There are countless talented artists in the Bay Area. I got the chance to interview a few student artists at M-A and two professional artists based in the Bay Area.
Aliza Katzman is an artist and a senior at M-A. Her art includes refreshing pops of color and features mostly portraits. Her painting style is inspired most by the small paint strokes of Vincent van Gogh.
"color's a really big element in my art. I try to use a lot of different colors, and combine them in interesting ways, and that's a big part of the piece" -Katzman
"[art is] definitely something that's a big part of my life, that I always pursue improvement and I always spend a lot of time on" -Katzman
"half the time is creative block, half the time is like, ok this is kind of happening. (...) Sometimes you can push through it, sometimes you just have to take time off, but that definitely happens" -Katzman
Mitchell Johnson is a professional artist based in the Bay Area. His work centers around perception of color, and features a mixtures of geometric shapes and landscapes. His paintings have influences of Giorgio Moriandi and Josef Albers.
"I mostly just tell people [my art] has a lot to do with color and perception and just color as a way to talk about your perception of everything" -Johnson
"So, in some ways what I'm asking in my paintings is for people to pay more attention to how they make sense of the world, and that everything's coming out of you, essentially. So that implies a lot of responsibility, right? I mean, it's kind of a deep thing, it's sort of a complex thing" -Johnson
"This painting right here [towards the middle/left], which is basically abstract (...) I'm interested in how this shape and quantity of color (...) introducing this was like you had a party, and then someone else came in, and it changes the way everyone else is behaving. It's impacting the whole thing. And that's what is interesting for me. It's, how did this impact everything else that's going on?" -Johnson
"It's really not purely about a juxtaposition between you know, something [the building] from like 1750 to something from 2010, it's about, how do these shapes behave against these? (...) I wanted to take a risk and introduce something else into it, and so I actually put in this part in here [referring to the bar of nine colors in the bottom left]. Just this set of colors (...) These are really characteristic colors that appear in different things in Korea like in clothing and traditional gowns” -Johnson
"I've basically dedicated, my Monday through Friday, nine to five to doing this, and I'm sure it doesn't always go well. As a matter of fact I think if you get two or three good days out of the five, then things are going well" -Johnson
Olivia Tai is a junior at M-A. She is an accomplished artist who focuses mostly on drawing and painting.
"I make art for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I think it is to create something I'm proud of, so at the end of the day I can feel accomplished that I’ve worked so hard on something. Often, I will also create art for others. It takes a lot of time and energy to finish a piece and I really enjoy putting all that effort into something I’m going to give to someone I love" -Tai
Nathalie Camens: What kind of artist do you describe yourself as? What style of art do you think your art is most like?
Olivia Tai: I would describe myself as a visual artist. I have different styles depending on the art piece I'm working on, but based on the majority of my pieces, I’d say my style is realistic and/or abstract!
NC: What kind of medium do you usually work with? What materials?
OT: I tend to draw and paint more often than other artistic mediums. I usually use drawing or colored pencils, and I’m a big fan of oil paint and charcoal.
NC: Do you enjoy using color?
OT: Absolutely! I’ve always been drawn to bright and contrasting colors.
NC: Do you ever get a creative block?
OT: Yes - it’s actually something I’ve been struggling with lately. Since the beginning of junior year, I’ve hardly created anything and it really bums me out!
NC: Do you use social media as a resource to express your creativity or share your work?
OT: Nope, I don’t enjoy using social media so I don’t use it for my artwork.
NC: How do you motivate yourself?
OT: I’m not sure if I motivate myself very well! I’ve always had trouble finishing pieces on my own - I usually need a deadline or some type of scheduled time to work. Motivation comes sporadically for me!
NC: Who or what inspires you?
OT: Other artists - whether they be my friends, my family - seeing others investing so much into their artwork has always inspired me to spend more time on mine.
NC: When did you first start making art? When did you first know that you loved making art?
OT: I started practicing art when I was in middle school. Around that time, I started feeling more comfortable calling myself an 'artist’ and truly identifying as someone who loved to create.
NC: Is your family very artistic and do they support your creativity?
OT: My mom is a professional jeweler. Yes, they’ve always been supportive and encouraged me to follow my interest.
NC: Do you have a favorite movie or song that inspires you artistically?
OT: Music is a whole other passion for me so I can’t delve too deep into that subject. However, movies that have a lot of aesthetic value, have definitely inspired me. To name a couple of directors I admire, I think Wes Anderson’s films are lovely and Edgar Wright is a very skilled as well.
NC: Who are your favorite artists of all time?
OT: Wow, I couldn’t name them all! For me, a couple great classics would be Gustav Klimt or Egon Schiele, but if I truly stick to my roots, I would say that I adored online artists like ‘burdge-bug’ or ‘maruti-bitamin’ when I was younger.
NC: What makes you want to make an art piece?
OT: I make art for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I think it is to create something I’m proud of, so at the end of the day I can feel accomplished that I’ve worked so hard on something. Often, I will also create art for others. It takes a lot of time and energy to finish a piece and I really enjoy putting all that effort into something I’m going to give to someone I love. Unfortunately, I’ve always felt a bit lacking as an artist because I know for some people, art is a creative outlet that they couldn’t live without. As for me, I don’t have a huge urge to make art in order to express myself - I just kind of do it when I feel like it.
