Jason Pettigrew, Writer

 

Hello and welcome to the 72nd 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time is a little different because I interviewed super talented writer Jason Pettigrew, who is friends with my Dad. Jason is in the midst of a promotional tour for his new book about Ministry's famous record The Land of Rape and Honey and he kindly took the time to answer my questions. His answers are great and he and I share an appreciation for Yoko Ono! Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of Jason Pettigrew / Instagram: @ptgrw  Website: ptgrw)

                                          Jason with Trent Reznor and Michelle Taylor

     

Jackson: Why do you think you became a writer? Did a specific writer inspire you?

Jason: I think I became a writer as an extension my love for music. I have never been in a band or played an instrument. (In the words of radio legend Barry "Dr. Demento" Hansen, I was much more proficient in playing the phonograph.) But I was discovering a lot of music in an era when radio stations were adventurous in their choices. When the corporations and consultants moved in, radio got awful and my tastes got weirder (obscure European progressive rock, jazz fusion, film soundtracks, etc). I discovered Rolling Stone and all the other smaller music mags (Hit Parader, Rock Circus, Circus, et al) and the British music weeklies. By 1977, all of my favorites prog bands either broke up or made their absolute worst records. I made a left turn into punk and New Wave and discovered magazines like Trouser Press and DIY fanzines. I think I became a writer because I wanted to spread the word about the music that I loved. 

When I was in college, the University of Pittsburgh funded an entertainment paper for the student body called Showcase. It would have interviews with touring bands, record and movie reviews and other related arts coverage. There was a review written about a recent Bruce Springsteen show that wasn't too glowing. The writer, Sam Matthews, was pretty honest and forthcoming. I think the opening line he used was "If I'm going to see a Springsteen show, I'm expecting him to walk on water." And he weighed that performance against the legion of Springsteen fans who would follow the artist into a warzone as they thought he could do no wrong. When the review came out, Matthews got abuse from seemingly every fan of "The Boss" in the city. And I was fascinated by his unflinching stance to walk any aspect of his review back. So for sheer bloody-mindedness, I always give that credit to Sam.

                                       

                                                 Jason with M. Doughty from Soul Coughing

Jackson: After all these years at Alternative Press and SPIN, which bands and interviews are your favorites?

Jason: I've derived a lot of great moments from a lot of different places. Talking to Jeffrey Lee Pierce (from The Gun Club) and have him be anything but the loudmouthed prick most writers reported. Sparring with John Lydon and him being as cocky and smug and needing to be slapped as I had expected. I've been told that the legendary Revolting Cocks tour diary from 1990 has created more than a few laughter-induced migraines and asthma attacks...

If I'm being honest, I like the quips and quotes I can take away from a chat. I remember Eric Davidson from wise guy punks New Bomb Turks explaining to me emphatically how there needs to be a mindset where young listeners can experience music that came before their arrival on Earth and "come away with the understanding that they aren't listening to 'old' music, but listening to great music." Casey Chaos, the late lead singer of the metal-punk band Amen had a lot of contempt for people fronting their attitudes. He told me "I write music from the heart, not the wallet." I still find that profound. I interviewed Colin Newman from Wire about how his band had avoided ageism and he told me "The Rolling Stones aren't boring because they're old. The Rolling Stone are boring because they are boring."

There are moments that just make me laugh out loud. twentyonepilots' Tyler Joseph confiding in me that "you make us look cooler than we actually are." Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance sent me an email from Warped Tour with the subject line "I'll be Lou, you be Lester", a reference to the war of words between Lou Reed and Lester Bangs had decades ago in the early 70s. A few years ago, Ministry's Al Jourgensen and I renewed a professional/social relationship after a long period away. When I reminded him that it was nice he didn't want to beat me up like he wanted way back, he laughed. "I hated everyone back then Jason. You're not that special." How can you not appreciate the levity in the smallest of moments?

                                                   Jason's famous RevCo tour diary

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

Jason: I'd love to have tea and scones with Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon. Somebody will post something about her on social media and there will be thousands of comments - mostly negative - from something she did decades ago. I don't know anyone else who can do that. She has a body of work that's resonant and influential in New Wave and screamo hardcore circles. I'm not sure what I'd ask her, though. Sean has a lot of creative endeavors added to his name and I think a great chat could be had with these two art titans...

