MIKE VOSS
Voss! You had a piece accepted into an open show we put up about a year ago and we haven't been able to shake you so we decided to just make you part of The Program instead. How did you find us and how was that show and weekend for you?
I found Shockboxx on the Call for entry or CAFE (callforentry.org). Right out of the gate the whole Shockboxx vibe seemed vibrant, quirky but deadly serious about art. I have used CAFE for local Chicago shows for years. We love to travel and had hoped to find galleries in warm places, anything to get out of Chicago in winter. As Artists, I know we are supposed to be outwardly confident, But deep down I am not. I remember going through Shockboxx website, searching past opening night images for west coast dress code hints. We flew in to LAX, drove less than thirty minutes to our AirBNB overlooking the south bay coast, it was all magic. When we got to the show, the BOXX was hopping, happening, welcoming, el fuego. I met a least ten new buds that evening with whom I continue to interact to this day. Many are in "The Program", others hoping, praying, As I, to be asked. Not knowing the protocol, Julie and I snuck out early to mute our stress with steak and martinis. It was a glorious snooze obliterated by a Mike Collins call to tell me "The Sweep" had won first place. Intergalactic Champion. I broke down as the call ended.
Are you currently working as a full-time artist?
I am working on art twenty-four-seven. I awaken at three am with images for the next piece, the next iteration, variant of current process. Throughout the day the beige beckons, I keep my distraction hidden. Beige me has been with same beige company for eighteen beige years. Life goal: Render twenty foot self portrait of an artist, all in beige. Safety nets are overrated. What is the hidden cost of a dream compromised? You can name the tradeoff. Family Healthcare versus Happiness. Man versus Shadow.
You have a home studio that sounds pretty unique. How much have you spread out and does the home studio influence the way that you work?
"Three Bridges", our ravine mansion compound is tucked away in the hardworking mid-low income community of Waukegan, Illinois on Lake Michigan. We are artists living in a 4000 square foot empty nest piece of art. The wood surrounded safety radiates midcentury beauty. We are immersed, sans distractions, compartmentalized within our multiple disciplines: Etching Print studio; Music studio; Writing studio; clean room; and Painting studio. Felled via branch, the greenhouse is no more, but upon its foundation a future smeltery or gallery is contemplated. Three Bridges - the studio is right down the hallway - get out of bed - get to work.
You are working in several different mediums. What are you most inspired by right now?
There is a constant ebb and flow to what interests me. Currently, I am enamored with a child’s play technique I had rediscovered during a long beige stretch of zoom meetings. With this technique I have achieved the highest of contrast and texture of my career without compromise. I adore the high contrast of printmaking, the beauty of realism, the suggestibility of abstract. But as I enter the cave maw of artist block, a previous month of productivity has taken its' toll. An irresistible need for transition rears its bedazzled head. Mercifully, when in flow, all time tracking ceases. Basic blocks and tackles require immediate execution. Clarity is revealed only within small acts of path clearing to dislodge inertia. Each task of completion begets three more behemoths which queue up for categorization, planning, acquisition, execution. Without exhaustion, I sit, still, amazed and contented.
How has working with some of The Program artists affected your work this past year?
From his very first email Mike Collins has been so open and helpful on the business of being an artist, the mindset and perspective of the gallery Owner, as well as the secrets of the pharaoh’s tomb. Preston Smith is encyclopedic with nuts and bolts help and encouragement on what priorities one should place on this that and the other, his podcast is a cornucopia of advice on topics from safe shipping of art to website building. My most impactful interactions have come from artist critique group led by Kymm Swank. The group gives open expert frank opinions on the each artist’s monthly submission and serves as foundational building block for this artist community. I am somewhat of an amateur art historian, reading of the Movements of the past, which have started from groups like this. I have longed for an art community that would accept me and engage in the critical give and take of ideas. In the "Aftertimes", when covid is over, I will miss the comradery displayed during the Shockboxx Zoom Virtual show openings. Shockboxx is doing it right. - MEV
