Episode 59

full
Published on:

16th Jul 2021

Photo Realism and Surrealism

We talk photo realism and surrealism with Kimberley based art Genn Art. Wesley unpacks her process , technique and methodology behind surrealism. This is a podcast where we talk art and art processes.

Transcript

Wesley Pepper: [00:00:00] Thanks everybody, uh, wesley pepper and you're tuned into my podcast Wesley Pepper’s art Lexia, which is brought to you by spudcaster and baobulb. Uh, Yeah, man. Just on last week's episode. Um, I was flying solo last week, um, and if you remember correctly, um, there was a bit of a scheduling nightmare. The poets I was going to feature feature had all.

[00:00:31] Yeah. It was a bit of a scheduling thing is I couldn't get hold of them on time. So just to recap what I spoke about last week, I told you guys about the action research project that I'm working on. I will still do an episode on that probably towards the end of the year, because as we know the recording of this episode, the 29th of


[00:00:48] June, you know, we had another hard lockdown, so everything is postponed or put back. So it really makes it really difficult to do a follow up on that side. I don't even know when I'll be able to do that, but, um, I'll be keeping guys up to speed on my social media pages and all of that. So yeah, moving on to today's episode today


[00:01:03] we are gonna make another episode on with a, with an artist based in Kimberley. Um, she's a photo or her technique is very reminiscent of photo realism. And she also works with, uh, surrealism themes. So when a matter of unpacking, um, getting arts, um, we're going to be unpacking processes when I went back in how she works, how she conceptualizes the work and a little bit about art, because as you know, I'm based in Kimberly or other from ya, and I've been based in it for since COVID.


[00:01:35] So it's really cool to meet creators from, from, from Kimberley. And this will also be a live recording. In other words, we're not using zoom today. So she's sitting with me in the studio today. So that's just going to be. Actually I'm looking forward to that. Um, so yeah, we were unpacking all of that. Um, remember my art giveaway is still up for grabs, uh, like, subscribe and comment.


[00:01:54] On this episode, you could have an artwork done by yours truly. Remember. Um, I forgot to mention last week that the art giveaway is only available for artists in South Africa, because I just can’t afford to send art abroad, uh, coming from my own pocket. Um, so yeah, just remember like subscribe and comment on this episode, you can win artwork done by yours truly.


[00:02:13] And, um, I'll tell you, I'll speak to guys at the end of the episode about future episodes. We've got some really cool things coming up. Um, some really cool, exciting guests coming up and I'll explain that to you guys. You know this at the end of the episode. So now, um, I hope you guys enjoy, uh, Again, Jen, out 


[00:02:33] Genn Art: [00:02:33] of my full leg.


[00:02:36] Wesley Pepper: [00:02:36] Okay. So I hope you guys enjoy today's episode with Genevieve . After this 


[00:02:44] spudcaster: [00:02:44] baobulb.org is a podcasting platform and a medium for storytelling. This podcast is also available on all the major podcasting apps, including apple and Google podcasts. Podcast your life with baobulb.org. 


[00:03:03] Wesley Pepper: [00:03:03] Alrighty, here we go. Uh, Genevieve, Genevieve, Genevieve Clarke.


[00:03:09] Welcome. Uh, yeah man, let's get straight into it. So like I said, we were talking offline. Um, I was telling you how I saw it work. And the themes you're working on some really interesting stuff. So just for my guests, since you are new to the platform, um, tell us like where you come from, um, and your journey in the arts.


[00:03:31] Genn Art: [00:03:31] Well, um, my full name is Genevieve Clarke. I am from Welkom the Free State originally born and bred halfway there, and then moved to Kimberly 2010. And finished school year 2012, studied in the university of Free State 2013 till 2016. And I've just been working under my alias or brand Genn Art since then. 


[00:03:56] Wesley Pepper: [00:03:56] Yeah, tell us a little bit about the name.


[00:03:57] How did you come up with the name and as Genn ge double n, 


[00:04:00] Genn Art: [00:04:00] right? Yes. G E double N A R T. Um, if you break up the name, actually it's people call me Genna. So it's G E double N A and then the other side is the art. So I just put that together. Yeah. And the A in the middle with my logo, I actually replaced it with an eye.


[00:04:20] Um, based on concepts I've followed, interested, or in love with supposing I could, I, all those types of things, um, with a pen, pencil, and a paintbrush. But actually frames the eyes. That's the art part of it. Yeah. 