                                                  Jason with Martin Atkins (PiL, Ministry)

Ute Bertog, Artist (Repost)

 

Hello everyone! In honor of Ute Bertog's great new show at Rosalux Gallery, I am republishing my 2017 interview with Ute with updated photos and links. This is a little wacky for me because I was 13 at the time and was still getting the hang of this blog, but her answers were and are great. Thank you for reading! (Instagram: @utebertog / Website: Ute Bertog)

Jackson: Why do you think you became an artist?

Ute: Hmmmm, there are so many influences I can think of that made me want to pursue art. First of all I had an aunt - and my favorite aunt at that -  who was an art teacher and I spent many afternoons just making things around her. She was very creative in the arts and all sorts of crafts. She instilled this possibility in me to pursue art as a career. Also going to art museums as a teenager was a magical experience, simply because it was so different than the surroundings I grew up in. Not that there anything wrong with where I grew up. On the contrary, I had a very happy childhood. I am from a small town, which gave us a lot of freedom to just roam in the surrounding fields and woods. Still, museums gave me the whiff of the wider world and as a child there was nothing more exciting than to imagine living in a different environment just because of the potential for adventure. Museums were a promise for that potential to explore and stretch beyond the known.

Jackson: What is your favorite artwork and why?

Ute: That is a very difficult question since I don't have one particular piece of artwork that I'd call my favorite. There are just so many. I do have several artists that I'm returning back to on a regular basis though and that I am always happy about seeing in a museum. Amy Sillman comes to mind, and Philip Guston.

Jackson: In what ways is art different in Germany than it is in the United States?

Ute: That is an even more difficult question since when I left Germany I had not pursued art as much yet. Back then it was more of a private endeavor and I hadn't explored much of the wider art scene. Plus in my hometown there just wasn't an art scene, just the museums that were in the bigger cities. Now I would love to show there again and maybe even spend more time there to work, just to see how I'd experience the difference, if there even is one. One time I was listening to a radio show about a theater production directed by a British guy. He was asked about the production in America was different from the one in the UK and he said that here the audience was very inquisitive, wanting to know and understand every little detail, whereas in the UK they were much more at ease about taking in the whole thing and being OK with the uncertainty of not knowing.

Karin Jacobs, Artist

 

Hello and welcome to the 71st 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the super talented realist painter Karin Jacobs. I love her art and she was really nice when I met her at the Northrup King Building. I've really liked following her career and I very much enjoyed her answers. I think you will too. Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist /  Instagram: @karinjacobspaintings)

Jackson: Do you feel you were born to be an artist? Or did a specific event put you on an artistic path?

Karin: First, thanks Jackson for selecting me for 3 Questions. I've followed you and your work for some time now and I'm honored to be included in this series. I don't know if I was necessarily born to be an artist but creating was very much part of my identity when I was growing up. My siblings and I were always drawing, making little rooms out of shoeboxes, and putting on plays. I know there's one in every classroom, but I was that girl who would draw a horse for anyone who asked. In college I had a double major in English and Art but was too self-conscious to even think about a BFA and showing my work. I ended up in the nonprofit world then had kids and spent my spare time volunteering; I had few creative pursuits of my own. Finally about 15 years ago I signed up for a painting class at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts and was immediately obsessed. It honestly felt like coming home and I'll be forever thankful I decided to take the class. Still, it took participating in the WARM Mentorship Program to really feel like I might call myself an artist. I was 55 before I got my own studio so I would say to anyone wondering that it is never too late. Now I couldn't be happier with my studio in the Northrup King Building among such a wonderful community of artists.

Jackson: How did you find your specific style of realism? Your way of painting is very unique.

Karin: Though I'd like to experiment more with different types of painting, I think I gravitated to realism because it just fits best with how my brain works. My first subjects were things I knew - old family photos, our animals, the local landscape. At some point I decided to see if I could capture the plastic nature of a life-size fiberglass horse and found I loved figuring out the subtle color changes, highlights and shadows necessary to give a figure gloss and dimension. After that I went on the hunt for smaller plastic figures, mainly toys, most from the 1970s and older: these cheap mass market objects can be a good reflection of what was valued at that particular time. Sometimes the objects I paint are quite small, and I enjoy that can occur when they're painted many times their original size. Visitors to the studio sometimes comment on the spookiness of the human figures especially, and when someone gets a laugh out of a piece there's no greater compliment.

