THE ART OF TIMOTHY CURTIS
interview / liz rice mccray

Dear reader, this month we welcome the lovely and talented artist Timothy Curtis to the cover of Bl!SSS Magazine. To date, Curtis’ artistic style is defined by a powerful and evolving line that, for the artist, communicates his thoughts and emotions through the action of creation. Through facial and figure interpretation, Curtis uses intuitive painting and drawing techniques seeking to understand the mind’s innate way of constructing human representations. The work is intended to inspire an augmented visual language, inclusive of and available to all people regardless of access, background or conditioning. His playfully simplified figures are riddled by direct, as well as abstract, entanglements—a commentary as to the root and nature of human relationships—an essential and unifying connectedness. As further suggested through the compositional tension of his more recent bicycle paintings, there emerges a narrative on the complexities of progress, while preserving a child-like spirit of fun. Many thanks Timothy, for taking the time to answer our questions, as we really enjoyed interviewing you. To see more of Timothy Curtis’ art, visit his website at www.TimothyCurtis.com.

JeeYoung Lee Interview by Liz Rice McCray

Dear Reader: There is a multitude of factors that come into play when researching and featuring artists for BL!SSS Magazine. As you know, art is personal, photography is personal, and many things that are written and published in this magazine may or may not be your cup of tea (or even mine)… and that’s more than ok. It comes down to exposure and sharing art with everyone.
So this month we are sharing JeeYoung Lee’s photography, which
is a personal favorite of mine. These surreal photographs have
been tucked away in a folder on my desktop for months… I often pull them up as random examples and for inspiration. JeeYoung Lee transforms her tiny studio into surreal, dream-like habitats and then photographs herself within it (no photo manipulation or Photoshop involved). Each staged photo tells a story as if she is reading excerpts from her diary, sharing secrets and answers at the same time. These photos are laced with hope, love, and deep internal conflict, and they are rich with creative process. Many thanks to Caroline Courly of OPIOM Gallery (opiomgallery.com) for assisting us in putting together this interview and thank you JeeYoung for taking the time to answer our questions.

ALEX KIESSLING
interview – liz rice mccray

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing artist Alex Kiessling, who lives and works in Vienna, Austria. Make sure to check out more of Alex Kiessling work at www.alexkiessling.com, you won’t be disappointed. Many thanks Alex, for taking the time to answer our questions.

The Art of Chaz Bojorquez
interview / liz rice mccray

We welcome the living legend, the pioneering “Godfather” of modern Los Angeles “cholo-style” graffiti, Charles “Chaz” Bojórquez to this months’ cover. Bojórquez has been speaking the visual language and artistry of Chicano graffiti since 1969 and is acknowledged for taking his art form from the streets and transitioning it into the established art world. Thus succeeding in creating art that is both influential and impactful on multiple social levels, while forever staying true to his graffiti roots. Bojórquez was born in 1949 in East Los Angeles where he grew up and started writing, developing and cultivating the aesthetics of his distinctive graffiti style and signature lettering. In the ’60’s, Bojórquez started preferring the use of brushes and paint and markers over spray paint. In 1969 Bojórquez created his most famed tag, Señor Suerte, inspired by Mexican folklore, an extremely iconic and important image of the Chicano urban art movement. Bojórquez attended Chouinard Art School (known today as Cal Arts) where he studied figure painting and ceramics and independently studied Asian calligraphy from Master Yun Chung Chiang (Master Chiang studied under Pu Ju, brother of the last Emperor of China). This is where he credits learning the fundamentals of what art is – “a foundation structuring ideas within your mind.” Bojórquez worked as a commercial artist in advertising and film, including logos for movies The Warriors and Turk 182 and master inking for The Empire Strikes Back, the Muppet movies, and James Bond. Chaz Bojórquez paintings are in numerous permanent museum collections including, The Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of American Art, LACMA, MOCA, National Hispanic Cultural Center and Laguna Art Museum.

We’re honored to receive some images of a few of Chaz’s plein air drawings, never previously released for public viewing. He usually reserves these pieces for gifting to family and friends. We hope you enjoy! See More Of Chaz Bojórquez’s work on Instagram, @ Chaz_Bojorquez, at Facebook, @ChazBojorquez.

THE ART OF RALPH STEADMAN
Inside the Minds of Ralph Steadman & Ceri Levy
interview / liz rice mccray

What would you expect when two idiosyncratic, creative, passionate, courageous, engaged, mischievous and curious jokesters collaborate on an important endeavor together? Ralph Steadman and Ceri Levy’s latest contribution to the literary world offers one wonderful answer, the unexpected. They have managed to take on the very serious topic of environmental crisis with upbeat, humorous, informative and beautiful abandon. Following their previous works, Extinct Boids (2012) and Nextinction (2015), Critical Critters is the third collaboration between artist/cartoonist Ralph Steadman and filmmaker/conservationist, Ceri Levy. The “Gonzovationists,” as they call themselves, hope that through this epic trilogy covering extinct and critically endangered animals, they can awaken and spur other Gonzovationists to action on the behalf of so many creatures who are at risk on this planet.

Ralph Steadman is a Welsh-born, world-renowned artist with a wide and wild repertoire from truculent political caricatures, book illustrations, beer, wine and musicians’ labels to the numerous books and articles he illustrated for his old creative partner (counterculturist and founder of the Gonzo journalism movement) Hunter S. Thompson. Known for his unique, spontaneous, and uncompromising style, Steadman is the recipient of numerous awards including the “Francis Williams Book Illustration Award” for Alice in Wonderland, the “American Society of Illustrators’ Certificate of Merit,” the “W H Smith Illustration Award” for I Leonardo, the “Dutch Silver Paintbrush Award” for Inspector Mouse, the “Italian Critica in Erba Prize” for That’s My Dad, the “BBC Design Award” for postage stamps, the “Black Humor Award” in France and several Designers and Art Directors Association Awards. In 1979 he was voted “Illustrator of the Year” by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

The charming Ceri Levy is a writer, filmmaker, producer and catalyst – bringing together talented people from various fields to promote awareness of important global issues. He started with directing music videos and moved into documentaries and now writes for various venues. In Critical Critters his style is marked by his tendency for “beastly sneers and callous observations,” as noted on the books cover.

Together Steadman and Levy aspire to awaken and inspire the layman to get involved in the fight to protect our furry and feathered friends who share this beautiful yet broken habitat with us. As in their prior works, the book weaves in diary-style a record of the creative madness that inevitably ensues when these two brilliant minds work together. Via their preferred avenues of satire and raucous wit, coupled with Steadman’s explosive, sometimes gruesome but always captivating illustrations, they plan to drag you into their world, the one in which we all live, and to enlist you irrevocably into the fight for the delicate species that we are rapidly losing. Many Thanks to the lovely Ralph Steadman and Ceri Levy for taking the time to answer our questions. And special thanks are in order to Rachel Ewen of Bloomsbury Publishing and most importantly Sadie Williams for making this interview happen.

THE ART OF FUTARO MITSUKI
interview / liz rice mccray

This month we welcome Japanese artist Futaro Mitsuki and his stunning traditional Japanese portraits to the cover of BL!SSS Magazine. Mitsuki blends ink, acrylics and pencil utilizing pointillism and mythology to carefully craft hyper-detailed monochrome drawings and colorful paintings. Traditional Japanese portraiture that combine a modern twist of time, merging Japanese culture with western influence. Born in Tokyo in 1970, and in 1998 Graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Futaro Mitsuki lives and works near Tokyo in his private studio.

“Futaro Mitsuki expresses the excitement and sensation of when an imaginary human in gorgeous costume encounters items from other cultures and other times,” Gallery Korgue says. “From that, the costume as the forms of portraits, sometimes like a slow motion, and sometimes as a dubious portrait. His expression of the Japanese kimonos he loves the most is overwhelming. The pointillist paintings he carefully creates dot by dot, taking hours of time to gather viewers from different culture in today’s world in front of his work.”

**Note, this interview was originally conducted in English then translated to Japanese, transcribed back into English and then back to Japanese and finally translated into English. If anything was lost in translation, we apologize. Futaro Mitsuki is a mystery; his work is a true testament to his artistry. After some searching (actually, a bunch of searching) we were pleased to be able to track down Futaro Mitsuki and ask him a couple questions. Many thanks to the lovely and talented Futaro Mitsuki for taking the time to answer our questions and to see more art from Futaro Mitsuki go to his website, www.futaromitsuki.com.

