Travis Lampe Interview

Chicago based artist, Travis Lampe, is a gifted storyteller who captures the nightmares inspired by children’s storybooks and bedtime stories. Travis has been featured in exhibitions in Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles and Art Basel Miami. The following is an interview that introduces you to the imaginative world of Travis Lampe. Enjoy.

mm : Your work captures the nightmares imagined from children’s storybooks : Did you read storybooks as a child? And is there a story or group of books that inspired you to pursue this further in your latest collection of work, “Best Loved Tales of Misery and Woe, Etc.?”

TL : I read a lot as a kid, but this show isn’t inspired by any particular story from the past. It’s about how the malaise of the present can get so intense that it actually ruins previously happy childhood memories. A feeling probably triggered by the current grim atmosphere. Then I take that and try to put a light spin on it .…Exaggerated sadness is funny to me for some reason.

mm : Do you have a favorite piece from this current exhibition or do all of the pieces complete one story being told? Please explain :

TL : I most enjoyed making the sculptural pieces like “1:6 Scale Magnus,” “Anders” (the rat head) and “Prize.” Because I’m crafty. I also really enjoyed painting “Rat Herder,” “Rainbow Drooper” and “Love Proof.”

The paintings in the show are but snippets of parts of a collection of ne’er-been-told tales. So if you pieced them together you still wouldn’t have the whole story. What links the snippets is that they’ve all been spoilt by the backwards creeping stain of woe…

mm : With Comic-Con just around the corner, are you planning on any special toy releases or signings?

TL : Unfortunately I won’t make it to Comicon this year. But if things work out I will have a prototype design of a sweet new platform toy on display. And yes it’s sad.

I’ve got plenty of other projects in the works, too, but due to delays as a result of the economy, I’m not sure that several of them will be done in time. Bleh.

mm : What is next for Travis Lampe and what subject matter would you like to feature in your works over the next few months?

TL : Next I’m taking a small break and travelling to Italy and Slovenia, both of which I highly recommend.

Soon after I get back I’ll be taking part in a group show at Merry Karnowsky Berlin, which I’m excited about.

As far as subject matter for upcoming stuff, it’s hard to say. I often start out with a plan and end up veering off in an entirely different direction. Right now the images in my head are of half buried creatures with lots of arms and legs, but I’m not sure where that will take me…I’ve been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately, so maybe that’s where the images are coming from.

mm : Where can people learn more about the imaginative world of Travis Lampe and do you have any other exhibitions or projects that you are working on?

TL : I have an interview in the next issue of Hi Fructose Magazine (vol 12) due out in July! In it, I reveal all. Questions such as "why all the sad stuff?" are answered in detail.

There's also my interview on Vimby.com: http://www.vimby.com/video/art/us/all/detail/10170

I suppose a person could most successfully stay on top of my comings and goings by signing up for my newsletter at this shortcut link: http://eepurl.com/bJF-

Otherwise, there are my websites, some of which have been recently updated: travislampe.com
fantasycryland.com (merchandising arm of my enterprise): teardrips.com

A link to the work in my current show at Roq La Rue

Kind thanks Travis for sharing your thoughts before you head to Europe. Travis will be featured at the www.planetillogica.com release party on Friday, July 24 on the wall and in fashion. Check it out.

Jason Límon Interview

The 3rd Annual National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) kicks off this Friday. Planet Illogica is one of the many great sponsors and as a result, collaborated with the talented Jason Límon from San Antonio. Jason will have 5 paintings on display, on on loan from Gallery 1988, as well as his artwork on banners, a CD, and T-shirts.


Jason has a critical eye for design and typography and frequently incorporates both into his paintings. Jason created a piece for Miami’s Art Basel last year for me. Initially, I recognized that Jason and his work is emerging, way finding and discovering new pathways for his electronics characters, journeying between graphic design and illustration en route to a world of fine art and who knows what.


Jason was kind enough to take a moment to answer a few questions during our month long collaboration to ready the promotional materials for NFFTY.


Mm : What inspired you to emerge yourself into the fine arts?

Límon : The main thing that drove me to finding my place in the fine art world was watching and admiring what other artists were doing. I used to spend my days sitting behind a computer working in the graphic design biz and almost every single day I'd scour through illustration annuals and art books we had lying about in shelves and piled on our desks. I was always amazed at the great new things many of these artists were creating. For the longest time it was a place where I always felt I belonged, but was frightened to jump into seeing as I have a family to support and all. Over time these feelings just became stronger and I grew really tired and felt restricted by the computer. I decided to dive in head first in 2007 and began painting full time and all good things just snowballed from there. It's been a tremendous honor and pleasure to be able to be in the exhibits I've been in. I do look forward to seeing what more this avenue has in store for me.


Mm : Your painting collection, “Electrickeries,” has a unified theme of electric plugs and outlets. How did this them come about and when did you start working on this body of work?


Límon : In 2005 I had started to create drawings and paintings on old electrical schematic (engineering) diagrams. Mostly pencil, watercolor and ink pieces over these papers. The diagrams themselves invoked the creation of electrical themed characters. Some were made up of resistors, transistors, wires, circuit boards, vacuum tubes and the likes. Later on I decided to try different surfaces and mediums and ended up with acrylics on canvas panels. Of all the characters, the good & evil plugs and all of the batteries made it out alive. To me these things are a symbol of life. They bring energy to lifeless objects and make our world a brighter place.


