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#so given the chance i WILL draw thek
southern--downpour · 4 years
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sometimes you just wanna draw somethin kinda gay
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houseofvans · 7 years
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Art School | Q&A with Minka Sicklinger (NYC) 
Born in The Netherlands, growing up in Australia, and currently living in New York City, artist and designer Minka Sicklinger’s artwork is filled with iconography, symbolism and cultural influences from her years of traveling and living abroad. We’re not only excited to feature her and some of her mystical drawings, but we’re also excited to have her design a custom skate deck to be raffled off at this year’s Babes Ride Out East Coast event. We got a chance to chat with Minka on various topics – from her travels and early experiences with cultures and art from other countries to how the most challenging part of art at times can be yourself. 
Photographs courtesy of the artists. 
Introduce yourself. 
Minka Sicklinger…I’m an artist and designer based in New York City…I do illustration, tattoo, build things, design interiors, collect antiques!
Born in The Netherlands and growing up in Australia before coming to the US, how do you think these early experiences – traveling, seeing other cultures & art – has helped to shape your artwork?
It has definitely allowed me to look at anything as a potential source of inspiration —> a crack in the sidewalk or an interesting building facade gives me as many ideas as walking through a gallery…it also means that i don’t identify or feel i belong to any one culture and its iconography. This allows me to move through any space or situation and see it for what  it is without interpreting it through any particular cultural filter —> particularly in our current political and cultural climate this may seem a naive point of view but it allows me to create work from an observational standpoint so it can be more intuitive process for me….and allows the space for a viewer to impart their own personal and cultural interpretation and narrative upon it…
In your artwork/illustration, the works are filled with elaborate patterns and references to symbolism found in alchemy/occult and other various sources.  Can you tell us a little about some of the symbolic imagery found in them?
The symbology is something that came naturally…it was never based upon specific research but more a collection of symbols and images seen over my whole life thus far from traveling, museums, looking through old books and antiques…I am a visual learner so that knowledge gets stored in my subconscious which my brain then likes to spit out at any given moment when I am working on something…often a viewer will tell me  that I have actually drawn something based on a particular  mythology which I don’t actually know the specifics of ! I often dream narratives and images too which end up as artworks…
What’s your process like when creating a new piece of artwork? What do you do when you find yourself with artists’ block?
When I have artists block I go out dancing all night, I go running, I read words, meditate...basically anything to distract myself from feeling bad that I can't think of anything ...a lot of times when creating new work it's an "aha" moment waking up from a dream, having a shower , while walking etc and the image appears in my mind...once I see it I can make it...
This year you’re designing a board for the Babes Ride Out East Coast event.  Can you tell us a little bit about your design and what you came up with?
I like to just let my imagination run free and Tetris construct whatever I'm dreaming of and feeling that particular day...so it becomes a strange collage of subconscious images that I can't really pinpoint in terms of the initial inspiration..
What are your top 5 favorite art tools?  Is there another medium you’re dying to try out?
Always micron pens and sakura gold paint pens, i love working with wire and stitching plastic,  and am trying to embrace paint…i would love to learn welding!
Where do you draw inspiration from for your art? Who are some of your favorite artists, past and contemporary? 
I would say i tend to draw inspiration from my surroundings, from textiles, film and from antiques rather than specific artists… a few favorites would be David Lynch, Bill Henson, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, Dan Flavin, Robert Smithson, Toulouse Lautrec, any of the Dada artists, Vali Meyers, Paul Thek, Federico Fellini…the list goes on! Not only are you an active illustrator / artist, but also a full time custom Tattoo Artist.  When did you first start tattooing and what do you enjoy most about it that is different from being an illustrator or artist?
I started tattooing in 2010…i enjoy the collaborative process with a client, as well as the fact that the work lives and breathes and although it is housed on a fixed object it ages, changes and moves through the world depending on the whim of its owner! It is also very satisfying to bring a visual representation to peoples ideas that they can then build their own narrative around…i have the privilege of meeting and interacting with people from a diverse range of industries, backgrounds and philosophies so its great to have that level of shared experience and learning with a client that i may not necessarily have with a viewer of other work of mine….
What has been the biggest challenge for you in both the art and tattoo world? How have you overcome these obstacles? What has been the most rewarding?
Myself is always the biggest challenge! Dancing the dance with your own demons, your ego, your insecurities…it is the daily reality of making art no matter what the medium and is an obstacle that will never be totally overcome…after going through that process with every single piece you ever do finishing is always the most rewarding, knowing you live another day to tell another story and make something else….
What’s a question you never get asked and would like to ask yourself and answer now?
Do you enjoy making art?  It is like pulling teeth, exceedingly painful, but I am compelled to do it…my analytical thought process that makes everything I see put through some sort of creative filter never stops….EVERYTHING is making work to me, everything counts towards making art…so it gets exhausting and overwhelming which in a backward way can be just as rewarding as the moments when everything flows freely and becomes an almost out of body experience …but I cannot be myself any other way..
Favorite Vans?  
I love classics…always the black SK8 Hi’s.
When you’re not creating artwork, how do you spend you free time? What other activities do you love to do?
Dancing is my favourite thing...drinking wine, hours of walking a day, cooking etc but honestly my brain never turns off from thinking creatively no matter what I'm doing ...so I'm always in some stage of creation just not necessarily producing something material in that moment...
What’s coming up for the rest of 2017?
Hopefully lots of travel, working in some new mediums, and starting a greeting card company! Other than that dancing as much as possible, drinking some good wine and enjoying the New York summer….
Follow Minka Sicklinger Website: www.minkasicklinger.com Tumblr: http://minkasicklinger.tumblr.com
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