Mark Whalen 

interview • jay howell

intro • sterling bartlett

The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson famously wrote about a strange case involving a Doctor named Jekyll and his alter ego, one Edward Hyde. The novella’s protagonist/antagonist famously flip flops from living as a sociable, mild-mannered doctor to a wild seeker of vice by drinking a serum. I’ve definitely tippled said serum with Sydney-born artist Mark Whalen. I’ve seen the transformation firsthand. Less so with his longtime friend Jay Howell, but I’ve heard tales… I’ve seen the drawings of couples 69’ing while skating down the street, the amateur tattoos poked into friends and neighbors. The evidence is there, and the diagnosis is clear: What we have on our hands is a dual case of Jekyll-and-Hydeism.

Now while the hedonistic Hyde analogy may play well to the lads in the back holding the tall cans, it is really the parallel to the good doctor that is at the heart of their stories and friendship. Since meeting in San Francisco in 2007 both have worked tirelessly at their crafts, and have spent more time than would be considered reasonable in the pursuit of their respective endeavors. Galleries have come and gone, fortunes have changed hands. Both have since packed house and moved far from their homes to land in sunny Los Angeles, California.

It is here that we catch up with the artists in conversation about Mark’s process, his formidable work ethic, and a few hints that there may just be a beaker of serum tucked behind a flat file somewhere in his studio, ready to facilitate the change.

THE ART OF ALEX JENKINS
interview / liz rice mccray

Alex Jenkins is an illustrator/cartoonist based in southeast London. Jenkins works explore satirical and critical subject matter through a distinctive and vivid style. Jenkins’ personality in all ways evoke what his art is, character’s drawn from life experience and abstract story-lines based on his inner narrative. Jenkins’ distinctive palette of colors acts as a safety blanket of silliness and sweetness, which allows the viewer the comfort to take a deeper look at what is really going on in Alex Jenkins art. Thank you Alex, we really enjoyed interviewing you. Dear reader, make sure to check out the interview and enjoy his artwork (www.alexgamsujenkins.com.)

THE ART OF ERIK PARKER
interview / liz rice mccray

Erik Parker is an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He’s well known for his vividly colored paintings, otherworldly forms and distorted shapes. Speaking with Erik Parker we were struck with his positivity and charming personality. Erik has been awarded several honors throughout his career and has had solo exhibitions at galleries and museums around the world. We were excited to catch up with Erik and find out more about his current solo show, “New Mood,” at Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY. Many thanks to Erik Parker for answering our questions, and dealing with all the crosstalk.

THE ART OF SIMON BIRCH
interview / liz rice mccray

Simon Birch is a UK-born artist who is a permanent resident of Hong Kong, China. Birch is known for his large kinetic figurative oil paintings. Recently Birch has ventured into film and installation work, and site-specific multimedia projects. These large multimedia projects integrate paintings with film, sculpture, installation and performance housed in specifically configured spaces. Birch is the conceptual force behind The 14th Factory – a monumental, multiple-media, socially engaged art and documentary experience. Birch worked collaboratively and individually on every aspect of the project and is the founder of The 14th Factory Foundation. Birch’s work has been featured and reviewed in many international publications, including Artforum, The Guardian, The International Herald Tribune, and The New York Times. To see more of Simon Birch art go to simon-birch.com and the14thfactory.com

Yoshimitsu Umekawa 

interview • liz rice mccray

Ian Cumberland
interview / liz rice mccray

This month we had the pleasure of interviewing Ian Cumberland, Irish-born painter. Cumberland paints large-scale, surreal, photo-realistic paintings about the society around him. We caught up with Cumberland to talk a bit about his art, inspiration and creative process. Enjoy the interview.

CHRISTOPHER SWANN
interview • liz rice mccray

“Cetaceans might look like the fish in the sea, but cetaceans are closer to you and me. They’re warm blooded, like us, but with fins and no legs. They give birth to live babies and do not lay eggs.” ~ A Whale of a Tale! By Bonnie Worth

Dear reader, this month we had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely British photographer Christopher Swann, who photographs cetaceans (sih-TAY-shunz). With over 25 years of experience whale-watching and observing marine mammals (whales, dolphins and porpoise) Christopher Swann’s love and knowledge for his aquatic subjects reflect in his stunning photographs. We were happy to catch up with Swann and ask him a couple of questions about his photographs and what consistently catches his eye. Make sure to check out more of his photography at www.cswannphotography.com.

COURTNEY HEATHER
interview / liz rice mccray

Courtney Heather’s admiration for the mainstream media has been a large influence on her work. Similar to the effect music, novels, and cinema have, she is interested in that which distracts us from the mundane world. Since pleasure can only last so long these distractions persuade us to replay them infinitely, provoking further pleasure with each repetition.

Heather was raised in California, which she describes as an ideal setting that both allures and deceives. Most recently she studied an MA in Fine Art and has exhibited in various spaces across London. Many thank to Courtney Heather for taking the time to answer our questions. Make sure and check out more of her art at www.courtney-heather.com.

R.M Kavanagh
interview / liz rice mccray

R.M Kavanagh, a.k.a. Rasher, has been observing the willing infiltration of technology that occupies our daily lives and puts the family life under the microscope revolving around a glass table. “Perceptual Space” explores the realm of digital culture, as we explore the world where streaming and social media hypnotize ourselves with our personal black mirror. It’s the first “visual cocaine” for families, sold over-the-counter at a store near you. As children and parents post, share, comment, swipe, scroll and zoom, it’s all become the norm, stored in the cloud above.

Is it not a fact that we all have become social media dealers, feeding each other’s habit by creating an endless supply of visual stimulation? By the time you have finished your coffee, you will have exposed yourself to multiple emotions as a result of viewing murder, genocide, suicide bombers, natural disasters, fluffy cats, dogs in costumes, car crashes, near-death incidents, sexy videos, etcetera. Are we desensitizing ourselves to life and becoming numb? And what are the unforeseen dangers and consequences for this pocket device? The answers are blurred but, “life is what happens when you’re busy on your device watching other people live.”

ASTRO interview • liz rice mccray

This month we have the pleasure of interviewing the French artist Astro. After many months of following him from mural festival to mural festival we finally completed the interview. Astro is known for his XXL murals that captivate the eye while deforming walls and canvas. Self-taught, he has perfected his signature technique of transforming shapes, curves, and calligraphy into mesmerizing optical illusions on a grand scale. 

Brian Donnelly

This month we had the pleasure of interviewing visual artist Brian Donnelly about his detailed, eye-burning portraits, somewhat toxic studio and burn-the-face “turpentine cocktail.” Thank you Brian Donnelly for taking the time to answer our questions.

THE ART OF SALVATORE ALESSI
interview / liz rice mccray

Salvatore Alessi is a figurative painter born in Sicily, Italy. Alessi’s paintings are a fusion of various pictorial worlds: the reality of one realistic world reinterpreted to create an alternative universe where two or more realities coexist, exchanging energetically in a continuous dialogue. Salvatore Alessi’s principal interest is to picture a hybrid reality. Influenced by media, he depicts a visual “short circuit” with references to quantum physics and energy frequencies. These references are used as a tool to search a hidden and impalpable reality for major completeness. We welcome Salvatore Alessi’s paintings to the pages of BL!SSS and hope you enjoy his artwork as much we do. Please forgive all that was lost in translation. Many thanks to the lovely and charming Salvatore Alessi. If you have a chance, check out more of Salvatore Alessi’s artwork at www.salvatorealessi.altervista.org.

BILL DURGIN interview • liz rice mccray

LUKE SHADBOLT interview • liz rice mccray 

Luke Shadbolt is a leading Australian photographer and creative director, specializing in underwater and nature photography. An ability to illustrate a grand idea on an intimate and minimal scale coupled with an adventurous and empathetic nature is what best defines Luke’s style and outlook. He has recently shot covers for Surfing World and Qantas Magazine, and he has also been featured in Time Magazine and National Geographic. His first solo photo exhibition “Maelstrom” was recently shown at Michael Reid Gallery (Sydney) and continues to garner international acclaim.

