Sunday, December 1, 2013

Luis A. Lopez

Name: Luis A. Lopez
Website: http://luislopez.com       http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5913491/

What do you do?
I write and make film.


Where can we find your work?
Online, Amazon.com

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Art is the most important thing in the world. It’s more than a communication of emotion and experience, it’s a conduit between people which is vital to human culture. It’s extremely powerful and necessary. And to me, this is where the inspiration lies.
I want to learn and share. I want to participate in the dialog between the artist and audience. The dialog between humans. It’s the only fulfilling human experience I know. It stands above emotion, and says, here, look at this, touch this, feel this, experience this with me, this is my story, it proves my existence and yours.
Humanity is a strange and special thing. It’s an experience no one has yet to figure out. It’s the greatest puzzle there is. Look at the world; violence and atrocity rule the news, everyone’s killing, weekend wars, drones, famine, religious wars, power grabs for oil, banks collapsing the economy, PRISM, etc… it’s horrid. This also has to serve to inspire and motivate.
It’s up to artists all over the world to capture and share these stories - capture the reality of their lives and speak for themselves and the voiceless. We can’t count on traditional journalism anymore, it’s all bought and paid for by the handful of large media companies. One spray painted wall can tell a better story of what’s happening in that area at that time then all the newscasts in the world. True art tells the truth.
And there’s the other side as well, the small beauties of life that get us through, the special moments, love and tenderness, wishing, wondering, dreaming: these are all important things to share as well.
Without art, without shared stories, we can’t grow as people.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
It’s all important. For the artist it’s a bit like a birth. After careful nurturing once it’s out and on its legs there’s nothing left to do, it becomes a different animal for different people as they experience it. However, it’s not always intent. A poem that I write for me explaining one experience, can mean something completely different to someone else. But still relevant to both.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
I could list a slew of artists that have stayed with me over the years, or specific poems or films. But I’m more inclined to get inspiration from regular day to day activities, the things I see on my own path: Broken things. Useful things.
I get inspired by artists that show me things I’ve never seen. Or reveal to me an emotion in a way I wasn’t expecting. I saw a silent short film the other day, it was 1 minute long, and it was one of the most powerful things I’ve seen. Completely unexpected. And it’s going to stay with me for a while.
I also get inspired by perseverance. People that don’t give up what they know to be true. People that don’t throw in the towel at the slightest scare. People that stand up for themselves and for those they care about. There’s a certain protection in art, it shields and helps understanding.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Taran, assistant pig-keeper

When do you get your best ideas?
The best ideas usually come while driving. I don’t know the process that others use to write, but for me what works best is having the story worked out in my mind already. I’m literally writing all the time in my head, putting the story together and playing with ideas. Then when it’s time, I put it to paper. I’m not the sort of person that sits every day at the keyboard at a scheduled time and forces the writing. For me, the keyboard is just the final execution component.
Whenever I’m stuck on a story or poem or whatever it is, I drive. Usually over Hwy. 17 to the ocean. Then I write while sitting on the rocks overlooking the water. There’s something about the sound of the ocean that helps free up thoughts and dream.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Laptops and Film equipment.
Books. Always books.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
For the poetry, I am self-taught. For the film work, formally educated.
It’s interesting because I’ve been writing poetry and short stories since I can remember. I won my first short story writing award at 12 or 13. It’s always been a huge part of who I am. I believe that poets are born not made, so it’s not something that I ever thought twice about. Growing up, I read every poet I could get my hands on, and still do. I devour poetry. So to say that I’m self-taught on the poetry is a bit skewed; I’ve learned from the greatest poets.
In a blurb for my first book, Jimmy Santiago Baca said that I “cut through the lukewarm room-temperature poets of our times”, and it blew me away. I’ve never taken a poetry class. And because of that, I think it has allowed for me to try new things, to not be afraid to break rules, and allows the passion to fly true. I also think it made me study a bit harder. Following my own path allows me to see the poetry with my eyes, to touch the words with my soul and not through someone else’s. I am so close to the art form it feels like an extension of me, another limb. I don’t fear a grade on my poetry, it stands on its own and answers to no one but the reader, and that’s between them.
For the film work, I thought it would be presumptuous to think I could just become a Director overnight. Film is a craft that I knew I needed guidance and mentorship for. It is a huge undertaking, and you can’t ever lose respect for that. I took the time to go to film school because I felt it was important. I didn’t want to cheat myself or cheat the story simply because I wasn’t exposed to a certain film concept or method. I want to understand every tool.
I’m just embarking on the film career, so we’ll see how it fares. But it’s a craft that I’d like to master as I go forward. It’s one of the most important mediums known to man. It touches everyone.

