Saatchi Online Interviews

From The Studio of ... Alexey Adonin

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:12:57 -0400

Favorite material to work with? Oil paints. I have never felt more comfortable with any other material. What themes do you pursue? Early in my life my father instilled me love to nature by taking me on the weekend trips. We’ve traveled far away from the city to the rivers and forests, distant lakes. I was amused by the horizon, watching it mystic mirages, and somehow felt attachment to this beautiful scenery. Nature is religion thing to me, it has nothing to do with the ordinary, always is mysterious and full of secrets, and is a spiritual place. So everything that I have ever come up with has it origins there. But for me it wasn’t enough - simply to copy what you’ve see. Everything should be viewed through the prism of imagination, and it should stay above all other rules of artistic logic. For instance, I was thinking about what the world might look like if I was an alien being. Would I see it as a human or it would be something completely different? In the result turned very experimental series of works called “Extraterrestrial Artifact”. I love to be in the middle of nowhere, lying alone in the field, listening to silence and observing the early morning fog that surround me. And when I’m coming home I’m trying to apply those glimpses of memory on canvas. The series called “Mystic Origin” is a real successor of my early life experiences and logical continuance of my thoughts about nature and how the human integrates in it. It has more mystic atmosphere that everything I’ve created before. “Red Planet” is available for sale at Saatchi Online Original: $2,145.00 Prints Start At: $22.00 Though I don’t consider myself religious in its traditional way, I find everything related to it extremely interesting to me. My recent efforts are a series of works that deals with psychological aspect of a human being: religion and beliefs, love and sex, psychedelic experiences. It has a little bit different approach, more personal touch. I believe dreaming and imagining are very important parts of my life, because the ultimate goal of an artist is transforming his vision to the viewer, making the viewer empathize it with the artist. When I paint, mind is revealing something by creating the worlds that don’t exist. And what could be more interesting than the discovering new worlds. How many years as an artist? I’ve drawn from childhood, but there was a long (10 years) pause. I am glad to be back after such a long period. Since then I haven’t stopped. Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type? Over past years I’ve made (mostly ink on paper) a big amount of drawings, some of them turned out are fully completed graphic works, and others are just very minimalistic and they are good as they are (in its simplicity). They shouldn’t necessarily become a large-scale work. Actually very little from my sketches eventually made its way into the canvas and if it did - only partially. I think painting should walk through a sort of evolution in a real time. It’s a child that born from symbiosis of feeling and spirit. Preconceived idea often simply kills this free transformation. I don’t really know in what direction it will go. The process is largely-intuitive - a voyage of discovery - which is how I like it. Where is your studio? I use a little corner in my room as a workplace… unfortunately. I wish I could have something better. Why do you make art? I like process of constant search, bringing elusive thoughts to the light - experimenting and mixing things. Art school or self-taught? I studied at the art school for children and later at the Arts College (Grafic Arts program). Prefer to work with music or in silence? I listen to music when I can. I wish I could have more heads to listen different records at the same time. iTunes, spotify, records? Records! Only quality music! No mp3!

Favorite sound? An ambient electronics music, especially from mid 80’s. What’s around the corner from your place? A valley with sounds of birds. It’s often under the heavy fog in the morning. One of my favorite inspiration places. Who are your favorite writers? Nikolai Berdyaev, Vladimir Solovyov, Alexander Belyayev, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? I probably would be a musician. A multi-instrumentalist.

“In The Quiet Stream” is available for sale at Saatchi Online Original: $2,002.00 Prints: $22.00. Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? It’s quite obvious; I would like to make living as an artist now. Though there is nothing wrong with the second statement too. What do you collect? My favorite music records, running out of place already… Use anything other than paint? I recall I have used degreaser for my work “Randevu”. Very stinky stuff… Onetime experiment. Representational or Surreal Surreal with elements of abstract.

Is painting dead? It’s not. No computer software can compare to this living and breathing handmade product. Painting Inside or Outside? Inside. I love comfortable warm place to work in.

From The Studio of Lauren Cohen

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:05:38 -0400

How many years as an artist? Probably 6 as an informed artist; although growing up, I was always exposed to art. Your paintings seemingly occupy a space somewhere between the frantic cartoon-nature of Laylah Ali’s paintings and the uncomfortable serenity of Peter Doig; how do you approach humor and mood within your work? My interest has been in the theatrical facades of historical events, be it Revolutionary War reenactments or tours through old plantations in the South. I’ve been wanting to find more contextual information about the individual lives of people during different time periods. My recent works act as stage sets for imagined performances. I’ve been choosing compositions that are more cinematic. Like Ali, the approachable, cartoon-like depictions of my figures draw the viewer in. Once the attention is grabbed, you begin to look closer at other elements. The dark tension in Doig’s and my works, come from the way we create realistic snap shots of places. The viewer questions if what we propose in our paintings really exist. I feel that both of these moods are inherent within people. To take that further, these moods can be found in actors and actresses who emulate these extremes. I’m interested in the human yearning for success and to be seen or recognized. How do you approach your painting practice? Do you work from photos, do any initial research or are you more interested in setting up a framework that evolves through time? I do a lot of activities outside of the studio to get inspiration. I take photographs of friends and family and spend hours gathering images on the internet in order to cut out what I want to use in the painting (using Photoshop). I then paste the fragments onto a digital file of the piece I’m currently working on. I sit in café’s looking at these mock ups, changing the compositions and colors etc. The images trigger me to do extensive historical research or read about current events in various communities. I have hundreds of these files on my computer. I suppose they could be thought of as sketches. When I feel I have a clear understanding of what I’m trying to convey, I paint. I repeat that process about ten times before completing a piece.

“Daze Of Yore” available for sale for $3,000.00

Where can we find you outside the studio?

I am an Emergency First Responder through the San Francisco Fire Department. I dream that there will be big disasters so I can rescue people. I sleep out in the woods on the ground, volunteer for California State Park’s removing invasive plants and building walls etc. I go to improv comedy clubs, amusement parks, plays, musicals and opera and find historical reenactments (the ones in New England are the best; you see guys wearing 18^th century garb, getting a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts before the battle begins). You just got accepted into the Masters program of the Royal College of Art in London. What attracted you to the program and what changes are in store for you as you move away from San Francisco? Initially, I was drawn to RCA after seeing who has come out of the program; Chris Ofili, Tracey Emin, David Hockney, to name a few. I had been feeling overwhelmed by the competition of artists here in the states. You either go to N.Y. or L.A. I wanted to do this differently. I think it’s really important for me, and my work, to have a global perspective. I also knew I wanted an incredibly intense program. The professors in my interview were impressed by my enthusiasm and confidence towards my work and what I planned to do while at RCA but I was told by one of them that my work was “really undergrad.” He went on to say that they wouldn’t let me leave their school making that kind of work. I loved that; it was so hardcore. I’m going to grad school to grow, the work does need to change.

“A New Kind of Treasure” is available for sale for $4,000.00

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? You have to love this (this, being an artist). I listen to the lyrics of Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes. Together, they are so confident. They say, “see the way we all in it, we all up in the race… gotta taste it and I gotta grab it and I gotta cut all through this traffic just to be at the top of the throne but I know I gotta have it… look at me now.” Two of my peers from Skowhegan are going to grad school this fall as well, Heidi Hahn to Yale and Tatiana Berg to Columbia. The ferocity and pride in a lot of rappers songs resonate with me, but I should clarify - we’re not just spotlight hungry, as many music videos display. We seek knowledge and to grow from our Alma Maters.. it’s deeper and less fly by night. No offense to the Lil Mammas or Jim Carey’s out there. Prefer to work with music or in silence? Rap, Hip Hop, Blues, showtunes and Danny Elfman are some of my musical influences. I watch music videos while I work. I love Japanese commercials selling products like yogurt or anything by Kyary Pomyu Pomyu. I make up elaborate dance performances in my mind of strangers walking down the street. On your website, there are samples of your paintings turned either into animations or taking a sequential nature like animations; what drew you to this process? Was it the desire to imply a narrative or do you have an interest in comic books and animation? I felt the need to add movement to my paintings. After doing so much research about the entertainment industry, stages and performances, animating the work was the next obvious step for me. I’m not incredibly interested in giving a clear (spoon fed) narrative in any of my pieces. I want to give the viewer these fragmented elements and have them piece it together. The hope is that they can look at a painting like, Zef Flavour, and go on a similar journey of thought that I went on in order to make the piece.

“Ongoing Exhibition” available for sale at Saatchi Online.

What can you tell us about your “Ongoing Exhibition” series? Ongoing Exhibition is one canvas that gets painted over and over, showing different exhibitions. A middle-aged man stands on a pedestal in a gallery and I create various pieces that surround him. I’ve made this series into an animation that captures the first day and night of the show opening (hence the light to dark effect). One of the six rotations called, “Redeemer Above Morrinho,” was inspired by a piece I saw at the 2007 Venice Biennale called, “Project Morrinho.” It was created back in 1998 by a group of youth living in Rio de Janeiro as a way to escape and challenge the negative perceptions of the Favelas. The giant female sculpture is Beyonce on tour in Rio. I’ve positioned her to look like Christ the Redeemer above the people of Brazil. Greatest achievement? Being able to work with amazing artists and thinkers at Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture and getting into Graduate school (where I will have the opportunity to continue that level of dialogue and intellectual growth/stimulation).

“Snow” is available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $4,000.00 Prints Starting at $50.00

Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? I’m still single. You know, Marina Abravomic said it the best; why there are so few female artists who succeed: “it’s because women are not ready to sacrifice as much as men. Women want a man, they want a family, they want to have children, they want to be loved, and to be an artist. And they can’t; it’s impossible.” Now, I’m no feminist, but here I am eating Hormel chili from a can, sitting in my closet making another painting that may or may not entice the writing of an Art Forum critic. Either way, I hope to make work that is interesting enough to be seen at some point in time.. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Neither. I want my work showing up behind Yolandi Vi$$a in a Die Antwoord music video. Favorite contemporary artists? There are so many. Several favorites are, Kirstine Roepstorff, Nigel Cooke, Yuko Nasu and Yinka Shonibare. If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be? I want Ron Mueck to make me his interpretation of the Devil and God. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Emily Wardill. I saw her work, Fulll Firearms at the Serpentine Gallery earlier this year and was completely blown away. Is painting dead? I’ve found the discussion around this topic to be lively diarrhea.