Jocelyn Hobbie 
The subject of my paintings has been the female figure for a while now, but there has been an evolution in what I’m interested in painting and how I go about it. In earlier works I was interested in depicting emotional/psychological states. They were highly voyeuristic, i.e.: what a woman might be doing in private, caught unaware. As time has passed my focus has shifted a bit from the narrative/psychological content to more formal concerns. Currently the figure acts as a sort of architectural foundation for the painting – it’s my jumping off point for the process of composing the painting, but formal concerns are driving it. I’m not actively looking to depict psychological states, per se, although I am interested in the mood of the picture. Maybe the figure itself is handled more like a straight portrait (which is not to imply I’m ever painting from life). I also don’t want the subject to address the viewer directly, for example, by looking back at the viewer, because that adds a different psychological level or component to the painting – not the kind of engagement or confrontation one sees in Manet’s Olympia, for instance. So nowadays the figure is like a building block or a muse that I follow from one step to the next. Everything is emerging out of what the painting presents and demands. It’s more a process of discovery, which I’m finding to be very engaging and enlivening. The space is ambiguous, more like an atmosphere than a specifically depicted space. I’m almost eliminating the space. Of course the figures exist in the paintings and I like the warmth of the human element, it draws me in, gives me something to grasp and build off of. It is also driven by what I like to paint, whether it’s a face or the patterns and other articulated elements because they are opportunities for color, shape and invention. The intricacy of form and color found in the patterns and backgrounds is how I compose the picture. Those elements started out as details but have kind of exploded out. They draw me into the picture in different ways and I hope the same happens for the viewer.

To view more of Jocelyn Hobbie’s art, go to Fredericks & Freiser Gallery at www.fredericksfreisergallery.com or visit www.jocelynhobbie.com.

JAVIER RIERA interview • liz rice mccray

Humantropy of Philip Ob Rey Interview: Liz Rice McCray

Icelandic artist Philip Ob Rey creates the most amazing, haunting, sasquatchy, and lovely sculptures. Ob Rey’s photographed sculptures are assembled from VHS rolls, stones, feathers, shells, and dry seaweeds and then are photographed in his Icelandic habitat. Besides being completely fascinated by his sculptures and the Icelandic landscapes in his photographs we were also delighted by what a cool human he is. Thank you Philip Ob Rey please stay in touch. Make sure to check out Ob Rey’s website http://www.humantropy.com/

ROBERT PROCH 
interview – liz rice mccray

Robert Proch is a painter, muralist and animator living and working in Poznan, Poland. Proch was educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland. Make sure to check out more of his artwork at www.prochrobert.com. Many thanks to Robert for taking the time to answer our questions.

Michael Mapes

interview • liz rice mccray

This month we caught up with artist Michael Mapes and asked him a couple questions about his multidimensional scientific art pinnings. Make sure to check out more of his art at website room62.com.

THE HULA

interview • liz rice mccray

This month we had the pleasure of interviewing Sean Yoro, A.K.A. “The Hula,” for our cover feature. Images of The Hula painting while standing on a SUP board swept the wild wild web, as it was something we had not seen before. Fast-forward to today... The Hula travels the world creating paintings that capture interactions between figures and the environment in abandoned/remote places. In The Hula's water series you see paintings of beautiful women, half submerged, hiding, floating, interacting with the water and their reflections, creating a semi-transparent, mirrored, multidimensional piece of art. All of The Hula's outdoor murals are painted with non-toxic, environmentally conscious paint. Make sure to check out more of The Hula's art on his website, byhula.com, or Instagram @The_Hula.

Scott Scheidly

interview • liz rice mccray

DU KUN interview • zhou yun

DAN LAM interview • liz rice mccray

This month we were excited to discover Dan Lam’s beautiful drippy sculptures via the world wide web at www.booooooom.com. Thanks boooooom and thank you Dan Lam for taking the time to answer our questions. If you get a chance, be sure to check out all of Dan Lam’s Instagram feed @sopopomo.

Richard Finkelstein 
interview • liz rice mccray

Not to gush, but when we happened to come across Richard Finkelstein and his photographs of meticulously designed miniature diorama sculptures we were mesmerized and intrigued. Thank you Richard for taking the time to answer our questions. We really enjoyed interviewing you.

ANTHONY HURD
interview / liz rice mccray

Anthony describes his work as a selfish endeavor of exploring his own personal demons and understanding the ever-changing landscapes of life, a way of expressing sometimes the inexpressible. Since the loss of his sister ten years ago, and a series of unfortunate events including the end of an 18-year relationship, following life has been a seeming test of survival mentally, physically and spiritually. The motifs change over time but currently the works he’s pursuing focus on cyclical nature of life, the rise and fall, the destruction and rebirth, the dark and light. Fighting depression and anxiety with introspection and personal growth, the work is a bit of a celebration of survival, and the depths of darkness that have revealed his own personal greatest truths. Namely, that most everything he thought about himself is unfounded, untrue, that life is the unknown, that he is an emotional being. His connection with the world is to be determined by his own actions and pursuit. Ever changing, always a work in progress, his work and process are fluid and changes on a whim, without a plan from its creation, seeing where the roads lead, hoping for a peaceful and educational resolve.

MASAYOSHI SUKITA
Words: Liz Rice McCray

For most of us David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” will never sound the same and our world will never be the same. We lost David Bowie, an unworldly human, a favorite to most, a legend to all… one of the most influential artists of all time.

The news of David Bowie’s passing spread like a wildfire. The outpouring of love and sorrow spread, contiguously, from one person to another as the news was heard. It’s a moment that many will remember. It reached me via Instagram; it was a morning that I was slow to get out bed. At 7 a.m. I clicked to my feed and there it was… @shopredone had posted, “RIP to a true artist #davidbowie.” My eyes filled with tears. I kept scrolling. It couldn’t be, but it was. Over and over: RIP BOWIE, hashtags of #ripbowie, a photo by #MasayoshiSukita #rip. Beautiful photographs filled my Instagram, as they probably did yours. And many of those photographs were those of Masayoshi Sukita.

As the story goes, in 1972 [in London] Masayoshi Sukita attended a David Bowie concert. Sukita had noticed a promotional poster for the Bowie show and felt compelled to attend it, with his portfolio in hand. It is said that Sukita met Bowie before ever hearing his music. This was the start of over four decades of collaboration between Masayoshi Sukita and David Bowie. In 1977 Sukita took the iconic cover shot for Bowie’s Heroes album. This is perhaps one of the most famous photos of Bowie ever. Masayoshi Sukita has spent 40+ years photographing David Bowie. It was a friendship and collaboration between musician, actor and producer, David Bowie and photographer Masayoshi Sukita.

Surprisingly, until November 2015, Sukita had never exhibited his work in the United States. The Morrison Hotel Gallery (www.morrisonhotelgallery.com) was proud to host the first-ever American exhibition of his treasured photographs of Bowie’s remarkable career from 1972 to the present day. Of his work, David Bowie said of Sukita, “This is a committed artist, a brilliant artist. I would call him a master,” right before the opening of The David Bowie: Photography by Masayoshi Sukita at Morrison Hotel gallery.

“Sukita’s vision codifying photographs were integral to the exhibit, and have come to be essential in understanding Bowie’s artistic narrative,” said Peter Blachley, co-owner of Morrison Hotel Gallery. “Sukita’s work has been a constant as Bowie shape-shifted from the glam space alien of his Ziggy Stardust phase, to the stark monochromatic perspective of his Berlin phase, to the earthy sophistication of his more recent guises. MHG has long admired Sukita’s work and is honored to be able to share his expansive catalog from Bowie’s creative and fertile mid 1970s period, for the photographer’s stateside premiere.”

Masayoshi Sukita was born in 1938 in a small town known for its coal mining in the northern region of Kyushu, Japan. Sukita’s father was killed in World War II, and although Sukita was very young when he lost his father he has clear memories of taking photos with his dad. This was the start to his lifelong passion for photography. Sukita graduated from the Japan Institute of Photography and Film, and received APA awards in 1963 and 1968. Then Sukita went on to assist/study under established photographer Shisui Tanahashir, and he entered into an advertising agency in Osaka. In 1965 he moved to Tokyo to pursue fashion photography/TV commercials, at this time becoming a freelance photographer. From 1970-1971 Sukita traveled to New York frequently and was attracted to its subculture, the mix of film, art, music and fashion. Sukita photographed T-Rex’s Marc Bolan in London. In New York, Sukita took photos of Jimi Hendrix shortly before his death. Today, Masayoshi Sukita continues to work in advertising in the film/television industry and continues his passion in photographing musicians.

Many thanks to all the people that helped put together this memoriam photo-journal of Masayoshi Sukita photographs. Special thanks to Jen DiSisto of Art Duet, The Press House and Morrison Hotel Gallery. All photos © Masayoshi Sukita/courtesy of Morrison Hotel Gallery. For more information on Morrison Hotel Gallery and to see and/or purchase Masayoshi Sukita’s photographs of David Bowie, please visit www.morrisonhotelgallery.com. You can also visit their West Hollywood location inside the Sunset Marquis Hotel.