[00:04:38] Wesley Pepper: [00:04:38] So you were saying that, um, you mean, um, you've been drawing for what? Since? 


[00:04:44] Genn Art: [00:04:44] No. I've actually been drawing since I've been drawing since 2009.


[00:04:53] I was in primary school man. Primary school. It was, it was, it started as an outlet. And it was just something I did at home. I was always just drawing random stuff, sketching things I saw or thought of, um, And then as I got better at it, and my friends actually started seeing it, they were like, could you draw me in that?


[00:05:15] At that time, they were like, oh, this person can do looking back now. It's like, uh, but okay. We all have to start somewhere. You check. So, um, yeah, I've been drawing since primary school, actually. I just never published or showed anyone. It was just that. Well, so I was never a person who would speak about my emotions.


[00:05:34] I was always the bubbly one, so it was never like I would go to someone and be like, your friend, I need support about this or whatever. I just, I channeled into drawing instinctively. 


[00:05:47] Wesley Pepper: [00:05:47] Like I said offline. Um, I'm interested about the technique, um, just for the guests. Um, like one of the reasons why I remember, um, we did, uh, we did a two part series with, uh, Wilson Ngoni and he was he to you also was, a photo realist.


[00:06:02] Um, that technique is everywhere now. It's all over social media. Um, and also brands like bic pen. I know, um, white star, uh, the, the pap brand, I know they also commission, uh, Agh there’s a few others if I must think hard enough that does that. It does. Does commission artists to do, uh, uh, use that technique to paint various, uh, popular dinges and all of that.


[00:06:26] So it's a very popular thing. Right. So let's just put that aside. So explain to me. How did you, uh, where does your, where does your creativity come from? Where's your, where, so where does your art skills come from? Um, and how did you sort of hone your techniques? So we know, yeah. Explain to me a little bit about that.


[00:06:45] Genn Art: [00:06:45] I think it was, I was cultured and I was, my culture was nurtured by my surroundings and the people in my life. Um, I was always surrounded with people who loved creating content. And when it came to photographs, I was always exposed to either people being photographers or people, you know, being involved with photographs like photographic things or whatever the case may be.


[00:07:12] Um, we love taking photographs, um, as a household. So we also had that end was always that crazy thing of my dad liked drawing like cartoons in ways that you'd never know. He was going to end up there like nowadays, it’s like trick forms. It's easy to trick anyone, but back then it was like, goddamn, you know, it, he didn't know it was going to be Pinocchio or whatever the case may be, you know?


[00:07:38] Or that Dollar signed, we all first started with those three, the three lines of the top three lines of the bottom. And you just connect all of those lines on of the dollar sign that you see. I like drawing. I like taking photos and then every time I started drawing, like my things just started becoming more realistic regardless of whether I try to strive for the realism or not.


[00:08:02] I actually never thought of myself as, um, yeah, I, I can’t say that I've planned to even be an artist. I didn't even know you could formally study to be one. Um, I never, I was never exposed to art. Visual art, fine art. Yeah. I was never exposed to that. I was, I was more exposed to music. Um, like I say, photography, that type of thing in terms of my schooling, my schooling was actually the one thing that it saved me in a sense where exposed me.


[00:08:39] Yes. Exposed me to something that I didn't know. Anything about, and as soon as I got a taste of it, it was like every opportunity that jumped up, I was like, I want to try that. I want to do that. I want to do this. I want to do that. And then somewhere along the line, like I had. Arts and crafts things. I realised like as much as I didn't believe that I would want to become an artist, I loved creating.


[00:09:02] So when they were like, okay, for the first time we're going to have arts and crafts, it's going to be between half past two and half past four, you got to come this time, do that, and whatever. Put your name out for the schedule and it's going to be for the term and whatever the case may be.


[00:09:18] I was just excited. Are you going to be creating stuff? You know, when you at home, you don't have all the material. When you're at school, they give you the opportunity whether you have to pay for it or not. So I was just like, I'm going to go to these classes. 


[00:09:30] Wesley Pepper: [00:09:30] That's interesting. That's interesting.


[00:09:31] Uh, what stuck out there was the fact that there was no, um, like formal art education background. That's interesting. Um, and the only creative expression you really, uh, open towards music. And that's also pretty interesting. What type of music just before we go on. Genre’s music musicians.


[00:09:52] Genn Art: [00:09:52] Genre’s. The golden oldies was my parents. Definitely, but my dad is very different. Everyone knows that. So he, he also listens to reggae music and he doesn't look like he's that strict person, you know?


