Interview With Me by Drew Bilofsky

The following interview was conducted by Andrew Bilofsky earlier this year. He asked has asked me several questions about marketing myself as an independent artist. Visit Drew's site when you get a chance.

1. What did you do early in your career that lead to your success today?

Actually, I feel like I am still in the early part in my career. If I take a moment and look at where I am now as compared to say, 2006, I am on the road to succeeding. I have been painting for about fifteen years, I have been more focused on it for the past five years. I think what has helped me develop my career so far is having a dedication to try new mediums and approaches, and having a desire to keep on learning. It is so important not to get in a rut, not to get too comfortable with what you do. Be self aware. Tenacity helps, too. Maybe when I reach the point of being successful, this is what I would tell you. I know all these things are what is keeping me motivated to be on that road.

WOA...whoa, we did it for 2 years!

I participated in World of Art, which was a monthly feature on deviantArt organized by Emeraldsugar, for 2 years! It is hard to believe we had such a long run for the feature article. I think I only missed one issue the entire time...and the time just seemed to fly by.
Check out the last article here. There are links to the other articles in there.

The art above was one of my features in Traditional Collage, Sanguine by Sick-SnowAngel.

The Landfill Art Project

Currently working on this hibcab for the Landfill Art Project - an artist reclamation project.

SPMTSAT - WIP and Final

One of the bunches of tiny canvases I have been working on lately...

Rated N for Noone

------------------------------------

Friday Night At 8pm

And I think I want to just go to bed and sleep off the month.

Polaroids

Everything looks better as a Polaroid. Just an opinion, but it is true. My subjective preference is that, and I am not changing it...at least for today. I bought an application for my phone called "Shake It" a while ago and have made like 100 pseudo-Polaroids out of my run-of-the-mill pictures.

Here are a few of them...



By the way, this can be done in Photoshop, too, but this makes it easy.

Kramer Knives vs. Dragon Sword

I have never been one to get all fan-girl over knives (unless you count my recent acquisition of Dragon Sword), but I would love to own a big Kramer butcher knife. I am not even sure if I would use it. I mean, I may just admire the way the man forges multiple layers of metal, which in turn, creates delicate patterns in the metal blade, that makes the knives strong from the process. He also chooses beautiful would grains for the handles of his knives. So, a Kramer knife represents beauty, chaos and strength.

Now this does not mean I am not gaga over "Dragon Sword". This sword appeared in my home one day, as if by magic. Well, not really. I walked in my house after a long day at Financial Institution X, and there it was in my entry way, like a mirage. I could hardly believe it was real. It now resides on one of my tall bookshelves in my home office. I mean, it is far more delicate than a Kramer knife. And if I had to choose one or the other in zombie outbreak, I have to go with the Kramer, hands down. I mean, you can't get stabby with a decorative sword and win the battle. I would go into detail here as to why...most is based on my extensive reading and viewing of CSI shows.

Behold...Dragon Sword...

My Google Is Strong

2009 is not a banner blogging year for me. Evidently I had a lot more to say in 2008. I believe this will be even more true in 2010. I won't be able to shut the hell up. I'll be like all blah, blah, blah and shit.

Part of my decrease activity in 2009 is that I dumbly hooked my blogger up to my facebook. Now, Facebook is a strange beast, though not as strange as Twitter. Twitter is Facebook's stupid, but good-looking, cousin. You don't want to not invite her along, because she may be useful. But Facebook is like the evil cousin that you do not want to turn your back on. You have to use it wisely though. Know its purpose, and do not consume beyond it, lest it grab you and pull you into its hell (which translates into wasting hours of your precious life). But, alas the reason I severed the FB/Blogspot connection was because I wanted more privacy for my public, online diary. Yep...I think you understand. No?? That's okay.

So, by now you may be asking, what makes me think my Google is strong? Well, because when I list a business/person on my website in text format, then "google" the said business/person, my site comes up...often within the first three. If you are listed on my website, and my site does not appear in your vanity search, then your google is strong, as well.

Photo: Courtesy of my iPhone...I filled in with My Little Ponies, because it completed my hallucination at the time. When is the last time you had a pony party, or even a zebra-painted donkey party? You had better start livin', my friend.

VPL Be Damned

Ruffled panties are the bomb. Best panties ever.



By the way, VPL = Visible Pantie Lines.

I'm Not So Much Pissed As...

I will never forget this. Ever.

So, it was either 1999 or 2000. Those years were pretty much a blur to me. But, one thing I remember is the time I went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers show. I think it was their Californication tour. They were touring with the Foo Fighters and, at the time, a little known band called Muse. I was as excited to see the FF.

And then, first thing in the AM, day of the concent, we hear one of the guys in FF is sick...bad flu. Probably not so much the H5N1, or even the H1N1, or even the H1G1 (this is a made up flu that the guys from work and I created...Giraffe flu...more throat to get sore). Just your garden variety flu.

It turned out to be a great show, even without them. Even if I was dizzy the whole time...up in the nosebleed section.

Years later, I meet my friend Jess. Jess is pretty well known on the local music scene. We use to work together and would run into one another in the smoking area by the road. We hit it off, I designed her band's website a couple times. We were chatting one day about concerts and what-not and I told her I was bummed to have missed out on the Foo Fighters. She chuckled and said she had something to tell me...

Evidently they were in Dayton, or Toledo, or some such city, the night before the Columbus show. Jess and her buds got wind of it and they took off to hang out with them at a pub they were hanging out at. So, there is Jess, partying with the Foo Fighters...there they are getting completley smashed. There was no flu...just a ginormous hang over.

I thought it was hilarious more than anything else that she did this. Ah, Jess. She's a fun girl.

Photo: That's me up there, lookin' all rough and in need of a colorist.

Such a geek

I totally LOVED the new Star Trek movie. I wish I would have bought the HD version...duh.

I am such a geek like that.

I think what I dig about it is that it brought back that 60s vibe, man.

Oh, and there will always be only one James Tiberius Kirk for me.

Studio Shot

I need to get my ass back in the studio and create something soon.
By the way...just updated my website: www.peggymintun.net

Driving Down Walhalla

A drive down Walhalla Street makes any day more fun. We had just finished having mimosas at Mozart's (well, I was having mimosas at Mozart's), and was about to go to an artist friend's studio to buy a piece. I talked my friend into taking a drive down a little road between High and Indianola. It is one of those places in Columbus that I like to check out every once in a while. It is like you are in the backwoods right in the middle of town. They say it is haunted. I did not really know that until I Googled it to get the correct spelling of the road for this blog. Evidently one of the house along the drive is haunted. You can read about it here.

After the trip down Walhalla, we went to Michael Lukacsko's studio to check out his work. He was very cool and helpful...talked about building a smooth canvas...I am anxious to try that out for the Ab-Ex piece(s) I create. I bought one of his prints...it is a very colorful mandala, but here it is in gray...



By the way, the photo above is not Walhalla. I did not think to take a picture of it while there...next time. The photo above (The Road Less Traveled) is by Perception-Obscure on Deviant Art.

Me, A Pretty Vampire

Those teeth are a bitch to keep in, by the way. This is me all dressed up and ready to go to a Halloween party this year. It was fun. It seems like a life time ago because a lifetime of stuff has happened since then. I think the time will be moving slower now.

I dressed up as Erzebet Bathory (or Elizabeth Bathory). Senecal argued with me for a day or two that I was saying it wrong. him: "What did you say??" me: "Bathory." him: "It is BathaROY." me: "Um, no it is not." him: "Well, we will have to look it up." Me: "Fine." Later on I flashed the wiki on my iPhone in his face. him: "humph." That's what I thought.


Bathory, a countess, killed as many as 650 young women in her lands. She had a thirst for their blood and their flesh. She thought their blood contained magical properties that would help her maintain her youth. So, she would torture them and then drain them of their blood and bathe in it.

I started to read one book based on the facts of her family and found it to be so disturbing that I just stopped. She is the closest living thing to an undead vampire.

I imagine I will get back at it eventually.

Can U Draw Lame Monsters?

