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A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream puts random people on the spot. This time: Paola R., and found at Pearl's Social and Billy Club, hailing originally from Bushwick!
Why are you here?
Well I was born in Bushwick and the house that I live in, I own and it's been in my generation for two generations. I'm also a real estate agent.
What are the borders of Bushwick?
The borders of Bushwick are always changing.
What is you weapon of choice?
Recently, we at the Bushwick Dream were gathered on our usual rooftop talking about upcoming posts, and one of the Dans asked, “Did you see that new mural on Vandervoort?” (the city block that is becoming the Bushwick Art Park, next to art gallery Factory Fresh). Artist Veng of Robots Will Kill had painted the wall with characters for Bushwick Open Studios in June.
A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream puts random people on the spot. This time: Jack H., and found at Goodbye Blue Mondays, hailing originally from Brooklyn, NY
Why are you here?
I'm playing a show, actually, my band......Proxima Control.
What are the borders of Bushwick, in your opinion?
What are the borders of Bushwick? Does Williamsburg count as a border?
What's your weapon of choice?
Oh man..... spiked brass knuckles!
Once in a while you walk into an art gallery in Bushwick and see something you really like. Then there are those times when you walk into a room and see a well-hung piece and say to yourself, "Jesus-Mother-Loving-Christ...... That's fucking awesome."
Recently I had the pleasure of this reaction courtesy of a gentleman going by Criminy Johnson (also "QRST") during Bushwick Open Studios as part of Curbs and Stoops' Stay Gold exhibition. His artwork usually teeters on the edge somewhere between creepy and lovable, or, surreal and familiar. I felt it was my duty to gain some access to his psyche and post what I learned for all to read here at The Bushwick Dream.
The Bushwick Dream: How did you come up with "QRST" and how the hell am I supposed to pronounce it?
QRST: It's a secret. it's pronounced either "QRST" or "qrst," both are acceptable. (ha)
TBD: I love the way you illustrate peoples' faces...... I especially like the giant eyes and deep glares that come from your characters. What is your inspiration for such massive eyes and expressiveness?
QRST: Eyes and eye contact and direction of gaze are obviously really expressive parts of faces, and so it feels natural to exaggerate or intensify those aspects of figures. Also I've always just enjoyed rendering eyes and they usually just feel like they should be big... it sometimes seems like making large intense eyes makes an entire piece so strong that it's almost like cheating. When I was painting more animals than people, the eyes ended up really large and dark, and I think some of that carried over to the people that I've been making recently. I could ramble on about eye contact and animal behavior and art history but i think that it would be a boring read.
TBD: How long do you nomally spend on any particular piece? What's the longest and shortest?
QRST: For outside pieces the big ones generally take around 30 or 40 hours. The really little guys i can usually make in an hour or two. The most time-consuming outside piece was probably the two guys with the trains and I think that ran into 60+ hours.
TBD: They just covered up the "Man with Glasses - Rat Feet - With a Kitty" piece you did. How do you feel when someone covers your artwork? Does it piss you off more when it's covered with a flat color as opposed to another artist tagging over it?
QRST: Ugh! I try not to be overly disappointed when something gets destroyed or painted over, but if they have a really short run and something was up in a good spot where it was going to last, it's a little tougher to take. Really, though, I'm glueing them to a wall, outside, they're not going to last forever. I don't know which is worse, tagged or buffed, neither is worth getting angry about, though. I also had the advantage of beginning my wheat-pasting life in San Francisco, where a really solid run was two or three weeks, so on a certain level I'm always just glad to see it still there the next day when I show up to take more pictures.
TBD: Have you ever covered someone's work over on purpose or out of spite, you know, just because you hate that fucker?
QRST: No, I usually try to be pretty polite. Besides, my guys take too long to make to get into a contest with someone, because I won't win.
TBD: If you weren't doing street art and paintings and such what would you be doing?
QRST: Uhmmm.... watching cartoons.... astrophysics.... I don't know. Probably something strange.
TBD: Why did you choose Bushwick? Are you gonna stick around for a while or you looking to grab your bindle and hit the tracks?
