Artist Survey #19: Chelsea Wilde

Better late than never I always say! This artist survey features the responses of my dear friend and collaborator, Chelsea Wilde. I met her and her husband, Joel, when he requested a pin for the Alley Art show. From then on the three of us became fast friends, collaborators and conspirators. Take a look at the images and words below then take a look at Chelsea’s site and studio in downtown. There has been a lot of collaboration going on between us, or at least us talking about collaboration, so expect to see a lot more of her work in future posts.

{Medusa : Photograph}

{Picasso : Hand Beaded Cuff}

{Honey Bee : Photograph}

{Finch : Pen, Sharpie, Colored Pencil}


Name: Chelsea Wilde

Location: Twain Harte, CA

Medium(s): Film, digital, & Polaroid photographs. Pen & Ink. Needle & Thread. Piano keys & vocal chords.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? An old soul. A make-believer. A fort builder. A Photographer. A musician.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Various blogs & a few online shops,  www.etsy.com/shop/liftedindustries , on Courtney Love’s neck,  www.newresolutionphoto.com, and my studio in downtown Sonora, CA.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I most likely made cave paintings in the womb.

Who/What inspired your interest? Being an only child in a mixed-up family of artists and musicians.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? Home, for sure.

What is your day job? Photographer.

Why do you create? To keep my brain from exploding. The ideas have to go somewhere.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? Whimsy, conflict, and wicked fashion sense.

What do you want from your work? Satisfaction & growth.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? Inspiration & unanswered questions.

How often do you work on personal projects? I make all my work personal.  If I can’t, I don’t do it.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Not as often as I’d like.

Does your art support you financially? It’s getting there.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? I don’t think of much else.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? Cook, kayak, discover delicious pairings of beer & tobacco, build forts, explore forests, and hang out with a bunch of animals.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? Peter Wolf Crier, BRMC, Mumford & Sons,  David Bazan, Maps & Atlases, Meursault, Born Ruffians, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Pelican, etc. etc. etc.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Local art shows & musical fantastic-ness!

How long do you generally take on a piece? Planning & creating for a conceptual shoot typically takes me a few weeks, at most.  If I create the wardrobe, it can take a week to several months.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Nothing important, that’s for sure.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Guilty. I prioritize, though. Secondary projects take up my free/break time from primary ones.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Polaroids and OOAK pieces, yes. Everything else makes my heart dance a bit.

Artist Survey #18: Peter Nordstrom

Peter is a crazy cat I met through the recent Alley Art Show. He is one of the very few (if not only) local artists creating the style of art that he does. He spends a great deal of time on each and everything that he creates and it is obvious in the final product. Read on to learn more.

{Arahan Heart}

{Love Death}

{Harbinger of the Apocolypse}

Name: Peter Nordstrom

Location: Sonora, CA

Medium(s): magic sculpt, super sculpey, found objects, acrylic & oil paint

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? Sculptor & Painter

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? My House (by appointment) & www.futantshadow.deviantart.com/gallery/

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? Around 2006, once I discovered new mediums of clay and what I was capable of creating and expressing through sculpture.

Who/What inspired your interest? I desired to create new forms that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Other’s artwork and McFarlane’s monster toys were amazing but I had so many images and ideas in my mind I wanted to bring to life. Recently it has been H.R. Giger as I love his style: the darkness, eroticism, and attention to detail. He is an example of someone who isn’t afraid to show anything and everything; a true master of art and himself (in a good way, like feeling comfortable and understand who he is). I also really like Alex Grey as a visionary artist, and I like the realism of Da Vinci, and the sculptures of Michelangelo. Kris Kuksi was my inspiration for using found objects; his work is very impressive and elaborate; something I want to create in my own work, but in my own style, vision, and expression.

What is your day job? I work part time for my step dad, answering emails and taking care of online orders when he needs help. He is in the business of curing uncurable diseases through alternative medicines, and I fully support this movement against the pharmacies who are only interested in treating the symptoms and not the disease. Other then that, I am doing art every minute I get.

Why do you create? I feel the need to bring my imagination to life in a 3-D sculpture, as a form of expression or some kind of emotion; like a better way of understanding myself.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? My personal work is normally quite dark, erotic, macabre, and very detailed. It often encompasses the interaction between male and female, often love, pain, longing, fear, or other emotions that can’t be said but only felt.

