Q&A: Sagine Cave

Tell us a little about yourself.
I love to surround myself with loving, happy and positive people. My family and my friends mean the world to me. I was born in Gatineau and raised in Ottawa. I am in constant love with the arts and funky music; soul music is my favorite! My favorite color is lime green and I love candy.



Which artists have most influenced you and why?
My inspirations are Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Gustav Klimt, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Haitian Art, and anything Cuban.
Other than art, what are some of your interests?
I enjoy travelling, cooking and seeing new things. I am an elementary school art teacher, I teach cartooning and arts and crafts.

In what city do you currently live? What are a few must see spots you would recommend to a tourist?
I currently live in the fantastic city of Montreal. The Museum of Fine Arts is always a great place to go see all types of exhibitions. Tam Tams is always a beauty during the summer too. http://citynoise.org/article/5313


Did you study art or are you self taught?
I started drawing at the age of three without any guidance. I started taking art classes last year. I draw and paint in my free time so I can practice new techniques.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions?
Boutique Fly (St- Catherine O.); Different Styles (Atwater); Black History Art Show (Concordia)

Favorite song? Positive Vibrations- Bob Marley

What are you currently reading? Raising Kanye

Website? http://funkysoulfulart.blogspot.com/

An Interview with Cary Savage

Happy New Year.

What are some of the best aspects to living in Montreal? One of the best aspects of living in Montreal is the multiculturalism. The diversity of languages, foods, and arts is very enriching for an artist or anybody for that matter. I also love to be so close to the countryside. In a matter of 40 minutes you can go from attending the annual Montreal Jazz Festival to taking a hike in the Laurentides.

Are you currently recording? I have just finished a recording dedicated to the music of J.S. Bach and Isaac Albéniz. I chose these two composers because they were the most influential in my pursuit of learning the guitar. Even though Albéniz never wrote for the guitar, his music is reminiscient of the folk music from Spain. Albeniz was very fond of the guitar and he was a fan of the transcriptions that the famous Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tarrega made of his music.

Do you compose music? I do compose some short pieces preludes and etudes for guitar. I definitely spend more time working on transcriptions and interpretations of works I adore by some of the great composers of our time. My first CD is representative of the variety of composers that I look up to.

Tell us about some of your collaborative music projects and ensembles.
For the past few years, I have been working primarily on performing concerts for solo guitar. I love the feeling of being on stage alone with complete control over the music being performed.
In the past I have performed in a variety of ensembles including a duo for two guitars, voice and guitar, violin and guitar, and flute and guitar. The guitar works well in a variety of small ensembles. I never use amplification so I prefer to play in small ensembles where all the nuances of the guitar can be heard.

Where is the best place to perform music?
I love to perform in old cathedrals and churches. I love the church St. Jean Baptiste in Montreal. This is where I recorded my first CD. I have also played a couple of concerts there. The natural reverb lends itself well to the guitar especially with the music of Bach.

Do you play any instruments other than guitar?
I played some piano but I have dedicated myself solely to the guitar. It takes a lifetime to master the instrument.

Do you sing?
I sing when I am working on new works to try and figure out how I want it to sound. Any serious musician will tell you that singing is essential to any instrumentalist. It helps us transmit what we hear in our head to our instrument.

Is anyone in your family musically inclined?
My grandfather played the saxophone and performed in big band. My parents appreciate music but do not play. My father has always loved listening to jazz and big band music from the 30’s and 40’s.

Where do you go for historical sheet music?
I often shop at a large music store in Montreal called Archambault. They have a variety of sheet music for classical, Spanish, and Latin guitar. I am also a member of a guitar forum called delcamp.net where there are a variety of discussions about the classical guitar and a huge resource of sheet music for classical guitar.

What are a few of your goals for the upcoming year?
To play a number of concerts around the U.S. The program will be in support of my second CD.

How did you initially become interested in playing music?
I played when I was very young because my parents suggested I play an instrument. Later, when I was a teenager, I was captivated by the playing of electric guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

What was one of the most memorable performances you’ve put on?
I really enjoyed playing recently in Rochester, NY at the Memorial Art Gallery. I played there 8 years ago for my final exam of my Bachelor’s degree. My playing has changed dramatically since then so it was interesting to reflect on these changes.

