A&O Interview With Erik Otto

"Passing", House paint, spray paint and screen print on street sign, 24" x 30", 2009

A couple of weeks ago, I went by the Shooting Gallery to check out the opening for Erik Otto‘s new show, “Terrestrial Syndrome”. I was loving the series of sketches on old book covers, screenprints on found wood, and the sentimental flow of line, color, and pattern that Otto does best. For this Argot & Ochre interview, Otto discusses his fascination with found materials and shares some exciting projects he has on the horizon, including being selected for the coveted AIR program at The Dump. Check out the interview and more images from the show after the jump.

"Sketch 17", House paint, screen print and pencil on recycled book cover, 12" x 9", 2009

Argot & Ochre: What inspires your work?

Erik Otto: The continual struggle of connecting my awakened state to the desires found within. I do my best to remain connected to an infinite source, but it can be such a conflict in a world that is trying to change me every day. My artwork is a visual journal depicting this journey I am on that in a lot of ways relates to anyone who is trying to find peace in a chaotic world. Other than the deep stuff, I love nature, traveling, graffiti, graphic design, and texture. More often than not, I feel the best inspiration is found through action, so on the days where I am lacking inspiration, I just start working, and soon enough time fades away.

"Surface", House paint, spray paint and screen print on recycled wood, 14" x 12", 2009

"Undersurface", House paint, spray paint and screen print on recycled wood, 10"x 14", 2009

A&O: Whether you studied art or not, how did you become an artist?

EO: I received a BFA in Illustration/Animation from San Jose State University in 2005. Even before college, I knew my calling was to be a fine artist. I knew early on what I wanted to do and that the 9-5 world was not going to satisfy my creative drive. Nothing against having a job to pay bills, and I may change my mind later, but I plan to ride out what I have going for as long as I can while things are still moving forward. All in all, I have been creating and making things since I was young, so it was only natural that I would get into a creative profession, but making a living as an artist is a whole lot more than just making art — I have also done a ton of research on starting your own business.

"Sketch 15", House paint, screen print and pencil on recycled book cover, 13"x 9", 2009

A&O: Discuss your interest in using recycled materials.

EO: I have always enjoyed creating with whatever is available around me. The ability to improvise is exciting and there’s a larger sense of satisfaction when the work is completed knowing I made something from literaly nothing. Once things started to get more professional for me, I decided to work with found and recycled materials as a means to keep costs down and to be able to afford to create for a living. As time went on, the hunting and gathering became research into how we have become a blinded consumer nation and how much we waste every day. I then made it a goal to do everything I do with the materials that are all around us as much as possible to create a secondary statement in my work.

"Opacus", House paint, spray paint and screen print on recycled wood, 12"x 12", 2009

A&O: Discuss the progression of your work. It seems to have taken a more abstract turn. Do you agree? If not, how would you describe it?

EO: There’s nothing more challenging and interesting to me than finishing a piece in a way where it still feels fresh. During the process of creating my works, I often experiment and let the process suggest my approach. The worlds I create often dive in and out of abstraction with key elements rendered to anchor the piece. Since I began painting, I have been nailing down a visual language that best illustrates the story I am creating. Recently, I have begun isolating the different elements in my artwork that fascinate me most — getting more specific with each while at the same time letting the background move further into abstraction.

A&O: What upcoming projects do you have in the works?

EO: From October 2009 to January 2010, I have a artist residency at the San Francisco Dump where I will be given access to a large facilty full of tools and “digging” right to everything that gets trashed at the dump. For someone like me, this will be heaven for 4 months and I have heard the real struggle is deciding what materials to commit to since there is such great stuff thrown out every second of every day. At the end of my run there, I will have a show of what I created. Afterwards, I plan to release my third self-published book then it’s time for my girlfriend and I to take off and travel the world for a bit.

Learn more about Erik Otto and his work on his blog and about his clothing company, New Leaf.