What do you want from your work? I want my work to represent my feelings both emotionally and accurately in regards to the images in my mind. Trying to bring my imagination to life is a true challenge and it keeps me motivated to get every detail perfect. Kind of like OCD.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I would hope that they understand the complexity and hard work that I put into each piece, and perhaps have some personal emotional reaction; whatever it may be. My artwork is personal to me, so if a viewer likes or dislikes isn’t that important. But I do appreciate it when others find beauty and meaning in my work; it makes me feel like I have accomplished something great for myself.

How often do you work on personal projects? Almost everyday, sometimes an hour, sometimes 8 hours, just depends on other obligations and how much energy I have.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Not very often, I don’t take many commissions because I don’t really enjoy creating someone else’s ideas. I don’t like doing art for money, as I feel it isn’t as true to the meaning of what art is to me. If someone wants something made that I also find very interesting or challenging then I may take them up on it. However, my artwork is very complex and I charge a lot so the average person isn’t able to afford it. I do create art for my friends and family as gifts, as this means a lot more to me then selling something to a stranger.

Does your art support you financially? No, I’m not concerned about selling my art right now, it’s just a form of self-expression and if I wanted to make art just to sell then I wouldn’t enjoy it or want to make it.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? I think about it 24/7. Sometimes I forget to eat or do things with friends and family.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I play tennis, card games, cook, work out, spend time with friends and family (when I remember!).

Which musicians are you currently interested in? I’ve had what most would probably label an obsession with Tool since 1997 (the depth of the music, lyrics, art, meanings behind their work; like understanding oneself, the earth, universe, relationship with others, deeper love and connections, spirituality, the completeness of the self through accepting the dualities in life, like good/evil, right/wrong, light/dark, love/hate, male/female, etc.). Recently I’ve been engulfed by Skinny Puppy and other projects by their band members (The Tear Garden, Cevin Key, etc), as they are deep spiritual trance-like in emotion and dark industrial journeys of music. Music has a large influence on my mind and ideas, which I use and express through art. One example is the Love/Death sculpture I did a few years ago, the emotion is from a relationship that was very passionate in love but also painful in separation, and the black/white and character design is from a Skinny Puppy music video of their song “Candle.”

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Just the Summer Art Explosion, and any other artistic events in the future!

How long do you generally take on a piece? The larger pieces usually take 100+ hours over one to two months. The piece I’m working on now has been ongoing for a few months, but I’ve been sidetracked with other projects and constantly changing the design, so that is slowing things down. I am also putting a lot of emphasis on anatomy, movement, and fine details; which takes a long time too for such a large project.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Well, I quit my full-time day job to focus on art because I felt like I was already dead not being able to do what I loved. I was at the top of my class throughout school yet didn’t find any meaning in mathematics or other subjects, so when I got to college I studied art, philosophy, psychology, anthropology, and biology. I didn’t attend further education as I found most of what I was learning was outside of class; through personal research, and just creating new sculptures I learned way more then anyone could teach me. If I ever reach a plateau, or point where I can’t learn any more by myself, then I will seek new teachers and environments to get me to new levels.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes, but I try not to, as I get distracted and sometimes have trouble finishing pieces; so I try to focus all my energy on one piece until it is done. Sometimes I like to balance between sculpture and painting so I don’t get overwhelmed on just one medium.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Sometimes, but most of my work is for myself. I’ve made sculptures for family and one in particular for two of my friends who got married that I feel are some of my best work, so it is sad to see them go but I know they are really appreciated and loved.

Artist Survey #17: Mindy Marlowe

{Jelly Belly Tomatoes : Acrylic on Canvas}

{Spats : Fabric and whatnot}

{Dapper Flamingo : Acrylic on Canvas}

{River Monster : Acrylic on Canvas}

Name: Mindy Marlowe

Location: Twain Harte CA

Medium(s): pen & ink, acrylic, spray paint, marker, sewing machine, random up-cycling of household objects.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? shy gypsy crafter…so “Other”

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? At a young age, my family encouraged my brother and I to experience the outdoors so we would go tearing around making forts, dancing, laughing, petting bees, searching for fairies in the grass. (Which was so much fun, that I once ended up with poison oak in my eye.) Essentially, my concept of art is rooted in make believe, but it seemed real and that was the best part.