SCOTT LISTFIELD
Interview • Liz Rice McCray

This month Scott Listfield was meant for the cover of BL!SSS Magazine. Due to the heartbreaking news of David Bowie’s passing, Scott Listfield’s art was bumped from the front cover of the magazine. Although it is a disappointment to not have Listfield’s earthbound astronaut grace our cover, we are pleased to be featuring him as our artist interview this month. Thank you, Scott! It was a pleasure to interviewing you, and be sure to check out more of Scott Listfield’s art at www.astronautdinosaur.com.

Michelle Guintu • Interview by • liz rice mccray
Disclosure: At the start of this interview we were already smitten with San Francisco artist Michelle Guintu. We first saw her painting of “the artist formally known as Prince”
at New Image Art Gallery last year, so when we had the opportunity to interview her before the opening of her two-person show with Kristen Liu Wong (“500 Likes” at New Image Art), we jumped at the opportunity. Thank you, Michelle, for taking the time to answer our questions.

Victor Enrich Interview: Liz Rice McCray

Photographer Victor Enrich turns buildings upside down. These City Portraits are a mixed media of real life architecture, photography and advanced computer graphic techniques. Make sure to check out more of his photography at victorenrich.com. Thank you, Victor, for taking the time to answer our questions.

Ashley Eliza Williams • interview by Liz rice McCray

Mural of the Month :: Brendan Monroe 
Interview: Liz Rice McCray 

I’m not sure why this was a difficult month to find a mural to feature but it was… Luckily (and just in time) there it was, our “Mural of Month” Brendan Monroe (past BL!SSS cover artist) painting a monster of a mural in Paris. We caught up with Brendan Monroe while in Europe to ask him a few questions about the undertaking of this installation. Thank you Brendan for taking the time to answer our questions.

interview / liz rice mccray

THE ART OF TARA TUCKER
interview / liz rice mccray

Paul Insect | interview by liz rice mccray

UK contemporary artist Paul Insect’s images combine sharp- edge with sleek modernism, surreal renderings and playful absurdism in colorfully drenched canvases, alluring the viewers eyes to focus and take a deeper look at his take on classic por- traiture. Since the 1990’s Paul Insect mysteriously started mak- ing his mark with witty stencils and street art... a living legend amongst the London art circles, his reputation grew internation- ally when in 2007 Insect’s solo exhibition Bullion, at London’s Lazarides Gallery, was purchased entirely by artist Damien Hirst just days before it opened. Damien Hirst later said when inter- viewed, “I can’t pretend I’m not in love with Paul Insect a little bit – but not in a gay way.” We must say when researching and taking in all of Paul Insects work we also felt the love for his artistry and declaring it; we love his paintings, his collaborative puppetry with creative partner Bäst and their performance short videos found on social media @paulinsect are breaking bounds of traditional puppetry. These puppet shows have become their own animals and have also been admired by Banksy and were included in Banksy’s dystopia installation Dismaland. Paul In- sect’s art continues to evolve in all shapes, mediums and sizes and we are excited to watch it.

Many thanks, Paul Insect, for your mark in the art world and for taking the time to answer our questions.

Riikka Hyvönen interview by Liz rice McCray

Berlin- based artist Riikka Hyvönen, who creates portraits of roller derby bruises. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions.

wayne horse interview liz rice mccray

This month we had the pleasure of interviewing Willehad Eilers, aka Wayne Horse. We asked him some cliché interview questions and turns out we really like him, Willehad Eilers art and his personality. I love when that happens. Make sure to read the interview and check out more of his art online website www.waynehorse. com and for daily updates see his Instagram, @waynehorse.

interview / liz rice mccray

Alayna Coverly is an Ann Arbor-based artist working figuratively with oil paint. She has her BFA in painting and drawing, along with a Museum Studies certificate and a minor in Art History from Ohio University. Alayna Coverly is currently producing work in her studio that focuses on the intimate bonds we have with others. Thanks Alayna for taking the time to answer our questions.

Will you talk about the complexity of your paintings?

I feel like even though the core idea of absence and presence is in all of my work, each piece comes from a different thought.While each piece has physical layers, they also have figurative layers. During my time at Ohio University I got involved inprotests after a woman was assaulted on the street where I lived. As I began going to rallies and became involved as an activist and feminist, my work transitioned to being rooted in feminism. To that end, I use the image of smothering to convey both warmth and what could be interpreted as suffocation. This is most evident in my piece, “The Stability of Femininity.” The design on the fabric hints at the fragility projected onto femininity, while the background consists of symbol iconography that shows the stability of femininity.

What sort of effect do you hope your art will have on viewers?

My hope is to allow people viewing my work to project memories or past bits of their lives onto my painting. My intent ispurposeful ambiguity; I want my work to be a shared experience. One of my early paintings, “But Not Forgotten,” represents the idea of a person staying with you forever, whether they’re still physically around or not. That led to the idea of a family member being embedded in wallpaper, with all its connotations of home. That feeling of being in another’s presence, but not completely, is the lingering impression I’m after.

Any last words for our readers?

The first piece of feminist literature I read, The Handmaid’s Tale, was significantly em-powering for me and still resonates in my work, especially considering today’s socialclimate. With my artwork, I aspire to leave people with that same impression, which is why I intentionally create ambiguous paintings, allowing the viewer to have a morepersonal experience. I believe it’s necessary to support one another and talk about thefeminist issues that we face.

Where can people check out your art?

My work has recently been featured on Supersonic Art, at the Ann Arbor Art Center’s show, REMIX, and Shadows, a show at Carrington Arts in Sandusky, OH. My workcan also be seen at Art Prize 9 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this September, and atthe Talon Gallery in Portland this December. I’m featured on www.ypsialloy.com as astudio resident and people can visit my website at www.alaynacoverly.com.

interview / liz rice mccray

Alessandra Maria was born and raised in Seattle, transplanted to New York for almost a decade and now finds herself in Maui. Alessandra’s finding resonance with Dave Hickey’s theory that America is, at its heart, a pagan nation which builds up its own idols and in turn tears them down. Alessandra’s work attempts to go back to the historic start of iconography and remake it from a feminist perspective.

I’m not sure where to start. We are blown away by your eerie gold-leaf, mixed-media artworks. Will you please tell us about your latest ongoing body of work?
For the past couple years I’ve been really interested in the process of developing my own personal iconography. Having been raised in a very Catholic (and loving) family, I grew up entrenched in that faith, and the notions of what it meant to be an ideal woman. Mary, in particular, was always held up as our role model. The problem with having Mary as an ideal woman is that she is devoid of sexuality and autonomy. So, as I grew and found myself, I separated myself from the church and struggled to come to terms with what I, as a human and woman, should strive to be. My work is an expression of this ongoing search, from a feminist, secular perspective.

What mediums do you mainly work with? Can you give some insight to the conception of these subjects in your paintings?
I started out working with graphite, but about a year ago I transitioned to charcoal in order to get the darks truly black. I work on ink-tinted paper, and with elements of gold leaf throughout.

One element of your painting that affects me greatly is your use of light. How do you create that play of light in your mind?
Because my work lacks color (for the most part), how I light each part of a piece is vitally important to making it come alive. I often try to imagine what lighting in a thick garden looks like, when the sky is almost completely obscured by plants, flowers, leaves, etc. For the figures, I find that using a modern interpretation of sfumato can lend a haunted, living quality. I want the work to feel sacred, like an artifact.

You are “Seattleite,” born-and-raised, abd then you did a stint in New York. Now you just moved to Maui... besides the obvious, why Maui?
Why Maui? Well, I have to dive into what New York was to me first in order to explain. In almost every way New York is my home now and holds the most emotional attachment for me at this point. I cut my teeth there and spent just shy of a decade for what felt like the most formative years of my life. For better or worse, New York wears at your resolve, your self-esteem, your energy, your health (unless, of course, you’re wildly wealthy, in which case you experience all the soft poshness and none of the grinding difficulty). For me, I was unbelievably broke for a while living there, so it was all grind and no glamor; I actually had to walk to the Met from my apartment in Bed Stuy once because there was a show I wanted to study, but I couldn’t afford a metro card.

