think sometimes my art is a bit of a fan letter to these people and places. There is something about sympathising with the unreachable, untouchable, forgotten or unloved. I really like objects that don’t seem to have a purpose but you can tell they were created out of devotion or obsession.

q)What do you think about artists using the Internet as a forum for sharing their work?

a)I think-bout time too. It makes you instantly connected to so many ideas, opinions and ways of creating. I love it.

q)What is your favourite toy, game or other artefact from your youth(and do you still own it)?

a)Probably my budgie – I called him Tootsie,(from the movie with Dustin Hoffman) and decided he was a homosexual, it gave me a starting point for accepting points of difference. Unfortunately, Tootsie went to the big Hollywood in the sky.

q)Got any new projects planned?

a)I guess I’m always planning little projects, life seems like a misty lake and there is always something else beyond the mist. (more mist)

q)What advice can you give to other artists to help them improve their chances of survival in this global village we call our home?

a)Put your art online, It is such a massive viewing platform.

q)Favourite books/authors?

a)I love Kurt Vonnegut – pretty much anything he’s written. Another favourite book is A Mapmaker's Dream, by James Cowan- it was really inspiring when I read it- I highly recommend it. Also another inspiring novel was Sam Watson’s The Kadaitcha Sung, It moves in another time, written by an Australian Aboriginal about Aborigines past and present in Brisbane, Qld. It’s kind of a science fiction/horror/romance/history – It’s brilliant.

q)Favourite music?

Mmm. my music collection is pretty eclectic, recently I found a collection of music on I-tunes entitled ‘Childish Music’ which is my favourite at the moment. I like instrumental’s that take you on a journey, and story telling lyrics. I also like a lot of bad 80’s music, it amuses me and annoys others. Talking heads are one of my favourite from that era. I have quite a few friends who are musicians so I listen and go and see their music a lot, like Ned Collette (www.nedcollette.com), and a very new Melbourne country/folk band called Slipper (www.myspace.com/slipperband)

q)What do you fear most?

a)Someone touching my wrists and Sharks.

q) Your contacts…

a)You can contact me through my site: www.somewhereafter.com

Interview with Jared Joslin

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)Jared Joslin. J-O-S-L-I-N.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I live mostly in my head, but I reside in Chicago. I work in a shared studio space with my brilliantly gifted wife Jessica, who pieces together incredibly intricate sculptures.

q) How did you started? How have you realized you wanted to become an artist?

a)I guess it pretty much started when I could hold something to make drawings with. I’ve maintained a creative push for my entire life. However, when I was around 16, I made a conscious decision that the artistic life was what I wanted and that I would pursue it tirelessly. It certainly has not been an easy route, but one I would not exchange even if I wanted to. For without it, my life would be incomplete.

q) What materials do you use and why?

a)I use graphite, brushes, acrylic paint, water and canvas.Why?They function as I want and need them to.

q) Who is your biggest influence, both art and non-art related

a)The biggest is a big word and I don’t think I could crown just one. I take much influence from the German painters of the 1920’s. The Golden Age of the circus. Fashions, designs and films of the 1920’s-30’s. I am also influenced by nature, namely birds and trees.

q) How do you dream up your wacky ideas? What is your creation process?

a)I find that you have to be ready to capture an idea, at any given point, regardless of where you are

or what you’re doing. For me, they surface randomly. I can’t conjure up an idea when forced and for each painting the process is likely to be different. To set up an example, the painting “Shore Leave” came to me while I was sitting at my kitchen table. It was late Sunday night and I was playing a game of Scrabble with Jessica. Hanging on the wall above the table, we have displayed a number of early 1900’s tattoo drawings, something that we collect. Sitting on the table, next to a tramp art lamp, is a 1940’s sailor girl figurine. I was looking at the tattoo drawings and at the carnival figurine, which was beautifully lit by the lamp and the idea of painting myself as a sailor on shore leave made itself known. I told Jessica this and after the game, we searched ebay for a vintage sailor uniform.Once the uniform arrived and I put myself in it, the visions of what I had in mind started to become even more vivid. I loved the idea of a sailor keeping an attentive eye on the sun setting over the sea, while also being delighted by the carnival and the girl on his arm. From that point on, it becomes the labor-intensive process of materializing that mental image onto the canvas.

