Studio Visit and Interview with Mark Whalen

words & photos by Trina Calderon

I was oh so lucky to visit with artist Mark Whalen and check out his studio recently.  We talked about his early days as an illustrator for Volcom, what happens when the British come to couch surf,  his love for snowboarding awesome tree runs during the winter, and I learned that the leaves on Eucalyptus trees glow when a storm is coming.  But none of that is in this interview.  Instead, read on to get an idea of what goes through Mark's head while he paints.  The native Australian is extremely cool and creates amazing paintings that will haunt you and tickle you simultaneously.  Here's an earful of our chat.

How did you become interested in art and why?  How did you learn how to paint?
 
I grew up in Sydney in the western suburbs, so it was a pretty long trek from the city.  I got interested in art when I got into Graffiti.  I used to hang out with a bunch of older guys and would watch them paint all sorts of shit, so I learned by observation.  I had always drawn, and painted, but seeing it applied in a different manner was inspiring.  It seemed like a natural transition to Fine Art and making paintings, and in these cases, I mostly taught myself.  I didn’t study painting formally, but I did study graphic design at an art school.  I also did freelance design for a few skate companies early on, so it’s been an accumulative learning curve.

Who and/or what are some of your artistic influences?

I'm influenced by a lot of different things that eventually seep into my work.  Architecture and geometrical patterning being the main structural platform.  Early on, I was inspired by Indigenous Folk Art, and the way they used narratives to describe their culture and era, but I eventually felt the need to modernize to reflect my own place and time.  And perhaps an alternate ‘futuristic’ reality.  I guess you could say my work is a narrative forecast of the current social climate, albeit a satirical one.  I find the times we’re living in completely absurd, but not void of humor, or humanity, as hard as it might be to find sometimes.  I'm a huge fan of M.C Escher -- the way he studied Mathematics, symmetry, and Science and how he applied it in his work is completely amazing.  Another inspirational painter for me is Bosch, his dark narrative and other unconventional worldly renderings for the time are unbelievable.  More current painters are Barry McGee and Os Gemeos.  How they made the transition from their street work into making more contained drawings, paintings and installations is really significant.

Tell me about your paintings.

I paint what I see around me, so most of my work consists of dark, humorous stories about humans and their relationships with others and their environment.  Themes of oppression & submission also make their way into the work.  Go figure.

What are your images about for you?

People who know me say they see some of me in the work, meaning some of my personal experiences — metaphorically speaking, of course.

Recurring imagery in your paintings are hooded/masked characters & water & maplike grids. can you explain why you consistently include them and what part they play in the narratives?

In the same way I’m creating parallel realities, I’m creating parallel social structures.  At one point they were more internal, and now they are more universal.

What kind of materials & mediums do you use for your artwork?

I use acrylics, gouache, rapidograph pens, spray paint, India ink, and resin.

I think you have real control in your imagery through your use of color.  How did you come about having an almost black and white color scheme, that is enhanced by pinks and blues?

I’m not sure about control in my imagery through color, but I like playing with opposing and unlikely colors to offset the imagery.  I also have a vision of how these colors and images will work with the resin, so that’s where the enhancement, if any, comes in.

What kind of influence do you think Los Angeles has had on you and your artwork as opposed to when you were creating in Australia? 

In terms of living in another country, and Los Angeles specifically, I think there is something really important happening in the art world here, and a lot of talented people finding inspiration and support.  I think it helps for artists to be around other artists regardless of where you are.  LA has a really dynamic energy, but I also still show in Australia, so have strong roots and friendships there.

You have a neat collaborative relationship with Autolux.  Can you explain what kind of connection their music has to your artwork?  How does music in general effect you as a painter? Do you ever feel like you see it come through in any way in your actual paintings?

Carla Azar, the drummer in Autolux, is a close friend, and I really trust her aesthetics both musically and visually (as well as Greg and Eugene’s — the other members of the band).  I just did the artwork in collaboration with them on their new album ‘Transit, Transit’ and they are doing a sound installation for a 10ft x 10ft square tile cube that is being built for my show at Merry Karnowsky Gallery, opening October 9th.  I think there is an atmospheric tone to Autolux’s music that works well with my paintings.  It resides in a futuristic ‘gray’ area which I really like.  In general, I think music influences visual artists, and likewise visual art for most musicians. There is a visceral kinship, so collaboration, with the right people, seems natural.

You are showing a year later at MK Gallery, what do you think is most different about your artwork now?

I think that technically I’m becoming more proficient with the brush, and hopefully the ideas are evolving at a similar pace.  With the world as it is, there’s lots of material to draw upon.

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