The artist, Esao Andrews, hard at work

Esao Andrews has been called a Gothic grotesque painter, dark eroticpainter, pop surrealist and so much more.  As much as people love topigeon-hole artists and stick them in a nicely labeled box, Andrewssomehow continues to defy categorization as his work moves from lightto dark, playful to serious, sexy to sick...sometimes all within onebody of paintings.  He has also shown his love of variety through histoy designs, incredible illustrations for music bands, comic book workand so much work.  It is this dedication to difference that sets hiswork apart from many of the New Contemporary painters who choose tocreate the same character and/or scenarios in each painting.  Andrewshas also proven himself a survivor who is seriously dedicated to hiscraft having slowly and steadily established himself over the last 10years as one of the most consistent and unique painters working today. On the brink of his upcoming solo exhibition at Thinkspace Gallery, Andrews took a break from his hectic schedule to answer a few questions about yesterday, today and tomorrow...

AMF:Since I opened with a statement of how people like to label your work Ifigure I should give the artist a chance to talk about this.  What kindof paintings are you trying to make and why?

ESAO: When I startedpainting, a lot of it was weird for weird's sake and silly as a crutchfrom criticism.  The past few years have gotten moody and still in thehopes that the viewer can look and make up their own story of what isgoing on. 

workspace

AMF:I am sure you have a lot of inspiration for your work.  Whether it be along lost friend or a famous artist you admire, who or what are yourmuses, informers and unwilling collaborators in the paintings youcreate? 

ESAO: Yes I do have a lot ofsources of inspiration and the means have changed often.  I rarely haveromantic muses anymore, but that was a major driving force throughoutgrowing up. When I'm working on something, I think if my friend Tom Herpich would be impressed. He's a tough one to impress and I admire his drawing and storytelling ability. 

 detail of painting from upcoming solo show  

AMF: You are involved in an artist collective called Meathaus that was formed while you were in school at SVA (School of Visual Arts),which continues to produce artwork and publications to this day.  Whateffect did this collective have on the artist you have become today?

ESAO:Being friends with that crowd was incredibly huge on molding my currentoutput. To be surrounded by such talent, I think I tried to make workthat they'd like as a way to fit in.  I never really thought of myselfas a painter and I'm definitely not a comic person, but that careerpath had doors open and people responded to my paintings. I kept at itand am fortunate to still be doing it.

AMF: Speaking ofthings effecting you, you are originally from Arizona but have spentwell over a decade living in Brooklyn, NY.  How important has your pastlife in Arizona and your current life in Brooklyn been to your growthand development as an artist?  Feel free to talk about your family backhome and the friends you have made since arriving in the Big Apple.

ESAO:I've moved around a couple times in Manhattan and Jersey City, but havebeen in Williamsburg Brooklyn, in the same little apartment for 10 ofthose years.  My entire career has been made in that apartment.  I'mwriting to you from my new apartment in Greenpoint which I moved into 2days ago.  Its only about 30 minutes from my old place, but itsdifferent enough and am curious how its going to change my work.  WhenI was in Arizona, I was just a high school kid, and my motivation andinterest in everything art related continued until my 3rd year at SVAwhen illustration, cartooning became dominant.  Art making was onlyabout pushing my creative limits and impressing friends or girls.  Nowits only sometimes I feel that way since it also doubles as a job.Can't complain about that though, only irritated that I haven'taccomplished more experimental work.  My parents have never seen mypaintings.

 detail of painting from upcoming solo show

AMF: Getting back to the work itself...I mentioned in my openingstatement that you do not paint the same characters and/or situationover and over in your paintings.  You seem to like to create a uniqueset of imagery for every painting you create, like each painting isit's own visual short story or novel.  Why is this so important to youand do you see this trend continuing in your future work?

ESAO:The story telling aspect has been the main focus and approach to all ofmy image making.  I still like the idea that the viewer is important infilling in the gaps.  I want to take that idea and put it towardssculptures and other nonpainted work.  But also I realized recentlythat its ok to start doing variations of the same idea. The reality isthat people like certain images and its not really fair if I only makeone painting of the Hangover (for example), when many people enjoy thatone.

"Hangover"

AMF:Even though I don't think it's in any way fair to label you as a Gothicor dark painter, there does seem to be times when gloom and doom (alongwith humor of course) seem to play a strong role in your works.  Whatis it about this type of subject matter that excites you and causes youto continuing exploring it after all these years?

ESAO:Along with humor, I think that Gothic and Victorian fashion can also bea crutch, its easy to have a sense of eeriness or tragic romance andlonging. With the gloom and doom vibe in general, I'm not really surewhy I keep coming back to it.  

detail of painting from upcoming solo show

AMF:You seem to enjoy taking creatures we might recognize and changing themjust enough so we are not sure what animal we are looking at.  You dothis twisting or morphing of people sometimes as well.  I have alwaysbeen curious what this imagery, that seems to falls just outside of ourreality, symbolizes for you?

ESAO: Sometimes I use reference whenI'm working, but most of the time its out of my head.  I don't likehaving my paintings look as if they were referenced from a photo, itgets in the way of the open-ended narrative.  Its good to have ananimal be nonspecific.  For instance, I love my dog more than anything,but I don't have Boston Terriers in any of my work, because it'd be apainting of a Boston Terrier and not a "dog".  They are very specificlooking.  Movies like From Beyond and the Basket Case series were hitswhen I was a kid and I watched Alien Nation all the time. If you watchany of them, you'll see the influence.

photo of Soybean, Esao's Boston Terrier, by Tom Prior

AMF:I always ask this.  Have you created a painting yet that you feel isone of the most important paintings you will ever make...or means moreto you than the rest?  Or is your current work always the mostimportant thing?

ESAO: I definitely get excited whileworking on certain pieces and there's a couple that I miss,particularly the Bluegrass painting from 2003, but I feel like I'mgetting better as I keep working and for the most part embarrassedabout my older work.

"Bluegrass"

AMF: With a steady line up of group shows, a successful 2 person show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery last year, a very anticipated west coast solo show at Thinkspaceabout to hit in less than a week and your first solo at Jonathan LeVineGallery slated for next year, things are looking pretty good.  Whatelse do you have up your sleeve, be it paintings, comics or anythingelse you would like to divulge about your future plans?

ESAO:I've been thinking of bringing some humor back.  I also have a ton ofprojects rusting under my sleeve and none of them are paintings.  I'mhoping that this coming year I'll have the means to make and show atleast some of those off.  Looking at my current work, it seem like allold work now. Time to collect them in a book.

detail of painting from upcoming solo show