beinArt Interview with Chris Mars by Lana Gentry

In a sea of art dominated by feigned darkness, comes a darkness so real you can taste it. In this malignant swirl of smoke, concrete, wood and blood, there’s a palpable world where one can sense before even being told, that a great deal of suffering has transpired. It is here, that one can feel it’s channel to the hands of the victim. For the sensitive and feeling, to watch the suffering of another and to empathically carry the pain of a loved one is indeed to feel the ultimate pain. To reach into the universe of a mentally ill loved one is to reach without hands, and without hope of ever fully consummating that connection. It is a darkness one can only know if one has travelled that road, empty of all light. Drummer and brilliant former member of The Replacements, Chris Mars has travelled that road, lighting only the way with a dimly lit torch of self expression. It is obvious that one cannot speak of his work, without speaking of its gut wrenching inspiration. Look, listen and feel the sorrow of his visual words. To be enlightened is not always easy, but a necessary lot of the artist who creates with a sense of purpose. From the viewer’s end, it then becomes difficult to escape the tormented message rendered so clearly by the hands of the fantastically emotive Chris Mars.

“Joe’s life has opened my eyes to the suffering and corruption brought about by a lack of understanding and a fear of “The Other”. Though at times it all seems too much to fathom, I do find joy in attempting to give what voice I can to those who suffer, or are persecuted.” – Chris Mars

Lana Gentry- Please tell us about your brother.

Chris Mars- Thank you for the very kind and eloquent introduction. My brother Joe is 60. My parents are deceased and Joe lives with another brother who looks after his daily needs. Joe is hanging in there and coping as well as he can. He has good days and bad days, like anyone and likes to get out for coffee and smokes when I see him. They recently upped his medication and I have noticed a change for the better; he seems a bit more relaxed and a little less burdened day to day by his schizophrenia.

LG- Had you any prior knowledge of schizophrenia before his untimely and tragic diagnosis?

CM- Joe was diagnosed when I was quite young. At the time I had little understanding of the source of his suffering. His schizophrenia was episodic so there would be periods of time when it was less prevalent and we as siblings would all bond together as any would. Then Joe would suffer prolonged changes that were very confusing and sad. I had heard the word “schizophrenia” before but Joe’s problems were usually referred to as “a nervous breakdown”. It was hard to see him have to suffer, it still is. I can not imagine his day to day burden; I can only try to lend some comfort.

LG- Your images appear bandaged, broken and bruised. Are they expressions of your own suffering as well as your brothers, or can you even separate the two?

CM- When I paint I think it is more of an attempt to channel Joe’s trials and the trials of those (in various ways) like him. Joe’s life has opened my eyes to the suffering and corruption brought about by a lack of understanding and a fear of “The Other”. Though at times it all seems too much to fathom, I do find joy in attempting to give what voice I can to those who suffer, or are persecuted. I generally feel peaceful, but also very passionate in expressing these themes. I feel I do my best work when I am happy and excited and connected to the mystery of a painting that is unfolding. There is pleasure in tapping into things that are not so pleasant knowing or hoping that a universal message is passed on, as to create some awareness that might add to peacefulness on the whole. I think I would feel more grief if I didn’t express these themes through painting. It is my great outlet.

LG- You also carry a certain amount of political content in your work. Do you support the idea of political expression in art even when it carries an opinion with which you do not necessarily agree?

CM- Yes I support freedom of expression in its many forms – painting, music, film, writing, speech, demonstration and so on. I am glad to see others take the time and energy to express themselves in so many various ways; I wish everyone did this, tapped into the creative flow that is in us all in so many forms. I don’t care what people express creatively, just that they do.

LG- In ‘Motoring via Audio Delusions’ (right) there is a clear theme of schizophrenia. Was this relating to a particular incident with your brother, or an overall viewed expression of the state?

CM- Actually, the piece is more based in Mass Media – a sort of psychosis, one might say! I recently wrote an essay on the piece for the collector who purchased it:

Motoring Via Audio Delusions

Spewing forth from the car radio

the oversaturated audio din begins to

morph. The driver is a vampire

in constant need of a titillating,

a tit-for-tat fix

from fresh talk radio flesh.

The meat delivered is tainted with

the poison of manipulation.

Diminished fact wrapped inside of

fear-filled lies gives way to

listener delusion; it is as if the

lonely driver now imagines

the bickering,

the death obsessed,

the clowns,

are actually in the vehicle with him.

Will the driver eventually feel the very

very angry little man who now rides shotgun?

LG- Goes to show you… interpretation is always subjective, even when the perceiver thinks he has it clearly figured out! In your piece ‘Like Moths’ (right), your characters appear cold and hungry, clinging to a small source of fiery warmth before them. What emotion provoked this tragic piece?

CM- “Like Moths” to me is an optimistic piece, though it may not appear so at first glance. My Idea is that this group of figures huddled and with the hue of white, pale worms have just suffered a destructive blow to their environment, possibly due to war, or neglect, or both. To me they are not yet moths but are like them in that they are attracted to the light that glows in the aftermath darkness. In their current form, they are blind as worms but they move toward the warmth, yearning for something better, some transformation. This is a group that is about to undergo a metamorphosis where sight is at last achieved and new wings carry them to a newfound freedom.

LG- Do you believe any progress has been made in the way of treating persons suffering from mental illness in recent years?

CM- Yes. I think that understanding, therapy and medications have advanced so those suffering can have a better chance at wellness. However there is the dark side, greed of a Medical Industry bent on wealth; trumping well-being, patience, compassion. Medications are too often prescribed to treat symptoms at the expense of addressing the core of a problem, or substituting for human things like interaction, education, discussion, nutrition, lifestyle. On the whole though, I am hopeful that progress is being made. I believe if my brother’s illness struck today instead of forty years ago, there would be better tools available for him to learn about and cope with his illness.

LG- Do you believe that ongoing legally forced medication would be a viable option in treating those who simply refuse, through their delusion, to take what they need?

CM- I honestly haven’t given this issue much thought. Throughout his adult life, my brother has remained ultimately autonomous regarding his medication, and I would not seek to have it any other way. Sometimes his illness spurred behaviours that were difficult or inconvenient for us as a family, but Joe is a man, and his illness does not negate this. He has domain over his own body.

LG- What do you hope the average person can glean from your art as it relates to the state of human suffering?

CM- First and foremost I create out of my own need to express myself. Beyond this, if what I do can create a dialogue in any small way to further awareness toward those who suffer due to a lack of understanding on a personal or cultural level, I would be more than happy to know I contributed to a movement that might serve to erode barriers.

LG- Tell us about any interesting film or music projects in the works.

CM- I am currently digging into another short film project called “Flowers for Jupiter”, based on a poem written by my wife Sally Mars. It will be a mix of live action and animation. It will be a dark but playful little movie and I hope to have it done this summer.

LG- It’s a wonderful and natural thought that you have collaborated with your wife on something creative. Tell us where to look for you next.

JANUARY 22 THRU FEBRUARY 21, 2010 – The Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust Street, Hudson, WI 54016

FEBRUARY 27 THRU MARCH 27, 2010 – Jonathan LeVine Gallery Anniversary Show (Group Exhibition) – Jonathan LeVine Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., 9E, New York, NY 10011

MARCH 13 THRU APRIL 4, 2010 – Hi-Fructose Group Show – CoproGallery, Bergamot Station Art Complex, 2525 Michigan Ave Unit T5, Santa Monica, CA 90404

MARCH 19 THRU AUGUST 1, 2010 – Mesa Contemporary Arts, 1 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85211-1466

SEPTEMBER 4 THRU OCTOBER 17, 2010 – SUGGESTIVISM (Group Exhibition) – Grand Central Art Center, California State University, Fullerton, Santa Ana, CA 92701

CM- Thank you Lana, Jon and all at Beinart for your continued interest, support and for these great questions. Also thank you for the very eloquently written introduction I really do appreciate it!

Images (from top):

The Expense of Incestuous Relations, 2009, Oil on Panel, 19 x 14 inches

Healing By Was of the Ace of Blurred Matter, 2009, Oil on Panel, 18 x 22 inches

Motoring via Audio Delusions, 2008, Oil on Panel, 6 x 8 inches

Something Empty, 2009, Oil on Panel, 18 x 22 inches

Like Moths, 2008, Oil on Panel, 15 x 16.5 inches

Sorry The Clown, 2009, Oil on Panel, 19 x 5 x 14 inches

Chris Mars is one of 50 Artists featured in Metamorphosis 2 (beinArt Publishing).

Bookmark to:

beinArt interview with Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins by Elspeth McIntosh.

Elspeth McIntosh- Greg, it’s great to have the opportunity to interview you and extend on your artist’s statement here on Beinart.org and reveal to the readers more about your art-making processes. It is wonderful to see an artist who is crossing disciplines and not sticking to just painting and drawing – and yet there is a strong consistency in your aesthetic flowing from one form to another which is a great achievement.

Firstly, your current show ‘The Pearl Thief’ is exquisite. What particular advancements do you feel you have made with this show?

Greg Simkins- There were some glazing tasks I gave myself with this show that were very rewarding. Especially on ‘Mary Becoming Annette’ (right). I experimented with mixing my transparent paints and applying them over rendered grounds. I also worked on trying to make things look transparent, and play around with some new textures. There was a lot of experimenting going on and I think it opened some new doors for me. Each show is a chance to grow and I tend to give myself things to aim for with my painting.

EM- Some images are quite nightmarish – are you inspired by horror culture or is that the natural edge of child-like wonder in the realm of ‘forgotten lands’?

GS- I wouldn’t say I was inspired by horror culture and don’t watch too many horror movies. I would say that my paintings just dance the line between dreams and nightmares.

EM- Do you have a method to accessing the ‘forgotten lands’ via particular stimuli or ritual? How might you describe this process in the most organic fashion?

GS- I just go through the images and notes in my journals and it reminds me of those places when I paint. I keep them open on the ground around me and pull from them as I paint.

EM- Do you have a particular reoccurring dream or event from your childhood which serves as a canon of inspiration?

GS- There were a number of dreams that kept me sleeping my parents room as a little kid, the most memorable was of a werewolf with ant-like mouth parts eating my stomach. I still haven’t painted it, but may draw it. That one reoccurred too much. But I feel the clouds with things popping in an out of them have happened a bunch.

EM- Do you think you have been putting off painting the werewolf? Do you worry about potentially invoking it back into your dreams?

GS- Yeah, I wouldn’t want to do that. No need to give him more care than he deserves, he ruined me as a kid.

EM- Are there other particular pieces of imagery or semiotics that have carried through from your childhood? I notice you use a lot of deers, moths and elephants – have they always been with you?

GS- All of the animals and insects are directly from an obsession with animal and nature shows as a kid. Besides cartoons, that’s all I would watch. I am still enthralled with all the creatures we share the earth with. For some reason I just got really into sea slugs – they are incredible. There is so much to explore with animals and because of my artistic sensibilities, I always find myself studying the textures, colours, and strange forms in the animal kingdom which are so diverse. I never feel like I am creating anything new in my paintings entirely, just reapplying what we already see into new juxtapositions.

EM- Do the particular creatures and they way they are juxtaposed form a narrative of your life? Are you able to see the relevance of their presence after you have created them? Personally, I look back at a work about four months after it is complete and only then can see how it portrays that epoch of my life in an allegorical way. Do you think that every kind of creature in your pieces represents an altered state?

