Interview with C3

q)Introduce yourself, name,age, location.

a)My name is Christopher Charles Curtis, aka C3, and I currently live and work in San Francisco, CA.

q) Can you describe your path to being an artist? When did you really get into it?

a)I’ve been drawing ever since I could pick up a crayon. I really saw it as a possible career choice when I got to high school and a couple teachers started implying that I had talent.

q) Describe your ideals and how they manifest in your work.

a)I value my friendships to a great degree so my friends tend to show up in my work. They often appear as comrades in a war against aristocratic peoples. I really question government and the idea that just a handful of people can control most everything. That tends to show up in my work although I don’t think it’s very obvious.

q) Describe your process for creating new work.

a)I tend to think of a body of work as a story or a portion of a larger whole. I try to invision parts of that story that would make for an interesting and/or mysterious image.  When working from found images it’s a some what different approach. I let the image I’m working from inspire the route I eventually take.

q) What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Don’t stop working on your art! As much fun as you think it is to be an artist it is still work and the more you work the better you’ll become. Getting a gallery can be tricky and I hate to say this but it’s who you know that matters. Not to say the work doesn’t count but to get a gallery owner to pay attention to you it helps if they know you first. Go to shows, meet people, and eventually start showing them your work.

q) What are you really excited about right now?

a)I’m excited to be showing in a moleskin show in Dec. at Spoke Art here in the city. There are about 50 artists in the show and I’m friends with a lot of them so that’s exciting. They’re all great artist as well!

q) What do you love most about where you live?

a)I love living by the water and having access to good food and great shows. I’ve been able to see so many bands that I otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to see.

q) Best way to spend a day off?

a)I usually stay indoors since I’m a major hermit which helps when doing the kind of art I like to do. However I do enjoy long walks and beers in the park.

q) Upcoming shows/ projects?

a)Like I said earlier, I’m in a moleskin show soon. Next year I’ll be in a show at Shooting Gallery here in the city sometime in May. I might also be showing with another artist and friend, Christopher Burch, in Oakland next year. Haven’t figured that one out as of yet.

q) Is music a part of your studio time? What do you listen to?

a)Music is a huge thing for me. I tend to listen to very dark and ritualistic sounding music when I work. I can’t stop listening to Chelsea Wolfe lately. Besides her I listen to The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud, Death in June, Coil, Swans, Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, and Nocturnal Emissions to name a few. The list goes on and on . . .

q) How would you describe your work to someone?

a)It’s a fairytale western/horror film that has a lot to do with the real world. In some ways it’s a personal journal that depicts my own struggles with the world however shown on a grander scale.

q) Influences?

a)I’m extremely influenced by music and film. David Lynch has always inspired me to think outside the box and to really explore my own mind, as scary as that can be sometimes. Life itself is an influence and an inspiration. My relationships with people often manifest themselves in my work which can get a little personal at times. My on going fear and understanding of death has and will continue to take my work in a particular direction.

q) Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)My work is kind of hard to locate since I have yet to get a proper website. However I am on facebook and I have an artist page there. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/C3artist?ref=hl . My website at the moment is under C3artist.com and you can find me on the Shooting Gallery website under artist.