From The Studio of Mark Posey

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:11:52 -0400

What is your medium? For many years I was working exclusively with oil paint. I come from a very traditional school that focused on traditional oil paintings. Recently however, I have switched to Acrylics. I feel that acrylic paint is more suited for capturing my energy and emotion because it forces me to be much more impulsive with my color and composition.

Tattoos? Yup. I have always had a natural affinity for design of all sorts. This includes, clothes, walls, canvases, skin, etc… Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that tattoos are right for everyone, but I think tattoos make sense for me.

Why do you make art? I’m a pretty passive person ordinarily, and art allows me to let go and be myself in a way that I normally can’t. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Make genuine art. I think if something comes naturally to you, people are naturally going to be interested in what your doing. People want to see art (in all its forms) because art allows us to step into this minds of others and tap into emotions and experiences that we wouldn’t ordinarily get the opportunity to have. I personally would much rather look at someone’s painting than have a conversation with them. I think that your art says more about you than your words ever can, even if you make disingenuous art. Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? Sure, I’ve have gotten really good at self-sabotage, and drinking diet mountain dew. Favorite cuss word? Jeez Louise Most important tools you use? Mistakes, for sure. Where is your studio? My studio is in North Beach, San Francisco Prefer to work with music or in silence? Both are actually really important for me. A lot of the time it depends on what stage my painting is in. The initial stages I like to listen to really aggressive music, which helps me stay loose. As the painting progresses, I begin to like calmer music or silence at times to help me focus on the final color choices or compositional elements that need to be added. iTunes or records? Spotify What’s around the corner from your place? Crackheads, needles, shit, and a pretty descent bar. A piece of art you love? Matisse’s Red Studio is definitely up there. Favorite contemporary artist? Oh jeez, um, Chuck Close? Art School or Self-taught? Academy of Art University, San Francisco. I learned more there then I ever thought possible. What do you collect? I keep almost all of my paintings that I consider to be failures in hopes that one day I will finally see some beauty in them. That hasn’t happened yet. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Vincent Van Gogh, hands down. Food or Sleep? Food is a burden, I wish I never had to eat.

“Nothing To Lose” available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original:$2,000.00 Prints Starting At: $40.00

Photo references? Sometimes. One thing that my paintings depend on are shifts in my process. When I use photo references for too long, my paintings lose spontaneity because I get too comfortable. When that happens I switch my process to purely imaginative paintings, and when my creativity burns out, I switch back, applying the new techniques I have learned. It allows me to constantly be upping my game by stepping out of my comfort zone. How cleanly do you work? I strive for a high degree of professionalism within my work. This starts with a clean workspace, everything I need has to be in its proper place before I begin painting. Having respect for my process allows me to have a greater overall respect for my work. Mottos or catchphrases? Balls to the wall.

Traditional or Conceptual? I have always taken interest in approaching familiar ideas in new and unfamiliar ways. A majority of my poses and compositions are very traditional, but they are executed in a very contemporary way. I think it’s important to borrow and expand on traditional concepts, but to continue with strict adherence to them is not something I am interested in right now. Religion or Pop Culture? I couldn’t care less about either. Is painting dead? …What?

“reflection 1” is available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: 500.00

From The Studio of Nada Velickovic, Abstract Showdown Runner-Up

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:44:24 -0400

How do you interpret abstraction in your art?

We learn to identify physical form from the non-physical sort by remembered experience. I interpret abstraction in my work as a set of continuous repetitious patterns or marks that visualize the physical and visual remembered experience. When and how did you find out about winning the showdown? My partner went to check the results as I was too nervous too. You get used to rejection in art but its very disappointing. When I heard great shouts from upstairs I knew it was good news. I found out about winning the showdown the day the announcement came out. Due to living in the UK - this was about midnight.

What themes do you pursue?

Landscape has always been where my work has been focused. Making the connection with the visual experience of landscape and the physical experience of it. My work gives the impression of texture without there being any - we look at a field but upon entering it our experience changes.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

“Things will always change. You have to change with them.”

What is your medium?

I use oil paint and watercolor. I use them in similar ways as I do not see them as different as both can be manipulated to achieve the same goal.

Where is your studio?

My kitchen is my studio. I have produced large pieces of work from there “paperlandscape” was a painting made up of 40 individual canvases - when assembled it was 15ft x 7ft. I only saw it as a whole once, before it was publicly shown.

How many years have you been an artist?

Always looked at things my own way. Always had difficulty understanding things. Always needed to say something. Always loved painting and drawing - being conscious of that process lead me to choosing art has a way to live.

Art school or self taught?

I went to art school and have continued to work on developing my visual language. Art school allowed a space where I could execute my influences. Upon leaving I could execute my identity.

Why do you make art?

I wanted to understand how I functioned as a person because I felt unable to address this by other forms of work. Art seems to be a way of manufacturing sets of processes which enabled me to see how I relate to my environment.

Food or sleep?

Sleep

“shropshire field” is available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $2,500 Prints Starting at $24.00

A piece of art you love? The piece of work that changed the way I saw myself was Joseph Beuys “Fat Chair”. I remember thinking why do I feel sick when looking at this piece of work. I have never forgotten it and I always think of it when I am struggling to find solutions.

Favorite contemporary artist?

Agnes Martin - I love the simplicity of her work - it is uncluttered and allows the viewer to time to think.

What do you collect? Nothing and this is important to me.

What could you not live without? Tea

“Yellow field” is available for sale at Saatchi Online|Original: $4,500.00 Prints Starting at $40.00

Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead….. Absailing down a cliff with Bear Grylls, Unfortunately.

Prefer to work with music or without? Without.

Favorite sound? Birds singing - sometimes you can forget to listen to them if you get lost in yourself - they always remind me where I am.

Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type?

I always use sketchbooks could not do without them.

Is painting dead?

Painting is a tool like any other art form. I chose paint because it has qualities that fulfill my abilities.

Painting inside or outside?

I paint inside - due to the nature of the work I produce I have no need to view the scene as a whole. I use photography to look at colour, shapes and pattens. Function is applied when faced with a set of continuous rhythms across a surface.

From the Studio of Showdown Winner, Joshua Welker

Thu, 31 May 2012 20:29:25 -0400

How do you interpret abstraction in your art? I’m with the Nabi painters on this one: I view Abstraction as an isolation and intensification of nature. Favorite material to work with? Anything that can be pulled straight out of the earth. What themes do you pursue? A few are the relationship of a fixed point to an object in motion, the debris of habit, the usefulness of entropy. Also, Color is very important, and, to quote Kristina Van Dyke, “space, as pea soup.” Most important tool you use? My hands. After those, chisels of all sorts. Where is your studio? For now it’s in my back yard…what would otherwise be a two-car garage.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Advice from my father: Plant your corn early. Also, this: Don’t smoke in bed. I’ve found those two little nuggets cover just about every kind of job. Process> Concept or Process<Concept? Process=Concept and Concept=Process, I’m a fan of marriage. Why do you make art? It’s a compulsion, away from which I don’t function very well. Art school or self-taught? School. University of Texas at Austin. Prefer to work with music or in silence? It really depends on the day. Winning piece in Showdown, “It Wasn’t Me, I wasn’t There” available for sale at Saatchi Online for $20,000 iTunes, spotify, records? iTunes in the studio. Vinyl anywhere else. What’s around the corner from your place? Oh man, two gas stations and a whole lot of corn. Favorite sound? Wind through the wings of Canadian geese flying 6 feet off the ground. Favorite smell? Peonies Where can we find you outside the studio? In the Garden with my family, or running miles from nowhere with a friend. Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type? Yeah, I try to make mine. Moleskin works as well. Anything smallish that I can fit or fold into my pocket is nice.

Who are your favorite writers? Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, William Faulkner, Edward Abbey and Thomas Merton What could you not do without? I’m a sucker for things that grow. If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? Work road crew. Day job? I teach University Food or sleep? I guess it depends on what I’m potentially eating. Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead….” in Disney Land. Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? Barring the loss of my soul, count me in for now. Were you popular in high school? I’m not sure, but I don’t really think so. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Billboard, for sure. Those things are so offensive, aren’t they? Traditional or conceptual? Both, I’m an advocate of craft in order to sustain the viewers present-moment-romance of the concept and visa-versa. Favorite contemporary artist? It’s a toss up between Peter Buggenhout, Didier Vermeiren and Harald Klingelholler A piece of art you love? Bonnard’s The Studio with Mimosa If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be? Probably Donald Judd’s 100 untitled works in mill aluminum. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Bernini Every get hurt ‘on the job’? Does my ego count?