Who/What inspired your interest? My mom, she is the original free spirit.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? Waldorf school.

What is your day job? Driving school manager extraordinaire

Why do you create? Because I feel that I have to, it’s a comfort

Is there any recurring theme in your work? Extremely loose representation of personal freedom, wanton abandon, whimsy.

What do you want from your work? Challenge, solace.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? Hard question… commonality, or an interest in something that was previously uninteresting.

How often do you work on personal projects? A few times per week, 2-ish. At this point, its all personal to me and I hope that stays, I can’t imagine doing art for impersonal reasons.

Does your art support you financially? Not yet…

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? When I have an idea, I tend to dream of it and daydream of it. I just want to go home and lock myself in my little art space until the project is finished.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? Camp, write, cook, drink wine, snowboard, read, play softball, sing, drink more wine.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? Tim Armstong, The Black Keys, Jolie Holland, Elliott Smith, Riverboat Gamblers, Tiger Army, O.A.R.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Next roller derby bout, horseshoe tourney at the Lube Room, Renegade Craft Fair in SF.

How long do you generally take on a piece? Hard to say, sometimes I get really carried away and finish things in a matter of hours. Otherwise, maybe days.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Mostly I chicken out at Art’s expense, but I’m standing on the edge of the precipice now.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? No, I’m single minded, I have to get one thing out & done before I can start another.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No, I usually give it away to good homes.

Of Dinosaurs, Comic Book & Super-Heroes

Below is an article/interview written about me by local artist Patti Cherry for the Sierra Lodestar, a weekly supplement for the tri-county area. She explains how we met and all so read on!

Zac_in_Studio(Photo taken by Justin Calbert)

Zac Calbert:  Of Dinosaurs, Comic Book & Super-Heroes

I first met Zac Calbert at a planning meeting for Sonora Art Trails.  Quite honestly he seemed out of place.  He was and is an extremely polite young man in a meeting full of outspoken artists who are loquacious to say the least.  We were discussing next years open studio tour.  If you’ve ever attended a meeting with artists you would know that it is a bit like herding cats.  There sat this polite young man, quiet and waiting his turn, that in itself was an anomaly.  Since at this meeting I was head cat herder, I finally got to ask him was he interested in taking part of next years open studio tour.

“I’d like to but I don’t have a studio,” he replied.

“Some of our artists are happy to share their studio, would you like to share studio space with one of us for that week-end?” I asked.

“No, I don’t have a large enough body of work”.

“Well, Zac what can we do for you?”

“You (meaning all of us) can give me a reason to stay in Sonora. I don’t know where all the young people have gone, where they hang out, where they work.”

I tell this story by way of introducing Zac because he articulated an issue that many of us have experienced – young people trying to find their way in the Gold Country.  We need our young people; obviously they are our future.  Two years have gone by and now Zac is moving into a family member’s home and turning the garage into a studio.  He has developed a few graphic design clients.  He is doing his art and slowly carving out a niche for himself.  Check out his blog at utltrn.wordpress.com.  He and others like him deserve our support.

Zac was born and raised in Sonora, graduating from Sonora High School in 2002.  He returned two years ago and was and is on of the key people who brought about “The Returning Artist Show”.  Last years show was successful so they decided to have it again.  You can see it until October 18, at Stage 3 in downtown Sonora.  Thankfully Stage 3 sees the importance of helping out young artists.  He is thankful to them and to others like BZ Smith who have been so helpful to young artists in our community.

Zac’s art is refreshing, full of humor and mythical creatures.  He creates linocuts and woodcuts.  He is interested in illustration and comic books among many other mediums.

“I do Graphic Design, to earn a living and I like it.  It is the field I got my education in.  I do posters, t-shirts and screen-printing.  One of my clients is a swim wear company and I design all of their marketing collateral.  But when you work at the computer all day, it feels good to change up and create linocuts and woodcuts, and printmaking because of the process.  I get to move around, work with my hands, learn new techniques, and take all the sequential steps.”

“I like to use found objects.  For instance my dad and brother refinish furniture and they were discarding an old chair that was too far gone.  I liked the back so I reclaimed it disassembled it and carved out a ‘Happy Cyclops‘, on it.  I like crypto zoology”.

