MAY 2005
interview i did with "rant"zine from the
http://www.antgallery.org where i hang my work
each month.
Here I've outlined an Interview I
previously did concerning some of the aRtists I'm inspired
by, and whom I admire. They truly invest themselves in the
aRt they make and have left a lasting impression on many
people.
I am intrigued by the
Unique Flavors of aRt and personal
expression they bring to the World. There's so much to say
about various
aRtist Contributions,
Fisher Investments, and spending time listening to
Musicians who awaken your senses with their unique aRt
forms. Some people, when asked who they're inspired by or
whom they admire, can come up with a short, quick list of
names: Simon Beaufoy,
Ken Fisher, Nelson Mandela,
Andy Warhol, etc. I like to put some deep thought into
my own list, which is outlined below. I find it difficult
to narrow it down to a certain number of aRtists, but I've
done my best.
the question:
rant: 10 artists, any discipline, you most admire?
shannon kringen:
wow! i cannot narrow down to only 10!
i will group them-
visual aRtists
actors
musicians
VISUAL ARTMAKERS=
i'm drawn to visual aRtists that use themselves as a
canvas-through literally bodypainting themselves or
doing
some sort of self portrait via painting/video or
photography.
sabrina ward harrison
(http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com)
is a collage aRtist who has written a couple amazing
books-
full color collage books called "spilling open" and
"messy
thrilling life" she is wonderful. she teaches
workshoppes
on "how to be and express your authentic self". her
work
reassures me to stay on the path i am on exploring
who
i am
and sharing it as boldly as i can to anyone
interested
and
hoping to have a good effect on others- spreading
seeds.
tending the garden so to speak.
asya schween (http://www.myownself.com)
is a brilliant photographer who does very haunting self
portraits with dramatic lighting and texture. her work
looks like paintings but is photography. her work is
very
moody and a bit disturbing which i like. we need the
sharp
edge in life as well as the 'fluffy clouds'. she's
sort
like the neil young/tom waits/bob dylan of visual aRt.
poetic work rough around the edges.
miranda july
http://www.mirandajuly.com
i met miranda when she was doing a video zine project
"big
miss movieola" i contributed a performance aRt video of
mine. she does fascinating non linear performances
with
her voice and visuals projected behind her in a very
clever
simple way. her work is extremely unique and hard to
define. it does something to my mind. changes my
cells or
something? she's mesmerizing. her work gets better
and
better and keeps changing which i find very
stimulating.
ana voog
http://www.anacam.com
i found ana voog online in 1999 and have been hooked on
her
site anacam ever since. she's a multi media aRtist.
mostly a photographer but also a painter and musician
and
writer. we've become friends. i hung out with her in
minnesota where she lives and we did webcam images
2gether.
she's incredibly talented and has a fascinating
sharp
exploring mind. her voice is beautiful. she's very
serious
and funny at the same time.
cindy sherman
cindy sherman is a fascinating photographer who mostly
does
self portraits in a very cinematic way. you don't
recognize her from frame to frame. she creates a
mysterious scene and you get to fill in the blanks.
all
her work is called "untitled #65" etc. very intriguing
woman.
laurie anderson
http://www.laurieanderson.com
my uncle introduced me to laurie anderson when i was
15.
i've seen her live- very powerful show. laurie kind of
reads between the lines for you and you fill in the
blanks-she leaves room for you to connect the dots.
her
work is mostly musical-i don't think i can separate her
audio from her visual actually. it needs to be
2gether.
she's got a great mind that sees things very
differently
than most. i guess ,that,to me, is what aRtists are
for=
to shine light and give voice/vision/birth to things
otherwise unseen by non aRtists. to show people a new
angle on something. it's like adding a
previously unkown spice to the soup. it nevers tastes the same
after
that.
frida kahlo
frida was a gorgeous passionate painter.i'm
inspired by
her ability to turn her painful life situations into very unique moving paintings.
hundertwasser (http://www.hundertwasser.com)
hundertwasser is an incredible abstract
painter. a
contemporary of gustav klimdt (spelling?) i was introduced to his work through my mom who is also an aRtist.
i
grew up with hundertwasser posters on our living room
walls. his work is vivid bright colors with very
organic plant/cell/biology inspired shapes and layers.
he also
designed some gorgeous buildlings in vienna
austria. i
visited them! he didn't believe in straight
lines. he had a whole philosophy about man making artchitecture that would harmonize with the shapes and forms of the
natural world. he had roof top gardens incororated into
the buildings. he did many hotels and resorts in europe.
gaudi
one of the most dazzling building designers i
have ever seen! a little like hundertwasser- timeless old
and
new
shapes that almost seem from another planet.
ancient and
modern at the same time. i went to barcelona
spain to see a cathedral by gaudi. breathtaking. i love the
shapes.
my own abstract work is influenced by both hundertwasser and gaudi.
ACTORS=
jeff bridges
http://www.jeffbridges.com
i met jeff briges while i was an extra in the
film
"american heart". he starred in and co-produced
the movie
directed by martin bell who also did
"streetwise" a
documentary about homeless seattle kids. (both
very
touching films.) i introduced myself to jeff
tapping him on
the shoulder and gave him a photo of me in hand
painted
boots i made. he responded very kindly and told
me he
also paints and does music and photography along with his
acting. he has a very lovely website with hand
drawings by
him and links to his music and photos and film
projects-
and end world hunger links- he does humanitarian work.
i
admire him for being a stong aRtist and a
humanitarian.
benicio del torro/christopher walken/river
phoenix
benicio is a wild being! his acting hynotizes me. i
love
actors who have such unusual ways of speaking and using
their mannerisms to convey feelings/thoughts in a
scene. i
feel similar about christopher walken and marlon
brando.
they make every line have depth and subtext. they
always
leave room for interpretation and don't make it all
fully
clear. there is mystery in their work. river phoenix
had
this ability. i miss his work! running on empty starring
river phoenix is one of my favorite
films. electric work.
MUSICIANS=
i love the work of: tori amos, bob dylan, tom petty, neil
young, leonard cohen, beck, moby and the local
seattle
legends jason webley
http://www.jasonwebley.com and
baby gramps!
i met tori amos personally and painted her a
pair of
shoes. since 1992 her music has reached me in my
core. i
think of her a shaman. listening to her music brings things to
the surface buried deep within. she's a child prodigy
musician/composer/piano player. incredibly strong yet
vulnerable woman. luscios work. she says herself she's
like garlic and anchovies. not everyone likes it. you
gotta want that strong flavor. she describes her music as
"song beings" and sonic paintings". her music is very
visual to me. when i hear it i see shapes and textures
dancing and moving. (actually i see shapes when i hear any
music!) i wonder if musicians hear music when they see
visual aRt?
since age 11 i have loved the music of tom petty.
he is
one of my guides as strange as that sounds. his music
cheers me up when i'm down and jolts me with eNeRgY to get
back in the saddle and ride new trails.
beck and
moby are both experimental "collage" musicians
mixing different styles/genres and making extremely
unique
"soundscapes".
jason webley is a local seattle
musician. he sounds a
bit ike tom waits at times- but he has his own persona. he's
sort of a pirate/wild pagan/folk/punkish/mad hatter sort of
character on stage. his more serious songs remind me of
leonard cohen (another musician i love) jason writes his
own songs and works with brilliant puppet makers. he's a
very talented performer. hynotic and heart warming
and
very funny rolled into one.