Drink beer while you build? After. If you were a tool, what would you be? I would like to think that I would be an adjustable right angle, but I think a U-Gouge Chisel is more on the mark. Outsourcing or handmade? I’m a firm believer in both. A lot of my work comes from working. After a problem/group of problems have been resolved through working I have no qualms with future iterations being outsourced. Is bigger better? No, not in the least. Koons or Hirst? Both of those guys know just what they’re doing…Koons though, if I had to choose. Feelings on taxidermy? I prefer the living. “CAOH” drawing is available for sale for $700.00 on Saatchi Online For more updates about Showdown- stay up to date at http://www.saatchionline.com/showdown

From The Studio of Ad van Riel

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:20:37 -0400

Favorite material to work with? Paint. The substance itself, the colors, the speed of drying, the dripping, the flowing, the transparency, the thickness, the sound of brushes. I just love it. What themes do you pursue? The theme I follow now is my “Paradises of paint”, the landscapes of my imagination. In the paint itself all kind of figures and forms reveal themselves. I wipe them out or let them stay. I started it in 2005 as a sidetrack with another theme: “Images of ordination and survey”.The way of working is practically the same. In all the years of being an artist there has always been that need of creating a world of my own. How many years as an artist? 28 Years now. Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type? I make little notes and drawings, ideas are written down, collect photos and images, have a large stock of “typical” images. I use these images as memories during work. I find them in magazines, newspapers, leaflets. Earlier I had a photo collection skies and clouds. I still use it sometimes for my painted skies. Most important tool you use? My imagination. Where is your studio? My painting studio is at my home, a small apartment in the suburbs of The Hague (Leidschendam), where I use one bedroom and the walls of the living room. My other studio where I keep my stock and make the larger paintings is in The Hague. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? The best advice was from an art academy where I was told to stop painting because it was all worthless. That was 4 months before my graduation. It gave me an enormous power to go on and to feel prepared for the separation from the institute. Perhaps it was told on purpose? Never asked. Process> Concept or Process<Concept I really do not care about that. Why do you make art? I know no other way to express what is in my head, in my thoughts, in my views, in my imagination. Writing a book is not an option to me on this. I cannot stop that it has become a part of who I am. It is the way how I look at myself and the world in general.

Glorious Morning, Oil Painting is available for sale at Saatchi Online for $540.00

Art school or self-taught? Both, when I was about 20 I thought I did not need any school to be an artist. I was one already. Later on I discovered that art academy is a necessity to become an artist with skills, knowledge, vision and a drive that is close to yourself. There is a big difference between feeling like an artist and being one. An art academy is an institute, an environment you need to explore your talents to the ultimate depths and heights. Real art begins after that period, after the degree. Many paintings and drawings of my amateur period I have burnt ritually. No regrets on that, it was all about creativity and decoration. But some are still worth to look at. Favorite font? The Arial Black, I have all my work titled with it on the backside. Tattoos? There are so many other nice ways to express your love or identity. In a sense it is very introvert. Prefer to work with music or in silence? In silence. Sometimes soft piano music or Indian violin music. The last one is hard to find, by the way. The silence of the night I like very much, close to dawn. But not very practical for the social interactions and the work and living I have to make. Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? My emotions and feelings are very intense. Hard to deal with sometimes. For myself and others. What’s around the corner from your place? A large park with trees and birds. Favorite sound? Birds of any kind. There are ,any seagulls here, but also parakeets and thousands of crows, who settle down every evening in the big trees in front of my studio window. Their sound is electrical, like an old radio or a synthesizer.

Favorite smell? Sweet smelling flowers like roses, hyacinths and lilies. But also the scent of pipe-tobacco and cannabis. Herbs. Tomato leafs (!!!!). Rotting wood, the smell of soil and mushrooms. Where can we find you outside the studio? Riding my bike to work and do my shopping, visit the city-terraces in summer, swimming, visiting friends and family. If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? The idea of being a vagabond always attracted me. Day job? Teaching design at a school for interior stylists. Food or sleep? Food (especially with tomato in it). Greatest achievement? My open mind and creativity. Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead….” without a smile on my face. Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? Rather make a living of it now. After my death I can no longer enjoy painting. Were you popular in high school? Yes, I was the class clown, a jester for popular people. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? My art is meant for everyone. Every finished painting can find its way into the world. No matter on what it is printed. Would you ever figure model naked? Sure, why not.

Religion or pop culture? Is this a choice? Religion and ideology are for anxious people and the culture of pop is too much something of nothing, empty shells without content. And religion is too….. Traditional or conceptual? Conceptual without losing the roots of tradition. What do you collect? I collect Living Stones, small succulent plants. I grow them from seed and succeed to get them to flower with me. They are so beautiful in colors. They need ample water or food, so that is easy to take care of. For me it is a way of gardening on the two square meters of the sunny balcony of my home. Favorite contemporary artist? Raquel Maulwurf, Levi van Veluw, Zang Xiaogang, Andreas Schön. A piece of art you love? Jean Fouquet: The Holy Virgin and the Jesus child (Melun dyptich), 13th Century Pop-Art with Post-Modern colors. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Francis Bacon or Jeroen Bosch. I feel connected to both

The Search, Oil Painting is available for sale at Saatchi Online for $990.00

Is painting dead? No, painting as an art form is not dead, it is perhaps fallen asleep. Painting images is not the goal. That road is truly a dead end, because producing images has become a skill for everyone and that is a very good thing. The image is democratized. Painting should reinvent itself again and again. It is one of the oldest crafts there is and all possibilities and variations are known to us. But there is always a way out: Your own. That truly personal system of making new images with that old, sticky, amorphous and dirty material called paint. Figurative or not, does not matter. It has to come close to skin. Favorite brush? The DA VINCI - GRIGIO Synthetics, nr. 12 Painting Inside or Outside? Always inside, in my home studio or in my studio in the City.

From the Studio of Claire Brewster

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:29:25 -0400

Favorite material to work with? Paper. What is your medium? Found ephemera and old paper. How many years as an artist? Since I was born.Most important tool you use? My knife.

“Well its not looking good from up here” is available for sale for $2,000.00 and prints starting at $60.00 Where is your studio? At my home in Islington, London What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Never give up. Why do you make art? Because I have to. Art school or self-taught? Art school.

Prefer to work with music or in silence? Music iTunes, spotify, records? 6 music, or iTunes Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? Cheap chocolate and cheesy rom coms (oh that’s 2) Favorite sound? silence Cumbrian Bugs is available for sale for $4,500.00 Where can we find you outside the studio? I don’t get out much! Who are your favorite writers? Murakami, Auster, Lessing. What could you not do without? Time alone. If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? I don’t know, being an artist isn’t really a choice

Day job? uggh. Food or sleep? Right now sleep, but mostly food. Greatest achievement? Getting this far. Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? NOW, nothing matters but the now. Were you popular in high school? No, I was a geeky introvert.

What do you collect? Stuff. Favorite contemporary artist? Robert Rauschenberg. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Louise Bourgeouis. Every get hurt ‘on the job’? I stab my fingers on a daily basis. Outsourcing or handmade? Always handmade. Feelings on taxidermy? Love love love it.

From The Studio of Luisa Mesa

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:28:26 -0400

What is your medium? I work in varied media, including, but not limited to, ink on paper, oil markers on wood panel, spray paint and digital images. I utilize whatever material will allow me to express what I am feeling at the moment. What themes do you pursue? All my work is intuitive. It is meditative and the process has a calming effect on me. I allow the work to unfold and when it’s finished it “speaks” out. Others often interpret my abstract work as what you see under a microscope, such as bacteria and marine life. In my image-based pieces, I often use old family photographs, as well as shots of places that I feel attracted to. These works are personal and through them I explore past relationships. The memories that these photographs bring forth, and the imagined realities that I create digitally by removing them from their original context, all serve to process their meaning. Although these pieces are emotionally charged, I consider them intuitive as well, because I allow my subconscious to dictate the order and placement of the images that compose them, and the final piece is always a surprise to me. Moreover, even in these image-based pieces there is a first and last layer of repetitive drawing. I frequently create large-scale installations; the theme of which is that “everything is connected to everything else.” Emerging is a mixed media on wood piece 60 x 24 x 4 in available for sale at Saatchi Online for $7,500.00 How many years as an artist? As a child I was always creating things and drawing, so I can honestly say that I have always been an artist. While life took me in a different direction, I studied art independently for years, by taking workshops in photography, painting and drawing. Then, thirteen years ago, I returned to school and earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Ever since, I have been a fulltime artist. Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type? I rarely use a sketchbook, although there is always one lying around at home and in my studio. I mainly use them to write down ideas before I forget them. Also, when I come across an image that seems interesting to me I cut it out and keep it in my sketchbook. These books are spiral-bound. Most important tool you use? Oil markers and/or ink pens because every one of my pieces begins with a layer of repetitive drawing.

Meditations on the Light is a mixed media drawing on wood available for sale at Saatchi Online for $3,000.00.

Where is your studio? My studio is in an industrial warehouse district known as the Bird Road Art District. It is a 1200 square foot warehouse space with 20-foot ceilings, concrete floors and a bay door big enough to fit a truck. I just moved there about six months ago… It’s the studio I always dreamed of, and it sort of found me. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Just do it… It will reveal itself. Process> Concept or Process<Concept Definitely, Process > Concept. Why do you make art? I make art because I HAVE to make it… It is a tremendously strong impulse that is ever-present. When I make art all is good in my life. Art school or self-taught? Art school

Favorite font? Helvetica Tattoos? Don’t have any. Prefer to work with music or in silence? I usually work in silence because my work is meditative. iTunes, spotify, records? iTunes Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? I can’t say I really have a vice, but I do love red wine. What’s around the corner from your place? A Cuban restaurant, a bunch of warehouses, other artists’ studios, auto body shops. Favorite sound? Ocean waves hitting the shore. Favorite smell? Coffee in the morning.

