Artist Proof Interview with Artist: Mildred
Global Location: San Francisco
URL: http://unclemildred.blogspot.com/
AP Shop URL: http://www.zazzle.com/mildred
AP: How long have you been making art for and what lead you to start.
M: Pretty much all my life. I think its that way with most people. Everybody drew pictures when they were little, I just never stopped yet.
AP: Where do you currently live and work ω And how does this influence your work.
M: I currently live in a studio in San Francisco with my awesome wife Pacolli. I’d say the biggest influence would be being married to and living with some one that is also an artist/drawer/creative type as well. We both bounce ideas off each other and are constantly pushing each other to do bigger and better things.
AP: Did you have formal training if so whatω If your self taught can you tell us what you prefer about being a self taught artist vs having formal training.
M: The first training for me was drawing being a child and drawing things that I would see my dad draw. As a kid, sometimes my family would play board/dice/card games together and when it wasn’t my dads turn to play, he would be doodling creatures and army people fighting with guns and giant bugs and dragons and weird stuff. I would always try to draw exactly what he was drawing. Thats where it all started I think. If it wasn’t for his doodling, I don’t think that I’d be drawing as much as I do today. Other than that, the only drawing education I got was what I learned in High School. no body needs to “learn” to be an artist. it’s either in you or it isn’t.
AP: Can you tell us about where you make your work is it in your house, a studio etc.. and how it effects your work.
M: As I said earlier I work mostly in my studio apartment with my wife. No outside studio or anything, just work at home.
AP: What is your medium of choice.
M: anything I can get my hands on.
AP: What is the relationship between technique and content in your work.
M: I like to sometimes throw in jokes or hidden messages in my work. I think a lot of people take a lot of things to seriously, and I think that too much seriousness is a bad thing. People need to loosen up a bit.
AP: Who are some of the artists that have inspired you and or your work.
M: There’s too many artist that inspire me a lot. I love so many different varieties of art, some more serious and some more not so serious. Some of them would be Marcel Duchamp, Clayton Brothers, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Jackson Pollock, Ed Templeton, M.C. Escher, there’s so much more.
AP: In what direction would you like to see your work going over the next five years.
M: I’d just like to keep painting and doing what I do, and keep working with supportive companies and awesome people. Perhaps I will one day try my luck at making a comic strip. I’d also love to design a skate deck for Toy Machine.
AP: What forth coming projects and or exhibitions do you have scheduled for 2011.
M: Brazil, more info later on.
AP: Take us on a guided tour through a day in your life as an artist.
M: well everyday is different but usually on most days I can be found drawing, painting, cooking, jamming on the guitar and keyboard, playing NES and pinball with my girl, or watching some embarrassing T.V. shows.
AP: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions.
