Levi Leddy Q&A

Hometown:
My hometown is Dallas, TX. I still reside in the Dallas area. I enjoy living here, but the summer heat and the allergies zap the energy out of me.

Medium:
My medium of choice is acrylic paints. I occasionally incorporate spray paint in some of my paintings, it just depends on the painting. I paint on canvas, wood, masonite, plexi-glass, and just about any other flat surface. I just add gesso to these surfaces and it makes for a nice background to work with. I usually stretch my own canvases. It saves some money and makes me feel like I created the entire piece of artwork at the end of the process.

Artist Hero:
I was inspired by my Great Uncle Karl and my Great Aunt Uzila. They were professional artists from Germany. My Great Uncle painted modern art and my Great Aunt was into impressionism art. As a child, I visited Germany a few times. They had an amazing studio. I always thought it was fabulous to be able to do what you loved as your profession. I have an original painting from my Great Uncle hanging in my house. It was created in 1972. It is a painting that I cherish.

What's your studio like?
I have an empty room that my 4 year old daughter Trinity calls "The Art Room." I keep all of my artwork and stretched canvases in my studio. The flooring is concrete, so I do not have to worry about ruining carpet. Trinity has her easel and her artwork set up in her corner. I do not paint on an easel. I usually use a laundry bucket to paint my smaller paintings. Very unorthodox.

What are you currently working on?
I currently have 3 large canvases stretched. I am going to try and complete these three paintings by the end of the summer. Last year I painted several small pieces, so I figured I would change things up and go large. I am thinking of trying to incorporate a space-like atmosphere, combined with organic shapes that appear to come to life. The large space allows for more things to come to fruition.

What are you currently listening to?
I have been listening to a lot of Optimus Rhythm. They are a Seattle based band that incorporates rap and melodic beats. Very interesting music.

What's your dream project?
My dream project would be painting a wall mural on a building in a downtown setting. In Dallas there is an area called Deep Ellum. There used to be a tunnel that included murals from many artists. The tunnel was torn down recently to make room for the rail system. It was so great to view all the amazing art as you passed through town. I would love to have the opportunity to provide artwork that people could witness on a daily basis.

Day job:
I currently work for UDR.com as a Website Content Specialist. UDR owns many apartments and townhouses throughout the United States. The website allows the consumer to lease via the internet. I am in charge of organizing the photography shoots for our various properties. After I receive the photos, I adjust them and load them onto our site and our affiliate sites, I also work on design, drawing floor plans, and various content related issues. I really enjoy working for UDR. They are a fabulous company that truly values their customers.

Favorite gallery:
My favorite gallery would have to be the Janette Kennedy Gallery in Dallas. I have shown many times at this gallery. Clockwork and The Art of Skateboarding were the most recent shows that I participated in. The crowd and atmosphere at this venue are always great.

Forthcoming shows?
I have a solo show on Saturday, August 8th. It will be at The Whitney Gallery (aka The Factory Shoppe). The address is: 2650 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226. I will have over 40 pieces of artwork on display. It should be an amazing show. I have never featured all of my artwork at one time. Usually, I have my artwork scattered at different galleries. I am really looking forward to this show.

I will also participate in The Art of Skateboarding 2, at the Janette Kennedy Gallery on November 7th. The address is: 1409 South Lamar, Dallas, TX 75215. Every artist is given a skateboard deck and given the freedom to create whatever they desire. It is truly an amazing show. The original Art of Skateboarding raised over $44,000 for the Scottish Rite Foundation.

Website: www.artwanted.com/levileddy

Nathan Markham Q&A

Hometown: Born in Louisville, KY 1975. I divided my childhood evenly between Sweetwater, TN near Knoxville and Hendersonville, TN near Nashville.

Currently Resides: South Florida / Broward Co.

Medium: I love Paint. Water based media, minerals, powdered and liquid pigments, clear and iridescent varnish and glazes - metallic spray paint and collage - on canvas, on panel , on paper.

Artist Hero: Niki de Saint Phalle.
Also I learned a lot about teaching painting from Sandra Reed at Savannah College of Art and Design and Jo Shan Ma, her assistant.

Paintings and Drawings I enjoy looking at:
Puvis De Chavannes, Paula Rego, Turner, Redon, Rossetti, Hans Hoffman, Ignes, anybody's sketchbooks.

What's your studio like? Chaotic at the moment.

What are you currently working on? I've really been experimenting with powerful "transient" pigments that can only be covered up with mediums that resist from the backside of a layer. Pigments that rise to the surface, so the first layer of the painting is very important (as it continues to bleed to the surface throughout the process.) Sometimes I collage with pre-dried pieces of acrylic paint scraped from a glass surface. The dried paint stops the bleeding. I used batik dye and wax with ceramic glaze the other day, that was interesting.