Meditations Series is a pen & ink drawing available for sale at Saatchi Online. Original: $700.00 |Prints: $60.00 Where can we find you outside the studio? At home with my husband, my African Grey parrot and my two dogs. I frequently attend art exhibitions, and I love the movies and dining out. If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? I would probably be a writer or a psychologist. Food or sleep? Sleep Greatest achievement? Going back to school and earning my degree in art. Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead …” without my iPhone… Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? I would rather be able to make a living as an artist now! Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Billboard. Astrology or astronomy? Astronomy. Would you ever figure model naked? No… I don’t think so. Religion or pop culture? Neither. What do you collect? I collect tools, spray paints, nuts and bolts, lenses… Favorite contemporary artist? I love Tom Brydelsky because his work has an otherworldly feel to it… It transcends our every day reality. Favorite paper type? Arches watercolor paper. Use anything other than paint? Oil markers and ink. Oil or acrylic? Both Figurative or abstract? Both Photo references? I use my own and old family photographs Is painting dead? I don’t think painting will ever die. Favorite brush? Palette knifes? What do you wear while you paint? Jeans and a T-shirt Painting Inside or Outside? Inside Monet or Manet? Manet

From The Studio of Juan de la Rica

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:35:00 -0400

Where is your studio? I work in an old industrial building in Bilbao (Spain), with about a dozen other artists. We are all different, but we get along well with each other. Each year we organize an Open Studio event and people are invited to come and see our studios and most recent works. What is your medium? Mainly acrylic paint. It dries fast and, at this moment, I like that. I use oil paint just when I don’t want it to dry fast. I make collages with my computer. “Tank top boogaloo” 78.7 x 78.7 in Oil Painting available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $6,000.00 Prints: Starting at $89.00 Sketchbook? Do you use one? I use sketchbooks, not only for sketching, but for doing math operations, writing ideas, drawing useless and automatic doodles (like the classical ‘telephonic drawings’). It’s a bit chaotic, but I feel comfortable there. Traditional or conceptual? Traditional, since I use one of the oldest artistic technique. Maybe my digital collages are more avant-garde, more innovative and conceptual, but I’m not sure…probably not. Process> Concept or Process<Concept? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Favorite contemporary artist? David Hockney, Dexter Dalwood, Peter Doig, Matthias Weischer among many others, I can’t say just one. If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be? Any painting by Peter Brueghel the Elder. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? I wouldn’t like to meet any dead artist, I think it’s a bit creepy… So, I’d choose David Hockney. Monet or Manet? Manet.

Figurative or abstract? I like depiction itself, no matter if it’s figurative or abstract. But, as a painter, I think I need a real reference, a small connection to reality, to start working with. I don’t rule out making abstract painting in a future, but at this moment I need something physically real to hold on to. Representational or Surreal? Both interest me. I like how everyday elements become surreal in some scenes. And how surreal images, or even ridiculous thoughts, can suddenly come true in our everyday life. I like it when irony and the absurd come into play. Who are your favorite writers? I love Latin American literature: Vargas Llosa, García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Ernesto Sábato…

“Untitled - Inertias series”47.2 x 47.2 in, Oil Painting available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $2,200 Prints Starting at: $89.00 What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Al niño que no dibuja, se lo lleva la bruja (the child who doesn’t draw, the witch takes him away). Why do you make art? Why not? If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? I think I’d be an accountant. What do you collect? Photographs from newspapers and magazines, images from the internet, from art history. I try to keep any image than shocks me in any way. Tumblr is a great tool for that. Photo references? Sure, lots. Prefer to work with music or in silence? I like music, but I don’t mind to work in silence. Food or sleep? Both, separately. And water too. Is painting dead? I don’t know, that’s been questioned and said for more than thirty years, the same as for rock & roll… I don’t even know what does the question mean, but I really don’t care. Palette knifes? No, not any more. I gave it up. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? On a beach ball would be a way better.

From The Studio of Larry Vigon

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:21:33 -0400

Favorite material to work with? Acrylic on paper What themes do you pursue? I work from my imagination most of the time. I never paint exactly what is in front of me. The subject I paint can be influenced by news events or just the way I’m feeling on a particular day. Even if a piece starts off as a drawing from a life drawing session as in the series of nudes I did a couple of years ago, the final painting will be much different from what I was seeing. “Artist 2” 22 x 16 x 1 in Acrylic Painting is Available for Sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $5,000.00 Prints Starting At:$129.00 How many years as an artist? I knew what I wanted to be from the age of seven. I have been a professional designer/painter/illustrator for over 40 years. Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type? Yes, I have been using a sketch book or journal from the first day I start art school. Six years ago W.W. Norton & Co., a New York & London based publisher published a coffee table book of my journals.

Most important tool you use? My brain, I hope. Where is your studio? Battersea, near Battersea Park. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? From myself on a regular basis, “Keep your ego out of your work”.

Why do you make art? I need to make art. It’s something in my DNA. I don’t feel right unless I’m creating something. Art school or self-taught? Art school. I graduated from the Art Center College of Design Los Angeles. ( Now in Pasadena ). Favorite font? Favorite serif font is Requiem, favorite san serif is Gotham.

Tattoos? No. Prefer to work with music or in silence? Must have music while I’m working. iTunes, spotify, records? itunes, extensive, eclectic library. Succulents or cigarettes? I gave up cigarettes 25 years ago.

“Untitled” 22 x 16 x 1 in Acrylic Painting is available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $5000.00

What’s around the corner from your place? Battersae Dog & Cat home. Where can we find you outside the studio? Cinema, museum, gallery, restaurant the usual places. If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? Musician. Day job? Graphic designer / artist. Food or sleep? Love food.

Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? Make a living as an artist. Were you popular in high school? Yes, I got along with everyone because I could draw. From the tough guys to the goodie, goodie students wanted me to draw something on their notebook covers. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Billboard. Would you ever figure model naked? No. Traditional or conceptual? A bit of both. A piece of art you love? Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse.

Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Francis Bacon.

Use anything other than paint? Sometimes found objects, ink, pencil, crayon, gold leaf. Oil or acrylic? Acrylic. Figurative or abstract? Both. Representational or Surreal? Both. Photo references?No. Is painting dead? Never. What do you wear while you paint? Jeans and t-shirt. Painting Inside or Outside? Inside. Monet or Manet? Monet

Guest Curator Christopher Jobson Creator of Colossal, Selects Work for Saatchi Online

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:25:45 -0400

We are thrilled to have Christopher Jobson, the creator and editor of Colossal, as a Saatchi Online Guest Curator. One of our favorites, Colossal explores the intersections between art, design, and physical craft. Christopher is also a contributing writer and blogger for Wired, and lives in Chicago with his wife and son.

If you’re not already one of Colossal’s devoted readers, we’re certain you’ll be addicted after your first visit. Before you go, we suggest you learn a bit more about what makes Christopher tick and of course check out the Saatchi Online collection of work he curated for us.

Do you collect art?

I do, but because of an extremely small residence at the moment, it’s almost exclusively limited to prints or photographs that can either be rolled up or stored in a flat file until we can properly frame and hang it all. I think we have enough prints to cover the entire exterior of our building, let alone the inside.

Which artist, living or dead would you most like to meet?

I would love the opportunity to meet Banksy or Ai Weiwei. Dead would have to be Chicago photographer Vivian Maier because of the mystery surrounding her or maybe Henri Cartier-Bresson.

What was the last museum / gallery you visited? What’s next on your list?

While on a trip to Ann Arbor I stopped into a great gallery called Gallery Project (http://www.thegalleryproject.com/), lots of fun paper sculpture and installations. Here in Chicago I’m overdue for a visit to Carl Hammer Gallery and Western Exhibitions.

Did you grow up in an artistic family?

My father was a design director at a few agencies, a book maker, and dabbled in photography. Even today he teaches publication design at Columbia College and makes limited edition artist books out of a huge studio, so that was a strong influence growing up, seeing him making art at home and being taken to art museums and galleries. My mother is also a creator and maker, from stitching the clothes on my back to all kinds of interior design projects and crafts. Somebody was always making something at home.

What is the driving force behind your blog? (ie education, appreciation, inspiration?)

I view Colossal as a sort of online art gallery that focuses on the intersections of art, design, and physical craft. I’m drawn to non-digital work like sculpture, installations, street art and photography that I believe is unusual or thought-provoking but accessible in that at first glance it’s easy to grasp what’s happening. It would be fair to characterize me as an art “outsider,” before 2010 I was hardly going to openings or actively involved in the art community in any meaningful way, and the blog has become a catalog of my experiences discovering the contemporary art world.

When / how did you come up with the idea for the site?

It’s funny, but it was never a very straightforward endeavor. The full story was that in 2010 I embarked on a pretty ambitious plan to sort of jump start my creativity. I created a list of 100 things that included running in my first race, learning to kayak, taking a ceramics class, and a number of other random things. On the list I just decided to type “start a blog”. My background the last decade is in web design, so when I got to that line item I took it pretty seriously. I focused heavily on the design of the site, the regularity of posting, and the quality of the work. I started by posting mostly design projects as that was a realm I was somewhat familiar with — but I noticed whenever I posted about art it seemed to get more attention. After 8-9 months of daily blogging, traffic really started to pick up.

Where do you look for new work?

I try my best to keep up with about 300 blogs, and often look for emerging artwork on sites like Behance, Cargo Collective, Flickr and even Saatchi (and I’m not just saying that because of this interview! I’ve easily sourced a dozen posts from this site). I also get a few dozen submissions during the week.

How do you decide what makes the cut?

It’s fair to say that I encounter between 1-2,000 projects daily and might post 3-4 of them. I’m looking for work that’s gotten very little exposure online, that’s visually intriguing without the need for lengthy explanation, and that I believe people will want to share and talk about.

Abstract or Realism? Realism

Painting or Photography? Photography

Museums or Art Galleries? Galleries

Contemporary or Classic? Contemporary

Color or Black+White? Impossible to choose.

Hirst or Hockney? Hockney

Picasso or Pollock? Pollock

Bacon or Basquiat? Bacon

Murakami or Mondrian? Murakami

Moma or Met? Equally impossible to choose.

Centre Pompidou or Musee D’Orsay? Absolutely love the Pompidou but have never been to the Musee D’Orsay.

Performance art or not? I am rarely a fan of performance art, but just when I think I’m done with it, somebody changes my mind for a while.

LA or New York? New York.

Paris or London? After a week long trip to Paris with my wife we got to the airport and realized our return tickets were for two days earlier. So that’s probably a good answer. So much love for London.

Check out Christoper Jobson’s Collection:

From the Studio of Fernando Gomez Balbotin

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:46:14 -0400

Favorite material to work with? Acrylic What is your medium? Canvas What themes do you pursue? Life, death, the absurd inconsistency of religions… How many years as an artist? Five Most important tool you use? My brain and the architecture Where is your studio? It is a home-studio in Santiago, Chile. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? The best advice was to ignore advice. Process> Concept or Process<Concept? Each one depends on the other.

