London is now your home, having been brought up in Wales and lived for a decade in California. How London-centric is your work?
I’m an international artist living most of my time online, sucking up things from all over the world as they happen and adapting and creating things based on that flow of information. I’m more interested in living in the 21^st century than living in the East End of London, but I DO still pick up on the interesting parts of London. It’s a dirty city but you need dirt to make things grow.

The Olympic games was huge, particularly for East London where your gallery is based. How has the landscape of the capital changed as a result?
It didn’t really impact on the local area very much – it seemed like a bit of a shindig for the VIPS and sporting people. It was fun to watch on TV in HD but the whole promise of more business and energy for the East End kind of didn’t happen. A lot of local businesses thought things were going to be mad busy but they lost business at the time of the Olympics. I put out a print taking the mickey out of the Olympics being based in Hackney and I make mad money from it so I’m not complaining. Well, I am a bit aren’t I? I got some free chips from a guy in Hackney because I painted on his wall. That was a result. Crime DOES pay.

http://pureevilgallery.tumblr.com/archive

Do you consider your work to be particularly politically driven?
Yes, definitely. I think if you can say anything then why not say SOMETHING? Painting on walls is a good way to get your message across in a big way. I am intelligent and I think about how to make the world a better place so it’s good to be able to use my medium to get a strong message across. My ancestor is Sir Thomas More – he had a vision for a Utopia. I do too.

Your father is also a painter (John Uzzell Edwards) who uses a great deal of symbolism in his work. How has his practice influenced your own?

He has taught me to research a subject and to work, work, work all the time. It’s a good lesson. He has taught me to distrust academics and watercolourists and landscape painters. We’re both pretty bloody minded. Our mission is to PAINT.

What has been the highlight of your career and why?
I guess hooking up with Banksy and getting my first piece into one of the Santa’s Ghetto shows he started doing… that got the ball rolling and led to me getting onto Pictures on Walls, and then eventually being involved in the CANS FESTIVAL projects. That was major.

Appearing on BBC’s The Apprentice was a high profile move. Are you glad you took part in the programme?

Yeah, I had two friends who did the Australian version of it and they said ‘do it’. They had a lot of exposure from the programme and the same thing happened with me. Things went mental after that programme came out.

http://blog.above-second.com/upcoming-trailblazers/

How was it received by the street art community? Isn’t it a notoriously secretive community?

The street art community is not at all secretive and has never strived to maintain its anonymity – they all have PRs and call up the press when they do anything. Graffiti artists are the notoriously secretive ones because they don’t want to go to jail, they are the ones you are thinking of. The street art community wants to be famous and to be household names and to have their retrospective at the Tate and have their own trainers and customize a GUITAR HERO plastic guitar and have their own TV Show. On the whole, they completely LOVE attention and thrive on it.

Is it a competitive world to work in?
I don’t think it’s too bad to be honest. People are extremely supportive and helpful and, wherever I have gone in the world, I find other street artists to be the greatest bunch of people ever. They are happy little bunnies because they are doing something they love and it’s the kind of thing that welcomes collaboration. The ones who do bitch and moan should just shut up and paint.

What’s next for Pure Evil?

I get to watch my wonderful little baby BUNNY grow up… her first smile, her first steps, her first words, and then show her how to get really good with a spray can!

For purchase information contact Coates and Scarry on our contact page

Interview by Lottie Storey

Carne Griffiths’ artwork is born from a love of drawing and the journey of creating an image on the page. Working primarily with calligraphy ink, graphite and liquids, such as tea brandy, vodka and whisky he draws and then manipulates the drawn line. After graduating from Maidstone college of art Carne served an apprenticeship and worked as a gold wire embroidery designer for 12 years, hence floral pattern, repetition and flow play a large part in his work. Our writer Lottie Storey interviewd Carne to find out more baout him and his creative process.