GS- I always enjoy how the story seems to reveal itself to me as I paint it, even tying in more as time goes on and more paintings come out of it. Looking back over my pieces remind me of different stages of my life, what music I was listening to at the time, my mindset and mood, stuff like that.

EM- You have so many paintings, which are all so beautifully finished. How many might you produce a year?

GS- I have never counted. It is hard to say, maybe 60? The number is going down though each year, mainly because I am painting larger and spending more and more time experimenting with my technique trying to reach that unreachable perfection.

EM- Can there be the same perfection in art as what we can find in nature? Is the truly sublime unattainable via art?

GS- I haven’t been able to achieve it if there is. I simply admire and do my best to emulate the aspects of it that excite me the most. Sometimes it feels necessary to point out these wonders of nature and the best way I know how is by painting them.

EM- What is the ideal mood for creating street art? I saw an image of you working during the day, isn’t working at night time an important part of the rebellious ritual, or are you able to comfortably create during the day without interruptions?

GS- Sure working during the night makes more sense if you are painting walls illegally, but those days are, for the most part, behind me. When I paint walls these days (as was true in my active years doing graffiti), we generally get permission so we can paint some more detailed stuff. A lot of guys are pulling off some intensely detailed illegal work in the night these days, but I was always a lot looser (and messier) with that kind of stuff. When I get a chance to paint walls these days, it’s for different reasons. I enjoy getting out of the studio, working on a wall with friends and the activity of it.

EM- Who is your most recent favourite contemporary artist?

GS- Man that’s a tough question. It changes so much, but I would have to say either Joe Sorren or Mars-1. I’ll keep the list to two right now but there are too many to choose from.

EM- As a full time artist, what advice would you give to those aspiring to take on the full time vocation?

GS- Don’t do it to become rich. Do it because you love it and are obsessed with it. There are a lot of hours required and a lot of sacrifices socially to make, but the pay off is great. Nothing feels better than signing a finished piece and sitting back and staring at it. Also if you have a family, make sure to balance work and home life. It is beneficial to do so.

EM- Excellent advice: love your art but do not let it consume you.

And to finish off: you’ve had such an extensive career from street art to gaming design, t-shirt and album cover design. Are there aspirations for approaching another form of media in the near future?

GS- These days I just want to improve my craft whilst maintaining myself in my art. I still love doing t-shirts graphics and even have my own online merchandise called “IMSCARED”. It is a good way to showcase a different element of what I do and love. As far as painting goes, my desires are to paint large museum-sized paintings. Painting big canvases gives me that thrill of painting walls mixed with the fulfilment of working with acrylics. I would like to do some more mix media projects as well as work some oils into the mix in the future.

Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins is one of 50 Artists featured in our second publication entitled Metamorphosis 2.

Bookmark to:

beinArt interview with Erik Heyninck by Elspeth McIntosh.

Elspeth McIntosh- Erik, I do enjoy being given the task of asking you some interview questions when your beinart.org artist’s statement ends with “Because reality manifests itself in the space between the question and the answer, I prefer to live with the question and refuse to answer it.” I feel like there is a locket that needs opening with the right key.

How do you start an artwork, as an automatist, or with the concept already prepared?

Erik Heyninck- Before answering, I’d like to say that I have a contract with myself that allows me to create everything I like to create. No censorship, no false morality. I’m busy creating my own Universe and that’s a holy activity of anarchistic love and utterly serious and well-organised playfulness.

I start by feeling restless and showing the “leave me alone, will ya!” signs. Then I start to worry, feeling like as if I’ll be unable to tune in to the high frequency of Inspiration. Images whirl around in my mind and I usually have no idea what I am going to create.

In case I do have an idea, which usually presents itself as a divisons of masses, or if I feel like starting a big work, I try to do some sketches to reduce the tension. But then suddenly I start. Sometimes I let myself be guided by those glimpses, and sometimes I start something completely different. The main flow of energy, which manifests itself as those typical shapes and forms, and which in my mind is endlessly moving, is easy to manipulate. I mean: it’s not really an automatic process as I am always consciously working but it’s not something I control either. I feel more like a participant in the creation, and whenever I want to change something, the shapes/textures change. Also, I always keep the most difficult part until the end: that way I avoid ending up on automatic pilot. I could never, for example, start with a thumbnail sketch, then create a full-size drawing, next a colour sketch and finally the “real” work. In that case, all the tension, all the fun lies at the start. I want intensity from start to finish.

All works take a lot of time, so everything I add would have been different if I had waited, say, a day and went on at that specific moment.

I’m often surprised to see what I created. Although I love my works, there’s always something I’d love to change. And when I take a closer look, there are some other details that need attention too. If the work is still home with me, I may rework it, yet I’ve agreed with myself only to rework the creations from the 21st C. The older ones I won’t touch anymore.

EM- Is Antwerp an inspiring city to live in?

EH- Things happen, like being born somewhere, and in my case it was Antwerp. Most people would be surprised how small the town-centre is, and although many of its old houses have been demolished between half-way the 19thC and today, there’s still enough left to get a good view of its former riches. I love some of its Musea, like the house of the Plantin printers family, but to be honest: although I only live some 5km (3miles) from it, I don’t go to town that much. In fact, I only go when I need something, or for a concert. Nearly never for an exhibition because unfortunately, all Art is circling around contemporary stuff. I’m not principally against that kind of activity but when explanations have to hide the lack of – or even replace the visible (or audible) I go elsewhere. Like to Brussels (at 40km) which I love. Then there’s Bruges at some 80km, and even Paris, at some 350km, can be reached by train in less than two hours. London is approximately at the same distance as Paris. It’s a small world…

So, at first sight there’s not much that inspires me. But life has many levels, and there’s something hanging around here that would be hard to find anywhere else. Antwerp has always been one of the more important cities of Brabant, and many a Fantastic Artist was born there, including Brueghel and Bosch. Which is why I sometimes say that I’ve been born in Antwerp to have some roots in that fertile soil. Also, Antwerp has always been a rebellious city…

Another approach of why I love living in a bigger city is that one never forgets all the hopelessness, the misery, the intolerance, the confusion, the manipulated consuming, the hunger, the fear etc. We’re all so fragile, and nowhere that’s a clear as in a city. In a city it’s easier to isolate oneself like an alchemist, to concentrate and not be noticed and still be aware of the tensions all around so one can go on weaving. It’s easy to become a saint in a monastery, far from the madding crowd. But we live here, in the world, and as we are the creative isotope of humankind can show a way out of those illusions (with illusion I don’t mean that they aren’t real, but simply that they are convictions and that things are never what they appear to be).

EM- How long does it take for you to produce something like the painting Andromeda (right)? How do you feel by the end of the process?

EH- If I remember well, Andromeda cost me over four months, not including the musings before I started. It’s a very carefully planned work because I was in the mood to absolutely want to do something different. Even freedom can become a rut. I wanted to prove to myself I could, in my own way, create a classical painting. So I painstakingly made a kind of preparatory drawing, brooded on how to pose her (most paintings present her too elegantly posed, and I wanted her frozen with fear, covering her eyes yet wanting to see the threat and ready to run) , decided not to add a Perseus on the winged Pegasus, etc.

Painting was as pleasant as always. Something I learned when I was still a kid is the fact that long and intense concentration can be as relaxing as watching clouds go by or watching the rolling waves of the sea. So I usually end with a lot of physical and mental energy which I put to good use into a necessary cleaning of my studio.

Or go for a walk.

Speaking of Andromeda: I’m still a bit sad I won’t see her again as she was bought by a scuba diver whose name or whereabouts I do not know. It was love at first sight for him, but I’d love to see her again some day.

EM- I thoroughly enjoy being able to read your statements on each piece when you scroll the cursor over your images on your website… Especially considering that they are not statements which confuse and alienate people!

EH- Thanks. That’s exactly what I try: to be as less confusing as possible without explaining away. Creating an atmosphere, adding some detail that is linked to the work yet keep the mystery can bring people closer to what I create. This also helps clearing the mind. What I create is in itself already complicated enough. Showing any work of Art is more revealing than standing stark naked on a scene before a hostile crowd of psychiatrists, fashion gurus and cosmetic surgeons. So please, let’s keep it simple. There’s nothing to hide anymore as all has been revealed already. Some people want to be artists simply to be special, to be noticed. No better way to be noticed that simply be your own chaotic self I’d say.

BTW: I’m still working on those texts and more will be added, but the site is quite big and I need time. Time! Wish I could clone myself!

EM- The main objective of this interview is to pull away from the labels and associations of the “inner world” you are trying to depict which could be perceived as New Age or given stringent scientific classifications. As your work is so unusual and organic, it is hard for me to not dive in there and ask “Do you believe in magick?” Rather than do that I would like to steer you to expressing – in the most primal fashion – how you would describe your artwork and the physical process of making it. I see a strong interest in the occult in your formative years as an artist, rolling on from the energy of music-making and writing poetry to producing artwork. Is there a physical energy to the work that you make? Would you describe that force and how would you choose to inspire another artist with your description of the visceral energy of making artwork?

EH- The occult does play a big role in my life, but not in the sense of ceremonial magic. I’m not a practicing occultist. I’m more someone who loves life and who wonders why and how we tend to fall into habits of boredom and superficiality, and forget that we’re alive and busy with our life. I do have a very skeptic side though which makes me steer clear of New Age. Life to me is a force, a vital, conscious force, and we’re part of that. Magic to me is a synonym of “there’s more”. I’ve always wanted to know what lies beyond the horizon. Pronouncing the older names of stars aloud often gives me a mystical sense of being one with All. But I’m far too “radioactive” to get organised enough to start with something like ceremonial magic. Of course there’s no such thing as “inner and outer worlds” or “body and soul”. It’s the same inseparable manifestation on different levels of existence. The manifestations are temporal because they exist, the essence (ahhh…words!) is non-temporal because it is. I have witnessed an adept using his vocal chords change into a Solar body, I’ve had some OBE’s myself but that’s not what it’s all about.

I mean: we’re here in this manifestation, on this planet, in this aspect of reality and it’s here we clash like rocks in the same mountain stream, polishing one another. It’s here we live.

In my opinion, creativity means being conscious of the Lifeforce and actively wanting to participate in it. This implies that every experience must be consciously lived, also the harsh and more difficult ones. It’s impossible to open the tap to let one droplet pass and another one not. You cannot get the high peaks without the low pits. The Romantics insisted perhaps too much on “the suffering artist” but on the other hand one cannot be part of the creative processes and live at the same time like some starry-eyed Polyanna.

In my opinion, artists are outsiders, trying to find their way through the marshes of everyday life and its convictions. We can add something, which is more important than replacing it.

EM- Do you feel that this energy is locked away as an arcane secret, and should it remain mysterious like alchemical processes?

EH- When one observes pets, it becomes clear that these animals have at least a sense of second-sight. Some people also still have it, and you’ll find these mostly amongst those who are less educated. Thinking does clutter the mind, yet evolution takes us into the mental realm. I suspect that things like clairvoyance have been put into a kind of stasis until the mental has developed enough.

Trouble started when monotheism began. One God means one opinion is correct and the others aren’t. Within Christianity there was a tendency to eliminate all deviants, including those who might have been considered occultists and witches. Much got lost.