Who bought your first guitar for you?
My father bought me a Fender Squier electric guitar when I was 15. After about a year, I fell in love with the acoustic guitar.

What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading a book by Naomi Klein called The Shock Doctrine. I am very interested in politics and current affairs.

Website: http://www.carysavage.com/

Ryan and Anthony of Mad Maude Press

Interview and photos by Jamie Bezozo and Ruth Schanbacher.


Would you begin by explaining what letterpress is?
Letterpress is the original printing process. It’s as Guttenerg invented it in the 1450s, movable type is inked and then pressed onto paper. There is a difference between what we do and the original method: we don’t use a lot of movable type.

What most influenced you to get involved with letterpress?
R - I was influenced by the equipment; the first time I ever saw a letterpress was actually at the Smithsonian a few years back. But it was all stuff I couldn’t touch and all I wanted to do was mess with it. The first time I got to mess with printing equipment was maybe a year or two later. It brought me back to the Smithsonian experience and then I realized I could probably build a press.

A - I'm an artist/ illustrator. I got down with these guys because I used to rent studio space. It was a way for me to do something hands-on. This was a way to be creative and do something that was art related.



Do you have any interests aside from art?
R - Right now I devote 100% of my time to this. I am developing a new type of ink that works better with letterpress. We have found that ink available commercially is not really good for letterpress because it’s a little too tacky and when you thin it out the pigmentation isn’t as intense. So we are interested in researching to find ways to improve the process.

A - pretty much everything extra is art related… mostly painting, I mess around with 3-d stuff every now and again, I like sculpture a lot and I try to get out, go to the beach and travel… I'm not here as much as Ryan. Ryan is here from the morning to the wee-hours.


What do you want the average viewer to see/ appreciate most in your work?
The craft that goes into the actual print. You can print 1000 things out on a laser print really easily. We look at each individual print before it goes to the customer. We double and triple check to make sure all measurements are square, all dimensions are lined up, the ink is laying perfectly. As a stationer, our quality of work must match the customers' style and customers are very demanding. Every single item that we print is unique.



What is your favorite body part (on yourself)?
R - My favorite body part is actually the coccyx. It’s the human vestigial tail. It lets me consistently be conscious of my evolution. It would be so much easier if I had a tail. It would be like a third hand.

A - I like my nose. I don’t know why, I think it's cool. I like its lump right there. Not everybody has this nose, I like it.



If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
R - In a houseboat but it doesn’t matter where. The freedom of a houseboat, the ability to float with the birds and ducks...and I wouldn’t have to pay Philly city wage tax.

A - I would probably say like the Canadian wilderness somewhere. No humans, wild moose running around, tons of stuff to just look at.

What’s the one place in Philadelphia that you’ve been meaning to go to but haven’t gotten around to seeing yet?
A - if you look on a map of Philly you see this big park. Its this big giant patch of green with a lake: Roosevelt park and Meadow Lake. I wanna check that out. I think you can probably go fishing down there. I haven’t gone fishing since I've lived in the city. We could go fishing from Ryan's houseboat! There's also a science building… the Wagner Free Institute, I've been meaning to go there for the past 3 years.

R - On the Ben Franklin Bridge there are these little huts, it used to be that when you were traveling over the bridge you could stop and there would be coffee shops and stores on the bridge. I'd like to check those out.

Did either of you study art?
A - I got a degree from the University of the Arts in Illustration. I got another degree from Rockland Community College in Graffic Design… that’s in NY. I took various classes here and there.

R - I didn’t study art; I'm an advertising major. That was kind of a driving force to get in letterpress.


What's the largest size you can print?
Its actually 12 inches by 18 inches. The letterpresses aren’t designed for giant printing.


Where do you buy your presses? Who sells them?
There are a lot of people selling presses these days because the industry is picking up. We just cleared out a garage. Part of the deal was I would get all the printing equipment but the place would have to be spotless.

Who maintains your machinery?
The machinery has a tremendous way of not breaking… so we maintain our machinery. I've always been a tinkerer of various things.


For more information: http://www.madmaude.com/