This month, where our "Fan of the Month" feature would normally reside, we have
something a little different. Former Fan of the Month (and newly relocated Los
Angeles-area resident) Jamie Vercauteren has completed two remarkable paintings
inspired by Our Favorite Band, one of Igor and one of Oleg.
Although photographs on the Internet don't do them proper justice, we wanted to
show them to the best audience ever. So sit back and enjoy a little visit to our online "Red
Elvises art gallery" this month, complete with an interview with the artist. |
Former Fan of the Month Revisited: Jamie's Art |
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Jamie, I know you just recently moved to the So Cal area from Northern California... How do you like it? Do you feel more artistically inspired down here?
I LOVE IT!!! I was one of those kids who always wanted to run away and join the circus, and then one day back in '92 I came to Venice and realized that I didn't need to join a circus, I just needed to move here! This is, without a doubt, my favorite place that I've lived so far, and I'm loving it more every day. I suppose it is more artistically inspiring down here, although I never really thought about that before. Because a lot (not all) of the people I meet in Northern California are just working their "day-jobs" and that's what they do. When I meet someone down here, the first thing they tell me is what their passions are, and then maybe they'll bring up their day job in conversation. Everyone is following their dreams down here, in one way or another. I find this refreshing.
Your paintings of Igor and Oleg are lovely... How large are these paintings?
Spasibo! They are both 18x24.
Did you work from photographs or memory? They didn't actually pose for you, did they?
The very suggestion of those guys "posing" for me is conjuring up bizarre images and making me giggle like a school girl... thus I very much doubt I could have held a paintbrush straight if they had done so! I always paint from photos, but the photos are often not so good, so memory can help. The fact that I know Igor has an earring, for instance - that did not show in the fuzzy concert photo... things like that.
What inspired you to paint those guys?
My inspiration? You mean besides the fact that I've been a die-hard Red Elvises fan since 2000?! I have always drawn/painted celebrities, cult figures and friends. Using Red Elvises as a subject, well, that fits into more than one category, so that's great!
Have you tried and/or completed others of them, or do you think you might?
I've tried drawing them in the past, the results were embarrassingly bad. They do not have looks that are easily captured. If you've ever gone to a show and found yourself coming back with about a hundred photos of Igor and not a single one that looks like him or the wacky expression you wanted to capture, you may know what I mean. And this one of Oleg is my second attempt at painting him (and I'm still not sure how I feel about it - it's kinda scary!)... That man has a smile that absolutely HAS to be in the painting, I think other fans will agree that a painting of Oleg would not be quite right without the smile, but it has been giving me hell for months! I finally decided to just call it a day with that one, move on to something else.
I would love to paint them again, different looks, outfits, etc. I'd also like to get Adam and Schramm sometime, or maybe do [a painting of] all of them together. On the other hand I can not stand getting too involved in something that forces me to sit inside all day (or night), so this may take a good long while... :)
When did you first get interested in art? Have you been painting or doing other types of artwork for a long time?
I've just been doing my thing for, literally, as long as I can remember... drawing, writing, painting, acting, dancing, music... anything creative. Painting is a recent thing, since I've never been able to afford this kind of stuff before. Actually, the only reason I picked it up is because I found a bunch of canvases at a clearance sale for just a few dollars. This was in January, and I didn't want to invest too much in it so I got the cheapest acrylics and brushes. After going through hell with Igor's tiger stripes, though, I decided to invest in a few decent brushes! Before painting I used to draw a lot.
Did you go to school for art or is it something you just felt like doing later on?
I have started several art classes and dropped every single one of then within the first month. :) Theatre Arts was actually my major, not that I've had much luck there either... I was a straight A student that somehow never managed to get a single diploma!... lol
Ah, a naturally creative type, then! Which medium do you prefer to work in?
Before painting with acrylics I used to do a lot of indian ink work using a chinese bamboo brush, and I've used charcoal a lot. When I couldn't afford anything else my old theatre make-up made a great medium... and I've gotten some good reflective eyes going with nail polish too! Charcoal used to be my main medium, but almost all of my work was stolen, and what wasn't stolen got messed up in the middle of moving (I've moved a lot). I tried to pick up where I left off after the whole ordeal, but my motivation with that medium just completely vanished. Painting has at least got me back to doing something artistic.
Other than that, and the fact that I find pastels to be pretty but a pain in the arse, I really couldn't fill you all in on details in the art world. Sorry. I have had a friend tell me that a true painter will not touch anything but oil paints. Never had the pleasure, they cost a bleeding fortune in my book... If that statement holds true I have no idea what that makes me. ;)
What is your favorite type of painting to do - portraits of people, landscapes, abstracts, etc.?
I do people. That's it. People are my passion. One of my favorite Red Elvises lines (taken out of context, but so what) is "I am in love with the whole world." This is the reason I'm a photo junkie too... one of my many dreams is to travel everywhere and take pictures left and right, occasionally painting or drawing those who inspire me to do so.
About how long does it usually take you to complete a painting?
It really depends on the painting, I've had some that took me 3-4 hours and others... well, there's no telling. The one's of Igor and Oleg were started in January, but I moved twice between then and the end of March and was on the road for the month of February, and had several other paintings I was working on too. Total the time up and it could have taken anywhere between 2 days or a couple of weeks, I really have no idea!
Do you mind sharing your contact info in case anyone has questions or comments?
People are more than welcome to email me at jamievercauteren@yahoo.com with comments, questions or if they are interested in making an offer on the paintings or anything. And feel free to visit my website where I have photos, artwork, etc.
Thank you very much, Jamie, for agreeing to share your work with other fans and be interviewed for the fanzine. And keep up the good artwork, best of luck to you on that!
And here's what our artist looks like, along with one of her "models" (photo by Kayt):
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