When you’re confronted with so many spectrums of struggle and achievement, it forces you to look into the mirror and understand what you want out of your own life. You can’t just coast in New York; it’s too difficult and if you don’t have a reason for being there you’ll burn out in two years. So, living there toughened me, and it gave me the fierce desire to make work that was exactly what I wanted to see and nothing less - everyone else’s opinions be damned. It was a vital driving force for me to make good work early on, and I love the city dearly for that.

But, that was about seven years ago. I started to find that the last three years I was enjoying the city a little too much, and the unhealthy, posh things it has to provide. I got tired of having bars as the main activity for the weekend, and I started to desperately miss nature. All the daily challenges didn’t feel so tough anymore (like doing anything for 10 years inevitably will), and the luxuries of amazing rooftop bars and cocktails, shopping, brunch, events, and openings felt a little too soft and privileged. In short, I got comfortable.

Maui was a real wildcard. I didn’t really know what would happen, but I knew it would be a drastic stripping of everything remotely distracting. Few bars, fewer galleries, and I’m sorry, but the restaurants just can’t hold a candle to most of the city. But - it has this profound, spiritual beauty that (to me at least) is unparalleled anywhere in the world... the visual inspiration is almost overwhelming; I feel like I can’t go to the grocery store without getting four ideas for pieces. The weather is always perfect, the mountains are astonishing, I’ve seen tens of flowers I’ve never even heard of before, butterflies every day, and a whole world underwater that is so exciting to explore. Now on Friday nights instead of going to bars I go hiking and get to bed early. I suppose the best way to put it is that it was the most pure way to cut the fat of glamor, drinking, and posh out of my life, and heighten the most important aspect - artistic inspiration and creation.

All of my subjects start as explorations of the iconography I described.

If you’re an artist and you get frustrated with what you create, remember not to beat yourself up; that voice that tells you your work is bad is your standards talking, and it can be your greatest tool if you use it correctly. If you have high standards and you keep chipping away at your work consciously to try to meet them nothing can stand in your way in the long run. And, talent doesn’t exist, no one is special. If you’re determined enough to make great work you have the ability to stand next to the greats. In short - you can do it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Very last question... Where can people check out more of your art?
Thank you for the interview! For social media, my Instagram is the most updated - my username is @alessandradraws. My website is www.alessandramaria.com, and my email is alessandra- mariaart@gmail.com.

INTERVIEW // LIZ RICE MCCRAY

Anya Janssen’s work is formed by her absolute fascination for other people, their emotions, behaviors and mutual relationships. In series of narrative oil paintings, drawings and sometimes photographs and videos, she achieves a very intimate, direct relationship with her subject matter. The painted objects, bodies and places are given a simmering tension below the painterly surface. Her meticulous style lets her imbue lifeless objects with a balanced sense of both whim and resignation. She uses the word ‘begeesterd’ or spirited for the essence of the physical world that she captures. Many thanks Anya for taking the time to answer our questions. Dear reader, if you would like to see more of Anya Janssen’s art go to www.anyajanssen.com.

In your series Double-Edged you use identical twins, please tell us about this series?
I was planning on making new work to investigate mirroring, reflections and duplication, when all of a sudden I stumbled on the red haired, transparent skin identical twins in the streets of my hometown. I immediately realized they were the ones for the project called Double-Edged. They were sent from heaven. My twins are “mirror-image twins,” their appearances mirror each other symmetrically. The personality of the twins was determined by a life in which religion and tradition played an important role. The complex situation in which the girls lived - caught between the rules and values of a religious life on the one hand and the modern world on the other - caused the two to form an alliance, which was tightly closed to all outsiders. The project expresses the relationship between the twins, their relationship with their environment, and the precarious position of the identical twin as an individual personality. For five years I worked with them. We still see each other and I’m still photo- graphing them. So who knows, one day I’ll start a new project with the adult twins.

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ISSUE 128

Your paintings could be described as case studies – obser- vation of character, human behaviors, almost an obsession to resolve secrets and understand your subject. Your fasci-nation for other people reflects in your paintings, giving usthe viewer a very intimate glimpse of an underling narrative. Will you tell us about your process to connect with your muses and how you choose them?

I’m curious where are you at this very moment while I’minterviewing you. Will you describe where you are right now, this way everyone reading along can imagine the setting and have a visual?

Well, actually I don’t choose them, they choose me. All my projects arise because of my obsession for other people – their lives, their emotions, behavior and mutual relationships. I sometimes feel like a stalker. It’s important for me to achieve a long-term and intimate relationship with my subject matter. Tra- ditional contradictions, such as “me and the other,” “power and vulnerability” and the “nature vs. nurture” controversy are being questioned over and over again. In series of oil paintings, draw- ings and sometimes photographs and videos I tell tales through impressions and observations.

In my studio – a big, light, white space on the second floor of my home, with northern light shining through the windows. I’m sitting on a transparent chair at my glass table; in front of me on the wall are images, photos and texts that inspire me or deal with the current project I’m working on. Next to me sits a display cabinet with skulls, skeletons, taxidermy and animals in formaldehyde (my hobby since I was a child, an ‘Arc of Noah’...). A few little enamel paintings on aluminum on the table, big paintings leaning against the opposite wall. I like to work on several paintings at the same time. The painting itself is a slow, almost meditative process. The works often have up to ten layers of paint, and each glazing layer needs about one week to dry. I want to be surrounded by the work, so they communicate with each other and me; they are part of one story. And then there is always the music, varying from punk rock music to Japanese Gagaku.

In my early work I used my own body as a metaphor for human behavior and to show that we are all monsters with animal urges (although we pretend to be led by our ratio). After this series my focus shifted from the behavior of human mankind in general to one specific human being. I studied psychology for two years, in order to get a better understanding of human behavior. At that time my models were friends and relatives; they worked under my direction within a fixed scenario. I created images that were totally my own. But after I met identical twins that changed. The people I painted became muses; they entered and ruled my paintings. I let myself be guided to a great extent by the reality in which my muses live. I go with their flow...

I have gradually come to the realization that connecting with someone means letting a fragment of their being become part of me. He or she becomes part of my being and vice versa. I am far less autonomous than I believe to be. The others are of great importance for my existence, to understand things, to fathom myself. A porous identity replaces static “I” with a fluid “we.”

So tell us what is the process you use to conceptualize apiece, refine it, “test” it, etcetera?
The more I try to control, the less magic I get. So I try to stay open and surprised, without a fixed goal or destination when I’m starting a project. So I walk a lot in the forest close to my house; that’s where I get the ideas for new paintings. In my studio I study randomly images on the internet, photo/art books and magazines, I read poems and nonfiction and fic- tion books, then I write down sentences or words that come to my mind. I make circumferential movements in my studio. Then slowly things are starting to unfold and I can start to paint or draw. It’s a bit like when the first explorers filled out the empty plains of the world with the things they encoun- tered: trees, mountains, rivers, villages, life drawn in scale. I capture moments; glances and details that eventually will form the complete image.

Where can people check out more of your art?

At my website, Facebook and Instagram, at www.pattymorgan. net, and at Torch Gallery in Amsterdam and Janine Bean Gal- lery in Berlin.

Many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Any last words for our readers, shout-outs, declaration of love or hate?
The revolution will not be televised - Gil Scott Heron. And the first four sentences from William Blake’s “Auguries of Inno- cence,” which are tattooed on my right upper arm.

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour”

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions.

INTERVIEW // LIZ RICE MCCRAY

When Jan Kaláb was born in 1978 in Czechoslovakia, graffiti was not to be seen in the Eastern World. In the nineties, as the country was opening itself to western influences, he be-came one of the pioneers of the local scene, and founded an iconic crew, the DSK. Sleepless nights around train yards, light tubes at police stations, and above all, hard work on his style: he went through all the classical steps of a writer’s career. Through Europe, he made a name for himself as Cakes. Next step to the hall of fame, New York, where he made a big impression by painting entire cars in 2000, alongside with Key and Rome. Around the same time, he found a new way to push his own limits and challenge himself: 3-D Graffiti. Under the name of “Point,” he sculpted huge abstracts letters he chose to put in the streets and on the walls. The higher the better. This was another form of graffiti, in daylight, and without a spray, but truthful to the spirit of competition and innovation of the urban scene. Those sculptures lead him to abstraction, a path he’s been exploring through canvas from 2007, using acrylic painting and brushes. In the meantime, this admirer of Kupka graduated from the Academy of fine Arts of Prague – becoming the first Czech writer to do so. Jan Kaláb had his first solo exhibition in 2008 in Prague. Others solos took place in Romania, Argentina, Germania or in the United States. With time, his forms became more and more geometric. He used colorful squares and circles as an obsessive vocabulary for infinite variations around depth, time, and motion. Playing with circles conveyed organic imperfection and swing into his work. Dynamic is also crucial in his recent experiments, when he took pictures of some of his paintings in the streets of New York or other cities. The project became a social one when he realized he needed help from strangers to carry the canvas. This is no surprise, since collective energy is crucial in his creative process.

You are currently in San Francisco for your solo exhibition Perspective of Clouds at the Mirus Gallery (www.mirusgallery.com) May 18th to June 9th, will you tell us about the body of work in the show and the emotions you are feeling right now?
I’m super excited about having my first solo show in California. I’m showing a new series of paintings and one sculpture. I call these paintings “Clouds” because of their shape. I play around with color gra-dients, which represents the sky. I would describe them as sky landscapes. Each has number, which is a certain time of the moment on my imaginary sky.

I’m curious where are you at this very moment while I’m interviewing you? Will you describewhere you are right now, this way everyone reading along can imagine the setting.
I’m sitting in the apartment of the gallery in Lower Haight Street where I have stayed the whole time over here. Sipping green tea. All the bags are packed, because I’m leaving back to Prague today.

What mediums do you work in, will you explain to us your creative process and the collectiveaspect of your work?
I work with acrylic paint on my paintings. These pieces are sprayed with spray gun airbrush. The spe-cial thing is the custom shape canvases that we build in my studio and it is very important part of the piece itself. All are painted in my Prague studio.

The sculpture is made out of fiberglass/resin. I have a project with my paintings which I call Art in Public. I take my paintings to the streets and ask passing by strangers to hold the paintings for me in perspective of the street. I photograph the situation. It is funny to meet all kinds of people and get to know the city from a different perspective. I began to photograph my paintings in streets of Manhattan three years ago. This year I did it in SF and LA.

You travel back to Prague Today. Do you have any upcoming projectsyou can share with us? When will you be back in the United States?
My next solo show is in US again. It will take place in Polasek museum in Or-lando. There is a gallery and nice gardens where I would like to exhibit some more sculptures. The opening is on August 28. Than I have another show in Hong Kong in September, and than another one in Prague in November.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. We loveyour work. Have a wonderful opening. Dear reader, to see more of Jan Kaláb art go to www.jankalab.com and if you happen to be in S.F. check out his show.

We’re completely enamored with Paris-based illustrator Carine Brancowitz and her detailed yet simplistic illustrations that explore adolescent youth and elements of everyday reality. Be sure to check out more of her art at www.carinebrancowitz.com. Many thanks to the lovely Carine for taking the time to answer our questions.

interview / Liz Rice McCray

Dear reader,
We have been smitten with internationally recognized artist Conor Harrington for years... tracking his artwork across the globe from Dublin, the United States, U.K. to Norway, Spain and back again. When the opportunity was presented to interview him we jumped on it. Harrington is well known for both his street art and his gallery works. His paintings blend classical elements and contemporary art with old and new references, detailing urban influences and underlying commentary not necessarily about the past, but a metaphor for the world today. Harrington has had solo exhibitions at Lazarides Rathbone in London, The Outsiders, Stolen Space Gallery and Kinsey/DesForges in Los Angeles, among many other galleries. Conor Harrington is an Irish born painter who is currently living and working in his East London. Many thanks Conor for taking the time to answer our questions. To see more, please visit his website, www.conorharrington.com, or follow him on Instagram, @conorsaysboom.

interview Liz Rice McCray

Bri Cirel, oil painter and video artist currently living and working in Los Angeles, CA. Many thanks to Bri Cirel for taking the time to answer our questions. Make sure to check out more of her work at www.BriCirel.com.

interview Liz McCray

Interviewing Charlie Immer was refreshing. His responses and words of honesty broughtsmiles and deep reflection to his work and hisinner workings. His personality in all ways evokes what his art is, as if he may actually be a character in one of his own paintings – his distinctive palette of pastel colors acts as a safety blanket of candy-coated sweetness, which allows the viewer the comfort to take a deeper look at what is really going on in Immer’s art. The underlying layers of guts, gore, and skeletons are all spirited, creating underlying stories with a playful subtext that threads through his work. “This is a happy- go-lucky, skin-tearing, gut-ripping, blood- spraying, bone-bending universe that they live in,” Immer replied when we asked him about the storyline of his artwork. Immer has exhibited all over the world and is currently living in Maryland, and he also seems to be highly addicted to candy and is worried about his teeth and inner workings. Thank you, Charlie, we really enjoyed interviewing you and hopefully we will meet in person someday. Make sure to read the interview, and enjoy his artwork at www.charlieimmer.com.

interview Liz Rice McCray

Welcome to the mag Mario Mankey. His moniker, a combination of man and monkey, toys with the ideas of manifesting the underlying contradictions between human and primate. Working with human behaviors to uncover the disturbing, Mankey focuses mainly on the eternal contradictions of the modern individual as aresult of their ambitions and limitations. Make sure to check out more of Mario Mankey’s art at www.mariomankey.com.

interview liz rice mccray

interview Liz rice McCray

From the start of time, animals and people have used devices to camouflage into their surrounding environment in order to avoid danger or predators. Liu Bolin has perfected the ability to imitate and disappear into settings by matching the colors, lighting, textures, and his alignments to fit perfectly within an atmosphere. Bolin’s art encourages people to take a better look at their relationship with the “environment” and the surroundings that are livedand interacted in. In today’s world an individual can easily be influenced or controlled by their environment; the effects can be small or big, sometimes the changes are never noticed until under a microscope. Liu Bolin is an anomaly and a mystery; his work is a true testament to his artistry. After some searching (actually, a bunch of searching) we were pleased to be able to track down Liu and ask him a couple questions... Thank you so much to Eli Klein Fin Art for making this interview possible, for the images and translations. Thank you Liu Bolin for taking the time to give us a little insight to you and your work – I found you to be a complete inspiration.

interview Liz rice McCray

Choe is one of those rare characters that constantly surprise me. Every time I speak to him he is somewhere different – telling me stories many would never believe of his adventures with dinosaurs, boat rides down the Mississippi, hitch hiking across the county and train jumping. I first met Choe when I started working for RVCA, I came to work one day and he was napping in PM’s office. Fast forward to now, after years of knowing him and traveling with him on RVCA ANP trips, he has started emailing me updates of his latest adventures. If you ever watch him being interviewed or his amusing interaction with others, you can tell why people open up to him. He humbly and unassuming asks questions and honestly listens. The art of communication is just one of his talents...

interview by Liz rice McCray

Make sure to check out more of London-based artist Charlotte Hopkins Hall’spaintings at www.charlottehopkinshall. com. Many thanks to Charlotte for taking the time to answer our questions.

Interview: Liz Rice McCray

Ron van der Ende from Rotterdam, Holland, collects old wood, doors mostly, in any color hecan find. These are gently ripped to thin planks on a circular saw bench with the paint layers intact. This veneer-like material is then used to cover a constructed bas-relief in full color wood mosaic, introducing techniques into sculpture that natively belong to painting.

Jeremy Geddes interview Liz rice McCray

This month we are featuring the works of Jeremy Geddes. After months (or maybe years) of tracking his haunting cosmonauts, explosions of fetal positions of comfort and discomfort, andspectating pigeons, we were finally able to catchup with Jeremy and ask him a couple questions about his methodical painting process andstrategies. Make sure to check out more of his art at www.jeremygeddes.com and on Instagram @jeremyispainting. Thanks Jeremy for taking the time to do this interview, and a special thanks
to Maléna Seldin, Associate Director at Jonathan Levine Gallery.

interview by Liz rice McCray

Oil painting collaborations by husband and wife duo Oda & King

UK-based artist Chris Labrooy is the first computer generated/3D graphic artist to grace our cover. His mastering of 3D modeling is superb and his vision and creativity with his Auto Aerobics series “Auto Aerobics And roll... and stretch... and glide... and flex” is inspiring, thus placing him on the cover for his 3D graphics, illustration, type design, architectural typography, food typography, etc. Labrooy is a true master of his creative medium and trade. His artwork has been exhibited at the design museum in London, and he has been featured in numerous illustration and design publications. For more of his work, please visit his website at www.chrislabrooy.com.

interview / liz rice mccray

this month we had the pleasure and honor to interview artist christian clayton. Over the span of 20 years, clayton has put out an enormous amount of work, from his individual studio practice as well as from his collaborative, clayton Brothers. the col- laborative work has mounted 10 solo exhibitions in galleries and museums in the U.S. and asia. as well as creating, clayton is also educating. He lectures nationally and internationally in europe and asia. in 2016 christian received a 20-year service award from the art center college of Design. in 2015 he was awarded “the Great teacher award” from the art center college of Design Student Body. His teaching cre- dentials also include cal State University northridge and Otis college of Design. His work is in museums and foundations, with public, corporate, and private collections around the world including the madison museum of contemporary art, Brooklyn mu- seum, lancaster museum of art and History and Saatchi Gallery. christian currently lives and works in los angeles county with his wife and two teenage sons. to seemore of Christian Clayton’s work, visit his website at www.christianclayton.com.

