Rosie Brown - Sculpture and Installation

Rosie Brown

Name: Rosie Brown
City/State: St. Paul, Minnesota
Email: rosiemichellebrown at gmail.com
Website: h​ttp://rosiemichellebrown.wix.com/mpls​ 
and h​ttp://www.mnartists.org/brownrose  
Facebook page: h​ttps://www.facebook.com/rosie.berglund.9


Bio:
Rosie Brown was born and raised in suburbs of St. Paul, MN. After completing her degree in Fine Arts from Bethel University in 2010, she longed for further education. She briefly pursued the medical field, inspired by her father’s impressive insight and knowledge as a doctor as well as her interest in the study of the body. She then made the decision to travel to Redding, CA to pursue education in Ministry for a year. After all of this, her love for the arts, her family and the cold drew her back home to Minnesota. She has allowed her brief side steps in ministry and science to inform her work today.

In returning to the Twin Cities, Rosie once again began to create and was connected with Altered Esthetics. She is now the Co-Exhibitions Director for Solo Exhibitions and has the pleasure of having her own Solo Exhibition, a preview show as well as a permanent installation in the Southern Theater in 2016.

Rosie now proudly resides in the Midway area of St. Paul, between her two favorite cities with her husband Andy and two hilarious mutts, Elmo and Franklin.

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

I am a sculptor and installation artist who attempts to capture the hidden qualities of our environments that are woven into our personal narratives and daily rituals. I create work that often explores and exposes our common surrounding environments and allow my internal dialogue and thought patterns to be revealed through these building interiors and objects. My hands ­on process of creation is also very important to me as my body and its relationship to a space is integral to communicating an idea. Thematically, I have focused on religion, sexuality and identity. I enjoy the idea of contrasting or conflating two separate materials in order to present a conflict or argument. The materials I most often employ are those that are elemental, highly symbolic or encapsulate my perception of purity. For example, wine, plaster, metal, soap, ink, vellum and charcoal. 

In the past my work has been thought­ or idea­ based, but the work I began in 2015 and 2016 is now inspired by visual promptings.​ Whatever is visually appealing to me is where I begin rather than starting with a concept. Stark black against a white background, transparent paper formed into a sculpture or a multitude of small white molds, almost like marshmallows, are places to begin, not end. It has been an experiment to discover the “artist's intuition.” I am asking if my work and process were to begin from a different place--from a visual inspiration instead of a concept--would it still be successful or interesting or evolve into something I never would have made otherwise? This has been the most enlightening of processes I have explored thus far in my career. 
 

My Solo Exhibition in September 2016 at the Southern Theater is more a puzzle of pieces connected by certain themes, all informing each other. The show will be mainly sculpture and installation exploring the unique and historic space of the lobby of the Southern Theater. 

How did you decide to become an artist?
I don’t know that I ever explicitly decided to become an artist. I think I just became one, or maybe just was one. Somewhere in college, I discovered the intimidating challenging and overwhelming nature of creating art and loved it. To feel uncomfortable and vulnerable seemed like a great place to learn. My teachers in college inspired me continually and to them I owe a great debt for their kind words and honest critiques that continue to inform my work today. I am always making the decision to be or not be an artist. I​ ask myself everyday: will I make something today? will I not? I can call myself a sculptor for the rest of my life, but really the truth lies in the work that I create or don’t.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
There are two critiques or comments that stand out to me. I​ have received a lot of advice over the years, but the most impacting of which was not intended to be advice.​ A teacher of mine once said to me after a candid conversation that I had the talent to be successful but had not cultivated a drive. T​his blunt critique of my process as an artist challenged me in the moment, but has continued as useful advice till today. H​e saw into me and how I was operating and I have chosen to allow that statement to encourage me and motivate me to produce. 

Secondly, a professor of mine made commentary on an installation at the Northrup King building during my thesis show. He said that I used my “artist's intuition” to decide where to put the piece when things mysteriously fell into place. I don’t know how seriously he used this verbiage but I have never forgotten it. This comment, also not really advice, has brought me to question a lot about process and to ask what actually is this intuition and how can I access it? 

