Artist Decoded by Yoshino

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Adam: Recurring themes in the work of Adam Lee are the act of pilgrimage, shelter and an itinerant, nomadic sense of home. Transmitted through a community of hermits, shawl-shod women and regalia-laden gentlefolk traversing deserts, forests and valleys or reposing in tabernacles or dreamed abodes, Lee's practice ties together narratives of memory, imagination and transcendence. Through his works on linen and paper, Lee builds worlds where allegory and atmosphere coalesce to suggest a highly personal outlook informed by collective folklore and legend. These interior histories find their physical manifestation in Lee's varied but self-contained technique, which is characterised by mercurial landscapes and a contemporary tenebrism. His oils on linen are a resonant amalgam of sanded back layers of pigment, highly saturated sfumato and a sensitively deployed portraiture, with his watercolour ink works evincing a command of shaping ethereal blooms into impressions of externalised thoughts, sensations and calls to a higher being. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Processing his experience from the 2017 residency at Glasshouse (in the South of France) and the exhibition "Monolith" that followed. Balancing intuition in creativity with years of academic research. Unbiased honesty in the work of children. The positive and negatives aspects of the inundation of information as a contemporary artist. How his thought process and work is changing Taking a more specific and personal approach to work. Using art to process and understand life's difficult experiences. The unavoidable implications of the influence of commerce on art. www.artistdecoded.com www.adamlee.com.au https://www.instagram.com/adamlee79/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Alex: Alex Kanevsky was born in Russia in 1963. He studied mathematics at Vilnius University in Lithuania before coming to the United States. After his arrival to Philadelphia in 1983 he worked as Russian translator, illustrator at the Psychiatric Nursing Magazine and drew pictures for the telephone book advertisements. After attending PAFA (1989-93) and winning a Pew Fellowship (1997) he devoted himself to painting full time. Alex Kanevsky lives and works in New Hampshire. He has exhibited his work in the United States, Canada, Italy, UK, France and Ireland. His work is represented by Hollis Taggart in New York and Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco. Show Notes: 0:00:00​ - Introduction 0:03:46​ - Dividing Time Between Philadelphia and Rural New Hampshire 0:05:27​ - Approach to Clarity Within His Work and Country Life 0:13:49​ - Spending Time in Natural Environment vs "Curated" City Life 0:20:20​ - Motive to Move Into The Countryside 0:26:20​ - The Idea of Dying and Aging as an Artist 0:29:45​ - Art Living on After Death and Trying to Give Up Perfection 0:32:10​ - Open To Both Positive and Negative Influences 0:35:39​ - Patrick Graham's Life-Altering Experience in Comparison to Kanevsky 0:43:42​ - The Thrown Away Nature of Social Media and Hobbies 0:47:58​ - Downtime and Mental Fortitude 0:51:39​ - His Show Persephone and The Idea of Duality and Imperfection of Humanity 0:56:49​ - His History of Painting and Uninterested in Technical Painting 1:07:34​ - Story of Gerhard Richter and Cecily Brown as Painting as Product 1:14:22​ - Advice to Artists 1:20:07​ - Jonathan Glazer's film Under The Skin & Charlie Kaufman's film Synecdoche, New York 1:25:51​ - Wrap Up www.artistdecoded.com somepaintings.net https://www.instagram.com/somepaintings/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Joe: Joe Goddard is a British musician, songwriter, and DJ. He is best known as a member in the English synth-pop band Hot Chip, which he co-founded with Alexis Taylor. In 2007, he co-founded record label Greco-Roman, which has produced albums by artists such as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Disclosure. Goddard is also a member of electronica group The 2 Bears, and produced two solo albums, Harvest Festival (2009) and Electric Lines (2017). www.artistdecoded.com www.hotchip.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/hot.chip/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Alexis: Alexis Marshall is the singer of the band Daughters. Topics Discussed In This Episode: The making of Daughters' "Less Sex" music video How their newest album, "You Won't Get What You Want", came together Catharsis and visceral connections to performing on stage for Alexis Alexis's writing process Approaching life with gratitude and appreciation www.artistdecoded.com www.daughtersofficial.com

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About David Kassan: Raw, poignant and profoundly honest, David Jon Kassan's work aesthetically captures humanity in its true form. As an artist, Kassan acts as an empathetic intermediary between the subject he portrays and the viewer. More than simply replicating his subjects Kassan seeks to understand them. He seeks to capture the essence of those he paints, imbuing them with their own voice. They communicate with the viewer interpersonally and we see them through our own eyes. Our gaze transcends the picture plane and permeates deep into the subject's psyche. We are moved by Kassan's depictions, captivated by powerfully expressive hands, pensive faces, and flesh that appears warm to touch. Kassan's portraits pulsate with the lives of his sitters – the weighty streams-of-consciousness of past experiences, feeling and introspection.This is what reality means to Kassan – preserving the realness of nuanced emotion and expression emanatingfrom the people he paints. Kassan's technical mastery of oil paint combined with adept draftsmanship enables him to fluently represent what he sees. This is evident in the stunning flesh tones Kassan achieves. Transparent layers of oil paint are built up, forming an intricate lattice of veins, blood and skin. Through this light enters and is reflected back, infusing the subject with veridical luminosity. We can also sense movement and life beneath the undulating creases and folds of clothing. It is the artist's intent to control the medium of oil paint so that it is not part of the viewer to subject equation. Kassan facilitates an interface between subject and viewer with which he is conscious not to interfere. The technical aspect of his work is thus a means to an end; an end rooted in the viewer's experience.We find inherent contradictions in Kassan's work as it oscillates between representation and transformation, reality and abstraction. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Kassan's journey creating paintings based on his interactions with Holocaust survivors, and his recent emotionally transcendent experience exhibiting these works at the Fisher Museum of Art at USC. How his early paintings of his family allowed him to develop a closer relationship with them. Wanting his students and followers to understand more of why he paints other than how he paints. The power of overcoming great trauma, and how it inspires Kassan artistically. Grappling with the issue of how people dehumanize one another. The balance between the emotional, and technical process of painting. Making artwork that doesn't necessarily follow trends, or the desires of a gallery. Working with the Shoah Foundation, and how they help genocide survivors. www.artistdecoded.com www.davidkassan.com https://www.instagram.com/davidkassan/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Antrese: Antrese Wood is an artist and the host of the Savvy Painter Podcast. The Savvy Painter features interviews with top artists who talk about their mindset, process, and gives tips and techniques to aspiring painters. Antrese paints and teaches online workshops from her home in Argentina. A painter herself, Antrese left her job art directing video games at the Walt Disney Company to focus exclusively on her art. She lived in Argentina for six years where she created a Kickstarter campaign for her painting project, A Portrait of Argentina. She and her husband spent two years driving from the jungles to the glaciers as she painted her way across the country. Check out her paintings at antrese.com. Topics Discussed In This Episode: The journey that lead to Wood's pursuit in podcasting Graduating from the Art Center College of Design and soon after landing a position working for Disney, where she would work on and off at for twelve years Leading a "monastic" lifestyle and managing her painting practice between work before deciding to travel as much as possible and live freely Adventures in Wood's life including an exchange program in Honduras as a teen, a 90 day NOLS backpacking and kayaking expedition in Chile, and other trips around the world The importance of taking chances and how they can drastically alter your life How global communication makes it easier for Wood to live in a different country and still connect to family, friends, and other artists Living in Argentina and its financial benefits contrasted to living in Los Angeles Acknowledging her tendency towards people pleasing and having the confidence to follow her own desires and life path www.artistdecoded.com savvypainter.com https://www.instagram.com/savvypainterpodcast/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Hollis: Hollis Heichemer was born in Binghamton, New York and now currently lives and works in New Hampshire. Heichemer's work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Hollis Taggart Galleries and J. Cacciola Gallery in New York, and Gross McCleaf Gallery and Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia . Hollis has participated in a wide range of group exhibitions, including most recently at Stanek Gallery in Philadelphia and Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco. She received her BS from Ohio University and her MA at Seton Hall University. Topics Discussed In This Episode: How Heichemer creates experience, connectivity, and insight in her abstract works Spending time outside, and how her experiences in nature inspire her work in the studio How physical activity is a big part of Heichemer's life Reflecting on taking art classes as a child and choosing not to pursue art school Her marriage to fellow artist, Alex Kanevsky, and living in the country How art serves as a means to express all of her being and past experiences Finding other joys in life through reading and cooking How Heichemer maintains a sort of separation between herself and technology www.artistdecoded.com Hollis Heichemer's Website https://www.instagram.com/hahike/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Maja: Maja Ruznic, a prolific and active artist, is primarily a painter, a storyteller who conjures form and narrative from ground up mineral, smeared oil, and stained canvas. Born in Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1983, Ruznic immigrated to the United States with her family in 1995, settling on the West Coast where she eventually went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley, later receiving an MFA from the California College of Arts. Ruznic's often-quoted biography – a refugee who escaped the Bosnian War – is only the beginning of her journey. Ruznic's vivid paintings speak for themselves, depicting figures that seem to emerge from the caverns of human history, from within their own supports, and somehow from within the viewer's own recollections. These paintings breach something intrinsically human and Ruznic guides us deftly with dark humor and complex representations, not dissimilar to Werner Herzog's wry, but poignant 3-D documentary depicting the oldest painted images in the world. Ruznic has exhibited internationally and her work has been written about extensively, most notably in ArtMaze Magazine, Juxtapoz, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Studio Visit Magazine, and twice in New American Paintings, including the cover as selected by curator Anne Ellegood. In 2018, Ruznic was a recipient of the Hopper Prize and in 2019, Ruznic's painting "Azmira's Daughters" was acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art. In 2020, she has upcoming solo shows with Conduit Gallery in Dallas, TX and Hales Gallery in London. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Practicing "Is-ness" Maja moving to Roswell, NM Intaking artwork at a subconscious level Recognizing and healing from pain and trauma Maja growing up in Bosnia in various refuge camps www.artistdecoded.com Maja Ruznic's Website https://www.instagram.com/majaruz/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Josh: Josh Peck is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, and YouTube personality. Peck began his career as a child actor in the late 90s and early 2000s, and had an early role on The Amanda Show from 2000 to 2002. Peck rose to prominence for the role of Josh Nichols alongside Drake Bell's character in the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh from 2004 to 2007, and in its two television films in 2006 and 2008. He then acted in films such as Mean Creek (2004), Drillbit Taylor (2008), The Wackness (2008), ATM (2012), Red Dawn (2012), Battle of the Year (2013), Danny Collins (2015), and Take the 10 (2017). Peck provided the voice of Eddie in the Ice Age franchise since Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), and voiced Casey Jones in the Nickelodeon animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012–2017). He also starred with John Stamos in the Fox comedy series Grandfathered (2015–2016). In 2017, Peck started a comedic lifestyle YouTube channel, Shua Vlogs, featuring David Dobrik and his wife Paige O'Brien. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Peck's early life moving from New York to LA to pursue his career as an actor. His reflection on acting for Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh and breaking the mold as a "kid actor" Growing into his career in films such as Mean Creek, The Wackness, and Red Dawn. Kesh's director/ actor relationship with Peck on his recent film, and Peck's need for clear communication in such a relationship. Following an almost predestined path of the arts through the support system his single mother provided for him as a child. Expanding his skill in acting by still attending acting classes. Finding different means of supporting himself and his family independent acting through branding platforms such as Vine, YouTube, and Instagram. Peck's podcast, Curious, and his love for interviews and having conversations with other creatives. www.artistdecoded.com https://www.instagram.com/shuapeck/

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded About Josh: Joshua Hagler lived and worked in San Francisco and then Los Angeles for fifteen years before moving to rural New Mexico in late 2017 as a grant recipient of the year-long Roswell Artist in Residence Program. He was born at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho in 1979 and is a first-generation college graduate with a visual communications degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Having not attended an art school or received an MFA, Hagler refers to himself as a working class artist. Not a stranger to class bias in the art world, self-directed research and travel has underpinned Hagler's career and is essential to how the artist integrates creative influences with his life experience. ​ While most of Hagler's early work responded directly to a difficult past within a variety of religious groups and their unspoken implications for the artist and his family, the later work has sought to understand religion in a deeper way. To Hagler's mind, one finds the seeds of religion in every facet of culture, even, and, perhaps especially, among the so-called secular realms. Religion, for Hagler, is not approached in the pejorative but in a state of acceptance that perhaps it's through the religious structures inherent in our shared languages and cultures that we access what makes us most human, for better and for worse. Currently, he is hard at work in the studio preparing for his first U.K. solo exhibition with Unit London. In "Chimera," Hagler presents a body of new paintings that attempt to dig beneath various forms of loud political language, including censorship, for clues on how the ubiquity of groupthink informs populist world views on both ends of the spectrum. The artist, in practice, hopes to work into the "noise" to exhume something Other in the physical manner in which the work is made. ​ ​ 2018 saw two museum shows at the Brand Library and Art Center in Los Angeles and the Roswell Museum and Art Center in New Mexico entitled "The River Lethe" and "Love Letters to the Poorly Regarded" respectively. He has exhibited paintings, sculpture, video, and animation in galleries and museums in North and South America, Europe, and Australia, including a long list of solo exhibitions. ​ Reviews and features about the work have appeared in a variety of publications and media outlets in the U.S. and Europe. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Hagler's move to Roswell, NM Finding more financial freedoms to make art without worry His former Christian upbringing and his current art practice Hagler's recent show "Chimera" @ Unit London, and its relation to process and collaboration On being a heavy reader, and the impact specific authors have had on him A discussion on the spiritual experience that exists in the studio, and surpassing the basics of technical expertise into an emotional connection The discipline of taking on multiple shows, and how it left Hagler with little time to premeditate his art to create better works His recent two-person show in LA that expresses the feeling of loss based on a six-line W.S. Merwin poem How artists can become inundated by the commercial, and political art market www.artistdecoded.com https://www.instagram.com/haglerjosh/ www.joshuahagler.com