QRST: My friend and I were just looking for lofty live/work kind of places when we arrived in New York, and Morgan/Jefferson seemed to be relatively affordable and not overly dangerous, so it just kind of happened that way. I like my newest landlord and I don't have any plans to leave so...
TBD: What's next on your immediate agenda? Any exciting new plans we should be looking forward to?
QRST: I'm going to put something up in the LES when I get back into town with some other folks (General Howe, Quel Beast, Bishop203, Laura Meyers, some others I'm forgetting). Joe [Franquinha], the guy who puts together Crest Fest every year, has this backyard timeshare project going on... I guess someone's turning a vacant lot on Ludlow into a rentable yard, and he's getting a bunch of people to put up work. Unfortunately both my piece and I are going to miss the opening. Nothing concrete beyond that. Painting as much as I can.
TBD: If you could meet one artist living or dead who would it be and why?
QRST: I can't think of a good answer for this question. Anyone worth using a magic interview wish to meet would end up being a disappointment, right? I'm going to wish for cookies, or for next winter to be less terrible.
TBD: Did you have fun with us at Pearl's the other night? I can't remember a lot of it.
QRST: Yes, I hadn't been there before...... and me neither.
A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream puts random people on the spot. This time: Pamela R., and found at Pearl's Social and Billy Club
Why are you here?
I am getting drunk.
What’s the border of Bushwick, in your opinion?
"I would say...... I just moved here a week ago.... but I would say Bushwick Avenue and Bushwick Place and I"m strictly judging by the name."
What’s your weapon of choice?
Knife!
Is that a terrarium around your neck?
Why yes. Yes it is......
Have you ever been sitting around and said to yourself, "Hey you know what would be awesome? If I could wear an itty-bitty terrarium around my neck." Yeah me neither, until I saw one, now I really, really want one.
In a small home studio in Bushwick a girl by the name of Tamar sits and tediously makes some of the oddly uniquest jewelery I’ve ever seen. Being a thirty-two year old male, I don’t know a lot about jewelry, but I do know when I see a work of art and this is definitely something special.
Each piece of terrarium jewelry is unique and individually hand crafted by Tamar herself. They're made from variouos types of moss, pebbles, sea glass,activated charcoal (to help the plant life breath) and other such elements. She can also add things that are sentimental to you if it'll fit in the jar, or you can fully customize your own.
"In an urban world you can still maintain your own wearable garden" Tamar says with a content smile. You can water them and they'll even grow. If you don't they'll eventually die but they stay in tact and still look awesome. If you think it's dead you may still be in luck. You can give it a little water and it may come back to life, moss and lichens are funny like that.
They can take anywhere from an hour to eight hours to make one depending on how intricate it is. They're also very reasonably priced. You can get yours at Littleworlddesigns.com or find her on etsy.com
Photos courtesy of Little World Designs
Fred Valentine's salt-and-pepper hair easily betrays his status as an O.G. of the New York art scene. In the nineties, long before the condos came, he helped to create art and performance happenings in Williamsburg under the names Organism and Mustard. A mix of art, performance, and music mayhem, they were the forebears of the warehouse events now publicized by the likes of Nonsense NYC. Fred’s involvement in this scene climaxed in 1995 when he co-founded Galapagos Art Space in its old guise on N. 6th street. Unfortunately it didn't take very long before he and his cohorts were priced out of the scene that they helped to start. But now Freddy’s back to launch VALENTINE Gallery in Ridgewood--Bushwick's quieter, better-looking cousin. Just don't call him a pioneer.
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We asked local artist Don Pablo Pedro a few questions, and here’s what we think Bushwick Dream readers need to know. He had a solo show at Pandemic Gallery called “Fuck Don Pablo Pedro.” When describing the painted scenes in which characters “devour and violate each other,” Animal New York asked, “what the hell is wrong with this guy?”