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art. How do you sell your work? How do you market yourself?
The nature of my artwork is such that it will not be sold. This is not necessarily a choice of mine but at the same time I have not had an interest in pursuing sales or profiting from what I create, at least not at this time. I do promote my work through social media h​ttps://www.instagram.com/roseybro/​and my personal website h​ttp://rosiemichellebrown.wix.com/mpls.
​
Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
To name a few:
Alexa Horochowski h​ttp://www.alexahorochowski.com/ Kristina Estell h​ttp://kristinaestell.com/
Kenneth Steinbach h​ttp://www.kennethsteinbach.com/ Harriet Bart h​ttp://www.harrietbart.com/
Josie Lewis h​ttp://www.josielewis.com
Shana Kaplow h​ttp://shanakaplow.com/ 

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
As a lover of the Twin Cities, it’s easy for me to find pride in almost any gallery in town. One of my go­-to’s is the Soap Factory h​ttp://www.soapfactory.org/ ​though I feel that I would enjoy the experience even without artwork because the building is magnificently mysterious, truly a warehouse/basement turned gallery. Additionally, I love and greatly appreciate Midway Contemporary Art’s contribution to our city's art culture, not only showing local artists but also highlighting international work as well ​https://www.midwayart.org/.

I also celebrate art organizations that support the multitude of local emerging artists who might struggle to find representation. Altered Esthetics is a great source for these types of people and I cannot support them enough h​ttp://alteredesthetics.org/.

​

In addition to www.Local­Artist­Interviews.com, 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? Online resources I find to be more challenging to utilize in the visual arts. I will point out Springboard for the Arts as a great resource for artists to discover submission opportunities and employment possibilities (h​ttp://springboardforthearts.org/.​Of course a staple to all of us is h​ttp://www.mnartists.org/.

​
Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
I have a permanent installation at the Southern Theater to be premiered at the I AM exhibit through Altered Esthetics opening March 4th 2016. I have a solo exhibition September of 2016 at the Southern Theater as well and currently have a piece installed for the 2​016 Preview Exhibition ​until the end of February 2016 at the same location. 

 

Rosie Brown

Image List:

1. “Veil” Calfskin parchment and metal pipe. 2016
   
2. “Veil” detail, Calfskin parchment and metal pipe. 2016
   
3. “Pulled” Metal pipe, plaster and paint. 2010
   
4. “Orthodox­ed” Metal pipe, wine, plaster. 2010
   
5. “Orthodox­ed” detail, Metal pipe, wine, plaster. 2010
   
6. “Ring Finger” Plaster. 2015
   
7. Image of Artist
   

Holly Streekstra - Mixed Media Installation

EMANATIONS, at TuckUnder Projects

Holly Streekstra

Name: Holly Streekstra
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: holly@hollystreekstra.net
Website: www.hollystreekstra.net
Facebook page: Holly Streekstra

Bio~ 

Holly Streekstra has exhibited at numerous venues, including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul; Woman Made Gallery, Chicago; Invisible Dog, Brooklyn; White Canvas Independent Film Festival, Székesfehérvár, Hungary; and the 4th International Video-Art Festival in Camaguey, Cuba. In 2008, she was a Jerome Foundation Fellow at Franconia Sculpture Park. In 2012 she won the Sun-der Preis in the international art competition Betwegter Wind in North Hessen, Germany. Streekstra received a Master of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Since receiving an MFA in 2006, she has taught at various institutions in including Louisiana State University, Boise State University, Heron School of Art and Design, and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 2013 she will be a Fulbright Teaching Scholar in mixed media at Káposvar University, Káposvar Hungary.    

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

I make 3D work that takes differing forms: video, sound, installation, sculptures. I am generally focused on an investigation of our inner subjective states and psychic vulnerability in contemporary life. Right now I am working on using more visceral materials in unexpected ways as opposed to the tableau vivant arrangements that I typically seem compelled toward. Its a challenge for me to break away from order and sense making but I really feel a transition occurring that is frightening and exhilarating. I hope you will join me to see how things come into shape.

Step on this Side of the Curtain. 2012. mixed media, found objects, digital audio, near-infrasonic tone, lighting, scent. 216in.x 204in. x132in. approx.

Created for TURF IDADA Art Pavilion (on view during 2012 Super Bowl—Indianapolis.)

How did you decide to become an artist?
Visual art is the only thing that felt natural. 