q) What haven't you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

a)Master the accordion.

q) Are there any contemporary artists that you love?

a)Yep. I do consistently prowl for newly discovered gems, but more often than not, I am not stirred by what I see. Nonetheless, there are a good number of artists’ works that I love. Some of my long time favorites are: Jessica Joslin, Russell Joslin, David Lynch, Colette Calascione, Camille Rose Garcia, Matthew Barney, Michal Chelbin, Irina Ionesco, Paolo Roversi, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

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

a)I don’t really keep a log on this.It all depends on its physical size, the amount of detail within and how many consecutive days I can devote to it. In general, I would say 1 to 3 months.

q) What music, if any, do you like to have on while you're working?

a)I like this question. It varies day to day. Sometimes I work in complete silence, but many of the days my paintbrush flicks along with the music. I have a 5 cd disc changer that I like to put on shuffle play. Currently what I have playing is Marlene Dietrich, The Birthday Party, The Ravonettes, Louis Armstrong and Nina Hagen.

q) Do you do many art shows?

a)I frequently get offered exhibition opportunities, but recently, I’ve been very selective about what shows I want to participate in. To be part of a show needs to be worth the time. My most recent exhibition, which I was delighted to partake in, was a juried competition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery over the last 7 months.

q) Tell us about a recent dream you had.

a)I had a recent dream of a beautiful row of chorus girls on a black mirrored stage, wearing nothing but smiles and silver satin heels. All of them were platinum blond and their attractive bodies were covered in a soft, pale blue, peach fuzz-like fur. A brilliant light glowed from behind them, which shadowed their features yet haloed their silhouettes (reminding me of velvety deer antlers). As they began to dance a Rockettes-like dance routine in a synchronized rhythm, I realized the girls had the ability to retract their calves at the knee into their thighs. One girl would remain on her feet, while the other next to her would glide down to the floor until her knees met her tapped silver shoes. Their rhythm was like watching motor pistons and the clicking sounds they made hit in perfect succession and popped like firecrackers…*** I have apparently have been watching too many Busby Berkeley and Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies recently***

q) What are you doing when you are not creating?

a)Eating caramel apples.

q) Do you get emotionally attached to your work and do you miss your work when it is sold?

a)All my work is an extension of the self and the emotions that come with it. Without this attachment the work would be lost.Sure I miss it when it sells, but work needs to sell in order for the artist to survive and maintain the hours needed to devote to making work.I find it highly rewarding to have collectors personally connect to my imagery. I know if they are willing to spend the money, that they are serious in their intentions. I just hope that my paintings grow stronger and continue to be enjoyed and cherished.

q) What new projects or exhibits are in your future?

a)My newest project is a 6’ tall full-length self-portrait. In it, I am depicting myself as an early 20th century juggler in splendid costume.As far as exhibits, I’ve got some potentially exciting things percolating, but I won’t say what they are. I’m very superstitious this way. I think it best not to mention until they have fully crystallized.

q) What is your favorite art related web site?

a)Besides the individual sites of the Joslin 3, I’d have to say wurzeltod.ch. Suzanne is a peach with fantastic tastes and a stunning list of artist’s websites. I adore her and the time she devotes to her site.

