Interview with Tumbler and Tipsy

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I live in a studio in Los Angeles, CA that I am currently working out of as well.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a)I would describe my work as being very fashion forward and unique. I recycle and reconstruct vintage clothing to transform them into a completely new look. I mix the clothing with other garments to make new pieces of modern and contemporary art in fashion.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)I have been very interested in the arts and fashion since I was very a young kid. I started creating clothes when I was a teenager but didn’t realize it was more than just a hobby until I took time off from my professional figure skating career. Once I had time to pursue my passion in the arts I realized I had finally found my niche. It was just a really organic transition for me to make..

q) What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)I love working with vintage garments from the 1920’s all the through the 1980’s. I think each piece of clothing has its own history and that past needs to be revealed and told with a modern spin.

q) What/who influences you most?

a)The biggest inspiration for my collection has been travelling the world. My career as a professional figure skater has given me the opportunity to travel to over 40 countries and 600 cities worldwide. Experiencing so many cultures and traditions gave me a new prospective on fashion and art and through my collection I want to incorporate all of the things that I saw.

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)I like to start the day very early! I wake up at around 5:30 am and start working right away. I’ll work until about 10:30am and then take my first break which usually includes a snack and checking my email. After my break I get into a creative zone and will keep working until at least 5:30. I like to take my time and work at my own pace. I hate being rushed when I have a vision; a lot of my best art happens in the early in the morning or very late at night when I am not disturbed by the outside world.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)Yes! I have many goals and dreams that I will like to achieve and conquer. My first major goal is to make it into Vintage Fashion Week in Los Angeles so that I can really show what my collection is all about! I would love to be able to showcase my collections in major publications such as Vogue, W and other high fashion magazines. But my ultimate goal is to get the world to embrace a new genre of clothing that will help make the world a more friendly, less cluttered, place to live.

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)I love contemporary, modern and pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Keith Haring, Salvador Dali, Picasso and Takashi Murakami.

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Every garment that I reconstruct is different. One garment will take me a day and another will take me a week. It all depends on how much reconstruction is needed and what plus embellishments I am going to do.

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)At first it was very hard to let them go! I definitely have an emotional attachment to my pieces but that is all part of the artistic process I think. However, the more I grow as an artist and designer the easier it has been to sell them. Now I’m at the point where I am just super excited to share my pieces with the world!

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)Music has always been super important to me! I love music! Right now I have been listening a lot to the Silversun Pickups, Muse, Chillout Sessions, Ladytron, The Faint and The Killers.

q) Books?

a)I just read a book by Budd Schulberg called, “What Makes Sammy Run?”.

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)I think to each their own! I really don’t have many beliefs on creativity because you cannot set limits on creativity! It needs to be explored and embellished and can take a few minutes or a lifetime. I don’t think there should be any limits or restrictions to creating art because that is what makes art so special and organic.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)I love to travel, spend time with my friends, watch movies, and just enjoy life. I have a really great life and I try to live each day to the fullest.

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)I am very excited to debut this fall with my first in store collection which is debuting in August across the United States in select boutiques. I am also working on a new web series called “Producing A Star.” The concept of the show is to find the next big pop star like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera and I will be the show’s stylist, so you will definitely see a lot of Tumbler and Tipsy.

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a) I am very involved with artists and art galleries in Los Angeles and New York City. When I use to travel, I tried to visit one art gallery a week in each city I was in. I love to collect art and have started to build a pretty decent collection. I find art fascinating so I am always on the lookout for new passionate artists.

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)

Question: What will I have for lunch today?

Answer: Sushi J

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)If you have a passion in life, follow it. The passion inside you will drive you to success.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a)You can view more of my work online at www.TumblerandTipsy.com.

Interview with Fernando Vicente

q) Please introduce yourself.

a)My name is Fernando Vicente, I’m 45 years old. I am an artist.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I work in Madrid, Spain.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a) I like to work the body inside and out.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)Since I remember, as a child, I wanted to devote myself to painting.

q) What are your favourite art materials and why?

a)Always work with acrylic, it is fast and clean, I like to use as support materials, posters, and prints old.

q) What/who influences you most?

a)I have influences of art history, from Velazquez to Bacon.

