Two artists with unique styles that harmonize because we share an obsessive yet relaxed way of depicting daily life here in Los Angeles…with attention to detail, love of color, and sense of narrative humor.
We met as students at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston and have been working together ever since.
Kathryn’s art and illustrations have been published in magazines, newspapers and literary journals and shown in galleries in NYC, L.A, and London, and she was a visiting artist at Wonderground Gallery in Downtown Disney. She has created custom illustrations for a range of private and corporate clients (such as a handmade book for iconic furniture company Steelcase) and was featured in the book “For Love and Money: New Illustration” published by Laurence King. Kathryn’s prints made with a toy printing press were shown at a pop-up art & book shop that took over a former Border’s in Pittsburgh; and in Sweet’s Workshop’s annual “My Goodness, My Gocco” exhibition in Sydney, Australia. Her hand-pulled silkscreen prints have been featured online at Apartment Therapy, SFGate, Poetic and Chic, Fresh American, the Etsy blog, and many others.
Rich’s short films have shown at festivals and galleries throughout the US, Australia and the UK. In addition to making his own films, he writes, produces, and edits projects for others. He has also done film restoration for major studio movies, network TV series, and museum archives. Rich studied at MassArt under experimental video and filmmakers Mark Lapore, Tony Oursler and Saul Levine. Rich is represented by the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art where his work was selected by Huffington Post art critic Peter Frank for the gallery show “Looking Forward: Ten Artists to Watch”.
Enjoy my conversation with Kathryn and Richard!Show Notes & Links
Transcript Follows
Richard 0:00
very flattered and excited that you invited us, we should throw the caveat out there that we have day jobs also. So we are not 100% We’re not self supporting artists. So we’re actually always really interested in hearing and connecting with other people that manage to juggle both, especially someone like yourself, you’re working in the tech fields. And you’re at, aka my Leo is so yeah, it’s always interesting to see how people balance those different sides of their personalities.
Madhav SBSS 0:32
Right, right. So if I may, I will start the recording, but just want to make sure I introduce you correctly. So how do I say your name? Catherine, the Lego? Catherine de Lego? Yes, that’s right. And Richard components?
Unknown Speaker 0:47
Yes, that’s right.
Madhav SBSS 0:49
Perfect. Perfect.
Richard 0:50
And do you mind? My dad, I don’t want to mispronounce your name. Perfect. Wonderful. To meet you.
Madhav SBSS 1:00
Nice to meet you, too. I was actually with the family. We were in LA for spring break just last few days. But you know, back in Austin now and doing this and I’m thrilled to be doing this with you guys. So let me start the recording. And we’ll jump into the interview right away. All right, want to be one second? Started? Okay, perfect.
I’m thrilled to be speaking with Catherine de Lego, and Richard kimonos. They live in Los Angeles, California. And they have been artists they met at Mass College of Art and Design and ever since they’ve been creating beautiful pieces of art together. And here we are to learn about their journey in a little bit more detail. Catherine, and rich, are you prepared to create magic? We are awesome. I’ve given the creative nation a glimpse into your artistic life. Could you please take a moment and tell us your side of the story about your artistic journey? Well,
Richard 2:21
as you mentioned, we’ve been working together for a long time. So that journey is kind of a shared one for us both we met as art students, and have been collaborating for a long time. So I think that it’s interesting to have a journey together. And it’s sort of the artistic output of two people combined as one.
Madhav SBSS 2:45
Wow. And this is so unique. I haven’t done an interview with two artists together, creating, collaborating. This is this is fantastic.
Richard 2:55
And it’s great to talk to someone who’s also formerly of Boston, you have that in common.
Madhav SBSS 3:01
Right? That’s right. I lived in Boston for a little over 15 years, and moved to Austin, Texas last year. So it was a interesting move.
Richard 3:15
At MIT, that’s a beautiful part of town.
Madhav SBSS 3:17
Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I loved being part of this amazing school system, MIT and I took courses in Harvard Business School, as well. And it’s just a beautiful, very, very strong educational culture in Boston. And I’m sure you appreciate that as well. When you studied there. There’s some way about it. It’s all academic, everywhere you look around their universities and out of culture.