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?

a)I guess it depends on what day you ask me. Living in Chicago offers up some prime opportunities to witness acts of strangeness. Since this is an art blog, I will retell a story that seems appropriate and certainly stands out as one of the strangest things I’ve seen. It was Friday the 13th (no bluffing!) 1998 and I was awaiting a gallery dealer (whom was considering giving me representation) to arrive to view my work. Pacing nervously around the apartment and keeping an eye out the front window for his arrival, I noticed from a distance, about 5 houses down, a pair of larger birds walking side by side down the sidewalk. As they began to approach my apartment building, I realized that they were spectacular show chickens, strutting their wonderfully colorful and fantastic plumage. As they arrived below my window, they took an immediate right turn into the street and then another right turn, to head back in the direction they had come. They did this with the same kind of precision as two marching soldiers. They headed back down the street and I could not take my eyes off them. They turned right again, back to where they began and disappeared behind the house. I never saw them again and still have not seen them to this day! I was beginning to think that I hallucinated the entire thing, when the gallery dealer showed up at my door. I asked him if he had witnessed the prancing chickens and to my delight, he had! This made for a wonderful laugh that broke the ice on our first meeting.

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

a)Pursuing the life of an artist, in all of its beauty and deformity.

q) Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)Don’t ever give up. Stick to your guns. Work your ass off.

q) Your contacts...e-mail.links

a)Website is www.jaredjoslin.com
Contact me at this email: jared@jaredjoslin.com

Interview with Veljko Onjin

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a) My name is Veljko Onjin, alias Mr. Benefactor.

q) Where do you live and work?

a) I live in Serbia, in Panchevo, very near to Belgrade.

q) How did you started? How have you realized you wanted to become an artist?

a) I have started with comics in elementary school. In that period of my life I was obsessed with comics and that was my first goal, to become a professional comic artist. But, I have changed my mind during high school. My grandfather was an orthodox icon painter and my aunt is expressionist painter. When I still was just a kid, I have found a book in my aunt’s studio about pop art (Lucy R. Lippard – Pop Art), I thought it was about comics! J And that book was the first serious thing in my mind about art…

q) What materials do you use and why?

a) Currently I’m using virtual reality. My work is a combination of photography and computer graphics. I print my work on PVC canvas in huge dimensions. Before that, I have used oil paint on wood, and, when I was a student, I did some experiments with car paint, tar, and fat.

q) Who is your biggest influence, both art and non-art related

a) My biggest artwork influence is Robert Smithson's Glue Pour. Smithson intended several tons of bright orange glue to be poured down a gently sloping hill. The viscosity of the glue was to be a wry comment on the easy trickles of wet color-field painting. That's the most inspiring thing that I ever seen in the art world. You can notice the influence in my series called "Plusminus".

q) How do you dream up with your wacky ideas? What is your creation process?

a) I try to be simple as possible. I enjoy to change the meaning of some existing picture with small 3D interventions. For example, to create ironic message with censorship, or to add a visual comment on some existing image. I always keep on changing my opinion about my work. I'm not satisfied and I always doubt... There's a lot of works that I have destroyed, because I have rigid judgment. When I work I like to discover new ways and to surprise myself. Improvisation makes me do that. That's the reason why I tend to work in series. Breaking the idea in small parts. If I create one good peace, I want to have thousand similar peaces... but that's impossible, so I must make changes, and that's the moment when the game starts... It's important to be surprised!

q) What haven’t you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

a) I want to direct a big movie. I have experience in some small video projects, like short video-art experiments. I have plans to join my 3D skills with digital camera, but right now I don’t have enough money to buy a good video camcorder… I hope this situation will be changed soon.

q) Are there any contemporary artists that you love?

a) Besides Robert Smithson I have many great artist on my mind: Arnulf Rainer, Cindy Sherman, Daniele Buetti, John McCracken, Matthew Barney, Thomas Rentmeister, Irwin, Araki, Richard Serra...