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

''Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it.'' -Jasper Johns

"Some people are even better at their second love than at their first… knowing there’s something they’d rather be doing gives them a certain freedom."- Andy Warhol

You Can Do Anything (14 Ways to Acquire Knowledge)-James Mangan

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?

I want to make art that people enjoy. I work hard to find opportunities and support that keep me busy with deadlines to make fresh work that will be seen.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Alexa Horochowski

Charles Matson Lume

Allen Brewer

Jen Rogers

(WE) Hardland/Heartland

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

Walker Art Center

Midway Contemporary Art

MEAP (Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program)

David Petersen Gallery

The Bindery Projects

TuckUnder Projects

Rosalux

SooVAC

Soap Factory

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, 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? 

BLOUIN ARTINFO

Contemporary Art Daily

WeWasteTime

thisiscolossal

l'étoile

mnartists.org

A Co-Efficient of Weirdness. 2012. Mixed media installation, performance, artist’s book and set of divining cards at D’Clinic Studios, Lendava, Slovenia. Collaboration with Allison Halter (USA/Germany).

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

I'm preparing for a show at TuckUnder Projects. 5120 York Ave S, Mpls, MN
June 27-July 28, with an opening on Thursday, June 27th 6-9pm.

In this recent installation, EMANATIONS, Streekstra creates an ontological microcosm by presenting objects and situations which serve as intermediaries for exploring trans-communication and states of Presence. Studio experiments featuring materializations with a grounded tangible presence (wax, fibers, and found objects) suggest eerie vacillations between mortal and ethereal. The work establishes an inquiry into reflexivity, highlighting the effects of imagination on perception through peculiar arrangements and manipulations referencing illusionist apparatus, apported gifts, and funerary forms.

You will also see work by Jenny Jenkins in the Leaky Sink Gallery
and Look (again) Residency by low tech/high joy Collaboration (Marlaine Cox and Karen Kasel)

Souvenir Horizon. 2012.mixed media installation at Look Gallery,Budapest. 

25”x8”x 6” approximate. (in construction)

Tuck Under Projects

LAI Gallery Profile

Mickey Smith - Photographer - Minnesota ExPat

Mickey Smith

Minnesota to Aukland New Zealand

Name: Mickey Smith

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Website: www.mickeysmith.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/mickeysmithart

Etsy Page / Retail Pages: 

http://www.invisible-exports.com/

http://www.aperture.org/equivalents.html

http://www.20x200.com/artist/20-mickey-smith

Why did you leave Minnesota?

I left Minnesota for New Zealand, via New York. My husband is a Kiwi. We spent nearly a decade together in Minnesota, knowing we would eventually end up in New Zealand. Aaron wanted to experience New York before leaving the US, and living in New York again was a chance to further my art career. 

Tell me about your new city of residence? 

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, population of the entire country is 4.4 million. Auckland is a port town (as a Duluth native, the familiarity is a comfort) and has a forward thinking, international feel. In contrast, we live in walking distance of three beaches, two volcanos, and an amazing fish-n-chips shop. New Zealand artists tend to exhibit throughout the southern hemisphere, which is exciting. It was hard to find my place in the New York art world - the sheer size can be overwhelming - so I'm looking forward becoming part of a smaller art community and finding a bigger studio.

How has your art changed since moving from Minnesota?

I was looking for gallery representation when I left Minneapolis and ended up being the first artist to have a solo show at INVISIBLE-EXPORTS in 2008. The directors were interested in my installations at the time, and continue to encourage me to explore that side of my work. The push has given me the confidence to work outside of the medium. When I left Minnesota I considered myself a photographer, not an artist. I might have considered myself an "artist" earlier, but I can't draw for shit. Our two-year old regularly takes crayons out of my hands and gives them to his dad. 

If you come back to Minnesota for one weekend and you need to see your old favorite places, where would you go to see art? 

It was sad to see the Minnesota Center for Photography close, a real loss for photography locally and regionally. I would head to the Walker and  Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, with a stop off at The Black Forest to visit the Avedon at the bar.

Who are some of your favorite artists still living in Minnesota?

Minnesota has a posse of great photographers I love, but for a few decades now Paul Shambroom has been a huge inspiration. Everything Alexa Horochowski  makes is magic. I hope to become as prolific one day.

If you could transplant one aspect of the Minnesota arts community home with you, what would it be?

A tossup between the photographers and the individual artist funding. 