Richard 3:43
Yeah, it’s a great place to be a student. It’s kind of an industry town in a lot of ways. So kind of parallels are moved to Los Angeles, where it’s also an industry town, but a different industry. There’s a lot of culture shock for us. When we moved here, as I’m sure there was for you going from Boston to Austin, and that all had to get folded into our artistic work. It took some time. But as we settled in to our new surroundings, it began to really change for the better, I think.
Madhav SBSS 4:18
Excellent. A, I’d like to start off just with a favorite quote or inspirational quote of yours that sort of makes you tick. I mean, is there anything that you’d like to share that really gels with your way of thinking that you’d like to share inspirational quotes from someone or anybody?
Richard 4:40
I didn’t get prepared for that one. I have I don’t know there’s, um, I like. There is a quote that I often think of, from a semantics book that I read when I was in high school about how science allows humans to cooperate. But it art is what expands our sympathies so that we become willing to cooperate. I did that correctly, I mangled it, but it’s the gist of it. And so that’s something that’s always been really important to me, and I think it is for a lot of artists, is they’re naturally interested in so many different things. And I do like the idea of kind of being able to objectively look at our art and what we’re doing and why and kind of synthesize it almost scientifically, or objective. Maybe it’s the word
Madhav SBSS 5:42
Yeah, wow, that’s, I’ve never got again, come across something of this sort where you combine science with art and how you look at it. And so art helps you collaborate, and at least develop the empathy for collaboration. That’s such a beautiful way to look at it. How do you and there’s no better person than you both to ask this? I mean, how do you apply that kind of sense of collaboration and appreciation for collaboratively working on things in your day to day life?
Unknown Speaker 6:21
I, I think it’s something almost just as simple as just sharing. I don’t know, we’ve we’ve seen very similar but, you know, kind of different sensibilities, but we have same interests. So even though we may end up depicting things in, you know, different ways in our own ways, I think because we come from, you know, a background with similar interests, I think that we’re always finding ways to make those connections, and be able to, you know, that back and forth ideas. So it’s just a foundation of shared interests.
Madhav SBSS 6:59
shared interests. Yes. Is that something Sorry? Go ahead.
Richard 7:02
Oh, no, I would agree. A rich is a writer and a filmmaker. And so I think he is very good at looking at work objectively. And kind of, almost analytically, or very narratively, and that actually has really helped me a lot in my artistic development. So I think it’s not foreign at all, for us to just talk objectively about our work. And to go kind of back and forth between the subjective and the objective, you know, we can take a pretty analytical isn’t the right word, because it has a lot of connotations, but almost like, I’m gonna keep using the word objective, to look at our work and almost run it through. Like, a critical eye, it has also got a great background in art criticism. So is also we’re easily able to step outside of the process of making art and look at it kind of as outsiders and keep it on track,
Madhav SBSS 8:15
keep it on track. And that’s such a, it’s it’s such a hard thing to do as an artist, we kind of get associated and attached to the thing that we’re working on. And it’s almost like out of body experience, you have to get out. And having that partner who can do that is such a blessing. And one of the things I’d love to ask my guess is, you know, around in the journey, if there were any dark moments or low points that sort of potentially sabotage your journey. Could you share with our listeners anything that as you took the journey as students maybe before you met up or after you met up at mass, and as you took this journey as something that you really want to pursue, you know, as a career potentially in your life, whether any dark moments or low points that you hit and how you overcame those?
Richard 9:22
Yes, they’re not, they’re out. They’re unavoidable in life for everyone. I think part of what, at least for me, I don’t know if I’m speaking for you, Rich, but I’m for my artistic journey. Having the kind of core principles that I’m trying to do with my artwork, defining those for myself, has helped me in a lot of ways to have A
Madhav SBSS 10:02
central sort of a North Star, I mean that those principles are guiding you. Because it’s so hard to easily mean so hard to keep the focus or keep the principles as the foundation.