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

a) I usually take about 2 or 3 weeks to finish a piece, it depends on changes that I do after.

q) What music, if any, do you like to have on while you're working?

a) At the moment I enjoy the sounds of Otomo Yoshihide and electronic music of my friend Weird Cop.

q) Do you do many art shows?

a) When solo shows are concerned, I don’t have them often, but I had many group shows…

q) Tell us about a recent dream you had.

a) Well, time after time, I have weird snuff/gore dreams. It’s hard for me to write about them, but you can see some works that I did influenced by gore dreams, on my website (last picture in “plusminus” series).

q) What are you doing when you are not creating?

a) I love to play drums and percussions. Especially "tarabuka" (tarabuka is a small Turkish drum, you can find it in Balkans ethno music). Rhythm and motion are the things that I can't afford in my visual art, so I need that way of expression just to stay healthy and forget about computer.

q) Do you get emotionally attached to your work and do you miss your work when it is sold?

a) Yes of course, artist must be in emotional relationship with his artwork. I have that feeling even if I work in digital media. I’m always missing my digital print when it is sold. J

q) What new projects or exhibits are in your future?

a) I have two exhibitions in may, for sure. First one is on May the 10th, a group art show in Serbian fancy supermarkets, and another one on May the 15th, for a small art festival called “The Night of The Museums” here in Belgrade.

q) What is your favourite art related web site?

a) Well, I have many of them:

www.strangefruits.nl , http://ntmy.org , www.cpluv.com , www.rojo-magazine.com , www.shift.jp.org , www.ruby-mag.com.ar and my favorite: www.midnighteye.com



q) What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?

a) The strangest thing that I have ever seen was my own paunch from inside. I have swallowed a long hose with small camera on the top. It was in the hospital of course, and I have seen my paunch on the TV screen, I was so confused…

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

a) To have swallowed a long hose with small camera on the top.

q) any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a) Just do it!

q)your contacts….e-mail…links

a) My website: www.veljkoonjin.com
E-mail: veljanda@panet.co.yu

Interview with Lique Schoot

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)I am Lique Schoot, a woman artist, aged 37.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I live and work in Arnhem, a town in the east from the Netherlands. I have a studio in a former military barrack

q) How did you started? How have you realized you wanted to become an artist?

a)After my study in 1997, I decided to continue my way as an artist. I got money from the government, so I could develop myself as an artist and could work every day, with no money problems. After that period I got a grant, which is still my main income. Very luxurious

q) What materials do you use and why?

a)I work with oil paint, because of the technique I use, layer after layer. I like the paint because of the brightness of colours and the fact it stays wet for a long time on your pallet. For me it is the 'real' paint. I have tried to work with other paints, like acrylic, but I simply cannot work with it. It stays 'plastic'. Oil paint has a 'skin'.

q) Who is your biggest influence, both art and non-art related

a)Well, I don't know who my biggest influence is, but I like the great masters of paint, such as Vermeer, Rembrandt and of course Van Gogh. His work is really great, it contains everything good paintings must have: composition, colours,.... and the love and passion for the art, in his case it was for the painting..

q) How do you dream up with your wacky ideas? What is your creation process?

a)I see myself as a conceptual artist. I make a picture of myself every day. After working them on at my computer, they are the basis for my paintings. I like to work in series. The work goes about 'life' and goes along with life.

q) What haven’t you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

a)Ai, I am thinking about a lot of things now, but most of them I like to keep for myself. Talking about art: making an interesting movie.

q) Are there any contemporary artists that you love?

a)Yes, the photography of Nan Goldin, the paintings of Gerhard Richter, the sculptures of Berlinde de Bruyckere and some more, but from these artists I bought a catalogue recently.