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

Karin: This was a really hard question because to be honest I get anxious at just the thought of meeting famous people! At museums I definitely gravitate to the painters and there are any number who I'd like to hang back with and watch work. That said, in the end I chose Cindy Sherman, whose work just seemed so exciting to me when I was a college student in the '80s and is still. Though my understanding is that she would rather her work not be viewed as feminist art, a woman can certainly view it and project her own thoughts on the various roles in which Sherman presents herself. I can only imagine the experiences she must have had making her mark in the male-dominated art world.

Jon Summers, Artist

 

Hello and welcome to the 70th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview with the amazing painter Jon Summers. I first came across Jon's work in his show Seasons at Anderson O'Brien Fine Art in Omaha while on an art road trip with my Dad. My Dad and I both loved the show and I have been paying attention to everything he does on his Instagram since then. I love the large scale and the amazing colors! His answers to my questions were thoughtful and interesting and I think you will agree. I feel like Jon and I have a similar approach to making art. Thank you for reading! (Website: Jon Summers Art / Instagram: @jon_summers_art (Photos 1, 3, 4 and 5 courtesy of the artist, photo 2 from @artworldexploration)

Jackson: Were you interested in art as a child or did you have an experience that made you an artist?

Jon: I have always been interested in art. The art I did as a child was very different, though. As a kid, I mostly drew trucks and cartoon strips. I thought I would be a draftsmen or an architect or maybe a commercial artist. I went to college thinking that's what I would study. During my first year at Kansas City Art Institute, I was encouraged to try lots of different mediums. This is when I started to really enjoy painting.

Jackson: How did you arrive at using abstract colors as your primary way of making art? Does it have conceptual meaning for you as well?

Jon: My first paintings were very layered and textured. I sometimes incorporated modeling paste and cheese cloth. I was really enjoying the process and these early painting were pure abstraction. My sketchbook drawing, however, were of landscapes. I was encouraged by a professor to get out and draw things in nature. I ended up drawing a lot of construction sites focusing on the geometric shapes I saw. These drawings began to influence my paintings and I started focusing on the distance between objects, shapes and shadow. I began to prioritize foreground, middle ground and background. The more I painted, the more I learned about color and the relationships between colors. My current work is still largely about the process but now incorporates an awareness of the landscape. My canvases combine vibrant colors with my interpretation of what can be seen in nature. My hope is that viewers are drawn into my landscapes in a way that feels familiar yet completely undefined. 

 

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

Jon: As an artist, I believe it's important to continue to learn and grow so I am continually looking at the way in which some of the artists who came before me handled spacial relationships. I have been drawn to the Impressionists, my current favorite being the father of Impressonism, Claude Monet. I would like to share my admiration for his work with him and I would like to learn more about his day to day, his process and the materials he used. 

Brenda Ward, Artist

Hello and welcome to the 69th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the super talented painter Brenda Ward. Brenda's work is completely different than mine but something about her way of painting has stuck with me and resonated with me from the first time I saw her paintings at Hopkins Center for the Arts with my Dad, and I've enjoyed everything I have seen since. Her answers are fantastic and interesting - thank you for reading! (Photos 1 and 3 courtesy of the artist, 2 and 4 from the Instagram I run with my Dad: @artworldexploration, Artist website:  www.brendajwardfineart.com / Instagram: @bjwardfineart

Jackson: Do you feel you were born with artistic skills? Or did something happen in your life that made you want to learn to paint realistically so well? You are very talented.

Brenda: Thank you Jackson for your encouragement and the opportunity to share my life and art!

I do have a few artists on my family, however it was my mother who taught me to draw the human figure at the age of five, which gave me all the confidence to move forward. All throughout school I was known as the artist that was enlisted to make school posters and enter competitions. I grew up in Sacramento and received a bachelor of arts degree from California State University, Sacramento. I then worked as a commercial artist, book cover artist, and muralist. With the encouragement of my husband, I attended the Atelier Studio Program of Fine Art In Minneapolis and happily returned to my artistic roots: painting in oils. I thank the Atelier for teaching me French Academic Drawing with American Impressionism to say that I'm "classically trained". My favorite subjects to paint, that still remains to this day, are portraiture and figurative works. 

Jackson: What part, if any, does religion play in your artwork? Do you see it as subject, metaphor or neither? The first painting my Dad and I saw of yours was an Adam and Eve type of scene.