Unknown Speaker 10:14
And then and then I think the other thing that we’ve been able to do is because we both kind of work in kind of multidisciplinary ways, is when we do hit these dark spots, like, you know, for me as a filmmaker, not being able to find financing for a project, for instance, being able to move on and start concentrating more on print work. And with Catherine, you know, starting in illustration than moving into doing screen prints and getting back into, like larger pieces, I think that’s kind of the trick is to not is to kind of when an obstacle appears, is just to find a way around it by looking at what else is interesting to you. And what else is, you know, something that you’ve been looking to do. So for me, a setback in filmmaking, could potentially bring me back into the world of, you know, creating, print work. And for Katherine. I don’t know, I don’t want to speak to you,
Madhav SBSS 11:14
can you say, can you share anything specific, in that the example that you just gave, you know, you went from illustration to printmaking to back any specific, like a pivotal point, or something that really said, you know, you had self doubt, and said, This is really what I should be doing. And then you overcame that.
Richard 11:39
Sure, um, a lot of I would say the last probably the last five or so years have been some of the worst for rich and me personally, with a lot of personal setbacks, health issues, family loss, and part of what helps, I think, is to look at our artistic journey as inseparable, really is a subset of our journey as people. And so the response to stress into suffering, it’s almost the philosophy you have as a person. And so that is what then is expressed in the artwork. So they really are the same journey of a lot of times the the drive, at least for me to reflect a positive kind of observation of the world, in spite of, you know, that kind of idea of, it’s not what you look at, it’s what you see, that’s very, very, you know, very intentional on my part. And so it’s almost a form of rebellion, in a way or instance, on filtering the outside world through a particular lens,
Madhav SBSS 13:13
absolutely, I think I’m reminded of maybe Oscar Wilde or someone said it, we are all standing in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Richard 13:21
I think that they too, and I had had sometimes an interesting connection, because as you mentioned, when you’re in it, it’s, it’s very hard sometimes to have that out of body experience. But if you sort of hear the reaction that other people have to your work sometimes and you listen for what is surprising to them, or what is connecting with them, you will hear exactly those things that you probably miss yourself when you’re looking for it. And so I’ve often been surprised and happy to hear other people’s interest in the way that I see the world around me or the way that I speak about it. And, and so I’ve tended, I think to continue, that’s like positive reinforcement for that outlook on the world. And I see that it does connect with people or bring relief and happiness to them. So I tend to continue, you know, pursuing it. It’s helpful to me and then hopefully to others, as well. Yeah.
Madhav SBSS 14:34
Wow. I think on that note of looking at things from the positive lens, flipping side for a second. So from the low points that you shared and how you overcame some of those, any high point at a magic moment that you had, that you could share with us.
Anything that it doesn’t have to be the super mega something. It’s something that, you know, I mean, it’s something that was magical that said, aha, you know, that’s kind of really what I should be doing, even if it was as a child, how you took up art, as opposed to something else. Anything that you could share some something that might spark listeners to say, Yep, I think I’m in the same boat. And this is my magic moment.
Richard 15:25
Yeah, that’s a great question. I think. Interestingly, I had, for many years, not put my work online, as very slow too, for example, open an Etsy shop, or, you know, build a website, all that kind of thing. And it actually turned out to be extremely helpful and challenging and gratifying for me to do that, because it did open up. More of an ability to interact with other people. And I had not been for example, a printmaker in school, those printmaking electives are always full, and I have to take them actually never studied any printmaking or self identified in that way. But I’m taking one, like Saturday afternoon class at a local art store in screenprinting, all of a sudden, you know, a penny dropped, as they say, and it opened up like, Oh, this is really fun. And this is really scratching an itch. And it allowed it just opened up a lot of different avenues. For me, that was really
Madhav SBSS 16:42
wow, and just that one lesson that almost a serendipitous discovery. I mean, you probably never planned for all the stuff that was to come after that lesson. But you took that detour. And that led you into whole another journey or a different path that you’re on right now. Yeah, exactly. And it’s okay to sometimes wander a little bit. Not all those who wander are lost,
Richard 17:15
you have to sometimes let go of kind of your linear notion about the path that you’re on or what it’s, you know, there isn’t one linear right way that it has to be. So being open and recognizing the kind of happy side trips that you take, and just always absorbing everything each day and like synthesizing it into the next step.