What are you currently reading? Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education, Studios by the Sea: Artists of Long Island's East End (Hardcover) and Primary Colours by Serena Mann.

What are you currently listening to? My wife is from Barbados in the Caribbean. And has introduced to me (over 14 years) a fascinating array of old reggae, calypso, and Caribbean folk music. This is my favorite right now, but there are hundreds we've collected: "Carry Go Bring Come," by Justin Hinds & the Dominoes...and I love the guitar sound on Eddy Grant's "Do you Feel my Love." I'm desperately trying to replicate it on my set up at home.

I am also addicted to Freshair.org.uk and their August coverage of the Edinburgh Scotland FRINGE Festival! Funny funny funny...and The Charlie and Lola Soundtrack (I am father of 2).

What's your dream project? Aside from what I'm doing now:

Seriously.
1. Starting a Non-Profit that provides Educational / Arts travel for children of low income families in South Florida. It's really difficult to get field trips that leave the state, it is not a small world after all....authentic travel experiences are usually a common denominator in the lives of kids who have grown up to become adults who give back to their own communities - they have a broader world view. It's not enough to escape poverty - inspiring kids to grow up and end it would be great.

2. Building a summer cottage boathouse studio on lake Papineau in Ontario. Sweet. Maybe an Artist in Residence grant retreat. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1915997

Not so Seriously. Slightly more dreamy.
3. My paintings somehow inspire a musical starring John Cleese, Daniel Day Lewis and Judy Dench!!!! That would be super.

4. Appearing on an Episode of the now over "Monarch of the Glen" TV show.

5. Or owning a really small T-Shirt company that uses quirky one liners. Like "I brake for High-lighters" or "Tacos make it easy" with a picture of a bulldozer on both.



Day job:
Art Educator: Elementary Magnet School -
Subject: 3D Art/Murals/Stagecraft - Teaching partnership with Broward Center for the Performing Arts. During the summer, I work at interesting places, like: Children Services Council funded Summer Arts Camps, Lovewell.org, and Multiple Sclerosis Foundation National Headquarters Lending Library - MSfocus.org

What else are you currently working on? Editing a book of travel journals - I'd like to publish it. I've been fiddling with it for 10 years. I wrote it in 1999-2000, on a "round the world" trip with my wife to 12 different countries.

My wife is a photographer, she documented our entire trip with over 5000 photos and 24 hours of video footage. (This was before we owned digital cameras.)

My recent paintings, video collaboration and show are based on one page from the India portion of those journals and the photos.

Also, I recently graduated with a MS Ed. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Nova Southeastern University.

Favorite Gallery? I'm gonna go big and say - AGO in Toronto and National Galleries of Scotland

Website: nathanmarkham.blogspot.com

Elohim Sanchez Q&A

Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in Mexico and I moved to New York, and then Montreal, about 10 years ago. I studied first to be an engineer and it actually took me a while to realize that my creative drive wasn’t only a fleeting thing. I started to take it seriously about 5 years ago when I enrolled into film school and started painting.

Other than art, what are some of your interests?
Traveling, getting outside my comfort bubble. I’m trying to rebuild a vacation house I own in Mexico. I wish I knew more about construction so I could work on it myself.

In what city do you currently live? What are a few must see spots you would recommend to a tourist?
I live in Montreal. If you come here, forget about the tourist sites. Go to all parties, walk on the icy sidewalks and climb the Mount Royal at 3 in the morning.

Where did you study? What did you like about the degree program in which you were involved?
I studied filmmaking at the University of Montreal. Some of the most interesting courses I took had to do with the relationship between cinema and the other arts, like painting, architecture, dance, or music.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions?
It’s been very hectic in the last few weeks but I don’t have anything coming up. Some of my paintings are displayed at Galerie Zone Orange in Old Montreal. Other than that, a friend of mine and myself are thinking of putting together a multidisciplinary show (paintings / photographs / video) along with other artists this spring or summer.

What are you currently reading?
Nothing. The last book I read was “L’étranger” by Albert Camus. I liked its strong affirmation of individuality and the character’s desperate longing for life as it is, with all its defects.

Describe your paintings.
My paintings are all about energy and color, about feeling awake and alive. They are a personal statement of how I’ve chosen to perceive the world around me. I’ve been experimenting with different subjects and methods, but I feel this is just the beginning and I think I will definitely keep trying many different things over the years to come.

Describe your films. What are they generally about?
I try to remain close to my own life and people around me, I feel I need to be honest and I don’t think it would be right to talk about things I don’t know or that I haven’t experienced myself. In the few short films I’ve directed so far the recurring themes seem to be: solitude, friendship, and love. I’m also interested in the way characters perceive the world around them and the way they interact with it.

Describe your photos.
I like my photos very much, it’s always fun to make them because I don’t look for them, they come to me. I see something in particular that strikes me as beautiful, then I point and click and I’m just happy I was there at the right time to take the picture.

How has your style changed over the years?
I’ve been painting and filming for only about five years, so I think it’s probably too early to say.

Where do you paint/ film?
I paint in my apartment. I wish I had a huge bright studio with a nice view of Montreal’s skyline and all that, but so far it’s only in my dreams. As for films, I like to shoot at interesting places in and around the city.

What type of music did you grow up listening to?

I grew up listening to Mexican pop singers and the usual Latin-American fare. When I first heard classical music I was eleven years old and I was struck in awe. I couldn’t believe such beautiful music existed and that nobody around me had ever listened to it or even knew it existed.

What are your goals, artistically?
I simply want to do with my life the best I can possibly do.

Is any of your work political?
In my opinion all art is political in itself, by the things it chooses to show or not to show. These days the simple act of making art is a political statement. I think cinema, because it portrays people in society, has the most potential to be political. It can, in very subtle ways, criticize the way society works or propose new visions of how it should work. In my case the closest I’ve been to making an overtly political film was when I shot “March 2005”, a short improvised documentary about the student strike that took place in Quebec that year. I don’t exclude the possibility of making patently political films in the future.

What has been inspiring you lately?
I’m trying to put my finger on exactly what it is that makes the film “Tropical Malady” (by Apichatpong Weerasethakul) so beautiful.

Do you have side projects you work on? Have you collaborated w/ other artists in the past?
I’m working as a Director of Photography in a new short film by a friend of mine, in return for him making the soundtrack for one of my videos last year.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?
Art is not business. At most, there is a marketing side to it, but I don’t think it is ever that complex. I think my paintings and my films should speak by themselves, I simply try to show them at every opportunity I have that doesn’t cost too much money. The hardest part is to have my work seen by people other than family and friends, and even harder is to reach people who are actually interested in buying art. The Internet has been somewhat helpful in that respect but it’s by no means the solution to all problems. I personally wish I had more contacts and acquaintances in the professional art market.

How do you keep motivated in the studio?
I listen to music. I don’t work when I don’t feel like it, but I try to work as regularly as possible. I keep in mind people who have written to me in the past to tell me they like what I do. If none of that works, then I think about my dwindling bank account and one or two upcoming exhibitions for which the paintings aren’t ready yet!

Where do you come up w/ the titles for your film and paintings?
I should start naming my paintings “Untitled”. I’m not good at playing with words and besides I don’t think paintings should need an external reference or explanation. Titles for films usually come from the lack of a better idea. So, no, titles are not my thing.

Are there any interesting anecdotes related to your work that you would like to share?
The other day I was sitting at a coffee shop with a friend of mine. It’s a place where you can make your own pottery. I was telling my friend about trying to be a painter and how hard it was to survive as an artist. A lady sitting next to us overheard our conversation. She was having trouble drawing a cat on one of her pots and since I had just said I was an artist, she asked me to help her. I had the hardest time drawing a cat that looked like one. I finally drew a recognizable cat at the 5th attempt, and I felt so embarrassed I quit the place right afterwards. I try to justify myself by telling me it’s because I don’t draw cats very often. I never draw cats, it’s the truth.

Play list of five favorite songs:
Leo Brouwer : Un día de noviembre
Michael Nyman : Memorial
Wim Mertens: Birds For The Mind
Astor Piazzolla : Duo de Amor
Arvo Pärt : String Quartet No.5

Movies you love so much you've watched them more than twice:
8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders)
Fanny & Alexander (Ingmar Bergman)
Une partie de campagne (Jean Renoir)
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)

Elohim Sanchez’s Website: http://www.elohimsanchez.com/

Michael Ryan

Your website(s): http://www.michaelryanart.com/

Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born is Southern California in 1982, grew up there always knowing I wanted to be an artist.

Tell us about your recent artwork.
I have quite a few paintings and drawings I am working on that are a continuation of this series/theme thats been on going for a couple years. Its ever evolving, but there is an underlying world throughout. Using historical models contrasted with contemporary elements and environments to depict the replacement and direction we are going in regards to spiritualism, the physical world, industry, individually, many other societal elements. Also very much dealing with human condition, the physical effects of a corrupted heart. Everything is being corrupted and polluted, but there is always a glimmer of hope, maybe a chance for salvation. Im also very much in love with just beautiful portraiture and am working on a series of portraits as well. Theres still alot of beauty left in the world and the soul but it just seems like its in front of a really ugly and disturbing back drop, and that beauty cant help but be polluted alot of the time.

Describe the environment and atmosphere you work in for us; do you generally work alone or with people? Is it quiet or do you play music?
Yeah I usually play music, either pretty heavy and fast music, or movie scores and classical. I usually prefer to be alone.

What interests do you have other than art?
I pretty much read when I'm not painting.

http://www.manufactured-dissent.blogspot.com/2007/06/michael-ryan.html