Still Might Need More Milk

Oil on linen 40″ x 30″

Come One, Come All

Oil on linen 48″ x 60″

Burgers

Oil on linen 48″ x 48″

Props

Oil on linen 72″ x 80″

Mini Interview with ROBERT C. JACKSON:

Your childhood ambition:

To be a monkey trainer.

Something you treasure:

A painting that hangs over my mantle that was done by my son when he was 4 years old.

Your worst habit:

Snoring.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

That the enjoyment I find in creating it is passed on to others.

Your first job:

A newspaper boy.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Scott Fraser www.sfraser.com

See more of Robert C. Jackson’s work here.

Rothkos in Space

acrylic on canvas

24” x 24”

2013

Your Business is Your Business

acrylic on panel

24” x 18”

2010

Serene Sewer

acrylic on canvas

18” x 24”

2013

A Flow of Fondles

acrylic on canvas

12” x 9”

2013

Mini Interview with RALPH PUGAY:

Your childhood ambition:

I really wanted to be a telekinetic. Couldn’t find a good telekinesis program so I dinked around in community college for two years trying out different ambitions, until I took a drawing class and finally decided to commit.

Something you treasure:

My Sonicare and my new iPad.

Your worst habit:

Playing games on the iPad waaaaay too much. Also, downloading a bunch of unread e-books that are e-piling up.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

The self-effacing humor. Having lived in Oregon for 10 years, I definitely fall prey to seasonal depression. Painting is a good reminder exercise for me to lighten up.

Your first job:

I worked the tickets for my local high school with some friends who were totally pocketing the revenue and buying useless crap from Hot Topic. I had so much Manic Panic, my hair started falling out.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Really hooked on J.F. Willumsen right now. Saw some of his work while on vacation in Florida and was awe-stricken. So radical for an artist who died in 1958.

See more of Ralph Pugay’s artwork here.

photo: Maria Teicher

Mini Interview with ALEAH CHAPIN:

Your childhood ambition:

To be an artist, whatever that actually means. I just knew that I loved making things and I didn’t want to stop.

Something you treasure:

My home. The place, the people and all the stories that are woven through it that I’m learning to treasure more and more everyday.

Your worst habit:

Not cleaning my brushes.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

That the people I paint are real people, in every sense of the word.

Your first job:

I worked for a caterer. My childhood friend and I would be trusted (somehow) to set up and serve a wedding of 150 people. I was 14.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

It’s hard to choose one, but I really admire Emily Davis Adams http://emilydavisadams.net/

See more of Aleah Chapin’s work here.

Mini Interview with LENA KLYUKINA:

Your childhood ambition:

Probably to beat someone at Street Fighter and not to break a neck while riding a bicycle. And also to be somewhat smart and know things in depth. That one never changed.

Something you treasure:

My sketchbooks, handmade things beloved people gave me over time, my mp3 player and my favorite music collection I wouldn’t do a step without.

Your worst habit:

Maybe one of the worst is not being by the phone when people need me. I often don’t hear it ring or don’t carry it with me at all. Or sometimes just don’t feel like talking. Then I just pass by and find missed calls hours later.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

A sense of wonder. Watching different things from various experiences collide. Being infinite and small and everything in between, and all at the same time.

Your first job:

My first job was as a gardener at Botanical Gardens. I used to take care of plants, spending my days under the sun and rain, and usually down on my knees, sweating with joy. Best. Job. Ever.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

First name that came to mind is Killian Eng, also known as DW Design (dwdesign.tumblr.com). He’s a genius sci-fi illustrator and is definitely one of the most inspiring contemporary artists.

See more of Lena Klyukina’s work here.

Waiting #190
2013
Oil on wood
40×40 inches

Waiting #187
2013
Oil on wood
48×48 inches

Waiting #190
2013
Oil on wood
36×36 inches

Waiting #138
2012
Oil on wood
48×48 inches

Waiting #133
2012
Oil on wood
48×48 inches

Mini Interview with BRETT AMORY:

Your childhood ambition:

Skateboarding.

Something you treasure:

Family and friends.

Your worst habit:

Biting my fingernails.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

Connection to my environment.

Your first job:

Boat painter.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Gage Opedenbrouw.

See more of Brett Amory’s work here.