Brenda: Yes, very much so.  I'm a Christian and every opportunity that I can get to share my faith through art is a blessing. I've completed a 3 paintings series on Adam & Eve from Genesis and a painting entitled Faithful & True from Revelation, you can also see glimpses of that theme through my other works. I also aspire to bring light and beauty and (hopefully) a story with each painting, especially in the Card Series, and a painting called AI Reflection.

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

Brenda: I had to stop and think about about this question. Joaquin Sorolla or John Singer Sargent comes to mind and I would follow them around and watch them paint, ask why they are using that technique or color, how to capture the light and mostly learn to paint more "painterly" by using loose brush strokes! I would like to capture the correct facial features, yet have the rest of the painting in loose but accurate application of paint. I attended a Rembrandt collection at Minneapolis Institute of Art and noticed that his earlier works were very realistic and so were his later works, yet painted very differently with a heavy impasto technique. Never stop learning, I'm a work in progress.

Dyani White Hawk, Artist and Curator (Repost)

Hello! After encountering one of Dyani White Hawk's pieces at Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha on an art road trip and noticing how much she has going on in the past four years, I am reposting my 2020 interview with Dyani with her permission. It was during covid lockdown so it is really interesting to look back at it now. I hope you enjoy it! She's great! (Artist photo by David Ellis for the Walker Art Center, photos 2 and 3 from the @artworldexploration Instagram I run with my Dad, photo 4 courtesy of the artist) Website: www.dyaniwhitehawk.com Instagram: @dwhitehawk

Jackson: What inspired you to become an artist? Did you have a specific experience?

Dyani: I've been making things, drawing, and creating since I was little. Making and creating has always been my favorite thing to do! But I didn't always understand that his meant I was an artist. My mom actually used to tell me quite frequently as a teen and young adult, "Dyani, you're an artist, and one day you'll believe me." It wasn't until I sold my first painting as an undergrad that I really started to believe her and truly understand that making art was more than something I like to do, but something I was, something I am. 

Jackson: Has the global pandemic impacted how you make work? Has it affected your shows? I had some things postponed. 

Dyani: YES! The pandemic has prevented me from being in the studio. I had a show in New York City the first week of March. By the time I got home the pandemic was really starting to hit the States and we were all adjusting to the idea that we were going to have to start isolating ourselves. I came home, wrapped up a few things for my exhibition currently up at the Plains Art Museum and then start gathering supplies and getting ready to stay at home. 

I live with my mother and her husband who are both in their late 60s and have pre-existing medical conditions that place them in the high risk category. Because of this our entire family has had to practice extreme caution and focus on maintaining the health of everyone in our home. I have not worked in the studio since the second week of March!

We have had to focus on keeping our folks safe and at home, which means me and my husband have taken on all of the errands that need to be done outside the home as well as sanitizing all groceries and supplies that come into our home. In addition to this, we were faced with the transition to distance-learning for our first grader and senior in high school. Then, our lease ended in May which means we had to move! Finding a new home, packing and moving our multi-generational home became an all encompassing effort for a few months.

I have had to maintain a lot of administrative style work from home, on the computer. Unfortunately, the only artwork I have made since the pandemic hit was finishing a pair of moccasins that were already 75% done and making a necklace for my mom on Mother's Day. Now that we are moved and slowly settling into our new home I will be working on finding a way to start getting back into the studio slowly and safely.

As for shows, yes, it has. As I mentioned, I have a solo show up at the Plains Art Museum right now. This show was supposed to open in March but the museum just recently reopened with social distancing practices in place. I'm not sure how many people will get to see the exhibition, especially considering how much travelling is still a risk. It is up through October 3rd though so hopefully people will still have an opportunity to experience the show!

I had a residency that was scheduled for April that had to be postponed until sometime in the future when things of that sort can begin again. I had an important speaking opportunity at a conference cancelled, as well as a couple of museum acquisitions of my work that that had to be cancelled due to budget freezes. I am grateful though that I still have a few exhibition opportunities scheduled far enough into the future that they are still scheduled to proceed as originally planned. A number of acquisitions have still gone through despite the pandemic as well.

 

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

Dyani: This is a tough question! There are so many artists I'd love to speak to, both living and dead. SO many!

I thought about this question for awhile last night and got excited about the various people I'd love to talk shop and life with. But what I landed on was this. I would like to speak to someone in the past, from within my family lineage that was an accomplished beadwork or quillwork artist. I don't have any immediate family members to turn to in this way. But I am certain there would have been someone in the past. Whomever that woman is, I'd love to visit with her!

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!