Sketchbook? Do you use one? Yes! All the time… Why do you make art? Because it makes me happy. Art school or self-taught? A mixture of learning how to observe (architecture school) and self-taught. Favorite font? Century gothic Tattoos? I want one! Soon, when I find the appropriate one. Prefer to work with music or in silence? Music iTunes, Spotify, Records? Records Succulents or cigarettes? Both

What’s around the corner from your place? A Peruvian restaurant and store houses Favorite sound? Radiohead Favorite smell? The south of Chile Where can we find you outside the studio? At friends’ houses Who are your favorite writers? Jean Baudrillard If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? I don’t know, really. Food or sleep? Food.

“Death’s Celebration”,Oil Painting, is for sale at Saatchi Online | Original: $$5,000.00 Greatest achievement? Being who I want to be. Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead….” Never say never… Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? Now! Obviously Were you popular in high school? No, thankfully. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? On a billboard. I usually don’t like t-shirts with prints Astrology or astronomy? Astronomy Would you ever figure model naked? Why not?

Religion or pop culture? Pop culture. Religion makes people numb. Traditional or conceptual? Conceptual What do you collect? Ideas Favorite contemporary artist? Alfredo Jaar A piece of art you love? Lights in the city (1999), Alfredo Jaar Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Warhol Use anything other than paint? Pencils Figurative or abstract? Figurative

“Electric Car” is available for sale at Saatchi Online| Original: $10,000.00| Prints starting at $69.00 Representational or Surreal? Representational surrealism is the definition of my work. Is painting dead? No, and it will never die. Favorite brush? A thin one What do you wear while you paint? Just underwear Painting Inside or Outside? Inside Monet or Manet? Manet

From The Studio of Monica Sans Carre

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:01:51 -0400

What inspires you to make work? I admire the human beings’ social nature and the paradox of life and death. Specifically, thinking about the strength of human vulnerability from a woman’s perspective and transforming this into short stories about change. My research is to find the “spatial” relationship between the self and others. Spaces where equality, tolerance, wisdom and compassion can be found. This is why I work in layers and transparencies, using fragile, delicate materials. Studying the subtle spaces between layers and using these as a metaphor for the extremes of inside or outside, what you see and what you don’t, and intimate or explicit messages. When you study these sensitive and vulnerable areas, one becomes aware that vulnerability can transform into strength.

I imagine the body as a landscape of paradox. The skin is a surface boundary between interior and exterior. Territory that deals with ‘caring for someone else’ and ‘relationships with others’. In many cultures, traditionally these roles are perceived as reflecting the female condition. My perspective of the world is entirely feminine and encourages ‘the observer’ to connect with emotions in order to create common areas of understanding, caring and respect. My daily life involves observation and a contemporary view of all, that is private and public. I file and record fragments from magazines, newspapers and personal experiences. I like to break stereotypes and so shift awareness to perceive that we are all equally challenged and vulnerable. And that, in this shadow zone, we can find our “hidden strengths”.

“ShoppingDropping” Original:$850.00 Print: $43.00 ~A mixed media piece made of nepal paper, pigment, ink, collage, eye shadow, blush, powder make up, make up cream, eye pencil,and scotch tape. What are your influences? Works of artists who talk about relationships, gender, vulnerability, healing and contemplation as Louise Bourgeois, Nancy Spero, Rebecca Horn and Antoni Tàpies. Favorite material to work with? I love light materials, fragile and transparent as nepal paper, silk, Plexiglas combined with soft metals…Mixed-media and collage with cosmetics used as colors. And, the red pigment (the human being’s interior is red) Sketchbook? Yes, I love them. I use moleskin with a soft cover. Favorite font? Simple, honest and easy to read: Helvetica Neue, Trebuchet & Calibri Where is your studio? It’s in a nature conservation area where wild boars roam! but only twenty minutes from Barcelona’s city centre. It was a garage and, now, it is a “studio with a house on top”. Tattoos? I am looking for the perfect tattoo…to have a beautiful lines of an old wise woman! Succulents or Cigarettes? Succulents Ever have artists’ block? Yes. It is part of the creative process. We have to accept it. The important thing is to enjoy the process of doing and discovering. It doesn’t matter if it’s “rubbish” or a “piece of art”. Let it come and go! Then flow. (like water). Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? Catalan RED wine (I figured out that I love RED!!!) What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Work, work and work. What’s around the corner from your place? Fresh air, pine trees and a lot of different birds! And my dog.

Prefer to work with music or in silence? Music please! Where can we find you outside the studio? Rushing around like a typical working mother! (I have three daughters) But always with a sense of humor….(the irony also appears in my work) Favorite contemporary artist? Pipilotti Rist, Tatiana Trouvé, Rebecca Warren. What would have been a typical doodle for you as child? An abstract doodle: lines with plenty of energy with the essential character (I would love to still have them…) If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Louise Bourgeois.

Favorite sound? “Cajon flamenco”. Favorite movie? Pina Bausch directed by Wim Wenders. A piece of art! Deep and empathic. Favorite music/band? Always: Cello Bach Suites, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Now: Stefan Micus, Kind of Convenience, Silvia Pérez Cruz (an amazing Catalan voice). What do you wear while you work? An old long grey cotton dress with boots. (more or less like a clown costume…)

“keepgoing” Original:$850.00 Prints: $43.00 ~ A mixed media piece made of nepal paper, pigment, ink, eye shadow, blusher,powder make up, make up cream, eye pencil, nail varnish. Favorite surface to paint on? Paper, methacrylate and I even play with the idea of painting “space”. Use anything other than paint? Yes! video, installation and sculpture. For me, the goal is find the idea and after the material or technique. Representational or Surreal? Who knows the reality?…Open mind. Photo references? Bernard Voïta, Manel Esclusa. Real Life! Is painting dead? Of course not! Painting has had time to exhaust itself as traditional media, but with new artists it has been transformed. Now, painting is an “open concept”: you can paint a video (Hilary Lloyd) paint a space (Karla Black, Angela de la Cruz), a street (Bansky)…

Abstract Showdown

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:07:56 -0500

saatchionline:

Artists, showcase your ABSTRACT style work of any medium into Showdown to win a chance to display your art at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

Not only would you receive the recognition of being displayed at Saatchi Gallery, but you may also win a cash prize of up to $1,000! Enter your work by Tuesday, March 13.

The winning piece will be chosen by internationally acclaimed artist Peter Coffin.

Click here to find out more about Abstract Showdown.

Joe Webb: Collage Artist

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:24:00 -0500

Where are you from? I hail from the suburbs of Essex, UK. Just down the road from where Grayson Perry is from. I never spotted him wandering around the local shops in his dress though. That would have been awesome. What attracted you to the collage process? I enjoy the challenge…I can be sifting through old books and magazines for hours when suddenly a few images will leap out and I have a piece of art! It’s exciting when contrasting images somehow work together and a new story unfolds in front of me.Collage allows me to explore lots of ideas relatively quickly. Although for me it’s not so important which medium is used…if it’s a painting, a photo or drawing - it’s all about the final image and the message it conveys. I’m working on a series of paintings based on my collages at the moment. What sort of materials do you collect images from? Old books, photographs and magazines chanced upon in second hand shops… I’ve attempted to use images found on the Internet, but it’s not the same. I prefer my source material to be taken from the real world, and assembled by hand rather than on Photoshop. Our whole lives seem to be based around computers now, my artwork is an attempt to escape virtual reality. Until I post it online that is! What themes do you pursue? It’s changing all the time. A few months ago it was quite politically motivated. I like comparing cultural differences a lot in my work. More recently the work has become more surreal and dream like. I think I needed some escapism for a while. How many years as an artist? From childhood I’ve always drawn, made things from cardboard, painted and haven’t stopped.

Sketchbook? My whole desk is like a sketchbook really - I surround myself with cut outs and material and see what happens. It’s chaotic and probably not the best system.I do also keep a small sketchbook at the side of my bed that I jot down ideas in, usually when I’m just drifting off to sleep. I get my most creative ideas when I’m almost dreaming…they are just scribbles, cuttings and mad ramblings but it’s useful to keep a record - although my handwriting at that time of night is almost illegible. Most important tool you use? Scalpel, and band aids for when I accidentally slice the tips of my fingers off. Favorite font? Comic sans? So bad it’s good… Where is your studio? I’ve just converted my garage into a room and have claimed it as my studio…although my kids want it for their play room, so I may be evicted soon. Favorite eats? There’s a cafe in Brighton which makes sandwiches with unusual fillings…One of my favourites is a fish finger sandwich with chilli jam, cheese and rocket. Classy! It sounds repulsive but try it, you will never look back trust me.

“Road To Recovery” available for prints starting at $47.00

Tattoos? No. Could never decide on what to have. iTunes or records? Spotify. Although I have approximately 500 records in my loft I just can’t part with. Favorite cuss word? I enjoy most cuss words and use them on a regular basis. Succulents or Cigarettes?Succulents. Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? I’m really a clean living guy. I do listen to too much jazz music sometimes. What’s around the corner from your place? A field with some cows. Favorite place to ‘get away’? Hove seafront on a stormy day. Prefer to work with music or in silence? Music. I need to hear Jazz all day every day in order to function. Charles Mingus is the man. Where can we find you outside the studio? In a pub in Lewes or Brighton enjoying a pint of ale or going for a long walk in the countryside. Favorite contemporary artist? Peter Doig, his work at the Triumph of Painting exhibition got me back into painting. Incredible vast pieces. Lovely. Mislav Tichy is great too. He used crazy looking homemade cameras to take thousands of surreptitious photos of people. Sounds creepy but the photographs are beautiful. They have an ethereal quality that I haven’t seen in photography before, a bit like Doig’s paintings I suppose. What could you not do without? Coffee, art and music…specifically jazz music.