What would your creative work taste like?
Tamales 

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Reading and music are two of the most important things to me. They keep me whole.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience? 
There’s a poem by Bukowski called, “So you want to be a writer?” and another poem by Neruda called, “Poetry”. The poems are very similar to me and very profound in regards to this question. They explain it much better than I can:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16549
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/poetry-2/ 

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
At the end of the day, all art forms are really one and the same. It’s all poetic in some sense. Find the poetry in your art, and don’t be afraid to look for it. Life is dirty and tough and mean and beautiful and breathtaking and so many other things. Take them all in and be true to them all. Don’t be afraid of yourself. Your experiences and laughter and joy and pain are no different than anybody else’s. Don’t ever question your validity in this world.




Sunday, November 17, 2013

Leah Jay

Website: leahjayart.com

What do you do?
I make little pieces of fun for people. I consider myself to be analogous to a cupcake baker....except instead of cake and frosting, you get colorful illustrations that cheer you up! I like art though because it's a fat-free, carb-free, calorie-free, inexhaustible supply of happiness, always ready when you are.

Where can we find your work?I have my own website at leahjayart.com. I use Etsy as my storefront, linked direct from my website.....my shop is called https://www.etsy.com/shop/leahjayart. However, as I am a big fan of experiencing real art in person, I just celebrated my one year anniversary at Kaleid Gallery (hurray!) and will also continue to have a table in downtown Campbell as part of their "Second Saturdays" street fairs.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I produce work best when I have a lot of downtime to daydream, and I'm feeling confident. I rely a lot on family and friends to keep my spirits up when I'm feeling insecure. Frankly, I'm moody and bounce back and forth. I think I'm getting better at positioning myself in the best way possible to take advantage of the good, creative moods when those come.

What do you think is more important, the content/finished product, or the process?I am definitely a process person. Sometimes I'll get almost all the way finished with a thing and then stop. Sometimes I'll finish it and then not like it very much afterwards. But I never regret having done it. I find that when I'm "in the zone" of artmaking, that is my best time to be alive.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Jove Tansson. She was a Finnish children's book author and illustrator who is famed for her "Moomintroll" characters and stories. Her pen and ink illustrations are so pure and childlike, and her stories are humble and direct. The world she created is touchingly human and shows a deep connection to nature. I also am a big fan of Jim Henson and the worlds he created, for a lot of the same reasons. Sometimes the simplest, most heartfelt story, told in earnest, is the one that moves mountains within you and changes your life. The worlds of Moominvalley and Sesame Street are places my heart has never really left behind.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
Miss Piggy. When she walks into a room, she cannot and will not be ignored. If I could be that confident in my own skin all the time, it would be wonderful.

When do you get your best ideas?
Halfway between a dreaming and waking state just before I get up in the morning. Or when I'm driving, or in the shower. Any time it's really inconvenient to have a sketchbook in front of me, really.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?I am an absolute art media polyglot. I literally have done everything. I hoard art supplies and own more types of things than I know how to use. This doesn't help me stay consistent as an art maker, but it does help me teach. In the past few years I've tried to stick to "various things on watercolor paper" and I do have a favorite watercolor paper, 300lb Arches Hot Press. You can do practically anything with Arches Hot Press, including set it on fire and glue broken glass to it (actual things I have done.) I've tried to keep myself on track with watercolors though - you can also get that paper very wet and just let the pigments do their thing.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Well, in terms of Art, I suppose I'm informally educated. I've had plenty of university-level and professional-level instruction, and most of it in person (not online), but from a bunch of different people and institutions.....not coherent enough to cobble together to form a single degree. I'm kind of glad I haven't spent too much time with one teacher because I've been forced to come up with my own style rather than parrot someone else. I also have a degree in Film from U.C. Santa Barbara, which has come in handy.