Jehra Patrick - Painter

Lorna Simpson – Medtronic | Oil on canvas | 96 x 60 inches | 2011

Jehra Patrick

Name: Jehra Patrick
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: jehra@jehrapatrick.com
Website: jehrapatrick.com
MNartist.org profile: mnartists.org/jehra_patrick
Twitter:

@jehrapatrick

Bio
Jehra Patrick is a visual artist who works out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her current project questions the development of art by taking visual and historical cues from museums and galleries as the subject of new paintings and photo-based work.

In addition to her work as an artist, Jehra is Project Coordinator for mnartists.org, where she supports Minnesota’s art community through on-line resources and offline programs, including CSA: Community Supported Art with Springboard for the Arts, the McKnight Artist Fellowships for Photographers, and programming in collaboration with the Walker Art Center, including Drawing Club and mnartists.marketplace

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
My current work developed out of my interest in situating myself as a painter and creating my own definition of what it means to paint now.  I found myself, like many contemporary painters, looking backwards to painting’s recent history and synthesizing approaches to paint and to subject matter.  This process of ‘looking backwards’ made me really aware of the channels that art is located and consumed – from books, to museums, to ArtForum, to the internet - these sources all aided in forging my personal relationship with art.  I looked to museums as an ending place for the medium of painting.  As a physical ending - that’s where they hang and that’s where they rest in collections – and also an ending as being a triumph for an artist….if your work is in a museum, that is a measure of success.

Acknowledging this system lead me to take the museum – the institution or art galleries…where art goes - as my subject. I work with gallery preparators and document exhibition spaces as they transition between shows, taking interest in the way the space transforms and the architecture of the presentation space.  I also work with museum archives, looking back to past exhibitions, how they where presented and documented.  Within these images, I find moments and cues that resonate with my own relationship to art history – studs on a gallery wall might look like Daniel Buren stripes or photocopied install shots remind me of my photo-copied art history assignments.

The subject matter of this project has evolved from my past work – which was more interested in image making strategies from present-day….social media, google images search results, language of camera phones….. – but working with found imagery and appropriation have been constants in my work.


"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?

I think audiences are skeptical.  They want to know what makes art, art. They also want access.  They want to go behind the scenes.  I think artists are skeptical too.  They want the freedom to make art be anything and everything, but they also want criteria.  Artists are aware and they have their own perceptions of different mechanisms in the ‘art world.’  The work I present is a personal language system, and could be considered insular of the art world, but I think it also opens up room for a tiered encounter. I think the work holds up well and is, on it’s veneer, very approachable.  I think upon further investigation, there’s more to chew on for those who are interested.  I hope to continue developing my work with alternate points of entry.


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

Work hard and be courteous. There’s nothing worse then a lazy, high-maintenance artist.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

My process is really research-driven. At this point in my career – balancing my career as a studio artist with a day job in arts administration - I don’t have the luxury to really hit the studio and crank out a lot of work. I spend about 60% of my time researching, reading, writing and reviewing images, taking notes on these images, building up a ‘shortlist’ of images that would develop well as paintings. It’s not a perfect process, but this allows me to be really efficient when I actually role my sleeves up and produce work. So, I guess my work-space is part laptop, part couch, part actual studio.


Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Alyssa Baguss
Luci Kandler
Ruben Nusz
Megan Simonsen
Scott Stulen
Margi Grill
Drew Peterson
Jeremy Schock
John Vogt
Luke Aleckson
Bruce Tapola
Melba Price
Doug Forbes
Alexa Horochowski
Karl Raschke
David Rathman
Allen Brewer
Oakley Tapola
Joe Sinness
Jesse Draxler/Bloodtime
Peter Happel Christian

I’m sure there are a ton more I am forgetting – there’s a lot of talent in this state.


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

We would probably start by reading my twitter feed for a while.  Honestly! That’s not to say that reading and viewing online goes anywhere near the amazing experience of viewing art in person – there’s no comparison – it’s just how I like to stay informed and it allows me to view a lot of work quickly and often. For brick-and-mortar venues - I’m probably leaving some good ones out - but here are a few of my favorite local places to see new work:

Soo Visual Art Center
Minneapolis Institute of Art (MAEP Gallery!)
Walker Art Center
XYandZ Gallery
Midway Contemporary Art
Franklin Art Works
Burnet Art Gallery
If we wanted to take a little road trip I would recommend the Rochester Art Center

And whenever you have the opportunity, I love to see art and artists in their studios. Sure, formal presentation suits the work best, but I love chatting with artists and hearing what they are working on or just hanging out where the action happens.