NC: Do you draw/paint real things or people or do you make them up?
OT: I tend to draw/paint a lot from real life or sources because I really love drawing people and it’s hard to do that without someone to draw from! I also believe that it’s important to study traditional art styles, because afterwards, you have a broader range of skills from which you can develop your own unique style.
NC: Was there anyone who inspired you to pursue art when you were young?
OT: I studied with an art college grad when I was in middle school and she helped jumpstart my interest.
NC: What are your plans for your artistic future?
OT: I think art will always be an interest of mine, and I hope to find a career where I will be able to incorporate my artistic experience and enthusiasm into my profession. But, I fear I won’t pursue art very intensely in the future and it might stay a side-interest for most of my life.
"I started practicing art when I was in middle school. Around that time, I started feeling more comfortable calling myself an 'artist' and truly identifying as someone who loved to create" -Tai
"I think art will always be an interest of mine, and I hope to find a career where I will be able to incorporate my artistic experience and enthusiasm into my profession" -Tai
Chloé Mauvais is an adept drawer and painter. Her art centers around portraits, mostly of females.
"[art is] not even just a habit it's almost a necessity. I draw because it affords me peace of mind" -Mauvais
"The sort of aesthetic enjoyment that I get from being out in the world is what inspires me" -Mauvais
"I'll look at a specific artist and then I will maybe pick and choose what I enjoy and what I think that I can replicate, and then I can kind of just add that to my style as a whole" -Mauvais
Hadi Tabatabi is an artist based in Berkeley. His art is geometric and uses meticulously placed materials to form pieces that are visually engaging.
Nathalie Camens: What kind of artist do you describe yourself as? What style of art do you think your art is most like?
Hadi Tabatabai: I am a visual artist, working primarily in painting. The work is reductive by nature and has roots in the late 60's, early 70's minimalist movement.
NC: What kind of medium do you usually work with? What materials?
HT: At the moment I am working on two different bodies of work.
1- Thread paintings, which are made on an aluminum composite panel with Polyester Thread drawn across the panel at every 1/16" of an inch to create a shear plane. I then paint areas of the thread.
2- Acrylic pieces, which are done on top of clear cast acrylic panels. I then paint on both sides of the panel with acrylic paints.
NC: Do you enjoy using colour?
HT: I do enjoy color but most of my work tend to move between black or white.
NC: Do you ever get a creative block?
HT: Luckily I have never experienced a block.
NC: Do you use social media as a resource to express your creativity or share your work?
HT: I use Facebook to invite people to my shows and to also post images of new work.
NC: How do you motivate yourself?
HT: By always remaining active.
NC: Who or what inspires you?
HT: Music and literature.
NC: When did you first start making art? When did you first know that you loved making art/wanted to be an artist?
HT: I started drawing as a child and always loved making art but didn’t think to pursue it as a career till I was in my mid-twenties. I never thought it was an option for me. After high school I received a degree in construction management and worked as an engineer for 6 years.
However every once in a while I would make an art project for myself.
One night at a friend’s house I was introduced to the work of the Austrian printmaker Huderwasser through a catalogue. Flipping through the pages I saw an amazing world which I felt I wanted for myself. Shortly after that I signed up for printmaking classes at the city college.
NC: When you were growing up, was your family very artistic and did they support your creativity?
HT: The house I grow up in was very bare. No photos or paintings on the walls and very few objects. However in our basement with some of my mother’s personal stuff there was an oil painting and a charcoal drawing that she had done as a teenager. I used to love looking at them.
My family was aware of my interest and skills in drawing but it was never supported or celebrated.
NC: Do you have a favorite movie or song that inspires you artistically?
HT: Music has always been the big inspiration for me. Growing up with punk rock and the whole D.I.Y. mentality.
As for movies I would have to say Andrei Tarkovsky films.
NC: Who are your favorite artists of all time?
HT: Giorgio Morandi. Agnes Martin. Cy Twombly. Barnett Newman. Ad Reinhardt. Eva Hesse…..
NC: What makes you want to make an art piece?
HT: Art making for me is a process for learning. It is the process that brings me closer to myself.
NC: Do you draw/paint real things/people or do you make them up?
HT: I don’t work from nature but I am deeply interested in reality. Depicting nature to me becomes an illustration of what is real. What I strive for is more a sense of reality.
NC: What are your plans for your artistic future?
HT: To continue the work I started 25 years ago.
NC: Was there anyone who inspired you to pursue art when you were young?
HT: Sadly, no.
NC: Do you know of any up -and-coming artists everyone should know?
HT: Liam Everett, Nelleke Beltjens, Nicole Phungrasamee Fein
NC: Do you have any suggestions for aspiring artists who are trying to be successful and want to make art their career?
HT: Working hard is the most important thing.
Pay attention to all the new things that are happening in your field.
Try to find inspiration in other mediums. Sometimes it is much easier to stay open minded in other fields of creativity than your own.
For example if you are a painter you can take inspiration from music, film, dance, literature.
"Art making for me is a process for learning. It is the process that brings me closer to myself" -Tabatabai