Admitting that I didn’t know what crypto zoology meant, (although it is fun to say). He explained, “Basically it’s the study of mythological creatures, like the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot.   A lot of my work revolves around those themes.  I’ve been criticized for having an immature outlook, because I still love dinosaurs, comic book stores, and super-heroes.  A lot of my work revolves around those themes.”

Being an old artist I couldn’t help advise him to follow his heart that George Lucas also liked mythology and probably still has a so called immature outlook.  George studied with Joseph Campbell to learn all about the hero myth.  We agreed George didn’t do so badly, and that he is looking forward to checking out some of the many books Mr. Campbell left us.

He explained the process of linocut to me.

“I conceive of the design and try to draw out the block first, either linoleum or wood.  You have to carve out what you are not drawing; you have to carve out the negative.   Its easy to make a mistake.  The end result is like a giant rubber stamp.   When I’m ready to print I soak a piece of heavy linen paper, blot and then dry it.  I put that over the inked up block.  The hardest part is if you have a bunch of text, the words have to be backwards and its easy to mess up.”

“I’m really grateful for all of the resources this community has created.  I’m now connected with a couple of other groups of young artists; we are soaking up as much of that as we can. We would like to create and then share with the next generation.”

For me it is inspirational to get to know younger artists like Zac, learn about his artistic aspirations and especially to learn about how our community has reached out to him.  I hope he now has a reason to stay.

But, now I am off to the Marin Coast to paint at Tamales Bay with a group of Plein Aire Painters.  It’s tough duty I know but someone’s got to do it.

Where artists live and work, communities thrive.

P

Artist Survey #16: Travis Logan

I met Travis some time after his brother Derrick and I became good friends which would have been sometime late in my elementary school career. He is older than us and was keen to a whole world of things we had yet to discover. He has greatly influenced Derrick’s life and as result mine too. I was introduced to heavy metal, psychotic cartoons and violent comics because of the Logan boys and I haven’t been the same since. Look for some of his work to return to Tuolumne County in the near future.

SELFPORT

{Digital Collage : Self Portrait}
CONSTRUC
{Ceramic : Constructing Deconstruction}
GAMBLEWI
{Mixed : Gambling with Everything}
TIBETSWE
{Digital Art : Tibet Sweat}
Tri
{New triptych in progress : Acrylic on Canvas}

Name: Travis Logan

Location: Las Vegas, NV.

Medium(s): Oil, water, and acrylic Paint; Ceramic, plaster, steel and fiberglass sculptures; Graphite, charcoal, and ink drawing; Photography, digital and S.L.R, digital image creation, film-making and cartooning.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? I am an artist but I still have trouble labeling myself as one. I know I’m an artist but feel that there are negative connotations as well as certain stigmas connected to being an artist.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Travislogan.net when my web page is up. Right now I’m working on updating it and have taken it down.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? When I was very young, maybe 4 years old.

Who/What inspired your interest? On the surface, I originally wanted to draw and make things that I thought looked cool and that others might like as well. I can’t name one individual inspiration because the list would probably be several pages long. Deep down I’ve always had the desire to create and turn ordinary items into art. Whether that is a painting with hidden images and meaning or sculpting something unnatural but visually intriguing.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? I would say preschool. The first project I remember was tracing my hand on a plate that would be made into a dish. Of course this was something Cavemen did well before I had this idea but none the less, that got the gears turning and they haven’t stopped since.

What is your day job? Artist

Why do you create? I just have to! No matter where I am, good or bad, if I can at least draw it has a calming effect on me and gets me into a peaceful state of mind.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? I like to create images inside of larger images or objects. The idea is: nothing is what it seams! The material I use and the imagery may be different and constantly changing style but there is always a “surrealistic” dreamlike theme to my work.

What do you want from your work? A feeling of completion, satisfaction, accomplishment and pride is probably what I look for most with a finished peace.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I would like viewers to be entertained. I want the viewer to get caught up in the image or object and truly take some time looking at it and possibly become transfixed; not just glance and say, “oh that’s nice, this would go well in the bathroom next to the shells and candles.”

