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By
Lindsay Lawson

Mike Kershnar Featured in Bliss Magazine

Posted on Nov 06
Artsprojekt artist Mike Kershnar was featured in the November issue of Bliss Magazine. You can check out the entire issue in digital form at: www.blisssmag.com



See more of Mike Kershnar's work in his product gallery.

By
Evan Tsai

ARTSPROJEKT STUDIO: 5 Interview with Mike Kershnar

Posted on Nov 02
While prepping for his upcoming show "Totems", Mike took some time to sit down with us at Artsprojekt and answer a few questions we had for him.


AP: Mike there's this huge spectrum of art genres splintering off into the  abyss. As an artist meshing folk, graffiti, skate, and psychedelia, how can  we classify what you are doing in an historical context?

MK: As an artist I am constantly seeking inspiration on my life path. I believe the role of the artist is to gather inspiration from their life in their circumstance, and then put that inspiration out into their art.  The artists' culture then views it, is inspired, and then goes out and does inspired acts.  In the last year I have been exposed to more art and interacted with more artists than ever before.  Up until then I only had a very rudimentary art history education from high school.  I definitely did not know about "deconstructing the figure" or Basquiat.  It is only in this last year that I became aware of how a person creating art that "matters" must place their work in a historical context.  I look at the genres you listed, folk, graf, skate, and psychedelia and these are my main aesthetic influences since childhood.  These subcultures would give me the visual roadmap of my heart.

The first art I can remember liking was Northern Formline-/Pacific Northwest stuff.  The bold colors and graphic interpretations really struck a chord with me.   I started skating quite young and the classic Powell and Santa Cruz Work from VCJ and Jim Phillips, greatly influenced what I associated with a good strong aesthetic.  Graffiti came next as major influence that I was mostly outside of, yet connected too.  Graffiti with its hard to read style, drips, and rebelliousness was my doorway into "high" art movements such as abstract expressionism and pop art.  Psychedelic visual language attracted me early on as well with its optical color clashes, and archetypical icons and landscapes.  I instantly absorbed and loved it the art of The Grateful Dead the first time I saw it.

As for the historical context... I guess only time will tell whether my work will be remembered or forgotten.  One of the reasons I love to do rock posters and skate graphics is that these projects give the rest of my art "cultural currency". Brands like Obey, Baker, Toy Machine, and Element matter to people, and so do you if you are creating art for them.  Same with bands like Beastie Boys, Morrissey, and Midnite.  So if I am getting my voice heard in the realms of skateboarding, street culture, and rock and roll, it give me drive to think I could be able to do that in the art world. Especially because all my work contains a message I believe in.


AP: Take us into your studio and your daily creative process...

MK: I currently live in an irie little guesthouse in Laguna Beach, California.  Each morning I wake up and check the surf, which I am blessed to be able to do from my desk/art zone.  If there are waves then I will be gaining inspiration from them, and if not I will have some coffee or tea.  I definitely vibe out to bunch of different types of music each day and I will find some work to do that matches the music. For example, I like a lot of live Grateful Dead and jazz to get my creative juices flowing.  If I am feeling confidant and progressive I'll check for some Wu-based hip-hop.  The reggae vibes are constant with the sounds of Sizzla, Midnite, and Groundation. If I need to power through something then it will be Tool and Rage.  Late at night I like the old time feel of Dylan, Cash, and Hank Williams.  I also like to listen to classic movies while I paint like Easy Rider and Moby Dick.  Basically I try my best to live in a state on constant inspiration whether it is gaining it from something like surfing, skating, or traveling, or putting it down in my art.
 
AP: How did you end up on an Apache Reservation making graffiti?

MK: The short answer is, after college my best friend Todd and I started Elemental Awareness, which is a non-proft that works with kids through skateboarding, wilderness skills, and art.  We were inspired in the direction of wilderness survival skills through the teachings of Stalking Wolf, who was an Apache elder, so I naturally felt a very strong affinity and gratitude to the culture.  On an Elemental Awareness trip to visit some Navajo friends we had made at a primitive skills gathering, we ran into Doug Miles who is a wonderful artist and community leader.  He invited us out the San Carlos Apache Reservation and we connected with a bunch of the youth there.  No we get out to Arizona every year and skate, feast, swim, and even go bombing with some of the Apache squad.  It is definitely one of those circles of inspiration where iron sharpens iron.

AP: How does ideas of Shamanism manifest in your work?

MK: Well the concept of the Shamanism is for the healer to become a medium for the Light.  The healer enters into a meditative state brought on through rituals like drumming, chanting, praying, and smoking.  The healer then becomes more than the person they were, it is like they went a conduit of energy to a generator.  Sometimes through the intense repetition and patterns in my work and the thankful and inquisitive state in which I try to keep my mind while working, I feel like I sometimes have transcendental moments, where I am like hollow bamboo, or an instrument being played.  My mantra throughout all art, is the prayer that it will inspire people to connect to the Earth and The Creator to live in a more awakened state of being.  This is the soul of my art, and why I believe it shines brighter than the sum total of its technical parts.



AP: What is next and next after next for you?

MK: I plan on keeping on the inspiration train.  I know when I am on it because the universe delivers the right people and undeniable moments of clarity and inspiration.  I am very excited to be going to Uganda with my Dad to track gorillas in the impenetrable forest.  My Dad took me to Nepal when I was 18, and to Brazil when I was I was 24 and these experiences profoundly fueled me on my creative journey. My big goal is to travel and show art all over the world.

Be sure to check out more of Mike's stuff in his gallery!

By
Evan Tsai

Swiv Circus presents "Totems" by Mike Kershnar, October 31st, 2008

Posted on Oct 28
New work by Mike Kershnar to be featured at Swiv Tackle Circus on October 31st - November 30th, 2008. Event starts promptly at 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

Statement from Mike about his new work:

"Totems is my newest body of work and fuses the elements of Shamanism, Graffiti, and psychedelic art. Large pieces on found crates, old hoods of cars from Navajo lands, metal street signs, and scrap wood bring the elements of street art into the gallery context, synthesizing modern expression and ancient patterns and symbology.

This new body of work delves into the human psyche and how diverse we are in our thoughts, actions, and patterns. Our totems or archetypal ways of being, are presented as hummingbirds, tigers, owls, sharks, wolves, eagles, and primates. The show is a testament to our ancient and modern psyches and the natural and urban landscapes in which we dwell. My thought was to create a compelling gallery experience that shows diversity, time, patience, and joy, all pointing towards an elevated state of being fueled by realizing our own spiritual power."


Swiv Tackle Circus
530 South Coast Highway
Oceanside, CA 92054

 




Check out more of Mike's work in his gallery!

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