Interview for @Artgage

From the Street to Your Wall: Quick and Dirty with Kevin “Pogo” Curtis

Sometimes my interviews are long, sometimes not so much. In the interest of time, and since his show is already hanging (at the Comet bar in Northside thru November 9), this one shall be, rather appropriately, quick and dirty.

Meet Kevin “Pogo” Curtis, who takes his inspiration from the street (not to mention, his materials) and applies them to his work. Watch for his paintings locally, and see if they don’t grow on you. –Lisa

Q. First off, I have to ask where the name “Pogo” comes from.

A. I’ve actually been called that since before I was born. My parents, my mother pregnant with me, were visiting relatives in Louisville, and after dinner got into a

discussion which soon turned into an argument over what to name “it.” My grandfather, stood up and said something to the effect of “oh what the hell, let’s just call it ‘Pogo’!” after the
comic strip “‘possum.” Apparently, this stuck with my older sister, and some weeks later, on a trip to Mammoth Cave, during a long climb up some stairs, asked my mom “How’s ‘Pogo’ doing?” and it somehow just stuck.

Q. When did you start making art?

No. 1 (acrylic, spray paint & ink on found board, 30x24), by Kevin "Pogo" Curtis

A. As soon as I could hold a crayon in my sticky, little-kid hand.

Q. What makes you decide to paint something?

A. I went to school in Dayton for photography and I was always so bored with what everyone else was shooting, that’s when I really got into “urban exploration”, I was determined to get those shots that no one else was going to get, and from there I got into “street art.”

When the digital revolution came along, I quickly got burnt out on photography…seems everyone is a freakin’ “photographer” these days. No disrespect to digital artists, but my definition of “fine art” is something that is one-of-a-kind and hand made. Not having regular access to a darkroom anymore, I started painting again in 2008.

Now to actually answer the question – I still drive around and explore a lot, and take “mental snapshots” of what I see – the places I depict are never supposed to be specific, but are definitely inspired by real places, mainly in and around Cincinnati. I’m especially drawn to the hills and the communication towers, retaining walls and city steps. I like the dirty parts of town and try to extract the beauty that’s hidden there.

Q.What materials do you rely on?

Shark (spray paint & ink on found board 171/4x44), by Kevin "Pogo" Curtis

A. My favorite time to go art supply shopping is on trash night. I can usually find broken furniture, cabinet doors, interior doors, shelf boards, table tops, etc. I also get a lot of stuff from Building Value, The Habitat for Humanity Re-Store and sometimes even the broken stuff section at IKEA.

I use mostly acrylics and spray paint, but also handed-down house paint, markers and one of my favorite items – the white-out pen. I’ve also been experimenting lately with making my own inks. Oh, and Mod Podge – I use a ton of it. Unless you see some of my stuff in person, you don’t realize that the foreground images are often done on paper, then cut out with an X-acto knife and then Mod-Podged onto the backgrounds.

No. 3 (acrylic, oil, spray paint, ink, whiteout pen and paper cutout on found board, 35x26) by Kevin "Pogo" Curtis

Q. Any artists or resources that you find inspiring and why?

A. Historically, I’ve always liked all that stuffy “classical” art. Which is why I like the surrealists, especially Dali, Magritte and Man Ray. I never really cared much for the other so-called “modern art.” I think most of it is bullshit. I am and always have been a big fan of “street art” going back to the New York subway car graffiti writers, and the people from the roots of
that movement, like Fab Five Freddie, Jean-Michele Basquiat, Lee & others.

Currently I really dig Sabre and David Choe, and really I’m kind of excited about how big the “Street Art” thing has gotten. It’s nice to see more people taking chances and bucking the system.

Q. Name some of your favorite projects you’ve done.

A. I hate everything I make. Just kidding, sort of. I always think I can do better, sometimes I fuck up a perfectly good piece by trying to out-do myself. I figure I fi don’t keep pushing myself, why bother? Other than that, I really like being a part of group shows.

One of the most awesome and fun things I’ve done was the “BARtists” live art event last spring at Mainstay, I was pretty bummed I couldn’t do the latest one they had, but I’m really looking forward to doing the next one and more things like that. I have some crazy techniques, and make a hell of a mess when I make art, so I figure I might be at least somewhat entertaining to watch.

Q. Do you have any upcoming shows?

A. Whew…yeah, I am just finishing a piece for Fabricate’s two-year anniversary group show, and I already have several shows either booked or awaiting confirmation for 2012 at Melt, Park + Vine, MOTR Pub and Sidewinder Coffee.

Q. Anything you’re hoping to try/experiment with in your art?

A. I’ve been experimenting with making my own ink, and I’m always messing around with new techniques. I like to mix stuff together that isn’t supposed to mix together, lots of oil vs. water stuff, my art is usually some percentage of mad science…mwuahahah. Also, I’ve been thinking about going three-dimensional. I’m hoping to find a larger studio space in the near future so I can start doing some larger works.

[Thanks to Kevin, and to you, for reading!--Lisa]

over the fence

Most people tend to stick to the beaten path, take the quickest route from point A to point B, and strictly obey the signs warning them against entering forbidden zones. Of course, there are a few people out there who have almost a compulsion to find out what lies on the other side of that fence, under that railroad trestle or inside that abandoned factory.

Perhaps it is that same spirit that has always driven the human race to explore and quest to find out "what's over there?"

Since the earth has pretty well been mapped and trampled upon by humankind over generations, and space travel is possible only for a privileged few, we turn to the re-discovery of places and things time and it's keepers have forgotten.

Artist's Statement for Exhibition @ MOTR Pub, Cincinnati Ohio Feb 25 - Mar 22 2011

I’ve been doing this since I was old enough to hold a brush. My Grandpa used to come get me out of church and take me for walks on the railroad tracks that ran behind the the factories and scrap yards of the steel town where I grew up. Sometimes we’d walk down by the old canal locks or go throw rocks in the water down by the dam. Other times he would take me on his “rounds” – he played the horses and some numbers games at several lodges and dive bars around town.

I moved to Cincinnati, a city which i had always loved, in early 2007. She is my muse, especially the dirty parts. I travel the back streets of town to reach my destination, and she never fails to inspire me. And while some of these pieces are indeed inspired by specific locations, they are not necessarily any location in particular.

don't be square

so, the wood itself wasn't inherently bad, it was the dimensions. i have come to realize that my best work happens on pieces with long x narrow dimensions. it doesn't matter if it's vertical or horizontal, but i like the constrains of it which force me to either compress or expand the "camera" angle, if you will.

and as i look around this pile of works that are all over my house, i see that all of the ones i like the least are on dimensions that are closer to square.

the painting in this post was done on the same board shown in the previous post - i just cut it in half and i was free!

bad wood?

i am beginning to believe that some pieces of wood have some negative energy stored in them and no matter how hard i try, i just can't coax anything out of them.

while some pieces have something beautiful inside that i just have to find and bring to the surface, some are just dead inside, or resistant and refuse to let themselves shine.

this piece pictured here, which i just whitewashed again, has been particularly difficult. perhaps it's the dimensions - i generally prefer longer, narrower substrates. maybe i will cut it in half and see if that helps. if not, i guess it's gonna go back in the trash where i found it...

2011

this year is going to be good. i can feel it. 2 art shows booked already, possibly a third and perhaps several pieces in group shows. caught up in the pull between making money doing what you love to do, but not really caring about the money. it's a vicious cycle, the money. and i don't really care for the "money" end of the art world either - the openings, the closings, the schmoozing with the "art" crowd. i fucking hate it all, really. i'm more happy with the fact that someone would want to take something i made with my own hands and hang it in their space.

2011 will be the year of making happiness and infecting (or affecting) the world with it. understanding more of how things are made and how they work and how to fix them. (gearing up to survive 2012?) heal old wounds and work not to inflict new ones. try to do something every day to make the world a little bit better - spread the happiness and love
far out and groovy, right? whatever - it's a sane way to live.

no photo

if they ever invent some system that uses your actual eyes for a camera and somehow stores images on an SD card implant in your brain or something like that, i'll be the first to volunteer...the things you miss, no matter how fast on the draw you are with your camera, there are 100 things a day that pass by un-shot.


<--- this was my attempt at photographing the squirrel in the windowsill of my studio...