Are there really forces that are kept secret? And who guards them? I guess there are, and for two obvious reasons: the first is because of the greed and power-hunger that would make economy and bad army leaders abuse it, and the second because it’s best to protect the fragile egg-shell minds of us humans until we’re ready for it. The risk of raising the Snakeforce is big, and many paid their attempts with a lifetime spent in an asylum.

Thing is, this force is neither good nor bad but, to say it in political speak: you have to decide for yourself whether you’d like to use it like a Hitler or a Ghandi. Both changed the fate of several countries, but Hitler chose ego whilst Ghandi sacrificed his.

Of course we artists are not on that level of power. Luckily. (although Hitler was an artist; his watercolours are quite good). Our way is not to change the fate of nations, but to create , and through creation opening certain pathways into a more conscious life on more levels and with more intensity.

Mysterious the Lifeforce always is, because we cannot grasp it in its totality. Like the Chinese proverb goes: “A fish cannot know the water.” The necessary distance for objectivity isn’t possible because we’re totally embedded in life and outside of it nothing is or exists.

EM- Out of all of your works which is your favourite and why?

EH- I love all my work but I love some more than some others. And the one I love most is… the next one. There are new discoveries to be made, new difficulties to be met…

But if you insist on me naming an existing one, I’d choose without any hesitation a pencil drawing, and I’d go for Labyrinth VIII (right). Why? I use colour when I need to, and I consider colour, when compared to music, as orchestration. Yet, there’s beautiful music created for one solo instrument also. And often that music is more intimate, more delicate.

In comparison, my pencil works are often the deepest I can reach, and none goes as far as the Labyrinths VII (below right) and VIII. They radiate to me a kind of peace of mind I rarely know. To tell you a secret: in fact, the eight Labyrinth was originally meant to be surrounded by eight other works, one at each side, and one smaller square in each corner. And every measure respecting dynamic symmetry. The seventh Labyrinth was meant as either top or bottom, and the sixth as a side. But the turmoil of everyday life and its urgent basic banalities shook me out of the right tuning, and I haven’t found it again since. One day, and that day gets closer and closer, I will.

EM- Who are your three favourite artists?

EH- Only three? I’ll cheat. Max Ernst because of his enormous creativity. Like he said: “I never search, and I find inspiration everywhere.” But apart from him, I am divided. My “dark” side would choose Beksinski because of his uncomprimising intensity, my “harmonious” side would choose John William Waterhouse because of the purity of his poetry. His is a world I could live in. For a while that is, because I miss the “other, deeper side” and I would get bored. And my “artistic” side would choose William Bouguereau. To be able to draw and paint like him, combined with my imagination…mmm…

EM- Finally, how are you currently feeling about the future for contemporary art? What can you see past postmodernism?

EH- That’s a difficult one. Art to me is linked to life and culture and each culture always gets the Art it deserves. Nowadays, too much comes from the mind, from thinking, understanding, reducing, investing. And talking, lots of talking. Smooth talk, talk to impress, to destabilise, to make the listener feel inferior. Art has become something one can study. Like Quantum Physics.

Post-Modernism did re-introduce some ornaments, but only for a laugh, as a parody. I don’t know whether the word exists in English (I often invent words) but Post-Modern buildings are not very liveable. They’re cold, massive and meant to impress.

As for mainstream contemporary Art: in fact it all ended when Malevich exhibited a white canvas. At that moment, the experiment called “Modern Art” died of exhaustion. When Fontana exhibited a white canvas slashes with a knife he made it clear that he understood. But all the rest is acting as if. So to me, there’s no Post-Modernism because the end has been reached and beyond modernism there’s only a void. Like they say in London: “Mind the gap!” .Of course, many art lovers and art critics still go on playing the game to lure so-called art lovers into the web of sound investment. Malevich did not respect the conclusions he reached and ended up painting Renaissance-like portraits, and Fontana created many a slashed white canvas. After all, one must make a living.

But apart from mainstream Art, there’s still a very vital kind of counter-culture, a kind of Art that has always existed. From the caves of Lascaux, and even before, Art was linked to what is known as magic, meaning: to focus the imagination in order to alter outside reality. It has always been present, and now it is called “Fantastic Art”, “Fantastic Realism”, even “Visionary Art”. Imagination cannot die because it has not been created but always was, is and will be. What forms it will take, I don’t know. But I, for one, am getting acquainted with its force. Not to bend it to my ideas, but to co-operate with it. And that’s what I understand by success: not the price of a work, but the focused intensity with which the artist creates their works.

Bookmark to:

“Your work has layers of meaning, yet seems to revolve around some central female focus. Could you tell us a little about the meanings that go into your work?”

“I believe good art is the effective interlocking the concept with the medium, the artist’s creative process, and how this relates to the audience.

“Each of my paintings start as a collage. The collage suits my desire to cram as much as possible into one single picture plane. What I like about painting the collage in trompe l’oeil is that I preserve the separateness of each the fragments. Through painting the layers, the complexity of the external world can be revealed, as is the internal world of personal identity.”

To read the interview in its entirety visit the Hi Fructose site.

Right: ‘The Plague: An Allegory about Dating’ by Carrie Ann Baade, 16 x 20 inches, oil on panel, 2009

Bookmark to:

The Invisible College - 5th edition

Edition five of the Invisible College is now availible. The publication features the artwork of Amanda Sage and Leo Plaw. There is also a three page interview with Leo.

The Invisible College is a publication is dedicated to the emerging cultural forces of our times, and to anchor these cultural groups into perspective within the continuum of the twin streams of the Bohemian & Acadian memes. The magazine came into being about two and half years ago as there seemed to be a serious gap in the magazine/journal world for publications that was tracking and recording what has been evolving in the world of arts and consciousness.

The idea is to present art, poetry, tales, interviews and reviews in such a way to lift consciousness, and to engage the reader to consider alternatives to the current cultural systems that have now peaked and are now in decline. As artist and poets have been in the forefront of the various struggles and movements in society from time out of mind, journals and magazines in recent centuries have become an important part of the documenting process and have served as a focal point and organizing organ of the various aspects of what seems to be transpiring in current times.

The Invisible College evolved out of Earthrites.org and the associated Turfing blog. There was a prototype magazine being developed on Earth Rites, and Turfing is a running social and arts commentary blog. It was Robert Venosa, Martina Hoffmann or maybe Mike Crowley that suggested it should evlove into a pdf magazine. After 2 issues, it went into printing via Lulu.com. It came out rather rapidly at first, and now has slowed down a bit. We are going to keep going with the print on demand situation until we can find funding to print. The Invisible College has had some amazing artist, poets and writers grace its pages. You can go to the Invisible College web page for free downloads of the web versions and also to find a link to order a printed copy of The Invisible College.

Bookmark to:

Interview with Christian Van Minnen for beinArt by Lana Gentry.

.

Without being too cliché, these paintings are the sum of what I am; all of my passions, problems, hate, love and desire spilling out through the restraints of medium and concept.  ~ Christian Rex Van Minnen

.

Heralded as the modern Arcimboldo, Christian Rex Van Minnen makes his way into the art world armed with old world execution, and warm colors of bittersweet chocolate and burgundy velvet. Perfect composition and color serve only as thin veils which barely distract from the dripping hordes of redundant flesh and undecipherable realms of deformation. The new king of Neo-Grotesquism springs forth with a fiery vengeance, offering beautiful reconstructions of hideous fungus, tumor-like protrusions, and flora and fauna, all married into modern yet simultaneously archaic portraiture. Enter a world where ugliness and beauty merge as one, challenging the narrow definitions of both. This is the world of Christian Rex Van Minnen.

.

LG~ You are often compared to Giuseppe Arcimboldo in the sense of your taking unconventional  objects or abstractions, and formulating  portraits of beauty. I see distinct differences as well of course. You are in fact, more smooth and fluid in your style of execution.  The abstract as well as realistic objects used in the formulation of your portraits are also concretely more grotesque unto themselves than were the objects generally used in the works of  Arcimboldo. Tell us how you decide what objects or images to use in your unconventional portraits.

CVM~ I don’t really have a plan so much as conceptual and proportional restraints when beginning a painting. Any form or content in any painting is the result of an initial abstract compositional-grissaille that slowly ebbs and flows between darkness and lightness, abstraction and figuration, eventually becoming form and, consequently, content. Drawing from that raw information in the paint I embellish the biological forms I see as well as allowing aspects of the painting to become more representational and/or abstract.  I began utilizing the method of automatic drawing early and when I learned to paint it became a more fluid, changing process. All of the objects and space within a painting are the result of this construction and deconstruction process, watching the paint, pulling and pushing light in and out of the raw information on the canvas. When a painting is far along, the abstractions of its origins are buried and revealed in the subsequent forms. The forms are mimicking both nature and the truth of the paint itself.

LG~ I'm aware that you sometimes lay down abstractions first, then expound upon existing shapes, once rendered. Was this also true of the 'Keyhole Series' which seems so organized?  In other words, was this series a bit more thought out before execution than the rest?

CVM~ The abstractions are technically informed and executed within the larger conceptual framework of portraiture or still-life geometrics The Keyhole Series were a bit more thought out only in that the silhouette cut-out, or anterior panel was borrowed from famous historical portraits and superimposed atop the posterior panel after it was completed utilizing my usual process. I left much to chance in terms of finally combining the silhouette cut-out/anterior panel to the posterior panel. Within the Keyhole Series, much of the posterior panel of the painting is partially or totally obscured by the front panel and changes as one’s perspective changes. I executed the first series of Keyholes by painting the rear panels first and switching around the front silhouette’s until I found compositions that were agreeable yet somewhat disconnected and obtrusive in respect to the posterior panel. The conventional geometry of the still-life genre parallels portraiture in some ways allowing the two images to communicate and become harmonious.

LG~  I see an influence of archival botanical work in your earlier images, which differ some from your more grotesque examples of portraiture. I also see this in some works  in the ‘Keyhole Series’. Was there a time when you were more conventional in your execution of old world botanical imagery?

CVM~ No, the botanicals are a newer element to my work. I had previously resisted such representational forms, however, at times giving in to those desires. As I worked through the first 'Abstract Figurative' series that dealt exclusively with portraiture, I began to allow for more abstracting of the contents within the stable pyramid and centric sphere of the portrait, pushing the ‘sitter’ into the realms of the preternatural. The initial brushwork would determine the outcome of the painting so I started employing counter-intuitive, gestural brushwork to, well, destroy the possibility of recognizable human forms within the framework of the portrait. Creating a diversity of line, shape, color, texture and value in the initial abstraction led to a more diverse range of forms, including botanicals, fungi, and occasionally man-made materials such as clothing, as the painting moved from abstraction to figuration..

LG~  Your works seem to wax and wane between being somewhat disturbing and also occasionally comical, as is the case with your  interesting character in  Mickey Mouse ears. Was there a preconceived sense of narrative in this portrait or was it free flowing and spontaneous?