Day job? On occasion I attempt to make an honest living as a freelance graphic designer. Concept or Process? Concept is important…it gives the work substance rather than just looking ‘nice’. Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? Famous after I die. Being an artist is all about leaving your mark after you kick the bucket. Going deaf or going blind? Deaf….I have tinnitus after spending my youth in various bands and going to clubs. Wear earplugs kids! If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? Trumpet player. If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be? Oddly, the first thing that springs to mind is Peter Blake’s collage for the 1984 ‘Band Aid’ record sleeve. I remember being fascinated by that as a kid and was probably the first art I’d been into. I’d love to own the original. Favorite sound? Double bass. Favorite smell? Oil paint and turpentine. What was the uncomfortable situation you have ever survived? Being chased by a large dog when I was 9. Why do you make art? Not sure, I just do. It’s like a habit I can’t kick. It’s therapeutic and enables me to get my ideas out there. Art School or Self-taught? Art school, my tutors Chris Stevens and Carole Windham were so supportive… I’m still in contact with them after 15 years. What do you collect? Guitars, I seem to have 6 of them now. It’s ridiculous. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Robert Rauschenberg. He had a natural sense of how to balance juxtaposed images. Food or Sleep? Sleep. I like dreaming. It’s creative and surreal.

“Antares and Love #2”, runner-up winner of Collage Showdown prints available for sale starting at $32.00

Greatest achievement? Getting second place in the Saatchi showdown competition and having my art displayed in the Saatchi gallery… I’m blown away about it. It’s been great to get my work seen by lots of eyeballs via the website. How cleanly do you work? My working practice is totally chaotic. There’s paper and glue all over the place and I’m constantly losing things. Do you have any trinkets or photos of friends in your studio? A photo of my kids, and a painting of me by my 6 year old son. He wants to be an artist! Were you popular in high school? Not particularly, I was a bit of a geek. Astrology or Astronomy? Astronomy. I bought my son a telescope recently. But secretly it was for me. Space is such an abstract concept I love to refer to it in my work. Thinking about it puts everyday problems and issues into perspective. Religion or Pop Culture? I try to not get involved in either. I lose interest in most pop culture post 1965. Couch surf or hotel? Too old for couch surfing. Hotel. Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Billboard. I’ve been toying with the idea of collaging over some Billboard adverts. But the logistics and the possibility of getting arrested puts me off doing it. Banksy wouldn’t approve of my attitude would he?

Studio Visit: Bradley LaMere

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:18:06 -0500

Favorite material to work with? Charcoal What is your medium? Primarily charcoal and graphite. Sometimes pastel and watercolor. I also work with a lot of found objects. What themes do you pursue? Iʼm currently finishing up a series of drawings involving interiors and spaces from rural homesteads in Upstate New York. Each drawing is a composite and collage from a number of different sources (observation, magazines, photographs, etc.) Iʼm also interested in theatre, particularly absurdist theatre, and surrealism. I like the idea that these spaces can become stages upon which I can project various ideas and scenarios, often of a political and socio-economic nature. How many years as an artist? My whole life. Iʼve always had a love for making things. I suppose that comes from having grown up in Upstate New York and being surrounded by craftspeople. They were all diehard “do-it-yourselfers.” Sketchbook? Yes. I use those small Moleskine sketchbooks. I always have one in my back pocket. The sketches are by no means elaborate. They are usual just simple scribbles and thumbnails, but they get the job done. Favorite font? Arial narrow. Where is your studio?Currently, itʼs in my apartment. I moved out of my studio in Philadelphia this past summer and am still in the process of getting settled here in Syracuse. Favorite eats?Thereʼs this place in downtown Syracuse called the Dinosaur BBQ. Itʼs pretty great. It has this really great rough and tumble, “down on the Bayou” kind of feel to it. Plus itʼs a biker hangout. I secretly wish I were a biker. Tattoos? None…yet. iTunes or records? Both. I use iTunes mostly but I do have to admit that there is something very gratifying about putting a record on a record player. Favorite cuss word?I donʼt really have a favorite; itʼs usually just a bunch of them strung together. One just never seems like enough. Succulents or Cigarettes? Succulents. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? When I was an undergrad, my professor, Jerome Witkin, told me to allow myself to be more foolish. At the time I wasnʼt sure what he was talking about. In time, I found that statement to be quite helpful. A willingness to be foolish, especially in regards to art, often times allows one to find the profound. Whatʼs around the corner from your place? Three bars and a Key Bank. Quite the combination. Itʼs always interesting around here on the weekends. A piece of art you love? There are many. Recently I was reading a book about Bosch and came across his piece entitled The Garden of Earthly Delights. Itʼs definitely in my top five. I find many of the things that he was doing during that time in history really amazing and remarkably innovative. Plus, anyone who can make a painting with people that have flowers growing out of their butts, and make it work, is alright by me. Favorite place to ʻget awayʼ? Any place outside of the city. I suppose itʼs the country boy in me. Prefer to work with music or in silence? Music. Lately Iʼve been listening to a lot of bluegrass.

Where can we find you outside the studio? Most likely on the SU campus. I also spend a lot of time at the art store spending what little money I have. I also like to travel a lot. Iʼll go just about anywhere. Who are your favorite writers? I read most anything that I can get my hands on. Recently Iʼve been reading a lot of plays. Iʼve always loved Samuel Beckett and I recently finished reading a series of works my Henrik Ibsen. Jean Genet is pretty great too. I also read a lot of 19th century American literature (Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, etc.) Favorite contemporary artist? Itʼs hard to pick just one. I like a lot of whatʼs going on in Europe, especially Germany and Belgium. Iʼve always admired the work of artists like Michael Borremans and Luc Tuymans. Iʼm also very influenced by many of the Leipzig artists. Day job? Currently I teach a few times a week. Itʼs nice because when Iʼm not in the studio I can go to work and talk about art. I find the students refreshing. In a strange way they help me keep my edge. At times, itʼs tough making ends meet. Iʼll do just about anything that will allow me the means to continue making work.

Prints of Instigator are available for $20.00 at Saatchi Online.

Process> Concept or Process<Concept? A little bit of both. In most cases it starts with an idea, and is realized through the process. However, a lot of things happen in the act of making, and often times this can alter the original idea. Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? Now. Maybe itʼs because of reality television, but I donʼt like the idea of anyone mooching off of my work and success after Iʼm gone. Going deaf or going blind? Being a visual person, I think that most people would expect me to say going deaf, but I actually think it could be interesting to be blind for a bit. I feel it would be an interesting challenge. If you couldnʼt be an artist, what would you do? I honestly havenʼt really wanted to do anything else. I love history, particularly art history, so I imagine that I would probably be doing something in that arena. I like animals a lot so perhaps a vet. I donʼt know. Itʼs hard to think of what else I would be doing. I suppose thereʼs always the circus. Favorite smell? The smell of wood used to make handmade furniture, particularly cedar. What was the uncomfortable situation you have ever survived? Probably having to go through final critiques in graduate school. You feel very naked standing up there in front of approximately 12 faculty members and senior critics. At times itʼs a bit like being in front of a firing squad. I once had a critic that compared grad school to doing stand-up naked. I feel that is a fitting comparison. Why do you make art? Because I feel that I have to. I think that good artists donʼt have a choice. They just have to do it. Van Gogh is a good example. Freak-death or painless one? Seeing as though I have so much that I want to do, I want to live for a long time, but I would rather die doing something really fun and daring rather than being confined to my bed. Something like canoeing the Amazon, or paragliding through the Grand Canyon.

Art School or Self-taught? Art School. I received my BFA from Syracuse University and my MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. That said, I still think that some of the best art Iʼve ever made are my finger paintings from Kindergarten. What do you collect? Everything. Iʼll collect anything that I find interesting. Lately Iʼve been collecting lead figurines from Germany. Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet? Probably William Kentridge. Thereʼs a whimsical and playful quality to both him and his work that I find extremely refreshing. Food or Sleep? Food. Iʼm a terrible sleeper. How cleanly do you work? I donʼt know as though my work is clean, but I would say that it is very systemic. Even though I have a lot of stuff, my studio is fairly organized. Do you have any trinkets or photos of friends in your studio? Not really. I do have an old thank you card from my little cousin that reads “Thank you ugen for the card, and thank you ugen for the card.” One of my personal favorites. What is your power animal? I donʼt even know what a power animal is. Iʼm going to say tiger. Those things are fierce. Astrology or Astronomy? I honestly donʼt even know the difference. Iʼm going to say astrology just because it sounds cooler. Were you named after anyone? Not my first name. My middle name is a family name. Itʼs Kenneth. Let the Barbie and Ken jokes commence. Religion or Pop Culture? Neither. Both are pretty messed up, especially nowadays. When people are more concerned about Kim Kardashianʼs marriage than the financial crisis I get a little nervous. Which artist would you have decorate your home? Maurezio Cattelan. Although I donʼt know how Iʼd feel about having all of my belongings hung from the ceiling. I do think that it would be pretty funny to have that kneeling Hitler piece greet me as I got home. Couch surf or hotel? Hotel. I like to live the good life when I can. Prints of Hollow available at Saatchi Online for $43.oo Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Billboard. I think it would be a really interesting and powerful format to work with. I think it has great potential. Traditional or Conceptual? I suppose most people would consider much of my work traditional. I tend not to think about this too much. I also donʼt concern myself with style. Favorite paper type? 140 lb Fabriano Artistico Bright White Hot Press Watercolor Paper. Use anything other than paint? A sorts ll of stuff . Oil or acrylic? I prefer oil. Acrylic is a bit like painting with snot. Figurative or abstract? Both. Representational or Surreal? Both. Photo references? Yes. Is painting dead?…And is resurrected, and dies, and is resurrected, and dies…you get the idea. Favorite brush? Angled rigger brush Palette knifes? Yeah. Italian trowel. Painting Inside or Outside? Inside. Monet or Manet? Manet. Power-tools? The more, the better. Drink beer while you build? Yes, although I wouldnʼt recommend it. Power tools and alcohol donʼt tend to mix well. My friend Chris Lawrence from grad school is the master of drinking and building with power tools. If you were a tool, what would you be? A dremel! Those things are awesome. Is bigger better? Not necessarily. I tend to not like work that is made big just for the sake of making it big. Sometimes it works, but not always. Smooth or textured? Textured. I like things that are made with materials that are kind of gnarly and gritty. Koons or Hirst? Hirst. Feelings on Taxidermy? It depends on how itʼs used. Iʼve used it quite a lot recently, but I will admit that it isnʼt always easy. I think itʼs important to avoid the “Texas aesthetic,” where youʼre making art using deer heads just because you happen to have a lot of them in your garage. Metal or yarn? Both. A combination of the two would be interesting. To see more from Bradley browse his whole portfolio here: http://www.saatchionline.com/bklamere , check out his facebook or his website here: www.bradleylamere.com.