INTERVIEW / maRsEa goldbERg

INTRO / liz rice McCray

This month we have the pleasure of featuring Coachella-based artist Carlos Ramirez, formerly one half of the art duo The date Farmers. Ramirez’s new body of work is stunningly multidimensional, integrating mexican ico- nography with embedded catholic symbolism, and it is peppered with political and pop culture innuendos. Just as multi-faceted as the subject matter, the body of work is structurally textured as well. Ramirez employs various house paints and acrylic in his work, as well as found objects from the “City of Eternal sunshine.” We asked good friend marsea goldberg of New Image art gallery to ask Carlos a couple of questions about his art, an upcoming film project and the Coachella Valley. many thanks to marsea and Carlos for taking the time and energy for such a lovely interview..

Maxwell McMaster was born in Sacramento, California and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. His work typically takes inspiration from his native state. Maxwell uses color shape and texture to enhance and deepen scenes from his travels and everyday life. The result is typically abstract and minimal in design but somehow complex in appearance. The images invite the viewer to reflect on life and its mysteries while reminding us of the beauty in it.

interview / liz rice mccray

Thomas Canto transposes his personal vision of his environment on canvas, proposing an abstract and duplicate vision to the disorganized entanglement of the mixtures of his urbanlife. On one hand, the city in sections of walls or blue prints, on the other, humanity and its individuality. The concept of space and movement is rarely confined, defined or limited in Thomas Canto’s work. In fact, his deeper origins founded in urban sensitivity reaches back to the classical form of optical art and kinetic art, formed in Paris in 1955 by artists who called into question how form and line would create optimal movement in a work of art. The organic structures of Thomas Canto’s works are also inspired by urban architectural en- vironments, which interplay humanity and functionality. For him, the dialect and exchange between human and architecture is as prominent a subject matter as the elements of color,line, form and shadow in his work. Many thanks to Thomas for taking the time to answer our questions. Dear reader, if you get a chance checkout more of Thomas Canto art at www.thomascanto.com.

Welcome William Fort, a super talented artist that produces pencil and charcoal drawings in which he explores the realm between the serious and the ridiculous... Rendered with an unsettling amount of detail, his drawings often contain wordplay and juxtaposition, which give them an absurd quality. Make sure to check out all of his art at www.williamfort.com and read our interview if you are so inclined. Many thanks to William for taking the time to answer our questions.

interview / liz rice mccray

Some start small; Tobias Kroeger started rather large. Inspired by the New York City subway graffiti’s of the 1990’s, he sprayed his first works of art in his hometown of Bremen, Germa-ny at the age of 12. Kroeger spent his youth exploring the boundaries of the genre. Out of the typical imagery of graffiti, he developed his own iconography and eventually transported this style on to classic canvas in 2013. His focus has been on using oil and acrylic paints. Kroeger has catapulted the classical portrait, in which he often inserts quotes, into the digital world of ones and zeros. When speaking about his works, Kroeger talks about data fragments and machine elements of heteronomy and life dreams that have little space under the conditions of mechanization and, therefore, get lost in standardized conditions.

Born in the East Jutland, Denmark, Rune Christensen is a self-
taught artist who has traveled
the world and became fascinated with the patterns and colors of traditional handcraft, costumes and the temple decorations of Asia, South America, North Africa and Native America. Shooting

all those artistic memories with

his camera, he uses them as references for his work, both with acrylic paint and Posca/Molotow pens. The result is a collection

of faceless portraits. The female characters, with their horned balaclavas and masks, remind
us of the Russian political rock band Pussy Riot, but they are too busy contemplating their twins or

doing mysterious pagan dances to make punk protests. The men and children are also cryptic – half religious icons, half extras in a music video from the band Fever Ray. The backgrounds are as simple as the characters are intricate, focusing on the tattoos and cloth prints. The peaceful poise of Rune Christensen’s

heroines and heroes create a
very touching mood, somewhere between childhood’s innocence and trendy Scandinavian design.

To see more of Rune Christensen’s art, please go to runechristensen. dk.

Ambiguous figures, interlaced bodies, locked limbs, linear human forms and faceless characters... Los Angeles artist Alex Gardener’s artwork struck our eye with the opening of his solo show at New Image art gallery, Laugh Now Cry Now. After a little tracking (maybe it was stalking), we were able to ask him

a couple of questions about his role in society, his childhood, truths, and of course, art. Many thanks to the always stoic Alex for taking the time to do our interview.

interview / liz rice mccray

I’m trying something new for my interviews this month, and since I’m always curious where people are when I’m interviewing them, I thought, Why not ask for a visual? I’m especially interested where you might be, because you always seem to be somewhere different in the world, and I don’t have a clue where you are at this moment. Perhaps you could describe where you’re at and I will describe where I am. This way everyone reading along can imagine our settings and feel like they’re right here with us.

I will start... so here I am sitting in my home office in Costa Mesa, California, on a really uncomfortable chair. I have two cups of coffee next to me, possibly because I forgot I had one and poured myself a second or because one

is a day or so old. Either way, I will drink them both. My office seems dark, not so inviting, and I’m pretty much surrounded by books, art and paper. It was suggested earlier this week by my friend Krust that I should move my office

to the “California Suite,” that’s a little room at the top of a spiral metal staircase in my house that people used to dwell in. But I haven’t spent much time in there and I’m thinking about her suggestion as I prepare to interview you.

Hajime Sorayama is the original gangster of sexy, metallic women. A mystery in
his own right, the legendary Hajime Sorayama has been painting pin-ups since the 1970s and is known worldwide for his detailed erotic illustrations, and his sexy robo women. Thank you to Trevor Martin of FIFTY24SF Gallery for introducing

us. And most of all, thank you Hajime Sorayama for taking the time to answer our questions.

interview / liz rice mccray

Clippings from newspapers and lost pictures of people found
in thrift stores, these imagesreflect perfectly in Gordon’spainted reality.

Gordon’s humor transcends through his paintings and in his words. Essentially Gordon becomes the same as his paintings and the paintings become the same as Gordon.

Layer upon layer the paintings transform. The evolution is incredible, each layer more detailed than the coat before but some days Gordon paints over hours and hours of work to his girlfriends dismay, ashe says, “a night eye can

see mistakes that a daytime workman is too proud to notice”. Objects under the size of a dime

are perfectly legible. Gordon only paints absolute detail on objects that are crucial to the story and sometimes every object is indispensable whichends up in “back aches and a lotof happy nights.” Gordon was introduced to me by PM Tenore about three years ago and ever since I have gotten to know the people, characters and objects in his paintings as if they were long lost friends, but never will I truly know the whole story.

While interviewing Gordon
I started looking through
his history of digital communications, texts, emails and verbal messages. Some months the communication is constant, his thoughts, ideas and extremely entertaining one- liners. The emails are almost a

foreign language, a language that he somehow has taught me to understand.

When communication goes quiet, I know Gordon’s thoughts have become fruition. But remember fruit goes bad which brings me back to a memory
of Gordon spending three
days painting Pete Rose giving himself a facial with tinfoil, adorned with A Fred Flint Stone chest tattoo in the expensivereal state of “Wodkamacheck.”Only for him to realize that wasn’t the solution and with this Gordon redirected his energy into painting a shrub that no longer exists in the piece.

I first started chatting with Tomoo Gokita years ago when I was working for RVCA. He dealt mostly with me but sometimes he would turn our conversations over to his wife, Tomoe Gokita – yes, very similar names. Although Tomoo thinks his English is“poor”, he does a great job of understanding my emails and doesn’t give himself enough credit - years of correspondence - and if you know my emails most would describe them as“cryptic”. Yet Tomoo has always somewhat understood them. So my conclusion is that he is far better at English and understands more then he lets on... or my emails consist of very broken English. Regardless, this is why I have forced Tomoo to do our interview in English - this way he can choose to not answer the questions he doesn’t like.