CVM~  I suppose there is a preconceived narrative in that I had set up this conceptual framework of portraiture to work within, inevitably resulting in a portrait that operates the way a portrait is intended. The specific geometry of Abstract Figurative 2.3 gave it a demure, slightly stoic nature, a sort of attitude simply due to the geometry of the ‘sitter’ in relation to the proportions of the canvas. The general shape of the hat was there in the early abstract under-painting and I realized right away that I had the dilemma of suppressing and destroying this provocative and loaded image, or allowing it to stay through to the end. In the end, it seemed fitting and I left it. I’m still not quite ok with it and I know that decision will haunt me and I  will have to live with it.

LG~ Has your classification changed after becoming fully immersed in the art world, or did you ever really classify yourself beyond the title of being figurative? If so, what is your own personal view of your  primary classification as a painter…or is there one?

CVM~ This is a tough question. Without being too cliché, these paintings are the sum of what I am; all of my passions, problems, hate, love and desire spilling out through the restraints of medium and concept. My drawings, paintings and sculpture are completely process driven and what you see in the end both conceals and reveals that process. I suppose having entered the public realm I have agreed to be classified, but I don’t know if I want to do it myself! Everything I do is deeply personal and I put everything I am into my work, good and bad. I would say that my actual painting process is not entirely unique and is indeed classifiable; abstract, automatic, figurative, etc.. The recent classification of ‘Neo-Grotesque’ is also applicable here, but only accounts for, like the other classifications, a part of the process as a whole.

LG~ Your ManFungus Series’ leads one to wonder if you had specifically envisioned a significant relationship between the two, or was the idea merely provocative and off the cuff?

CVM~ My intention is never to be provocative for the sake of being provacative.. Similarly, it is not my intention to be didactic in addressing, for example, the relationship between fungus and man. The resulting images can be provocative, but that is not the end in mind when I paint. The ‘Manfungus’ series was a part of the larger body of work where I was working within the conceptual framework of portraiture and pushing it away from human form. There was a point in that series where I began seeing the ‘sitter’ of the portrait as a sort of pile o’ life with all of the beauty and decay inherent in the cycles of life. The fungus element, like the botanicals, comes from the initial brushwork and the implied narrative follows. The shape of fungus, with or without me, has it’s own connotations and inherent meaning.

LG~  I have noticed that your works are generally untitled and I  have wondered if this was based in any specific aversion to such, or do you deem it unnecessary as a concept ? (…not to lead the witness here.)

CVM~ I get into a lot of trouble for this and I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t put a lot of thought into titling works. I attribute very little importance to titles and I think at best, they diminish the potentiality of the experience between viewer and painting. I am inconsistent and that pisses people off; I’m sure this will come back to bite me in the ass eventually. I am trying to find a solution to this problem beyond titling every painting ‘untitled.’ I used the 1.1, 1.2, method to simply catalog each piece in relationship to the body of work from which it was created as I usually work in series of 5-10 paintings at a time. In a way, I don’t like the post-rationalizing nature of titles.

LG~  Do you see yourself remaining on the path of unconventional portraiture as your  main manifestation of creativity in the future, or do you give any thoughts to such projections?

CVM~ My work has changed fairly regularly and evolved fluidly from year to year so honestly, I don’t know. My work seems to change when I move and recently that’s been about every 6 months to a year. I have been trying to make sense of why portraiture has become such an inspiration recently and moreover, why the grotesque’s dual nature of beauty and horror has been pervasive in my work for years. I am looking back to genres like portraiture and still-life painting as I try to get some perspective on what it means to be alive, today, here. I am personally very concerned with my own Americanism and my family’s cultural legacy. Like many Americans, and for that matter people in general, my family is spread out over the world and our history and cultural legacies are blurred, and often repressed into shadowy, dank and dark places. We want to ignore this stuff and move ‘forward’ but hiding and repressing the shadow aspect of ourselves, both individually and collectively, is dangerous and toxic and in time will resurface in all sorts of horrific manifestations.  I have experienced a lot of violence, racism, hate and depression in my life and that is inseparable from who I am and the art I make. Feelings of shame, guilt, anger and longing are coupled with pride, beauty and legacy and all are embedded in my understanding of heritage and identity. I feel like I am here to deal with these issues as best I can to obtain real peace and serenity in my life. I know other people want the same thing.

LG~ It must be quite a feeling to find yourself associated with the likes of Roq La Rue Gallery. Tell us on the whole about this impressive explosion of interest in your work and about what you believe led up to it.

CVM~ I definitely fell into the good graces of some great people and it has been empowering to start to have people supporting me and my work. I have to work two full-time jobs to launch my professional art career, you know? Burning the candle at both ends is the only option at this point and I have come to realize that, like the law of compound interest, you won’t see the results of your investments until well into the future. Everything that is happening now is the result of efforts begun years ago.

I started showing my work in collectives and smaller galleries in Denver in 2004 and have worked really hard since both in the studio and outside the studio in terms of marketing, networking and exhibiting my work. Jon Beinart was one of the first people who stood behind my work really early on (2005?) and for that I am forever grateful. Kirsten Anderson, owner of Roq la Rue Gallery, is an amazing gallerist and art dealer and I feel pretty blessed to have been taken under her wing this early on in my career, that’s risk and I deeply respect her vision and work. And, well the elephant in the room is the interworld;  the web is an amazing, horrific, beautiful, chaotic, pandora’s box of a tool. I’ve met so many great artists online and have developed great relationships with artists, publishers and galleries all over the world- this has been very empowering. It has changed the way the art world and artists communicate.

LG~  If you could meet one artist past or present, who would it be and why?

CVM~ Argg, one?!  Right now I am really fascinated with Otto Marseus van Schrieck. He is not very well known and was a member of the Schildersbendt, a group of Dutch painters in the late 17th century.  He painted these quasi-objective nature study/ still-lifes that were totally unique and different from traditional still lifes; they were imbued with a sense of wonder and, I believe, identification with nature and the visceral qualities of biological forms.. His visions are a stage where beauty and horror are harmonious and where nature and mystery are not mutually exclusive. And… just off the top of my head because I can’t leave it at one; George Condo, HR Giger, Louise Bourgeois, Patricia Piccinini, Ryan Riss, David Cronenberg, and Richard D. James of Aphex, aaaaannnd, even though he's not an artist, David Attenborough because I think he’s awesome. Thanks.

LG~….No thank you!! The pleasure was all mine!!

.

Christian Van Minnen is one of 50 contemporary artists featured in Metamorphosis 2 (beinArt Publishing).

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart was recently interviewed by David Dannov. The following is an excerpt:

"As a child I was particularly obsessed with ants, flies and snails. I imagined that I had a special bond with them. I remember hanging out with a baby fly for a whole day once and it kept returning to my hand. At the time I thought we were friends, but in hindsight I'm pretty sure it was using me as a platform to regurgitate on. So I didn't really collect insects, I just hung out with them. I wasn't always so kind to ants on the other hand. Like many boys, I used to burn them with a magnified glass and play god… Thankfully this never developed into other antisocial or psychotic tendencies towards animals…"

Read the full interview on David's website.

Bookmark to:

I was recently interviewed by Lana Gentry and I was so happy with her approach that I invited Lana to interview artists in the beinArt Collective. I interviewed a number of artists for the site a long time ago and decided to stop since I was running out of energy for it… I was already too involved with publishing art books and running the website… Since then I’ve been looking out for an interviewer and Lana has agreed to give it a go… So more artist interviews will be published on the beinArt blog soon. Happy days!

Here’s a link to Lana’s Interview with me.

I hope you enjoy!

Jon Beinart

Bookmark to:

The La Luz de Jesus Group Show, 'Everything but the Kitchen Sync' opens on Friday, March the 6th, 2009, from 8pm to 11pm and runs until March the 29th.

Exhibiting artists include David Amoroso, Scott G. Brooks (right,) Dan Brown, Sean Christopher, Melissa Contreras, Bryan Cunningham, Scott Holloway, Alex De Leon, Dennis Larkins, Craig LaRotonda, Chris Peters, Yana Rank, Bonni Reid, Kim Scott and many more. For a full list of exhibiting artists, visit the La Luz de Jesus website.

La Luz de Jesus

4633 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca 900027

United States 

Scott G. Brooks is one of fifty artists featured in beinArt Publishing's 'Metamorphosis 2 '

Bookmark to:

After spending time in the Liminal Village at the Boom Festival where he was exhibiting, Robert Venosa made his way over to Vienna. Here he paid a visit to fellow artist Peter Gric, who he sat down with and discussed his artwork and a little about Fantastic and Visionary art movement.
The video of that meeting of two great artists was only recently made available on the internet.

Robert Venosa and Peter Gric are both featured in our first publication "Metamorphosis" .

Peter Gric was previously interviewed on beinArt.org.

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart – "How would you describe your art Madeline?"

Madeline von Foerster – "I make art about this world.

I know that might sound strange, because I paint in a method and style characteristic of five centuries ago. It also might sound strange, because my work is typically classified as surrealist.  However, my art is strongly rooted in my own experiences, and the world occurring around me, though I often choose to express these things symbolically."

Beinart – "What else has influenced your art? You said you express yourself symbolically, are many of the symbols you paint rooted in esoteric mythology?"

Madeline von Foerster – "Sometimes my symbolism might come from mythology or esoterica… These sources are deep wells from which to draw!  I utilize more archaic symbols when their use will not interfere with the experience of the painting.  And occasionally I use images that reference a homemade iconography: for instance, the pair of doves in my trepanation Self Portrait are my own symbol for unity of the spirit and body, since doves mate for life.  (I leave birdseed, for a beautiful pair of doves, on my fire escape, and they inspired me.)  However, I try to make images that will resonate with any viewer who appreciates them.  One needn't know my story about the doves, I hope, to sense their meaning in the painting.  Or the viewer could invent his/her own meaning, which would also be valuable.

I am inspired by so much around me — the very experience of life, and the witnessing of life, inspire me.  I feel so lucky to be alive in an age where we know of so many beautiful and fantastic things, unimaginable to earlier societies — cloud nebulas, nutrinos, and deep sea creatures.  And, of course, those of us alive today have stepped into an unbelievebly exciting artistic heritage!  Our task is to continue its evolution…  But, I also feel another task is to protect our other inheritance — the environment, and civilized culture.  Artists are not exempt from this effort.  We must all bring our skills to the table."

Beinart – "Does your environmental concern find expression in your paintings?"

Madeline von Foerster – "Yes, it is a very frequent topic.  In some paintings, it is a primary theme, but it also makes an appearance in others where it might not be the main message.  My paintings can often be read on several different levels, and so one of those layers might reference our relationship with the earth.

I prefer my paintings to suggest, rather than preach, so I'm sure many other interpretations of that painting are possible.  My three year old niece, for instance, is convinced The Shadow is a painting of Spiderman."

Beinart – "Could you list a few artists who have inspired you and explain what you found exciting about their work."

Madeline von Foerster – "Possibly my favorite living painter is Julie Heffernan, because of her stunning craft, and the incredible worlds she creates.  She is anachronistic yet iconoclastic at the same time.

Finally, the artists I spend the most time with are the Flemish Renaissance Masters: van Eyck, Memling, van der Goes, Goessart, and Bosch.  It would be incredible to know something more about these artists' inner lives, but all I can do is gaze at their work and guess. Only through the diligence of attempting their technique do I find myself hovering somewhere near an understanding of them.  But even that is probably self-indulgent imagining on my part."

Beinart – "Have you come accross any resistance from galleries as a figurative painter with a neo-classical style?"

