 |
- My quest is to pursue
what comes naturally. I try not to question it too much. There are
certain themes that run through everyone's lives and I would say
that is what comes out in my paintings/drawings. I also try to let
the background, or whatever I am working on, have influence on what
I am making. One of my favorite things is staining and prepping
large panels of wood to paint on. Once it is dry and ready, I incorporate
it into the painting as a sky or a wall in a living room.
You have a developed a unique style, what was the process to achieve
it?
- For a long time I
made drawings/paintings and did not show them to anyone. When I
started, I didn't think they were very good; it seemed as if "the
look" of my art was changing on me every couple of weeks. I
would make a series of paintings that visually looked the same,
and the next month there would be a new batch that seemed like it
came out of nowhere, looking completely different. Each time I would
just ride it through because it felt like a natural progression.
I'm not quite sure when it fell into place, but eventually many
of the styles in which I was painting or drawing came back together
and brought me to where I am
now.
There's hair with beautiful patterns and lots of people in your
compositions. Could you describe what is your main theme?
- I guess I would have
to start by explainging that I am from a family that is very white,
with no lineage that anyone bothered to keep track of. Since I live
in Los Angeles I am exposed to many tastes of different cultures.
I am infatuated and and a little jealous of all of them, especially
Hispanic cultures. Through my art, I have become a culture borrower,
trying on cultures with each drawing/painting I make. Some of the
people and animals I draw come from this influence. I also do a
lot of research on the art of craft- I love things that are
hand made and have a history to them. I guess this is where the
patterns and hair fall into place. The hair is not directly taken
from any specific craft but references some of the women who make
them.
This is something we get curious when we talk to an artist that
currently participates in shows: how did you feel in your first
show, and did it influenced work to come in what manner?
- My first show made
me really nervous. It was a juried show hosted by my college, and
one of my pieces was given an honorable mention. It was an exciting
moment but I remember wanting to leave the entire time because all
the people looking at my work made me really uncomfortable. I still
enjoy going to other people's art openings rather than my own, and
I think that is where the influence comes into play. When I see
someone else's work in a gallery that I admire, all I want to do
is go home and make more work. The same is true if I see a really
bad show though.
The "Pacific and Eddy" Movie has got a great image. That
watercolor feeling and so smooth compositions are really poetic.
What influenced this particular work? Are there future participations
and did it opened new doors to you?
- The director, Matt
Nourse, and I talked about the colors and feeling of the movie before
it was even filmed. We worked together, tossing back and forth ideas
and this was something I made right after I finished reading the
script. The movie is beautiful and dreamy feeling so I used a type
of paper that is similar to vellum. The movie was filmed in parts
of San Diego, CA which is an area that (to me) has lots of soft
grey and blue with pastel. This is why I chose to make the paintings
more water and ink based. I also made five large 4.5ft X 4.5ft wood
panel oil paintings for the film. I took off seven months of work
to make them and it was one of the best experiences I have ever
had. I also met so many amazing people. So, yes, it definitely opened
many new kind of doors for me.
Wanna share some future work?
- Sure, I am currently
doing the art direction for a music video for a great band called
Sea Wolf. Some of the pieces I am making include large wood paintings
of cut outs of wolves and hand made Victorian masks with wolf faces.
I'm very excited to work on the masks because itwill give me a chance
to make some of my drawings three dimensional.
RELATED LINKS
images used with the author's permission* |
MICHELLE
BLADE