Mini Interview with AMANDINE URRUTY:

Your childhood ambition:

I always wanted to be a drawer! But curiously I thought I would be a cartoonist.

Something you treasure:

My memories of my father, my first and biggest support.

Your worst habit:

I always work in my bed, even for big drawings. Dirty habit.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

I guess it would be its ambivalence. That’s what I love most in art, in general.

Your first job:

I used to paint horrible pigs on stores’ windows at the age of 14.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

My last artistic crush is Christian Rex Van Minnen. Magnificent.

See more of Amandine Urruty’s work here.

Mini Interview with PETR LOVIGIN:

Your childhood ambition:

I wanted to be watermelon-seller.

Something you treasure:

Freedom.

Your worst habit:

I’m egoist. A bit.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

My invented world in photography named “costarica” with many characters like Wolf the Emerald Heart, Odnomubogu, Young Louis, Black Dwarf and others. It’s a very difficult way, because all these stories tie together by something and sometimes it’s difficult to explain a sense for new viewers who see my work for the first time.

Your first job:

Teacher of architecture in University. The first and the last job. From 2008 I’m unemployed.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Takeshi Kitano, Paolo Ventura, Kim Ki Duk.

See more of Petr Lovigin’s work here.

Vanitas in White

oil on board

Golden Mean in Red II

oil on board

Reign

oil on canvas

Three Fishermen

oil on canvas

Interview with SCOTT FRASER:

Your childhood ambition:

My childhood ambition was always to be an artist. I grew up in Chicago and saw some really great art at the Chicago Art Institute, which helped seal the deal. I think I wanted to be an archeologist for a few weeks, but then I changed my mind.

Something you treasure:

On Tuesday mornings I head off to Santiago’s with my lovely wife. The staff knows us and we don’t even have to order. I always have the same thing: Huevos Rancheros, two eggs over easy on top, corn tortillas underneath and smothered with hot green chile. It’s a fun way to start the day, while getting out of the studio for a while.

Your worst habit:

I defer to my dog Petunia, who loves me just as I am and doesn’t think I have any bad habits. I love her just as she is too.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

I think that would be the actual act of painting and creating. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I couldn’t paint anymore. Painting isn’t just a job, it’s so tied in with who I am that I just can’t imagine doing anything else.

Your first job:

When I was in high school, my friends and neighbors would commission portraits of their cats, dogs, houses or favorite rock stars. Other than that, my first official job was as a hod carrier which was a very physical, hard job involving mixing cement for brick layers. From this I learned discipline, a strong work ethic, and how to lay a stone patio.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Daniel Sprick    www.danielsprick.com

See more of Scott Fraser’s work here.

Mini Interview with SHIH YUNG-CHUN:

Your childhood ambition:

To be a postman.

Something you treasure:

My dog and toys.

Your worst habit:

Always stop working when the sun goes down.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

All of my works are inseparable from my daily life.

Your first job:

Drawing posters for a theme park in one of my high-school summer vacations.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Marcel Dzama.

View Shih Yung-Chun’s artwork here.

Casita de Dulces
Oil on Canvas
160 x 300 cm
2011

El Banquete
Oil on Canvas
250 x 206 cm
2013-14

Incendios
Oil on Canvas
120 x 210 cm
2013

La Vida Eterna
Oil on Canvas
290 x 260 cm
2013

Interview with GUILLERMO LORCA:

Your childhood ambition:

When I was a child I wanted to be a paleontologist.

Something you treasure:

A necklace that I never take off.

Your worst habit:

Going to bed too late.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

The image that I paint, even more than the way that I paint it.

Your first job:

Painter.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

There’s too many, but today I want to recommend the moving work and life of Henry Darger.

See more of Guillermo Lorca’s work here.

Chronoglyph

Tokyo

Urban Rhapsody II

Score for a Symphony

Interview with BEN SACK:

Your childhood ambition:

To be an artist.

Something you treasure:

My library of books.

Your worst habit:

Starting too many books and never finishing them.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

The thinking and the doing are the most important aspects. Getting lost in thought, or, drawing in your mind, lets you create works that would otherwise be impossible. When you translate your thought (thinking) onto a piece of paper, the so-called doing part, you then become a liberator of thought and thus a creator—an artist.

