Saturday, March 31, 2012

HOTTEA - Street Art

HOTTEA

Name: HOTTEA
City/State: Minneapolis / Minnesota
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotandtea/


How did HOT TEA come about and what does it mean?


The two words hot and tea or more specifically the phrase "HOT TEA"was chosen to highlight the relationship between the two words. We so often over look the meaning behind what we say and how special some ofthese words and phrases really are.These two words compliment each other both physically andgrammatically. Without one or the other you wouldn't have a phrase that evokes a sense of comfort, warmth and relaxation. 


In a physical sense without hot water all you have is tea, and without tea all youhave is water, but when both put together you have "HOT TEA". Hot teais greater than the sum of its parts.This idea was the basis for the HOT TEA project. There will always be a relationship between things and that interconnection we have witheverything around us is the backbone for how HOT TEA navigates. 


The project is a comment on all relationships good and bad and the thingsthat lie between them. Like the phrase itself Hot and Tea are two totally different words brought together to represent something new, which reflect on the media and surfaces that the project makes use of.




















Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is
this different from past projects?


My work is interactive. It is non-destructive and semi-permanent.  My work takes inspiration from connections, both positive and negative between people.  The project also utilizes forgotten, neglected or passive parts of the city that we sometimes take for granted.

Currently I am working on type exploration and new ideas of how to create installations that are interactive with the motion that surrounds it.  For example, underneath a bridge.  There is traffic above and in some cases below.  How do I create a piece that interacts with these movements?

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

It's very simple actually.  To experience happiness and to be
inspired.  I am very passionate about my work and I want that to read when viewing my work.  My entire life thus far, I have supported the underdog, the less fortunate, or those who people just don't care about.  I feel growing up I was put down for being different.  I felt that it was a bad thing to express myself because if I did I would be made fun of.  With my work highlighting neglected and forgotten spaces I want people to re-consider their surroundings and how beautiful they can be.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

For me it's not so much about a sentence or phrase that has had a major influence on me but rather my experiences with other people.  I suppose being able to admit that your own work may be bad and to be open to growth. Yeah, we would all like to think our work is the best but in order to keep pushing your work forward there also has to be a level of dissatisfaction.  Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of my work but I know that it can always be improved.








Tell me about your work space and your creative process.


My work space consists of the city streets of the world. I am aninstallation artist who prefers the city streets as my canvas.  I havebeen fortunate to do work all over the globe and with that comes thechallenge of how to interact with each space effectively anddifferently.


The creative process starts out with researching the locations.Looking into the general aesthetics of the space, anywhere from thearchitecture, the movement and the history behind the space.  Fromthere, I decide what materials would be best to use.  Once I havedecided the materials I sketch different ways in which the materialscan be used to their fullest potential within the space. Part of myprocess is also the documentation of it because of the semi-permanenceof my work.


Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy? 


Well my interest in other artists is very eclectic.  I am veryinspired by all genres of art.  I could go on and list other streetartists who I enjoy but I would be neglecting all of my otherinspiration.


From the day I met Piotr Szyhalski I was inspired and am continued tobe inspired by him.  His work is very diverse, which I LOVE!  He is aperformance artist, multimedia artist, designer, sculptor, the genreshe has worked in are vast.  You can view some of his projects here :http://laborcamp.mcad.edu/


Another creative person who's work I enjoy is that of Emmet Byrne whois design director at the Walker Art Center.  He was the one whosparked my passion for typography.  Hearing him lecture on type and tofeel his passion for design is contagious.  Actually when I firststarted the HOTTEA project I met with Emmet to have him critique theconcept and the execution of the work.  To this day he continues to bea constant source of inspiration.  You can follow his blog entrieshere : http://blogs.walkerart.org/design/


If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places
would we go? What would we see?

