A Different Kind of Art: Elaborate Debauchery

Back on Memorial Day weekend, I drove from San Francisco in the wee hours of the morning after only catching 3 hours of interrupted sleep (a big "thank you" to my shitty fuck neighbor who can't seem to learn how to be quiet) to Reno to be apart of some really amazing art magic.  The five hour drive through some pretty heavy rain and then snow (SNOW! In May!), I ended up at my friend and artist extraordinaire Franz Szony's home to be in his new photographic painting.
Franz, if you haven't already Googled his name or don't know his work, you should and will.  To sum up, he is superlative, creating work that breaks out of the bland, safe and by-the-numbers schlock created by fame seekers who call themselves "artists" but don't do anything for art except making really great work stand out easily. 
Anywho, I met Franz back when we both attended art college, and shortly after meeting him he asked me to model for one of his photography projects.  I said yes, because deep down, I love playing dress up and pretend.  It's a great way to indulge, in an adult way, my inner child...the loud, energetic, powerful little girl who dreamed of becoming an artist and a paleontologist and believed, for a short time, that the Moon was white because that's where all the Unicorns lived.
Below is Franz's latest fine art piece entitled "All or Nothing," which debuted at his one-man show Hapenis at Project One Gallery in San Francisco this past July.
This video is a behind the scenes look at the process, the people, the artistry of being on a Franz Szony shoot, shot by the talented Johnny B. Hicks.

"All or Nothing" by Franz Szony

The end result: there I am, in a very expensive dress on loan from Furne Amato (who does wicked fun with clothing design like nobody's b'dness), Franz's Marie Antoinette wig he created himself, and his "Hocus Pocus" jacket.  I call this woman "Marie Antoinetta" and yes, I was really thinking about how to steal that wig.  So there is Marie Antoinetta, holding gold chains and what were roses(and were changed to hygraneas) in this elaborate debauched gilded cave filled with her sad memories, chained to her will, but surrounded by all the dead relationships she's destroyed or let collapse. And look at those poor folks...they are on the verge of death and are still forcing themselves to act happy. (Such great models)
For me, seeing this in its completed form, is such a masterpiece, I'm in such awe of him.  I've seen Franz change and evolve over the years and this is so flawless...I love it.  I'm proud to have been apart of this.

What is not shown is Johnny B. holding my waist so I could get the proper lean back pose, which I was having quite a bit of trouble doing because the dress was, of course, a size too small, and there was no way I wanted to pop a stitch or a gem off of that piece of magnificence.  It was exhausting, but goddamned if I was going to miss an opportunity to spend time with someone I have great respect and love for, helping Franz create his art.  I am blessed and am always humbled when I see his work, and more, the work I'm in, because it's not so much that he has the ability to make me look smokin' hot (and feel like a billion muthafuckin' dollars), but I get to be creative in a way that I don't actively do anymore.  It's truly some of the most fun I have, being on a shoot for him.

Dankë schön to Franz and the super talented and generous folks who helped make this possible.

Song of the moment: "Survivalism-remix" by Nine Inch Nails with Saul Williams
Color obsession: Raspberry
Word that make ya sma'ta': Superlative

Interview with mixed-media collage artist Matthew Craven

In the last quarter of 2011, I was interning at Gallery Hijinks, and right before my time there came to an end I got to do an interview with Matthew Craven, a mixed-media collage artist who's definitely not afraid of pushing buttons, changing history, more so challenging the history we have set in our minds (it's like Mr. Craven's poking a big Red, White and Blue bear with an ancient broken stick, but I digress).  His re-purposed, loaded images along with texture and pattern allows focus to be brought back to not just America's roots, but the ancient roots of humanity, it seems, and what has become of the tree that has sprung forth.  
This interview is broken up into multiple posts on the Gallery Hijinks blog for his February show FRGMNTS.  For posting here, I have done some re-purposing of my own, publishing it in full.

