Showing posts with label Chris Larson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Larson. Show all posts

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Samuel Robertson - Painter

Samuel Robertson

Name: Samuel Robertson
City/State: Minneapolis/Minnesota
Email: SamRobertsonArt at gmail.com
Website: MisterRobertson.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/MisterRobertson
Twitter: @SamRobertsonArt
Etsy Page: MisterRobertson


Bio 

I am a multimedia artist living in Minneapolis and in my illustrative work (and also in music, writing, and sculpture, I suppose) I study people and our relationships to appetite, commodities, technology, nature, and each other. I explore both the darkness and the humor in our efforts to find fulfillment and comfort through consumption, drawing inspiration from sources where I find symbolic representations of human appetite, including industrial equipment catalogs, tourism magazines, and wilderness and hunting publications. So far I've refrained from explicit judgement or commentary in my work, attempting instead to imbue my scenes with atmosphere, humor, and allegory. But I'm feeling a change brewing in my approach, though I've only caught glimpses of what it might be.


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

I am currently illustrating The Old Testament, in a vivid, psychedelic style, and although stylistically and conceptually it has similarities to my past work, this series diverges in magnitude and focus. By illustrating the most widely read book of all time with a sort of 21st century surrealism, I'm developing as an illustrator while learning to market and promote my work at the same time. I've finished 114 of what will eventually be over 300 illustrations and I aim to finish by Christmas Day, 2017. I'm enjoying the marketing aspects a bit, and I'm actively seeking representation, as well as a publisher. I envision these illustrations published alongside the entire text of the King James' Old Testament, with a page of text on the left and an illustration on the right, for the entire book. I'm choosing passages to illustrate with spacing in mind for that.




How did you decide to become an artist?

It was a slow process. Whenever I would think about what I could see myself doing with my life, I had a hard time imagining anything so I wouldn't think about it. In high school I took drawing and sculpture classes and drew a lot - there was an incredible set of art teachers at my school in Wisconsin, and they gave me the spark, staying after hours many nights so a few of us could get in more time on the potters' wheel. Then I went to the University of Minnesota after high school not knowing what I wanted, but I continued with ceramics, making pots compulsively until I would come home and sit on my bed and eat spaghetti and paint. But I at that time I was not interested in critiques or cyclical discussions about "art vs. design" and wanted to be left alone to make art. So I dropped out of school and built a canoe with my friend and carried it to the Mississippi River and paddled it to New Orleans. Then my friend's parents met us in New Orleans and they told me I should go back to school, and I was feeling pretty aimless and like maybe I made the wrong choice by leaving, even though I learned a lot from my time away. I was feeling pretty dumb because I didn't leave on the best terms, but I went back with a renewed vigor and spent all my free time in the art building, sleeping there pretty often in low-traffic corners - all the night time janitors knew me and they just mopped around me. 

Then life after undergraduate was wandering and strange for a while, working many jobs and painting, writing, and making music, always telling myself life as a professional artist was just around the corner if I kept making stuff. But I did nothing proactive - I didn't seek out shows or think critically about how to do the art thing. I would sell a few paintings here and there and I moved around Minneapolis a lot, letting time flow, painting, writings songs, and I worked at a shop for three years that made medieval weapons. I had other jobs too - remodeling work, screen printing, and furniture building, restaurant jobs, etc. But then I went on a music tour which felt like the pinnacle of my aimlessness. I've always been of the mindset that it is best for me creatively to bounce around from medium to medium, letting my ideas manifest however they wanted to, and in that way they would build upon each other. But when I returned from the tour, I decided a lack of focus was my problem, and that I would stick with painting and illustration until I could pave a way for myself with it, and I discovered The Old Testament to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for my style of painting intense and surreal depictions of human appetite. The Bible has been a fruitful lens from which to interpret the vast forms and contours of appetite.




How has it been, illustrating the Old Testament so far?

It feels like it illustrates itself. I was for sure running out of steam before I started, but the King James' version is especially ripe for visual interpretation. I've never read the bible before this, but it is relieving that for a while, that's what I'm doing, and that those pages have all I need to know within them - I just have to continue to make time to decode it and find out what's the best way to show the world.


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

A professor of mine, Chris Larson, was talking to a small class of his I was in, and he said to us, "You know the secret for getting through artist's block?" (Writer's block for artists of course.) He had all our attention, because he is an inspiring artist and teacher who was about to let us in on a secret. He changed the subject, seemingly accidentally. Then someone interrupted him a bit later and asked, "Wait! What's the secret?" Chris acted confused, "For what?" he said. The person replied, "To get through artist's block." And Chris said, "Oh. You just keep making." And everyone seemed to feel let down but I felt super energized.

Also, once my friend made me a sandwich and he didn't match up the bread - it was flipped around - and it blew my mind.




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

I sell prints at my exhibitions and people can contact me from my website MisterRobertson.com to buy original work. I also paint murals. Also I was lucky to find a job as a mason's apprentice which has cushioned this time of my life, so I'm not completely dependent on my art just yet for income.

I'm marketing myself by sending postcards and press releases to publishers, agents, publications and galleries. I search for residencies and grants and I try to meet with working artists to get advice. Also, I'm developing a web presence with a few social media pages and a website. I'm trying to try everything to see what works best. 





Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
Chris Larson (If you google "Chris Larson Artist" his amazing sculptures will show up.
Michael Gaughan's work is real cool: http://www.michael-gaughan.com/ 

Here's some Minneapolis music I love: Rupert Angeleyes, Breakaway, The Controversial New Skinny Pill


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

The MIA is great for it's huge collection and rotating MAEP exhibitions and other rotating galleries.
I enjoy Light Grey Art Lab, which is illustration focused http://lightgreyartlab.com/ 




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? 

I like MNartists.org for events and I've found a lot of good art on tumblr. I've fine tuned my feed so a stream of fresh art is coming my way every day - that's where I discovered Julian Glander 
http://julianglander.com/ who is awesome.

Then a few other websites/blogs I visit:




Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
I am exhibiting 70 new paintings from my Illustrated Old Testament at "In the Heart of the Beast Theatre (1500 E. Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407.) The show opens March 11 and goes until the 26th, and the opening reception is March 19 from 3:00-7:00 PM. It is in the main room of the theatre for the duration of Davey T. Steinman and Company's production of the rock opera, "Basement Creatures," as his whole performance is backstage, in an emulated basement. There's more information on my website, MisterRobertson.com



Samuel Robertson

Monday, May 6, 2013

Jeremy Szopinksi - Painter


The Thousandfold Principle #5 / Oil on paper, mounted on board / 32" x 25" / 2013
Jeremy Szopinski


Bio:
Jeremy Szopinski has exhibited at many venues in the Midwest and nationally including Woodward Gallery, Soo Visual Arts Center, Phipps Center for the Arts, Speedboat Gallery and the Duluth Art Institute.  He has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN, as a senior letterpress printer at Studio On Fire in Minneapolis, and has painted murals. He graduated in 1998 from the College of Visual Arts, in Saint Paul, and completed his MFA in painting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2010.

Triple Fire / Oil on board / 43" x 44" / 2013


Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
I'm currently working on a series of smallish scale paintings. I've been experimenting combining printmaking ink with traditional oil paint. The ink has a much different viscosity than paint and does some interesting things when it's scraped across the painting. I've also been using a paper called Terraskin, which is made out of stone. The paper absorbs paint in a different way than a typical gessoed surface. It also is incredibly smooth, especially when mounted to a board, and gives the paint greater luminosity.

How did you decide to become an artist?
I made the official decision after my first year of college. I had been taking a lot of general liberal arts courses and realized art was the obvious choice. It is my calling and I'm miserable if I'm not making paintings.

The Thousandfold Principle #6 / Oil on paper, mounted on board / 25" x 30" / 2013

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 
Don't kill your paintings. In other words, don't overwork, know when to stop and how to keep the paint alive. 

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?
I put a good amount of time into promoting my work on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JeremySzopinskiArtPage), Tumblr (http://jeremyszopinski.tumblr.com/) and my website (www.jeremyszopinski.com). I have an open studio once or twice a year. When I was in grad school I made some decent connections to a few galleries and collectors in NYC.

The Thousandfold Principle #7 / Oil on paper, mounted on board / 32" x 25" / 2013

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy? 
Jon Reischl: http://www.jonreischl.com/

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

TuckUnder Gallery: http://tuckunder.org/
Midway Gallery: http://www.midwayart.org/
Walker Art Center: http://www.walkerart.org/

The Thousandfold Principle #8 / Oil on paper, mounted on board / 26" x 25" / 2013


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? 
Lately, I've been enjoying the randomness of Tumblr. It's fun to follow the strange paths it creates. It provides a way to find artists and "collectors" outside of my normal social sphere.
Here are some other blogs and review sites I like to check out:

The Brooklyn Rail: http://www.brooklynrail.org/
Hyperallergic: http://hyperallergic.com/

From The Top of Her Head / Oil on board / 48" x 62" / 2012


Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?I have a solo show called "The Thousandfold Principle" at TuckUnder Projects. May 23 - June 23.  Reception Thursday 5/23 6-9 PM.

Jeremy Szopinski
(Photography by Joanna Carina of Carina Photographics)


Tuck Under Projects

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Maren Kloppmann - Ceramics


 Moon Circle
Maren Kloppmann

Circa Gallery Featured Artist
Maren Kloppman
Circa Gallery LAI Profile

Name:  Maren Kloppmann
City/State:  Minneapolis MN
Email:  marenk@earthlink.net
Twitter: @MKloppCeramics

Bio~
Born in Veerssen, Germany, Maren Kloppmann lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she is a full- time studio artist.  Ms. Kloppmann received her Journeyman Diploma from the Keramik Handwerkskammer, Germany (1984), attended the Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri (B.F.A. Ceramics 1993), and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (M.F.A. Ceramics 1996).  She has been the recipient of several grants including three McKnight Fellowships for Ceramic Artists, the Artist Fellowship and the Career Opportunity Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Jerome Artist Project Grant. Ms. Kloppmann has exhibited nationally and internationally and her work is in numerous private and museum collections including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Weisman Art Museum, the Arizona Art Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Crocker Art Museum and the Mudgee Arts Council in NSW, Australia.

She is a self-described Modernist creating forms and surfaces that express contemporary designs. Her repertoire includes vessel sculptures, modular wall installations and functional tableware made of porcelain. 

Shield Circle

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

I am currently preparing an exhibition at Circa Gallery where I will share the gallery space with the painter Ellen Richman. My focus has been on modular wall pieces based on panels and pillow-like shapes made from porcelain. Inspired to incorporate the shadows these forms cast, I conceptualize the work by making sculptural space visible and think of the shapes becoming my tool to draw shadows. While some forms are volumes and derivative of the vessel, their interior space is invisible. This adds to my ideas of expressing space as enclosures (interior) and as negative space (exterior). In addition I am using the assemblages like shaped canvases to convey two-dimensional space either literally through a horizon or abstractly through colorfields.


"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?

Conceptually I think of my work to refer to a place between archetype and architecture. I hope for viewers to engage with my work on an intuitive level.

Wall Pillows Colorfield

Archetypes are shapes existing in nature (and culture), while architecture identifies our places of existence (and interaction). Both are engrained in our subconscious and we relate to them through our body. My objective is to create visually pleasing objects and to establish accessibility and instinctive receptivity from my audience. In general, artists convey perceptions outside the realm we call “reality”. I ultimately hope to enhance perception of space by creating definitions of spatial qualities based on my sensibilities.

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

A most poignant moment was for me when I learned about the power of boundaries. Though restrictive at first glance, boundaries are parameters that open up to endless possibilities.

Studio

Tell me about your workspace and your creative process.

My studio is “a dream come true”. It is my cathedral, my sanctuary. My goal has always been to be a studio artist and to have the infrastructure in place to create my work. My workshop is located in the NE Minneapolis Arts District and I have created a hybrid of production studio and front gallery open to the public 5 days a week. With high ceilings, columns and large windows the space is reminiscent of a modern loft, a layout of spacious architecture, which has greatly influenced my aesthetic. “Space” being the underlying concept of my work, the structure of my studio has become a source of ideas and a place to implement them.

My creative process is very much linked to my technical approach. Though I spend a fair amount of time drawing and sketching, many ideas and possibilities become evident to me while constructing the pieces and moving the clay. My work is constructed with soft porcelain slabs, which are draped over molds to create the initial shape. Once slabs are jointed to create a volume I begin to add and subtract; it is a process of construction and de-construction. I also make miniatures to work out formal concerns before figuring out techniques. When a piece gets technically too complicated I know I need to back off. The simplicity of process is my gage for creating formal simplicity.

Showroom


Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Emily Johnson  http://catalystdance.com/
Locus Architecture  http://www.locusarchitecture.com/


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

Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden  http://www.walkerart.org/
James Turell’s Sky Pesher
Midway Contemporary Art   http://www.midwayart.org/
Rochester Art Center  http://www.rochesterartcenter.org/
Minneapolis Institute of Arts   http://www.artsmia.org/
Weinstein Gallery  http://www.weinstein-gallery.com/
The Space of the Guthrie Theater  http://www.guthrietheater.org/


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?


Horizontal Stack (black and yellow)


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

While I will continue making functional tableware, my intent is to increasingly focus on wall pieces. I plan to shift the scale of the pillow elements and add to my repertoire of wall shapes for installations.

My exhibit with Ellen Richman at Circa Callery opens on 3/9/12 and runs through 4/14/12.  There is an opening reception on Friday 3/9 from 5-8 PM.

210 North 1st St
Mpls, MN 55401



Maren Kloppmann

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Jennifer Danos - Installation

Untitled (On the Ideology of Public Things 1), 2010
Jennifer Danos

Name: Jennifer Danos
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: jenniferdanos@me.com
Website: http://www.jenniferdanos.com/index.htm
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=64276

Bio~
Jennifer Danos was born in 1975 in Chicago and studied at both the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA 1997) and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (MFA 2004). She has been exhibiting her work locally at venues like the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Rochester Art Center, and Franklin Art Works, nationally at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and the Peeler Art Center in Indiana, and internationally at Galerie Analix Forever in Switzerland. Jennifer is the recipient of a Jerome Study & Travel Grant (2011), a McKnight Visual Arts Fellowship (2008) and a Minnesota Artist’s Initiative Grant (2008). She currently lives and works in Minneapolis where she teaches in the Sculpture Department at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Untitled (Poured Concrete 6), 2007

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

I just finished a project at the MAEP galleries at the MIA with Natasha Pestich and Marcus Young. This whole project was much different than past exhibitions from start to finish... Natasha, Marcus and I worked on our proposal for the MAEP for almost a year and a half. We knew that we had a lot of overlapping interests and that we were fans of each other's work, but we had to really hone in on what our common interests were to address for the project, and built into that was why the MAEP galleries (and why the MIA) for our collaboration (and by collaboration I mean conceptually - we each worked on our own pieces for the show). We all came at the idea of "Semblances" (the concept we were working under and the title of the show) in completely different ways since our practices are so varied, but we worked hard throughout the year of planning to make sure that we kept the cohesion and the main focus in mind to guide our decisions. So the intense way that our projects were playing off of each other required negotiating so many variables (including ourselves), and that was new for me.

Now that we've finished that project, I'm starting new research... still related to my ongoing ideas and questions (see below), but looking for new ways to think about them and manifest them... maybe (hopefully) make some new discoveries??? We'll see what happens!

Untitled (Poured Concrete 4) & Untitled (Glorified Hallways 1), 2007

"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?

Hm, that is a big question - I'm going to have to refer to my statement since it's the latest version of what I've been thinking about those questions ( I always feel my statement needs to be changed/refined, but this is where it's at right now):

My sculptural interventions exploit the human instinct to filter experience. Our constructed environment contains myriad cues that consciously and subconsciously affect how we think about, feel about, and interact with a given site. A person enters a space and intuitively chooses which details to interact with or neglect. Intuition is not a mysterious sense, but a learned behavior through repeated experiences. I am interested in this cognitive process and finding ways to offer opportunities to more intentionally shape our intuitive response, thus increasing our sensitivity when encountering an environment.

By calling attention to material qualities that are likely to be missed through this filtering, my work subverts the expectedness of private and public spaces. Entering my installation, one is confronted with elements that are familiar, but most likely outside of typical notice: those things in the periphery that one is conditioned to look past when entering a particular environment. I take advantage of architectural details that are physically evidenced through different activities: from construction, to human use (proper and improper), to care and repair. Or sometimes these details are the product of chance. Each artwork is made for a specific space, addressing the subtle features in the physical site. For example, I have re-created debris that accumulates on windowsills, re-imagined patterns made in the process of constructing building surfaces, and re-presented throw-away objects left behind in a given space.

I am concerned with how these subtle cues can aid in, disrupt, or hopefully form our instinctive decision-making. In addition to all of the effects of the physical cues, we bring our own personal history to the space, which further complicates our interpretations and subsequent behavior because of our individually biased expectations and assumptions. This is where the everyday collides with the aesthetic experience. These interventions serve as metaphors for larger experiences concerning the blurred boundary between seemingly incongruent categories: natural and artificial, accidental and intentional, real and perceived. The demarcation between elements, such as between objects and surfaces, or features that “belong” and do not belong, becomes flexible, malleable, un-fixed from traditional rules. Ultimately, I want to engage the conscious and subconscious nature of observation to encourage individuals to actively see each space by questioning the constructed intentions of the space and reconsidering habits and definitions.

Untitled (Architectonic Obtrusion 1), 2008

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

Well, two things. The first was early in my career as an undergrad. My professor at the time, David Frazer, told me that when he graduated college he did what he needed to do to support his studio practice by seeking out a job that would pay the bills and also afford him time to think about his work while on the job - and not have to take his job home with him mentally or otherwise.

He said he worked as a truck driver for the first few years out of college and the whole thing made sense to me - it freed me up from the stigma attached to not getting a job "in your field" right out of college, and it made the art practice the priority. Of course, over time, I began to find work in my field (teaching at MCAD, for example), but that came naturally and when I was ready.

The second thing came much later and came as a surprise when I took my class to see a lecture at MCAD by comic artist, Kim Deitch (I believe it was in 2006). Kim said that he got in a rut with his artwork and felt like he wasn't making anything interesting. It dawned on him that he couldn't make interesting art if he wasn't an interesting person having interesting experiences. So he set off on some travels and changed the way he lived. I absolutely agree with what Kim said, but had never been able to put my finger on it, much less articulate it - so I try to pass that on to my students semester after semester (and keep it in mind in my own studio).

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

My work space is my home office and whatever site I'm working at for the project. I don't have a studio (but am fortunate to have MCAD to fabricate things as needed). I do a lot of research on-site (photos, measurements, observing), reading about relevant ideas/artists, thinking, note-taking, thinking, re-thinking... and then most of the work happens on-site. It's hard for me to speculate on how something is going to look and feel until it's actually installed (or at least some test version is there), so it's often a mad rush at the end.

Untitled (Wood 2), 2008

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Natasha Pestich (working on website now!)
Marcus Young http://graceminnesota.org/
Ruben Nusz http://www.rubennusz.com/
John Fleischer http://www.johnjfleischer.com/
Scott Nedrelow http://blog.nedrelow.com/
Bruce Tapola http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=173002
Luke Aleckson http://www.lukealeckson.com/
Scott Stulen http://www.scottstulen.com/
Chris Larson http://www.walkerart.org/archive/E/AB736D0D2766EA406161.htm
Margaret Pezalla http://www.mpezalla.com/
Kate Casanova http://katecasanova.com/
Andy DuCett http://www.andyducett.com/
Aaron van Dyke http://aaronvandyke.com/
Ute Bertog http://utebertog.com/home.html
Jan Estep http://www.janestep.com/

Hmmm, there are so many, I'm sure I'm missing a few...

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

Walker Art Center http://walkerart.org/
Rochester Art Center http://rochesterartcenter.org/
Minnesota Institute of Arts & MAEP Galleries http://www.artsmia.org/
Dressing Room http://dressingroom-aot.blogspot.com/
Franklin Art Works http://franklinartworks.org/
Soap Factory http://soapfactory.org/
Location Books http://www.locationbooks.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?

e-flux (mailing list): http://www.e-flux.com/
re-title (mailing list): http://www.re-title.com/
art agenda (mailing list): http://www.art-agenda.com/

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
I am currently showing in the MIA's MAEP gallery...

"Semblances" Jennifer Danos, Natasha Pestich and Marcus Young
MAEP galleries at the MIA
Artist Talk - Thursday 11/17/2011 - 7pm in the Gallery
The show runs through 1/1/2012

February 2012 Johnson Gallery, Bethel University. St Paul, MN.
March 2012 Seerveld Gallery, Trinity College. Palos Heights, IL.
July, 2012 Spaces Gallery. Cleveland, OH.