How did you begin working with drinkable liquids?
I had always worked with calligraphy ink and water. It was a glass of brandy that led to the first splash of drinkables on the page, and, like most things I do concerning artwork, it was a chance happening rather than a planned one. Alcohol has a curious effect on ink, taking the colour deep into the paper very quickly – it behaves very differently to water and gives permanence to some inks.
More Images + Info »

The auction of more than 30 works by acclaimed national and international artists starts Thursday 18 October at 18.00 GMT at www.artaction.co.uk and will be live for ten days. 100% of the money raised will help to fund exciting and creative projects at The Station, a new £5 million city centre youth hub in Bristol, England. We have chosen to work with Creative Youth Network as their remit is so close to what Art Action for Kids really care about – The Arts and young people. “We can make a difference in the lives of our young by pulling together and helping provide space for them to create , thrive and be safe.” Say Richard Scarry and Sarah Banks

By Nick Walker

Unbelievably, through the immense generosity of so many artists, we have amassed a jewel of a collection. The fruits of this labour are culminating in an auction launch party at The Station tonight. For all of you living anywhere but Bristol, you can still help us – please go visit the website www.artaction.co.uk and support this wonderful cause. If you any click on the image it will take you to the auction site, what could be more simple.

By HUSH

CYN has completely refurbished The Old Fire Station in central Bristol, providing brilliant facilities including a music department, performance space and dance studio, along with a cafe, chill out space and the involvement of other youth support networks. All of this wonderful donated work will pay to a hanging system so young people can create and hang their own exhibitions at anytime. Here is the link to the 10 day EBAY auction http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Art-Action-at-the-Station going live Thursday October 18 TH.

By Natalie Shau

Works by Shepard Fairey, Pure Evil and D*Face are among this incredible collection of modern and street artists. Other artists who have donated to the auction include Ben Eine, Hush, Dan Baldwin, Nick Walker, Conor Harrington, Marco Mazzoni, Angela Lizon, Chloe Early, Deedee Cheriel, JT Burke, Will Barras, Michael Mararian, CHEBA, Anne Faith Nicholls, Copy Right, David Stoupakis, Dan Baldwin, Marco Mazzoni, David Bray, Mike Inglis, Rose Sanderson and Mike Stilky and more.

By JT Burke

Here are some questions put to the artists Tome Bagshaw – D*Face – Ian Francis

Tom Bagshaw -

Q:Why did you want to be part of ART ACTION @ THE STATION?

I was happy to help out by donating a piece of work for the cause, getting people interested in the arts- no matter what their age- is always a good thin

Q:Can you give us a bit of information about the artwork you have kindly donated?

Tengu was a piece from my first exhibition ‘Yokai Dreams’ which took place at the Knifesmith gallery in Bristol in 2010. The whole body of work centred around my love for Japanese ghost stories and folklore. Tengu was my interpretation of one of these characters.

By Tom Bagshaw

Ian Francis

Q:Why did you want to be part of ART ACTION @ THE STATION?

It’s a great cause, it’s good to see young people involved in the art world. I feel very lucky to get to do artwork all day, so it’s good to try to give something back.

Q:Can you give us a bit of information about the artwork you have kindly donated?

It’s a small drawing based on a corrupted frame taken from a video of a girl walking on a beach. There’s something I find fascinating about re-interpreting the kinds of marks and artefacts you get when digital video corrupts in hand crafted media like paint and charcoal.

By - Ian Francis

D*FACE

Q:Why did you want to be part of ART ACTION @ THE STATION?

Richard Scarry is a brethren, if he asks there is only one answer… YES. That aside, being able to live and support myself and family as an artist is a privilege, I’m lucky to be able to do so and I wake up every day thankful and amazed that I get to do what I love, if I can give back, help or even inspire just one child thats more than I ever dreamed of from my art.

Q:Can you give us a bit of information about the artwork you have kindly donated?

I donated some long sold out prints, hopefully there’s one person out there that will be willing to buy them and and in doing so will complete the chain and give generously to a very worthy charity.

By D*FACE

Please take the time to look at the auction site. There really is something for everyone and you could pick up a bargain in the process of helping a great cause. If you aren’t loving the art, feel free to make a donation…

Thanks for your Support

Art Action for Kids AKA Richard Scarry – Sarah Banks and a great group of friends!

Unnatural – Natural History is an artistic exploration of an alternative world. It is a world where the dominant species are not human and natural objects are metamorphosed into unexpected and unnatural forms. A place in which genetic mutations and environmental pressure have altered the natural course of evolution.

Chippy Coates, one half of Coates and Scarry says “ We asked artists from around the world to explore the theme of “unnatural natural history” and the results are diverse and alluring. It’s a blend of innovative art, creative ideas and lateral thinking.” With this in mind, the exhibition looks to create a stir and stimulate rigorous discussion as to what can be considered natural.

More Images + Info »

Q: You live and work in Bristol but where are you originally from?
I’m originally from Winchester, but I moved away when fairly young, growing up in Weymouth on the South coast.

acrylic and mixed on panel

Q: You trained as an illustrator, what made you move into fine art?
I wanted more freedom, and wasn’t very good at being told what todo!Q: What is the inspiration for your work?
Nature, decay, the beautiful things that generally go unnoticed.Q: You often depict insects and birds in your artwork, what attracts you the most about this subject matter?
I have always been excited and intrigued by insects from as early as I can remember; in fact my first pet was a woodlouse! Beetles in particular come in so many different forms and colours, and are simply fascinating. I am also interested in their place in the world; recycling nature; creating life from death. Birds to me represent freedom, and the fragility of life.Q: How would you describe your work?
Expressive yet delicate.

Q: What methods and tools do you use the most in creating your artwork?
I use a lot of mixed media; old wallpapers, cracking layers of paint, rubbing away, scratching into. I am interested in old walls and surfaces that display the changes of time, and try to represent this.Q: What mediums do you work in and why?
I tend to paint mainly in acrylics, they are very versatile, especially when mixed with other types of mediums. I feel I understand how they work but can still discover new ways of producing interesting effects. I know some people can be a bit snobby if a painting isn’t created using oils, as acrylics haven’t yet done the test of time, but I quite like that, and you can get some real quality stuff these days. More Images + Info »

San Francisco’s Ted Vasin, the Russian-born artist known for his meticulously drawn, dark psychedelic works, heads back to Miami April 14 with his Poison Bliss exhibition at 101/Exhibit Gallery—a just-completed collection he began in 2009.

Realistic while beautifully unsettling, Vasin’s work evokes the isolation of a dark, drug-induced hallucination among frequently paired drawings of detailed environments with complimentary hues and metallic paints.

Vasin continues his use of large-scale canvases to incorporate twisted iconography, hallucinations, and an uncomfortably skewed vantage point through illustration. Poison Bliss exposes the isolation of a man hypnotized by the psychedelic body invasion and the world around him, and his violent reaction to the perceived threat.

These really are to be seen and experienced, Ted is also a maker of music using many electronic elements to create something very new and industrial. His paintings like his music are unique and worthy of our time. Nothing about what he creates is based in reality taking us along on a journey of his making. He has even created all his own colors for theses paintings and uses and almost reflective quality that literally changes with the light. As Ted says like us the paintings change all the time and are never rigid. 

Lowrez

Poison Bliss

Established in 2009 Coates and Scarry represent a selection of artists with strong voices that sit outside the confines of traditional art. Original, fresh and challenging their portfolio of artists from the US and Europe incorporate works in bronze, resin, glass, paint and graphite. Each of the participating artists holds prestigious awards and their works have hung on the walls of many reputable museums and academies.

We are taking our show on the road and setting up shop at Art Melbourne May 24-27 2012 and have some outstanding work with us from the likes of Marco Mazzoni (Milan), Nigel Cox (London), Angela Lizon (Bristol), Scott Brooks (Washington DC), Deedee Cheriel (L.A.), Karen Akster (Scottland), Corine Perier (Paris), Berth Carter (Bath) and the wonderfully talented Rose Sanderson (Bristol).We will be visiting Australia for the first time and really excited about meeting all the art fans in Melbourne. If you would like more info please go to www.coatesandscarry.com and you will find all the artists we represent and some of the great work they are doing.

'Satchel' by Nigel Cox

'Ginger Comes Home' by-Angela Lizon

Deedee Cheriel

'Control Issues' by Scott Brooks

Karen Akster

'La Sentinelle' by Corine Perier

'On Thin Ice' by Rose Sanderson

'Bull and Rider' by Beth Cater

April 22 – May 29, 2011

A major new international art exhibition opens at View Art Gallery in Bristol UK in April 2011, cementing the city’s status as a centre of contemporary art.

Modern Fabulists is a groundbreaking exhibition featuring America and Europe’s most extraordinary contemporary artists. The exhibition is the first curated by Coates and Scarry and in collaboration with Bristol’s premier View Art Gallery.

Owner of View Art Gallery Nick Waugh says “We are seeing a real resurgence in Bristol’s contemporary art scene and this innovative exhibition, which brings so much new talent to the area, will be a key event in the City’s cultural calendar.”

The artists featured in the show are all creating new pieces around the theme of “modern fabulists – a composer of fables, a teller of tales, a liar… an artist”. The exhibition is a celebration of the enduring relevance of folklore, craft, and storytelling. The artists bring their own very original and modern responses to the theme.

Pagan imagery, human and animal mixed manifestations, the shocking juxtaposed with the sublime, all come together to represent what are ultimately beautiful and spiritual renderings and interpretations of folklore and tales.

Artists in the show include Dan Baldwin, Jacob Arden McClure, Dee Dee Cheriel, Karen Akester, Anne Faith Nicholls, David Stein, Derek Weisberg, Hayley Murphy, Kirsty Whiten, Lauren Bergman, Bristol based Angela Lizon and Scott G Brooks.

Modern Fabulists will also be the first show in the UK for Corine Perier, Marco Mazzoni and Scott G Brooks and the first time outside of London for Lori Field and Pepa Prieto.

One half of Coates and Scarry is Richard Scarry, who is also Director of the renowned Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, responsible for the infamous Art from the New World exhibition at Bristol’s City Museum in 2010.

Chippy Coates, Creative Director of Coates and Scarry says of the exhibition “Modern Fabulists showcases these most talented artists, individuals with strong styles and voices, artists who can recreate their truly unique imaginations in their exceptional art.”

Kirsty Whiten

Deedee Cheriel

Lori Field

Pepa Prieto

Dan Baldwin

David Stein

Angela Lizon

Karen Akester

For online previews please contact Sarah Whitehead at sarah@viewartgallery.co.uk.

View Art Gallery, 159-161 Hotwells Road, Bristol BS8 4RY, t: +44 (0)5603 116 753, www.viewartgallery.co.uk.

For more information on Coates and Scarry, please visit www.coatesandscarry.com.

Media please contact Abigail Stuart-Menteth, Damson PR, t: +44 (0)7855 526 550 or abigail@damsonpr.com

The Red Cosmonaut

Q: Where do you live?
In an old shop in Melbourne, Australia.

Q: Tell us about your home town?
I grew in up in Geelong, a small town outside Melbourne. It’s a flat industrial place. I grew up near a cement factory which would coat the surrounding houses in a dull grey pall, and which formed the bones of the painting ‘there is glory’.

Jeremy Geddes

Q: How long does it take you to create a cosmonaut painting?
The larger paintings can take months. It can be frustrating when they begin to drag and I have other images I want to get to, but I find it impossible to leave paintings in state that I feel could be improved, so I have little choice but to press on.

More Images + Info »

Q: Tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Paris, where I still live and work. My childhood was happy and secure. I enjoyed drawing and painting during my free time. I grew up in an environment that always encouraged me in an artistic career and I naturally studied in Art School.

Q: What made you want to be an artist?
Since I was a child I had felt the need to express my feelings through images. I’m always very moved by all artistic things. It’s my way of life and has always been.

Q: Tell us about your work?
I paint surreal animals in desert landscapes. I explore the meeting of different species through supernatural wildlife mutation. They are not animal portraits but my own vision of the life in a disturbed world.

Q: What techniques do you use to paint?
I paint in oil on wood panels. I love the smooth clean surface of wood.  I sketch the layout directly on the gessoed panel with diluted oil paint and I paint in thin layers and glosses to get the desired result. I usually have 3/4 paintings going on at the same time.

Q: Name a few artists that inspire you?
I love the old masters and find inspiration in their works:  Bosh, Snyders, Oudry… , to name a few. As contemporary artists, I’m always discovering new people that amaze me, some of my favourites are  Martin Wittfooth, Chris Berens, Alex Gross, Steven Kenny…and many others!