What would your creative work taste like?
Hot cocoa with marshmallows.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I like to be around kids and watch kid's shows. I teach a few kids from my home studio and I really look forward to spending time with them, because they are so funny! I'm a big fan of the Aquabats Super Show, and Yo Gabba Gabba, and Spongebob Squarepants.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Time. I always wonder which might have happened, how far I would have gotten by now, had I been able to do all this earlier in my life. The simple answer is -- I wouldn't have been able to. I guess I'm a late bloomer, but really before age 30 or so I was so insecure and introverted that nothing could have really happened. Now it's taken me 15 years to gather enough courage and discipline to do the work and show it to people. One event that changed things for me was a solo high-speed car accident. It's been ten years now but I think that little reminder of my own mortality was good for me. When you can see your time is limited, there is no greater motivation than that.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
I think a lot of people are in the same position at the beginning -- too guarded and too afraid to take risks. We're born that way and are brought up that way, so forgive yourself for this tendency, but know that no good art is created without some risk involved. Trust yourself. Listen to your own voice and go with it. Keep moving forward, even if you aren't moving much, and even if you have no idea where you're going. The journey, in itself, is everything.






Sunday, November 3, 2013

James Armstrong

Name:   James Armstrong

What do you do?  
I’m a composer / pianist, and teacher in public schools.

Where can we find your work?  
On my website and in Bay Area venues.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Extended periods of practice are energizing.   I’ve learned to focus despite irregular performance schedules.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
I’m constantly working on rhythmic and harmonic processes.  However, I don’t separate form from content. 

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Andrew Hill was a dear friend; I continue practice his scores, and recorded his composition ‘New Monastery’ in July.  Thelonious Monk is a huge influence.  I also study orchestral music by Béla Bartók and Ferruccio Busoni.    

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
The ronin Kuwabatake Sanjuro from ‘Yojimbo’, the Akira Kurosawa film.   He could handle any situation !

When do you get your best ideas?
It seems that the best ideas evolve out of extended periods of study.  

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
An old Kawai upright piano and a partial drum set for working out technical problems.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I’m largely self-taught as a musician; my identity as a performer evolved out of my own research.    However, I did have several fine piano coaches.  Work in ensembles was also instructive.  

What would your creative work taste like?
Sweet and sour; dissonant and percussive at times, with tonal references.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Tend to family. My daughter always keeps me busy.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Consistent practice and study.   Learning never stops. 

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?  Stay with the Muse.   Learn the history, and then do something that’s meaningful to you. 


Sunday, October 20, 2013

Lori Krein

Name: Lori Krein 

What do you do?
I work with decorative art papers and found objects to make collage and mixed media art. I also teach collage and Expressive Art workshops to creative folks of all ages! AND I just published a book called Meditation in Manhattan: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World.

Where can we find your work?
In my studio, 2231 Campbell Ave. 95008, and on my website…
And for the month of Sept. at Studio Bongiorno, 500 Lincoln St. Santa Clara, 95050
Sometimes I set up a booth at the Campbell Farmers Market on Sundays.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I am inspired by the materials themselves. If things get tough, I just go to my paper collection and pull out papers that grab my eye, and start tearing and gluing! It works every time.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
Without question, to me, the process is what it's all about. The act of creating is magical.it's like giving birth to something new, every day. I always wonder where it comes from? And while I am creating, I am lost in the moment, and that's the ultimate goal, for me.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
I am inspired by other artists, poets, and creative souls who are not afraid to express themselves in the deepest and most profound ways, who take chances and share what is in their heart…not because they think people might buy what the create, but because it's an expression of who they are.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I would be Rosalita, from the Springsteen song of the same name.

