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Featured Artist: Ippei Gyobu

About Ippei's Work:
Illustrator and comic book artist Ippei Gyobu's long-legged, doe-eyed characters dominate at first glance.

Gyobu seems to have quite the knack for capturing movement, cuteness, and color.
The artist's style is heavily based on his smooth use of line and attention to minute details like the hem of a shirt or the exact style and color of a character's hair. The characters all seem to have their own distinct personalities, emotions, and definitely have an attitude.

Gyobu has collaborated with several large companies like Adidas on press materials and advertisements, and somehow can even spice up an everyday sodapop company like Dr. Pepper.
We wanted to dig a little deeper and see if we could find out a little more behind the creative process and life of this talented young man.

Q & A with Ippei Gyobu:
1. You have a very interesting style of illustration, what are some of your major influences?

I have been heavily influenced by Japanese super robot and superhero series that I used to watch on TV back in the 70s and 80s.I am, in a way, still living in the exitement i had when i was little and watching these TV series. Also, I love Disney animation movies such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in wonderland, and Dumbo.

2. Your art work are mainly digital illustration, Do you do any non-digital art work?
Yes, You are right, I mainly work digitally, but I have done a few art works with acrylic painting on digital lines.　

3. What do you do as a day-job?　I am a full time illustrator, my main work is illustration as advertisements for magazines and various companies.I also have done character designs for video games and animation as well as short story Manga comics as well.

4. Other than art, what kind of hobbies or passions do you have?　　I do not have any particular hobbies besides doing art. I would say collecting sneaker is probably my only other hobby.I like to go watch some movies and listening to music sometimes, but nothing that counts as a passion for it. I have a pretty laid back life. I like taking walks and have been loving cooking a lot lately.

5. What does your art mean to you and why do you do it?
I have no other talents besides drawing and doing art work. I had no doubt when I became an artist/illustrator. It was less of a choice on my part and more like destiny.It is not something that i have to do or choose to do, but more like something I cannot stop doing. There is no particular meaning in doing art for me; it is more like an addiction.But, at the same time, I would say that I draw and do art to define myself.

6. You participated in the “SUG 503” show in our gallery, have you ever thought of making a toy of your own?
I always wanted to make my own toys. I have actually done toy design for a Japanese toy company called “Wonderwall”, about two years ago now. The character was called Jet Girl. The production has been delayed because of technical difficulties with one of the toy weapons for Jet Girl, but it should be smoothed over and come out sometime next year. I would love to do more designs though.

7. How do you prepare as an artist before you begin a piece?　
I do a lot of pencil drawing as rough sketches. After that, I do some research for the background, products, and so on.

8. Your pieces seem to have a lot of influence from Japanese Animation, do you have any particular Animations that you were deeply influenced by when you are kid?　 I have too many Animations that influenced me during my childhood to even start counting, but if I must: Glendizer, Dangard Ace, Steel Jeeg, Combattler V, Gundam, and Macross to name a few.I was especially influence by all the TATSUNOKO production animations during the 70s to 80s. They are amazing.My favorate animation is probably Tekkaman the Space Knight.

9. Please name 3 Artists/Animator/comic Artists you most respect.

Walt Disney , Go Nagai , Shotaro Isinomori.

10. What's your current project you are working on? I am working on Character Design for an animation series called "Akihabara@Deep". It is made by Polygon Pictures, a Japanese subsidiary of the US animation production company, Nickelodeon.

11. What is the most fun project you have ever worked on? It would probably be an Adidas Japan Advertisement project back in 2002. I created 3 superhero characters for that project.I love doing projects with sport companies since I am very much into Sneaker culture.Also, Sony Walkman project last year was very exiting as well.

Learn more about this artist at:
www.gyoubu.com
www.digmeout.net

Featured Artist: Evan Harris

Evan Harris' whimsical pieces can't help but tell a story. Whether they're lonely sailors or maidens or even butterfly-people, Evan's subjects all seem to have heroic, story-book lives. The muted, warm colors he uses speak of an older time when things were simpler.

