lunedì 19 ottobre 2009

Interview with Kiko Alcazar





q)please tell us a brief info about yourself.


a)Well, I'm Kiko Alcazar. I live in Tarragona, a town near Barcelona. I am a photographer, but my pictures are beyond the simple picture, since I attempt to have a magical, dreamlike aura.


q)Tell us about your humble beginnings, When did you you first realized that you wanted to be an artist?


a)Since my childhood I inclined to drawing, crafts and everything related to art but almost without knowing it. Later I became interested in photography and notticed that this field could accomplish my needs because it gave me all the points I needed to express myself. At first, I didn’t realize that I wanted to be an artist, it just came out by itself. I think that beeing an artist is something you’re born with.


q)What are your tools of the trade and why?


a)My tools are my camera and Photoshop. I use the camera to catch the moment I need,to then tranfer it to my own world using Photoshop.

q)Who or what gives you inspiration on your morbid art?


a)I am inspired by my dreams, my fantasies and often the portrayed character. Each person inspires you something different, which they emanate. It’s like a symbiosis.

q)Is your artistic background self-taught or did you go to college to study?


a)I consider myself an autodidact, because I only spent one year at a photography school. It was a very frustrating experience. They seeked to address me to their own idea of photography, and I couldn’t adapt to that. I’ve always been a rebel, so I decided to quit. From then, I started learning photography techniques and Photoshop on my own.


q)How do you keep “fresh” within your industry?


a)Being true to myself and my style, trying not to follow fads, not beeing

a clone. I think that’s what brings the freshness. Otherwise you have to adapt your work to the trends and that makes you lose spontaneity.


q)What are some of your current projects?


a)Now I am preparing an exhibition for the gay film festival in Madrid, the “Lesgaicinemad”, and other two exhibitions in Mallorca andBarcelona on January.

Besides the exhibitions, I am preparing some photos for a book that will be released on 2010 and several pictures for some outstanding spanish actors and actresses.


q)Which of your works are you the most proud of? And why?


a)I am very proud of a picture that won a London Tate Modern contest.It was exposed with the other winners, and also included in “Street and Studio”,

a photography book published by Tate.
Besides this,
I'm also proud of each photo I shot.


q)Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?


a)Well, I must admit that there are areas that doesn’t motivate me and I’m not interestd in, but over time I hope to try some other fields.

I think that my style would work perfectly on the audiovisual area, for example.


q)What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?


a)Each project and each picture is a motivation, a challenge. If you are passionate about what you do, it’s not easy to burn-out.


q)How do you spend most of your free time?


a)Well, I like listening to music, reading, going to art galleries, stroll and to party! Being surrounded by my friends and my partner.


q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?


a)I really like painting, illustration, photography and audiovisual projects.
Steven Meisel (already a modern classic), Steven Klein .. Illustrators like Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, etc.


q)We really like some of your pictures, how can we get our hands on them? Do you sell them? How?


a)Yes, the photos are available. You can get them if you contact me via email on kikoalcazarphoto@gmail.com. You can also get some more stuff related with my work on my online store

www.kikoalcazar/bigcartel.com

http://www.flickr.com/kikoalcazar

http://www.kikoalcazar.com

sabato 17 ottobre 2009

Interview with Lachlann Rattray





q)please tell us a brief info about yourself.


a)Hello, My name is Lachlann Rattray and I enjoy making gross drawings, t-shirts, websites, music and animations.


q)Tell us about your humble beginnings, When did you you first realized that you wanted to be an artist?


a)Hahaha i wish my beginnings weren't humble! I started drawing at first year of university I studied computer science which was really dull so most of my lectures were spent doodling. After University I moved into a flat with my good buddy Joe Howe (Ben Butler and Mouse Pad) we started making zines and music together and I find it is a really good way of keeping out of trouble and making sure i dont fall in with a bad crowd.


q)What are your tools of the trade and why?


a)When I make art work i tend to use photoshop becuase it is super dooper powerful and lets me do everything i need to. I also enjoy pen and ink i dont get as good results but i find it very soothing. When i make tshirts i use my brand new heat press! and when i am animating i use a combination of flash and quick time.


q)Who or what gives you inspiration on your morbid art?