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)I start very early, as a clerk, the difference is that I am going to the studio to have fun, the studio is a jumble of documents and materials for painting canvases, I like to think of something that chaos emerges something clean and tidy.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)An artistic career is a background career; I think it's better not to have goals of where to direct, but be clear about what they want to do in each moment, without realizing it after the years you see that your work has a stylistic coherence.

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)I love the new figurative artists like Jenny Saville and John Currin.

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)The physical process of painting is very fast in my case, but until the process of ideas can take years to mature.

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)I like to show the works, I think it is important produce the meeting with the public, so it is inevitable to do exhibitions in the gallery, but when ever showed at museum I show the work without sale and the communication occurs too and the work rest with you.

Anyway it is always something strange to get rid of the work

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)I always paint with music, is something that you get used to and miss when not at fault it is. I used to work with the radio, but when don’t find the music I like, I listen to old song of Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra, I also like the Cure, Tom Waits

q) Books?

a)Lolita (Nabokov),100 Years of Solitude (G.G. Marquez), Moby Dick (Herman Melville), 2666 (Bolaño)

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)I have no theory on this subject but I like the phrase attributed to Picasso “Inspiration exists, but has to find work”

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)Being with my family in the countryside.

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)My last exhibition Vanitas is the subject on which I work.

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, and galleries do you prefer?

a)AAAAARte.com

I love the museums like El Prado, D'Orsay, The National Gallery and the MET.

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)Do you think painting is dead?

No, I really believe that is more alive than ever.

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Fight for their ideas, is a question of self-confidence and stress the face of adversity.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a) http://www.fernandovicente.es/

http://fernandovicentevanitas.blogspot.com/

http://fernandovicenteanatomias.blogspot.com/

http://fernandovicenteatlas.blogspot.com/

http://fernandovicenteblog.blogspot.com/

http://fernandovicentepinups.blogspot.com/

Interview with Elizabeth Eamer

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)My Name is Elizabeth Eamer and I have been a practicing artist since I graduated with an MA in fine art printmaking from the RCA in 2006.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I have a studio on Vyner Street in Bethnal Green, London, and I live just around the corner.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a)Predominately pen and ink drawings expressing amalgamations of body parts.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)I can't remember starting, I've just always drawn and organized colour. It took me a long time to get used to introducing myself as an artist tough, it sounded so arrogant.

q) What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)Black Ink, Rotary Pen, and Paper.

q) What/who influences you most?

a)I started to list them, but it would go on too long!

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)It changes all the time.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)Primarily I have pieces I want to create, but of course I want to have shows and have critical acclaim.

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)The way the scene changes constantly, yet still stays the same always fascinates me.

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)It varies from one day to two years.

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)I like the money but I hate parting with work, although if its part of a print edition its a lot less painful.

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)Yes, it is silent, I am dyslexic so I am concentrating.

q) Books?

a)The observer, Albert Camus

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)I think its a bad idea to constrain yourself to any form of belief structure.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)Socializing, sleeping, eating, drinking, sex, not in that order.

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)Yes I have a show opening next tuesday the 26th of May at Digitaria Gallery space, 60 Berwick Street, Soho, London, and I am showing in 2010 in the Bargate Gallery in Southampton.

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)I go to private views a lot, I think all Galleries can have great shows and bad shows so there is not one in particular that I rate, but One in the Other Gallery has had some good ones recently.

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)Would you like a cup of tea? Yes, milk one sugar please.