Madeline von Foerster – "Any painter working in a figurative or neo-classical vein must recognize that their choice is not necessarily "in fashion" at the moment.  I consider that an asset and an opportunity, rather than a limitation, for several reasons.  First of all, imagine the difficulty of standing out as a painter during, say, the seventeenth century, when all working artists were technical virtuosos!  Secondly, by following my own vision, rather than trends, I hope I am creating paintings which will stand the test of time, and not look sadly dated in a few years.  Lastly, in our cynical age of ever more digitized mass production, artworks which focus on craft and beauty give people an alternative, an antidote, to the prevailing culture.  There will always be certain galleries which recognize and appreciate that, but even if there were not, I wouldn't change what I am doing."

Beinart – "I completely agree Madeline. This is a current fashion and I'm sure history will have a very different perspective. I'm also sure your work will continue to attract the attention of galleries and collectors. Thank you so much for this interview Madeline! Do you have any exciting news for our readers?"

Madeline von Foerster - "Yes!  I am very excited to announce my upcoming show, WALDKAMMER at Strychnin Gallery Berlin , this November.  The paintings will explore my fascination with Cabinets of Curiosities, but I've manipulated this theme, to create images about deforestation and the threatened natural world.  (The title means "Forest Cabinet.") Strychnin Gallery will also be showing my work at Art 21Cologne, in October.
I have made a "studio visit" web-page, for those who would like to get a sneak preview of this new series!  However, it is not linked to from outside, so interested parties must email me at baphomatty(at)earthlink.net, for the address.

Thank you very much for the interview Jon, and keep up your amazing work with beinArt… it is a portal to many wonderous Universes."

Madeline von Foerster is one of 50 artists featured in Metamorphosis 2 (beinArt Publishing)

Bookmark to:

Here is a two part interview with Alex Grey from "Coast to Coast", an American late-night syndicated radio talk show which deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate either to the paranormal, or to alleged conspiracies.

The interview starts with Alex's introduction to LSD induced mystical experiences at college and then moves on to describing various other incidents he experienced while tripping. It also explores how these experiences have influenced his art.

Part 2

Bookmark to:

Roq La Rue 10th Anniversary Show

July 11th – August 2nd

Opening Night: Friday July 11th, 6-9pm

Featuring: Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Femke Hiemstra, Brian Despain, Travis Louie (right), Scott Musgrove, Lisa Petrucci, Shag, Liz McGrath, Andrew Hem, Glenn Barr, John Brophy, Viktor Safonkin, Anthony Pontius, Tin, Kay Tuttle, Ronald Kurniawan, Chris Crites, Johnny Bergeron, Mia Araujo, Mike Leavitt, Christian van Minnen, Gabe Marquez, Lori Earley…

Roq La Rue Gallery has been an integral part of the Lowbrow/Pop Surrealism art movement since opening in 1998, and continue to exhibit established artists in the genre as well as fostering emerging artists, many of whom have gone on to make strong impacts in the Pop Surrealism and Contemporary art scene.

Roq La Rue Gallery, 2312 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA, USA

Bookmark to:

C-realm presents two podcast interviews with Martina Hoffmann and Robert Venosa.

Martina Hoffmann talks about the connection between the visionary states induced by ayahuasca and the visions on canvas that they leave in their wake. Other topics include honoring the divine feminine and finding a balance between living in direct connection with nature and losing ourselves in a haze of techno-mediated busy work. 

Robert Venosa's interview delves into his personal history and development as a visionary artist, Ayasmina and Roberto explore the dark side and ask whether evil exists as a thing in and of itself. They also examine the question of the reality of the subject matter of visionary art.

Both Martina Hoffmann and Robert Venosa are featured in our first publication "Metamorphosis Volume 1 – Publication of 50 Surreal & Fantastic Artists".

Bookmark to:

I recently asked Brian Sherwin of MyArtSpace.com if he could interview some of our featured artists for the beinArt.org blog. Here is Brian's interview with Jeremy Geddes. Jeremy is one of 50 artists featured in our upcoming publication entitled Metamorphosis 2.

Brian Sherwin – "Jeremy, can you tell us about your early years? What inspired you to first pick up the brush?"

Jeremy Geddes – "Damn that's hard to say, although, at least in part, it was undoubtedly to pick up the girls. I'm not sure that teenage boys do anything at all that isn't at least tangentially connected to picking up girls (or other boys)."

Brian Sherwin – "Do you have any academic training in art? Can you tell us about your early studies– be it formal or informal?"

Jeremy Geddes – "I did a BA and a postgrad degree at VCA in Melbourne, although it was useless in terms of technical training, it served more as a studio space and a way to pick up Austudy money, rather than a learning environment. I learned everything I know by myself after I left."

Brian Sherwin – "Tell us about your influences… are you influenced by any specific artists or art movements?"

Jeremy Geddes – "It's a hard one to answer, my influences are always evolving, they don't stay static. I don't adhere to any specific movements, I'm skeptical of the idea of labeled art movements, I'm not sure what it achieves."

Brian Sherwin – "Jeremy, the characters in your paintings often appear as if  they are 'boxed' in… there is a sense of claustrophobia about  them. Is that intentional?"

Jeremy Geddes – "It's intentional, many painters compose their work so the edges of the canvas are as invisible as possible. All the points of interest are contained within the middle portion of the image, the tonal and colour construction is designed to keep the eye within this space, to keep them viewing the painting for as long as possible."

"I don't really find that interesting, and I often go the other route of putting the points of interest at the edge of a piece, and creating a design that forces the eye off the edge of the canvas, I'm interested in the tension that that can create."

Brian Sherwin – "Tell us more about the motives behind your work…"

Jeremy Geddes – "The motives for me painting have changed a little over the years, earlier, they were in a large part a sort of exasperation at the folly of my fellow monkey's, these days though I'd say they're about attempting to capture a mood, a fairly specific one, but one that I can't quite grasp internally, I'm trying to work it through in my paintings."

Brian Sherwin – "Jeremy, I understand that you are a gamer… what kind of games do you play? Are you influenced by video games or other aspects of popular culture?"

Jeremy Geddes – "I worked in game development for about 5 years, and have played them since I was a kid. Alas I'm so busy these days I don't really play them anymore. Am I influenced by popular culture? Yeah totally I'd say, although I don't really know what is popular culture and what is not. All these distinctions are pretty meaningless, there's just people creating things they think are worth creating, and some I think were, some I think weren't, the former I gravitate towards and draw off, the later I don't."

Brian Sherwin – "So what exactly are the social implications of your work? What do you strive to convey about society? What is the message that you  hope viewers obtain when they observe your art?"

Jeremy Geddes – "Conveying an explicit meaning without resorting to didactic narrative cliches is almost impossible. If you wish to have any form of subtlety in you your work, you have to accept that it comes with the cost of potential misinterpretation. Meaning for any particular viewer will only be partly informed by the painting, and predominantly informed be the viewers past experiences, and personal narrative associations formed over the course of their life. It's been my experience that viewers will see the broad outlines of a painting at first, begin to construct a narrative that fits their world view, and then selectively ignore details of the painting that conflict with this constructed narrative. So if you construct an image with a narrative, or message that conforms to standard belief, say a moral lesson, the chances that your painting will be correctly interpreted are high, but if you're attempting a dissident narrative you're going to struggle to convey that explicitly."

"If you accept this as a painter, then you realise that your ability to convey any sort of exacting message through your images is severely limited. I try to set up questions, hopefully ones that spark a cognitive dissonance in the viewer."

Brian Sherwin – "Tell us more about your process. What type of surface do you prefer to paint upon? How do you begin a painting? Do you work with sketches first?"

Jeremy Geddes – "I used to paint on board prepared with acrylic gesso, which worked fine, although I've recently switched to linen with an oil primer for larger paintings. Before I begin a painting, I generally do a lot of thinking. I don't go beyond this point until something has formed in my head which I feel compelled by. Then I play around with it, in my head and in small thumbnails. Then I collect what ever reference I need and get busy. After all the planning though, I usually end up scraping out areas of the painting, and changing them as I go. It's a time waster, but perhaps unavoidable."

Brian Sherwin – "Can you tell us about your studio practice… what are the conditions you need in order to paint– do you listen to music while working?"

Jeremy Geddes – "I work with podcasts or audio books going in the background usually, with the occasional bout of music. I generally work form around 8:30 in the morning until about 11:00 at night, and try to make it 7 days a week."

Brian Sherwin – "What are you working on at this time?"

Jeremy Geddes – "I'm beginning work on a five issue painted comic, which will probably take a little over year. After that, I have a huge backlog of paintings I want to get to."

Brian Sherwin – "Finally, do you have any advice for emerging artists?"

Jeremy Geddes – "That's a hard one. The best advice I could give, is to ask yourself, "why am I doing this?" Then try to answer it as honestly as you can, because with this knowledge you can plan a life that you'll find satisfying. If you're interested in money, you can make one series of decisions. Fame? Potentially another. If you want to simply paint what you what to paint, and couldn't care about money or fame, those choices will be different again."

Jeremy Geddes is one of 50 artists featured in our upcoming publication entitled Metamorphosis 2.

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart – "How would you describe your art Paul?"

Paul Freeman – "I don't know what genre I would call it, maybe a mixture of Visionary and Surrealism. Some times I will put a photo up on my wall and look at it for 6 months and let it cook so to speak, and when the time comes I will start to draw and let it extrapolate itself into some thing completely different.. Most of all it is Spiritually INSPIRED, when I am in spirit I AM Inspired!!. As I have said before it is a physical Action that brings about Spiritual Reaction, and I do hope other people feel that when they look at my Artworks.."

Jon Beinart – "Do you use art as a meditation?"

Paul Freeman – "Yes I do use my ART for meditation, I would say the whole experience is just one great big meditation from the beginning to the end, to me it is a means to step out of the mundane reality of everyday life and and go beyond all its vagaries Into a new Spiritual REALITY, and absorb what I AM doing into more Light within myself. There is a mantra I use: From the Light of GOD THAT I AM, I AM the Light I AM… And I find the more ART I work at the more Light I can absorb, and all so I hope it comes out in my Art so others can bring it into their life as well.. It Is a Transcendental Meditation in another form and a great learning Experience as well.."

Jon Beinart – "Which themes and archetypes have you explored with your art? Are these elements usually planned or spontaneous? (or both)"

Paul Freeman – "Jon. The only thing I could say that is planned is the subject, and then it is only the outline, and then What happens inside is Spontaneous,  but their is allways the feeling of going into a Higher or hipper reality it is a very exciting or excited state of BEING And it enables me settle into that Transcendental State of being. My Archetypes can be any thing or any one.  I just love the DOING OF IT ALL…"

Jon Beinart – "Who are your artistic heroes? What have you learned from these people?"

Paul Freeman – "My Artistic Heroes, 1st of all it would have to be THE OLD MASTERS, Caravaggio, Raphael , Michelangelo. A lot of the present day Visionary Artists such as Prof Phil, HR Giger, Gonzalez, Ernst Fuchs. There are so many great artist out there, but what I have leaned from them is to Develop myself as an artist and to teach myself to the best of my ability and keep on evolving as an Artist and find new ways to go about this self evolution, whether it is new techniques or new Visions. The last work I have just finished has taken me 7 months and now I will have a rest from my art for a while and the new work ahead will involve developing my Symbiotic themes."

