Surelle Strike, Artist

 

Hello and welcome to the 68th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the super skilled painter Surelle Strike. I have admired her paintings since the first time I saw them at Artistry in Bloomington, MN. She keeps getting better at what she does and I am pleased that she agreed to be interviewed. I think that you will enjoy her answers! Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @surelle.strike.art / Website: surellestrikeart.com)

Jackson: Do you feel like you were born as an artist? Or did something specific happen that put you on an artistic path?

Surelle: I suppose I was definitely born with the artist gene, when I was little I was always drawing or doodling. I remember one of the reasons I loved going to my grandparents' house was because they had a printer, and I was always allowed to help myself to as much printer paper as I wanted to draw on. I have always had a hard time thinking of myself as an artist though, thanks to that nasty Imposter Syndrome. Even today I have a hard time occasionally, even though making art is currently my full-time job! That change happened last fall, when I moved. I used to run an in-home childcare, and among other things, my new (130 year old) house was hard to get approved for licensing. I decided to take the leap into making art my career! Currently I paint, take commissions, and teach a lot of classes, being a full-time artist is a smorgasbord of different jobs.

Jackson: How did you become such a skillful painter? Are you self-taught or did you go to art school?

Surelle: I guess I'd say I'm a little of both. I took a handful of classes here and there, and still take workshops when I can. But much of the painting I do now has been self taught. I went to a small high school and didn't get to take as many art classes as I wanted, but in my senior year I took a drawing class at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Then I went to a semester of art school at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. I took a handful of fundamental classes, but decided after one semester to drop out of school. I got a big fat F in Color Theory, and for the longest time thought this was because I was "bad at color". I resigned myself to having to do art like graphite drawing, or photography. (Later I grew up and realized the more likely reason for me failing the class was the fact that it was 8am on a Monday morning, and I didn't show up as often as I should have...) In 2018 I took a leap out of my comfort zone and began painting...in black and white watercolor...eventually I decided it wouldn't hurt to try another color and I slowly began painting in color. I worked first with watercolor, then gouache, and in 2019 I gave acrylics a try, finally in 2023 I started using oil paints. All of this was a lot of trial and error on my own part, but I think learning on your own gives you a lot of confidence in your ability to problem solve, and come up with solutions for difficulties you'll encounter.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Surelle: An artist I'd love to meet is Alfonse Mucha. It's probably a really popular answer, but I love the way Mucha paints and draws women, I love their graceful hands and strong shoulders. The way he mixes illustration and reality, as well as his flowing fabrics and colors. As far as living painters, I'd love to meet Rebecca Leveille-Guay. She captures both feminine power and vulnerability, sometimes with a snarky sense of humor that I really appreciate. Her women are powerful and beautiful , and I am so in love with how she paints hands - something I love to paint myself!

Melissa Benedek, Artist

Hello and welcome to the 67th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the inspiring New York City based painter Melissa Benedek. We discovered each other on Instagram and I am a really big fan of her work and the colors she uses in her paintings. I believe you will really enjoy her answers! Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @melissabenedek_art / Website: melissabenedek.com)

Jackson: Did you always want to be an artist? Or did something happen later in life that put you on this path?

Melissa: Art was something I was drawn to growing up. I was exposed to it at a young age, being my father owned an art gallery in Soho in New York City. It was my comfort, my outlet, my vice, it soothed me. I went to art school at a young age, but it was always more like a hobby. I painted for years but again as a hobby. When Covid happened I was stuck in my apartment in New York City and started to paint again. Timing is everything, and I am painting full-time now.

Jackson: How did you develop your style? How do you know when one of your paintings is right or complete?

Melissa: My style has been ever evolving. It has always been full of textures and movement. I am drawn to beautiful color palettes and am considered a colorist. I am an intuitive painter, so when I paint, there is no plan. I pick my color palette and am led by the music that fills my studio, I paint from within. I take breaks to observe it for a while. After staring at it throughout the day, I see what needs to be added or changed and continue until completion.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Melissa: That's a tough question. I'm fascinated by a few different artists, and they are all so very different. Definitely Cy Twombly, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Georgia O'Keefe. Each one of these artists have such a distinct style of painting, and are also relatable. I would love to get to know how their minds work and the type of personalities they are.

Kei Gratton, Artist (Repost)

In honor of Kei Gratton's new show at Gallery 360 in Minneapolis, I am reposting my 2019 interview with Kei with images from the exhibition. Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @keigratton / Website: keigratton.com)

Jackson: Does nature influence your paintings? I think of outside when I see them.