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Keep making work regardless.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a) www.elizabetheamer.com

Interview with BUTTERFLYSOULFIRE

q) First, please tell me if you and Maria are both the designers of
the clothing. Are you two married?

a)Yes, we are both the designers, Maria is taking care for womens collection, i am going mainly for the man, but also doing some womens pieces.
We are not married but having a six year old daughter together. Her name is Moya.

q) Where did you come up with the name? Butterflysoulfire? What
does it mean?

a)I founded BUTTERFLYSOULFIRE in 2001. At this point the label was mostly about customizing and printing.
In this time i was listening alot to the music of LEE PERRY, the grandfather of DUBmusic.
One of his famous songs is SOULFIRE. Then i recognized that there is a butterfly existing called papilio.THOAS.swallowtail.
So i connected this.
AND: What could be inside the fragile and beautiful body of a butterfly, if not a burning soul.

q) What is your inspiration for designing clothes?

a)It is everything that surrounds us.
We are not so much working on concepts, means that we do not have a theme in the beginning and then fullfilling it untill it is a collection.
It is mostly about creating outfits that we like, following our ideas, it is a symbiosis of pattern, silhouette, fabric, shape.
We are working on new forms of clothing.
It do not have to be mainly wearable, but in the end every piece seems to be.
It is a struggle with clothing as itself untill there is emerging an athmosphere for the collection.

q) Please tell me about yourself .. where you are originally from, when and how you got started in the fashion business? Is it what you dreamed it would be?

a)I am born in Potsdam, East Germany. Maria is born in Munich. We are both in Berlin since 1998.
Maria studied Stage and Costume Design at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee, and finished in 2008. I did not studied at all. We both see ourself as selfeducated (autodidakt) designers. I think there is also the reason for our style. There was noone who told us, do this and that but dont do it like this. We had to find out everything for ourselfes. After years of searching for OUR direction, through a lot of different style, we kind of feel like settled now. But maybe in two years i will say, ooh i did not knew anything at this time.

I never dreamed to be a fashion designer, i always was an artist - anyhow, model, actor, painter, jewellry designer, everything in one but nothing for real.
I always looked different with my strange outfits, there was always fashion in my life untill the day i started painting on my own clothing.
The very first piece i painted on was a pair of pants, i was quite drunken and wrote on it:

IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING?
Now i know! It was.


q) What can you tell me that your biggest fans don’t know about you?

a)I dont know, maybe all of them should know, that we are not rich, and that making fashion as we are doing it is more like making art then clothing.

q) Who buys your designs? Are they for everyone?

a)It is for every one who can see it, feel it, wear it.
Our design is for individuals.
You should not feel disguised by wearing butterflysoulfire.
The most important thing is to feel, act, appear, behave authentic.


q) On your MySpace page it says "Kill the Catwalk." What do you
mean by that?

a)When we think about the catwalk, the first thing is that we throw away the idea of the standard version.
So, we have made a theaterplay, some performances and **guerilla captures ** in the past. We have captured catwalks and entered the runway with all-over overalls.
It is an non aggressive act. We are just there, and the audiences is not sure if this is planned.
It is very intensive and subtle.
It is our idea of an WHOLISTIC CREATion, putting a personal note into every part of our lifes, even it is a show or a shooting...
We often work with actors and characters instead of models, because we want more than just a walking doll.


q) Have you accomplished everything you want to accomplish in your
designs? If not, please explain your goals for your designs and
your business.

a)There never should be the day that i feel accomplished, this is the death of it.
We want to make more shows and art projects, but it is always a question of budget and timing, so we need more budget to buy more time.
But on the other hand, there is nobody we have to be responsible to.
We are kind of independent. It is freedom and stress, love and hate.
God and devil.

And we love this game called life.

It is radical charming!

Interview with Chris Pell

q)Please introduce yourself.

a) hello my name is Chris Pell.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I currently live in Brighton, UK and I work in my studio at university.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a) A bit of fantasy, some occult references and some ancient mysticism thrown in.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a) I didn’t like where I lived and I enjoyed drawing since I was primary school so I guess it made sense for me to apply for a few loans and move down to the south coast to study illustration. I feel pretty excited by the prospect of making a living doing this.

q)What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)Depends what im working on though. I enjoy playing around with a lot of different mediums to get my idea out there but most of my work comes down to a pen and pencil.

q)What/who influences you most?