Jon Beinart – "7 months is a long time to focus on one piece of paper. Do your drawings often take this long?"

Paul Freeman – "No I  usually do not take so long to do a piece, and the only reason it took so long to do the MEDUSA was because of my cancer!! and the time I spent in hospital and time to recover from the operation.. BUT it would have taken 5 months to do it anyway, it is by far the largest work I have done. 1.5 metre X 1 metre or in inches 60 X 40 and about 650 hours?? their is a lot of detail in the work and that was the most time consuming part of it. I am having it photographed this week so I will send you a pic of it, sorry to have taken so long to answer your questions but some days are good and some not so good."

Jon Beinart – "I am looking forward to seeing this latest drawing Paul. It sounds spectacular! I understand that Cancer has been a huge obstacle between you and your art and your treatment has been time consuming and draining. (I send my love and best wishes as always my friend). Has you illness had an effect on the intensity of your subject matter?"

Paul Freeman – "You could say the only intensity I feel from my cancer is to break through the pain barrier as I am working, and that I might not get to finish all the work I have planned for the future, so their is a certain amount of intensity as I AM DRAWING, Whether it comes out in the subject is hard to say, But I do know the next piece will be soft or more subtle, and it is only the pain that puts a stop to things, it has been all most a month since I finished MEDUSA and I don’t feel ready to start this new piece as yet Even though I know how it will look.  Hopefully I will be ready next week to start planning this new one out, this block of units is being fire proofed at the moment so that has delayed my work as well. I have my SON living with me now, and have had to make some changes in my life, but we both love ART and he is on his way to being a great artist as well. AND is a ripper guitarist as well.."

Jon Beinart – "When did you decide to devote yourself to your art? Was there a notable catalyst?"

Paul Freeman – "I decided to devote myself to ART Full time early in 1993, not long after becoming clean and sober. I had always been doing art when I had my moments of sobriety by that I mean I would be sober for a few months and then slowly sink back into My Alcoholism, and this went on for a period of 10 years, and then on the 15th of October 1992 I had my last drink. AT LAST I was SOBER. NOW I could start getting into my art, and just the doing of it gave to me a great deal of BLISS, and the bliss I received led me into a greater feeling of SELF WORTH, and then in early 1994  I started doing a piece of work  called Rhapsody on a  theme  and half way through the work I had an epiphany and started laughing and at last I had found my Genre in ART and was given Visions of what would happen with my ART. And as I have said before Just the Doing of it is ALL that matters. The Catalyst for my ART was the fact that I was at last sober, I was inspired by Rhapsody on a theme and what it was doing to me. To be Inspired is to be in Spirit and that was all that I needed to keep going."

Jon Beinart – "It's fantastic that you managed to kick alcohol and have maintained a healthy addiction to art. How have people reacted to your art in Albury? (the town I grew up in, where Paul and I met many years ago). Have you encountered much interest in The Albury Community for Surreal, Fantastic and/or Visionary Art?"

Paul Freeman – "The responses I receive from people who get to view my ART is all ways very positive, and want to know what genre it is called, when I tell them it is Visionary that is when I get some strange looks and then I have to explain what do I MEAN by that. Sometimes when I have told people that I AM an ARTIST, the question back will be what sort of art do you do and when I say Visionary, what’s that??? So the closest to that I can give to them is Surrealism Art. As far as the interest in Visionary/Surrealism Art goes is a bit SLOW at the moment, and it will take a big Exhibition of Visionary and Surrealism Art to get the mainstream public interested in the movement….All of my Art so far has mainly been sold to private collectors, and as you know this town is very slow to take interest in some thing that is outside of the square!!!, some times I think that Abstract art is something new to the general public in Albury. BUT when the time comes I will be having a Big Exhibition of my work here very soon, hopefully early 2008."

Jon Beinart – "An Exhibition. That’s great! I'll be there. I know your work has been received very well in Metamorphosis. I sold a copy to The Albury Library Museum and another copy to the Lavington Library. I'm sure many Albury Wodonga people will love your art. Where are you planning to hold the Big Exhibition?"

Paul Freeman – "We are hoping to have it at the Wodonga City Gallery, it is all up to my Patron who will be paying for the cost of the Exhibition.  I will let you know when every thing is ready to go ahead for the show and start to send out the invites. Their are already a lot of people who are waiting for it to go ahead, I have been doing a lot of promoting for it and I would like your help in letting me know of people who I can send invites to down their in Melbourne.."

Jon Beinart – "I'll definitely help you get the word out. I'll also post a press release on the beinArt Blog. Thank you so much for your time Paul. I look forward to catching up with you for a coffee next time I'm in Albury."

Paul Freeman is one of 50 Artists featured in our first book: Metamorphosis. 

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart – "How would you describe your work Lukas?"

Lukas Kandl – "I would say that my work is inspired by fantastic and surrealistic art, with a classical Old Masters technique. I take my ideas from literature, poetry, and also biblical and esoteric subjects. I create very realistic but always a bit shift from the ordinary reality details. I think it is very important that everybody can recognize a reality with which he can deal, but I want my paintings to trigger a personal journey through the dream domain or an unusual situation."

Jon Beinart – "What do you find interesting about esoteric and biblical subjects?"

Lukas Kandl – "Biblical and esoteric subjects are eternal subjects, which have been used in the painting for centuries, in the whole world. Each artist has his own vision according to his culture, his own experiences and I am very interested by the comparison between all these visions. Biblical subjects are more concrete as they rely to rather understandable texts, more popularized than esoteric texts. I like esoteric subjects as they are full of mysteries, hidden information, opened only to initiates. My paintings often contain hidden messages, understandable only by people who have the knowledge to access them."

Jon Beinart – "Do you have a particular religious faith, or just a general interest in the myths, archetypes and symbols?"

Lukas Kandl – "I am especially interested in the myths, archetypes and symbols and in the general worldwide culture. This goes beyond a specific religion. I am interested in reading about the different religions and I respect them. What matters to me is the part of spirituality you find in the people, in the religion, in the situations, not the religion itself. I have difficulty to recognize the word God as it is used in so many different circumstances, and as an alibi to make so many horrors. I prefer to believe in a higher spirit. I find my subjects in the different religions when their contents interest me and respect the human being."

Jon Beinart – "When did you start painting Fantastic animals? Has this been a life long theme in your paintings?"

Lukas Kandl – "I always used fantastic animals in my paintings, but at the beginning they were more used as details accompanying other themes. 5 years ago, I decided to make a tribute to Audubon and I painted about 50 fantastic birds. This was the real start of my fantastic animals series."

"But I also work about many other themes. I specially like painting animals and humans for their glances, their presence and all the symbols you can attach to them. I don’t use still life, landscapes or seascapes themes."

Jon Beinart – "Are you able to support yourself financially with your paintings?"

Lukas Kandl – "At the beginning, no. Then about 20 years ago it was rather cyclical: some years yes, some years no. But the French economic situation was better than now."

"Now, even if the economic situation is worst and most of the French artists have real difficulties to sell a painting, I am doing better and better every year and support the family financially very well."

"But that means work a lot, travel a lot, seize the opportunities and also invest time and money to promote the fantastic, surreal international art not only my personal art but a group of artists art. This part is a long-term view."

Jon Beinart – "It is great that you promote the whole movement and other artists as well as your own work. Our movement benefits greatly with the efforts of artists like yourself. Who are some of your favorite contemporary artists within the movement?"

Lukas Kandl – "Some of my favorite contemporary artists are: Parkes, Verlinde, Hernandez, Aparin, Henricot, Arnas, Djurovic, Grasse, Merriam, Zademack, Schmid. This list is not exhaustive!"

Jon Beinart – "What are your thoughts on the contemporary 'high art' world? Do you think there is much hope for the future of Surreal and Fantastic art?"

Lukas Kandl – "I think that the contemporary "high art" world is a world built on a wrong spirit: work very quickly without technique, provoke without any content, no spirituality. It's at the image of our contemporary world. For me it's the MacDonalds of the art! I would make a comparison: let's suppose that the artists were surgeons instead of artists and work in this same spirit. You would have only corpses! I think and I feel that private collectors and the general public start to be tired of this. We have to innovate, even to provoke, but with elegance and panache. To do that we need to know the technique, we need to learn and work. The general public is fed up with all these works which need specialists' explanations for hours in order to try to understand what the artist meant. With the surreal and fantastic art, everybody can recognize the reality of the objects or the situations, even if they are a bit improbable but with technique and quality. From that every spectator can make his own travel through his own dreams because he feels like accompanied. I am quite optimist for these next years."

Jon Beinart – I find your optimism refreshing. Have you observed anything in particular that might indicate a positive change in the art world over the next few years?

Lukas Kandl – "Yes, a few signs:

• "First of all, the remarks I receive during my personal shows or our group shows from the general public. To summarize: “Finally a good painting! Painters who know to paint!…”"
• "During our last group show in Paris during a big “salon” where about 3000 artists were exhibiting, our stall was very much visited and most of the people told us that we had the better one."
• "More, the French TV came to make a short report, about 3mn, about the salon. They showed about 12 works, among them 5 were from our group. And that without any intervention from our part."
• "Last year we participated with our group to another salon in Sedan. This salon existed for a few years, but it was found so good with our participation that for the first time the Ministry of Culture gave a substantial subvention to the 2007 salon."
• "As we are looking for exhibition locations for our group project, it becomes a bit easier to find “official” locations. For 2007 we booked 5 exhibitions."
  

"Everything is not won, but I feel things are a bit quivering".

Jon Beinart – "Things do seem to be picking up for Fantastic Artists around the world. I'm so glad to hear more positive news. Thank you for your time and energy Lukas. Do you have any exciting news for our readers? Upcoming exhibitions, publications, etc?"

Lukas Kandl – "Regarding one man shows there is my exhibition in Montbard for Buffon tricentenary."

"I have also a one-man show in Arcachon (near Bordeaux) Droit de Regard Gallery during the whole year."

Regarding my group activities:

• Our “Ange exquis” ‘exquisite angel’, with 27 artists, will be shown in Sedan at the end of the year and 5 exhibitions are planned in 2008 in France and Germany.
• I am organizing a new group show of 15 artists in the Grand Palais in Paris during the “salon Comparaisons”: Aparin, Bailly, Comand, Coquelin, De Rosa, Djurovic, Ivanovic, Jontschewa, Kandl, Krejca, Mirkovic, Müller, Oscity, Ravski, Tiunine. Theme and special format  will be kept secret until the show, but I have received some of the painting and I can tell you it will be great!

All my activities can be found on my website www.kandl.net

Lukas Kandl is one of 50 Artists featured in our first publication: Metamorphosis.

Lukas Kandl's Gallery.

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart – "How would you describe your art Artur?"

Artur Golacki – "I would never expected someone to burst into tears or laugh loudly while watching my work, but to share a sort of feeling as long as one is connected to it… kind of unconditional togetherness of minds under umbrella of 'What would be like if we just slow down, stop judging, labeling and explaining everything around.  Why not dive into that precious moment of simply being here and now'.

Just a child-like, non-analytical gaze is probably the best way to understand and enjoy my art."

