The eXTra finGer

...''He was counting on his fingers.One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven.Eleven?Had he been born with an extra finger?''...

My Photo
Name:
Location: Italy

...& visit my web sites: Claudio Parentela's Official Site ''Claudio Parentela:Contemporary Art with a Freakish Taste!'' Lights&Shadows Disturbing Black Inks http://www.myspace.com/claudioparentela

Google

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Interview with Léo Quievreux

q)Let’s start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?

a)Léo Quievreux. Aubervilliers (close to Paris). I was born in 1971.

q)Do you have any formal training?

a)Yes, but not directly connected to what I make know; I was in a appliqués school art
(architecture environment class) 14 years ago.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a)Yes, my mother is an artist. I made a lot of comic's during my childhood and we used
to read the french-belgian comic's productions. We lived in the south of Alsace, near
Switzerland, every year my parents took me at the international art market of Basel; it
was an impressive experience for a little boy. By retrospective effect, I put some
memories of the Alsace Nature and some particular persons in a comic’s.
It's called "Sàg", a story of 130 pages.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a)It's the mess! I mix intuition and concrete applications. Sometimes I use photos of press.
I don't make sketchbooks, just some little notes. I like working quickly (as much as possible),make some experiences like use drawings made during a phone conversation to include them in a new image.

q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?

a)There're 3 important ways in my work; the drawing (with a total free inspiration) ;
the illustrations for the newspapers; the comic's. Concerning these 2 last cases,
there're some constraints and I try to make a link between them and the first case.
All that is only drawing, with intellectual implications, but I can't really put a name on it.




q)What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a)I tried the animation, but that's not really my cup of tea. The interaction with the music
could be interesting.

q)What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)No special time.

q) What are your artistic influences?...and …generally who or what influences you the most?

a)It was a luck to meet the people of le Dernier Cri 15 years ago. In this time, I made with 2
friends a little edition -Gotoproduction. We published graphic books. The meeting with
le Dernier Cri brought us news views: outsider art to "underground" comic's. This network
is international and his influence is valid today.
Generally, I could mention the "polar" and "strange" novels or films (like J. Ellroy, H. Selby,
John Carpenter, Kiyoshi Kurozawa (...)).
Also some journalist-investigator books about politic-social-economy influences my choice
of the subjects which I process.

q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?

a)I mention one of the best for me: Keiti Ota (a painter and illustrator from Japan). Also,
David Sandlin, Charles Burns (specially the 80s draws), Imiri Sakabashira (manga artist),I recently discovered the images of Tilo Baumgärtel (german artist), I could continue the list but it would be long…

q) What is your next project?Exhibition?Collaboration?

a)I just finish a comic's with a friend who write the story (la Mue. ed. Carabas). We'll certainly
make an other book together. Now I try to write scenarios by myself. I'll participate in an
exhibition of le Dernier Cri in Paris for september-october 2007. I slowly prepare a new book
for this edition, it's for later... I also collaborate with a film-maker, Vincent Gérard (I made the
poster for his last film By the Ways-a journey with William Eggleston- and there will be another
things in the future concerning this collaboration).



q)What are your plans for the future?

a)Make the development of the 3 ways which I describe in the question 5. I'll see.

q)Are there some web sites that You would like to recomend? Artists, art communities, xxx,...!?

a)http://www.lederniercri.org/ : of course.
http://www.yvang.com/ :a guy who make very good comic's strips (in french).
www.lamplighter-films.com : the website of Vincent Gérard and Cédric Laty, film-makers.
http://www.henriettevalium.com/ :a crazy work from Quebec.
( other links on my website).

q)What sort of music do you listen to?

a)For example: Kraftwerk, the Fall, Butthole Surfers, Negativland, Dead Kennedys (...) and also
jazz like Gil Evans. A lot of different things in fact. I’m a little lost in the current events, maybe
I’m already too old (!!) or it’s a lack of interest.



q)Do you collect anything?If so what?

a)Sometimes I buy books, or japanese monsters and pictures, I only went twice in this country.
I don't have the illness of the collector.

q)What do you do for fun?

a) I don't know if fun is adequate, I would say that I take pleasure when I draw, maybe fun when I
play tennis!

q)Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a) Curious being, that maybe a good defect.



q)Your contacts…

a) website:
www.leoquievreux.net
mail: leoquievreux@yahoo.fr






Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Interview with Rosemarie Fiore

q)Let's start with the basics; what's your full name,where do you live, and how old are you?

a)Rosemarie Fiore.I live in New York City in the Bronx.I am 35 years old.

q) Do you have any formal training?