I wouldn't necessarily take you to see art, but to see things that are
inspiring and in return may inspire future work. I would take you to:
Gooseberry Falls /
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/gooseberry_falls/index.html




I would then take you to the beginning of the Mississippi River /
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/index.htmland then back into the city where we would go urban exploring throughold abandoned buildings and through forgotten spaces of the city.


Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a newartist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?


My main source of inspiration is a blog called "This Is Colossal",based out of Chicago.  What I love about this blog is that Christopher, the man behind the mammoth blog, is that he covers allgenres of art and design. One day he will make a post about streetart, oil paintings and photography.  The next day he may coverexperimental film, light painting and miniature sculpture. It'sabsolutely fantastic! Please check it out here / http://www.thisiscolossal.com/


Another constant source of inspiration is the street art blog UNURTHbased out of Los Angeles.  What I enjoy about this blog is thatSebastian posts street art that is very sophisticated and wellrefined.  Some of the artists may not be well known, but the workitself is his concern not a big name.  http://unurth.com/









What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Large scale installation in places you wouldn't expect.  Installations best viewed at night and work that will make you question the movement around you.




Wednesday, March 28, 2012

David Steinlicht - Crop Artist - Cartoonist

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 2004, 11 x 14 inches, seeds, plant parts, glue on masonite
David Steinlicht


Altered Esthetics Featured Interview
"Level_13: Cheat Codes" 

April 5 to April 26, 2012
Opening reception: Friday, April 6, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Artists’ discussion: Saturday, April 14, 1 p.m.to 3 p.m. 



David Steinlicht

Bio~
 

School: 1975, Rochester Community College, Rochester, Minnesota. 1977, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. 

Work: 1977 to 1978, ad design, Coulee Gazette, La Crosse, Wisconsin. 1979 to present, Minneapolis and St. Paul, various design and art director jobs including stints at Musician's Insider, Sweet Potato / City Pages, TWA Ambassador, Science Museum of Minnesota, Twin Cities Reader, St. Paul Pioneer Press. 

Art: 1979 to present, Cartoons and illustrations in the above publications. 1994 to present, Crop art in the Minnesota State Fair. 2000 to present, Proprietor of cropart.com. 2002 to present, Minneapolis Cartoonist Conspiracy member. 2009, Collection of "In This Corner" comics published by Nodin Press.



In This Corner comic, 2012, 3.24 x 5.25 inches, Adobe Illustrator document

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I'm a graphic designer. I design newspaper pages for a living. I'm also a cartoonist and crop artist. I do a freelance weekly cartoon for the newspaper. My crop art is a once-a-year thing for the Minnesota State Fair. Current projects are: Keeping up with the weekly cartoon and getting ready for crop art. These projects are not different from my past projects -- just variations on a theme.



"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

"Art" seems very serious. Deep. I don't think about what art is because I can't think that deeply. I like to draw and I like to make attractive, fun things. I'm not making a statement, I'm just doing stuff. I want my audience to be amused.



Bridgitte Lin, 2003, 14 x 11 inches, seeds, plant parts, glue on masonite


What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 

A so-so idea that's completed is better than a great idea that's unfinished. 



Jackie Chan, 2001, 11 x 14 inches, seeds, glue on masonite


Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

For my comics, I work at my computer. For my crop art, I work on my desk next to my computer. I find deadlines to be inspiring.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Ken Avidor http://www.roadkillbill.com/Ken.html
Andy Singer http://andysinger.com/
Mark Simonson http://www.marksimonson.com/
Linda Koutsky http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=231817
Roz Stendahl http://rozwoundup.typepad.com/
Lance Ward http://tatertotdiaperman.wordpress.com/
Ryan Dow http://ryandow.com/ic/
Kevin Cannon http://bigtimeattic.blogspot.com/
Zander Cannon http://bigtimeattic.blogspot.com/
Steve Stwalley http://www.stwallskull.com/blog/

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

Minnesota Center for Book Arts http://www.mnbookarts.org/

Typesetting and the manufacture of books by hand. Amazing machinery that's still understandable. Knowing traditional typesetting methods enhances typesetting while using a computer.

