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Susie Ghahremani What's a boy-girl party? Have you ever been to one? What's it like? A boygirlparty is the first party you go to as a kid that has both boys and girls at them. If you're young, you play hide n seek, if you're older, you play spin the bottle. I've been to one or two, of course, in my day and they were strange and unexpected and exciting.What is boygirlparty.com? What's it all about? What is it's MASTER PLAN? Boygirlparty.com is the website for all the things I make: music, art, craft, friends. Its master plan is to give me carpel tunnel.
When did you start boygirlparty? Does it coincide with any other important dates in history? (Founding of Massachusetts, battle of Borsinbad, serial decapitator captured?) I started the website in 2002, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Michael Jackson's "thriller", and my forthcoming graduation from the Rhode Island School of Design.Which gender do you think is better, boys, girls, hermaphrodites? Why? In which species? In finches, boys are the ones who sing. In humans, girls are the ones who are consistently underestimated. I don't know much about hermaphrodites but I liked the book "Middlesex".
What mediums do you use to create your art? (How do you get it to look all stylized and groovy?) I paint in gouache which is kind of like an opaque watercolor and use a very, very, very, very small paintbrush (10/0 liner).What's the first drawing you were ever proud of? When you're a kid, every drawing you do is a masterpiece and fridge- worthy.What in your childhood most influenced you to travel the artistic path? My mom and 64 crayons!
What is so appealing about geometric vegetables? Ease of cutting, I suppose. None of that rolling-around-on-the- cutting-board or slices spinning off the knife onto the floor. The piece you're referring to was an illustration assignment from the Washington City Paper about genetically engineered food.Name your favorite authors and what you love the most about each of them! I liked "Winesburg, Ohio" by Sherwood Anderson because it was quiet and simple and all it was really about was a bunch of people coping with their circumstances, but felt like so much more than that.Why do you use such soft colors instead of more brazen depictions of what you'd like to draw? I don't think what I paint calls for brazen colors! if it did, I would use them.
Are you as soft and unobtrusive as your art? I don't know that either my art or I are soft and unobtrusive. I think we're both small, nostalgic and detail-obsessed.Who is your favorite grandmother? I only have the one.Which artists or art trends have you modeled your work after or built upon the style of? I haven't modeled my work after anyone or anything else, but I admire the WPA project artists, specifically Mildred Waltrip and the posters she did for Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. I also like Edward Gorey, because he tricks his readers into thinking he's from a different century quite believably, and I also like Chris Ware for his attention to detail, linear precision and quiet visual moments.
Where is your base of operations? Tell us about it, what's so great about where you live, what's kinda crappy? I live in San Diego, California, USA as of about two years ago! There is no good pizza here and not a very visible art scene -- certainly no decent place to buy art supplies which is a constant source of my frustration. But there is a beach where the sand looks like glitter (and thus it is called the Silver Strand) and I like my friends and housing situation here.What would you say the "subjects" you usually touch on in your art are? Why do you? Nature and pattern. Pattern + nature. Animals + nature + pattern. Sometimes I get an illustration job where I have to, I don't know, do something about finances or something -- still somehow I'll find a way to tie it to nature and pattern. Somehow! I don't know, it's just the language I speak.
Which country or culture produces the best works of art (of any time period)? This is a great question! Historically, great works were produced at many times in many places, but the ones that just completely blow me away with their inventiveness over and over are 20th century american artists like frank lloyd wright and alfred hitchcock, edward hopper and barbara kruger. Americans in the 20th century.Do you think your art will stand the test of time? Do you think it is part of a movement? I think my art will stand the test of time with my mom -- I don't think my work is known on a great enough scale in the world to have a real chance at long term exposure yet. I very much feel a part of the crafty DIY community/movement, which is not a conventional place for a painter but that's where I fit in!
Where do you get most of your support? (Emotional, financial, guidance..etc.) Boyfriend, family, friends, Magic 8-Ball -- the usual suspects.What phrase best describes your work? Boygirlparty.Which of your contemporary works are you most proud of? I did this painting of owls in apple trees that will appear in my 2008 Chronicle Books stationery collection and I think it's my favorite painting I've done yet. I also did a painting of a tree in the wood behind our old house in chicago based on memory and anyone who sees the painting and knows the location recognizes its time and place immediately although it's pretty stylized -- and that makes me feel like I achieved something unusual.
Which of your contemporary works needs a little....work? I'm frustrated with my owl card set right now, so I tweaked the color a little and am thinking of abandoning a couple in the set altogether. I painted those paintings and designed those cards about three years ago. I've discovered that if you look at something you made for long enough, you will start to only see its flaws!Do you support animal rights? How many rights should they have? I do, I've been a vegetarian and animal activist for 15 years.Got anything else to say to the humans and animals out there? Tra la la!<< Back To Artist Interviews |
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