Kei: Absolutely. I like to think of my paintings as internal landscapes, reflections from within. I grew up in the woods and spent endless hours pretending I was a pioneer living off the land. Spirit animals are my muse and I am always collecting stones...they are timeless sacred objects and their magical properties are certainly present in my paintings. I also love the female body and how she mirrors so much of nature's landscape. If you look closely there's a lot of female imagery in my "landscapes". It's all so playful and secretive.

Jackson: When and how did you first become interested in art? Do you think you were born with it?

Kei: I studied Art Education and a lot of my friends were serious studio majors. They ALL went off to get their Master's degrees and I went to Germany and got married. But it was there that I found my voice as an artist and was given the opportunities to develop myself as an exhibiting working artist. I had my first one person show in a really great gallery in Hamburg when I was 27 years old. I sort of felt like a fraud because I didn't follow protocol. Crazy. Was I born with it? I was born connected to another mystical realm. It's like I am always searching to find a way to describe it on canvas or paper...sometimes I feel like I nailed it. Sometimes.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Kei: George Raftopolous. He's a Greek/Australian contemporary abstract artist. I'm rather obsessed. And he's funny. Humble. He inspired the Emperor in my tarot paintings for sure. One day he started following me on Instagram and I just dropped. 

Klaire Lockheart, Artist

 

Hello and welcome to the 66th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the super fun and talented artist Klaire Lockheart. I discovered her art on an art road trip and have been paying close attention since. She is always up to something interesting and her answers were fantastic. I think you will agree! Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist, except Judith Beheading Holofernes: Uffizi Gallery / Instagram: @klairelockheart  / Website: klairelockheart.com)

Jackson: How did you find yourself on an artistic path in life? Are you self taught or formally trained?

Klaire: Despite being born fully-formed out of the head of Frida Kahlo, I have no natural talent as an artist. For the way I paint, it takes immense time, effort, and practice. I didn't learn how to paint with oils until I attended graduate school at the University of South Dakota, and I owe a massive amount of gratitude to my incredible painting professors Chelsey Wood and Heidi Hogden. I'm also thankful for my art history instructors Carol Geu and Sarak Sik. After I earned my MFA in Painting in 2016, I've been continually learning and growing as an artist by observing art in person, reading about artists from the past, plus good ol' trial and error. 

Jackson: How did you settle on your style? Are you a people watcher/observer?

Klaire: When I paint dudes in man caves, I purposefully paint in an historic style so my finished artwork looks as though it could be long in a museum packed with traditional 19th century canvases generated by European men. This was an era when women weren't permitted equal opportunities in education and were effectively banned from studying art, particularly the human form.

My brodalisque paintings are a combination of a masculine "bro" posed like a classical "odalisque", and I depict contemporary men using techniques developed centuries ago. I devote months, and sometimes years, building layers of oil paint to create depth, shadow, and details for each work of art. With each new painting, I spend more and more time preparing the compositions. I'll take notice of how men present themselves "out in the wild", whether it is a local college campus, the Sturgis motorcycle rally, or anywhere in-between. I use this real life inspiration when I stage my compositions.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Klaire: If I had a time machine and could speak 17th century Italian, I would love to meet Baroque artist Artsemisia Gentileschi. She created epic paintings of strong women using dramatic light and shadow. Her subjects not only look like actual, not idealized women, but they also have agency. When I visited the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, I was incredible lucky and got to see Judith Beheading Holofernes in person.

This massive painting is set in a dark room, and Artemesia depicted a pair of women dressed in blue and gold as they pin their oppressor to a bed draped in white sheets so they can hack off his head with a sword. Regardless of the violent scene, I was blown away by Artemisia's work and I'd get out of observing her paint. I'm curious if my approaches to painting dramatic shadows are similar to her's, and if we differ I'd like to pick up a few painting tips. Additionally, judging from Artemisia's letters, I get the feeling she was a bit snarky. I bet it would be fun to chat with her!

Nicole Houff, Artist

Hello and welcome to the 65th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the totally unique and cool artist Nicole Houff. When I saw her art for the first time I thought it was such an excellent idea and her work is fun, clever and well executed. It has been great to watch her become more and more popular over the last few years. I loved her answers and I think you will too! Thank you for reading! (Artist photo: Anna Rajdl / All art images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @nicolehouff  / Website: nicolehouff.com)

Jackson: Did you always feel like an artistic person? What put you on the photography path?