Your first job:

Commercial fisherman in Alaska. My uncle owns his own 42′ fishing vessel. When I was 15, I spent the summer working onboard catching and icing salmon. It was one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Living: Visually: I’m totally enthralled by Julie Mehretu’s giant canvases. Conceptually: The ideas behind and within the works of Matthew Ritchie are totally inspiring, ambitious and all encompassing.

Dead: Michelangelo. Everyone knows about this master, you could say everything that could be said has been said. What I know is that I’ll never have the right words to express the impact that his powerful work has had on me personally. What I recommend is that every artist should become intimately familiar with his biography. He lived a turbulent life, rose above it all and elevated art beyond a craft. Not to mention, his art extended to and bridged the gaps between sculpture, drawing, architecture, painting and poetry. He’s Prometheus, Apollo and a bit of Shakespeare all in one.

See more of Ben Sack’s work here.

The Locavore
40″ x 50″
oil on canvas

Satsuma
9″ x 12″
oil on panel

Oysters
12″ x 16″
oil on panel

An Offering
24″ x 24″
oil on panel

Roughage
24″ x 30″
oil on panel

Interview with ERIC WERT:

Your childhood ambition:

To be a herpetologist.

Something you treasure:

My health.

Your worst habit:

Horror vacui.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

Same as above.

Your first job:

Specimen preparator at a museum. Really, I would have paid them.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Rachel Ruysch.

See more of Eric Wert’s work here.

Mini Interview with SHINYOUNG AN:

Your childhood ambition:

I wanted to become an interpreter, because I could not speak well when I was a child. I knew I was talented as an artist, but I did not pursue it. I was not sure if I wanted to be an artist… Actually, I was afraid of not being able to make a living as an artist. For some reason, the people around me admired women who were bank clerks. I guess they thought that was a safe position for a woman.

Something you treasure:

I really value having a healthy body. I cannot concentrate on my work if my body does not feel right. I will never forget being physically weak as a child. Because of that, I had a very low opinion of myself growing up. I believe a healthy body can have a strong influence on one’s mental abilities.

Your worst habit:

I get upset quickly, but I also forget about what made me mad quickly. I asked my husband about this one day, and he said, “Not keeping everything in is good for your health. You don’t have any bad habits. Please come to bed early anyway.” I assume staying up late is worse to him than listening to my complaints.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

Getting the truth out to get viewers involved.

Your first job:

When I was in high school, I worked as a secretary in the principal’s office. I quit a year later because I knew it was not an appropriate job for my talents and personality. But by giving up that job, I was taking a big risk of never getting a future job as a bank clerk. Many teachers criticized me at that time. They pointed out that position was a rare opportunity for one student among thousands. However, I never regretted my decision.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Among artists who have died, I would recommend René Magritte. Because of his originality, his cleverness, and I love his art which has multiple meanings.

And for a living artist, I am happy to recommend Harvey Dinnerstein. His sincerity and persistence of demanding reality comes through in his work. His precise drawing skills gave him an ability to simplify his art, providing just enough detail for a balanced picture that is in harmony with nature. You can use Google Images to see some of his work.

See more of ShinYoung An’s work here.

The Fall
105 x 180 cm
oil on linen, 2014

The Rest
190 x 200 cm
oil on linen, 2014

The Other Side
190 x 300 cm
oil on linen, 2011

The Apple Tree
121 x 121 cm
oil on linen, 2015

The Abandonment
130 x 89 cm
oil on linen, 2012

Interview with MICHELE DEL CAMPO:

Your childhood ambition:

Being a naturalist. I was drawing or sculpting exotic animals with wax, and I used to record documentaries about animals and transcribe them in notebooks.

Something you treasure:

My finished tubes and caps of oil colors, apart from the whites. Most of those tubes have accompanied me in my work for months, some for years, and I find it such a pity to throw them away when they are finished!

Your worst habit:

Working too late at night. I go to bed at 4 or 5 am and I seem to never manage to correct that.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

The idea behind a painting, its story or message.

Your first job:

I sold bicycles in a sporting shop during a summer holiday. I only lasted a few weeks. I just couldn’t adjust to the routine.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Liu Xiaodong. He has such a big capacity to translate onto canvas simple or complex scenes with exceptional speed and economy of means. If I can add another name, surely Antonio López García. His paintings are precise depictions of reality through time (he can spend literally decades on the same painting, although he works at many paintings at the same time). His work should be seen live to really appreciate the sensual treatment of the paint on the canvas.