I know I can. Guess who is sticking to abstract art? lol

Current Happenings

I like the picture above. Digging ruffles and Victorian shit lately. Wasabi Fashion Cult posted it to their FB page.

Looking forward to 2010. Tossed a lot of balls in the air this week to start the year.

I am excited to be part of C-Bus Ab-Ex, a group of local artists who want to show non-representational work. The first show will include larger abstract works, starting at 4' x 4'.

Also, although I have not officially published the 2009 WCE book, I plan to get busy producing my next one: Twenty10: Documentation for my Unauthorized Autobiography. I think that is hilarious.

Other stuff is in the works, but keeping all that on the down-low right now.

Lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.

Just a random post with a ton of random things that may not really be so random at all.





So, Tyler Derdun was one hell of a community organizer.

hmmmm....so, last night I was eating a bowl of cereal. Just sitting there munching away, bowl in hand, surfing the net, checkin' stuff out, a little midnight snack cause I realized that I was fucking starving. Forgetting to eat lately... preoccupied with things. All the sudden, and you may have sensed where this is going, I chomp on something unchompable. I had to spit out this seemingly giant hard thing in my mouth. I was eating a combination of two cereals, cause I just had a little of each...corn flakes with raisins and shredded wheat...I am not sure which was the culprit, or if this blend of carbs and processed non-deliciousness spawned a hard talon-shaped object. I just about threw up in my wheaties at midnight. This perpetuated into a night of insomnia...but I managed to get to bed at 4am-ish and then slept in until now-ish, less a 10 minute text-break to let someone know I am continuing my self-imposed quarantine.

Yeah, I am avoiding a massive outbreak of the h1n1 at the office. I am on vacation next week, and decided (with the surprising encouragement of all my friends and colleagues) that I should just go home and wait it out, although, it has me physically worn down. I have a stupid surplus of sick-days to use. I like to say that I do not get sick, I am just chronically ill. Thank you killar immune system, which has never known when to stop. Awesome t-cells.

Working on a lot of new stuff right now. Mostly my abstract, emotional canvases, where I let nonrepresentational shape and intense color tell a story to provoke emotions. I think my work is mostly provocative. You may see it, or maybe not, but you have to really look at it. It is like something is almost there, almost on the tip of your tongue or the brink of your thoughts, and then sometimes you just know. It is chaos. I have learned to thrive in chaos. And I use that chaos to create these little narratives about emotions.

See what I meant by random? Okay, I have a list of stuff to do now...

Photo courtesy of my iPhone. It is a snapshot of a scene in High Art. You should check it out.

Velocity Testing In Progress

Life is pretty fucking awesome right now...more to come.

Creative Exercise #1

I started reading Caffeine for the Creative Mind, and decided to do one of the exercises. May be the first of many or the one and only. Who knows?



The objective of this exercise was to take digital shots of random things around the house that are out of place.

Then I decided to do one with corners...

Motion Blurs

Was playing with my camera today, taking some shots of this new plant, which ominously smells like sushi. I have no idea why. Anyway, was messing around with some motion blurs to see what sort of cool abstracts I could come up with and, hopefully, inspire some new artworks. My fav is the last where I turned the camera.

Happy 4th of July, by the way.

Where have the memories gone?

It is almost June. WTF?

The image above is me holding a hard copy of MRI brain scans up to the sunlight.

I have a fascination with brain scans and neck scans. The art below was done by an artist in the Netherlands named Wezenbeesje (prolly not her real name) in response to a contest I held last year...or was it the year before??? I can't keep up with time anymore. Anyway, love it.

Coke Rabbits & eWoks

Sitting at the salon...
Figured I would blog since I haven't in a while.

Did I spell eWok right... I don't care, really. It's my attention to detail that is so inspiring.

June will be a good month for art happenings.

There is No Right, No Wrong at the high road gallery in Worthington.

And I will have work at Haiku.

Going to start working on some proposals and more art soon.

Also, lots of stuff to do for Omnibucket Magazine. There are a lot of cool interviews waiting to be published, including a multimedia piece with Neil deGrass Tyson, and an interview with The Polish Ambassador (with art by Iaian Greenson).

Expotential Growth ... in 28 Days

1
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
512
1,024
2,048
4,096
8,192
16,384
32,768
65,536
131,072
262,144
524,288
1,048,576
2,097,152
4,194,304
8,388,608
16,777,216
33,554,432
67,108,864
134,217,728
268,435,456

If you wonder why it is a big deal...

My New Studio

Here are some recent shots of my new studio...

Duck Duck Geese...H u n d r e d s of them

WTF...there is SHIT everywhere...

Ducks and geese are taking over around Polaris. I had to battle one to make it Caribou last week. Well, actually, I walked right up on it...didn't even notice.

Stranger In My Home

As I listen to the strangely haunting den
Of a whistling train in the distance
In a place where no tracks exist,
I am reminded of endearments
From a man I loved in vain.

The sneer upon my lover's face
Does so much more
Than anyone’s smile ever can.
The touch of his hurtful hand
Feels so much better
Than a loving caress.
The hearth of his malicious home
Offers a safer haven
Than the unknown.

I am his prisoner.
I am my passive warden.
He tortures my soul.
And I condemn myself.

No time will heal my wounds
As long as I carry his burdens.
Happiness teary not.

But if I escape
Will my mind drift away on a billowing cloud
And then disintegrate into the falling rains?
If I cease to be his
Will I not exist?
Or will I finally belong to myself?

Will I try to find higher ground
Before I drown in his sorrows?
Or will I try to chase happiness
In the field of his life
And throw away my tomorrows?

Peggy Mintun, April 1995 (dedicated to LL)
=============================================
This poem is obviously about abuse. All forms: physical, emotional, verbal, psychological. I watched a friend suffer through this and tried as much as I could to help her along the way.

There is a certain amount of impatience that someone on the outside has regarding the person taking the abuse. It is hard to understand how the cycles of abuse can beat a person down and change them, make them not as brave. Often a person on the outside thinks, why don't you just leave him/her? I wanted to talk about that in order to explain the lines:

The sneer upon my lover's face
Does so much more
Than anyone’s smile ever can.
The touch of his hurtful hand
Feels so much better
Than a loving caress.

I'm not saying that a person enjoys that, what I am saying is that may be the perception of someone who does not understand why they stay and take it.

Things did not end well with my friend. She did get out of the relationship, but on her birthday following the divorce her ex decided to take his own life.

Mmmmm...Banana Bread

So, I thought I would share my banana bread recipe. Enjoy!

5 very ripe bananas (yes...5)
1 cup sugar (LOW SUGAR VERSION - USE 3/4 c Splenda)
2 eggs
3/4 cup margarine (butter is better)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 (or up to 2) cups Bisquick mix

Blend everything but the Bisquick together.
Just throw it all in a bowl and blend it.
Then add the Bisquick mix.

Put it in a loaf/bread pan...I prefer stone.
Bake it at 375 degrees for about 55 minutes.

Ahhhhhhh.........Another Weekend In Paradise

Ahhhhhhh.........Another Weekend In Paradise

Another installment of stream of consciousness writing.

Went to the dentist.
She talked about banks non-stop.
I was totally high on nitrous oxide.
Get me high and then spark a conversation about finance.
You are ruining my buzz.
Huge misconception.
I am a designer.
I am not a financier; but please, do go on.
I am interested.
Oxygen.
Coffee.
Vicodin.

I need to answer some interview questions.
Maybe I should wait until I am not on meds.
Nah, fuck it.
I'll do it now.
Send it later.
It is about art marketing strategies.
Hmmmm....I like art and I like marketing.
I think he picked the right person.
But then I like astrophysics.
Yet I may not be the right person to ask about string theory.
Nah, I've got a pretty good handle on shameless self promotion.

