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What or who got you into art? I was entranced by art and being creative from my first memories. Making things came natural to me, just like most children. Especially those of us that were not slaves to the television set, Internet or video games, a time when we had to use our imagination to entertain ourselves. In middle school I was told that I was talented by one particular art teacher, and encouraged to keep being creative. That teacher made a big impact on my life, and helped me with my lacking self-esteem. My grandmother also was a catalyst for my creativity and asked me to draw for her all the time. As I got older I started a life in the real world and being emerged into a real job, school and responsibilities; I dabbled in art very little although it was a refuge from the silent hum of the world passing me by and gave me something to look forward to. In 2003 I encountered a very trying time in my life that almost broke me, and I turned to art additively. There was nothing else I wanted to do and became the only thing I did do. I created a large amount of work in a very short time, and was coaxed into my first gallery showing in 2005. From then on out I have been showing in galleries and using my art as therapy and turning creation into my career. I am honored, and thankful to be doing this.
What inspires you? Life is what inspires me. I know its cliché, but it’s pretty much how I see it. I deal with things; people around me deal with things and I find a way to express how I feel about those situations on a visual level, and do it. It’s a release, especially if I can’t help what’s going on in some way; it makes me feel that I am at least dealing with the effects on a healthy level by purging them and sharing my take on matters.
A lot of your works have bones showing through the skin. Is this a symbolic theme? I have been doing a lot of skeletal work over the last couple months, it began when I encountered a conflict in health both personally and with numerous people around me. Being in hospitals, thinking about death and dealing with the reality of mortality is really where the series started to emerge. We are all so fragile, and we all have so much under our skin that we keep hidden from the world.
How much of the art is done on the computer vs. traditional tools? I would say it is pretty equal, but the final product is finalized on the computer, and my work is shown as prints.
What’s a normal projects workflow like?
Your very into Tarot cards and have not one, but two different tarot card projects going on. Please tell us about the Silver Era Tarot Deck and the Lowbrow Tarot Project. The Silver Era Tarot deck is a project between author Russell J. Moon and I. The Lowbrow tarot Project is a collaborative exhibition, book and deck by 23 amazing talented lowbrow artists of this time. That was the short of it, and below is the long of it. Silver Era Tarot: The Silver Era Tarot is a fully functional tarot card deck based on the original Rider-Waite-Smith interpretation. The deck is a new-age interpretation of classical ideas expressed with artistic breakthroughs in new bold, groundbreaking ideas as we bring tarot into the 21st Century for older generations to rediscover and expose to a whole new generation of learners and thinkers. This deck is compiled of 78 cards and the companion book includes a brief description of every card, its interpreted meaning, reverse meaning and relative keywords to assist those that strive to further their expansion of the tarot deck by learning association and symbolism and will be published by Schiffer Publishing in Spring 2010. Lowbrow Tarot: The Lowbrow Tarot Project will showcase 23 amazing artists who will use their creative genius and unique style to take on the 22 Major Arcana [+ the card back] and create 23 new works of art in the rugged glow of the lowbrow art movement to be displayed in an exhibition at Billy Shire Fine Arts in October 2010, along with a hard cover tabletop book and full color tarot card deck
What is your favorite card in the deck? My favorite card of any deck changes on each day since the tarot cards have such depth to them, and can resonate in a person more on a given day then another. Out of my own personal deck that I created, I feel I am most attached to The Star, at the moment.
How Strongly do you believe in the predictions of the cards, or is it more about the art and symbolization? I don’t believe there is such a thing as a card “prediction” but more of “guidance”. Any card you draw can give you insight into your life or a situation; it can come from questions you project into the universe before the card is picked. For example if I had a question about a direction I wanted to take in say my art career, and I drew the “Temperance Card” that would tell me that I need to balance what I am doing, but that is a general statement and that is where the person who receives the card needs to be introspective about that what means to them. Tarot readings are very personal, and were originally created for personal divination – readers that shared their knowledge with others asking questions came later.
What does the future hold for Aunia Kahn? I sure hope it holds great things, as it already has been a hell of a good ride! |