See more of Michele Del Campo’s work here.

The Long Wait
from Border series
2005-06

Solitude of a Dreamer
from Border series
2005-06

from Another Country series
2010

Tehran, 2006
2006

Untitled
2009

Interview with MITRA TABRIZIAN:

Your childhood ambition:

To be an archeologist.

Something you treasure:

My health.

Your worst habit:

Obsessed with details.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

To take risks.

Your first job:

Teaching photography.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Many, including Michelangelo Antonioni.

See more of Mitra Tabrizian’s work here.

Interview with ROMINA RESSIA:

Your childhood ambition:

To be a painter.

Something you treasure:

First of all my husband, family and friends. To be healthy and to be able to live my passion.

Talking about material things, I treasure my collection of antique French frames and every time I can I add a new one to the collection. I don’t have more space in the walls to hang them but I can’t stop buying them.

Your worst habit:

To be very obsessive at work and to try to have everything under control.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

I love my work in all its aspects. It allows me to express myself in a creative way and I enjoy while I am doing it.

Your first job:

When I was a child I wanted to work to have my own money, then my father found me a job in a supermarket and I was there just a few days. It was so hard to me, I realized it was easier to spend my father’s money, hahaha.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

One of my favorite artists is Ray Caesar. And regarding painting I would recommend Mary Jane Ansell’s work.

See more of Romina Ressia’s work here.

Oil and Polyester resin on Plywood
1560 x 2080mm
2014

Oil and Polyester resin on Plywood
1210 x 1685mm
2014

Oil and Polyester resin on Plywood
865 x 895mm
2014

Oil and Polyester resin on Plywood
300 x 182mm
2014

Oil and Polyester resin on Plywood
862 x 896mm
2014

Mini Interview with RYOICHI NAKAMURA:

Your childhood ambition:

I wanted to work like my father as a Salaryman.

Something you treasure:

My family history.

Your worst habit:

Watching Japanese comedy shows on YouTube and reading manga.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

Painting is a way of representing “what I am”: the way I react to what goes on around me, but also how I think of the past and the future. To paint is to reflect; to collect fleeting memories and to see what further insights we may glean from them.

Your first job:

A part-time job at a pizza restaurant. I prepped pizzas and baked them.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Ken Domon (a Japanese photographer).

See more of Ryoichi Nakamura’s work here.

Interview with ESTELA CUADRO:

Your childhood ambition:

I wanted to make cartoons. Then my idea changed and I decided to study graphic design, perfecting my knowledge as a visual artist.

Something you treasure:

My plants are part of my inspiration every day.

They remind me of my grandmother who had a huge garden and I learned from her to care for them.

Now I have a garden with many species from Argentina and elsewhere.

Your worst habit:

Talk too much.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

Keep growing, learning and perfecting me as an artist.

Often I investigate to make bigger my knowledge about morphology, composition and chromatic.

Your first job:

As a graphic designer in a company about promotional products.

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

I admire the art works of Daniel Mochi.

http://danielmochi.tumblr.com/

See more of Estela Cuadro’s work here.

Mini Interview with SHANTELL MARTIN:

Your childhood ambition:

My childhood ambition was to be a runner or a cartoonist.

Something you treasure:

My partner in life and my health.

Your worst habit:

I have a pretty bad habit of putting pens and markers in my pockets without lids on, which have bled out on some pretty nice sofas and surfaces in the past.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

It’s really important to me that my work is shared, that it’s accessible that it’s an experience.

Your first job:

Was selling shoes in Oxford Circus in London at a place called Shelly’s Shoes. (It’s not there anymore.)

Someone whose work you highly recommend:

Slightly obsessed with Casey Neistat.

See more of Shantell Martin’s work here.

Interview with ZAY YAR AYE:

Your childhood ambition:

To be a government officer who sits in big table.

Something you treasure:

Get chance to learning Myanmar traditional art and research on Myanmar traditional painting and its history.

Your worst habit:

Wanting to change style of painting if several works is done in one style.

The aspect of your work that’s most important to you:

Sense of Myanmar art and culture.

Your first job:

Workshop helper when I was 13.