Madhav SBSS 17:47
Excellent, rich, anything else that you have in your line of work that would like to share on how you might have taken a detour similar to Katherine in your filmmaking and literary path?
Unknown Speaker 18:05
Um, yeah, I, I mean, I worked on a feature a number of years ago, directed a feature. And it was a it was a, it was a challenging experience in in the end product wasn’t something that was necessarily reflective of my sensibilities, or the things that I like, I worked, I worked very hard at it. And I’m fairly proud of the property of how it turned out. But again, it wasn’t necessarily reflective of the things that I was necessarily all that interested in, I usually write and the things that I end up directing, so that was kind of a setback. And instead of sort of giving up, I kind of went back to my roots, and went and made a short comedy film that I wrote, and worked with a lot of the people that I found, you know, in making the feature, but just kind of reconfigured them to be a new crew on this, you know, more personal project. And it ended up really reinvigorating my sort of creative spirit. And then getting that out there and seeing the reaction to that it really made me feel like I guess more hopeful about, you know, my work and then from that I kind of, I don’t know, like sort of sparked a renaissance and starting to do some graphic work. Also some sort of, you know, some print work myself, seeing what Katherine was doing kind of got me excited about that. So yeah, so it was like, it was a great experience, but it wasn’t it wasn’t necessarily it wasn’t necessarily what I was sort of, you know, I imagined myself doing, but instead of it being something thing that was a setback or put me in the, you know, a place where, you know, I was kind of stagnating, I instead took it and like really embraced sort of what made me excited about filmmaking? And what made me excited about art in general. Yeah,
Madhav SBSS 20:18
wow, that’s a that’s such a common, I’m sure, you know, her hurdle that many of us face. Whether it be because, you know, you’re trying to do something, but you don’t necessarily. Like, for example, I was speaking with another artists that mainly does commissioned work and, but then they make sure that they spend some time during between these commissioned works to do what they love to do on what is inside them, the creative spirit that you’re talking about? I think that’s so important. How do you keep up that kind of discipline or consistency in producing things that you love to do? Not just what others want you to do? Are there other any tools? Or do Matt, do you have your schedule, say this is this this time of the day or this time of the week, I’m only going to be doing this, or what anything that you can share in terms of tangible tips, or tricks of the trade, that helps others also who are in the same boat to say, Yep, I know, I’m caught up, I have to do this work, because that pays my bills, or I have to do this work because of whatever. But I also have something within me that wants a commodity, not like a creative piece. And I would make sure that I do justice to that.
Richard 21:44
I think I don’t know how successful I am at this, but I’ll give it a try. And perhaps you deal with the same thing as well, being a creative person who also has, you know, a job and responsibilities. So I think, for me, what can sometimes be helpful is actually to be very organized. And that’s a way to take some of the because the time is, is limited and very precious. Of course, the more organized, I am actually the and the more efficient, then it takes in a lot of ways the pressure off, right,
Madhav SBSS 22:30
get get more organized around things that you have to do and things you want to do. And make sure that I think that’s that’s one of the things that I was going to ask in terms of the creative process is generally I don’t know if I should say this, but considered not very organized, you start doing things. And then you go with the flow sometimes, and you might end up in a place where your heart takes you somewhere else, you might not plan the whole thing out right upfront. But at the same time, you can’t let it all be completely go with the flow of what you’re saying. And I think that’s such a key key thing and focusing on one of the other things is also I think a lot of us sort of get in, sort of like stagnated. As Rich was saying earlier, you know, we have a low point or you wanted to do something but you started work and it just you didn’t have the finances or didn’t have something else and he wasn’t going anywhere. He sort of get stuck in some place. And you have to find ways to organize yourself and motivate yourself or inspire you also do whatever it takes to do what you love to do, I guess,
Richard 23:47
right? Yes, I think that is very true. And it kind of speaks to what I was trying to describe earlier almost, about crafting your life as a whole. And all of these different pursuits are pieces of it in service of that larger hole. So you’re sort of always looking, I think for a healthy equilibrium, you know, at the quote unquote neutral buoyancy, always so that you’re able maybe to shrug off the disappointment or the if you kind of can let go of the idea of what your art should be doing or your non art pursuits should or should not be doing. Then you can take this sort of more easygoing approach where all of it is in service of the whole and then that way you don’t feel like any one thing is the quote, wrong thing to be. It’s not Oh, is easy. I mean, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about it is sometimes completely impossible
Madhav SBSS 25:09
to do it is, it is. And it’s very easy to fall into the trap of, Oh, what is normal what I want to be doing, this is what I should be doing. That’s what I should be doing. But that’s such a nice way to look at this, you know, it’s it’s a hole and these are all pieces are in service of that larger purpose. Wow, that’s a that’s a really nice way to look at it. Catherine enrich, what was holding you back in, you know, starting out or taking this leap as artists?