Nicole: I definitely always felt like an artistic person. As a kid I would draw all the time, and as I got older I dreamed of being an artist. Honestly I don't remember wanting to be anything else. 

After high school I enrolled at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where I received a BA with a major in Studio Art. After college I got a job as a black and white (film) photo printer at a local lab. I did that for just under a decade, but as the photo industry started shifting to digital at an exponential rate, I knew my days were numbered. I returned to school and received my Associate Degree in Photography and Digital Imaging from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Afterwards, I worked at a professional commercial photo studio and had a side job photographing events for a local magazine. 

When both of those industries took a turn, I decided to focus solely on my Barbie photography, which I had been doing on the side for years. Now I sell my artwork online, at art fairs and at galleries.

Jackson: I remember seeing one of your pieces years ago and thinking it was a fantastic concept. How did Barbie becoming a global phenomenon impact your career? How do you deal with copycats?

Nicole: Thanks! I have been using Barbie in my photography for 17 years, so admittedly, when the Barbie movie was announced I really didn't give it much thought. Then the promos started coming out in the summer of 2022 and every other person that stepped into my booth at the art fairs mentioned it. One of my fellow artists looked at me and said "next summer is either going to be a dream for you, or a total nightmare." To say that the summer of 2023 was the former would be an understatement. The movie created a whirlwind and I got to go along for the ride. 

Even though I had NOTHING to do with the movie, when it came out I was interviewed by the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Fox 9, Lori and Julia on myTalk 107.1, the list goes on! Everyone wanted to talk Barbie and I was more than happy to join the conversation. One of the most impactful phenomenons was that people were coming into my booth at art fairs and sharing their experiences going to the movie and Barbie in general. I mean, totally opening up to me. In many cases, these were people that I had never met before. It was absolutely beautiful and a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. 

As far as copycats, that's a tough one to answer. Artists are influenced by fellow artists all the time and the references to others throughout art history are innumerable. With Barbie being around for 65 years, there have been, and currently are, countless artists that use the doll as subject matter. I'm not the first person, nor will I be the last, to take photos of Barbie. I'm friends with other photographers that use Barbie and we all have our own style and quite honestly, there's always room for more. It's more productive to view it as a community, not a competition.

I think most folks, even if they reference another person's work, are not doing it maliciously. As they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery. And sometimes we don't even realize we were influenced by something we saw and incorporated into our own work. 

I think the hurtful part is when someone deliberately tries to piggyback on an artist for their own financial gain, which is different than just fellow artists being creative. 

Regardless of the situation, it's always best to remember that we're part of a larger community - no one creates in a total vacuum. I'd rather look at MORE art, not LESS.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Nicole: If I could meet any artist, it would be Andy Warhol. The whole Pop Art movement generally, and Warhol in particular, really changed what was considered "fine" art. He blurred the lines between art and mainstream consumerism to the point that, in my eyes, brought a new approachability and transperacy to art. He made it ok to talk about his art as a business, all the while not being afraid to do experimental work. As an artist that literally uses a doll as my subject matter, I feel like his contribution to the trajectory of art and the business of art is paramount.

Mari Marks Mondanelli, Artist and Curator

 

Hello and welcome to the 64th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed artist and curator Mari Marks Mondanelli. I first met her at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. She and I have an Italian connection and she was kind enough to put my paintings up at Fletcher's Ice Cream Cafe in northeast Minneapolis. She is awesome and her answers to my questions are awesome as well. Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @marimarks.mm) 

Jackson: What inspired you to be an artist and a curator? Did you have an experience when you were young that sent you in an artistic direction?

Mari: I've always known that I wanted to be an artist. My first memory of art is in kindergarten when we painted figures inspired my Clementine Hunter. My figure had black hair and a magenta dress. My teacher held up my painting as an example of what not to do. My parents are not artistic people but they encouraged and supported all of my projects. My fifth grade teacher also gave me the space to be creative, and in high school my favorite teachers were the painting teacher Mr. Clercx and the ceramics teacher Mr. Moeller. They spent extra time with me and offered opportunities to do more. It was in painting class, creating a self portrait, when I first felt confident in my abilities.

In my current professional position, I don't have as much of a connection to art as I normally do so when I saw the opportunity to curate the art at Fletcher's Cafe, I talked to the owner Jason and basically gave myself the job. I love being connected to my community and showcasing beautiful and important work. It's important for me to showcase a variety of artists who might not have as many opportunities, or aren't well know yet, but their work is high quality. I also like the challenge of choosing art the community can connect with. Curating in Northeast would be different from curating a cafe in Eagan.

Jackson: How has becoming a parent changed the way you see and make art?

Mari: I appreciate the process of making art and what it does for my mental health. I don't get to be creative nearly as often as before I was a parent, and I miss it. I do my best to encourage exploration and creativity in every aspect of my daughter's life. Thick paint, beada all over the floor, and ribbons thrown everywhere are 100% acceptable and celebrated. I make a point to appreciate every brushstroke and meet hesitation with excitement. I point out every mural we see in the Twin Cities. When she gets frustrated with a problem I try to motivate her to solve it herself, which offers the opportunity to think creatively. Because of all the encouragement and joy I've received from my artistic practice, I see the importance of passing it on to my daughter.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Mari: I've always loved Faith Ringgold. Her mix of paint and fabric, details and storytelling. I saw the Pacita Abad show at the Walker and it was one of my four favorite exhibits of all time. I'd love to meet Pacita. 

The other three favorite exhibitions I've seen are; Alphonse Mucha at the Mucha Museum in Prague, William J. O'Brien at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and his Contemporaries at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Russ White, Artist (Repost)

 

Hello! In honor of Russ White's new show Somebodies at The Phipps Center for the Arts, I am reposting my February 2020 interview with Russ with updated photos. It's a good one! Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @russwhiteart / Website: russ-white.com 

Jackson: How did you decide you wanted to be an artist? What inspired you?

Russ: I've been drawing as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I had a big gallon-sized bag full of markers and pencils and pens that I would bring with me on family trips - never left home without my "drawing stuff". I was inspired by comic books especially, first Ninja Turtles and superheroes, later the weirder stuff like Dan Clowes and Evan Dorkin. In high school I was inspired by punk and hip hop albums and started making collages non-stop, cutting up local newspapers and old National Geographics (which I also brought along on family vacations). In college I got really into found object sculpture and fell in love with making things in a woodshop. Once I started working in an actual woodshop after college, standing on a concrete floor over a tablesaw seemed less fun after a while, so I got back into drawing. Full circle. So I guess I never decided to be an artist, it's just always been part of my life. Going full-time with an art career, in addition to other freelance work, was a whole other calculation, based on the blind faith that if other people could make an art career work, surely I could figure it out too. Plus Minnesota is a great place to find an audience and a funding infrastructure. And my wife kicked me in the butt and told me to go for it.

Jackson: I really like how you make different kinds of art. How do you get your ideas?

Russ: Thanks! I try to find the medium the best represents each idea. Sometimes an image works best as a drawing, other times it could be a sculpture or a screenprint or a photograph. I've collected a lot of skills in all the odd jobs I've worked over the years, and it's fun getting to put so many to use. 

But as for where my ideas come from, that's one of me favorite questions. The short answer is "my brain" or "current events" or something like that. But the long answer is that creative people have both a muscle and an antenna for ideas, and they work together. There's a great book by Elizabeth Gilbert called Big Magic, in which she talks about ideas as these things that float around, looking for an antenna, and if you get an idea but don't use it, eventually it will move on to someone else. She started writing a novel once, a love story set in the Amazon, but eventually she abandoned it. A year later, in a chance meeting with another writer, she found out that person was working on a new novel, a love story set in the Amazon.

I've had that happen several times as well, where ideas I've had but not worked on or developed have shown up in other people's work. Maybe it's a shared visual culture inspiring great minds to think alike, I don't know. But sometimes and idea will just arrive, show up out of nowhere almost fully formed, like you just picked up a signal on your antenna. 

Most of the time it's more like a wrestling match. The ideas usually come from practice, from working that muscle of thinking a certain way, of drawing a certain way, of following a train of thought over a long period of time. I also think the stronger your muscle, the higher your antenna will go. Chuck Close famously said, "Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up to work. But I also like what Maynard from Tool had to say: "If you don't believe in magic, your artwork probably sucks."

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Russ: Oh, that's a tough one. So many great artists out there. I'm tempted to say Marcel Duchamp because he changed the course of art forever, more so than anyone in the 20th century. Or maybe Lee Bontecou, one of my favorite sculptors, who walked away from her career when the galleries didn't respect her new direction. One time in college I almost got to meet Winston Smith, the punk collage artist for the Dead Kennedys, but I was too nervous at the time to meet one of my heroes. I think I'll say Philip Guston, just because I love his work and I bet he was a lot of fun to hang out with, which is really my main criterion.