a)I received my undergraduate degrees in studio art and art history at the University of Virginia. I spent my last year studying in London at the Wimbledon School of Art and in Florence at Studio Art Center International. In addition to my studies in Florence,I apprenticed at Studio Garossi learning fine art restoration.I completed my graduate work at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received my MFA in Fiber and Material Studies.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a)As a child, I experienced both country and city living. I lived in a beautiful small town in New York state and was very close to the many cultural offerings of New York City. I grew up in what is now the suburbs of New York City.It was really more rural back then. We had a small farm on our block where we got our fresh produce and eggs. I went to county fairs, hung out at the local mall and fished with my brother in the surrounding ponds. As a child, I spent a good amount of time in New York City as well. My grandparents settled in the Italian section of the Bronx in the late 1800's. They still lived there and my parents taught in the Bronx publics chool system. I remember the fig trees, grape vines and pastry shops in the neighborhood. Sicilian was spoken in the streets. Everyone was a Yankees baseball fan.My father and grandmother were both amateur painters and opera fanatics so we went regularly to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MOMA. In the Fallon Sunday nights, I would go to the City Opera with my father. All my imagery is informed by these early experiences and influences.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a)My ideas usually come to me while I am in the middle of an experience. I recognize the raw idea or concept and then usually bounce it off of a close friend for their reaction. The dialog that ensues permits the idea to ferment in my creative subconscious. The revised project emerges in sketch or written form sometime later.For example, the idea for my Scrambler Project came tome when I was at Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Virginia. I was riding the Scrambler ride there with a friend and I noticed that we were rotating as if we were part of a giant spirograph machine. I discussed this with my friend and we wondered if I could somehow attach a very large marker to the bottom of the ride. That day I wrote down the idea in my sketchbook. It wasn't until a few years later that I met with Stacy Switzer at Grand Arts, a non-profit arts space in Kansas City. I worked closely with Grand Arts' staff while we fine tuned the project. There were a lot of details to work out starting with designing the spray delivery system. There was no guarantee of what the paintings would look like. It is only because of GrandArts' strong faith and commitment to my original concept that the work was completed.

q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?

a)Since in my work I use many different concepts and mediums it is very difficult to answer that question in one concise sentence. It would be best to visit my website www.rosemariefiore.com and read about what I've written concerning each of my projects.

q)What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a)I'd like to experiment with Bronze and aluminum casting as well as fiber based technology.

q)What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?
a)I prefer to work at night.

q) What are your artistic influences?...and generally who or what influences you the most?

a)I try to keep myself immersed in all the arts. I go to museums and galleries and the theater as often as I can. Experiencing art whether it be contemporary or not is extremely important to my work. It helps me to process my ideas.

q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographer

a)There are so many. Rembrant, Henri Rousseau, Rebecca Horn, Thomas Eakins, Giorgio Morandi, Cecily Brown,David Schnell, Jenny Saville, George Bellows, Ensor,Artemisia Gentileschi, Neo Rauch, Elizabeth Murray,Rachel Whiteread, Lucio Fontana, Stanley Spencer,Cornelia Parker, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Nancy Rubins,Carpaccio, Otto Dix, Ann Hamilton, Julie Heffernan,Ivan Albright, Vermeer, James Turrell, Phillip Guston,Agnes Martin, Smithson and Pipolotti Rist.

q) What is your next project?Exhibition?Collaboration?

a)Currently, I am working on a 10 year retrospective show in 08. It will be in Virginia. We have plans for it to travel and there will be a catalog with an essay that will be available early next year.

q)What are your plans for the future?

a)To continue to make my work.
q)Are there some web sites that You would like to recomend? Artists,art communities, xxx,...!?

q)What sort of music do you listen to?

a)I go through phases. Right now I am listening to a lot of Classic rock (mostly Dylan and Joplin),Bjork,Meredith Monk and Tom Waits.

q)Do you collect anything?If so what?

a)I collect trophy photographs of people with dead sharks. My favorite is an 8 ½ inch x 10 inch black and white head shot promo photo of Evel Knievel looking through a large shark's jaw directly at the camera. It was taken in 1977 for the CBS program "Evel Knievel Death Defiers". It aired on New Years Eve.

q)What do you do for fun?

a)I read, play poker, scuba dive and occasionally go to the arcade.

q)Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)My advice to aspiring artists is that they should always strive to make good work. I find the most important component to this process is to discover away to deeply connect with who you are.

q)Your contacts.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Interview with Jim Stoten

q)Let’s start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?

a)My full name is James Nichloas Stoten, I live in Ipswich with my girlfriend, and I am 26 years old. Nearly 27.

q) Do you have any formal training?

a)I studied for 3 years at Brighton University on the Illustration BA there. Before that I studied on a foundation course at the University of Hertfordshire for a year.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a)I think so. I come from Hemel Hempstead. It’s a bog standard normal town, but the people I knew and the places I went and the things I did probably had something to do with it.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a)I think of them.

q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?

a)I call them doodles with intent. I think my work is a stream of consciousness whilst I am holding an idea or concept that I have to communicate in my mind.




q)What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a)I like using collage in my sketchbooks. Maybe that side of my work will emerge later on.

q)What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)It is about the right mood. I like working in the mornings, and the night time. I can only work through the middle of the day if I am well into what I am doing.

q) What are your artistic influences?...and …generally who or what influences you the most?