When do you get your best ideas?
In the middle of the night. I often grab my iphone and record ideas into the voice memo!

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Hand-made paper and things I find at yard sales, estate sales, and thrift stores.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Aside from a few workshops here and there, I am almost 100% self-taught. I think this has influenced me a great deal, because I don't know the "rules" about being an artist…so I make them up as I go along!

What would your creative work taste like?
Rocky Road Ice cream. Lots of stuff, all mixed together…and it still tastes YUMMY!

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Attend Springsteen concerts, scuba dive, attend events with other spiritual souls, sing at karoke night, read poetry at Open Mic Night, act, dance, and take long walks on the beach.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
It wasn't something I learned, it was something I just DID. I put one foot in front of the other..I kept making art, attending art group meetings, entering small shows, and before I knew it, I was FAMOUS! (well, not quite, but I'm nbig on manifesting your dreams, sooo…)

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
Keep moving! Keep learning! Get out there and tell everyone what you do. Oh, and get business cards!!! Hand them out everywhere. HAVE  NO FEAR!





Monday, August 5, 2013

Akoma Arts / Keith Hames

Name: Akoma Arts / Keith Hames

What do you do?
I am the founder and Artistic Director of Akoma Arts and I feel my mission is to create and leave a legacy of African and African American culture in the South Bay. Our organization’s name "Akoma" comes from the Akan language, the principal language of Ghana in West Africa. It means patience, endurance, consistency, and faithfulness. To say that one has his heart in his stomach is to say that one is very tolerant. The Adinkra symbol for Akoma is the "Heart" I went a step farther by adding “Arts” to the name to signify that we are a group of artist.  “Art from the Heart”, I like to say.

Akoma Arts comprises musicians, singers, dancers, actors and visual artists whose mission it is to help bring together the various South Bay communities through music and art. During a performance we take our audiences through several levels of emotions and environments, from the African Village, through the Middle Passage to the African Diasporas’ of the North and South American and the Caribbean experience by utilizing drumming, dance, praise songs, acting, spoken word, folk songs and spirituals. Our message is positive, mindful, and intentionally promotes community healing and unity. As drum master Mamady Keita informs, “it is always about the intent of the drummer.” We include when time permits, student Dogon Mask making and drum building using household items, 

We were established in May of 2011 and is currently operating as 501c3 non-profit organization, with our fiscal sponsor being the San Jose Multicultural Artist Guild or SJMAG. We are structured as a service-oriented business and our approach and services are new and innovative. New and innovative describes the breadth of services, but also the core values of the organization.

Akoma Arts is deeply involved in the business of the drum; we teach drumming, educate, inform and perform using the drum. We also plan to be a resource for the therapeutic aspects of drumming. The present business outlook is dynamic and only gated by our imaginations and resources. The Drumming industry while fairly new is related to traditions that go back to the 11th Century.

Our vision is large and comprises what we’ve identified as three primary customers, Drum and Performance, Therapy and Corporate, Drum and Performance, Therapy and Corporate.

Where can we find your work?
Afro-Fitness Classes Three Times per Week ALL With Live Drumming!

Tuesday Night
Edenvale Community Center Afro-Fitness
7pm -8pm Cost $10. Drop-In Registration
330 Branham Lane East, San Jose, CA. 95111

Thursday Night
Alma Community Center West African Drumming
6:45 - 7:45pm $10 Drop-In Registration
Afro-Fitness Dance 7:45 - 8:45pm $10 Drop-in Registration
136 West Alma Ave, San Jose, CA. 95110
Only $15. for both classes

