Interview with Brett Manning

posted by christina

Brett Manning is a 23 year old artist from Chicago. I first discovered her work a couple of weeks ago, when Detroit band The Juliets released their album online. (It’s free until Saturday, and if you like dramatic strings mixed up with your rock music, you might want to download it.) She drew the cover art. When I saw more of her stuff, I knew I had to post more than just a few images. Brett kindly agreed to do an interview, which is behind the cut along with an obnoxious amount of images.

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Matt Cipov Creatures of the Deep at 323 East Jan 30th

posted by dennis

Despite his opening for “Creatures of the Deep” at 323 East just days away Matt Cipov found time to talk with us about his art, process and life.

Read Matt’s interview and see more preview images behind the cut.

Interview with Lauren Rice

posted by christina

We’re very excited about our interview with Detroit artist Lauren Rice. Lauren’s collages and installations will be shown at Org Contemporary in a solo show titled “Vestiges”. The opening is this Friday, December 11 from 7-9 pm.

Behind the cut, you’ll hear about why Lauren loves working in Detroit and what her creative process is like, plus you’ll see more preview images of her work for this show.

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Interview with Tugboat Printshop

posted by christina

Husband and wife team Valerie Lueth and Paul Roden run Tugboat Printshop out of their Pittsburgh home. Despite being in the middle of the crazy holiday craft show season, they kindly took some time to share their process with us. They used their latest print, entitled “Dreamboat”, to explain each step.

“Dreamboat” is the last print (#22) in THE DEEP BLUE SEA Woodcut Series, and it’s available as of right now in their online shop. Behind the cut, you’ll see how they worked together on this print and others they’ve made, including the very impressive “America The Beautiful”.

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Interview with Eddie Thiel

posted by dennis

Fellow River’s Edge Gallery artist an all around cool guy Eddie Thiel was kind enought to answer a few questions for me about his art, life, and Detroit.

Some of my favorite pieces of yours are from the Sisters of Mercy Series in which you depict cigarettes, beer, cans and skulls. Could you please explain the significance of these items within your work?
The skulls represent many things to people. For me as an artist it is a very interesting shape and has a muted color. Its sharp lines and soft hues play very well against bright colors and solid objects. There is a finality about the skulls, an absolute resolution and statement. As for the beer and cigarettes, I find minor vices to be these daily islands we all cling to in one way or another. It is not as though we have a shotgun shell and we are killing ourselves one grain at a time. It is more of a personal relationship we have with these products and everyone sees them on the peripheral of their daily lives.

Aside from the skull paintings you also produce classical still lifes. Do you have a personal preference between these and the skull paintings? Are the Sisters of Mercy paintings an evolution of your personal style, or are you consciously producing two different types of work?
I have no preference for my subject matter. I love anything that challenges me. The only rule I hold to is that it must be painted from life. Photographs defuse too much of the lighting for me. I have been doing mostly the modern work lately, it seems to be getting a good response. I still work on traditional still lifes, though not to the degree of the skulls at this point. To me it is the process rather than the subject. I am really into the “Low Brow” art scene these days. I feel I have the greatest comfort painting objects my generation can relate to.

Could you please explain your process in producing one of your works?
I always work out the composition in a sketch first. I don’t worry about lighting, only shadow position. Then I lay out the objects in the piece. That is the most important part. Then I pencil objects and shadows in on the canvas. The more complex objects like glass of highly reflective objects I draw in a lot of the details for. Then I start to paint. I work left to right in most cases and comp up each object as I go along.

You went to art school in Pittsburgh, and have lived in many cities prior to moving to Detroit. What brought you to this area and how does the metro Detroit art culture differ from those of other places you have lived?
My wife Kristi took a job with the Fish and Wildlife department so we transferred here from Washington D.C. My favorite city so Far was NYC. I learned a great deal about my artistic process there. Detroit has an accessible art movement. It is like being at the beginning of something special here. NYC is a big wave that has been moving for hundreds of years culturally. Detroit is a battered angel crawling out of hell. I love the resolve here. It is a city of great hope. It makes you want to be a part of it, to build on it’s great past and to help shape the vision of its future.

Who influences and inspires you?
The painter I admire the most, one that I have worked with, is a man named Henry Wingate. He is from my hometown in Virginia.

Eddie’s current work, as well as an upcoming solo show can be seen at River’s Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, MI.

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