Tomoo is a Japanese bad boy, or so I picture him to be (we have never met in person). His art is organic but volatile

- inspired by music, vintage wrestling, and porn. “I’m simply interested in seeking what comes out of the destruction of the complete. When you break, or destroy, something unexpected appears all of the sudden and affects the whole.” - Tomoo Gokita

What more can I say... He is intriguing and always a great pleasure to deal with.

Imagine coming home and your entire living room has been crocheted by your new roommate - the pots, the pans, the sofa... I mean everything. Imagine walking down the street and seeing a crochet car or a person crocheted head to toe. Even better the charging bull on Wall Street or all the windows of an NYC building, or a lone bike out front - everything crocheted. This is not your grandmother’s crocheting - this is found objects, friends and the unknown... this is something different than what we know of“crochet” - it’s Olek, an exotic girl bythe name of Agata Oleksiak, born in Poland and a graduate of Mickiewicz University of Poland. While in NYC while in artist/residency, Olek re- discovered her crochet ability, creating a crochet world. There is something absolutely inspiring and intriguing when watching Olek work... she is completely outside of the box and beats to her own drum. Olek’s resumé well exceeds your grandmother’s sweaters and knit caps, and would no doubt make you and her confused and intrigued.

“A loop after a loop, hour after hour,my madness becomes crochet. Life and art are inseparable. The movies

I watch while crocheting influencemy work, and my work dictates thefilms I select. I crochet everythingthat enters my space. Sometimes it’s a text message, a medical report, or found objects. There is the unraveling, the ephemeral part of my work that never lets me forget about the limited life of the art object and art concept. What do I intend to reveal? You have to pull the end of the yarn and unravel the story behind the crochet. My work changes from place to place. I studied the science of culture. With a miner’s work ethic, I long to delve deeper and deeper into

my investigations. My art was a development that took me away from industrial, close-minded Silesia, Poland. It has always sought to bring color and life, energy, and surprise to the living space. My goal is to produce new work and share it with the public. I intend to take advantage of living in NYC with various neighborhoods and, with my actions, create a feedback to the economic and social reality in our community.”

Make sure to check out more of Olek’s work at http://agataolek. com/home.html

interview / liz rice mccray

Over the years, eyes have been drawn toward Richard Colman’s work, his alternate universe you could say, with his relatively regular cast of characters – men and women in antiquated dress clothes, bears, lions, pyramids of colors and shapes reminiscent of a modern day kaleidoscope. Colman’s works seem to convey a world long ago. Environments change, but the relationships seem to translate throughout. Fractured elements of colors and shapes coexist with his characters in the seamless blend that creates these complex pieces. Colman wasdefinitely a pleasure to interview. And I lookedforward, as I always do, to digging into the mind and methods of a strange and brilliant artist.

interview / lizricemccray mccray

Mark Jenkins is a critically acclaimed artist who is known internationally for his thought-provoking sculpture installations. We recently were able to catch up with him and ask him some questions about his installations while he was working in Milan, Italy. Make sure to check out Mark Jenkins website at xmarkjenkinsx.com. Thank you Mark and Sandra for making this interview happen!

interview / liz rice mccray

Nick Georgiou keeps the printed word alive and breathes life into discarded found objects by “morphing newspapers into different shapes, dissecting books to make sculptures... basically recycling what would’ve been thrown away into art.”

Georgiou’s work is a reminder of impermanence - the realization and reality after almost three decades of the “information age”, with the advent of computers and Internet technology. The impact has been so grand that it has threatened 400 years of the newspaper as a staple... or a hub in a small town or big cities, responsible sometimes for holding communities together.

Georgiou’s art is preservation of words and rebirth into a new form of the digital era... the balance that coexists between and importance of printed publications and digitaltechnology - the fight to keep theprinted word alive.

Georgiou currently is living and working in Tucson Arizona, whilst limiting his carbon footprint.

Annie Vought transforms old fashion letters into innovative pieces of art. In a world full of immediate communication, Annie’s art illustrates the beauty and the richness of expression in the classic handwritten letter. She describes her artistic inspiration below.

Email, text messages, instant messaging and Twitter are all examples of fun and immediate means of “written” communication. Through the computer I am in touch with people I may never have seen before and I can respond in real time to a loved one. But with the ubiquity of this access and convenience, we are losing the tangible handwritten letter. Handwritten records are fragments of individual histories. In the penmanship, word choice, and spelling, the author is often revealed in spite of him/herself. A

letter is physical confirmation of who wewere at the moment it was written, or all we have left of a person or a time.

I have a huge collection of mail, my own letters that I have kept throughout my life, as well as those of unknown others. I have hundreds of postcards collectedfrom garage sales, flea markets andeBay. There are postcards to a girl who is dying in a hospital and loves horses, letters from a salesman writing home to his family as he drives around the country selling seeds. I have a packet of over twenty love letters from a soldier named Bernard to his “darling wife” during World War II, and a stack of letters to “Mom and Dad Holt” sent from Sergeant Bill in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Reading over all of these letters, including the ones written to me, is haunting. It is

like reviewing the leftovers of people, including myself. They remind me of who I am and who my family is. When Bernard longs for his wife using racial slurs and Sergeant Bill is complaining about the weather in Saigon, I am reminded that personal histories are also American history. Collectively, the letters remind me of mistakes and longing and love and humanness. To me the letters are both positive and negative memorials.

I have been working with cut paper over the past four years. During the last three of those years my focus has been on written correspondence. In my work I recreate notes and letters that I have found, written, or received by enlarging the documents onto a new piece of paper and dissecting the intricate negative spaces with a knife. The handwriting and

the lines support the structure of the cut paper, keeping it very strong, despite its apparent fragility. The sculptural quality of the letter allows the viewer to examine the care it took to render each piece in relationship to what is actually being said. The cutting is a way of focusing on the text and structure of the letter—an elaborate investigation into the strange properties of writing. The writer’s penmanship and word choice lead to a contemplation of the beauty of language and the limits of the paper. With these pieces, my intent is to investigate the ghosts that we leave behind and to pay homage to those that haunt us.

Annie Vought currently is living in Oakland California with her husband and a big dog. To check out more of her work go to annievought.com.

interview/ liz rice mccray

I continue to be extremely moved by Eric’s paintings. His work radiates and engrosses the viewer in a range of emotions,many of which are difficult to putin words. To really appreciate the power of his subtlety, one really needs to see the originals. Eric’s soft but riveting lighting effects are produced with a technique calledglazing – He paints a very lightcoat of acrylic, lets it dry, paints over it with another very thin layer, lets it dry, over and over and over again. This technique requires an incredible level of patience, focus and care. Each painting takes him about a month (working full time) to produce. They are true

labors of love. It delighted me but didn’t surprise me when I learned that, just a few weeks ago, Eric soared over his many competitors to win the Gold Medal for best unpublished work from Spectrum, the prestigious annual compendium of the world’s best fantasy art. I hope those of you reading this interview from Eric will visit his website and enjoy the same aesthetically rich experience that he has provide me and so many others for so long.

interview / liz rice mccray

Cryptik, a Los Angeles-based artist, creates works of art that explore the realm of spirituality and consciousness. His iconic depictions of deities and spiritual leaders, along with his signature style of calligraphy, can be seen throughout the West Coast, adorning the urban landscape and galleries alike. The goal of his art is to offer people
a different perspective, one that encompasses teachings from diverse wisdom traditions, in order to help them develop a broader philosophy of life.

interview / liz rice mccray

Justin Bower is not your stereotypical artist. In this day and age, the adopted beliefs about types of indi- viduals are normally inaccurate, especially when it comes to artists. Bower is a footballer turned artist. (A handsome ex-footballer that drinks scotch, to boot.) When given the choice between college football and art, Bower chose art. Fluctuating between digital and real, his work challenges and engages the viewer. Bower’s exhibit “Panic Room” was featured in Modern Painters as one of the “100 Best Fall Shows 2013.” Make sure to check out more of Justin Bower’s art at justinbower.com and unixgallery.com.

This month we have veered from Miami (check out Art Basel feature on page ???) and decided to head south to Colombia for our mural of the month. We caught up with the charming artist INTI while in Paris to ask him a couple questions about his Colombian masterpiece. Note, this interview was originally in Spanish and has been translated to English by our dear friends at Google. Thank you INTI for taking the time to answer our questions.