Or was there nothing holding you back where you were always doing what you wanted to do from the get go?
Unknown Speaker 25:54
It was, I think that it was just always a drive that I mean, it’s been for myself, it was just something that I’ve always done. I’m, I’m my, my, I come from kind of a working class background. Right. You know, and, but I think I always found like, you know, escaping creative writing and, you know, drawing you just even as a kid in school. And so it’s always been there for me, so it just felt really natural to continue on with it. That’s not not to say that haven’t been setbacks, or of course, like growing up in that situation, you know, sometimes creative work can seem like an indulgence. Um, but yeah, it’s just, I think it’s always been there for me. Um, Katherine, can you speak to that? Sure.
Richard 26:43
I’m nodding along, I think it’s just for me a thing that you are, there really isn’t a way to beat it out of somebody or to discourage it. It’s the kind of thing that you just are going to do, no matter what, and there isn’t really a question. There’s not another. There’s no other possibility.
Madhav SBSS 27:08
Yeah. There’s this conviction that there is no other possibility. And this is, you know, how do you get to that kind of conviction of this is there’s no other possibility, this is what I am going to do. And
Richard 27:25
I think you’re just born that way. And I think, you know, some times it’s not always encouraged or it, we don’t always encourage it in ourselves. Maybe it doesn’t. It doesn’t seem to be a path to express it or a path to follow it. But I think the instinct to do it is just you’re just born with it. And
Madhav SBSS 27:48
True. True. Yeah.
Richard 27:50
It’s harder to not do it.
Madhav SBSS 27:55
Fighting, you’re fighting against your own spirit.
Richard 28:01
I think maybe it’s the trick is to not be discouraged. By and also to not feel that the universe owes you a living necessarily, because of it. It’s like I said, you’re just it’s the facet of yourself with a capital S overall. And it there isn’t always going to be an obvious correlation, or an obvious path or way to make a living. There we go. Right. Yeah. That’s just the thing that you do.
Madhav SBSS 28:40
That’s yeah, yeah. It’s just a manifestation of who you are through your art. And there’s not necessarily a financial gain or a career that you’re after. And that if you do it that way, there’s less pressure and there’s more joy.
Richard 28:57
I think in some ways, maybe that’s the the the essential answer to the question to asking, which is, I guess I had to stop or had to manage my own expectations, I guess, way to put it and some people might consider that as a as a negative. And I have I guess I have to disagree, because it has been healthier for me to sometimes let go of certain preconceived ideas or certain goals that I thought I had.
Madhav SBSS 29:33
Wow, wonderful. Just a few rapid fire questions, quick ones, in the next few minutes. So one of the questions is, do you have any favorite art tool that you use that you can recommend to our listeners, of course, it’s something that you use in your own daily art, whether it’s a pencil or it’s something else but a tool it could be Digital or it could be a physical tool.