Saturday Morning
Hoover Community Center Afro-Fitness Dance
10:00 - 11:00am $10 Drop-in Registration
1677 Park Ave. San Jose, CA. 95126
@ the Corner of Park Ave. and Naglee Ave.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Inspiration comes from the need to help create, and leave a legacy of African and African American Culture with the people of San Jose. As of yet, and though there are many people and organizations in the South Bay pointed in the same direction, there is not a formal African or African American Cultural Center in San Jose where the Arts can be learned and utilized as shared inspiration. This my dream from 35,000 feet.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
I feel like intention is most important. The artist intention is what you feel when you hear the music, when you see the art work, when you hear the spoken word. We must always check ourselves as artist and ask “what is on our hearts” Those emotions are intangible and is what everyone feels, but in most cases cannot or do not verbalize. To answer your question directly, there is much to be learned from going through the process, it has to be 1a in my opinion. We never seem to be finished with artwork, we simply stop at some point, but the process continues and refines itself through each artistic opportunity.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
I am still heavily influenced by Bob Marley’s lyrics and Babatunde Olatunji openness and vision of the drum, neither created the genre, but both took it to an international level. Both have carried forward the message of one love and unity and shared their message openly with the world. The world, my world is a better place because of them. I am also inspired by people that are totally committed to what they do. Most importantly and as I get older I am appreciating my parents more and more, I didn’t realize in my youth that I was forming this artistic insight, or that they were steering and supporting every step that I was taking, they have all my love! Lastly, there is absolute truth in the saying, “you are who your friends are” choose wisely and their positive influence can lift you and carry you through the low moments.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I would truly love to be Superman! A Superman that really stands for the principals that he espoused for years, “truth, justice and the American Way.” I would surely be perceived as a villain in this society, because there is little, truth and justice in this world, from my viewpoint. And the American way is also filled with negatives that must be corrected.

When do you get your best ideas?
My best ideas come in two forms. 1. In the heated unconscious moment of the creative process and in the relaxation of a shower in the morning. If I go to bed with a creative dilemma, I will normally wake up with a new approach or idea to the solve the problem as I’m singing in the shower.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use traditional music primarily, both African drum rhythms and African American Folksongs and Spirituals.
The creative process comes in combining this rhythms with nu school sensibilities. Most of the music is not written and we don’t use piano’s and guitars, so the ear becomes the most valued tool and the hardest to train.

Are you self-taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I have been formally trained in both voice and by Master drummers, but I also like to think of myself as being self-taught. I say that because African drumming is normally not written on lead sheets in the villages of Africa and I have yet to see anyone singing written notes in those same village settings, from Mali to Cuba, it’s simply learned through repetition and mentorship. So growing up in the US I got trained in School and in Church only to teach and play it all by ear at this point.

What would your creative work taste like?
Sweet Potato Pie! Soul Food with traditional African and African American ingredients and full of flavor. And also happens to be my favorite dessert.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
When are we not creating? The closest I get is sleeping, ha! I a firm believer in the power nap. I have a 14 month old Granddaughter that nearly has me trained. My 18 year old daughter is turning into a trusted ally and most of been here two or three times before because here viewpoint and wisdom are exceptional, so extended talks with her are a blessing.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I was encouraged early in my life by my parents to start a band and I’ve been bitten by the stage bug since I was 12, but a very strange thing happened when I moved to San Jose from Harrisburg PA at age 18. Instead of becoming a full time musician, I went to work in Silicon Valley to achieve the American dream. I now have a achieved the dream and the debt, lol, but finally woke up to my real passion. Serving the community and being part of the community. I have finally taken what has been practiced with what has come naturally, what has been developed from years on the stage, and my need to see the community grow its artistic roots in the South Bay and created Akoma Arts. The obligation I feel to uplift the community gives me confidence to face the day!


What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." Even when you think you’re not doing enough, if it’s all that you can do, keep moving forward! 



Sunday, July 21, 2013

Leonid (Leon) Basin

Name: Leonid (Leon) Basin
Website: http://www.leonbasin.blogspot.com

What do you do?
I Write and Speak

Where can we find your work?
Mostly on my Blog: http://www.leonbasin.blogspot.com

You can follow my writing's on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/basin_leon

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leonidbasin

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I find creating is part of my therapy. I also enjoy hearing all types of criticism, good, bad, or even terrible.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
I think they are all important. When I was younger, I believed in content, but I'm noticing a change in me. I can now see the importance in having a technique or a style and the a finished product that you can be satisfied with.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Everything inspires me; but my girlfriend, parents, grandparents are some of my other inspirations.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Myself.