Mm : Where will your artwork be on display next? Do you have a solo show coming up that you wish to chat about?


Límon : My schedule seems to be growing by the week. Which is a good thing, keeps me busy! Right around the corner (May 1) I'll be part of a group show at Gallery1988:San Francisco that is based around children's books called "Beyond the Page". I'll be showing a "Cat in the Hat" piece. In late July I have a two-artist exhibit with Kelly Vivanco over at Subtext in San Diego. I'm also in Crazy 4 Cult 3D in July, that's always fun. In November I'm going to be in a group show with Brandt Peters, Jason D'Aquino and Jonathan Bergeron. I do have a solo show planned for next April at Rotofuji in Chicago, which will be my first. There are also a few large group shows sprinkled throughout, which I'm still sorting.


Mm : Do you have a favorite piece that you have created thus far?

Límon : Well, for a while now my favorite piece has been "Evolve". The painting is about my daughter, whom I still cannot believe is sixteen years old. I was thinking about all the times when she was really young and we would do everything together and how it took so little to make her smile. I'm not sure it's the same with all dads, but there came a moment in her time where she was much closer to her mom. Now that she was older they could relate more to life as being women and I just had to step aside for a bit. All I really wanted to do then was take her to the zoo or the park with me, but she was no longer intrigued by those things. She was changing and I wasn't ready. Everything is getting good again though. We are finding new things to enjoy together.


Mm : What is next for you in the painting world? Are you working on new themes or a new body of work?

Límon : Lots of exciting new stuff coming out. I just recently decided to split up all the electrical based work you mentioned above and my new explorative work. After taking a look back at all my work I started to see that all of the electrical themed work has reached a point where I am comfortable with how things look and are created. But as for the other side, the side that is still growing, wants to just totally break out and do things I've never tried before.


In a way, I felt held back and a bit confined by my own restrictions. Although things may look similar in both of these platforms, to me they feel totally different. I am extremely thrilled about exploring more in this new direction made up of mechanical and organic beings. Many of these new characters are bringing out my true self and feelings. You may notice that they shroud themselves behind masks and helmets and such. I've always been one that likes to hide behind the scenes and set myself into seclusion as the work itself finds its way out into the world.


Check out more of Jason’s electrically charged characters and projects down below. Kind thanks to Jason and all great fortunes. Nice work on all of the NFFTY pieces for Planet Illogica. More soon.

http://www.jasonlimon.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/limon-art/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Jason-Limon/28550378571


Shirt will be available at www.planetillogica.com in May 2009 and Five original pieces are available for acquisition by clicking here http://www.limon-art.com/artlist/nffty09.html

Planet Illogica Launch and Introduction

Mark Murphy is no longer a member or associated with PlanetIllogica.com as of 8_1_09 : Mark is furthering his pursuits of art, film and design and continues to offer lovers of art and culture innovative concepts :

Back in September of 2008, I was invited by the American Film Institute to conjure up a new social community website that could be utilized by actors and film making professionals. A daunting task, as there was 2 weeks to figure this out.


Postcards featuring the artwork of Joel Nakamura and Erik Sandberg

At the time, it was communicated, “…just create a couple of nice screens…celebrate that design style you do…” One tall order, I thought to myself, as many caring Hollywood types would be on hand to witness the presentation. Needless to say, I could not do it on my own and invited Ninthlink into the circle of insanity with less than 10 days to go to help me on the web conceptualization.


Two sided business cards featuring artwork and photos of Pi Artists in Residence. The design concept was to provide each member of the Pi team a card that matched their persona and Pi philosophy.

3 Days passed, and then 2 more, one more. 4 More days until the big presentation. The pressure mounted, and the fingers hit the keys to strategize. All day; all night for the next 4 days until the presentation.


One of the original boards designed for the AFI Digi Conference. 1 of 22 Images created to define the overall concept.

Needless to say 10 days, a few hundred hours and a 24 slide PowerPoint was presented in less than 10 minutes on a stage in a packed theatre. The result, Planet Illogica, an ambitious online creative community made up of artistic minds and Alliance Partners.

NFFTY Festival CD design featuring Jason Límon.

I thought this entry could inspire all of you to set up an email and password at www.planetillogica.com and browse the many features of the Illogical Planet that is unfolding by the day. Keep in mind this is only in it’s beta site, and all of the profiling/membership tools will be available in full, July 15, 2009. You can be the first or wait for all of the hype to hit the streets during Comic-Con in San Diego, Friday, July 24th, as Pi will be throwing the party event of the year.
Planet Illogica was a great logo project, and the above represents some of the development over the course of 8 days. Thank you to Matt who helped on the dimensionalization.



A new logo was designed for the Tonny Sorensen Foundation.

Mark Murphy
Mark Murphy is an avid promoter of the arts and has been an active patron to over 700 artists since 1991. Mark’s enthusiasm for “the creative” is infectious and inspirational, whether designing the next Murphy Design Art Book, speaking before an energetic audience or penciling otherworldly creatures into a readied sketchpad.


NFFTY Film Festival Promotional Ad design.