The environments he paints his characters into are more often than not related to nature with branching vines, leafy scapes, and creatures and each piece seems to be a salute to the beauty in the simple shapes of nature. Working in a palette with a sepia feel gives his paintings their signature dream-like or old fashioned aura.

Evan Harris will be having a solo exhibition in at Compound Gallery in March 2007.

His life so far:
Born in the briars and backwoods thistles of Medford, Oregon, Evan Benjamin Harris grew up with little knowledge of the bourgeois big city fine arts. So, he dove into the recesses of his own imagination and embraced the fables and folklore that fascinated him. With little to do but draw, he did exactly that. Now older, things haven’t changed much. The stories he created as a child are still present in his paintings. With diligence and hard work, Evan’s crude stick figures became the more clearly defined images you see today. With no formal art training, he creates on his own terms. Broken boards, oil and acrylic paints, charcoal pastels, plastic resign, and melted waxes are among the mediums Evan uses. Then they are beaten, brushed, sanded, polished, and hung. Most would cringe at the idea of scratching or sanding something they spent hours upon hours painting, but that’s Evan’s favorite part- creating the appearance that this wasn’t made in the 21st century, maybe in the 20th. So, behind every scratch and claw mark, there is a story to tell.

Q&A with Evan Harris:

Q: What emotion/feeling do you want the viewers of your artwork to have?
A: I would hope that my art would evoke positive feelings and/or emotions in the people that view it.

Q: Who/what are some current influences on your artwork?
A: Rusty machine parts, broken tree limbs, thistles, overgrown gardens, old houses with the paint peeling, folk music, critters of all shapes and sizes, bones, graveyards, the sea, shipwrecks, cowboys, indians, silence, my father Robert A. Harris.

Q: What mediums do you absolutely love?
A: Old paper, washed out acrylics, wax and resin all sanded down and shined up.

Q: How different is it to work when someone is commisioning a piece as opposed to how you would normally work?
A: I have to work harder to capture the desired emotion in an image for a certain individual when I do a commission piece. Normally I just paint whatever I fancy.

Q: When did you begin to take your art seriously?
A: In second grade when other kids started asking me to draw them pictures on their notebooks.

Q: How do you prepare before creating a new piece?
A: Before I physically create anything, I paint the picture in my mind. I make sure all the colors and shapes are to my liking.

Q: Why do you do art?
A: It's the only thing that makes me happy.

Q: Does anything from your childhood have a big influence on your current work?
A: Pieces of folk tales my mama told me as a child.

Q: What's it like to be able to live off of your art?
A: I'm hungry.... very, very hungry.

Q: When did you realize that you were an artist?
A: I never realized I was an artist; it just sort- of happened. I still don't call myself an artist; it's other people that refer to me that way.

Q: Are there any mediums that you're dying to try out?
A: I'd like to carve something out of wood sometime.

Q: What do you like the most about the characters in your pieces?
A: They are always completely comfortable in their environment. It makes me jealous. Someday I hope I'll feel that at home.

Q: About how long does it typically take you to complete a piece?
A: I work on each piece until there is nothing left for me to do. It varies between each piece. In general.... hours, days, a long time.

Q: What's a typical day like in the life of (the artist)?
A: When I'm working on a show: I sleep in, get a cup of coffee, watch the news, paint for a few hours, play my guitar, then paint again until 2 or 3 am.

Q: What do you think of the art vinyl movement? Have you ever thought of making a toy?
A: I think it's a really cool resource for artists to work with. It's nice to be able to look beyond a flat surface and see things in a three dimensional environment. I have some friends that have made vinyl toys, and their work translates nicely. As for myself, I don't think my work lends itself as nicely to vinyl. However, I have thought of making wooden toys.

Q: What was the first concert that you went to?
A: Ozzy Osborne: No More Tours.

Q: Other than art, what other passions/hobbies do you have?
A: I love playing music with my friends: Horse Feathers, Loch Lomond, Laura Gibson. Between that and art, I don't really have time to do much more. I'd love to sail someday.