Q: How and where do you get your ideas for your paintings?
I’m a great dreamer and I have detailed visions all the time in colour of my future paintings in my mind. I know how finished my finished work will be before starting! Some animals are painted from my head but I pull reference when I need to. For inspiration, I have all pictures of my favourite books in my studio.

Q: Your favourite art museum in Paris?
The Museum d’Histoire Naturelle of course, with it’s “ Galerie de l’Evolution” that is a giant parade of all species of animals! I appreciate also the Musée d’Orsay for its fine collection of romantic paintings of the 19^th century, and there are plenty of others.

Q: What is the art scene like in Paris?
I’m not the good person, to ask about this! I don’t exactly know what’s going on her. I try to have my own style out of any influence, so I don’t feel the need to know the local artistic scene.

Q: Three loves?
My husband and children, animals, and dark chocolate!

Q: Three loathes?
Rude people, cell phones, television.

Q: Goals for the future?
I want to continue to explore my individual world, and get better at painting. I also have the project to exhibit my artwork in other countries and meet other artists. It would be very exciting for me.

Q: Is there a message in your work?
In my work, I process the necessity of adaptability in a world in mutation through the contemporary problem of the disappearance of species. I hope that the paintings I create can, with this, contribute to a life in a more peaceful and dreamy world.

Q: What do you do when taking a break from painting?
I watch great classic films; it takes my mind of everything else that is going on.

Q: Any other hidden talents?
It seems that I’m a good cook, I’ve fans at home.

Q: Tell us about Montmartre and your show?
I’m preparing my first solo show, opening on march 24^{th 2011}, at the Galerie Montmartre (located on the Place du Tertre in Paris), that represents currently my artwork. I’ve got 10-15 new pieces for this show. I’m really excited about this opportunity!

To see more of Corine’s work please go to her website at http://www.corineperier.com/

Q: Where are you from?
I was born in Derbyshire (UK) but left there before I was 2 years old. I really consider myself to be from the South West of England where I’ve mainly lived since. I’m now based in Bristol.

Q: Where did you train?
I went to Sunderland University 1992-95 (UK), it was a good course in many practical ways, I learned to weld and do basic mold making, but the place was a cultural desert with a gloomy soul, during the course I organized a 3 month exchange to the Cyprus College of Art (Paphos) for which utterly rejuvenated my creativity, it got me interested in the myths of the classical world and in a way set me on the path I’m still on, that of exploring archetypal ideas through allegory.

Q: What/who inspires your art?
Like most artists, I’m inspired by many different things. But essentially my work stems from my internal world, I find things in everyday life, films, books, songs, people etc. act as triggers for ideas and images which are already there in my subconscious, like a big endless library…. the process of making art feels like finding external images which correspond as closely as possible to ones which are already quietly waiting in the wings.

Q: What techniques do you use to create your pieces?
For sculpture, my favorite medium to model in is clay, I also sometimes model directly in wax. Using this process also requires welding an armature, mold making and finally casting in bronze, bronze/Iron resin or jesmonite. I also draw in charcoal and make prints using etching, drypoint and photogravure.

Q: Do you cast your own bronzes?
No i don’t cast my own bronzes, the process is too industrial for me. I do make my own waxes which is the first stage of the bronze process, and if I’ve not got much money I’ll make the molds and cast work into bronze/Iron resin myself, but the casting/molding process is quite toxic and physically quite demanding so I get other people to do it when ever possible.

Q: The most challenging aspect of your creative process?
I’m lucky enough to have constant exhibiting opportunities, which means I’m working to deadlines most of the time, as well as dealing with the increasing administration/emailing side of things. This all encroaches on my true creative time, so the most challenging aspect of the process is getting the clear space and open ended time to work and experiment in the studio.

Q: Three of your all-time favourite sculptors / visual artists?
Ana Maria Pacheco, Rodin, Paula Rego

Q: The best aspect of creating a scupture?
The part which is most blissful is modeling a new clay figure, just me and the clay.

Q: The worst?
The worst part is all the process involved in producing a sculpture, the welding, molding, casting, I can do them all and there is a level of satisfaction in doing them but there is little creative reward.

