Pablo Picasso
Let´s go back to not too distant past... 1850s, the decade in which the photography began to have access to the public, not the cameras but having a photograph (better called in that times daguerrotype). That was a change in history since a lot of people could have access to have a portrait photography. That was the era of our grandparents´ grandparents. It is reminiscent of a past that is really connected to us in the sense that the first technology was available and the sense of nostalgic and closeness of that photographies.You combine this love for that fantastic portraits with a love for sci-fi and fantastic films, creepy magazines and books and add a real sense of humour and mostly humanity... and you get a fantastic artwork by the creative and delightfully twisted mind of Travis Louie.
The last time I had dinner with some friends and showed them the surrealism pop / lowbrow original artwork I have hung in my walls one friend of mine was really pissed off that he couldn´t hang Travis Louie artwork in his living room because her wife wouldn´t permit him to. I think that maybe at first glance when you get to know his impressive gallery of humanized misfits, widgets and animals he has in his catalloge you feel repulsion, but afterwards you get the kindness, softiness and humanity of everyone of his beasts. And it is also amazing the degree of mastery of his art and time devoted to paint the hair, moustache and furry feeling of his portraits and also the combination of acrylycs that lead him to get that old vintage photograph feeling.
I am really grateful for Travis Louie for giving me the chance to have an exclusive interview with him :
Which do you think are the main differences between pencil and oil techniques?
Oil painting is a medium that can be applied in many ways and has an almost unlimited range. I use graphite to design what I am going to paint.
Who are the artists that have influenced you the most?
There are many artists that have influenced me over the years. I can't name all of them here. I can list a few off the top of my head; Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, Alphonse Mucha, Vermeer, F W Murnau, Fritz Lang, Bougereau, Jan Van Eyck, Caravaggio, Dean Cornwell, Jehan Georges Vibert, Yoshitaka Amano, etc,
Which pieces of art do you own? Which artist are you willing to buy?
I like a lot of the work my make-up and production designer friends make. I consider them to be some of the most creative people working in the arts today. I would love to own originals by them. People like Chet Zar, Miles Teves, Jordu Schell, Steve Wang, Kazu, Carlos Huante, Bruce Fuller, etc,
What do you think about the low-brow / surrealism pop scene?
I must admit I don't like that the gang of artists that I've been attached to are called Low Brow or Pop Surrealists. I think those terms are misleading. Is there really anything "Low Brow" about my work? How "Surreal" is my work? Wekve all been bunched together, not by what are work says, but by where we have been exhibitedI couldn´t agree more with the last sentence, the movement is comprised of a lot of artist with really different styles, visions and thinking. That´s the thing why I like it most... the heteregoneity and diverse delightful artwork we will find!!!
Oh, and by the way I own this original artwork from him. Buster (graphite on vellum bristol 6″ x 8″)Like a lot of the original artowrk from Travis Louie, he accompanies the work with a brief story (that usually comes earlier than the painting)
Buster came back from the grave to serenade his wife. His once lovely singing voice became a slow baritone. He sang and dragged his feet in a weary sort of gate for about a year until the townspeople put him out of their misery.