Q: What is your favorite place on earth?
A: I don't know, I haven't been everywhere yet. I did go to Venice last summer, and I think that would be a hard place to top.

Q: Did you have any heroes as a child that you can't seem to stand now?
A: I always thought Chuck Norris was really tough. I don't really think that any more.

Q: What was the first band you really went crazy over?
A: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. His songs are so damn catchy.

Q: What do you miss from your childhood the most?
A: My innocence.

Q: If you could be extremely rich and famous for doing one thing, what would it be?
A: I would rather be extremely rich without being famous by doing art.

Q: What is one thing that you simply can't live without? A: Coffee.

Q: Polaroids or Digital? A: Polaroids.

Q: What was the last impulse purchase that you made? A: A new banjo.

visit Evan's website: evanbharris.com

Featured Artist: Martin Ontiveros

Martin Ontiveros Bio:

Martin Ontiveros grew up in San Diego, California. Graduated CalArts at 26 with a Bachelor's degree in something. Then he moved here to Portland. He isn't rich... yet. But he is getting paid to do what he enjoys.

He has a nice girlfriend, a cool son named Felix and two cats not named Felix. His many many years of pop culture emersion and empirical knowledge of useless trivial information have somehow paid off in spades. Call it luck.

10 Questions with Martin Ontiveros:

1. Does anything from your childhood have a big influence on your current work?
1A. Maybe not in my current work, except that monsters were a big part of my imagination as a kid--in books, TV, comics, toys, you name it. If I went to a library, chances were I'd look up books on creatures or ghosts or UFOs, fact or fiction.
The 70's were a heyday for phenomena-laden entertainment. There was a TV channel in San Diego (where I grew up), XETV, that spent a good few years running horror and science-fiction themed weeks of programming, and even though we had cable all the way back then, I'd be watching these movies on the free channel. I've seen so many that to this day, when I'm at a video-rental place, I come across some weird B or cult type movie and realize I've seen it. I can recall a lot of them vividly even now.


I loved the show In Search Of, and there were a ton of low-budget documentaries made back then about Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs, and all other types of supernatural stuff. All of this still fascinates me today. It's funny though, as tame as I realize most of that was by today's standards, I wouldn't let my son watch anything more violent than an old Godzilla flick. I guess you could say the 70's were a time of very loose discretion.

2. Who/what are some current influences on your artwork?
2A. Primarily any artist I consider a friend, though I try not to study their work too hard out of fear that I might accidentally skim off too much of their style. Appropriation must be kept in check when it comes to that! As far as visual influences, it has for many years now remained the art of ancient civilizations, with Meso-american/Pre-columbian art topping the list, Mexican folk art, some ancient Greek, woodcuts from the middle ages (especially anything related to the supernatural), Asian art. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that these are artforms in which realism was not the order of the day, and everything is broken down into rudimentary form and perspective. It wasn't so much about getting something accurately portrayed than it was about making sure enough of the theme or object was there for the viewer to understand what they were seeing.
In terms of influence on determination and drive, meaning, an attitude that keeps me slinging the brush away, it's funny because it has more to do with music than art; rock n' roll and metal in particular. I often list Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath as an influence because the guy lost the tips of two of his fingers, his fingering hand even, in a industrial accident where he worked in the 60's. He never thought he'd play again, then later created these plastic tips with leather pads to cover those injured fingers. The rest is history, and the music speaks for itself.
The Melvins were always a huge influence too, especially watching Dale Crover play drums. Lately it's been Matt Pike from High On Fire--you have to see them live to know what I mean. He plays that guitar like a man possessed, it's something to behold. There are others too, but what I get from them is this true dedication to one's craft and honing their abilities to their best potential. I'm not saying I've reached this level of mastery myself, but I at least have certain people whose example I can follow.