On muslin scrolls Don Pablo Pedro depicts deformed, tormented grotesques who have extra arms and/or heads and/or vaginas, then adds delicate flourishes--floral borders rendered in meticulous detail: “Go Fuck Yourself” (see the guy in yellow, below) and Peony Cream Pie (also below) are two examples. Two of Don Pablo Pedro’s scrolls are part of the Stay Gold show at Curbs & Stoops. The closing party is Friday. Go see them.
The Bushwick Dream (TBD): Where are you from and what kind of place is it?
Don Pablo Pedro (DPP): The Middle of nowhere. It’s hot, there's a beach, lots of woods and elderly people.
TBD: What do you do?
DPP: Paint scrolls.
TBD: How did you end up in Bushwick?
DPP: A plane.
TBD: Do you see painting as a creative process or as a release?
DPP: It starts off as a creative process and ends with a release.
TBD: What's the process like for you as you're working: are you calm, manic, chaotic, do you need silence, music.
DPP: My process is usually calm and silent at first. I’m always a little manic and life can be very chaotic at times. I only sometimes listen to music.
TBD: People have called the Stay Gold show creepy: is that a compliment? How do people usually describe your work?
DPP: “Creepy” is a compliment but people usually describe my art as “perverted.”
TBD: Any stories about misinterpretations of your work?
DPP: I usually enjoy any type of interpretation; when people take the time to interpret I’m happy.
TBD: I love your bio, which is written as a folktale in which you rape and kill your mutilated brother. Did he have it coming? What'd he do?
DPP: I just made up a story that I felt described the paintings I do.
TBD: “Go Fuck Yourself” has this floral border that includes vagina-esque flowers. Are they happy vaginas or are they evil?
DPP: In “Go Fuck Yourself” the flowers were more of buttholes to me.
TBD: In both “Go Fuck Yourself” and “Face Sitter” seem to depict people who are, in the moment, not quite getting what they want. Do they ever live happily ever after?
DPP: They are in constant struggle. There is no happy ever after for the characters in those paintings.
TBD: What's next?
DPP: Everything.
Artist photo courtesy of Will Star of Shooting Stars Pro, taken at Crest Hardware Art Show 2011.
We caught Shepard and his crew in the act of installing a gigantic new Obey poster on Waterbury & Scholes. Although his most recent interview didn't go so well Shepard, man that he is, stepped up to the plate to answer a few questions for the Bushwick Dream.
So why this piece and why here?
Well, I'm friends with Jay Leritz who is one of the owners of Yummus Hummus. He and I knew each other when we lived in San Diego. He told me that this building was an open spot and of course I noticed that there are a lot of musicians in this neighborhood and that there's this metal venue right across the street [Acheron]. And I DJ, and I've been doing this series as a tribute to the record cover format, the square format, so I thought this would make sense. And I also had the measurements and it worked, mathematically. So, yeah. You turn your limitations into assets. I always like to do big stuff outdoors, if I can. I think this is a good spot, I like this neighborhood.
What else do you have planned while you're in New York?
I'm in town until the 6th. I've done a little bit here and there, some opportunities have presented themselves and I have some other walls lined up, some in Brooklyn and some in Manhattan. Obviously some of my assistants from L.A. are here helping. I'd rather just have it be a surprise, have people stumble on it than say where it's going to be. Some things fall through and some new things pop up. But we're gonna be in public art mode right now.
What do you think about Brooklyn Museum pulling the plug on the Art in the Streets exhibit that they were planning to have this year? They said it was for financial reasons, but there's some suspicion that that wasn't quite the full story.
You know I don't know, I haven't heard anything other than that it was for financial reasons. I am friends with one of the curators there and she was really excited about doing it. And they've done other graffiti shows in the past, so I don't know, I don't see why this one would be more problematic politically than any of the other ones. I do know that it's an expensive show to put together, L.A. MoCA was barely was able to fund it, with sponsorship. So, it could be legit, who knows.
It's disappointing when you think of New York being a real birthplace, in a lot of ways, of the graffiti and street art movement. Even though of course it's expanded to a lot of cities around the globe. You know, it's an important place for the show to be seen and I hope it makes it to a few other cities, but it was a major accomplishment in L.A. and I'm happy for that.