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?

Twitter. I get SO much of my art news – local, national, international – from the sources I follow on twitter. Facebook is also a great tool because you can see what fellow artists are making (or what their kid made, or what they saw in the park) or who’s going to what local opening or event. This is where I get my news from other people that I actually know. Twitter is great because you can basically customize your own stream of information and just get arts news that’s relevant for you.

And of course:

mnartists.org
walkerart.org
and
mplsart.com is great for your art opening scheduled each weekend


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

I have an exhibition opening at Soo Visual Art Center, New Museal, which runs February 11–March 25, 2012.  Please join me for the opening reception on February 11 from 6–9 pm!

I will also have an upcoming exhibition at the Rochester Art Center in May and our Jerome Fellowship exhibition in early fall. A busy year for sure!

Pete Driessen - Mixed Media

Nauticalia Tentacalus Installation-Detail (Aft View), 
They Won’t Find Us Here Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, Pete Driessen © 2010,
Mixed Media on Optimist Dinghy, Size Varies.

Pete Driessen

Name: Pete Driessen
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: pete@petedriessen.com
Website: www.petedriessen.com
MNartist.org profile: mnartists.org/pete_driessen
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pete.driessen

Bio~
Pete Driessen is a Minneapolis based multipractice visual artist, painter and educator who creates large scale socio-political paintings, mixed media ship fleets, found object installations, conceptual art statements, and performative participatory projects. Pete received his MFA in Visual Culture from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has been awarded regional grants and awards, including a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Assistance Fellowship, a Metropolitan Regional Arts Council/Small Arts Grant, and a Minneapolis Arts Commission/Neighborhood Arts New Presenters Grant.

Pete’s exhibition record includes national and regional solo and group exhibitions, including two recent local solo projects: Curatorial Cult Club/Kwestion Quration? at the Walker Art Center Open Field, and Nauticalia Tentacalus at They Won’t Find Us Here Gallery. Pete loves to create and eat homemade banana cinnamon pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, bacon cheeseburgers, and prefers the texture and flavor of Cool Whip over Ready Whip.

Self Portrait with Roof Rake #3-Detail(Face)

Pete Driessen © 2010,
Acrylic & House Paint/Gloss Acrylic Gel & Iridescent Tinting Mediums/Modeling Paste/Unstretched Dark Blue Camping Canvas/Hangs from Grommets, 120 x192 inches

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
When I was a little boy I played a tuba solo in front of a large hometown audience with Novocain through out my mouth! Yikes! Run: John Philip Sousa March: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU_buMqNpJo)

My recent work is well threaded into and energized by recent painful life transitions. Some of my latest projects include painting my Self Portrait with Roof Rake series and my Love’s Torment series; illustrating and writing a zine-ish Divorce: Artist Discovery Letter statement; producing a random Artist-Daddy-Mom blog; and developing and curating a hybridic garage-based gallery known as TuckUnder. I’m currently writing a little book entitled, ChromOrgasm, which explores color as a power distributor, and outlines social, political, and biological themes of color within our culture. I recently finished an assemblage about personal miracles for a group show entitled, El Milagro at Intermedia Arts.

I’m just beginning two new large-scale bodies of paintings about transition, masculinity and consummation. I am preparing to create conceptual pieces about the theme of money for a group show at Banfil Locke Arts Center in 2012. I am also preparing portfolio work for Art Basel Miami Beach in December and NYC Armory Week in March 2012.

Despite all the recent producing, I’ve observed that my painting, mixed media constructions, and installation work are growing and extending conceptually into many written, visual and curatorial directions and forms, and as singular, complimentary, and participatory offshoots of my visual arts practice. Like many artists with kids—I lack studio time, I’m having trouble financially piecing it all together, and keeping up with professional and artistic follow through.

"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?

I get up in the morning and turn on the radio to listen to the weather report. Run: Earth, Wind, & Fire: September: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S8ZrQG0y6g)

Growing up in a large family with a print rich environment helped set the stages for what I produce today. I like verbal story telling, independent documentaries, literary non-fiction, allegorical history painting, and representational narratives. I am allured by everything conceptual and contemporary, too. With my larger paintings I am interested in an emotive reaction within the viewer.