Q: How do you spend your leisure time?
I travel when ever I can, most recently, I did a residency in Guadalajara, Mexico, I love Mexico its full of stories and magic. My mother teaches for most of the year in Kenya/Tanzania/Zanzibar and Gambia, so I get to travel and visit her. I also do yoga and run, dress up and party.

Q: The key to good business as an artist?
I’m not a business person, I find keeping proper accounts highly traumatic(!) but have always found that if you value your own work then other people will value it too.

Q: Major ambitions?
My ambition for the next few years is to create a situation where I’m working on one or two shows a year, nationally and internationally. To have time and space to fully explore and develop my ideas. I want to design and build myself a wonderful studio one day, and I want to paint.

Q: How do you keep developing new ideas?
My head and my heart are full of ideas, they get developed by blocking out the world and listening to the quiet voices.

Q: Tell us a little about your studio space?
I have a great studio space, at Spike Island in Bristol (UK). It’s a converted tea factory near the docks. The building has 100 or so artists working in it and one of the best parts about it is that there is a wealth of knowledge and advice at hand. My fellow sculptors are highly skilled and experienced so there is always someone who knows about a certain material or technique, or just to help lift something, it’s good to be in a supportive environment with like minded people around you. I’m a very focused solitary artist, so having other people around keeps me from disappearing into my own world and not being able to come back. The downside about my studio is that it is getting too small and there is only an overhead skylight, no window onto the world, I would love to have a view.

Q: Surprise us?
Every time I cast a new piece of sculpture, I put a secret message or a drawing inside. A kind of offering or a charm or a wish.

Q: What made you want to be an artist?
My parents exposed me to lots of art growing up. I used to go to the Salvador Dali museum in Florida about once a month when I was little, that really affected me. There has never been a time in my life when I was not into art, or did not want to be some form of artist. Some kids like Football, some kids like painting.

Q: What/who inspires you?
Other artists, photographers, film-makers, architecture, old photos, furniture, street signs, books, magazines. I think my wife is sick of me pointing at everything and saying “That’s Amazing!”

Q: Did you go to art school?
No, I got a library card.

Q: Why did you choose the medium you work with?
I work in so many mediums. Film, Paint, Sculpture, Graphic Design. I hope people see a cohesive thread in what ever medium I’m working with, and a style that is distinctively mine.

Q: Tell us about your process of creating a piece of work?
I can’t even think without music, so I’ll put something on. Look through a dozen books, take down a page of notes and think about what I want to do for way to long. Then do it.

Q: Tell us about your travels?
Just got back from travelling Europe for 2 months with Anne, so inspiring, so amazing! Words cannot describe.

Q: Three favourite artists?
Neo Rauch, Gregory Crewdson, Matthew Barney, Tom Ford, Paul McCarthy, Charles and Ray Eames, and of course Anne Faith Nicholls.

Q: What is the first thing you though of when you woke up this morning?
Will today be the day?

Q: Tell us something we don’t know about you?
I might be the next great American artist.

Q: Living and working with another artist?
I am lucky enough to live with my amazing wife Anne Faith Nicholls. She is such an amazing artist, we create stuff everyday and share ideas. I can’t imagine not being with an artist. They would not understand why you are doing what you do, why you work so hard, why you are so stressed out.

Q: How do you spend you leisure time?
Cleaning what I have messed up while I’m creating art.

Q: Three loves in life?
My Wife Anne, My Family, My 1967 Mercedes 250 SE

Q: Three loathes?
Liars, The word zeitgeist, My 1967 Mercedes 250 SE

Q: A word of advice for aspiring artists?
It is all about who you know, try to make as many connections as you can and build relationships with people who are in your field and share your same passions.