Studio Visit with Rene Bachrach-Kristofic

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:53:05 -0500

What inspires you to make work/ what are your influences? As you can see, a great deal of my work deals with life, death, memories and the different meanings they have for me and other people. As most of my ideas derive from my personal experience from being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18, I can say that all that experience inspires me. I get inspiration from life itself. “Against the Fall of Night” Prints Starting at $40.00 Favorite material to work with? I can’t say I have a favorite one, it is just important that I feel comfortable using it. I always try to find the material that suits the idea that I have for a specific work or a painting cycle. Sketchbook? I have a sketchbook, but it’s just a little part of the materials that I use to do the works. I’m always surrounded with different books, magazines, comics, little pieces of paper on which I sketch or draw or write interesting sentences or book titles. All this presents different pieces of puzzle that all come together in my head where the final work always appears first. Favorite font? Leitura. Where is your studio? My family has two houses. We live in one, and the other is our design studio. So I basically have two studios. One smaller in the house and one in the design studio. Ever have artists’ block? Never, if anything, I always have one too many ideas. Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? My girlfriend always jokes that I’m like some Woody Allen character, I’m always checking my body for signs of illness and then obsess about something that I manage to find, so I guess that’s my biggest vice. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? I think that hasn’t happened yet. Still waiting… “Western Lands” Original:$2000.00 Prints starting at $20.00 What’s around the corner from your place? The biggest park in the city that I often go for walks when I need a break from my works. Prefer to work with music or in silence? Always with music, currently I enjoy listening to BBC 6 Music. When I’m working, any type of music is better than just silence. Favorite contemporary artist? Artists like Vladimir Dubossarsky & Alexander Vinogradov who influenced my work a lot, Raymond Pettibon & Dr. Lakra. What would have been a typical doodle for you as child? As a kid I always watched horror movies so I doodled different monsters that I saw in the movies or just made up in my head. If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? I would like to do cover art for Pearl Jam or collaborate with them in any way. Favorite movie? The Big Lebowski/ Donnie Darko. Favorite music/band?Pearl Jam Favorite surface to paint on?Canvas. Use anything other than paint?Pencils, ink & charcoal. Representational or Surreal? A little bit of both. I find that a good mix of both makes a good work. Photo references? I always use photo references, It is an essential part of my work process. I use newspaper clippings and family photos in almost all my works. Is painting dead?Paintings are static, require someone to stand before them and study them for a long time, but there is less and less patience. I think that painting’s future is uncertain and perhaps that is one of the reasons why I like it. Like me, my personal history and all that I have gone through, waiting for it’s uncertainty to unfold becomes very interesting to me. Like in real life, we never know what awaits us, but that makes it in some way more intriguing, interesting…

Studio Visit: Sam Oyelowo

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:29:06 -0500

Sam Oyelowo

Favorite material to work with? Without question a good quality 4B soft-leaded pencil. Sketchbook? My sketchbook is a mish mash of background ideas that often have little bearing on final pieces of commercial or personal artwork. This approach may have come from feeling constrained to always work ideas through from sketchbooks at art school. On the contrary I like to think of them nowadays as day-to-day records of my life rather than projects. At the moment I draw a lot people on trains and pubs, which keeps the preciousness of drawing figures at bay. Favorite font? Vador Font is definitely a favourite at the moment. NERO have used it for their new logo and it looks awesome. Where is your studio? I work from home and use a spare room as a studio. It works out fine even though I miss the buzz and banter of a studio share. Tattoos? None at present but I’m seriously considering having one of my daughter’s name on my lower back. No I didn’t get that idea from David Beckham. My dilemma is finding a font I’ll be happy with for the rest of my life. Succulents or Cigarettes? Succulents. Give me a Werthers Original over a Camel Blue any day. Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? Definitely red wine and older women. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Try everything. What’s around the corner from your place? A big fat Odeon cinema that I rarely go to. I’d rather spend my film time watching Indies at the Prince Of Wales cinema.

Prefer to work with music or in silence? It depends on whether my brain is co-operating with me or not. I find the Saving Private Ryan and The Pacific Soundtracks are winners to work to. Where can we find you outside the studio? Running through the streets of London, trying to clock a decent 19k time. I’ve managed it in 1h 24 seconds so far but I’m not so sure how I’ll better that. I’m working on it. Asides that, I do meander through the odd gallery exhibit. Favorite contemporary artist? Jennie Saville What would have been a typical doodle for you as child? Superman – with an Afro and brown skin If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Pablo Picasso Favorite sound? 90’s Hip Hop Favorite movie? Do The Right Thing by Spike Lee Favorite music/band?Gangstarr What do you wear while you work? A check shirt, raw denim jeans and leather Timberlands. Favorite paper type? Saunders Waterford Cotton rag paper. Its amazing for watercolour painting, which I love. Use anything other than paint? Bees Wax, Charcoal and any chemically safe ink I can get my hands on. Representational or Surreal? Both. My work is very literal as it stands so utilizing anything that takes it out of the usual Illustrator mold is good for me. Photo references?I often find inspiration from friends Facebook travel albums as you come across the unexpected on an hourly basis. Asides that photos my own travels are a good call. Is painting dead? No way. Just look at my old art school classmate Ian Francis. He’s managed to combine and implement phenomenal drawing skills with an abstract painting style and it works very well. He is evidence that if you have an unconventional, fresh approach, you can keep audiences exited about what you produce. As long as people continue experimenting with techniques and materials while bringing their own energy into paintings the practice will never die. I also believe there will always be a constant cycle of outstanding painters inspiring and educating younger aspiring artists, no matter how much technology erodes our tactile and visual senses.

Lost in Space: Michaela Konrad

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:04:05 -0500

Michaela Konrad is an Austrian artist living and working in both Vienna, Austria and Santa Cruz, Tenerife. She does paintings, drawings, and comics that are both visually vibrant and wrought with emotional tension. Recently her drawings came to life thanks to collaboration with Romanian multi-media artist Daniel Dorobantu, for a multimedia installation, Memories of Now, currently on view till March 2012 at the Ars Electronica Center. We catch up with her to discuss her influences, ideas, and what it truly means to be lost in space.

Space Culture and Pop Art from the 60’s seem to be huge themes in your work; what specific influences do you keep at the forefront of your mind while you work?Yes, the visual themes of my work are influenced by Pop Art and especially by American Comics from the 60’s, like Flash Gordon by Alex Raymond. I also admire some of the contemporary comic artists, like Frank Quitely. Roy Lichtenstein is another big influence, especially because he was the first artist to elevate comic motifs into “high art“ and have it exhibited in museums. Also, Art Nouveau artists, like Alfons Mucha, who were able to depict their subjects realistically and at the same time in a very minimal style with bold outlines impress me. However, more than just draw from the things that inspire me, within the last couple of years I have been able to develop a personal style where I am able to communicate what I want to say.

Moonstruck with LR Prints starting at 78.00

Your color palette is very bold, what techniques and supplies do you use to maintain this pop vibrancy?First I start off my drawing traditionally with pencil and ink. Then I scan my handmade ink drawings and correct the lines digitally with my tablet and make some corrections in the composition. The last step is the color composition which is perhaps my favorite part of my work. I usually use my computer to play around with a variety of combinations in order to decide my palette. A lot of trial and error goes into it. When I make a painting, I try to come as close as possible to the digital colors I decided on. It is the selection of bright, vibrant colors of the computer that guide my color palette.

Your drawings were recently used in a multi-media experience at Ars Electronica Festival how has working collaboratively and within the New Media genre influenced how you make your work and form ideas?My collaboration with the Romanian electronic musician and multimedia artist Daniel Dorobantu began in 2008, when he made a live music performance and a sound installation for my exhibition Comic Impacts Art in the Museum of Fine Arts in Temeswar (Romania). He created a song called “Spacelove”, which he performed in a generative way. I was impressed by the way he could transform the mood of the images into music. Later on, the idea to create Memories of Now was born. We now are directly working with the Ars Electronica Center in Linz (Austria), which also organizes the famous Ars Electronica Festival every year. When we had a first multimedia performance of Memories of Now in the Deepspace of the Ars Electronica Center in 2010. I was so deeply impressed by the new dimensions (16 x 9 meters-roughly 52 ½ x 30 feet, split between wall and floor) and by the movement and sounds Daniel had created, that I literally thought: “I will never paint again…” This didn’t happen of course and I still love to paint, but since then I often apply “movement” in my images – a little video-like.

Installation of Memories of Now What sort of experience are viewers of Memories of Now in for? Generally speaking, Memories of Now offers a changing experience, a mulch-faceted, chameleon-comic strip that goes beyond linear storytelling and invites the user to create his/her own narrative. The audience normally becomes quite calm and contemplative. Video Presentation of Memories of Now Every episode of Memories of Now is different. With “Spirit of the Positrons” for the Ars Electronica Festival, is going to be a little faster and bolder, but it will still trigger contemplation within the audience, a kind of faster contemplation. The festival theme of this year is “Origin-How it all begins” and it is connected to CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research). This is a wonderful opportunity, because it fits perfectly to Daniel’s and my interests.