VS:  Have you always been a pattern person?  Especially with your past work dealing with Native Americans, it sometimes looks and feels like your weaving a blanket (such as "Life Totem").  Is this meditative process?  What draws you to this as an artist? 
MC:  Yeah, I have always been a pattern person.  As a kid I would relentlessly draw/doodle/deface pretty much anything in front of me.  It was only as I got older that I focused that energy into something more engaging and thoughtful.  As a result i have been including many cultural reference into my work in the last few years ( i.e. the native American/masonic  influence in previous work). The Life and Death Totem drawings were a result of wanting to take what had been doing for years to the next level.  I have always found peace in drawing.  The repetitive nature of such work is very meditative and satisfying to my soul.

"Life Totem I" Matthew Craven 2009-2012

 
VS:  Is there a specific quality that you look for in your mixed media surfaces?
MC:  I spend hours/ days searching for images and materials. It has become vital to my work in recent years.  I am always looking for images with great aesthetic value.  I look for images with vivid textures and surface.  I only use outdated textbooks for source material.  These books have many properties that intrigue me.  Rough/ dry paper, color deterioration and even the smell.  All of my collages are constructed from resourced books. Even the blank sheets I mount my images on are taken from the front and back of old books, which typically have two blank sheets that usually are faded or stained.  This gives my collages another level of historical narrative.

VS:  I read in an interview that you base your decisions on aesthetics rather than narrative or commentary.  Does this still hold true?  
MC:  That's quote was not entirely true, sure aesthetics play a big roll in the composition of my work, but I was speaking in a larger sense.  The images that I use and inspire my work are also based on aesthetics.  I use images that depict patterns, whether it’s textiles, carving or architecture.  I am drawn to this history of the stylized/ decorative nature of mankind.  I find similarities between my own impulses, and those who have come be from me.

VS:  Has using the Native American/Settlers created problems for you in any capacity?
MC:  I use loaded imagery, I am well aware of it.  Sometime people get hung up on singular imagery and cultural ownership of such things.  I feel like its primarily based out of their fear of the unknown.  This country gets extremely uncomfortable with any race/ religion/culture other than their own.  I'm trying to point out where we ALL come from, and the history of mankind is singular.  The goal is to form connections between modern life and the lives of the people who came before us. 

VS:  What initially drew you to collaging/mixed media? 
MC:  I was in grad school, and  trying to redefine my work.  I had given up on painting at that point and wanted another outlet.  I have always loved working on paper much more than canvas.  When sourcing imagery and materials for my collages, books seemed a much more interesting way to find paper than an art supply store can ever offer.  It also allows me to incorporate this hunt for materials into my practice that bring me out of my studio and into the "real" world.

"Headstone" Matthew Craven 2012

 
VS:  Do you think that the medium one chooses to work in reveals the nature of the creator?  If so, what does collage/mixed media reflect or reveal about you?
MC:  Sure, like I hinted at above, it brought out another impulse of mine, which is to collect objects.  I think I needed that in my work, it is a whole other skill in itself.  

VS:  You mentioned in an interview that your current body of work is still new to you and you don't know where it's exactly going.  Do you have a better understanding of what your work is and where it's going than when you showed at Nudashank (November 2011)?
MC:  Yes for sure.  At that point I was just sourcing new imagery.  The imagery has led me to create a whole new series of collages and ink drawing I will be showing at Hijinks in February.  Like most artist you start with a feeling, and as the work progress you have time to really think and observe your own work.  I am thrilled at the direction of the new work, and feel like it is finally exposing the concepts and narrative my work only hinted at in the past.

VS:  What has been the best compliment(s) that you've received about your work?
MC:  People typically respond well to my work, but one time in grad school Jerry Saltz visited my studio.   After talking with me about my work he told me I was a "real artist." I don't know what he meant by that, but I figured I was on the right track.

 "Preserve" Matthew Craven 2012