When do you get your best ideas?
Mostly at night, but I also get ideas in the shower and any other water.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
My Samsung Galaxy Phone and Lenovo Laptop with Word.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I'm self taught. It has influenced me to focus on style. I have ignored mechanism and techniques of writing for too long, so my goal for the next few years is to focus on the mechanics of writing.

What would your creative work taste like?
Sweet and soft.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Meditation, music or be around my girlfriend and my parents.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
It all came from inspiration within.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 

Start from the beginning, which is to be yourself, your true selves. I also suggest having either a Blog or a Journal to jot your ideas down.



Sunday, July 7, 2013

Jason A. McHenry

Name: Jason A. McHenry
Website:
www.anti-product.com

What do you do?
I’ve been an artist for all of my adult life and one of the projects that I’ve been working on for years is called One Thousand Thousand. The idea behind the project is to create an edition of one million original pieces of art. So for the last 20 years or so I’ve been plugging away at this goal and I’m just recently nearing the first third of the way to a million. [As of right now the final count is just shy of 325k paintings.]

Where can we find your work?
I’m pretty good at keeping the project website updated with images of the latest pieces and you can always see the work online at anti-product.com.
A number of new and recent pieces from the project are currently showing at KALEID Gallery and I try and replenish the sold pieces and rotate the pieces with new work as often as possible. I would like to stay on there as long as I’m able. In addition to KALEID Gallery I try to make the work available at various art events like SubZERO Festival and at South First Fridays. I’ll be showing at South First Fridays in August and September for sure. There are usually pieces available for sale as well.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I’ve been really thinking about this question a lot after recently spending some time visiting with other artists at SubZERO Festival. The whole One Thousand Thousand project was borne of the idea of doing something that would serve as a motivator to continue making art. It was initially just a little creative exercise that served as a way to experiment with ideas and colors and composition and all of that and over time the little pieces ended up looking better than the other work that I was trying for at that time.
In terms of this specific project I am motivated to work almost every day now. Some by the excitement of it and some out of necessity since I announced to the world so long ago that I planned on making a million paintings and want to put my money where my mouth is , so to speak.
But ultimately, when I look back on this project and the body of work that I’ve done so far I feel tremendously inspired. It’s remarkable to look back and see how my own styles and approaches have evolved over time and that’s the part that inspires me the most. It’s cyclical in a real way. Motivation to create will invariably produce inspiration. Honestly, you just have to keep at it. If you’re an artist then make art. For good or for bad you need to just keep going at it. Trying new things. Figuring stuff out. Something will come of it.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
In some ways I am inclined to say both are equally important. It’s obvious that what we see first with a piece of art is the content/finished product. The visual aspect is all that a lot of people ever see. “It looks nice. It’s not done well. I don’t get it.” Looking a bit more closely at who created the thing and how they did it and can be the part that makes a piece of art so much better than just the sum of the visual elements themselves.
But there is also this aspect of art that is not so easily defined. I call it ‘soul’. Sure, a work might look amazing. Or some technique the artist used was head-shakingly incredible. But if it lacks soul the art just doesn’t do it for me in the long run.
[This is a tough question. I could go on about this topic forever. No kidding.]

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
I may be confusing the artist or where I saw it but I think it was at an early Henry Darger show in Chicago that I saw this piece of wood that just had layers of paint on it. It was cut in half so you could see all of the different layers of paint that had been applied over the years. The thing was a couple of feet tall with paint layers and colors and it looked like the ring section of a tree in a way. Marking time with paint. Darger also cut out the Nancy and Sluggo comic strip from the newspaper every day and would paste them into pages of a phone book. Like, four strips per page and the book was just unmanageably big when it was full. He did this more than once.
That sort of dedication to a goal or project has always been impressive to me and was a very early source of inspiration for the One Thousand Thousand project.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Seymour Glass. With very little hesitation.