3. What do you think of the art vinyl movement? Have you ever thought of making a toy?
3A. It's INSANE. There's so much out there now, and it doesn't seem to be near any end in sight. It's the new canvas, really, like it or not. I tend to stick to classic vinyl or new vinyl with that style mind, but there are a number of new art-related toys that are pretty cool. It's interesting to see who can translate into 3D and who cannot. Bottom line is that there is enough out there to suit everyone's taste, and that's a good thing. Everyone has a toy out. EVERYONE. Except me, but that will happen in due course, I'm not in any hurry there. Of course I want to make one.

4. Other than art, what other passions/hobbies do you have?
4A. Not too many other than art. Books, movies, music...but ultimately anything I do always comes back to the art in some way. I'm a dad too, so most of my non-work time is spent making sure my son is happy.

5. How do you prepare before creating a new piece?
5A. Hmm...there's not much of a process there really, at least not mentally. I just doodle a bit until I get a thumbnail down, then work it out in the pencil drawing afterward. I always draw a super-tight composition in pencil before any painting. Then I build the canvas, transfer the drawing and go from there. In that sense I haven't loosened up much.
Other artists I know can scribble a quick layout on the canvas and hash out the details in the paint, but I work the other way around. I have to know exactly what I'm doing before going into it, or it'll wind up going nowhere. Once I have the details laid out, then there might be room to change something, but usually not much.

6. What was the first concert that you went to?
6A. Sky Show...7? I think. 1981 or 82. It was this annual Summer concert thrown by a San Diego rock station. They have a huge outdoor stadium there, it used to be called Jack Murphy Stadium, now Qualcomm owns it so it's named after them. Anyway, I was 12, and went with some friends. The opener was some no-name that was probably related to the promoter or something, very forgettable. The rest was awesome: Chuck Berry, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Cheap Trick. After that it was all stadium/arena concerts, until I was about 17 and saw Agnostic Front and RKL live in this tiny fireman's hall with 750 people crammed inside. That's when I realized, shit, this is rock n' roll! Screw the big venues!

7. Are there any mediums that you're dying to try out?
7A. I'd like to sharpen up my carpentry skills, make more stuff out of wood than just canvasses. I like doing papier mache, and would love to explore it further. In terms of 3D sculpture, it's right up my alley.



8. What's behind all the monsters?
8A. I do not feel I'm experienced enough to offer a comprehensive analysis of my own work, but if I have to answer this? I suppose it's about things that appear scary or repulsive on the outside but are nothing of the sort on the inside. It kind of goes hand in hand with what people have said about me before they get to know me, I've been hearing it for years. Some of it might have to do with my seeing things from the monster's side too, especially in all those movies I've seen. Are they really evil? Or just doing what is expected of them as creatures of nature/super-nature? Frankenstein is one monster that I often think of in this context.

9. When did you realize that you were an artist?
9A. In grade school, particularly in 6th grade. I realized I was one of the only kids doing it enough to gather notice. I figured, well, I suck at everything else and I'm too awkward and weird to be cool, so I better stick with this.

10. When did you begin to take your artwork seriously?
10A. That has happened a few times, actually. When I was 19, I kind of reached a point where I realized I might not be too bad at this after all, but I was too shy to stick myself out there more. In art school I was good enough to stand out some. I don't think I really go into it until after my first show in Portland, 1998. Lots of stuff happened after that, but I let it slip and my attitude wasn't all that great. Then last year I felt like I was just totally dropping out of the scene and had to really look hard at what I had been doing wrong, and decided to turn that around. So after 9 years of doing this professionally, I feel like I only recently have been really taking it seriously, and things have never been better: the art and my attitude about it.

What are some current projects you're working on?
The most important thing I have going now is the promotion and further exposure of my work--so I try to take on any group show that is offered to me and any project I think has a lot or merit or potential to lead to more stuff. It isn't about climbing a ladder to success as much as it is about creating new paths to follow so I will never fall into a rut.
Remember what I said above, it's like I'm starting all over again from scratch. I do have a solo show in March at Super 7 in San Francisco that I'm hoping to just totally blow out. I also plan on totally overhauling my website and making it really cool, with a store page. I will be doing more handmade silkscreen prints in the next year, and have new t-shirts and other stuff like that made. Other than that, nothing major. I just go with the flow for now. Keep your eyes open; I intend to be seen a lot more of in the near future.

Artist Website: www.martinhead.com

Featured Artist: Cho-Chan

Gender: Female
Age: 25
Location: Osaka, Japan

About Cho-Chan:
Happy and Funky. Cho-Chan creates characters that are funny and interesting. Born in 1981, she was influenced by the street artists and graffiti in Osaka. She has both American and Australian influences, and they, as well as the street art of her home town, have all impacted her drawing style. Her unique, twisty typographies help to express the paradise in her paintings. Her western influences have helped create a style that is not "typical Japanese", but more cartoony.

She began showing her work in Japanese night clubs, selling original work and sweatshirts, and then passed the digmeout audition in 2005; she was featured in the digmeout06 magazine. She has since become more well-known and very, very busy. She has art collaborations with both Nissan and Sony.

10 Questions with Cho-Chan:

1. Your artwork is so fun; what are some of your influences?
A: I get inspiration from music, dance, architecture, fashion, plants, as well as the people who i hang out with. I try to create something that makes me feel happy as if it's a present from the environment around me.

2. What motivates you to begin a piece?
A: I always think about the opportunity of meeting other great artists if I keep drawing and painting. Also, I think about how much fun I'll have with my friends in my free time after I finish a piece.
3. What other hobbies do you have other than art?
A: Going shopping, going to the book store, and people watching.

4. Do you like to travel? What's your favorite place you've traveled to so far?
A: I love traveling!! The first time I've gone abroad was to Australia, Keans, and the Gold Coast. Everything about that trip was new to me and i enjoyed every bit of it.

5. What's your favorite memory from when you came to the US for the "Digmeout Strikes Back!" show?
A: It was my first show outside of Osaka city, and it was sooo Different. First of all, everyone there was so nice. Since I could not speak English, some of the patrons who were bilingual in English and Japanese were being my personal translators and helped me understand what other customers were saying. Also, I sold several of my pieces at the opening, which I never expected to happen!! It was an amazing experience.

6. What are some of your current projects you're working on?
A: I am working on some CD cover art work which will be released in October.

7. What do you want your viewers to feel when they see your artwork?
A: I want them to get excited and I want it to make them smile.

8. Does anything from your childhood influence how or what you paint now?
A: I don't think i have that much influence from childhood in my art work...

9. Are you a city or a small-town girl?
A: Definately a small-town girl.

10: Do you have any US artists you are very influenced by?
A: Barry Mcgee and Margaret Killgallen!! Margaret Kilgallen has influenced me very strongly. Her unique touch and sense of style and also her being in the street-art scene made me rethink my views about that genre of art. I had seen their art work on the streets of Osaka, (they came to Osaka pretty often when they were in Japan) and I always felt that I would like to do the same thing, but the graffitti scene in Japan is so male-oriented, I was afraid to attempt to enter into it... Margaret's existance in the scene encouraged me to be a painter.

visit Cho-Chan at:

www.digmeout.net

Featured Artist: ZAnPon

About ZAnPon:
Born in 1981 in Osaka, Japan. ZAnPon enrolled in the Osaka University of Arts in 2000 and began drawing in January 2004. His unique style of line drawing reaches beyond the imagination and explores freely beyond the confines of abstract or concrete art. Inspiration for his drawings come from everyday life, but his work is a genre of it’s own; it surpasses any of the current art genres and begs the viewer to look beyond the “rules” of art. At first glance, his pieces look like a combination of spontaneous lines, swirls, and colors. When one looks closer, one can see tiny hidden figures, animals, automobiles, flowers, and other little creatures. When one takes a step back from the piece, however, one can see the the lines converge to form a larger image, like an autostereogram ("Magic Eye" poster), but hand-drawn.

One could say that these intricate drawings saved his life. ZAnPon had a trying childhood and seriously considered suicide in his college years, and one day he decided to grab a pen and paper instead, and began drawing. “This is how I saved my life” he says, “In the beginning, my drawing was just my screams and pain. But then those little creatures appeared, and gradually I felt at ease...To keep drawing is to keep living for me.”



He brought his work to a Digmeout creative seminar in September 2004 and has been a part of this innovative Osaka art agency ever since. He currently works as an event coordinator for the Digmeout art cafe. He sees this as an opportunity for himself to use communication and connection with others to support art. “I thought art was more personal, but here I found myself so much more social...drawings have become more than just personal relief.”


Since his feature in the art magazine Digmeout 05, he has collaborated with many Japanese companies. His illustrations have been used in posters for Osaka radio station FM802, as well as on ATM cards for Resona Bank as a part of their “RESONART” project of 2006.


Q&A with ZAnPon:

Q1. When you begin a new piece, do you always have the larger image in mind already or does that come later as you draw?
A1. I do not create composition before I create my art work. I would say it is vaguely inside of me, I feel it; but it is not solid or clear. As I draw, the overall image gets clearer and clearer.



Q2. Do you usually draw every day?
A2. I do draw every day.

Q3. How do you usually choose the colors/mediums that you will use in a piece?
A3. I usually add colors and choose my mediums as I go along creating a piece; I don't usually plan this ahead of time.

Q4. You were recently here in Portland for the "Digmeout Strikes Back!" show in August. What was your favorite part of being here in the US?
A4. The biggest difference between a US audience and a Japanese audience is their reaction to my art work. US patrons are very direct and express their opinions about my work directly.
I love that; When I talk to the audience who like my work, they express it so directly and freely, it creates great energy inside of me. I feel very encouraged as an artist. See, it is all about sharing and communication and I love it.



Q5. What was your favorite kind of food to eat while in the US?
A5. Hamburgers! The meat patties in US hamburgers are so big!

Q6. Are you planning on living in Osaka for the rest of your life or have you ever wanted to move somewhere else?
A6. I haven't really thought about it.

Q7. What's a normal morning like for ZAnPon?
A7. Meditation.

Q8. When did you begin to take your art seriously?
A8. My art is very meaningful to me because of what it's done for my life, but I do not feel like i am living my life as an artist at this time. I am drawing to hopefully give positive energy to people who view my work. That's all i think. Luckly, I am able to make a living through my artwork at this time; but if it get difficult to do so, I would be happy to work a regular job and keep drawing and painting.

Q9. What kind of music do you like listening to?
A9. My favorite band right now is Rage Against the Machine.

Q10. Other than art, what hobbies or passions do you do in your spare time?
A10. I don't think it counts as a hobby, but when I have time I like to just hang out with my friends.



Q11. Do you have some future projects coming up?
A11. Because of the recent show with Compound Gallery, I was able to attract attention from one of the creative directors from Adidas. He was very interested in my artwork and we have been discussing possible projects.

Thank you so much for reading by biography/interview, and I am looking forward to visiting the US again soon!
-ZAnPon

Website link related to the artist
www.digmeout.net
Artist pieces available on our web store
http://www.justbecomplex.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/25_176

Featured Artist: Robert Mars

Artist Statement:
For me, my art evokes feelings of my childhood and the goodness associatedwith that time in my life. Neon signs and classic automobiles bring back memories of summertime roadtrips with my family, passing through small towns and past large cities. Stopping at roadside motels after a long day of travel. The glow and buzz of neon became a comfort for the weary.
My paintings use layers of colors familiar from that time, coupled with stark, black imagery. Quiet landscapes that speak of the lost highway strips of the American past.

I have shown in galleries in Tokyo, Munich, Portland, New York, Seattle,Vancouver,Melbourne and Austin. You can contact me at www.robertmars.com or www.constructclothing.com.

Q&A with Robert Mars:
Q: You've mentioned that your art finds inspiration in the family road trips you took in your childhood. Are there any specific ventures that stand out in your memory?
A: A roadtrip to Busch Gardens in Virginia, around 1976. The light of the season and the air from the open car window blowing in my face stand out as memories.