Jon Beinart – "So do you approach a painting intuitively or do you set out to communicate a particular concept or idea? Is your subconscious an important tool in your creative process?"

Artur Golacki – "My intuition is the main tool, helping to recreate a part of that special, secret micro-environment where usually subconscious prevail … sort of telling the never-ending story without drawing a conclusion. There is always plenty of room for any interpretation, depends on the individual."

Jon Beinart – "Do you often interpret your own images after completion? If so, have you discovered things about yourself that were previously unknown (or forgotten)?"

Artur Golacki – "Since I don’t have any specific limitations about final outcome, interpretation happens naturally as work progress and takes form of self-assurance rather than discovery."

Jon Beinart – "I have noticed a recurring tribal theme in your work Artur. I was wondering if you could shed some light on this for our readers. I am especially curious about the African children that appear in some of your paintings. When I first discovered your art I assumed that you were African yourself."

Artur Golacki – "It started in the eighties together with my love to dub music and mutually grown respect to different, less formal approach to art. Constant, sensual bass line and unexpected, abstract journey of tiny sounds around were perfect backgrounds to experiment with my paintings. I just simply wanted to thank for inspiration. Living in London, such a multiethnic city has also been a great influence."

Jon Beinart – "I live in Melbourne which is also very Multi ethnic. That coupled with the fact that my parents are both from South Africa has given me a similar perspective, which is probably one of the reasons why I relate to your work. I am reminded of all of the African art from my childhood. That and my experimentation with psychedelics as an adult. Have you experimented with psychedelics?"

Artur Golacki – "What do you think? I can hardly imagine contemporary artist who have not tried at least once. It is difficult to compare psychedelic with other sixth sense stretchers, somehow they shamelessly grow on this planet and I guess with a reason. However I would never recommend that as the only recipe on how to get in touch with your creative self. There are less dramatic but perhaps more permanent ways to keep your imagination high. In my case, meditation works just fine and process of painting comes as perfect extension. That’s why I can put up with millions of (meaningless) details on my artwork … kind of watching raindrops as they dissolve into the sound only."

Jon Beinart – "Do you have a spiritual practice that extends beyond meditation. Are you a religious or spiritual person?"

Artur Golacki – "I am a follower of Buddhist philosophy… so ‘spiritual’ would be the most appropriated. In fact there is nothing more than recollect your own ability and the best practice is to cultivate in every day life harmonious, ego detached state of mind glimpsed through meditation. Sounds bit like a training manual on how to become a tree, but it is hard to talk about benefits unless you have an actual experience."

Jon Beinart – "What is your background Artur? Are you originally from the UK?"

Artur Golacki – "I was born in Wroclaw, Poland at the time of red regime in full swing. What an unforgettable life experience, kind of bizarre lap-dance club … you can’t watch, can’t touch, you can only hear it! Unfortunately I moved to London in eighties just to miss out the end of show."

Jon Beinart – "Arrgh! So much tension and no climax. What is it about Fantastic Artists in Poland? So many of my favorites are Polish. I mean there's Zdzislaw Beksinski, Jaroslaw Kukowski, Dariysz Zawadzki, Jacek Yerka, Zalibarek, Dariusz Skitek, Andrzej Tomaszewski, Darek Jasiczak & Andrzej Masianis. Eli Tiunine is also native to Poland. Why do you think Poland has produced so many incredible contemporary Fantastic Artists?"

Artur Golacki – "May be there is something in the water? I really don’t know. Only theory I have is that commonly high level of religious devotion against dull communist background could be the reason, perhaps a form of self-defense?

I like to mention my long time hero Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, the real father of polish surrealism. Sadly, not recognized enough worldwide. Only polish artist who openly admitted experiments with psychedelics. Possibly, having a clear picture of things to come, he suicide in 1939, days after the Nazi Germany and Soviet Union invaded Poland."

Jon Beinart – "I had never heard of Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz. Thank you for sharing his work Artur (I'll read up on him later). What about Polish poster art. I have noticed surreal imagery on many vintage polish posters and imagine they would have been somewhat influential."

Artur Golacki – "Generally I like the idea of printed art as it has that extra possibility to exist in so many different contexts. Can you imagine for example those street billboards used purely to exhibit art? About Polish poster art, well … from my perspective and knowledge that all printed matter was heavily censored, posters never inspired me, only with one great exception, Franciszek Starowieyski."

Jon Beinart – "I've seen Franciszek Starowieyski's work before. Very inspiring. Can you list some other artists who have influenced you?"

Artur Golacki – "Mark Rothko and Joseph Beuys for pure Magic and Genius, Surrealist movement for breaking the taboos, Impressionists for showing me how to enjoy color and Hieronymus Bosh for his incomparable originality. As an art addict I would say that there are thousands more artists who inspired me in many different ways. Thanks to all of them and I am really happy to be a part of such a great family."

Jon Beinart – "What are your thoughts on the contemporary art world? Do you think there are many opportunities in the art market for Surreal & Fantastic Artists?"

Artur Golacki – "We are living in the relatively young age of acceptance for art as form of self-expression, so let’s enjoy diversity… and I wouldn’t think that artist should worry about opportunities as much as about quality and originality of his work. Any kind of valuable art concept will be recognized sooner or later.

The only problem is how to survive until then … kind of natural selection, harsh but somehow on a deeper level does make sense to me. Art is not an employment, is a choice, otherwise we are talking about craftsmanship."

Jon Beinart – "Thank you so much for your time and energy Artur. Do you have any exciting news for our readers? Any upcoming exhibitions, publications, etc?"

Artur Golacki – "Thanks a lot Jon. It was such a great pleasure to share a few thoughts with you and readers. Currently I have managed some progress on new pieces and hope to squeeze them in coming 2008 calendar available on deviantART."

Artur Golacki is one of 50 artists featured in our first Publication: Metamorphosis.

Artur Golacki's Gallery.

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart – "What inspires you Chet?"

Chet Zar – "That is a really broad question. There are many things in life that inspire me to paint, but what consistently inspires me the most is good art. When I see a good art show, I always leave wanting to paint."

Jon Beinart – "Can you list a few artists who have inspired you and explain what you have found exciting about their work? Do you know many of these individuals personally?"

Chet Zar – "Different artists have influenced me at different times in my life. I think when I was a little kid it was a mix of fine artists I had seen in my Aunts art books (Bosch, Dali, M.C. Escher) and a lot of pop culture art and comics of the late 60's and early 70's (Big Daddy Roth. Mad magazine artists Mort Drucker and Jack Davis, Terry Gilliam's animations from Monty Python's Flying Circus, Horror comics). I always have gravitated towards the weirder stuff. I guess I just felt some sort of kinship with art that wasn't normal and pretty, probably because I didn't ever really feel normal or pretty myself.
As a teenager it was HR. Giger, Frazetta and Heavy Metal magazine (Richard Corben, Mobius). I loved Sci-Fi and Horror and I think it was those elements within those artists that attracted me to them.

In my adult life I think Beksinski has been my biggest influence. I just love his work, it's very dark, mysterious and really unique. He really was a master painter and highly underrated (in the U.S. at least). I am also a big fan of Mark Ryden. His work was pretty influential on me as well. Also, lots of illustrator types like Norman Rockwell and James Bama.
I am also lucky enough to be showing a lot in Los Angeles with many artists who I really like and actually get to hang out with at shows like Nathan Spoor, Cam De Leon, Jose Lopes, and my best friend Christopher Owen (who has also been a big influence on me as an artist since we were kids). My stepfather James Zar has also been a strong artistic presence all throughout my life. He is a great painter."

Jon Beinart – "You listed many of my favorites there. I can definitely see a touch of Beksinski in your work. (I hadn't noticed that before). So we've established that your art isn't normal, or pretty. How has your art been received by the public. I'm sure you have received a lot of positive feedback, but I'd like to hear about some of the negative reactions people have had to your work. Has anyone completely freaked out at one of your shows and needed immediate psychiatric care ;)"

Chet Zar – "Surprisingly, the response has been pretty much positive. I guess maybe we are jaded out here in L.A. or perhaps I was lucky enough to show with the right galleries from the start. Most of the negative responses I got about my art were when I was a kid. You know, the typical- "why don't you paint something pretty?" from the adults who didn't get it. But that kind of attitude just made me want to paint even uglier things! In any case, I was truly shocked at how well my work was received right when I started showing. When I started painting I didn't really think the would go over so well. I thought, "Who would want to hang this in their house- other than someone like me?" but I stuck to my guns and painted exactly what I wanted to paint and luckily, people really seemed to like it. I guess there are more people like me out there than I thought."

Jon Beinart – "The gestures that you accentuate, so effectively emphasize the emotions and idiosyncrasies of your characters. Are you drawing predominantly from your own emotional experience or from your observations of others?"

Chet Zar – "Both, I think. A painting has to click with me on an emotional level for me to really do my best and I think it clicks for me when I can recognize an emotion in it that I can really relate to. But I also observe others a lot so that I can know what those emotions look like on a face."

Jon Beinart – "Have you ever caught yourself pulling similar faces to your characters when you paint them? (I ask, because I have noticed myself doing this)."

Chet Zar – "Yes, I do that on occasion, but not as often as you might think."

Jon Beinart – "I understand you have been working with Tool for many years now. Can you please describe your role with Tool? And how did you meet them?"

Chet Zar – "Yes, I have been working with Tool since '98 or '99. I created various 3D computer animations that they use in their live shows and headed up the make-up effects crew for their last 4 videos. I have also done T-shirt artwork for them, website graphics- all kinds of stuff. It has been a very creatively satisfying relationship.

I met Tool through guitarist/art director Adam Jones. We worked together years before Tool in the makeup effects industry and eventually parted ways due to the nature of the business. Years later Adam got in touch with me about helping out on the "Stinkfist" video. It developed from there and we became good friends in the process. He has been a big supporter of my art career and has even collects my paintings."

Jon Beinart – "It must be exciting collaborating with such a talented and celebrated group of musicians. I know Meats Meier has also worked with Tool (I interviewed Meats Meier the other week). Have you and Meats worked together on any of these projects?"

Chet Zar – "It is always fun to work with talented people and I am very proud to have been involved with Tool. They really are a great band and always put out quality work in whatever they do. Working with Adam is always very artistically stimulating. There are certain people that you just click with creatively. We get together and in 5 minutes the ideas just start flowing. It's really fun. Meats Meier is great. His work is outstanding and he is a super creative guy. We haven't had the chance to work together yet but he is creating a piece for an upcoming art show that I am guest curating for the Venice Contemporary in Los Angeles this October. It's called "The Talking Board Show". Each artist is going to create their own custom version of an Ouija/talking board. I am excited to see what he comes up with."

Jon Beinart – "I'd love to see that show. Was the custom Ouija/talking board show your idea? Do you have a particular interest in the supernatural?"

Chet Zar – "Yes, it was an idea I have had for some years now. The Venice Contemporary recently asked me to guest curate a show so I thought I’d better do The Talking Board Show before somebody else did. I think it is going to be a really fun show. I love Ouija boards and have always interested in the supernatural. I have had many run ins with what I would call supernatural phenomena since I was a kid."

Jon Beinart – "Could you describe one of these run ins Chet?"