Q: Your plug?
www.jacobardenmcclure.com

Q: What made you want to be an artist? I was raised an only child by a single mom, so I spent a lot of time doing solitary activities like art, drawing, building forts in the local Forrest in Seattle where I grew up. From a really early age my mother and I traveled all over, she took me to art museums as much as she could, and I really fell in love with Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Man Ray, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Pop Art, Surrealism, Turn of the Century Art History, different cultures and things like that. My Grandmother instilled the love of flea markets and garage sales… basically collecting…looking for “diamonds in the rough”, so to speak. From a really young age, I have always felt compelled to become an artist and take the road less traveled. Q: What/who inspires you? Photography, music, books, nature, travel, my community (Venice Beach, CA) my friends, my friends hobbies, my husband Jacob. Q: Did you go to art school? First I went to business school at Seattle Pacific University. I got my BFA in Illustration from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I also studied art history in Italy for a semester while I was in college. Q: Why did you choose the medium you work with? There is a lot of diversity in what I do as an artist…from exhibitions to commercial illustration, to designing ad campaigns. But, I really found my niche doing on-site installations in galleries and throwing big fun art openings. Nothing else gives me quite the gratification of unveiling a new body of work in it’s own special staged environment, and then being able to talk to people about art. And so the paintings on canvas have become relics of these moments that I’ve created, and thankfully, people have enjoyed my work enough to become collectors. So I am able to continue to do what I love. Q: Tell us about your process of creating a piece of work? There is no protocol. I travel a lot so during that time I like to observe, sketch, photograph and collect things that inspire my paintings. Then I create my works in my studio in Venice Beach. I’m usually working on 15 things at any given time. I always feel way too busy. Q: Tell us about your travels? Well, I just got back from living in Europe this Spring. My husband and I got married in Paris and we wanted to try out Euro life for reals, so we got an apartment, a sort of “base camp” in Paris. From there we made a point to see as much art and culture as we could. We drove through France, Belgium, and Den Hauge, and rode bicycles through Nord-Holland, The Netherlands, and Amsterdam which is a city that I totally fell in love with. We sailed across the Mediterranean Sea to Barcelona, which is my favorite city so far in Europe, and stayed there for a while, because we couldn’t stop eating the amazing food and taking in the art there. Then we took a train all the way down the Mediterranean coast to Italy, Genova, Portofino, Santa Margarita and Rome. But, I have to say, even though I have been all around the world my heart is still in California. I have become totally beach bum and I maintain that Cali is one or the most beautiful places with beautiful people in the world! Q: Three favourite artists? Neo Rauch, Frida Kahlo, Rene Magritte. But there’s more than 3… Matthew Barney, Francesco Clamente, Jeff Koons, David Bowie, The Clayton Brothers, Damien Hirst, Cindy Sherman, Rodney Graham, Emily Car, Vermeer… Soo soo many. Q: What is the first thing you though of when you woke up this morning? What I have to do today at CURIO (my studio and collection/shop)… who I have to email…who I have to call… what deadlines do I have…did my husband happen to make coffee already…when I am going to walk the dogs…what am I going to wear today…what’s the weather like…is it nice enough to ride my bike…the usual stuff. Q: Tell us something we don’t know about you? I was born with my heart actually backwards and I had to have 3 major open heart surgeries that left me with scars all over my torso. That’s where a lot of the “heart” imagery comes from in my work. My new thing is that I really want to learn how to play polo! Q: Living and working with another artist? Yes, I live with my husband Jacob Arden McClure, who is also and artist/designer/filmmaker. We live in a rad old craftmans house a mile from the beach, and it’s full of our combined collection of furniturr, mostly his. He has an awesome collection! He is my muse and my hero, he can build anything, and look good doing it. He can also shoot the shit out of anything and creates really interesting, unique video art. His work has been and belongs in museums. He inspires me everyday. Q: How do you spend you leisure time? When I am not working I am either traveling or riding my vintage Schwinn Breeze Bicycle around Venice Beach. I also like hanging out with my girlfriends. I got a tight handful of fabulous gals and we go to lots of art openings and fashion events. Q: Three loves in life? Can I have 4? My husband, my mother, my dogs, art. Q: Three loathes? Waiting in general, restaurant waiters that squat next to you when they take your order, and the smell of roasting chestnuts. Q: A word of advice for aspiring artists? Always have a business card on you. Q: Your plug (as in plug your work/show/friends/shop opening work etc)? I have recently opened a new space called CURIO by Anne Faith Nicholls. It’s my studio and collection, in the heart of Venice Beach, and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-7pm. More info at curiobyafn.com. Next on Coates and Scarry find out about Jacob Arden McClure.