Interview with the Man Behind Man Made Monsters

This Month we have the artist Stefvan from Man Made Monsters with us... here are some random questions and answers!

Schmancy (S): What is your inspiration for this show?
ManMadeMonsters (MMM): Repercussions of bad decision making, self loathing. For every women I fell in love with, may it be for 10 years or 10 seconds. Lack of sleep and great sex.

S: Name your favorite country and why - have you ever visited it?
MMM: 10 years ago I would have said Barcelona, Spain, just to skateboard.
But now I would say Tokyo, Japan. I feel like it would be visiting 10 years into the future. I have never been to either unfortunately.

S: What is your favorite creature/animal?
MMM:I don't have say a favorite, but here are couple
Killer whale with a comb over
Cactapuss
Pandas
Fruit bats
Koalas
Meman

S: What do you have coming up this year you'd like us to know about?
MMM: I have been added to a wonderful festival known as Urban Craft Uprising! July 10th and 11th at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. 305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98109 (206) 684-7200. Over 100 vendors!! Big time!!! Have another show coming up at NW Throw backs, June 14th. (1205 E Pike. St. Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 402-4855) Thats gonna be super fun! After all that, my first full blown themed show at Retro fit, Aug.12th (1419 12th Avenue, Seattle - (206) 568-4663). Theme is called Endangered Species, some real and made up!! Mostly made up. But what ever doesn't sell is going to get painted over after the month is up, so it's up to people to save these species. Around 5 species are gonna be there and about 10 to 20 of each species. All one of a kind!! Also spreading the word of some of the coolest artist I know on STOKKUR.NET. Other than that I will be lurking around waiting for my moment to have a run at world domination. Muahahahaha!!

S: Are you a dog or cat person?
MMM: As long as they are friendly and like to chill, they both cool with me. None of this acting like I don't exist unless I have food. That shit is not cool!!

Can't wait to see everyone at the show opening- This Friday May 14 from 6-9pm!!

April Artist -- Laura Berger Interview

For the month of April Schmancy is showing artist Laura Berger! She won’t be able to make the opening show, but we’ll still be around from 6-8pm this Friday April 9 at Schmancy! Here is a fun interview with the artist:

Schmancy (s): Your artwork is really creative and cheerful; does it reflect your personality?

Laura Berger (lb): I hope so! Well, I'm a person, so of course I'm not always cheerful. But I definitely try to maintain a high level of fun & creativity in my life, all around.

s: That’s great to hear! You live in Chicago, what is the best thing about the city?
lb: The best thing about Chicago for me is the amazing & diverse restaurant scene. I really really like going out to eat. I do it too much. I also love being 8 blocks away from lovely Lake Michigan, which is big enough for me to (sort of) pretend it's an ocean. The people here are also really down to earth & friendly for a big city. That was 3 best things, but oh well.

s: Well, we have the Puget Sound which we pretend is our ocean! Schmancy has been selling your prints for the past few months and everyone loves them! Do you plan to have new prints for this show?

lb: Thank you! Yes, I made 4 new digital prints of some new illustrations to go along with the paintings for the show...

s: Awesome! Can’t wait to see them, so, what is your favorite dessert? And why?

lb: My favorite dessert is cheese. I'm being totally serious. I usually don't crave sweets all that much, but I have met very few cheeses that I didn't like.

s: Mmmmm, cheese! Yum! Do you have any favorite spots/places to gain insight and/or inspiration for your artwork?

lb: I think my favorite spots for inspiration are my car and my bed. Did that sound weird? I get a lot of ideas when I'm driving. Driving clears my mind; I really enjoy a good road trip. Many of my ideas also come to me either right before I fall asleep or in my dreams. I also like leaving & get a lot of inspiration from traveling.

s: A bit weird, but I suppose it depends on the bed! I’ve contemplated living in the windy city, but what is the absolute best thing to do on a rainy/snowy Chicago day?

lb: This would probably involve beverages of some variety. Coffee shop sitting with a nice friend or a nice book or a nice window to stare out...or a good beer at the Hopleaf, my favorite Belgian pub...or (more than likely) sitting and painting or drawing all day with a cup of tea. I really like this crazy smoky tea called Lapsang Souchong. It tastes like campfires.

s: That sounds like a good time...and a bit like Seattle! Thanks for talking with Schmancy, and can’t wait for your solo show to open this Friday!!!

Interview with Tomonster!

The month of March should always be called "March Monsters" and to celebrate that new fact we have Tomonster aka Tomoko. Here's an interview with her on her upcoming solo show at Schmancy from March 13-April 8, 2010.

Schmancy: How long have you been painting?
Tomoko: I've been drawing all my life. I always love drawing and painting. I started painting seriously about 6 or 7 years ago. I was painting for fun and people like them! So I was like "WOW! Really? That's awesome!!"

Schmancy: That always seems like the best way to start! You create so many interesting characters, where do you get your inspirations for them?
Tomoko: Most of them are from all the cartoon I watched when I was little. I'm from Japan originally, so I watched lots of Japanese cartoons. Also they played lots of European cartoons also like Barba papa and Mooming Troll, etc... I just love creepy but cute and funny monsters! They just make me smile!

Schmancy: We like the monsters too! So, where is your most favorite place to travel, and why?
Tomoko: I've been to some places, but my favorite place was Morocco. I think it's so foreign to me and everything I saw was amazing and very very foreign. It was so much fun! Also Barcelona, Spain was amazing. They are so much art and they have great food!

Schmancy: Yum! My mouth is watering...so what is your favorite food?
Tomoko: I love any kind of food!!!! I love eating!!! haha. But in the end, I always go back to Japanese food. :)


Schmancy: Tradition is hard to break!! Since its 'March Monster Month' and I guess there's also another holiday...do you celebrate St. Patricks Day with green beer?
Tomoko: Well, I don't have any Irish blood in me and I don't drink, so uh, no.... but I'm all for Green drinks and green food! I didn't even know about St. Patricks day till I came to Seattle!

Schmancy: Well we hope some of the Irish luck will rub off on all of us! Do you have any upcoming shows or exciting news you would like to share with us?
Tomoko: My new cards from new paintings are printing process right now! Also I will have a gallery showing with other artists in May, June, July at Oasis Gallery in Wallingford! Also in August, I have a solo show at Portage Bay in Fremont!


Schmancy: Wow! That's great! Thanks for taking the time to talk with us...All of you loyal (and new) Tomonster fans please stop by Schmancy between March 13-April 8 to see her amazing work and really funny characters. Until next time...xo

Interview with Vivienne and Matte

The upcoming February 12 art opening at Schmancy is featuring Vivienne Strauss and Matte Stephens in the show "Opposites Attract" (perfect for the month of love). Anywho, I've interviewed the couple to get the latest scoop just for you!

Schmancy (S): Where is your most favorite place to get inspiration? Do you remember the first time you went there thinking this place could change your life?
Vivienne (V): I guess I would have to say my mind rather than an actual physical place. I get a lot of my inspiration from old college annuals from the 1920s and 1930s. Just an interesting looking face or an odd sounding name can inspire an idea or a whole story that leads to a painting.
Matte (M): At home I love changing our place around to make it more inspiring.

S: What is your favorite movie and/or book? - AND what would be the "new" ending you would add to it if the ending could change?
V: I have so many favorites it is hard to pick just one. One of my favorite movies of all time is Harold and Maude, I would say I'd prefer that Maude not die at the end but I wouldn't change it because it wouldn't have nearly the impact it does now. Happy endings are not necessarily the best endings to a good story.
M: I like so many movies it would be hard to name just one.

S: Give us a preview of your Schmancy show!! We can't wait to see it, so describe some of it to us now!!
V: The painting I've done for the Schmancy show is titled Frank and Florence spend every Sunday in bed reading their favorite books. This idea has been floating around in my head for quite some time and it felt great to finally execute it.
M: A wool felted Uncle Rutherford.

S: What is the song/artist you keep playing over and over in your iPod (or cd player?)
V: Lately it has been Andrew Bird.
M: I have my radio tuned to the same NPR station all of the time :)

S: If you could open a restaurant what food would you serve and why?
V: Probably one that had a huge selection of different soups, salads and sandwiches so I could eat there and not have to cook.
M: I would serve southern food and the name of the restaurant would be cloresteral.

S: Do you have any exciting news/events to share for 20-10?!
V: I have one thing in particular I'm very excited about but it isn't final so I'm afraid of jinxing it by saying something too soon
M: I'm working on lots and Lots and lots of paintings

S: Everything upcoming sounds terribly exciting and let's hope it works out for both of you, everyone please come join us for beer and wine on February 12, 2010 to celebrate the opening of “Opposites Attract” with Vivienne and Matte (and the Schmancy crew!)

Huck Gee is coming!

Hey Joe (Vollan) whadda ya know??

Hey Schmancy Fans!! Joe Vollan will be having a solo show in the store from January 8 - February 11!! Don't forget to stop by during the month to check out his work. *There will NOT be an opening on the 8th, and the store will just be open regular hours (11-6)* But drumroll please!! Huck Gee will be honoring Schmancy with his presence on January 22, 2010 from 6-8pm for a signing session. More to follow!



On with the interview....

S: Joe, will you be making any new year's resolutions?
JV: Today one of my co-workers said that being nicer should be my resolution, so I'm going to give that a shot.

S: How did you come up with the new show, that will be at Schmancy this month?
JV: My wife bought me a bunch of really nice looking frames, so I got wood panels to fit them. so all the paintings are smaller then usual for this show.

S: What is your favorite underwater animal?
JV: I would have to say definitely a squid.

S: You live in Seattle and seem very inspired by the city. Do you have a favorite place to sketch or come up with ideas?
JV: Seattle is a very inspirational and beautiful city, I like to walk around downtown a lot, also gasworks park makes me happy.

S: Any upcoming events or updates we should know about?
JV: My website (joevollan.com) should be up and running, hopefully within a month. Im very excited about that.

S: Thanks for talking with us Joe, and we look forward to seeing your work!

Interview with M.O.F.O. Aka Martin and Felix!

Hey Everybody!! I know we are all excited about Urban Craft Uprising this weekend…but I wanted to wet your whistle for the upcoming Schmancy show on December 11, 2009 Featuring Martin + Felix Ontiveros, a solo show of dad and son aka “M.O.F.O.”(see below)! Come to the Opening from 6-9pm on the 11th!


S: How did you come up with the concept and name of your show?

M.O. (Martin): Our show is called "M.O.F.O." (Martin Ontiveros, Felix Ontiveros). I originally titled us "Team Ontiveros", but then one day we were walking back from school and the acronym hit me... and I was like, "DUH. Why hadn't that occurred to me before??" It's cool because it's similar to other comic team's logos, like S.H.I.E.L.D. for instance. And it's a dirty joke, but Felix doesn't know that... The show concept is pretty simple, it's just about our love of superheroes--specifically Marvel this time around. I was booked to do this show by myself initially, but then thought I'd bring Felix in on it too. He's pretty obsessed with this stuff (in no small part due to my influence of course), churning out comic after comic of his own, and bombarding me with questions about heroes (I have since purchased both the Marvel and DC encyclopedias to relieve me of this duty)... so I figured this could be a good way to channel this obsession. It turned into a great thing to do on our days together over the summer, especially the papier mache sculptures!

F.O. (Felix): I like superheroes, and thought we should do Marvel superheroes first.

S: Wow that is pretty awesome and I love the acronym! So, do you have craft hour/night?

M.O.: Pretty much anytime we feel like it, never a set time really. We do it more than we watch TV, actually.

F.O.: We do it anytime we want to.



S: That’s a really great way to spend time together. So what's your favorite old and new cartoon?

M.O.: Man, that would be several for me. Old: Battle of the Planets. New: Batman-The Brave and the Bold

F.O.: My favorite old cartoon is Ben 10. My favorite new cartoon is Batman-The Brave and the Bold.

S: Seems like great cartoonists think alike! Where do you get your inspirations?

M.O.: For me it's all the cartoons, movies and comics I ingested as a kid, and rock n' roll. Music is a huge part of it. Felix too-- seeing him develop as an artist and storyteller is really something... like the Juggernaut, he's unstoppable!

F.O.: It's something to do while you're bored.

S: Well Felix, I hope you get bored a lot! What's your favorite holiday tradition?

M.O.: Can't say we're very traditional... but the last few years I've had a little silver electronic tree that I pull out of the closet and switch on. If Felix gets a big Lego set for Christmas (and he usually does), we'll hang out and build it together, listen to tunes and eat.

F.O.: Get presents!

S: Sounds like a good time, I think everyone loves presents, especially lego sets! I know I do! Do you have any new projects coming up that you'd like to share?

M.O.: As a team, we're going to continue to make papier mache sculptures of superheroes. Maybe make another zine or two. We're booked to do a show here in Portland next Fall too (at Black Wagon), which will be DC comics themed.

F.O.: The DC comics show I guess.

S: Good to share the wealth with DC and Marvel I suppose…What's a perfect dinner together?

M.O.: Cheap sushi night downtown, probably!

F.O.: Sushi at Sushi Ichiban downtown, the one with the train. It used to be called Sushi Takahashi, but they changed the name. Everybody still calls it Sushi Takahashi though.

S: Any last words for the world to know?

M.O.: Uhhh... I turn 40 years old the day after our opening.

F.O.: I'm good.

S: Looks like we will have another great show on our hands at Schmancy in just a week and a half!! See you at the opening!! xo