How often do you work on personal projects? Everything I do is personal, some pieces are more heart felt than others but they are always personally meaningful; However I work on art projects not related to galleries or work daily. Unfortunately I have to many ideas and not enough time.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? In the past I have not worked on anything besides the ideas that came to mind with the exception of school projects. Recently, I have been working on paintings and some clothing designs for a couple of individuals who have commissioned me for my services. I would say fifty percent of my time is spent on projects for others.

Does your art support you financially? For the most part no, I could survive on what I make but I would have to sleep in my car and eat bugs for lunch (haha).

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes but not in a negative way. Art is just part of life. I analyze the shapes, colors, images, and composition of every thing around me. I often wake up in the middle of the night or can’t sleep because I have to get ideas out or create something. I often feel like I have too many projects going at once and more ideas surfacing all the time. Life is too short for everything I want to create!

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, backpacking and rock climbing. I used to love to go to the movies and still do occasionally; however I can’t stop my self from criticizing and picking apart all the flaws in the plot, editing, and cinematography. Blockbuster films have far too large of  budgets to be pumping out such crap, but I digress.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? NIN, Pearl Jam, Black Crows, Mudvayne, Beastie Boys, Tool, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Frank Sinatra, Digital Underground, E-40 and Credence Clearwater. I am really interested in the Beastie Boys most of all.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? I don’t have anything planned but I would like to go see Dov Davidoff, the comedian, soon.

How long do you generally take on a piece? It can take me any where from a few weeks to a few years to complete a piece. If I really don’t like the way something is coming out I will put it up for a while and wait for inspiration. If it ends up I’m not feeling right about it after a while it becomes recycled in to another project.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Yes, I guess you could say that I didn’t see eye to eye with the last company I worked for. I was framing and matting art at the time. In short, they wanted to make a profit any way they could and I didn’t think the corners being cut (No pun intended) were ethical.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes, I have to work on a few at a time. I bounce around from piece to piece, partly to keep myself thinking but mostly because I have a short attention span.

Artist Survey #14: Lindsey Lutts

I met Lindsey during preparations for the Returning Show. The punk rock attitude captured in many of her photos contrasted nicely with the clean photography of other artists (check out her web page for more examples). She grew up here in Sonora and has since moved to the Bay Area. Despite the distance she is always willing to make the drive up to the foothills to help with our struggling youth art scene. Look for her work at the next foothill art event.

lovedeath

necklace

(Ocean Necklace by Lindsey – Silver hand made chain mail all soldered
with turquoise and hydrologic press silver charms etched in acid.)

boat

Name: Lindsey

Location: San Francisco

Medium(s): Photographer, Metal Artist/ Jewelry, Ceramics, Knitting, Graphic Designer

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? Starving Artist maybe because I am still trying to figure out how to do it for a living. It’s hard to consider myself an artist when everyone thinks they are an artist. Anyone with a finger can push a button on a camera. It takes a lot to stand out in the world today and to not blend in with the masses.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Photolindsey.com but it is very out of date. Myspace.com/photolindsey has weekly updates of musician/band photos.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? Ever since I can remember.

Who/What inspired your interest? Almost anything can inspire me, a color or combination of colors, a smell that reminds me of a time, a feeling, the way light falls upon something, and pretty much every kind of art.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? My family has always encouraged me be artistic from the time I could hold a paint brush. We made ceramics, paintings, and various crafts all the time. When I was 12 I took an underwater photo with one of those plastic disposable cameras that came out pretty cool. I think it still might be my favorite photo I have taken. Right away it stood out so my Grandma took it to get enlarged at a photo shop. Someone there saw it and bought a large copy for his law office wall. When my Grandma called me from the print shop and asked me if she could sell it and than brought me a check, I realized that this was what I was going to do for the rest of my life.

What is your day job? Accountant (yeah boring I know). I have worked in many types of photography jobs in the past but sold out for the higher paying job. I am not sure if I would recommend it but I have learned a ton that will help me when I decide to start my own business.

Why do you create? It is the only thing I do that makes me completely one hundred percent happy. It is my escape from the world but it is also my interpretation of the world and how it affects me.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? I go through different phases and if I figure out what they are at the time I am shooting them instead of after, I go with it and try to stick with it. It is usually just one word like decay, serenity, or sound…

What do you want from your work? I don’t think I want it to give me anything but I will give to it. Does that make sense at all? Haha

What do you want viewers to take from your work? To see me. Also if my work provokes a feeling inside someone no matter what the feeling is, it is successful.

How often do you work on personal projects? Always. I consider it all personal.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? I work for a small magazine photographing bands and submit to many other magazines monthly. Some of my photos will be in AMP Magazine’s next issue. I recently set up a studio in my house so I am starting to shoot a lot more band portraits, families, kids, and pin ups.

Does your art support you financially? No, that is my ultimate goal though.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes, like right now I am at work and really need to be at home working on some Riverboat Gamblers photos for a magazine. If I wait too long, other photos will be used.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? It is really hard for me to go anywhere without a camera. I am trying to think of an instance when I do not have one with me. I think I am always working and looking for things that inspire me. It could be something as simple as a color or texture or something amazing that is just about to happen around the corner and I am ready for it. If I did not have my camera I would miss it. I have this strange kind of fear that I am going to miss something and in turn am constantly shooting. I do other things in my spare time but they always end up becoming about the photos that I can get while doing it.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? Gaslight Anthem, American Steel, Get Dead, Dead to Me, Samiam, The Clash, Drag the River, Devil Makes 3, Johnny Cash…

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas next week. Hundreds of bands and record labels form bowling teams and come from all over for a crazy week in Vegas. There are tournaments and shows going on the whole time. The teams all make their own uniforms and come to bowl and drink 24 hours a day. This is one of my favorite things to photograph every year.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? I don’t think so but I know a lot of people who have. I have only lost parts of myself and my time by not doing more art.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Always. Imagine trying to take just one photo, or trying to choose just one after a shoot.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Sometimes. I make handmade jewelry and that is much harder to part with than a photograph. A photograph can be duplicated in its raw form but Jewelry can not. I once spent over 200 hours on one piece and don’t see myself selling it anytime soon.

Artist Survey #13: BZ Smith

I was introduced to BZ at a post-Thanksgiving celebration in 2007. We found we had many things in common, including the dream of seeing Sonora as an artisticly centered community with heavy youth involvement. Ever since she has been introducing me to local artists, designers, board members, organizations, entrepreneurs and festivals. Until recently she was a member of the Central Sierra Arts Council with which I try to volunteer as much as possible. She is an advocate for youth arts and nurturing the future of our community as well as preserving it’s rich history. I really can’t say enough great things about BZ, her open heart or her sharp mind.

bz3

bz2

bz1

Name: B.Z. Smith

Location: Tuolumne County

Medium(s): Mixed Media, Storytelling.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? Performance artist & dabbler into visual arts

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? www.thestoryquilters.com for storytelling information.  I have an award-winning CD published with Cynthia Restivo and Bill Roberson by that name:  The Story Quilters.  It’s available at CDBaby.com and in Tuol-Co at Mountain Bookshop

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? In the womb.

Who/What inspired your interest? I have a crazy artistic family.  It is in my genes.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? Yep.  In the womb.

What is your day job? Art.

Why do you create? I have to create.  My heart, my mind drive me to create, to build, to get messy!

Is there any recurring theme in your work? Childhood journeys come up a lot. I’m just finishing a painting called “Childhood’s Dreams.” It’s about my forever quest to live in France, to remove myself from American culture, and live in the dream-state of Romantic Paris—a fantasy world that does not even exist!  Another recurring theme is my relationship with nature—the sea, earth elements. Within those themes, I have a signature that I’ve developed that I call “tangled.” Wires, beads, bits of pottery that make up a tangled mess—a lot like my life.

What do you want from your work? I want the joy of knowing I’ve connected with an audience to express some common feeling or shared value. This comes up a lot in storytelling.  I hope to make these same connections through my visual work.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? That same sense of connection.  And I hope to leave a question dangling in the air that lets the audience/viewers ponder their own thoughts.

How often do you work on personal projects? Constantly.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? My storytelling? A lot. My visual art, not at all.

Does your art support you financially? Yes. My storytelling has given me a decent supplement to other income for many years.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? My art work does take up a lot of mind space!

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? Sleep.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? Well, the list is long…Today it’s Gogol Bordello. Yesterday it was Tim Minchen. It’s always Vivaldi and Mozart. Tomorrow it might be Polka Accordion. My musical tastes and experiences are very eclectic. I am all over the musical map!

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? The Strawberry Music Festival.

How long do you generally take on a piece? Storytelling—years. Each story sits in me, evolving over a course of time. I might learn a story to tell on the very same day, but that same story in two years will be completely different with a much deeper sub-text. It has lived in me, and I in it. Paintings—I tend to do the main piece rather quickly in one day. Then I let it sit for a while. Later I may change it, augment it—or even paint over it completely.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Yes. I get so absorbed in my work that I lose sight of anything else. I make a huge mess, and it spreads into my partner’s space. Once my husband, the dear and departed Rick Thorpe, said, “Every time I create a new horizontal surface, you fill it up!”

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Unfortunately, yes. And this is what gets me in trouble.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No. Make it. Love it. Pass it on!

Artist Survey #12: Hanah Hicks

Hannah is basically my other sister. I have known her my whole conscious life and our families remain close friends. She is currently finishing up a degree in fashion and apparel design in San Francisco and hopes to start designing/manufacturing bold clothing and outerwear to fit today’s board culture.

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jacket

hoodie

Name: Hannah Hicks

Location: San Francisco, CA

Medium(s): Clothing.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? Designer.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? On people, in magazines. The ski and snowboard community. MySpace.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I’ve always liked making things, but my fashion designing focus started about 3 years ago.

Who/What inspired your interest? I was inspired by a woman I lived with when I was in New Zealand. She taught me how to create my own clothes instead of using a pattern.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? From an infant when my dad would play his guitar and sing.

What is your day job? In the winter I work in the Sports Shop at a ski resort.

Why do you create? To inspire others.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? I like to collaborate with my friends and family.

What do you want from your work? I want to make people feel better about themselves and happier with life in general.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I want them to find innovation.

How often do you work on personal projects? Once a month or so. But these projects stem into lines that are for others.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Never.

Does your art support you financially? Not yet.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? I think about it all the time. I check out pretty much every person I pass. Haha. I am always looking for a source of inspiration. I should execute my ideas more though.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I travel and enjoy the snow and go to school.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? I will always be a fan of the Beastie Boys and Sublime. I am getting more into the Brazilian Girls, although I haven’t heard much of them. And I love to dance to BLVD!

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Yea. Sea of Dreams. Everyone should go. Its gonna be an amazing new years eve party in SF.

How long do you generally take on a piece? It depends on what it is. I can make a shirt in about a week. Or it can take me a few months to plan out an outerwear jacket.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? I think that art has only been beneficial in my life. Who needs money?

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Not usually. I usually work on multiple pieces at the same time but they are all part of the same line.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Most of the time. Sometimes I make a few of each piece just so I can have one around. But I usually just take lots of pictures. I wish I had a website to show you all. Coming soon, hopefully. Most of my pictures from my first two collections are on myspace.com/hanneyhi. Just take a look in my pictures in my Palindome:We’re Gonna make it Album. Thanks!!!

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Artist Survey #11: Rick Reese

Rick was my intro to illustration professor back at Long Beach State. I always looked forward to his class because he is a real down-to-earth guy and would often bring in his current projects to show us his creative process (usually because he was behind schedule I’m sure). I enjoy drawing a great deal, but am no illustrator, Rick made sure to let me know that! Rick taught me to really push to exaggerate my images to get the emotional impact that I often came short on. His work, whether commercial or otherwise is always fun to look at. He layers images and text allowing viewers to always find something new to examine while they should be doing something more important.

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(The Escapist)

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(Study for a Boy)

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(The 6-3)

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(Study for Mother)

Name: Rick Reese

Location: Orange County

Medium(s): All of them

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? They are all the same to me.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Various galleries, some magazines, around, rickreeseart.com

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I can’t remember, I think I might be a cliché and say from birth.

Who/What inspired your interest? Skateboard graphics from the 80’s, comic books and cartoons. I still look at them even though my interests have changed a lot.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? Comic book store. Great place to get introduced to imagery and text working together. I loved comic books, not the lame super hero crap but the alternative funnies like Yummy Fur.

What is your day job? I’m an artist and a teacher. If you keep your “day job” you may not ever get around to supporting yourself with your art.

Why do you create? To fulfill some unexplainable urge to communicate my experience to others. Maybe I need validation I don’t know but I think it’s a common human need.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? At this point most of my new work is loosely dealing with memory and family.