I do not ask anyone to like my work. In fact, I enjoy it more when people dislike my work—because it tells me so much more about the viewers relation to the work and how the work plays into their mindset. Playing into viewer’s false perceptions and the common Americans psyche, and those who have been deceived by power and the media are all a favorite of mine. Exposing a viewer to a new truth or meaning brings a different level of meaning to the artwork itself. The artistic statement of truth seeking is more often visually clearer and journalistically straightforward in my paintings than in my ship constructions or conceptual sculptures.

Triangulation-Detail (Deceptive Face)

Pete Driessen © 2011, Acrylic Paint/Gloss Acrylic Gel & Iridescent Tinting Mediums/ Micaceous Iron Oxide/Modeling Paste/Unstretched Canvas. Hangs from Grommets. 108x144 Inches

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Play something artistic and something that I can work with, okay? David Byrne. Laurie Anderson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd7XnOnSkkA), John Cage, Lou Reed, and on and on.
I like hearing the comments from old blue-collar ladies wearing gold Lame who have had a few glasses of wine on Friday or Saturday nights during Art A Whirl. It usually comes down to them thanking me for painting about a social political event that they never heard about, and they declare in a giddy, girly fashion something like, “…tee he…I’d like to see more nude male figures, bigger cocks and larger penis’s in your paintings… tee he, tee he!”

Things that are inaccurate and bug me to the indignant creative core often inspire me. When I was a kid I went to interview with a bigwig art director at a Minnesota based worldwide incentives agency. The old dismissive dork told me to “become an electrician!” Another time, a perfectionist art mentor told me in an invalidating tone that I could not ”make up your own words.” What bullshit! I heard Shaggy in the back of my head laughing, “Like, everyone must follow the Holy American Dictionary and never wane from it, man!” Only if A. Merriam Webster adds a new word, then you can use it! This leads me to hearing and comparing all the reasons by non-artists and right wing business types why artists shouldn’t be artists. Often, just simply quietly listening to the continuous stream of dream stealers makes me stronger as an artist and empowers me to create even more.

I truly love a couple of Taoist phrases; “Chop wood, carry water,” and “The Tao that can be taught and told is not the eternal Tao.”

Tell me about your workspace and your creative process.

I arrive at the studio and turn on the radio on my broken tape player: Suburbs: Music for Boys. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKguWyiNLEg&feature=related)

My creative process is a nomadic and theoretical workspace that is nearly everywhere and can take place at anytime—the home, the car, the cabin, the kid’s school, the yard, and the raspberry patch. I have had studios in Northeast for nearly 20 years, the most recent I created in conjunction with my wonderful arts friendly landlord. I created it to be a large work, study, show, creation, visualization and meditation space. I usually have several large bodies of work in multiple forms going at the same time. The site is a chaotic, disorganized blend—as I work on large scale paintings, conceptual projects, artist statements & writing, reading, collages, mixed media ship constructions, water tank sculptures, and combined installation all at once.

Frequently acting like a silly, scurrying squirrel or chicken-with-its head-cut-off allows for accidents, coincidences and “aha” moments to occur, ideas to generate, and my work to be produced in multiple vector modes rather than linear one-at-a-time mode. I often attempt to separate ideas, materials, organize, arrange, orchestrate and categorize things into goofy systems, kooky charts, mind maps, files of files, and lists upon lists. Gelling time is important to me. Rarely do I work quickly through a piece for the simple reason to get it done. Rushing into creation often has a poor result for me and often conversely affects my follow up with the work. Breaking the studio into four physical arenas has been helpful although it continuously overlaps: office, shop, storage, and creation/exhibit.