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

a)It depends of the size, but a work sized 1 x 1 m: mostly some weeks and sometimes I finish a work a year later.

q) What music, if any, do you like to have on while you're working?

a)There is not one kind of music I like when I am working, it depends on the painting I am working at and in which stage it is. At a later stage, I prefer Tori Amos. At a earlier stage I like 'lounge' music, which is more neutral, but in both stages, it has to be very loud! (pour neighbours)

q) Do you do many art shows?

a)Yes, I think so, about eight a year, solo and group exhibitions.

q) Tell us about a recent dream you had.

a)I am not such a dreamer. I must have dreams, but cannot remember them afterwards. It doesn't interest me that much.

q) What are you doing when you are not creating?

a)Well, most of the time I am creating or doing things which are in some kind of way related to my work.
But of course, not always. I like movies very much, the ones of Tarkovski are brilliant. Movies can take me to another place, another world.
Having fun and discussions with friends and drinking port, is also okay!

q) Do you get emotionally attached to your work and do you miss your work when it is sold?

a)Yes, by some works I really get emotionally attached. Working on Self-Portraits can be very confrontating. The longer I am working with the subject now, the easier I can take distance of it.
Some works I sold, I really miss, so now when I have the feeling I like a work very much, I simply won't sell it.

q) What new projects or exhibits are in your future?

a)At the moment I am still working on the series of paintings from 1 x 1 m, all taken at my pillow. They are for an exhibition I have in April, called Seduction.
At H87, an alternative artspace, I am going to make an installation, called: Self-Portrait in 36 days.
In the beginning of July, I am going to do a project in Magdeburg (Germany), making 7 large paintings in black and white, every day one painting.
And further: I have sent some documentation to artspaces, but I have to wait for answers yet.

q) What is your favourite art related web site?

a)Well, I am not that much on internet, but some time ago, Awahito Abino, a webblogger asked permission for putting a painting from me on his site http://travelinghost.blogspot.com/2007/01/lique-schoot.html I took a look at it, and I liked it very much, especially the pictures he put on 'Alice', his site looks like a virtual museum, really great. To find out about these sites, I have to look ofter on internet, but time is my biggest enemy .

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?

a)Well, I don't know if it was the strangest thing, but the artwork 'shocks' me, the sculpture of Berlinde de Bruyckere, called 'Horse Jelle'. Like Kant would say: sublime

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

a)I will keep this for myself.

q) any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)To follow your own way and to develop a style which is totally yours. Having discipline and of course pleasure in what you are doing. Stay close to yourself and don't try to be fashionable.

q)your contacts….e-mail…links

a)I have a website you can look at: www.liqueschoot.nl

Interview with Blair Wilson

q) Something about you...what you want...

a) I'm 6 feet 2 inches tall, my body weight is 170 lb., and I have a 40 inch chest with a 35 inch waist and 38 inch hips. I want a balanced view of nature, humanity, and the universe.

q) What are your main goals when you create?

a) Grow, develop, progress, show, and make a living.

q) Do you rule by any tendency in your creative work, or you only follow what comes in your mind?

a) I speak with a voice of distinction, clear and with a strong singular, instantly recognizable quality.

q) How has the Internet and your website helped you spread your artwork to a wider audience?

a) It has helped by new and old friends having easy access to my work, my story, and a means to contact me directly. People I've not heard from for years suddenly appear. The care and attention I delivered via snail mail (pre Internet) during the height of my zine networking days I can now place into emails and work on the Internet and my database.

q) How do you define your style and how would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

a) Amazing little paintings, small and concentrated. Moving through chapters, overlapping, adding, learning, and focusing, drawing, designing, painting, with compositional, spiritual and material explorations.

q) What materials do you use to realize your creations?

a) Acrylics are my primary material or medium. I enjoy the water based cleanup, quick waterproof drying, strong durable finish with paper, wood, canvas, and found objects. I also use pencil, paper, and black ink at home and in the field for finished and preparatory works. It is important to experiment with materials, I also like to try home improvement and gardening supplies in some projects.