Richard 30:04
I would say I think a lot of artists love to nerd out and talk shop over like their supplies and materials. I think that’s a common. So I would say like, my favorite lucky pen is us use a rotating art pen. It’s the kind that has a little liquid cartridge that you pop into a tube with a metal nib on it. And yet, ever since I was a teenager has been my favorite drawing pen,
Madhav SBSS 30:37
super. Any business tool, a tip that you can share based on your experience with Etsy another because it’s one of the challenges that I’ve seen with artists is they regretted creating but not necessarily knowledgeable about how to make a business or how to, you know, even do any of that side of the process.
Richard 31:02
I think that’s honestly, that’s where having the day job can sometimes be really handy, because it can force you to learn from every situation and it can force you to keep your eyes and your mind open to all those different skills. And so I think taking the idea of well, learning is free. And so that has really helped me where I can say like, alright, so I have to learn how to do this. Great. Yep, fine. I can do that. I’m gonna learn this now. Okay, yeah, I can do that, too.
Madhav SBSS 31:43
Yeah. Just the concept to be learning. I think that’s, and it can be through your day job. It can be something else, you take a piece of voluntary work or whichever. But they’re all come sort of like complimentary to the art. They help you be a better artist, I guess. Right? Awesome. Any book that you recommend that? You know, it could be a creative book or something else, even non creative, but that’s sort of set the stone tone for like your perspective of look at it as a whole. Hmm.
Richard 32:23
How we’re looking at our bookshelf right now, like frantically, we want to give just the right answer so that we sound smart and well read and that simple for an answer. Which What are you reading right now? Oh, no, no, I’ve thrown forgotten everything. Right. Oh, of course. Yeah. No, there’s no. Yeah, I guess I could go back to that. It’s funny. It’s not like a favorite book, or some really important book, but we talked about quotes at the beginning. And I think that was that book on language was a big influence on me as a young person. It’s not not super popular, I don’t think it’s taught, you know, widely anymore. But it’s something that meant a lot to me, as a young kid. And the name of the book is language in thought and action,
Madhav SBSS 33:29
Language and Thought and Action Awesome. Any particular artist that comes to mind when you think of creativity and art
that is contemporary or in the past.
Richard 33:57
I try to keep my eyes open always. And in every medium, and always to look for the threads in common that the kinds of work whether it’s contemporary art, or its commercial, you know, more ephemeral art, I’m always looking for what threads they have in common, and always trying to think when I love an image, what what is it? Is it like, hitting that we had talked earlier about the sort of creative manifesto or you know, if you’re in marketing, you might call it a brand filter, or you know, I try to kind of curate for myself things that I like and then look at them all together like what do they have in common? What is speaking even or even totally different disparate work.
Madhav SBSS 35:05
Wow. And in that, in that line, do you use any digital tools that you use to keep track of all the different collections of art such as Pinterest or something like that, or?
Richard 35:20
I little Yeah, I don’t, um I, sometimes what I will do is on Pinterest or on Etsy, I will sort of gather up images that I like to make a or to recreate a room. This will sound kind of goofy, but that kind of I’m making scare quotes right now. But like memory palaces, sometimes go and collect items that I remember from a particular room I’ve been in or you know, was in as a little kid, and sort of tried to recreate the vibe and items in that room by finding them again on the internet.
Madhav SBSS 36:15
Know, that’s such a beautiful line, it’s so unique way of looking at it, I think it’s so important. And that shows how you actually apply. Being able to Yeah, I mean, be goofy little.
Richard 36:29
It’s really fun, it’s very soothing. It the idea there is, again, to kind of be in touch with the things that were influential to you visually as a young and impressionable person. And then you’re kind of looking at that I think that kind of actually helps your creative manifesto in a way because you’re looking at it through the eyes of an adult, but you’re sort of like analyzing or, or seeing what was exciting to you as a little kid visually. So it’s kind of a fun thing to do. You know, anyone can try it which might be like, Oh, try to recreate this room
Unknown Speaker 37:15
in a way in a way you’re sort of recreating your like artistic DNA the things that first you as being interesting and trying to and in piecing that back together you’re creating that space you’re sort of recalling the things that are initially exciting that’s that’s that’s pretty interesting
Richard 37:32
but kind of fun exercise you could do it with dreams also or place it doesn’t have to be from the long ago past but someplace you went recently Can you sort of recreate this room in a way that another person who had been there might recognize to test your attention to detail
Unknown Speaker 37:51
I think yeah, forensic I
Madhav SBSS 37:59
suppose superb you’ve done a lot of work. Lots of you know, published in galleries and journals and magazines and even in Downtown Disney as I see it on your profile. Where are you going? Now? What is exciting you right now in this journey?
