Work in Progress: Updates on Stan Chisholm-
Can we get an update on the piece and where you’re at?
I spent the last week tracing everything out, doing a bunch of painting, drawing, coming up with different characters, working on ideas that I wanted to fit into the show. And the projecting them onto the wall, blowing them up, and tracing them all with pencil, or tracing them with pencil onto the paper. And now as of today I’ve started doing some of the outline work. And I think I’ve decided that pretty much it’s going to be all outline work. I think there may be a few spots where I’ll bring in paint, watercolor, but it should pretty much be all line work. And different types of paper. I’ve got construction paper, I’ve got cardboard, I’ve got these brutal foam boards that I’m going through right now. And then some yarn, and then foam.
What stage are you in now?
… [E]xcept for this foam part, there’s only one other small thing, there’s like an airplane that [has] got to be on this material, but everything else is on much lighter paper. … [F]rom there it’s just all ink work. …
What’s the next step after ink?
After ink, cut it all out … then construct it. Some of them will be pasted and collaged together. Some will sort of just hang together and from there it’s going to be sort of like a puzzle. I’m just gonna put (all the limbs together). Cause when I projected all of them, it wasn’t like just putting up one big piece of paper and redrawing it. I had to think about which pieces would be ahead of what. Pretty much it was like I’ll do the limbs in the cream color, I’ll do the mascot heads in this color paper and then they’re so like mixed up so that there’s something for me to collage and reassemble at the end. Cause that’s kinda how I like working. I like making a lot of different things, drawing them and then deciding how I put them back together. Even as far as I keep only working within a library of characters, it’s kinda like flipping through and deciding which ones. You know like, in my sketch pad or in my notes, they’re kinda like really loose. So I have to go through and find which stories I really like the idea of creating something then coming back to it to sorta pull everything together.
As you’ve been creating things, has the layout/narrative changed from what you thought you were going to do?
Um no, I wouldn’t say that the layout’s changed at all. Originally I had some spots that were blank and I knew they were going to be blank and I didn’t want to decide ahead of time what to do with them. … But you know it’s like, I like surprising myself. …
What’s your experience been like putting together this exhibition?
… I’ve been pretty busy in Chicago since I did the MoneyBags project in October and September and I was living in St. Louis then but as of now I’m staying. Since I went to school here and I’ve got a bunch of friends in town it makes things easier. It’s sort of like I’m on vacation, sort of like I’m visiting, except I’ve been here. Luckily it’s not so cold. But I’ve just been bouncing around, hanging out with friends. When I’m not in the studio, just been drawing with them. And staying wherever works for the night.
A lot of people have the stereotypical image of the “starving artist.” Especially for people who are in art school, or just coming out of art school. You’re kind of at that stage now. What is that experience like for you and what kind of dedication does it take?
I definitely can say I’m at that stage. It’s been a bit shocking, but really fun. There have been a lot of sacrifices I’ve found myself having to make. I mean even coming here you know. Cause I work when I’m at home. … But it’s like, you know if I go a month without working, what do I do now? I’ve got to plan it out a little bit. It’s like, alright, I have to figure out how to pay this bill, or how to get from here to there, or how to get supplies around. But that’s kind of the fun part. … So now I’m finding myself having to be careful with pacing myself out and not doing things too close. Like I’m comfortable with burning myself out on a project, but I have to at least give myself some cushion in between doing that.
Where do you work when you’re at home and does that influence your work as an artist?
Yeah I work at a contemporary art museum in St. Louis. I’ve been there for a while. Pretty much since right after graduating high school. … I can’t wait to get back and spend a decent amount (of time). At least four or five months of being at home and working. Living somewhat of a normal life! But yeah it helps a ton. I’m always talking about art. There’s always different opportunities that come up. Someone will have a project. And you just like hear about it at work. It’s nice always being in an artist community, especially after school. Cause I think that ‘s one of the biggest problems people have once they leave art school is how do they keep themselves motivated to work on art. And having a job like that definitely helps that.
Why do it this way. Why not just stay at home and work at an art museum and be around art. Why do it this way?
I grew up at home. I’ve been there before. I kind of know what it’s like. It’s good to come back to share stories but when you’ve been there for so long, I kinda don’t want to exhaust myself on the spaces or burn out to the people of St. Louis … you know when you’ve got a city that’s affordable and friends that support you, they kinda like seeing you go places. And I like sharing. … Hopefully it will bring up a lot of opportunities for me to travel, cause … I don’t know what city I’ll end up in. I couldn’t even begin to take guesses at that. There’s so many places to see, you know?
What was your favorite show so far?
… [O]ne show I would love to try again on a bigger scale, it’d be really difficult, I did [it] the second year I was in the dorms, I was an RA (Resident Advisor) in dorms at the Art Institute. … But I did a show called “Give in Get in” where if you wanted to come into the gallery (we have a gallery space in the dorms) you had to bring a piece of artwork. And the idea was you bring a piece of you work and take a piece off the walls and put yours up and you leave with whichever one you want. And I think we started with ten pieces. I donated a bunch and then I have people supply some pieces just to start off the show. And you bring in a piece of work you got a stamp and your hand that sort of gave you free range to come in and out. … But yeah, I think that was one of my better ideas for a show as far as curating.
… [S]hows I’ve been a part of, solo or group … I think “Screwed In” was fun. It was a show back in St. Louis with the Regional Arts Commission. … It was a big deal because a lot of the guys in the show were artists that I looked up to in high school and early college. I eventually developed friendships with them and finally got the chance to sit down and work with them which was frustrating as hell, you know, but it worked out. And we’re doing the show again. And I think the other big thing is being in Chicago, there’s definitely a Chicago style of artwork. There’s certain attitude that I’ve noticed here in the city, with the artists that I’ve worked closer too. And in St. Louis [I] feel like it’s not as well known. Everyone kind of adopts what else is going on. So, it was nice for a big body of us to come together and say this is what we’re doing this is. I guess you can kind of say we kind of claimed ourselves as being the… street artist type or whatever. …
Having been around and traveled do you have any tricks of the trade?
I think the answer to that question is always going to be my friends and family. My friends and family are definitely my tricks of the trade. Because so often I’m just moving around between different cities and having to carry materials from one place to another. I ask a lot of favors. A lot of people are definitely patient with me and willing to help out. I don’t think I’m too big a pain in the ass. I hope not. My friends definitely help out a ton. Galleries are pretty patient with me too. They know I’m still kind of bouncing around and they know I’m young and still kind of rowdy. And I’ve got a specific way I like to work, I’ve got a specific pace I like to work at. And it doesn’t always come with like a clear statement of what I’m going to do. And that’s kind of on purpose. I kind of like making people excited. I don’t want people to read a statement of the show and see exactly what it is, know exactly what’s going to happen. Or at least like to leave myself a few options of defining it several different ways. So there’s space for me to play with it. I definitely like it when people are able to put their hands back a little and trust me to get things done somehow. … Sometimes I’ll know only what materials I want to work with for a show. I won’t necessarily know the story. Or the other way around. It’s nice that people are willing to work with me on that.
How can the community support you in this exhibition?
I don’t know. I like company. If you wanted to hang out, have a beer that’s cool. I don’t eat popcorn, but if someone wanted to eat popcorn in here while I’m working, that’s cool. … I don’t know. I’m not too sure. I guess company is sort of the best bet right now. I think I’m good on supplies. But we’ll see what happens when I actually start hanging things up.