June 2021 - HiddenStash
Jun 05, 7:00 PM – Jun 30, 11:00 PM
Local street artist hiddenstash (@hiddenstash.art) brings us "Mushroom Cats of the Wild" -- an exhibition centered on mushrooms and cats!
Tell us a bit about your installation. The inspiration and process.
I was one of those kids who was obsessed with Zoobooks and National Geographic Wildlife Fact Files. You may remember those binders in the 90s that you could order pages about animals for in the mail.
Creating and displaying a body of work centering on cats & mushrooms gives me an opportunity to paint things I enjoy, research and expand my own knowledge about these animals & organisms, and share random factoids with the community.
What was the first piece you’ve ever sold?
In 2005 I joined the online art sharing website deviantART, and started uploading scans of my drawings. It was mostly character art of animal people, and it turned out there was a whole inner community on the site of people doing the same. I started getting more involved with the scene - doing art trades, liking posts and following artists, drawing more - and received my first paid commission the following year in 2006. It was a watercolor and ink character
llustration.
Have you always been creative? When did you start?
I remember being maybe 5 or 6, and sitting at a tiny table outside, drawing with crayons while my mother did yardwork. This is my earliest memory of expressing creativity.
What inspires you to create?
One of the strongest motivations for me to keep creating is the existential threat of the void. Life is short and I want to get as many concepts, images and emotions squeezed out of my head as possible. Inspiration to create art can be found anywhere - the sight of a bird, a feeling, a good song. All of those little, everyday things that are capable of sparking a flame.
Name your top inspirational creatives?
There are qualities to be inspired by in the work of every artist. Just seeing someone make something they care about is inspiring in itself. There was an elementary school art teacher in Miles City, MT - Alice Walden - though that was probably the most influential person to my artistic beginning. But a current handful of people who consistently produce works that make me go, "Aw, damn, that's cool!", would be Jenna Barton (Dappermouth on social media), AJ Fosik, and Jorden Haley.
What are your current goals?
I'm always interested in trying new things artistically. My goals right now are to explore some crafts that I never have before, or expand more into ones only tried a couple of times.
What’s one of the best pieces of advice you’ve received about making art?
The best pieces of advice I’ve received about making art are to be authentic, and have fun. Make art for yourself. Make art that you enjoy. You can't please everyone - do your own thing and have fun.
What’s your favorite album/musical artist currently?
Puscifer and Nine Inch Nails are always my first choice when picking music. Puscifer came out with an album last year called Existential Reckoning that's full of moody tunes perfect to listen to while making art. The ambient sounds of NIN Ghosts I–IV are really nice as well.
What does your work space or studio space look like?
I try to utilize as little room as possible in my home for creating art. My work space consists of our kitchen table on the far end of which, at any given time, are anywhere from 1 to 3 different projects (often stacked atop each other) in various stages of completion. There's also my beloved, adjustable sketchbox easel that stands folded next to the table when not in use, and a compact screen printing rig recently gifted to me by a kind pair of local street artists.