When do you get your best ideas?
Looking at art. In galleries and shows and museums and books and magazines. I love seeing what other people have created and that generates ideas for my own work.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Mixed-media in the strictest sense of the word. I don’t play favorites when it comes to art supplies and truly do work with just about everything. I’m a fan of making great art with little.

Are you self-taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Both.I went to a Visual and Performing Arts high school and later studied Fine Art in college. Still, in the long run I’d call myself self-taught. I learned just about everything that I find to be valuable to me as an artist are things that I learned on my own or from other artists. For years I said that I was doomed to spend the rest of my life trying to unlearn the things they tried to instill in me in school. I feel like I’m better for being my own judge of things. Art is pretty personal that way.

What would your creative work taste like?
Horchata. Or maybe Guinness Extra Stout. It’s probably a liquid of some sort. And it’s got to be simple and comforting. Something proletariat. So, yeah. Either of those would do.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
It doesn’t get much better than being on some road trip or long car ride listening to music that you love.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
It was a necessity for me. My childhood was kind of crummy and I knew I needed something to support me emotionally and spiritually and intellectually. Art provided that and I believed that since I was a kid. So I pushed towards that with all I had and I’m better for it.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
I’d say that creating art will invariably make you feel big and strong. It’s some kind life in and of itself. You’ll see and learn new styles and techniques and mediums and you’ll hate some and fall in love with others. You’ll find success by accident and you’ll fail miserably when you try hard to succeed. But the opposite will be true too. Just like life.

Like Hunter S. Thompson said, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”



Sunday, June 23, 2013

Eugenio Negro

Name:Eugenio Negro
Website: Google+ : Eugenio Negro Comics

What do you do?
I draw comics and push them into peoples’ hands. Then I steal clutter from human’s yards and decorate the mounds in front of my warren with it.

Where can we find your work?
Isotope SF, Streetlight San Jose and Santa Cruz, 2013 SF Zine Fest in Golden Gate Park, Space Cat in San Jose

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Knowing other artists and having our work as a part of a bigger family scene keeps me making art. When I’m not interacting with other artists and art I just stop and wait. Every year for the last few years I’ve started all over with brave introductions, trading and trying to keep contact information. Hopefully in San Jose I’ll be able to sustain a group.

What do you think is more important, content/finished product or technique/process?
Content. Technique is only important because of limited time. The content is important because as an artist you’ve signed up for the huge responsibility of having a greater than normal influence on people’s thoughts and ultimately their behavior. Do you want to cultivate jerks in your audience, or lovers? Do you want to improve community access to the truth, or confuse people with your whining? In terms of process, if you know what you believe in, the necessary means to tell it will reveal themselves.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Other “punk” or community-oriented, noncommercial artists. Also Márquez, Rushdie, Quino, Burroughs. My grandparents. Just about everyone influences me because I’m always listening.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I don’t know... Yoda. He had a peaceful life. I don’t read happy stories so I don’t want their lives.

When do you get your best ideas?
Washing dishes or walking.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Pens with various tips, Xacto knife, glue. Sometimes a ruler.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I’m formally educated as a writer, and that shows in my work. I’m a jackoff illustrator from never paying attention or working at it, and that shows too.

What would your creative work taste like?
Dry spit from arguing for hours and laughing.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Enjoy life. Art is either a spiritual practice, an act of resistance or an unnecessary aesthetic luxury.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I try as hard as I can not to be “creative” in terms of narrative. I’ve learned to listen rather than judge, at least for a little at a time, and just wait for people to say outrageously bizarre or true things. I write that stuff down and then try to explain where that comes from or where it’s going with pictures. When I know I have the truth, then I’m not the center of attention and I can confidently present it.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Let go of the fact that it’s hard to start. Poets write for four hours in the morning every day before they get something. You’re a lousy novice every morning and a master every night. That’s life. Keep working, forget what if and what do I get and just do it. Having your own business or thing is scary and frustrating, but not having one --just being a stupid consumer --sucks.