Here is an introductory interview with Haunted Euth regarding the body of artwork he is presenting for his upcoming solo show "Out for Blood" opening October 5, 2013 at GCS Santa Ana. This interview explores into the techniques employed by Haunted Euth for the body of artwork he is presenting, the mediums used, his inspirations, his thoughts and reveals how and why the artwork was made. We hope you enjoy and greatly thank you for getting to know the artist himself, Haunted Euth.
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| Haunted Euth priming large wooden panels in preparation for his show "Out for Blood" |
Q: Provide a quote from a philosopher artist, writer, etc. that you feel speaks to your work you are presenting in your upcoming solo show at GCS “Out for Blood”.
A: This is a long, extended excerpt from Charles Bukowski but it adequately depicts the approach I have now taken on my life path concerning the creative and physical production of my artwork.
“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.” ― Charles Bukowski, Factotum
Q: Tell me about your early life as it relates to your upcoming show.
A: I am a Los Angeles native, and I spent the formative years of my youth skateboarding and exploring the city of Los Angeles, frequently at night, often times climbing fences, trespassing through empty lots and abandoned buildings to locate skate spots and photographing graffiti yards. I became fascinated with the graffiti that covered Los Angeles when I was a kid, and that mixed with the artwork that adorned the skateboards I grew up seeing, got me into drawing. It was a potent mixture that later combined with heavy metal album cover to directly influence the way that I make work now.
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| Epic banks skateboarded by Haunted Euth |
Q: What are your artistic insights or techniques employed in this body of work?
A: This body of work is a marriage of techniques, which focus on traditional academic methods I learned in school, balanced and informed by my exterior installation work. I have focused heavily on screen-printing and acrylic painting, with a limited use of spray paint and enamel painting when it was applicable.
Q: What messages are you saying with your artwork?
A: The body of this work addresses daily issues consistent with the life of a 28 year old man living in a major metropolitan environment, struggling to make ends meet, downtrodden, trying to find direction in a failing economy, alone, and many of the works center around rough autobiographical events.
Q: What sets you apart from other artists?
A: I cant speak for other artists, but I can tell you that my only reason for producing my work is compulsory - I draw, paint, put up stickers, make prints and focus on making art because it is my only true motivation, it is all that I want to do. I eat, breath and sleep art, and it is my only true love. I would say it borders at the onset of a manic obsession, I started as a kid and I have yet to slow down as a adult. I will continue to make my work until I die, I can assure you that.
Q: What motivates you to be an artist?
A: The gratification of knowing that the process is organic, it stems from a moment of experience, maybe catching the glance of a beautiful woman, watching the sunset into a black ocean or standing idly by as a fire burns and know one attempts to stop it. Those little moment's all work together to spark inspiration, and I quickly begin working with my hands - pushing graphite, tearing paper, building anxiety and tension as I pour over the work and then feeling immediate desire to repeat the process once I finish. It is a self absorbed and lone process that can provide for you the highest high you will ever feel, or the most crippling sense of failure you can imagine. For me it's about finding the space in between the rise and fall of those two distant spaces and holding onto that moment for as long as possible.
Q: What mediums do you work with?
A: Acrylic, enamel, spray paint, graphite, ink, oil and glitter primarily, however I believe firmly in choosing the medium that is best suited for the job so I am always open to exploring and growing with new techniques.
Q: What tools and methods do you work with?
A: I am most often known for my focus on printmaking, ranging from serigraphy to etching but I also paint frequently and I draw extensively.
Q: Does your art focus on expression, communication of emotion, or other values?
A: I consider my work a direct visual journal that conveys my life. Every image is a direct translation of a moment in my life, most the time heavily stylized, often times absurd - but there is a shred of truth to be found in all of the images.
Q: Describe the aesthetics to your artwork.
A: The aesthetics are a fever dream of color, heavily saturated with images that recall the counter culture movement and the D.I.Y. aesthetics of punk rock and skateboarding. Scratch fueled pen marks, content littered with references to comic books, horror films, punk rock music with a large dose of sarcasm heavily influenced by subversive culture spill across heavy weight paper and wooden panels. Wheat paste posters are glued to construction sites, billboard poles, found in alleys and stickers infiltrate bars and venues reinforcing the presence of the work and competing with advertisements for visual dominance.
Q: Describe your technical skill.
A: Graduate of Otis College of Art & Design with a B.F.A. in Painting.
Q: What is your genre of art?
A: I consider myself a artist - I prefer the loose, general term, but I have been described as an Illustrator, Print Maker and most frequently called a " street artist".
Q: What does your artwork explore?
A: There is a heavy focus on the base human emotions, with doses of sex, lust, anger, frustration, addiction and the loss of self that is common in pursuits that consume the individual and leave nothing left but the raw, open wound forged from the exploration.
Q: What subjects, mediums, sizes, and styles are you best known for?
A: I am known for working on paper and the vibrant colors I mix and work with.
To learn more about Haunted Euth, please visit his website at:
www.hauntedeuth.com.