a)I got heavily into fantasy artwork when I was growing up, so I keep taking my work back to that now and again but I think im influenced by all sorts. I like a lot of different types of music and I enjoy film. Although im persuing a career in the arts its not often i’d look in that direction for inspiration.

q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)Well i’d probably get up late and feel guilty and then head into my studio. I usually spend most of the day and evening there drawing, scanning or on photoshop. Or in this case sitting at the studio computer avoiding work and answering interviews.

q)Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your

career as an artist?

a)As long as I can earn a comfortable living with what im doing now, I think thats the best possibile situation for me. I had a few really crappy jobs and the thought of being able to pay rent, food and a little savings from drawing etc is perfect.

q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)I’ve kept an eye on the San Francisco art scene, I love some of the stuff being broadcasted on fecalface.com. I think its a very popular choice to go into illustration today, its good that a lot of people want to do this a career because it broadens the definitions of what an illustrator is. On the other hand it can be quite suffocating at times and you often find yourself gettino bogged down with being labelled one.

q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Usually how big the piece is, I can do a photoshoot in a day but then take 4 days doing line work for a large scale drawing.

q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)Its not often I sell originals, I have been selling screenprints and digital prints of my work, which obviously arn’t heartbreaking to give away. I did however send a painting for an exibition that was called “Wham City”, if it wasn’t for the fact that it was for a good cause I would of been gutted to give it away.

q)Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)I reckon its important when im drawing. I love a bunch of different stuff. I’ve been enjoying some soca and dancehall recently, perfect for the weather. I’m also listening to artists like zomby, Hot Cross and Goblin.

q)Books?

a)Not a massive book fan, reading one hundred years of solitude at the moment though.

q)What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)Not sure really, It’s different for everyone. I just have fun and make sure i’m doing what I want, I think thats important.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)Partying

q)Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)I have a degree show which im quite excited about on the 6th of june at Brighton University.

q)Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)I usually don’t over indulge in art scenes, I enjoy fecal face like a I mentioned before but apart from that I dont follow much.

q)Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)Isn’t it about time to treat yourself?

Yes, I think it is.

q)Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Don’t get bogged down with what everyone else is doing.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a)I have a website www.chrispell.co.uk which is going to be updated very soon and also a flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/chrispell

Interview with Peter Max Lawrence

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)Hello my name is Peter Max Lawrence

q) Where do you live and work?

a)San Francisco, California USA

q) How would you describe your work to

someone who has never seen it?

a)I MAKE BAD ART.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did

you realize you were an artist?

a)I mostly started with the tear- and tantrum-soaked

intention to recreate toys taken away from me

while I was punished as a child. This happened a lot

and thank god it did, because I truly deserved it.

I remember making a full-on paper doll replica of

nearly every He-Man I owned and those coveted.

Wow — I just found the root to all of my issues!

q) What are your favourite art materials and why?

a)Pen & Paper. It is what I started with and seems

to be the beginning and end of most ideas.

q) What/who influences you most?

a)I would have to say in all honesty my close friends

and family, most specifically my father Dennis and

my mother Barbra. They never cease their support,

which then solidifies into an overt influence on how

I live my life and create my work, which are essentially

the same thing.

q) Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)This would be my most typical routine:

Morning walk/run to collect ideas and objects.

Back to the studio for a brisk lifting of light weights.

Sifting through source material and history books.

Sit down (or stand up) and begin.

q) Do you have goals, specific things you want to

achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)Receive a Macarthur Grant, McDowell and Marin

Headlands Residencies.