The novacaine is wearing off.
I am getting my feeling back.
It is a crap shoot...messing with nerves.
Never mind.
I have another MRI this month.
I keep on thinking about how this will affect the steel plates in my spine.
Will it magnetize the metal?
And make me the largest refrigerator magnet ever?
Probably not.
But these are things I like to consider.
I started reading Flowers for Algernon today.
A friend suggested it for me.
My increasing dyslexia is a concern.
The language centers of my brain may be in peril.
I am a walking textbook of neurological pathologies.
So the doctors say.

Taxes.
Capital gain. Capital loss.
Looks like the new game room is a go.
And a dedicated studio space.
My tooth is killing me.
Another vicodin.
Makes me tired.
Nap.
I wake up in a panic.
I stopped breathing.
No breath.
I have to force my breathing.
No oxygen.
Empty lungs.
Cannot get air.
So, I start running.
This is not a dream.
And I am still alive.
Another weekend in paradise.

London Calling Entries

MS Awareness - Art Exhibit at the Upper Arlington Library

Beginning February 25th and running the month of March, the Upper Arlington Library's Main Branch is hosting an exhibit featuring artists with MS for the MS Society's Buckeye Chapter.

If you visit the exhibit, you will see my bio hanging with my work, along side about 20 other Ohio artists who happen to have MS. Below is the bio I shared and the works in the show. A portion of the sales goes to the MS Society.

When were you diagnosed with MS/How has MS affected you?

June of 2007 was when I was diagnosed with MS. I had went to the doctor thinking that I had a bad case of carpel tunnel - my right arm and hand had been numb since March. When I found out what it really was I did not know what to think of it, but I knew it frightened me. My fear was that I would eventually lose the use of my right arm/hand or that I would go blind. My first reaction was to try to get as much done as possible before it took away my ability to do anything. After a while this fear subsided and I began to realize MS is something I could live with and manage. Around the same time I was diagnosed, something clicked in my brain that made me want to create more art. Maybe it was the thought that I had to create as much as possible while I could, but even when my outlook became more positive, I continued to paint and create. My health has improved drastically overall since my diagnosis. My attitude about life has also changed for the better. My passion for art is stronger than ever. I think what I learned more than anything with this is to appreciate what talent I may have, not waste time and do the things I enjoy doing. I am also very thankful for the support of my friends and my wonderful husband, Joe Mintun.
I do participate in many art exhibitions in the area and enjoy being involved in the artistic community, both here in Columbus and online with artists around the world. You can see more about me and my art at www.peggymintun.net.

What is your favorite book?

Because of my background in art and graphic design, I enjoy books that are visually appealing, whether they are art books, graphic novels, or books that pay close attention to the typography and layout of the pages. My favorite book is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. It is a complicated tale of a person who finds the remnants of a story written by someone about a photo journalist's discovery of alternative dimension of space and reality. I enjoy the layers of the stories and the layout. And the book will give you quite a workout! You'll have to check it out to see what I mean.

Art:












Pause
Watercolor, liquid acrylic, mica, and silver pen on gesso board.
$440














Violets Are Blue... for Now
Watercolor and pewter leaf
$160

Personal Obervations from a Seasoned Non-Insomniac

Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Maybe I should not have drank all that coffee. Actually, coffee does not keep me up anyway. The only thing that gives me insomnia is thinking of things I cannot have...and there are not many things I cannot get. And there are some things I cannot have back, but even they do not keep me up at night.
The only thing that ever gave me a sense of urgency is the gradual loss of feeling in my hand and arm...and leg when things get bad. Do other things matter enough? Probably not in 20 years. A friend tells me that. And in the world we live in 20 years = 6 months. Personal observation tells me that.

Wake up.

Stream of Consciousness 020709

Okay...my attempt at stream of consciousness..inspired by one of my friends in Cali...

Pearlescent white paint.
Snow and ice.
Petri Dish Deluxe.
I need to clean this room.
Dust.
Is that a Cheerio?
Fernando...you are one strange man.
My cat can turn on the radio by my bed with his ass.
Cough and hack.
Coffee.
OD-ing on Dayquil.
Need to paint.
To Do List needs attention.

Your turn...

Painting....just sent this to Marion, a fine friend in Seattle. He is one awesome dude that makes me laugh. He inspired this one. Sparkplugs on Peyote.