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

a)

a) taste...unsweetened chocolate, garlic, onion, cabbage, and celery.

b) sound...stereo sound with 3x subwoofer

c) sight...clear and more focused as you get closer.

d) scent...citrus, ozone, eucalyptus, menthol, popcorn

e) tactile sensation...soft.

q) What are you doing now ... your current projects...?

a)I’ve currently produced hundreds of paintings, enough for 3 or 4 shows, complete bodies of work. I’ve produced numerous paintings close enough to being finished, but far enough from being ready to show, that I can continue to build the groups into coherent packages. I’ve been honing my art framing techniques so as to create acid free environments with panache, ready for exhibition and sale. I’m also applying for grants and group shows. Donating to charity auctions. Working on my writing, website, network, and database. I’ve been landscaping and sculpting in my back yard. Always working toward more painting and drawing.

q) Do you listen to music while you’re painting and what do you listen and what do you like to listen?

a)I always listen to something while working. Rock, punk, hippie, experimental music, news, talk, and comedy. I have a small TV on also with local and national broadcasts and DVD’s.

q) Do you draw influences from a wide range of artists, musicians, books...?

a)Yes, I use the library every week. I like history, self help and nature books and CDs and DVDs. I regularly attend many art shows in galleries, museums, and lobbies to gain perspective.

q) Name 3 things you couldn’t create without?

a)My nearsightedness, calm regular breathing, and correct posture.

q) Where have you shown your art...?

a)Through zine and magazine publications in North America, South America and Europe. With my gallery shows, Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver Canada, New York City, and Pendleton Oregon.

q) What haven't you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

a)Space Travel, and a show in the White House.

q) How important is self-promotion for an artist nowadays?

a)Representing yourself cannot be underestimated. To learn, you need to put yourself out in the world and accept criticism and rejection as a means to acceptance and praise.

q) Would you say that your work consciously reflects characters and situations found within your daily life?

a)Currently, I'm using the emblems of the state to reflect on centers of power. I've united with state seals, flags, birds, flowers, trees, monuments, documents, and statues that fill my consciousness and pass through my situations.

q) Favorite book?

a)World Book Encyclopedia. Recently, I acquired an incomplete 1974 set that has proved to be a valuable reference and catalyst for my creative process.

q) Designers / Artists you admire?

a)Helen Frankenthaler, Jacob Lawerence, Julie Doucet, Jack Kirby , Laurie Anderson, and James Lavadour.

q) Your contacts...e-mail...links...

a) PO BOX 12368Seattle,

Wa 98111

FHTB@aol.com

www.blairwilsonblair.com

''L'ERETICO COWBOY''

...Finally for&always for Underground-Press(http://www.underground-press.net/ 36 pg. – 21x15 – b/w - 4,00 €) ...&yes...&finally&...&just now is on the true paper...& it's out ...&in this world my new ''comic''(...?...!) book...:''L'ERETICO COWBOY''...

...Yes naturally I could tell you something on the story...but I don't now if I want to tell something becouse I don't know if today I'm so good to tell you something...

...Well..it's a strange story really,but believe me it's a true story...how much love...how much pain...how much of all in this story...but if I've to be sincere just now I don't remember well what I've drawn and written in ''L'ERETICO COWBOY''....but also and just now I think it's not so important tell something on ''L'ERETICO COWBOY...so go to Underground-Press(http://www.underground-press.net/) and buy it...soon....now!!!!!

Love&Death

Claudio Parentela

Interview with Jennifer Mae Hill

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a) Jennifer Mae Hill
a.k.a. Jenny Mae

q) Where do you live and work?

a) Columbia, South Carolina

q) How did you get started? How have you realized you wanted to become an artist?

a)I’ve always created. I started doing collage when I was six years old. I’ve been involved with theater since middle school. I met my husband when I was nineteen at a puppet theater. We would travel around the state doing puppet shows together. He is an artist and encouraged me to take my art a step further. He really nurtured me and gave me confidence to share my artwork with others. The first time I ever sewed anything was a sock monkey about eight years ago. It was the traditional kind, with the big red lips and red butt. I really enjoyed making it and decided to make some more messing around with the design. All my friends loved them and started asking to buy them. I ended up showing a set of ten in my second ever gallery show and they all sold. I realized then that I was on to something.