Chet Zar – "Well, there have been a lot. Numerous Out of Body experiences, precognitive dreams, E.S.P., a couple of ghost experiences, that sort of thing. They range from somewhat plausible to totally unbelievable and I wouldn't expect a stranger reading this interview to believe them (let alone somebody I knew) so I won't even mention the really crazy stuff.

I would say that about 60% of my experiences have been in the realm of OBE's/ Astral projection (If unfamiliar check out author Robert Monroe). I used to have those pretty frequently since I was a kid. Now I have them only a few times a year. Weird stuff. I have had OBE's that have been extremely fun and exciting, while others have been absolutely terrifying- a kind of spiritual terror that I have only felt in these realms.

Here are two different cases:

My first OBE was at around age 12. As I was drifting off to sleep, I noticed that I couldn't move yet my mind was awake. My eyes were closed, of that I was certain, but I could still see. I was looking through my eyelids. Then the terror crept in, like I knew somebody or something evil was outside of my door and I knew this was no dream. I was trying to scream but I was paralyzed (this is a phenomenon doctors call 'sleep paralysis', but people familiar with OBE's know it as the stage you enter right before you are about to go out of body. Your body is essentially asleep and your consciousness has switched over to your astral body). So anyway, I felt this deep terror and then a man appeared next to my bed. He looked like a redneck or something- a heavyset figure wearing a down vest jacket and flannel shirt. He was holding a pillow up in front of his face, so I couldn't see what he looked like. I tried to break free from this paralysis but I couldn't. Something in my mind was saying, "He can't hurt you- he is just going to try and scare you". Then he began hitting me with the pillow in a really odd way, lashing out and putting the pillow back in front of his face very fast, over and over. By then I was so terrified that I was able to wrench my body back and forth and woke myself up. The man just disappeared and everything kind of went wavy, just like dream transitions in a movie or a cheesy TV. show, and suddenly I was sitting up and awake, staring at the blank wall where the man was just standing.

One of the more pleasant cases was when I was about 16 or 17 years old. I was sleeping in my parents garage that has been converted into a recording studio for my brothers band. The walls were all covered with carpet in order to make the room sound proof and the windows had been covered, so it was always pitch black in that room when the light was off. Anyway, I was sleeping and a knock came at the door. It was around 7 am when I opened the door, it was really bright out there. It was a friend of mine. I told him I was sleeping and went back to bed, closing the door and returning the room to complete darkness. As I was falling asleep (this happens to be the most common time for OBE's for me- right after I have been woken up in the middle of the night or early morning and gone back to sleep) I felt a strange sensation around my body. I began to float up and around the room. I was totally aware and like the other time before, I knew it was more than a dream. I mean, I was as lucid and aware as I am right now, perhaps even more so. I felt light and so good floating around the room- I felt pure, like I was fully present and I remember thinking, "This is the real me and this is what it feels like when you die". It was one of the happiest moments in my life (and I haven't really felt afraid of dying since). So I floated around the room, not really able to control my direction or anything and I headed for the front wall. I went through the wall and I could see the beams and dust in between the wall as I went through it- it was a trip. But when I went outside the brightness of the morning startled me and I was immediately sucked back into my body like I was being pulled by a giant rubber band. Snap! I was back in my body and wide-awake. It was a really magical experience.
I believe that both of these were not just dreams but I have no proof of that. It's just something you have to experience. But once you have, you just know.

Luckily, I was raised to not be afraid of these types of things. My mother is very spiritually progressive and when I was growing up, ghost sightings and psychic phenomenon were just a part of life. We kind of just took it for granted that it happened to everybody. Or maybe my family is just crazy!"

Jon Beinart – "Thank you for sharing these experiences Chet and for this interview in general. I enjoyed getting to know the man behind the art. I don't think you or your family is crazy, just eccentric ;) I like to keep an open mind even though I haven't experienced anything like what you described. Consider yourself lucky :) Before we finish, do you have any exciting news for our readers? Exhibitions, publications, etc?"

Chet Zar – "Lots of shows. I will be in the "Next Gen- Art for the New Aeon" group show at the CoproNason gallery in July and I am also in a four person show (with Lola, Nathan Spoor, Kevin Peterson) called, "Sanctuary" at Limited Addiction gallery in Denver, Colorado.  As I had mentioned before, I am also am guest curating (as well as creating a piece for) "The Talking Board Show" October 20th at the Venice Contemporary. October will be busy as I will be also showing work in London for the London Opening of the Strychnin gallery and at the Zoo Art Fair. I also have a couple of solo shows scheduled for next year, one at CoproNason in March 2008 and one in June 2008 at Strychnin Gallery in London. There are a bunch of other group shows scattered within that schedule. Anybody interested in getting on my mailing list to stay informed of shows can join here.
Aside from the shows, I am working on getting a book of my artwork published as well as possibly releasing some art training DVD's. And as time permits, I am working on a follow up to my 3D animation DVD, "Disturb the Normal".

I am also selling Limited Edition prints, T- Shirts and "Disturb the Normal" on my website."

Chet Zar is one of 50 artists featured in our first publication: Metamorphosis.

Bookmark to:

Jon Beinart – "What inspires you creatively Peter?"

Peter Gric – "My ideas come from two quite oppositional directions: On the one side I gravitate to the beauty and power of erosional forces. Whenever I walk through a landscape, preferably in the Alps, I try to imagine how the valleys and peaks are formed in fast motion. I imagine the movement of the landscape over a period of millions of years. The same is when I watch satellite images -  I can spend hours playing around with Google Earth.

On the other side I'm fascinated by the exploration of abstract computer-based 3D-geometries. The challenge for me is to play with complex rooms and perspectives in order to create non-accessible places in a completely artificial arrangement of space and light. Through the conversion in painting I attempt to enter these "artificial spaces", to fumble and touch them from inside. I'm trying to give them matter and substance, pulling them from virtuality to substantiality."

Jon Beinart – "Do you often use a computer as a part of your creative process?"

Peter Gric – "Yes. In 95 % of my paintings since 1992 the computer was somehow involved. Before I start a new painting, I always try out the composition with an image editing program. I rarely make classical studies and sketches on paper. If it's going to be an architectural or geometrical composition, I directly start to build the whole thing in a 3D-software. Even if the painting is already in progress, I often take a photo of it to probe changes and variations in Photoshop. I think without the computer my paintings would look quite different today."

Jon Beinart – "That is fascinating Peter. Are people often surprised when they learn that you use a computer to map out your compositions? Have any art traditionalists referred to this part of your process as a short cut (or been bold enough to say that you are cheating)? I personally believe an artist should use all tools at hand if it helps manifest their artistic vision."

Peter Gric – "Once a young artist came along to see my paintings (and me) in original. He was overwhelmed by the complex perspective and illumination of my "Metropolis" painting. He told me, I must be a genius to paint something like this. After I showed him my computer-edited drafts, he was really assuaged!Using this technology is more than just a short cut. It opens new perspectives and new dimensions to every art creation. If this is cheating, then using a telephone is cheating as well. However, I'm definitely not an "old-master-technique-guru"."

Jon Beinart – "Who are your artistic heroes and why? Which artistic movements have you been particularly influenced by?"

Peter Gric – "I can't deny that my origin is located somewhere in the fantastic/visionary/surreal area, but before I seriously started to paint, I was very attracted to S-F illustrations of Chris Moore and Peter Elson and, of course, the Star Wars movies. My first artistic heroes however became Jaroslav Gric (my father), Dali, Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Rudolf Hausner, Ernst Fuchs, HR Giger, Samuel Bak, Alfred Kubin, and later also Zdislaw Beksinski, Odd Nerdrum, De Es and some others. Especially De Es I find recently more and more interesting. His work of the last three decades shows that he didn't remain in the orbit of the Surrealists. He's exploring the nature of matter, light and consciousness. He is a space traveler who is transcending other dimensions."

Jon Beinart – "You mentioned some greats there. Definitely a few of my personal favorites. What are your thoughts on the contemporary art world Peter? Do you think art critics & galleries have started to accept Surreal, Fantastic & Visionary Art as a serious art movement?"

Peter Gric – "Considering what I see in galleries, art fairs and medias here in Austria and Germany, it seems to me that the established contemporary art world is mainly represented by complete dilettantes. And there is no escape – you will barely find a gallery showing really interesting stuff. Whether it's abstract art, figurative art, photography or object art – it's dull, mindless, inane… in short, it's boring. Everything here is synchronized, and if you don't follow the dictates of the art fashion, you get black listed, effectively losing any chance to exhibit. It's definitely not a free art market, it's a cross-linked cartel of some galleries, curators and art critics. It's something like a permanent insider stock-trading. The Surreal, Fantastic & Visionary Art movement is in the German-speaking Europe officially not existent."

Jon Beinart – "Apart from art. What is important to you?"

Peter Gric – "The most important thing to me is the well being of my wife and my two children. Furthermore I'm in search of calmness, balance, wisdom, … enlightenment. This is really difficult :-)"

Jon Beinart – "How much of your time is devoted to painting? Does each image take a long time to complete?"

Peter Gric – "It's variable. It depends on the size, the complexity, the technique and also on my motivation. Some paintings take only a few days to complete, some are in progress for weeks or months. Sometimes I even can't finish a painting over years, especially large and complex images I rarely can render at once. Therefore I mostly have several paintings in progress."

Jon Beinart – "You mentioned enlightenment earlier. Are you a very spiritual person? And if so, does this play an important roll in your art?"

Peter Gric – "Well, I mentioned I'm in search of enlightenment. Does this already make me a spiritual person per se? I'm still a man full of fears and doubts. I just realized that I will never be able to improve anything in this world except my own horizon, my own awareness. If you see my art from this point of view, you will recognize that I'm still far away from what we call enlightenment."

Jon Beinart – "Do you use art as a spiritual practice? Something that may bring you closer to enlightenment?"

Peter Gric – "I think art creation is a reflection or self-reflection, a playfulness, an obsession. Your art just shows where you are, but it can't bless you with higher awareness."

Jon Beinart – "Ok Peter, I'll move on now to a few questions that have been on my mind since our chat the other night on skype. How do you eat so many chocolate bars and stay so thin? and what's it like on Mars?"

Peter Gric – "I have always been a skinny guy and I never have been eating much. It's true, sometimes when I find a chocolate in the kitchen, I eat it, but my favorite dish is a watermelon.
Mars and the other planets are definitely destinations I'd like to visit. But I wouldn't like to get shaken in one of those crappy medieval rocket-propulsion-stovepipes. A free-energy/overlight-speed flying saucer would be fine!"

Jon Beinart – "Mars is a destination you would like to visit!! Are you telling me that those photo's you sent me the other night were faked? You haven't actually been to mars!

Peter Gric – "Well, I like to play around with Photoshop."

Jon Beinart – "Ah. You’re a trickster ;) Thank you so much for your time Peter. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse inside that strange mind of yours. Do you have any exciting news for our readers? Upcoming exhibitions, publications or sit-coms in the making?"

Peter Gric – "So far no exciting news. I just finished the "Metropolis Triptychon" – it's a commissioned work – so I'll continue with my Artificial-Spaces series.
However, the funny stuff like baby-sitcoms have the highest priority! :-)"

Jon, it was a pleasure to me to satisfy your curiosity. On this place I also want to thank you for your great work with "Metamorphosis" and your indefatigable activities on beinart.org!

Peter Gric's Gallery. 

Bookmark to: