HAPpy neW YEar!!!FELiz+++2008!!!

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Interview with Amanda Lynch

q)Introduce yourself first please?

a)My name is Amanda Michelle Smith and I’m an artist in the San Francisco Bay Area.

q)How did you get into art?

a)I’ve just always done it. Going to college I had to choose a career and couldn’t think about doing anything else.

q) Who has been the biggest influence on you?

a)My husband Casey Jex Smith, also Indian and Persian Miniature painting.

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

a)I try to be true to myself, so usually I’ll get an idea and think it over for weeks before actually executing it in painting.

q) Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)Yes. I prefer ceramics. My work is all painted on ceramic slabs with glazes, underglazes and lusters. It’s taken me years to become efficient at this medium, but I think it gives my work more dimension. I can build up my painting surfaces with 3D details. I also like the unique palette that glaze offers.

q) How much does your environment have an effect on your pictures?

a)Surprisingly, I don’t think my environment has much to do with my aesthetic, but more to do with my subject matter. My pieces are metaphors for life experiences.

q) Tell us about your studio space. Where do you work? Do you listen to certain types of music while working?

a)I have a studio at San Jose State University. It’s big and wonderful with a whole wall of windows. I love music. I listen to music most of the time in my studio. Sometimes, I also watch movies.

q) Who are your favorite artists?

a)Casey Jex Smith, The Atlas Group, Clare Rojas, Jeff Eisenberg, Amy Cutler, Chris Duncan, Misako Inaoka, Kathryn Spence, Marcel Dzama, Henry Darger, Margaret Kilgallen, and Indian and Persian Miniature Paintings.

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

a)I think the internet is great for my work. I pull visual material off the web all the time to use as source material. My website, which is about a year old, has been incredibly helpful in networking and making my work visible to the rest of the world.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)The Glass Castle, Harry Potter, and the Book of Mormon

q) What's playing on your stereo?

a)Sigur Ros

q) Any interesting "rituals" before you start creating?

a)I like to have a coke in hand when I start a piece.

q) What is your favourite colour?

a)I wish I could narrow it down to one. I have a million favorite colors.

q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)Well, I love working at night. It’s my favorite time to work, but it’s just not practical anymore now that I have to get up early every morning.

q) What projects mean a lot to you at the moment?

a)I guess the one I’m working on. I think with every new piece I try to excite myself with it, so it’s always the most interesting.

q)Your contacts…

a) amandamichellesmith.com

Merry Xmas!!!Happy Hanukah!!!

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Interview with Jeffrey Micheal Harp

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)Hello. Me llamo Jefe. Oh wait, does that mean chief?

q)How did you get into art?

a)I was always into creating things from an early age, but I would have to say the biggest impact for me wanting to be an artist, was by being exposed to Rene Magritte. And a recent trip to Bruxelles to visit the piece in question (The Unexpected Answer) reconfirmed it all for me.

q) Who has been the biggest influence on you?

a)Outside influence? I’d have to say Magritte again, my Grandmother and then Deano Cook who I apprenticed tattooing under and worked 11 years for.

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

a)Neither, just what springs to mind.

q)Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)Digital. It allows an endless possibility of options, and the ability to completely fine tune your work.

q) How much does your environment have an effect on your pictures?

a)I would say none.

q) Tell us about your studio space. Where do you work? Do you listen to certain types of music while working?

a)My studio is in my home, which is great. Computer, scanner, Wacom and camera. I only listen to music about half of the time Im working. Sometimes it becomes a distraction and heeds my thinking...slows the process. Lately I’ve been listening to Rameau, Dom And Roland, Early Man, Midlake, Danny Elfman and Supertramp.

q) Who are your favorite artists?

a)Magritte, hands down. Von Bayros, Russ Abbott, Adam Fuss, Mark Ryden, Odd Nerdrum, and Schuiten to name just a few. Honestly this list could go on for days...there are so many artists' work I admire. Durer, Dore and Beardsley were early staples for me.

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

a)It completely changed everything for me. I started using the computer to display my analogue photography back in 2002, and it grew into the work I do now. It opened so many possibilities...I wouldnt want to exist now without it. Its not only a great reference tool, but a platform that allows for immediate feedback from across the globe. Plus, I have discovered the work of so many talented people I might not have otherwise found.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)Cosmic Trigger Volume 1 by Robert Anton Wilson, Complete Tales And Poems of Edgar Allen Poe, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, A Short Guide To Writing About Art, How To Survive and Prosper As An Artist, Hagakure, and Logo Font And Lettering Bible by Leslie Cabarga.

q) What's playing on your stereo?

a)Rameau, Music For Harpsichord Volume 2 .

q) Any interesting "rituals" before you start creating?

a)No.

q) What is your favourite colour?

a)Clear.

q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)Even though these days I wake up early, I still find that working from 12-10 suits me best.

q) What projects mean a lot to you at the moment?

a)My interpretation of the Major Arcanaof the tarot.

q)Your contacts…

a)hippopotamouse.com

Interview with Jesse Peper

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)My name is Jesse Peper. I was born on March 30, 1975, in Tucson, Arizona. As long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to many aspects of music and art. I mostly studied courses in printmaking, drawing, metal smithing, painting, anthropology, and psychology in college before exhausting my interest in the conventional learning aspects of school. I then pursued my own personal interests with freelance study and practice of many things that interested me. During, and after college, a handful of years were spent working with sound-related projects manipulating a variety of instruments and samples both electronic and organic. I have enjoyed performing and recording with musical projects such as Legerdemain and Not Breathing, as well as many other collaborative endeavors. Being raised in Tucson, some of my favorite childhood memories occurred in Mexico exploring the Sea of Cortez either boating or snorkeling. I spent most of my years in Tucson, then moved to Portland, Oregon for a while and then on to Denver, Colorado (where I presently reside). In order to “pay the bills” I have worked in everything from retail, dishwashing, prep-cook, gallery-work, bartending, and even spent some time working as a Tarot phone-psychic. I currently work full-time as an emergency dispatcher, and have done so for over six years now.

q) How did you get into art?

a)Drawing was an exercise I was encouraged to do at an early age. I was considered by my doctor to have poor hand/eye coordination. I remember enjoying drawing pictures as far back as when I was just a young child. My interest in this craft continued to grow into a facet to work out ideas, concepts, whimsy, emotions, dreams, my creative imagination, and much more.

q) Who has been the biggest influence on you?

a)Unfortunately, I don’t really spend time with other artists with any regularity enough to be influenced; not by choice, that is just the way it has worked out. Influencing me with both support and upstanding personal qualities though are my friends and family, who I admire very much.

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

a)Perhaps my tendencies would aim to reflect an improvement on the qualities of living on subjects that I consider with high regard. Often I move in spells. For example, I am currently working on a series oriented approach. This involves revolving subjects around an idea until there is enough resolve in my mind, or development on the subject, to move on to a new series. Every so often I try completely new things just to avoid any potential feelings of ill-stagnation. My intentions are to evolve and improve both technically as well as conceptually. I have to keep things interesting enough for myself to keep a good mind for the workings. If I have problems, I feel most comfortable working them out in a state of half-sleep when the mind is relaxed enough to dream, but not so asleep as to have a semblance of memorable focus. A self taught technique which I find very useful.

q) Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)I prefer to work with graphite or ink when sketching in journals or on scrap paper. These sketches often contribute towards more completed works using water based paints and I have discovered that masonite agrees well with my painting style. I like using water as a basic element for environmental startings because of its natural effects.

q) How much does your environment have an effect on your pictures?

a)My environment has a large effect on my work. Although painting is partly a hermetic, reflective, process, the environmental aspects are sometimes commonly less material and deal more as a reflection of internal workings or creating external structures to effect an internal environment. I surround myself with paintings on the walls as well as other things which stimulate a momentum towards the desires and aims explored.

q) Tell us about your studio space. Where do you work? Do you listen to certain types of music while working?

a)I find that I can, and often do, work wherever I must to stay on top of my imagination. Ideally I try to keep my work environment as close to my bed as possible because I do a lot of formulation while sleeping. I don’t want too many obstacles between my bed and a comfortable work environment. The music I listen to always varies according to my mental state. For example, my moods might fluctuate from classical, eclectic, metal, jazz, electronic, or folk in an attempt to affect me appropriately to the most accommodating state of mind for whatever I may be working on. I am, however, very selective within each genre, extremely picky!

q) Who are your favorite artists?

a)Within visual art I would have to say: Austin Osman Spare, Salvador Dali, Henry Darger, Wesley Willis, Clive Barker, Pierre Molinier, Rosaline Norton, Preston Thomas, Suehiro Maruo, and Douglas Seaton. These are just a few examples that spring directly to my mind.


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

a)Although seeing original works in person at galleries can create an incomparable impression for viewers of true interest in such things, the internet allows the artists to reach a wider audience of interest than strictly showing in galleries. The internet is also an immediate library of vast information. I use the internet quite often for research, correspondence with friends, fans, galleries, promoting and selling my art, etc.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)There is quite a stack to list from but some choice selections include: various Austin Osman Spare, Kenneth Grant, Christopher Hyatt, Phd, “Lust of the Libertines”, Bizarre magazines, “Cows” & “High Life” by Matthew Stokoe, “Anarchy and Alchemy”, many of the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky, various true crime volumes, a handful of titles by Creation and Feral House publications.

q) What's playing on your stereo?

a)A random mix of artists which I shift out every so often as my moods change. There is quite a large selection, but some of the music included is: COH, Vincent Gallo, Electric Wizard, Not Breathing, Bohren der club of Gore, Soriah, Coil, Crack W.A.R., “A Sonic Evening of Sordid Sorrows”, Aural Vampire, Ween, Jarboe, Lucifer Rising, Soft Cell, ADULT, various freestyle, 8-bit, Sacred Sounds of Santaria, some Turkish rock, and much more.

q) Any interesting "rituals" before you start creating?

a)Absolutely sterilizing my work space! I prefer cleaning every detail so that any glass or wooden surface shines and reflects, everything is disinfected, vacuumed, mopped, and I often burn incense (Copal, Benzoin, Pinon or resin mixtures for instance). I then lay out a time soiled towel and all the appropriate tools to begin my work.

q) What is your favourite colour?

a)Not one in particular, but I do seem to lean towards goldish earth tones, bloody colors, nightly hues, ivory, and licorice. Like I said though, I am not limited to any specific favorites.


q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)I work best usually in the evenings until late into the night. Sometimes on days off I will start first thing in the morning and work until late at night. It can sometimes be exhausting, yet is very rewarding.

q) What projects mean a lot to you at the moment?

a)I have an upcoming show at "Last Rites Gallery" in New York City’ April of next year.
Also, I will have a solo show in March next year at the “Crude Things Gallery” in Portland, Oregon. In addition, I hope to release another very limited book of my artwork in the new year; over 89 pages of art will be featured.

q) Your contacts…

a)I am being currently represented by Perihelion Art Gallery (http://www.perihelionarts.com/).
I can also be reached via my personal webpage at http://www.jessepeper.com/. Any feedback regarding my art is always valued and appreciated.

Interview with David Whitlam

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)My name is David Whitlam. I'm a surrealist artist from Manchester in the UK , who uses both traditional and digital techniques. My work is concerned with tapping into desires and anxieties within the subconscious,primarily using a technique called automatic drawing.I work from my imagination, without any planning or research, allowing each image to gradually impose it's own identity, rather than trying to reproduce or capture reality. I'm interested in mythological,tribal, and religious imagery (what Carl Jung called"archetypes"). By re-arranging these universal symbols, by dressing them in carnival masks and making them pose amidst absurdities , I create my own visions, whose meanings are often highly personal and esoteric, yet which somehow echo the aesthetic style of past cultures, and relate to more general themes within the collective subconscious.

q) How did you get into art?

a)I've been interested in art for as long as I can remember. I enjoyed drawing pictures as a child, and through practice I gradually improved. I've only developed an interest in art history later in life -as a child my imagination was fuelled by films,especially the Star Wars trilogy, but anything relating to horror sci-fi or fantasy. I suppose I've always had an escapist imagination, and art is the best way of expressing it.

q) Who has been the biggest influence on you?

a)That's a difficult question; I've been influenced in many ways by many different people. If I had to narrow it down to one person I'd say my older brother, as he's influenced my tastes in music, films and literature, which have in turn influenced my art.