q) What materials do use and why?

a)I often use old clothes to make my fabric creations. I like the idea of recycling fabric, but I also like the memory that the garment holds. What the garment was often influences what it becomes. An old prom dress, a pair of comfy worn in pajamas, or a pink bunny suit from Fredrick’s of Hollywood, they all lend themselves to the final creation. And then there are the socks, they are all bought new and fresh because used socks kind of gross me out.

q) Who is your biggest influence, both art and non-art related?

a)My husband Mr. Lyon Forrest Hill, Jim Henson, Walt Disney, Mary Blair, Tim Burton, Cartoon Network, Hello Kitty, Japanese cute culture, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Sideshow freaks, Taxidermy, the color pink, cupcakes, crafty grannies, Alice in Wonderland, my kitties Pieces and Professor………

q) How do you dream up your wacky ideas? What is your creation process?

a) I keep a sketch book where I draw out ideas I have. But very often I just wing it.
Sometimes I’ll start something with out any real plan, it just happens organically. I
make Voodoo Dollies that come in there own decorated coffins, these I make assembly line style.

q) What haven’t you done yet that you definitely want to try some day?

a)I’d like to design and make clothes. I just learned how to use a sewing machine.
Lately I’ve had visions of great big fabric creatures that you can curl up on and take a nap. I’d also like to be a mother.

q) Are there ant contemporary artist that you love?

a)Liz Mcgrath, Mark Ryden, Seonna Hong, Dave Cooper, Chris Ware, Junko Mizuno, Camille Rose Garcia, Minza Wada, Miss Van, Fafi, Renee French……..

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

a)Any where from 30 minutes to 3 months.

q) What music, if any, do you like to have on while you’re working?

a)Dresden Dolls, Nina Simone, Fiona Apple. But to be honest, I mostly watch bad
cable TV and NetFlix while I work.

q) Do you do many art shows?

a)I do a few a year. Mostly local, although I’ve shown as far away as Italy.

q) Tell us about a recent dream you had?

a)Last night I dreamt I took my giant, beloved, five year old aloe plant to see a movie. But the theater was crowded so we couldn’t sit together. My plant was towards the front and I was in the back, and the whole time I was consumed with fear that someone would knock it over or spill their soda on it or something. I don’t remember what movie we went to see, I was too worried to enjoy it anyway.

q) What are you doing when you are not creating?

a)I wait tables at a locally owned restaurant. I’ve worked there for almost six years
and the people there are like my second family. I work for great people who take good care of me and are very supportive of my art career. I also do some acting as well. I also love to sleep.

q) Do you get emotionally attached to your work and do you miss it when it’s sold?

a)I do get attached to my fabric creations, they’re like my little babies. But I love to
hear from people who have bought them, to hear what they’re lives are like now. For example, one creation recently spent the weekend on a farm with the little girl she now belongs to, and one woman drives around with her creation buckled in to the passenger’s side seat.

q) What new projects or exhibits are in your future?

a)I’ll be having a one night only trunk show at the Columbia Museum of Art in
October that I’m very excited about. And my creations will be appearing in the Dustin Hoffman/ Natalie Portman film “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” in November.

q) What is your favorite art related web site?

a)

www.Juxtapoz.com


q) What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?

a)My husband and I attend puppetry festivals every summer, and I’ve seen some of
the most surreal, coolest stuff at those festivals.

