interview: jeremiah maddock.

recently i was fortunate enough to be introduced to jeremiah maddock through the good peeps over at paper monster.  jeremiah's work is so delicately intricate and amazing.  i was blown away by the labyrinthine tiny lines that make up his pieces.  his paintings are repetitive beauties.

sadly he doesn't have a website, nor does it sound like he is eager to make one.  but he sent me soooo many images, i feel like i have my own private website of his work on my desktop, i'm so excited.  i've included a bunch of them here w/ questions jeremiah so enthusiasticly answered for me.

what medium do you like to work in, are you experimenting?  what's your fav and why?

mediums are usually whatever i can get my hands on: pens, pencils, markers, water colors, acrylic/ oil paints, wood stains, rust.  i make a lot of my own inks from dead pens and markers, either xylene based or rubbing alcohol based.  my favorite medium over the last year has been inks and water colors on paper.  i like the instant gratification i get from these.  they allow me to keep up with myself to the point of acting more as a channel.  i also just enjoy watching things seep into paper, some drawings look better on the backside as they bleed through.

what is in the future for you? shows? prints? collabs?  why don't you have a website?  is there one in the future?

i have a few upcoming shows...next month in milan at a place called the flat, michael bevilacqua and massimo carasi are the curators for this.  i'm not sure who all is in the show, aside from a few...dan trocchio, michael bevilacqua, scott campbell, bruce richards, and wendell gladstone.  this will take place jan. 15.

in may i go to denver for a solo show hosted by andenken gallery who found me through paper monster and faile.

ummm, i have a show in mexico city and right here in bushwick, ny., this spring but am unsure of the dates and the names of the venues

basically, i show where ever i'm invited to unless i dont like the peoples who are asking.  i have been making pictures for about 17 years but i have never sought out art shows.  that's why i have no website, portfolio, etc.  the natural flow of things have been pulling me in desirable directions and i don't want to tamper too much w/ that.  maybe i would make a website if i knew how, but i'm not sure.

what did you do for faile?  i love those guys.  how was it working for/with them?  how did it happen?

they went to my show at saved tattoo (scott campbell).  i spent three months at saved before it opened painting the pillars inside.  pat mcneal liked the way they were done and commissioned me to paint a big wood box for his new son, denim.  they were great to work for, they made me keys to there studio and never complained that each night i was there i would drink their whole case of tiger beer.  after awhile i think they started filling it back up just for me.  they are also great supporters of many upcoming artists.

i should also mention that scott campbell is solely responsible for pulling me out of the woods of whidbey island and putting me in new york to show my pictures, he is the reason anyone out here in new york has ever heard of me.  and now faile as well.  i also want to mention sfelectricworks.com, these are extraordinary peoples who first started showing my work back in 99.

 

what artists are you watching right now?

dave schubert (photographer/fine printer/ ), dan trocchio (painter/poet/genius), marty anderson(drawer/ exceptional music of OKAY, poet), wes lang (sick drawings), scott campbell (extraordinary in many respects a walking piece of art), chris johansen ( painter who is free), and the butter lady of s.f. ( roams around with lipstick on her cheeks and butter in her hair, amazing self portraits and rantings on index cards).

can you tell me a little bit about how you sell your work...i hear you set up a suitcase, is this true?

no i don't set up a suitcase, for a 6 month run my wife and son went on tour in her band sleeping people.  with no responsibility and very little money i decided to see how long i could go on house sitting gigs and couch surfing.  so i carried my studio on my back.  day time i would draw in the hall of this cafe, and at night i had bars i liked because the bartenders would trade me drinks for napkins and or place mats.  there were a of couple restaurants that would trade my bill for a place mat.  i had never been in public making my pictures before and loved meeting interesting and very kind peoples.  i had never been very social up until that point.  anyhow the suitcase...people started wanting to know what was inside and i would show them, sometimes i would sell stuff in a restaurant or bar to a stranger, believe it or not at a fair price as well.  when i was doing a commission for faile, i went out to smoke a cigarette and had left my backpack open...when i came back inside all of my drawings were up on a table and people asked to purchase a few. ...and later asked for more.

now i have a home, i still have a backpack full of drawings but the suitcase now is seldom necessary.

jeremiah also has a show next week in williamsburg that is being held in a vacant apartment for 4 days only, titled "we are friends."  opening reception is saturday jan 5th, 6 - 11 pm at 119 north 7th street.  williamsburg, ny 11211.  there is a large group of very talented peeps in the show, and def worth checking out. 

also, you can purchase original work of jeremiah's through paper monster.  a few pieces have sold, but there are still amazing pieces left.  put that xmas money to good use!  or if you're really lucky...you'll meet him in a cafe or a bar one of these days.

Comments

[jack fischer]

Hello,

I wonder if you'd help me get in touch with Jeremiah Maddock.

jack fischer

[janeosullivan]

Yes ! Yes !, Yes ! ,Yes !

[S Lo]

I had the pleasure of meeting and watching Jereiah Maddock at a bar in Miami a while ago. And yes, he was making drawings on a napkin and I was fasinated by his work. I asked for his contact information and he gave me his gmail address.

[auorora]

I too have had the pleasure, a few times actually in a few different places. After the third time I asked him how i could see more of his art works and he just wrote his name down on the napkin he was drawing on and handed it too me. Not too over romanticize but his calm yet intense demeanor left me in a chill. That man has magic! The napkin was made so when it unfolded all the bled through ink formed one insanely intricate and symmetrical piece. I framed it and put it in my office and everyone asks about it... some people even recognize it as his. Anyone care to share his email with me? It would be appreciated to be certain.

[auorora]

I want more!

[lillop]

I knew Jeremiah back in highschool, he used to draw all over his desk and the teachers didn't seem to mind. I am glad to have found this blog, i often had wondered what became of him. I agree with the above, he really did have a "magical demeanor".

[lillop]

Also .... I just remembered seeing him sing or scream rather in some hardcore band back in highschool and it shocked me to see him so animated and loud. Until that moment i pretty thought he might be a mute. Is he still making music? The band was great but i can't recall the name of it.

[John G]

Wow. I would like to click to enlarge!

[SPKO]

Amazing works !