I firmly believe the myth of northern light for painters is complete bullshit. Light and artwork are ever changing and shifting. And attempting to have perfect light all day is, in my mind, a joke. I prefer all different kinds of light and its theatrical affect on my art and working conditions—halogen, incandescent, florescent, shadowy, filtered and seasonal natural light that is ever shifting illumination. For these reasons, I created a semi defined rectangular interior building space, devoid of windows, with large working walls and only one overhead skylight. The skylight acts as my own little Turrell sky pesher.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
Radio is working again. Run: BAD Cmon Every Beat Box: (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-18085711/big_audio_dynamite_cmon_every_beatbox_official_music_video/)

I tend to not follow work that is solely created for ego based, selling, capitalist, careerist, or self-serving purposes. Although my preferences are wide ranging, they are often lean towards critical thinking artists or artworks that are aesthetically advanced in their ideas, imagery, thought and creative processes. I love it when artwork makes me feel uncomfortable and uneasy, makes me pee, makes me think on the toilet, or brings me to a visual or spiritual climax. It's unfair and inappropriate to drop names so consider the following an unfinished list or work in process of artists that visually stimulate and engage me somehow. I know that I am forgetting literally handfuls of talented Minnesota artists and could easily fill pages of artists in every discipline because my interests are wide ranging.

For technical and participatory work I love the Works Progress (http://www.worksprogress.org/current/we-work-here/) collective,

Steve Deitz & Northern Lights (http://northern.lights.mn/),

Peter Haakom Thompson (http://www.tentservices.org/).

For conceptual work I watch Aaron Van Dyke (http://aaronvandyke.net/index.html),

Joe Smith (http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=275001),

John Fleischer (http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=167126),

Michael Mott (http://blogs.walkerart.org/mnartists/2011/07/27/studio-visit-adam-caillier-and-michael-mott/),

and Jay Heikes (http://www.marianneboeskygallery.com/artists/jay-heikes/).

For sculpture I follow Aaron Spangler

Andrea Stanislav (www.andreastanislav.com/),

Gregory Euclide (http://www.gregoryeuclide.com/),

Kyle Fokken (http://kylefokken.com/home.html),

Michael Thomsen (http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?action=list&rid=158290),

Alexa Horochowski (http://mnartists.org/work.do?action=list&rid=4359),

Chris Larson (http://mnartists.org/event.do?rid=206441),

Liz Miller (http://www.lizmiller.com/) &

David Hamlow (http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?action=info&rid=110467),

and the Franconia (http://www.franconia.org/) troops.

For painting and drawing I enjoy Chris Mars (http://www.chrismarspublishing.com/),

Bruce Tapola (http://mnartists.org/article.do?rid=256345) & Melba Price (http://mnartists.org/article.do?rid=224431),

Clea Felien (http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=76761),

David Rich (http://www.davidrich.net/),

Isa Gagarin (http://www.midwayart.org/exhibitions/09_02_isa_gagarin/),

David Rathman (http://www.highpointprintmaking.org/editions/rathman_david/bio.html), Allen Brewer (http://www.allenbrewer.com/) &

Pam Valfer (http://pamelavalfer.com/section/92481.html),

Val Jenkins (http://www.cva.edu/news_events/detail.php?ID=128 ),

Shana Kaplow (http://shanakaplow.com/home.html),
Karen Kasel (http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?action=info&rid=2485),

Carolyn Swiszcz (http://www.carolynswiszcz.com/),
Lisa Nankivil (http://www.nankivil.com/)

and Mary Esch (http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=31488).

For photography it’s Paul Shambroom—hands down (http://www.paulshambroom.com/),

and street portraits of Xavier Tavera (http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2009/03/02/interview-with-xavier-tavera/).

For sociopolitical work I appreciate Camille Gage (http://www.formandcontent.org/camille.htm).

For Video I watch Matt Bakkom (http://mnartists.org/work.do?rid=204078),

Scott Nederlow (http://www.mnoriginal.org/art/?p=4132),

and Mark Wojahn (http://mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=42252).

For printmaking I dig Jenny Schmid (http://www.bikinipressinternational.com/).

Gorgonica-Triptych/Black & Orange-Detail (Spider/3 Balls)

Pete Driessen © 2010,
Acrylic & House Paint/Gloss Acrylic Gel & Iridescent Tinting Mediums/Modeling Paste/Unstretched Black Camping & Florescent Orange Canvas/Found Mirror Frame/Hangs from Grommets & Wire, 
 74 x 78 Inches

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

Damn this radio, the reception sucks: Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K65GaJMl9KQ)…

Where I hang out in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota is often an extension of my art practice and its extension into my life.