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

a)My husband and I had our honeymoon in Amsterdam. On the second night we
were there we some how ended up on stage during the audience participation section of a strip show. I won’t go into details, but it involved me, my husband, a stripper, a banana, a man in a monkey suit, and an audience full of Japanese business men.

q) Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)Don’t be afraid of putting yourself out there. And just keep swimming.

q) Your contacts, e-mail, links

a) www.Jennymae.com
Jennymae18@hotmail.com

Interview with Michael C.Hsiung

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)My name is Michael C. Hsiung. I’m a thirty year old Chinese boy. I have a moustache and like to draw.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I live in Korea Town, Los Angeles and work at a museum as a grant writer’s assistant.

q) How did you get started? How have you realized you wanted to become an artist?

a)Well, I’ve always been drawing stuff since I was a kid with my sister, but it wasn’t until the last year that I found myself becoming more serious about my art and becoming an artist. Prior to this, I was miserable and working as a background investigator in San Jose, CA. It wasn’t till I quit my job and moved to Los Angeles that I even started drawing again. Then it all sort of happened. I found myself doing it more and more.

q) What materials do you use and why?

a)I use Micron pens, mostly black and red, as well as a blue sketching pencil because they allow me to draw mermen and obese men with greater detail and fluidity than other utensils.

q) Who is your biggest influence, both art and non-art related

a)My sister Pearl.

q) How do you dream up with your wacky ideas? What is your creation process?

a)Sometimes I have the idea already in my head-like mermen. I was drawing fantastical creatures and mermen were the natural progression for me. With other drawings I start more organically…by just sketching shapes and then eventually filling those in. Those drawings sort of form themselves.

q) What haven’t you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

a)Etching, wood carving, lasers…pretty much everything.

q) Are there any contemporary artists that you love?

a)Yes, I really like contemporary artists Pearl Hsiung and Mike Stilkey.

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

a)Depends. Sometimes I can draw something in 45 minutes and sometimes I’ll have something partially drawn which I’ll be unable to finish for days. It depends if the drawing is “making sense” to me I guess. Sometimes I can finish them and sometimes it takes a while for me to figure out the missing piece.

q) What music, if any, do you like to have on while you're working?

a)I love to listen to music while I draw and sketch. I’ve got an old turntable that I like to play old moog records on. In my stereo I have cds by local musicians. Right now I’ve got my friend Deepakalypse’s cd on repeat. It’s really good.

q) Do you do many art shows?

a)I’ve done a handful of art shows at the Hive Gallery and Studios in downtown Los Angeles and Echo Curio Gallery in Echo Park. I’ve got a collaborative show planned at Gallery Revisited in June 2008.

q) Tell us about a recent dream you had.

a)I just recently had a dream where I had four cavities in my mouth from eating so many chocolates. I had to go to the dentist and I was pretty much screaming for my life. I think I need to start flossing more.

q) What are you doing when you are not creating?

a)When I’m not creating stuff, I’m hanging out with my friends, thrift store shopping, reading, record collecting, drinking or watching movies.

q) Do you get emotionally attached to your work and do you miss your work when it is sold?

a)I actually do get attached to my works. It’s strange, but sometimes I miss some more than others, especially if they are drawn and then sold in a fairly short period of time. It happened with the piece “The Man Wrestling the Giant Worm In Cronos.” I still miss it.

q)What new projects or exhibits are in your future?

a)In June 2008, I’m working on with my friend Kathleen Brzezinski on a book of drawings and stories for a 2008 show at Gallery Revisited.

q) What is your favourite art related web site?

a)Ourartsite.com – it’s a new site with great art and blogs.

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?

a)Well, once when I was sitting on the lawn at the school I attended, I saw an eagle scoop up a squirrel from a tree and take off, but the squirrel started to struggle a bit. So the eagle dropped it from great heights ¬-- and the squirrel hit the roof, slid down the pavement, got up, shook it head and ran away. I was dumbfounded that it was so resilent.

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

a)When I was living in an apartment, my roommate Brian and I were pretty much starving. We opened our refrigerator and saw two things – a beer and some top ramen instant noodles. We did what anyone would do. We boiled the noodles in the beer. It was disgusting.

q) any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)Draw, draw, draw and have fun doing it. If you make a mistake in your piece, I would leave it in.

q)your contacts….e-mail…links

a) michaelchsiung@gmail.com
www.michaelchsiung.com
blog: http://www.ourartsite.com/hsiung/