Patrushka, Eclectix Interview 63
I was born and raised in SoCal behind the “Orange Curtain” (as we called it then). Nowadays it’s known as “The OC”. I was a latch key kid, as both parents worked — my Dad in aerospace and Mom in real estate. We had a very dysfunctional and abusive family, so I spent a lot of time hiding in my bedroom or roaming around outdoors. (Until I left it all behind at 17 and got the hell outta Dodge as they say…)
We were a family of three girls in a neighborhood where all the others were boys, so friends were scarce and bullying was rampant. I became somewhat of a tomboy, playing war with the neighbor boys, using dirt clods as bombs, tossing little army men encampments into the air. I also built a fun little pet cemetery in our back yard, complete with head stones made from tile scraps, surrounded by a moat. The hours I spent in my room were mostly spent coloring and drawing and listening to LPs. As I became a teenager, I found ways to just be gone for as much time as possible — spending days at the beach, nights at friends or band practices, backpacking and camping for weeks at a time. My sketchbook came with me everywhere I went.
An interesting bit of history/folklore/gossip surrounding one of my distant relatives is …
My mother’s family is from Russia — my great grandfather was Chief of Staff under the Czar. So when the revolution happened, they had to book it outta town. It took all their worldly riches to bribe their way out, but they lived, settling in Michigan and then Santa Rosa, Ca. There is a Russian Orthodox church there that one of my relatives helped build.
When I was a little kid, I wanted to be…
First, I wanted to be a registered nurse so I could wear a cool outfit like my Barbie had… and then a stewardess, again with the cool uniform fixation. Then I wanted to be a ballet dancer until I realized I was too big and tall… and of course a brief fantasy of rock stardom (who didn’t?)!
My interest in art/painting started …
When I was really young — I’ve always drawn and doodled any chance I would get. I remember finger painting in kindergarten at school, and then doing it at home. All those little undersea coral cave worlds one could make and escape into! I also remember spending hours on an Etch-A-Sketch which I got for Xmas one year. It was a great lesson in the impermanence of art and life — just one unintended shake and it was all gone!
My favorite art memory from my childhood is …
In the third grade my Dad made a trip to Japan and brought me home a kimono — inspiring me to draw some geishas. I just loved the floral designs and dramatic hairdos, piled high like sculptures and stabbed thru with pretty dangling trinkets. A friend saw one of my geisha drawings and wanted one, paying me for it then and there! It snowballed and soon I had sold at lease five other geisha drawings to schoolmates. It shocked me, people paying for my work, it validated my self worth as an artist.
I am often inspired and motivated by…
Wow. So many things inspire! A song lyric, a vivid dream, the way someone’s eyes may look miss matched, the colors of ripples in the ocean, the gnarled bark of an ancient tree, a character in a book or a scary abandoned building.
If I could spend the day with any artist (dead or alive) it would be… And we would….
That’s easy. David Bowie. I would love to have witnessed the genesis of the songs and performances for the album, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.
The tip or art technique (a specific tidbit of craft, advice or mechanical expertise) that has helped me the most is ….
Being a good artist isn’t about having “talent”. It is about consistent work and imagination. Anyone can learn to be a great artist just by putting in the practice and long hard hours. It is the imagination that makes you a true artist , being able to see something no one else sees and then being able to translate it into an image.
If I could own one piece of art, out of the world’s collections, it would be …
Salvador Dali’s Soft Construction With Boiled Beans. Van Gogh’s Four Cut Sunflowers and Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights would be sweet as well…
Of all your works, what is your own personal favorite? What was the thought or vision behind the work and why is it your favorite?
My A Beautiful Bowie (below), a Day of the Dead tribute I did after his death. Because he was my hero, not just for one day.
A specific event in your life that sparked a number of your works was …
Being raped and taking LSD.
What is your biggest dream or fantasy?
I would love to travel North America in a smallish RV, like a 20 footer. Pack it up with art supplies, strap on my bike and just ramble on, stopping whenever and wherever I wanted. Back roads, big cities, open canyons, mountaintops, small villages, abandoned gas stations…
The last book I couldn’t put down was ….
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
My favorite character in a work of fiction is …
Atticus Finch, from To Kill A Mockingbird
My favorite word is…
“Fuck”, of course. But also — “ragamuffin, tangerine, Mozambique, zapato, lackadaisical…”
One of my favorite smells is …
French Roast coffee beans from Peet’s… oh, AND orange blossoms, Humboldt bud, freshly turned earth, basil leaves, slightly fishy ocean breezes…
One of my (recently) favorite movies/TV shows is …
“Unbelievable”, the miniseries on Netflix
It’s not hip, but I really love …
Staying in, wearing pajamas, slippers and not fussing with my appearance.
I can’t live without …
My hubby, my eyesight and my hands.
If I could time travel — the era I would like to drop in on is…
It would be interesting to go waaay back, but I’m a wimp and being without proper bathrooms, tampons or antibiotics would ruin it for me. So maybe Los Angeles in the 1940’s. Before it ballooned into the cement mess it is, when you could hop on the freeway with no crowds and be at an empty beach in minutes. I love vintage everything and to be able to experience the musical jazz scene exploding in young Hollywood would have been so exciting. Although, to see Elvis Presley or Jimi Hendrix perform in a small club before they were famous, that would have been righteous as well.
The last song you chose to listen to…
Time by Tom Waits
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
Hawaii. (If I had a house right on the beach.)
My favorite motto (or quote) is….
“The art is not the piece on the wall, it’s the space between the viewer and the piece.” — (I’m not sure who said this but they nailed it!)