What do you want from your work? I want it to make me rethink what I expected and amaze me that I made it.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? There is no one thing. Different people will take different things obviously. I really don’t care what they take as long as they are engaged by it in some way that is meaningful to them. If they have no reaction to a piece I feel like it’s a failure in some way.

How often do you work on personal projects? All the time. All your work should be personal or you’re wasting your time (in my humble opinion).

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Not so often anymore, but I used to all the time when I was younger and worked for other people and other companies doing mostly “commercial” work, whatever that means. I may return to it someday soon, I’ve been feeling the itch.

Does your art support you financially? Yes, but I teach too and that’s been helpful because I have a wife and 2.5 kids to feed. Selling work in galleries is not always something you can count on…its like freelancing used to feel to me, inconsistent but kind of fun.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? I think about it all day and lose sleep over it at night, I’m obsessed by it and I can’t wait to work on a piece once its underway. I hope most artists feel that way or they aren’t in the right field in my opinion. If you aren’t that interested there are many easier ways to make a living.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? Read, surf, hang around with my family.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? Bad Brains, The Misfits. I can’t stop listening to this music. Its had me since I was a kid.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? My daughter’s parent teacher meeting on Wednesday, should be a real scorcher.

How long do you generally take on a piece? Its all over the place. Weeks, a month sometimes just a few days on a small piece if its coming easy. Paintings evolve at their own pace it seems, some fast, others slow.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? I married a graphic designer so she understands art and has been supportive and really a huge blessing. I quit a 9-5 corporate art department job to teach and pursue painting. So maybe I lost that job but I never felt like it belonged to me. I’m not good at that kind of thing. The consistent day in and day out monotony (as it seemed to me) was really hard. To me it was worth the loss of consistent income to regain my sense of who I was as an artist. Again that’s probably cliché but its the truth.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes I usually will have a painting or two going on while I am working on a print or a drawing or collage. Who knows I may go back to taking illustration or client based work, I really like it, I just have shifted attention to teaching and painting.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Not usually but sometimes. You get used to it and really if I don’t part with it I can’t make the next piece, I wouldn’t have a place to put them all. I will say that I still prefer to give art away rather than sell it. Not because of some belief in the “purity” of non-commercial art or any of that art school bull, but because there seems to be more value placed on the object by the person who receives than by the person who buys it. At least that’s how I feel. That and the fact that most young people, who tend to enjoy my work, can’t afford it so if I can give it away I will on occasion, to friends, people that really appreciate it, etc. Not to you though Zac, I don’t like you.

Peep this shit:

An interview with Reese about his work being featured in the Billabong’s Design for Humanity.

Artistic touch
Artistic touch

Artist Survey # 10: Ben Deutsch

I have known Ben for the majority of my life. We attended the same elementary and high schools and his brother and I were good friends growing up. He is a multi-talented kid who had tried his hand at many different art forms including music, screen printing and now photography.

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Name: Ben Deutsch

Location: Sonora, CA

Medium(s): photography

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? artist

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Hopefully, if I play my cards right in a local gallery.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? Oh, about four or five years ago when I started venturing out more and more.

Who/What inspired your interest? My surroundings. sometimes you see things that just have to be photographed.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? As a young child. color crayons, finger paints… you know

What is your day job? Right now… trying to find a day job.

Why do you create? I have no idea.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? Not intentionally.

What do you want from your work? Satisfaction.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I want them to see what I saw, and feel what I felt when I took the shot. The idea behind it is to show people something that they haven’t seen before, or a new perspective of a common object.

How often do you work on personal projects? Most of the time.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? I haven’t yet.

Does your art support you financially? Not at all. Quite the opposite actually.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes. Taking the shot, developing the film, printing the picture, and mounting it can take a couple weeks. It’s hard not to think about it when you’re not working on it.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I’ve been known to spend hours sitting around playing music. I also have this inherent fascination with fishing.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? At the Drive-In, Chuck Ragan, Austin Lucas, Minus the Bear. Ask me again tomorrow.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Dentist appointment?

How long do you generally take on a piece? On average from start to finish… 3 weeks. Although I have film that I shot almost a year ago that I am just now making prints of.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? No

Do you work on multiple projects at once? All the time.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No, because it usually goes somewhere where it is appreciated.