Taken from CHema Skandal’s blog

W. You have a very distinct style, can you tell us a bit about your technique for creating images?

C.S. Well, most of the graphics I do are at least 98.75% hand made (for the rest I use the computer). Otherwise it’s 100% hand made. When I was attending Art School in México my Illustration teacher used to say I had a “dirty, worn-out” style for finishing my work thus I called it Spicy Graphic Pop which includes the “técnica cochinoza” (dirty technique).

W. How do you find the art culture and scene in Chicago?

C.S. Chicago is a great city, including everything related to the Art and Design universe. It has some of the best Art Schools in the Country and probably around the world (there are many foreign students coming here each year). There are very talented and influential artists from the low-brow movement to the classic academic ones that cross and mix in between. One day you can visit the Art Institute and the next one go to the Museum of Contemporary Art or any independent Gallery and you can find a nice exhibition going on.

W. Can you tell me a bit about the artist residency you recently took up in France?

C.S. I was invited by the municipality of Toulouse to create the graphic background for the most important summer music festival of the city, which this year was dedicated to the Mexican culture. I worked for about 23 days (with the assistance of my beloved Edith) to finally finished the large-format backdrop painting. It measures around 315 square feet, I used all acrylic paint and it was all hand done. I was there in March, and later in June I went back to show my artwork at a Cultural Center and to see the former project displayed.

W. How does your Mexican heritage influenced your artwork?

C.S. In many ways, and not just by Mexican culture, many countries in Latin America can be included in that category.
It is as simple as this: when you live surrounded by many colors, aromas and flavours it strongly shapes the way you see the world.  When you live amongst this folklore it embraces you. Since my childhood I was exposed to many Art books and also to pop-culture graphics and they had a big influence on me. Of course there are a lot of visual stereotypes and in part that is our heritage.

W. You’ve been involved in making gig posters, painting backdrops for music festivals and creating album artwork, what is the significance of music in your work and do you have a favorite project you worked on that involved music?

C.S. Yes, I have done that, music has been very influential not only in my art work but also in my life.  Actually my “Skandal!” nickname comes from the classic Jamaican rhythm. I really like music and I think it is a very strong way to express ideas and spread culture. I recently made all the artwork for an English band; Intensified’s “Lunar City Groove.” I designed all the packaging (CD+DVD digipack) for the record, inside and outside covers are a spread, is available on vinyl too. It was great working with them and being chosen for their 20th anniversary recording.

W. If you are painting artwork for a band, do you usually listen to their music while making the art? Or what is the process usually for creating artwork that is associated with a band or music artist?

C.S. Yes, I try to get in tune with their frequency, to know what they are trying to get across with their music.  Many times they give me their ideas, or they’ll have a set image of what they want. And of course there are many visuals involved in the final product, so there is a lot of back and forth communication between myself and the musicians, until we are both satisfied with the result. It’s about making the best of the project.

W. You have had your artwork in many formats: gig posters, murals, t-shirts, postcards, framed paintings and even a hot water bottle, is there any format you prefer?

C.S. No, I don’t really have a preference for a particular format.  Surely I like to take care of the entire process when possible, to have a nice ending product, and that depends on what I’m working on. Something interesting right now is the wide variety of formats you can print an image on. I really like that.

W. In doing some research, I was looking for your artwork on a vinyl figure. I only found one picture of a Marshall from a Rotofugi show that I believe was yours. Have you customized many vinyl figures or are you not as interested in having artwork in the vinyl toy scene?

C.S. No, I haven’t done any toys yet. And yes, I do like vinyl figures but I have not had the time to focus on this “scene” to plan something with my work. Nevertheless, last year I had a chit chat with a nice and known toy manufacturer but nothing has evolved from it yet…. Right now I have  plans to start working with a young very talented toy sculptor. So stay tuned for this!

W. You keep your identity a secret in photos by covering up your face or wearing a mask, can you reveal a bit about the reasoning behind this?

C.S. Well, I am not into the cult of personality at all and since I like Lucha Libre, I created the wrestling mask. It’s probably more famous than me by now and I like that.

W. When you are really drained of energy, but have to work on a project, how do you motivate yourself or get inspired?

C.S. I usually try to look around and get inspired by images and sounds. The Internet is a great tool for this but it can be overwhelming too. I listen to music and look through my books.

THANKS!

Size: 2.5 x 4″
Image Size: 1.75″ x 3″
Medium: Serigraph Print
Year: 2005

Limited to 206

First, check out these vikings fighting Andy’s signature dino-aliens!

This next piece is referencing the song Andrew W.K. created using words from one of The Mclaughlin Group’s manuscripts.

And one of my favorites in the group, here is a piece inspired by the “Don Piano” cat. Amazing!

George has been a long time friend, customer, and overall influences on Wootini Gallery shows and openings.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of Evoker’s pieces in the Locals Only group art show happening on Friday, June 17th! Keep an eye on this blog for more artwork from the upcoming show.

Check out more of Mat’s photos of this piece on his blog and remember to come out to Wootini on June 17th for Locals Only – a local show featuring all pieces under $100! There will also be prints affordable available of another of Mat’s works.

Wootini Gallery has been involved in maintaining a strong art scene in Carrboro since 2003. We’ve been fortunate to have worked with many talented artists from the Triangle area and want Locals Only to reflect the strong art community surrounding us!

We’ve gathered some of our favorite local artists for Locals Only, a show where every piece will be $100 or less and customers can take their purchased art home with them on the night.

Partial list of Artists:
Citrusface
Mat Curran
Evoker
Andy Foltz
Dave Graedon
Kelly Green
JRYU
Sean Kernick
George Lamontagne
Brockton McKinney & Bo Fader
Eric Morin
Poe
Laurie Shipley
Chris Schwing
Jason Strutz

Thanks for all of your support throughout the years! We hope to see you there!

What: Locals Only
When: Friday, June 17th, 7pm – 11pm
Where: 101 Lloyd Street, Carrboro

SHIPPING INCLUDED IN PRICE!

Approx. 6.5″ wide

Freestanding sculpture

SHIPPING INCLUDED IN PRICE!

Size: 8 x 10″

Medium: Mixed media