Q: How did you discover that you were an artist?
A: I was always armed with a 64 pack of crayola crayons with the built in sharpener. Weapon of choice!

Q: When did you begin taking your art seriously as a career ?
A: Seriously, around the year 2000 when I stopped skateboarding for the first time in 14 years to make art. I have since started skating again!

Q: You recently participated in a custom toy show with our gallery. What did you think of the whole art-on-toy experience?
A: It was a nice change from a flat canvas. Thinking three dimensionally makes you realize that things have many sides and you have to account for all of them. One downside is that one plastic hand that doesn't take well to paint and remains tacky forever!

Q: What is a typical morning like in the life of Rob Mars?
A: NPR, a shower, a walk to the post office to deliver t shirts and the N train into the city where I get grapefruit and juice and spend the day making graphics for hip hop kids.

Q: Favorite breakfast cereal?
A: Kashi with soy milk.

Q: Your art takes a lot from your childhood, but is there anything in your current surroundings that you feel directly influences your art?
A: Every place that I live has direct influence on my work. Los Angeles and Portland are the old neon and vintage cars part. Brooklyn has the bodega corner stores, vintage liquor signs, flat tire repair shops and abandoned bicycles.

Q: How do you prepare when getting ready to create a new painting?
A: I start with a canvas and sketch out what I think it should look like but it always seems to transform as I go along and if I see something else as I paint I roll with it.

Q: If you could be amazingly famous and successful doing one thing, what would it be?
A: Hip Hop star....No, really I am happy with my small t shirt company and making paintings.

Q: If you had to go by an alias/artist name, what would it be?
A: What, mine isn't good enough already?

Q: You're a clothing designer by day; do you feel a significant difference or separation between art for work and art for art's sake?
A: 100% difference..when I design for my day job it's all about the company and what they need. When I design and paint for myself it's my own expression. Whatever it lends itself to.

Q: You moved to New York from Portland about a year or so ago, how's the Big Apple treating you?
A: I was away from New York for 10 years and obviously a lot has changed. It took a minute to acclimate back to the pace but I am loving it. Being close to family and old friends. Living in Brooklyn for the first time has opened my eyes to how amazing this place is. I do miss Portland and my friends there as well as Newberg Skatepark.

Q: Do you get to do a lot of traveling nowadays?
A: Not as much as I did when I lived in Portland but work sends me to Asia and Europe twice a year so that seems to be good for now. My next personal vacation will be Tulsa and Oklahoma City to do some research.

Q: What was the first band that you really went crazy over?
A: Kiss..no question.

Q: Who are some of your biggest artistic influences?
A: Robert Rauschenberg wins for all time achievement award. Richard Diebenkorn for abstract composition. Egon Schiele for amazing line quality. Margaret Kilgallen for sheer artistic beauty. Thomas Campbell for genuine visual language. Joseph Cornell for collage mastery. Angela Boatwright for genius vision and technical wizardy behind the lens.

Q: Are there any mediums that you're dying to try out?
A: Encaustic and metal.

Q: Did you have any heroes as a child that you can't seem to stand now?
A: Gene Simmons of Kiss. He has become a parody of himself.

Q: Paper or plastic?
A: I will have to say paper.

Q: If there was one specific feeling/emotion that you wanted the viewers of your paintings to have, what would it be?
A: Nostalgia, is that an emotion..I mean deep sadness. ha!


Q: Complete this sentence: If I were ruler of the universe, I...
A: ... would see people live in harmony with each other.


10 Things Robert Mars misses about Portland:

1. Friends
2. Newberg Skatepark
3. Uzi
4. Stumptown Coffee
5. adidas
6. 4858 NE Alberta Ct
7. Yokos Sushi
8. Quiet time
9. Shows at a reasonable price
10. A Backyard

Art pieces available on our web store.
http://www.justbecomplex.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/25_181