INTERVIEW
You grew up Catholic on the east coast. How did your
upbringing make its way into your art?
It taught me to question everything, take nothing at face
value, and to entertain visions of the illogical, as most
of the faith is based on miracles. I developed a strong curiosity
and interest in other cultures and religions, because they
were taboo (not discussed in class).
Catechism, as presented by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur,
encouraged a polarized view of evolution and human actions.
There's no grey area; people are either going to heaven or
hell. I stopped believing these proclamations in third grade
when our religion teacher explained non-Catholics could not
enter heaven. That ruled out my grandmother, along with 90%
of the rest of humanity.
The Catholic message to girls in the early 1960s, as I saw
it, was chilling: A) get married or B) become a nun. Submit
to patriarchal authority without question, even if it makes
no sense, like the Virgin Mary. Most
of my childhood friends' cherished personal posessions, kept
on high shelves in their bedrooms as objects of worship, were
oversized, expensive nun and bride dolls, with perfectly pressed
habits (or beaded satin gowns) and beautific expressions.
I didn't like dolls; kept a menagerie of stuffed animals,
as we didn't have a real pet. I was always drawing animals;
still am.
The emphasis on burning in hell for misbehaviour had an impact
on my vision. I enjoy drawing and painting things burning
up. My favorite album cover (Leonard Cohen) in high school
was taken from a glass votive candle label of St. Joan of
Arc burning at the stake. I recently initiated an online tribe,
'arsonentertainment', for historic and contemporary art and
design dealing with flames and pyrotechnic displays. Most
of the other members seem to be 'Burning Man' devotees.
Shortly
after school you worked with Masami Teraoka, whose seemingly-traditional
Japanese prints feature commentary on the culture clash between
American and Asian societies. You both use watercolor to recreate
the look of woodblock prints. How else did he influence you?
I learned technical skills from Masami, tools and processes.
He taught me watercolor. He maintains an incredible work ethic
and productivity. Art is truly his life, like a painting Zen
monk.
I occasionally concentrated on woodblock print style in my
own art at the time; it is still part of my production. I
developed a greater appreciation and understanding of the
artform through Masami. We travelled to Japan to meet with
'National Treasure' woodblock print carvers, bought tools
there, and I was a minor assistant back in LA on a run of
traditional woodblock prints.
My focus at the time (early to mid 1980s) was in making political
and social commentaries about American over-reliance on credit
cards, among other issues. I enjoyed re-creating the look
of American antique, fin-de-siecle theatrical posters, particularly
those created for circus and magic acts, and cinema lobby
cards.
East/West culture clash isn't exactly my area, having travelled
through, but never lived in Japan. The Heaven and Hell series
touches on a comparison of Eastern and Western faiths, but
it's more about iconographic similarities between some forms
of the beliefs than a clash between them. For example, the
concepts of burning in hell (for sins committed on earth),
boiling in cauldrons, demons, purgatory, and gatekeeper characters
exist in both Buddhist and Christian depictions of hell.
In contrast to more pointed contemporary political messages,
I'm more interested in the relationships between birds and
animals in my backyard than in what George Bush or Junichiro
Koizumi is doing this week. Think the art will retain meaning
longer as well, as the bird and cat relationship will most
likely continue to reflect reality tomorrow.
The
fairytale narratives in your pieces provide us with the juxtaposition
of human and creature forms, and animals performing everyday
activities, images which are often hilarious. Do you have
a pretty good sense of humor about your work?
I think so. I receive most of my pleasure from making it,
rather than from its reception. While interested in peoples'
responses, I'm rarely guided by outside reaction. I have a
regular job, so market conditions don't dictate my direction.
I've been doing this kind of art for 24 years...it's come
and gone, in terms of popularity, perhaps five times.
Speaking
of popularity, your illustrations have been commissioned by
publications like Time and The New Yorker. In these cases,
you have to be slightly guided by outside reaction. How is
this process different?
The level of craftsmanship required is equal; illustration
is client-oriented. That's one reason I rarely pursue it now.
Teaching permits me to concentrate on art based on my interests,
aesthetics and ideas, without restriction.
When
teaching, what do you learn from the next generation of artists?
The Art Department demographics at Santiago Canyon College
are a bit different from most colleges. I teach perhaps 30-40%
traditional age college students and 60-70% older adults.
My students are more likely to be the current generation of
artists than a future one. Several show in galleries, win
awards and solo exhibitions in juried competitions. A few
are current or retired teachers, of art and other subjects,
from elementary to college level. I enjoy their life experience,
abilities, work ethic, and willingness to converse and debate
in front of a group. They are not shy.
If the question refers to traditional college-aged students,
they generally maintain a flexible conceptual framework concerning
art and personal expression. I can sometimes draw more intriguing
responses from them (to conceptual challenges or self portrait
assignments) than other students. There seems to be a generational
difference in matters of personal expression. Younger students,
in general, have less baggage about what art 'should be',
and about revealing unique and personal aspects of their identity
and beliefs, than do 'seasoned' students. The younger ones
are also more likely to share my affinity for contemporary
art derived from Asian art, tattoos, and popular culture.
I
have to say, one of my very favorite pieces has to be "Clueless,"
an eight-foot mosaic of candy conversation hearts. You say
that the war with Iraq was bumming you out and you couldn't
paint, so this served as a distraction. Did it work?
Somewhat. Fumes from the glue sort of provided a mental vacation!
Perhaps adding fuel to the painting series from hell...
Which series was that? Was it really a painting series
from hell or more pyrotechnic imagery?
Over the past 2 years, I did six (paintings) depicting visions
of hell laced with Shinto, Buddhist, Christian, and other
heroic and demonic figures; another about sainthood. The art
combines Latin and Asian folk animals, deities, guardian figures
and cartoon characters. I titled the series 'Heaven and Hell',
though I haven't gotten around to the 'Heaven' part yet...
Your
watercolors have a certain luminosity to them that evokes
both classic and modern schools. Who do you see yourself drawing
from again and again?
Documentary
works of 19th century Swiss painter Karl Bodmer inspire me,
as do John Singer Sargent's watercolors. I look at late Edo
period prints by Kunisada (Toyokuni III), and Kuniyoshi; Persian
miniatures (Mughal school), and Ming dynasty Chinese guardian
figures. I love Buddhist art about hell, and Shinto depictions
of the gods of natural forces. I am inspired by the work of
contemporary masters Hilary Brace, Daniel du Plessis, Don
Ed Hardy, Tom Knechtel, Bob Anderson, Bob Roberts, Masami,
Darren Waterston, and Thomas Woodruff.
What's next?
I'm on a productive roll this year, and don't see it stopping
or stalling soon, despite the fact school starts in two weeks.
I have ten paintings started and lots of ideas percolating.
There isn't anything I'd rather do than paint, so I'll make
time for it during the several days a week I'm not at school.
I'll have shows at Koplin Del Rio and Roq La Rue galleries
in 2005.
There is a part of me strongly attracted to German Expressionist
art; I'm waiting on that. There's not enough time to do everything.
Next time I have time and freedom to research a new direction,
perhaps in 2006, I may develop diptych or hybrid works partly
composed from relief prints, part watercolor. I'll continue
to make 'straight' watercolors while investigating the possibilities.
I would like to get my work published. At the moment, however,
my priority is producing art rather than promoting it or widening
exposure.
And, of course, appreciating the art in your own backyard?
Right! And providing extra food and water (changed daily)
to help my models survive West Nile virus. No known fatalities
yet. Hope it's mostly media hype, as usual.