Direct the Promethea Feature Film.

q) What is your current favorite subject?

a)Hawaiian Tourists.

q) What has been your biggest accomplishment

so far?

a)Surviving my own mania.

q) Can we buy your art anywhere?

a) http://petermaxlawrence.com/000/store_index.html

q) Anything that people should know about

that we don’t??

a)I was named after my great grandfathers and not

the pop artist Peter Max.

q)What inspires you to keep going when the work

gets frustrating or tough?

a)My friends and family – and the simple fact that my

work has saved my life on more than one occasion.

q)What inspires you to create?

a)LIFE IS ART, non? I find inspiration in nearly

everything. It may sound like another cliché, but when

you are digesting the barrage of information that is general

life experience, one’s mind tends to desperately attempt

quantifying said existence and through that “process”

the residual objects can and are sometimes refered to as “art.”

q) What contemporary artists or developments in art interest

you?

a)All of them.

q) How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Depends on the work. Anywhere between 1 second – 10 years

q) Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally

attached to them?

a)I heart most sales, occasionally I find it hard to part

with a work but that only lasts until I’m satisfied with

a new batch of work(s).

q) Is music important to you? If so, what are some things

you're listening to now?

a)VERY. I’m currently listening in heavy rotation all

things Leonard Cohen, Art Blakey, Fran Windler,

Previously Missing, Carletta Sue Kay, Mon Cousin Belge,

Hunx & his Punx and Chet Baker.

q) Books?

a)I like all books but especially anything by Alan Moore,

Warren Ellis, Henry Miller, Dorothy Parker and Joss Whedon.

q) What theories or beliefs do you have regarding

creativity or the creative process?

a)WORK, WORK and WORK.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing)

when you're not creating?

a)Cooking and cleaning – I’d make an excellent

househusband for the right gal or guy.

q) Do you have any projects or shows coming up that

you are particularly excited about?

a)My film called ‘WARHOLIC’ will be screened several

times in April and May at the de Young in San Francisco. http://petermaxlawrence.com/Art/2009/WARHOLIC/warholic_default.html

q) Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how?

What websites, magazines, and galleries do you prefer?

a)I’m hit or miss with contemporary art culture.

I tend to let things come to me, or in other words I’m

a populist. But I always recommend ‘Studio 360’ and

‘To the best of our knowledge.’

q) Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer,

and answer it.

a)What is wrong with you?

a) Everything.

q) Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)I’m probably the last person to be giving

advice to anyone.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a) petermaxlawrence.com

michelangelo▲ / MichelAngelo BonaRoti

I've known MiclaAngelo recently on flickr....
he's an wonderful artist&person and a
good friend...read his incredible story...

My screen name is not a fantasy. It's my real identity.
Not chosen artistically but discovered naturally.
I'm a 48-year-old guy, born in Rio de Janeiro.
In my youth, when I was passionately immersed
in the world of surfing, a weird event brought to
my consciousness the innermost dimensions of myself.
It was the summer of 1979. In the early 80's, after
some supernatural experiences, my childish cartoon-like
drawings changed very fast, in a very strange way.
The transformation was huge. Lines that usually outlined
waves, surfers and surfboards became anatomically
guided by some kind of heart's music (See Set 1980).
Suddenly I found that my hand had acquired the uncanny
ability to create Renaissence-like human figures.
At that point, everyone noticed in my drawings the
style of Michelangelo and called my attention to this.
I didn't know who he was and nothing else about art's
history. Surfing was my world and I had no intention
to change my way of living (See Set 1981 and Set 1982).
But the year of 1983 started with one of the most
supernatural experiences of my life: the remembering
of Vittoria Colonna's death just in front of me
(She was the only woman with whom Michelangelo
had a close relationship). Sunk in the emotional
turmoil, my life turned upside down and a shocking
conclusion rose after this memory: I am
Michelangelo Buonarroti (See Set 1983). The battle
between the normal logic of being and the madness
that I was involved in took place. The result of this
battle is the wood structure called Icarus (this
sculpture was created to allow me an accurate
comparison with the Rebel Slave), where I found
a lot of 3-dimensional qualities defining my natural
identity with Michelangelo (See Set Ícaro). I kept
this secret for 25 years.
The last decade I spent trying to pretend to be a
normal guy with a normal life, but I'm not. Even
though there are unsolved mysteries in the experiences
I've been involved in, there is something I can't delay
revealing anymore: Eurico Poggi and Michelangelo
Buonarroti are the same person.

michelangelo00.blogspot.com/

michelangelonow.blogspot.com/

euricopoggi.blogspot.com/