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

a)In all aspects of my art I have learnt to follow my own instincts. I hardly ever have a pre-conceived idea before starting a picture. I begin by drawing loose shapes and forms on a page, then rub back the bits that don't make sense, and keeping the forms that work. I'm constantly responding to what's happening on the page, much like a martial artist has to respond to their opponent. The outcome is a strange combination of instinct, technical skill, and pure chance.

q) Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)I work in three mediums (oil paint, photoshop and pencil). I enjoy using all of them, and each provides it's own challenges. I think painting in oils is probably the most time-consuming and difficult process I use, though the results are very satisfying, and my skills are still improving. Photoshop is much quicker and easier to use, and produces good results, but the downside to digital art is that there is no 'original' image. Overall though, I think pencil is probably my favourite medium. Drawing is the starting point for most of my images, and the source of my ideas - it's the most magical and most immediate part of my creative process.

q) How much does your environment have an effect onyour pictures?

a)Once I start working, I quickly become unaware of my environment. I find the work draws me in, so it doesn't matter where I am or who I'm with, just so long as I'm not too interrupted or uncomfortable.

q) Tell us about your studio space. Where do you work?Do you listen to certain types of music while working?

a)For several years now I've had an art studio at Vernon Mill - an old cotton mill in Stockport, not far from where I live, which houses over forty artists in it'stop two floors. I like the character of old Victorian buildings, more so than modern spaces. I always listen to music when I'm working, but my tastes are quite broad. I listen to everything from relaxing ambient soundscapes to angry industrial stuff, it just depends on my mood.

q) Who are your favorite artists?

a)Hieronymous Bosch is one of my favourite painters,both for his immense and disturbed imagination, and for his masterful use of paint. It's a shame that so little is known about him. Beyond his name, age, and place of birth, pretty much everything written about him is pure speculation.I also greatly admire William Blake. He was a believer in visions, and worked directly from his own 'divine'imagination, rather than trying to imitate nature.When I look at Blake's work, I see another world, a sort of parallel mythological reality that somehow mirrors our own.

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

a)I didn't start using the internet to promote my work until about 2003-2004 when I built my first website.Since then it's quickly become my main means ofself-promotion, and has brought me more sales than exhibiting. I've been interviewed by people, had my work published in various art journals and magazines,and even taken part in over-seas exhibitions, all as a direct result of putting my images online. It's also a great way of getting feedback. I'm on several art forums, but deviant art is probably my favorite.Through Deviant Art I've had contact with people from all over the world, most of whom would never have seen my pictures otherwise.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)I don't read as much as much as I used to. In my early twenties I was into writers like Samuel Beckett and William Burroughs, as I wrote a lot of bleak experimental prose myself. Nowadays I tend to read factual information more than novels. I've amassed quite a collection of reference books about art and mythology, though looking at the pictures is often more use than reading the text! I'm currently reading a book called "The New Pearl Harbor" by David RayGriffin, about the 9/11 cover-up. It saddens me that so much vital evidence about the attack has not only been overlooked by the mainstream media but consciously avoided. Most people I talk to in the UK haven't even heard of building 7, let alone seen footage of it's demolition. It's arguably the most important seven seconds of film shot anywhere this century, but it's never shown on the television. Why?

q) What's playing on your stereo?

a)My favorite bands include: the Legendary Pink Dots,Skinny Puppy, Killing Joke, Foetus, and Jah Wobble, toname but a few.

q) Any interesting "rituals" before you start creating?

a)I don't really have rituals when it comes to my art.I've learnt to just pick it up and get started. I generally regard rituals as superstitious and a waste of time.

q) What is your favourite colour?

a)I don't really have one - I think all colours can look nice in the right context. The dark and sombre colour palette I use in much of my artwork is not repeated on my walls or clothes, or anywhere else in my life.

q) What is the best time in the day for you to work ona project? Is there one, or is it more about theenvironment -- maybe the right mood?

a)Anytime is a good time for being creative, just so long as you don't have distractions. Having said that I prefer working at night. I'm just not a morning person!

q) What projects mean a lot to you at the moment?

a)I am planning to produce a book in the new year,combining my art with my creative writing - it's something I've planned to do for a long while, but never got round to.

q)…Your contacts…

a) http://www.davidwhitlam.com/