a)I don't know really, as a kid i had terrible nightmares so could never really watch scary movies or anything perhaps i am venting my frustration. I don't really think my art is very morbid I try to be tongue in cheek and humorous with it, I am influenced a lot by the early thrash and metal bands like Judas priest and Mercyful fate, bands that took themselves too seriously I wish i could make my art that pompus.


q)Is your artistic background self-taught or did you go to college to study?


a)No i never took any art classes or anything my boss at my old job taught me the basics of photo-shop and i picked bits and bobs up from elsewhere, in terms of my free hand work that has just come with practice and doing my best to rip off r crumb and Jim woodring.


q)How do you keep “fresh” within your industry?


a)I don't really think about it to be honest, making art work isn't something i do for a living so i feel no pressure that way to be cutting edge, i think the flickr community is pretty great for keeping things sharp i never get complacent becouse i constantly want to upload work that my peers will like.


q)What are some of your current projects?


a)At the beginning of the year i was part of an exhibition in Brooklyn in New York called "ready made or not" I am also participating in the upcoming group exhibition at Pageant gallery in Edinburgh which opens at the end of this month. I also just got new zine i have been working on back from the printers so that will be available soon to. My band "Gay Against You" also have an album coming out this month "Righteous Signals, Sour Dudes" and we will be touring that in the UK next year.


q)Which of your works are you the most proud of? And why?


a)That is a hard one! Although i really enjoy making them i am constantly disappointed with the level of my own work, I wish i was better! I really like a t shirt design i did recently which is the melting face of Elvis Presley and underneath it reads "anus" i thought that was hilarious!


q)Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?


a)Although i have tried it Screen Printing is something i wish i had the patience to get better at the results you can get with it are amazing! also 3d modeling is something i am working on getting better at.


q)What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?


a)Looking other peoples art work keeps me inspired guys like brecht vandenbroucke, llcooljo, shoboshobo. Also because i am never satisfied with anything i do i keep having to try harder and that helps.


q)how do you spend most of your free time?


a)Skateboarding! my friends and i have formed a skate gang called scorpion scabers.


q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?


a)The guys i mentioned above im also interested in further expansion of online communities how once valuable commodities now have no worth, the idea of copyright as applied to images and data shared online.


q)We really like some of your pictures, how can we get our hands on them? Do you sell them? How?


a)Thanks! I have a new online store coming soon at www.dreamguts.com I also have a mysoti account http://www.mysoti.com/mysoti/designer/Dreamguts

lunedì 5 ottobre 2009

Interview with Mark Mulroney





q)please tell us a brief info about yourself.


a)I am a boy and as far as I know I always have been.


q)Tell us about your humble beginnings, When did you you first realized that you wanted to be an artist?


a)I never knew I wanted to be an artist. I just started drawing motorcycle racers getting eaten by sharks when I was 4 or 5 and I haven't quit.


q)What are your tools of the trade and why?


a)My tool is my brain and so far I haven't been able to get it out of my skull so I am stuck where I am.


q)Who or what gives you inspiration on your morbid art?


a)I never thought of my work as morbid perhaps it is desperately hopeful instead. My inspiration comes from my desire to see as many naked women as possible before I die.


q)Is your artistic background self-taught or did you go to college to study?


a)I dropped out of high school and learned to draw by copying Iron Maiden album covers.


q)How do you keep “fresh” within your industry?


a)New clothes.


q)What are some of your current projects?


a)I am doing what I always do. I wake up, drink coffee and go to my room to doodle until dinner then I eat, go back to my room, work until 11 or so, have a little whiskey and peanut M&M's and go to bed.


q)Which of your works are you the most proud of? And why?


a)I don't think I can affix pride to any one thing just yet, but I fixed my refrigerator last week, that was pretty neat.


q)Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?


a)I haven't tried lots of stuff like heroin or long hair but I hope to do animation some day.


q)What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?


a)Think about getting a real job.


q)how do you spend most of your free time?


a)Drawing, drawing, drawing and racquetball.


q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?


a)I like slick, heavy, glossy art mags with lots of Prada ads, I hope the art world makes more of those. I also like EverGold gallery in San Francisco, they have a very positive, pirate friendly kind of energy.


q)We really like some of your pictures, how can we get our hands on them? Do you sell them? How?


a)I sell everything. Just ask. You don't even have to be polite. Most request come through my gallery, Mixed Greens in NYC, or my website.