Walker Art Center Open Field and Drawing Club (http://blogs.walkerart.org/openfield2011/), Midway Contemporary Art & Library (http://www.midwayart.org/),

Art of This (http://artofthis.net/),

They Won’t Find Us Here Gallery (http://www.theywontfindushere.com/),

Rochester Contemporary Art Center (http://www.rochesterartcenter.org/),

MAEP, State Fair, Paul Bunyanland, the Soap Factory, and nearly vacant strip malls. I love outstate antique stores, dollar stores, thrift stores, rural flea markets, old fashioned barn keggars, and the smell of fresh silage and fish eviscerations. I love visiting and having conversations at other artist’s homes and studios. I love going to lunch, garage sales, seeking out junk materials and old ephemera, and hanging out at workshops and lectures on all types of subjects. To satisfy my nautical urges it’s the 3 W’s: Wind, water, and waves. And lakes and nude beaches. Wait…there are no nude beaches anymore in Minnesota. Damn, we are sooo puritan here.

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?

Wish I may, wish I might…I want a new stereo with Bose speakers: Gil Scott Heron: The Revolution will Not be Televised (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGaRtqrlGy8)

Often, I utilize nontraditional online media resources for seeking out a variety of quirky and idiosyncratic art related ideas, materials, opportunities, connections and resources. I like continuously learning in all forms and believe that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. I love listening to those that speak to truth to power: Cornell West, Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Naomi Wolf, Amy Goodmann, and Ed Said. I embrace truth and meaning and find inspiration from Link TV (http://www.linktv.org/),

Democracy Now (http://www.democracynow.org/),

KFAI (http://www.kfai.org/),

and Architects & Engineers for Truth (http://www.ae911truth.org/en.html),

and Building 7 (http://rememberbuilding7.org/10/).

For strictly art thingies I like perusing calendars and classifieds of a zillion blogs and mailing lists, including

CAA (http://www.collegeart.org/),

www.mnartists.org,

radical art caucus (http://radart.squarespace.com/),

mplsart.com (http://www.mplsart.com/),

Springboard (http://www.springboardforthearts.org/),

LMCC (http://www.lmcc.net/),

Creative Time (http://www.creativetime.org/),

Eflux (http://www.e-flux.com/),

MRAC (http://www.mrac.org/),

MSAB (http://www.arts.state.mn.us/),

MCA(http://www.mncitizensforthearts.org/),

Art Hounds (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/art-hounds/),

and rhizome (http://rhizome.org/).

Detecting Curation—Detritus #12/Detail (Wolfgang Puck Hamburger).

Pete Driessen © 2010, 8.5x11, Half Eaten Hamburger, Penny, Type Scale, Marker on Copy Paper. Performative “CSI” image of found hamburger. Hamburger found by artist while detecting curatorial detritus around museum. Image 12 of 34 objects. The Curatorial Cult Club/Kwestion Quration? Walker Art Center Open Field, Minneapolis, MN. An artist curated, ten week participatory/performative solo exhibition and alternative publication project. Artist Cell Phone Photo.

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

Crap! Radio off. Turn on old fashioned analog TV with rabbit ears/UHF antennae: Star Trek/Intro Rerun: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjL8WXjlGI)

I will be secretly placing an undisclosed image of a naughty, haughty Michele BachMANn in her birthday suit at the Lake Harriet Troll house during a random bike ride this fall. It will be a fleeting, meek and foible art moment and perhaps it will get blown away by the wind, covered in leaves, partially chewed up by a chipmunk, destroyed by an indignant toddler who has had too much sugar, pooped on by a Canadian Honker, or stolen by a young waif boy who has been recently love smitten.

Later this fall and next year, I will continue developing artworks relating to themes of truthiness, collective deception, false fear, and abuse of power. A few, triumphant galloping horses and odd phallic characters with names like Wolfi, Condi, Karlie, Rummy, Dickie, and Georgie just might show up in my mix, too. I am perennially job hunting and presently preparing six different grants and exhibit applications all due within three weeks of each other, so you might find me on my laptop at Spyhouse burning the midnight oil. Or surrendering and being in the present moment with my ailing father or harvesting and picking raspberries with my kids in our backyard. X0x0X

And here are some things...

Mpls.SW Patch interview/article

And to the Cashe at the Casket, Nov. 4-6: NE Mpls Arts District

Send off to Art Basel, at VanBrabson Gallery on Nov. 19: http://www.vanbrabsongallery.com/services