Richard 38:23
I’m yes, that the event that I did it Downtown Disney was definitely a highlight. That was really fun. I’m happy that you mentioned that that was I had forgotten and that was really great and exciting. It’s been pretty quiet lately. So I’ve been I think hibernating a bit. Maybe I need to stir that up a little bit. So I’m hoping maybe something is going to like bounce, you know, a ball is gonna bounce my way that I’m gonna have to catch to get out of my, like hibernation mode. Over to twitch.
Unknown Speaker 39:07
Um, I don’t know, I’ve been I’ve been sort of, I’ve been pretty open to a lot of different things lately. I’ve been doing like I said, a lot of sort of digital print work. Getting back into photography. Yep, just basically being open and flexible to you know, anywhere that inspiration, you know, takes me yeah, that that’s been sort of the key. For me. As far as working, and being an artist, a lot of what I do what a lot of what motivates me is, um, throughout the workweek is having something a project just in the back of my mind or an idea and it might be something just as simple as like, you know, a simple visual or, you know, something I’d like to pursue in terms of pushing myself with You know, I’ve been using a lot of, you know, After Effects and Photoshop and Illustrator, and just sort of pushing my, my skills, and you know, the Adobe Creative Suite to try to, you know, just just any project that makes that that’s interesting to me and then getting it out there into the world digitally. And just seeing how people respond to it. Um, that’s been pretty exciting. A couple years ago, I got representation through the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. And that really opened my eyes to a lot of the possibility in creating digital work. That wasn’t necessarily 100% what you consider strictly digital, I mean, a lot of it has a very, you know, cut paper sort of handmade field. Yes. And that, that, that again, coming off of the the major feature film project, that’s a, that’s been something that’s been like an ongoing interest for me. So I’m gonna continue in on that path, I guess, for a little while.
Madhav SBSS 41:07
Wonderful. Just one quick question on since you mentioned digital, I will ask you bought digital art or traditional art? Which one doing more? With a few.
Richard 41:22
I mean, horses for courses, it just sort of depends what you do. Yeah, it’s just what? You always use the medium that’s best for whatever the task is that?
Unknown Speaker 41:37
Yeah, yeah, I think the terms can be restrictive. And I think digital art suggests something disposable. And something that is like tied 100% to, you know, technology, but it’s just it’s a tool, just like anything else. And that’s kind of how I approach it. And I think that’s how we both use it in that way. But yeah, I don’t I don’t know.
Madhav SBSS 42:03
Fantastic. Actually, I think that’s a great way to look at it. It’s just a tool series. Yeah. Right. I mean, just as maybe the caveman drew on the cave walls. I mean, do you say cave versus canvas? It’s just right. Right, awesome. We’re down to the last question. And this one is a tricky one. If you have a superpower to create anything you want, what would you create? And why? Wow. No,
Unknown Speaker 42:43
you in a way, are you asking what would be a dream project? Right? Okay. I have one and it is ridiculous.
Madhav SBSS 42:54
Oh, go? Yes. I like more ridiculous the ball better?