OLGA Prints at 78.00 Your images although mimicking a comic book format, seem more contemplative rather than narrative-driven. Is this due to the quiet space location or setting an emotional tone?That’s true, my images are not comics in a classical sense. My new “surrealistic” comic Mondwandler is a sequence of images, which take place on the moon. My protagonist follows the footsteps of the 24 Apollo Astronauts, who made the journey to the moon. I have arranged selected sections of the astronauts’ original quotes into a kind of contemplative narration. When I chose the quotes, I focused on selecting on the ones that described the impressions and insights the astronauts had there. These men inspire me a lot; they are the only people, who were able to see the Earth as a small globe, from outside. Science usually is the most important inspiration of my art, or rather: the philosophical interpretation and understanding of science. Quantum mechanics, string theory, astronomy … all these things inspire my work and my thinking. Do you keep a sketchbook? If you do, what’s in it and would you mind showing us some sample pages?Yes, I do. Sometimes I use a sketchbook, sometimes I make my sketches on loose papers. Micaela’s sketch vs final presentation

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?I am lucky, because I have a lot of close friends who give me lot of advice that is greatly appreciated. So it’s difficult to choose the best advice. However, 4 years ago, a friend of mine sent me an email with an interview of Charles Saatchi talking about his Online Gallery. My friend wrote: “This might be interesting. Maybe you should try it out.” I tried it out and she was right. Saatchi Online has become a very interesting and vivid platform recently. And in my opinion it is really contemporary, breaking the sometimes very rigid structures of classical art galleries.

Do you take breaks while you work? If you do what do you do and where do you go?I love breaks. And I have to make many breaks to prepare the liters of tea I usually drink during my work. If I have more time I like to go to the beach or to meet a friend.

Behind The Canvas: Interview with Rives Granade

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:39:06 -0500

Man with a Net - oil on canvas 42 x 50 in. by Rives Granade

Rives Granade drapes abstractions over narratives, adding dimension to their origins and finishing them with a surface as smooth as satin latex. The Los Angeles based artist, who works in a multitude of mediums, has a natural ability to turn meaning into myth and vice versa, using anything on hand to create a fluid palette while doing so. Misplaced aboriginal fishermen and paintings of photographs of photorealistic sculptures are likely ingredients. He took time out of his morning routine to meet me at his studio and chat about what he’s working on. A wall of water-damaged photographs spoke in color-swirled tones about his new works in progress. — Who are you and what do you do? Rives Granade. I am an artist…? Tell us about what you are currently working on… Currently I’ve been working with found photographs, snapshots really. Most of the images have something strange happening in them where either the emulsion has deteriorated into near abstraction or the picture is of something that I cannot understand. In this respect they are more like objects, and there is something about a found object that you just can’t make up. There is an integrity to it that really can’t be manipulated or it is lost. These pictures also contain a history that I’m interested in, both the history of what they represent and that of their deterioration. Taken as a whole body, they can represent incredible cultural swaths of a location. I’m using these images in different ways – some will become paintings. What’s your background? When did you start painting? I grew up in the southern part of Alabama, in an environment that was a hybrid of rural and suburban existence. I always had a facility for drawing and painting, and my parents had a local artist give me private lessons for a while. In high school I got a little burned out on art and did not start painting again until my last few years of college. I was studying philosophy at the time and planned on possibly going into law. I worked in a few law firms after I graduated, but it wasn’t for me. It was only then that I pondered the possibility of a “career” in art. So I became serious about my art rather late by today’s standards.

Girl Eating Bird - oil on canvas - 16 x 20 in. by Rives Granade

What would have been a typical doodle for you as a child? I recently saw some of my drawings from when I was 5 or 6. They were simple linear abstractions with some parts colored in, maybe Brice Marden or Terry Winters looking things — come to think of it, they resembled some David Smith drawings that I recently saw. Anyway, later I drew in a predictable style that was influenced by cartoons/comic books. Nothing mind-blowing. I think that there is a suburban sensibility to my work. As a kid I watched a fair amount of TV, and for some reason I tend to remember the commercials more than anything. However, I also loved the outdoors, baseball, skateboarding, etc. One’s aesthetic tends to be infused with many different experiences and mine is no different. It is an amalgam of my life. Your work is a little dark, a little humorous and pretty brave. Can you tell us a bit about the themes behind it? My interests lie in the disconnect between reality and our perception thereof. Nietzsche pointed out that everything we experience is in essence a series of metaphors. What we perceive when looking at a rock, for example, is the light reflecting off of the rock, photons entering through the lens of the eye, the stimulation of rods, cones, and nerve receptors in our retinas, the electronic firing of neural synapses in the brain’s occiptal lobe, etc. So the perception of a rock is the illusion of that rock, the illusion of reality, set up by layers of removal. We never can get to the noumenon, or what Kant referred to as the thing in itself. Also, the idea that language has come to validate reality instead of the other way around I find intriguing. This mean’s that the idea of absolute truth must be completely thrown out the window. Wittgenstein did significant work along these lines. Images are part of this descriptive language, defining and constructing reality. Art, and painting in particular, is in a unique position to try and find “truth” as it relates to these ideas. Each painting I do is an experiment, an investigation into the nature of an image and how it functions. I am interested in what’s behind the image, how the image is constructed, how it is read, etc. My work tends to be photo based, because the photograph still is thought of as a document of reality. Painting the image helps me deconstruct and understand it. The darkness in my work is partly a defense mechanism, but it also has to do with my sense of humor, critical scrutiny, and a certain cynicism that pervades in me. The darkness is almost always a little tongue in cheek though, which I guess is where the humor comes in. The thing I actually like about painting is its ability to straddle the line between the artificial and the real. Baudelaire preferred theatre backdrop painting to the 19th century landscape painting of his day because of its artificial nature. The backdrops didn’t try to hide their artifice, and in that sense they were more real

Summer (of “seasons” series) - oil on canvas - 22 x 28 in. by Rives Granade

I see your work relating to photos as images with proper scale and narrative involvement but showing situations that are unlikely literal. In other words, the images might be a metaphor for what a photograph was actually saying, a peek into the world of “the thing itself”. Do the emulsion and deterioration that also attract you to certain photographs act as inspiration for a new metaphor? Yes, I think you are right that the paintings are metaphors, but more specifically they are analogies. This is similar to the way that a photograph is an analogy. A photographic image and its referent are so similar that we have a difficult time separating them from one another, yet they are different enough that we can say that a photograph is not what it represents. Yet, just because something is similar does not mean that it is the same. I believe that there is a given, there is a world out there, and it is not just our own construction. However, there are these filters that exist between us and the world. Language is a filter, and our own senses another. This is the ultimate problem of representation. My paintings are analogies of representations. The deterioration and emulsion help link the type of abstractions that are triggered in memories and emotions to the world and to things in it. It helps remind me that everything is essentially on an equal plane. Where the metaphysical is found, it is found here. Which do you feel is your most significant piece or has the most meaning to you? The piece that has the most meaning for me is the one I’m currently working on. After I stop working on something, it becomes an entirely different thing. Have you experimented with other painting styles in the past? I’m constantly experimenting, yet mostly with pushing the materials and how I can get the painting to look…that is, how I can make a painting that represents a certain moment in time and is at the same time timeless. I don’t really think in terms of style. I think in terms of an image that I want to see come into being as a painting, and I proceed from there. I like for the paint and surface of my work to have a certain quality, yet I make no distinction between abstraction and figuration – it’s all just paint. Lately I’ve been introducing things like crushed minerals, resin, and hair into my work. Each image calls for its own materials.

Spring (of “seasons” series) - oil on canvas - 22 x 28 in. by Rives Granade

It seems like a very natural relationship you have with the canvas. Do you think it’s because you had the opportunity to develop your skill at a young age? The seemingly natural relationship that I have to the canvas is based on years of trying to figure out how best to paint in a way that pleases me. I am essentially self-taught from things that I have read in books and paintings that I have looked at and technically deconstructed. I have had very sound advice from different professors and teachers through the years. Although there is only one who has ever given me any real technical help, and that is the painter Brett Reichman. The relationship to the canvas is always a tenacious one though. It’s a push pull relationship – and I have no problem destroying my work. I should probably destroy more of it. What responses have you had to your work? Well I get all kinds of responses. I think people like my work because of its technical proficiency, but often the imagery is difficult. Garish but beautiful is often a response I get, and this is ok. For the longest time I pushed against the idea of the work being in any way decorative. I didn’t want a painting to hang on the wall in someone’s living room. As a result of this type of thinking the paintings became very harsh, and I’m not so interested in this anymore. Yet I want a painting to have some power to it, some intensity. The energy and thought that you put into your work tends to come back out. Some people see my work as a little schizophrenic, and this is fine. I feel that conceptually I work more like a photographer. I can’t imagine anything more boring than painting the same thing over and over again.

Bahia Bakari, Vesna Vulovic - from series on plane crash survivors - oil on aluminum

What do you dislike about the art world? I’m not sure I know enough about the art world to have any real dislikes. I think the value system that it uses is at the mercy of whimsy, and that can be frustrating. In this way there is no consistent formula for success (maybe their never is?). I think this is both good and bad. Taste is a problematic driving force as well… You have been selected to go on all expense paid drinking binge for three days with an artist, a writer and anyone else. Who are you getting plastered with?? I don’t know about drinking, but I really would just like to hangout with someone nice. Unfortunately, I think a lot of artists tend to be assholes, and this is partly due to the self-centered nature of the trade. However, I’ve read that Monet was a happy fellow and very kind. I think it would be nice to spend some time in the French countryside with him.

Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? I have a lot of vices but none are really that interesting. What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Keep working and do what’s in your heart. Any projects planned? I’m in a couple group shows around LA this summer and working on a small solo show in September built around ideas of pareidolia, and cave painting.

Birmingham I - oil on canvas over panel - 36 x 48 in. by Rives Granade

What could you not do without? Books. Colors. Music. Can you tell me a joke? When I was in fourth grade someone brought a dirty joke book onto the school bus. I remember reading a joke in that book which went something like this: A man and woman are shipwrecked and stranded on a desert island. The man really wants to have sex with the woman, however for moral reasons she refuses. Finally, the woman gives in. After a few days she becomes ashamed of what she is doing and starves herself to death. A few weeks later the man becomes ashamed of what he is doing and buries her. For more information on Granade and his upcoming solo exhibition in LA, please visit rivesgranade.com