Minnesota State Fair http://www.mnstatefair.org/

There's the crop art exhibit, and also the Fine Arts building (where the number and variety of Minnesota artists is inspiring and overwhelming).


Grand Theft Festal, 2008, 14 x 11 inches, seeds, glue on masonite


Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I don't do that.

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future? 

"Level_13: Cheat Codes" 


April 5 to April 26, 2012
Opening reception: Friday, April 6, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Artists’ discussion: Saturday, April 14, 1 p.m.to 3 p.m. 

The fifth biennial installment of Altered Esthetics’ classic video game art exhibit will also highlight the abandoned or obsolete technology of decades past.

Altered Esthetics 
1224 Quincy St NE, Mpls MN 55413
612-378-8888
http://www.alteredesthetics.com/


Image of David Steinlicht in his workspace, 2012, photo by Scott Cohen

Friday, March 23, 2012

Amina Harper - Illustration

 Cupcake King
Amina Harper


City/State: Minneapolis
Twitter: @aminaharperart


Bio~ Amina Harper is an emerging artist born in Minneapolis MN, who studied for 2 years at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (until she got kicked out). At its core Amina's work is about dragging her inner child kicking and screaming into adulthood. She expresses a horrific and twisted world with bright, candy colors and sweet, innocent faces that often hide seductive secrets. Amina currently works out of Minneapolis.

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

Currently I've been paying more attention to  how art and fashion can coexist together. I've been trying to take the content of my work and translate it into garment form.  I want lots of detail, lots to look at and the additive of wondering what it would be like to wear the art as well. Basically, I've always wanted to make cake dresses. 

Jumping the Gun 
  
"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

To me, art is more about the exploration of the question and less about the answer. The process of finding the answer and the journey you take in its name is what's really important. I guess I just want the audience to have fun and get excited about what they see when they look at my work. There’s a lot of detail and I want people to feel like they’re really interacting with my work by looking at it. I hope that people always find something new in my work that they haven’t seen before, and that they come back a second time and find something new. I love when people come up to me with a big smile on their face after they see a piece of mine they really like; sometimes they’re really excited like they just got off their favorite ride at an amusement park. I love that.


 Stag Girl

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 

Don’t be afraid. EVER. Fear stops everything before it can start and it can keep you from all the beautiful and wonderful things the world has to offer.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

I just work from my home. I think the creative process is an ongoing mindset that should never shut off. I try to keep my mind as open as possible and let as many different things in as possible. Sometimes I go to different places to try and feel what I see (if that makes any sense); I’ll got to Lakewood Cemetery or antique shops for the sake of acquiring images; You never know when a certain image, phrase, song or idea will find its way in and inspire you.

 Queen Bee

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy? 

Oh, there are too many to count and it’s always changing. Right now I like to see the new things Rudy Fig comes up with. And I love Erin Sayer and Jennifer Davis too. 
  
If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

Um, you'd probably end up on some strange family outing where you're taking on a tour of the seediest, strangest and most vibrant areas of Minneapolis; you know, places where there used to be old strip clubs or where somebody got murdered, or where somebody decorated their house with bright pink tiles. My uncle used to be a bus driver so he tells me where all that stuff is. I also go to a lot of thrift and antique shops cause you never know what you might find.

 Tea Time

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I often go to MPLSART.COM to look up galleries within the city that I think might show my work or to see what’s happening in terms of events, I check out the opportunity section at mnartists.org to see if any venues are in need of artists, I check Springboard for the Arts job section as well. I check out my friends’ facebook pages to see if they know of any galleries that would be willing to show my work. Every day I check a website call cgunit.net to check out new artists I haven’t heard of yet

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
Last year I was in the Cult Sister II show at Cult Status Gallery and I'll be doing Cult Sister III in May 2012 with the same ladies and some new ladies as well. Right now I have a piece entered in the 2012 Munny Contest at Tomodachi.