I'm grateful for anything that happens that puts a good group of artists together and shows what they're doing. A lot of the commentary that I hear is, "Well, you know, what do you think about the de-clawing or de-fanging of street art by putting it in a museum?" Well, first of all, it's not street art in a museum, you fucking moron. It's art, it's just art. Street art is on the street. I'm so sick of that shit. You know, I still do street art, everybody that calls themselves a street artist should still do street art. Otherwise you're just an artist, but it's fine to use a lot of different platforms for art. You know, it's totally narrow-minded to say that art's only legitimate in galleries and museums, and it's just as narrow-minded to say it's only legitimate outdoors. Those things, anything that's about unhealthy boxes or categories that people want to put things in because they want to be a gatekeeper in that category--it's about them and their ego, it's not about a thriving dialogue about the power of art, so, fuck that shit!
A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream puts random people on the spot. This time: Brent H., hailing from Chapel Hill, NC. and found at Pearl's Social and Billy Club
Why are you here?
I'm in Bushwick just returning from London after working there for ten years as a photographer and there are reasonably priced shooting spaces here. You can see my work at brenthelsel.com.
What’s the border of Bushwick, in your opinion?
Williamsburg and..... well actually, I have no idea.
What’s your weapon of choice?
My camera, because I can catch my people at their best...... or their worst.
A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream puts random people on the spot. This time: Justin P., hailing from L.A. and found on Jefferson St. bet. Irving and Wyckoff.
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Why are you here?
I moved here from L.A. to be a fine illustrator.
What’s the border of Bushwick, in your opinion?
That’s a hard one, because I just moved here from around the Montrose L. Hmm...I would say between the Morgan and Montrose L stops.
What’s your weapon of choice?
I’m a pacifist. I guess I’d say...the pencil!
A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream put random people on the spot. This time: Mike F. (Originally from Sandusky, OH) found at The Pine Box Rock Shop.
Why are you here?
I run an educational program..... and let's be honest...... the women.
What's the boder of Bushwick, in your opinion?
They're mentally created and changing every day.
What's you weapon of choice?
A stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet. Bushwick Dream put random people on the spot. This time: Michael D., found at Little Skips.
Why are you here?
I’ve been here for 5 years. I came out to New York for school and I actually graduated from Pratt Institute in architecture a week ago. I actually moved out to Bushwick this year, I was living in Bed-Stuy the past 4 years.
What’s the border of Bushwick, in your opinion?
I..think that there is a border that’s formed on Broadway. I guess that’d be the Bed-Stuy border? And then between here and Williamsburg, I don’t really know, like I’ve no idea!
What’s your weapon of choice?
My weapon of choice....what would my weapon of choice be? That’s a funny question...I would probably say my camera actually!
Well it is time for you to get to know Vahge. She lives right in our little neighborhood of Bushwick. You may pass by her on the street every once in a while and not even know it. Vahge was kind enough to fill out an interview/questionnaire for us and share some of her work. Enjoy.
TBD - Where are you from / what kind of place is it?
Vahge - I have a tendency to move every few years, so I've been here and there, east and west and back. I spent my childhood in Clarksville, Maryland, a delicious suburb. It's the kind of place where people judge you based on the car you drive and the grades you get and watch you from their windows. It's very paranoid.
TBD - How did you end up in Bushwick?
Vahge - I was in Santa Fe (New Mexico) and realized that I was not 65 years old, and did not paint desert scenes, and was therefore in the wrong place. New York seemed like a good choice and the best thing I could barely afford was Bushwick.
TBD - What do you do?
Vahge - I make weird collages. I cut out lots of small pieces of magazine and glue them into creepy scenes. They seem to be getting larger.
TBD - Why?
Vahge - I'm obsessive, so the tediousness of the collage process is really satisfying. It's also something I've been trying to be good at since I was little.
TBD - What is it that drives you?
Vahge - New ideas, restlessness, and childhood trauma. A lot of people say that the process of creation keeps them sane, but that's actually not true for me... I kind of go psycho if I'm working on something for too long, the process is just meticulous. The need to accomplish something is a big influence.
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