Unknown Speaker 42:59
I don’t know. Like, no, no, yes. I don’t even know how to start on this. Yeah, I know. I’m Hugo Hugo, you don’t have anything. Um, I think my interest is in filmmaking, a lot of it had comes from sort of this idea of, I think installation artists work this way, too, is the idea of creating an experience and sort of doing something that, you know, people literally exist within. And film can be that way, in a way where, you know, you kind of once it’s done once it’s sound design, color corrected, edited, of course, and you set it in motion, it is an experience that, you know, depending on the person and what they bring to it, of course, is going to be this, you know, relatively the same for everyone, but they exist within that space for that time for the length of the film or, you know, installation. So in that way I would love to take in this is ridiculous. I would love to make a theme park ride. I think that would be the greatest thing in the world. If I had again, superpowers, and you know, I guess my superpower in that case would be infinite money. That’s what I would love to do. Yeah. I think that would be amazing. And to that end, I’ve read books on ride theory and everything. And yeah, just that would be that would be my dream project. It would be. Yeah, would be pretty daunting. But that part of it that even every every aspect of that would be fascinating to me. You know, dealing with engineers, and like coming up with the team construction, every single part of it would be amazing. And in a lot of ways, it’s very similar to filmmaking. So yeah, there you go. If anyone’s out there listening
Madhav SBSS 44:52
with virtual reality, we helpful in that.
Unknown Speaker 44:56
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, yeah. I like it. I’d like, although I you know, there are things that you just can’t get. Because I guess because the suit itself would be so ridiculous but I like the idea of it being in the atmosphere of the of the space to show as well as you know, sight and sound. So I don’t know. I mean, look into virtual reality. We’re gonna get
Madhav SBSS 45:22
Catherine anything that you would want to create if you had a superpower that you can create anything with. Wow, I it’s a blank canvas. It’s so
Richard 45:33
it’s so daunting. I have to have the restrictions. I like a blank and it’s like a nightmare. But, you know, being able to draw is a superpower
Madhav SBSS 45:50
There we go. There we go.
Unknown Speaker 45:53
I think that’ll be your face superpowers. Barbie. Barbie got them over here.
Richard 46:01
I’m so intrigued now, though, that wheels are turning as far as this kind of VR theme park right. Like now that’s all I can think of.
Madhav SBSS 46:10
Yeah, no, I think it’s, it’s something that it’s taking a lot of momentum. From many big companies and Facebook and Samsung and everyone I’m involved in some of it myself being in Akamai. Oh, right. We delivered all kinds of video traffic to the world, you know, anywhere in the world. And Facebook is one of our customers. And you know, when we talk to them about video, traffic and delivery, which is all old and done, now, people are talking about virtual reality and 360 degree experiences and all that. And it’s interesting. I mean, potentially because I think like you said, if I can immerse myself in the movie and be part of the movie, I think that’s fabulous, especially if it’s a movie that love to be
Unknown Speaker 46:59
Yeah, too scary or depressing.
Richard 47:02
When I go in Black Mirror,
Unknown Speaker 47:06
Chester by the see virtual reality
Madhav SBSS 47:08
one exists. Yep. That’ll be empty theaters. Super before we say goodbye, could you share with our listeners one parting piece of advice and how we can connect with you online.
Richard 47:29
My parting piece of sage advice, I guess would be sometimes as an artist and a creative person, this advice goes really to everyone. Conflict and stress and unhappiness can always come from the outside. So don’t go find it. Don’t borrow it. I guess the best advice is to be friendly with yourself and to work with yourself. Not against yourself. So you can find us on line at haunted house of projects.com. I know it’s a long URL, kind of a pain.
Unknown Speaker 48:18
But we’re committed to it. That’s
Richard 48:21
awesome. A joke and we can’t back down.
Madhav SBSS 48:27
And, of course we’ll post the links. You’re on Etsy. Probably on Instagram and Facebook as well as the house. We’re on
Unknown Speaker 48:37
Twitter at a chop tweet. H H O P tweet. And on Instagram as H H O P Graham. Yeah, and you can find us there we post a lot of nonsense.
Richard 48:57
Yeah. Other pictures of the cat.
Madhav SBSS 49:02
Very important, very important ingredient for being a good artist. I think a lot of nonsense and goofiness. Oh, thank you so much. It was such a pleasure Catherine and rich. appreciate it and thanks crater nation. We will see you on the magical side ticket to such a treat. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks a lot. I’m stopping the recording right now but I really appreciate you guys taking the time.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai