And the Layers of Reverence and Humor with artist, Michael Spillers
"Find the irony, see the absurdity and feel the humor, but see with clarity. Take it seriously and use what you learned to do meaningful things to improve your life and the lives around you. It’s more fun to laugh so laugh when you can. Do good work. Try to treat people with the respect you demand for yourself."
Michael Spillers
How does your work interact with the theme of “A Generous Kingdom V: Art that Explores Story, Symbolism, and Beyond”?
“The Last Selfie” is a story which juxtaposes the sacred symbolism of the last supper and the sterile, anonymous nature of social media. What could be more “beyond" than that?
Does the idea of transformation influence your work and process?
I think all art is about transformation whether in process, concept or experience.
What draws you to the medium you chose? And tell us a little about your process (I don’t believe in giving it all away).
If you’re a professional photographer you know something about computers. Photographers either hire someone to process their digital images or embrace the digital process by editing the images themselves. I fully embraced digital imaging. I enjoy the process and that joy lead me to digital collage. I work with Photoshop, Blender (a 3d modeling app) and Daz Studio (a 3d app for modeling the human body among other things).
What are the strengths of the medium? What are the challenges?
Challenge - it’s easy to get carried away adding stuff to the image. Strength - it’s easy to get carried away adding stuff to the image.
Who inspires you? And What do you do to get inspired?
Inspiration is a mystery to me and I want to keep it that way. I rarely know where the idea is going. I’m not compelled to over think; it’s more like, “I wonder what this would look like?". I’m always pleased when someone comes up with an idea or interpretation I hadn’t thought about.
If you could have coffee or tea with any artist who would you pick? What would you have coffee or tea? What would you ask that artist?
I would like to watch Vincent van Gogh paint “ The Starry Night” or maybe one of his self portraits.
We would not be drinking coffee or tea.
What do you hope your work achieves, in general, and/or specifically with this installation?
Shakespeare said the world is a stage. I’ll add that the play is deeply convoluted, ironic and absurd. Find the irony, see the absurdity and feel the humor, but see with clarity. Take it seriously and use what you learned to do meaningful things to improve your life and the lives around you. It’s more fun to laugh so laugh when you can. Do good work. Try to treat people with the respect you demand for yourself.
What recently made you smile?
Being selected for “A Generous Kingdom V”.
What recently made you cry?
Some dumb, shallow, emotionally manipulative Hollywood B ( or C or D) movie that I would be embarrassed to name.
If you could tell your viewers one thing, what would you tell them?
Don’t look briefly. Take your time. Most of the things I make are layered. There’s usually a lot to look at before you see the whole thing; not always, but usually. If you look at my stuff on your phone you’re most likely missing it. I won’t tend to take your comments seriously so don’t tell me you saw it on your phone.