a)I don’t know. I don’t look at a lot of work, and when I do, I usually just appreciate.

q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?

a)Elvis studio, Paper Rad, Tove Jansson, Windsor McCay, Fischli and Weiss, Richard Scarry, Dr, Seuss. Loads.

q) What is your next project?Exhibition?Collaboration?

a)My next project that I am excited about is a self promotional one. I want to get my website upto scratch, and print some promotional material.



q)What are your plans for the future?

a)Keep going.

q)Are there some web sites that You would like to recomend? Artists, art communities, xxx,...!?

a)Islands fold. They are a brilliant art residency and small publishing press. I went and stayed with them for a week and it was the best. They live on Pender Island in Canada. Go look at
www.islandsfold.com. It’s an amazing thing.

q)What sort of music do you listen to?

a)I listen to music that I make with my friends.

q)Do you collect anything?If so what?

a)I collect books, badges, imagery from papers and magazines.



q)What do you do for fun?

a)I swim, I draw, I eat, I smoke, I drink coffee and watch films, I go to pubs, I see friends, all sorts.

q)Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)Be patient and persist.



q)Your contacts…

a)Are in my eyes.
www.jimtheillustrator.co.uk/

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Interview with Elizabeth Young

q)Let's start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?

a)Elizabeth Young
New York City
37

q) Do you have any formal training?

a)Yes, I graduated from Art Center College Of Design, California.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a)Yes. I grew up in san Francisco, a very open minded city. My family also spent two years in Germany when I was a child. We would always travel during school holidays. I think being exposed to many different cultures and languages has been a big professional and personal influence.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a)My concepts come from many different sources. Sometimes I’m inspired by words, music or conversations with friends. Sometimes they are a reaction to what currently exists.

q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?

a)My photographs present a very specific worldview via colour, composition and emotional connection.

q) What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a)Film. Video. I’d love to collaborate with the right person or work on a book too.




q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)I prefer daylight so anytime between sunrise and sunset works for me. The environment and personality/energy of people involved is important as well. I really dislike those giant photo studios that have lots of shoots going on simultaneously. They remind me of the junior high school cafeteria.

q) What are your artistic influences?...and …generally who or what influences you the most?

a)I am inspired by people who have their own voice and who have the confidence to blaze a path of their own. At the moment, I am inspired by David Armstrong. I love his use of natural light and the fact that he shoots at home. I’ve been familiar with his work since college but I didn’t realize that he shoots out of his Brooklyn brownstone. I read about his working style and home in a NYT article a number of years ago. It was inspiring because that is how I’ve been working/prefer to work as well. Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to buy a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone too.


q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?

a)At the moment: Uta Barth. Trisha Donnelly. Javier Vallonrat. Veronique Branquinho. David Armstrong. Sophie Calle. Olafur Eliasson. M/M Paris. Francis Bacon. Dan Flavin. Donald Judd.



q) What is your next project? Exhibition? Collaboration?

a)My next project is an image book and lookbook for Inhabit, a NYC based knitwear company. I may also be participating in a group show called “Double X: Women Representing Women.” It will be at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

q)What are your plans for the future?

a)More pictures! I’d also like to spend more time in Europe.

q) Are there some web sites that You would like to recommend? Artists, art communities, xxx,...!?

a)I don’t know of any websites that fit the criteria but maybe a google search of the above artists? I do like http://showstudio.com/ and the M/M Paris website.

q) What sort of music do you listen to?

a)For a long time, I listened to only electronica. Now I’ve been broadening my horizons to include lots of other types of music. My most recent music purchase was Feist and a friend just gave me a CD of remixes of The Cure. I really love both of them.



q) Do you collect anything? If so what?

a)I try not to collect anything I’m a minimalist at heart. However, I would love to have a library full of books once I have the right space and budget. I wouldn’t mind collecting beautiful old houses either.

q) What do you do for fun?

a)Sleep, read, go to the movies, cook, practice yoga, swim at the beach and hang out with friends.

q) Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)I suppose my advice really depends on what the individual wants out of life – I know some people prefer to make $$ with mediocre work rather than starve with an original vision. For those individuals, I recommend partying/sleeping with the right people (supermodels, fashion editors, creative directors, art directors and agents are the best) while ripping off real artists as the fast track to success. Having the right connections is generally more important than actual talent. For those people who are actually interested in photography, I’d recommend being true to yourself and finding your own vision. It is the harder path but I think it is the more rewarding one.



q) Your contacts…

Elizabeth Young

http://elizabethyoung.com/
solarisnyc@earthlink.net
212 358 5232

Saturday, July 07, 2007

R.KIKUO JOHNSON

"copyright 2007 R. Kikuo Johnson."


The fantastic Art of Mr.R.KIKUO JOHNSON...!!!
To see more of his artworks visit his web site:http://www.seabread.com/


"copyright 2007 R. Kikuo Johnson."

"copyright 2007 R. Kikuo Johnson."

"copyright 2007 R. Kikuo Johnson."

"copyright 2007 R. Kikuo Johnson."