[00:10:08] you know, not even topics afterwards or whatever, but when you listen to his type of music, you like, you never think he listens to this. Um, my uncles that listened to Eminem, but they lawyers and you just like put them together. And it's just like that total contrast and opposite. And it's like, when people see me, they're like you listen to a lot of rock and art.


[00:10:26] And I was like, if you look at my playlist, nothing makes sense because I've been exposed to so many different I've learned to like adapt and also teach and learn. So now I feel like I'm just like this whole Pandora's box, filled with all these interesting things 


[00:10:42] Wesley Pepper: [00:10:42] Interesting. I was actually reading, uh, last night, um, that the brain actually, um, it's actually it rewrites or re routes or rewrites itself.


[00:10:50] Um, um, um, if the person has to do multiple genres of music and it actually, you actually become smarter over long-term. me to I also listen to multiple genres of music. Um, So, so that, so that's that, that, that's, that's pretty interesting. That's pretty interesting. So, um, um, let's jump into the actual processes, right?


[00:11:10] So, um, as you know, and we also spoke off air of the whole shift these days is, uh, celebrities, drawing celebrities, and that's kind of easy to, uh, to figure out why, because, uh, Pop culture, social media, that pans out. Well, you look at the ex American president, he was a celebrity, the, you look at our current politicians there’s a bunch of celebrities.


[00:11:34] They're so


[00:11:39] it's, it's, it's really next level type of thing. So it makes sense why people person, I don't really like it, but that's not the topic. What subject matter? How did you or uh, what subject method did you use to, uh, to grow your technique? What were you drawing and why? Um, 


[00:11:56] Genn Art: [00:11:56] I use a lot of, okay. First and foremost, like ever since I started like drawing people really well, it became this thing of Genna, will you please draw me?


[00:12:06] And at first it was fun. It was fun. You know, it really is friend. And so like, you have to like sit for days with this face and you realize, look, my body's not going to. This is going to take a toll. So we have to find a sustainable way of being able to create shit. So I had to actually get to the part where, um, I used my sister and my mom only as my portfolio for my models as my models for my portfolio, whether they wanted it or not, because I actually now am the person that takes most of the photographs for families.


[00:12:43] Whether they ask me or not random ones prepared ones scheduled ones, when we're together. It's like photos. When we're not together, I'd take photos. So, um, I use a lot of photographs that I either take to go into intentionally, as in I knew actually I wanted to use this photograph or something, or I see something and I'm just like, oh, I could use this for that purpose.


[00:13:06] So it starts with. I started with my mom and my sister while my friends, actually my friends and my family. And then it's just now my mom and my sister and I experiment with a lot of techniques. Um, a lot of concepts. Uh, I just experiment a lot, but it will always be my mom's sister and myself, uh, graphite pencil. Yeah. So far,


[00:13:34] Wesley Pepper: [00:13:34] how long does it take for you to complete a portrait? 


[00:13:37] Genn Art: [00:13:37] It depends actually because every single day so different. And if I dedicate a specific amount of hours, I can finish it probably in two days, maximum two days maximum, but I do so much other stuff that I break down the hours for myself.


[00:13:53] So it would take at least a week maximum now, because I look at things now at a way more finer detail before my eyes trained a bit more. Now that takes time. Yeah. Yeah. 


[00:14:07] Wesley Pepper: [00:14:07] Um, um, just, just, just, just, just, just to add on that, um, I know that, um, with artists, your eye, your eye get sharp, uh, uh, your perception and the way your brain remembers, um, out, remember there was this, uh, they said that, uh, If you look at an object, um, your brain remembers everything I think is for five seconds.


[00:14:28] And after that you start drawing what you think you've seen. Um, and I know, uh, guys who got really strong attention to detail, their memory is pretty sharp. Um, so your artwork, do you use colour?


[00:14:41] Genn Art: [00:14:41] I, I rarely use colour for drawing, but I'm not only a sketch or drawer per se or whatever they like to call it.


[00:14:50] I do paintings as well. Um, so I do Gouache paintings, oil paintings and acrylic paintings. Yeah. So that's the only time or most of the time that I'd be using colour actually.


[00:15:04] Wesley Pepper: [00:15:04] So tell me about your subject matter. So you, okay. Hold on. Um, before you get there, uh, How I see if you starting off with family members.


[00:15:12] So there's that personal aspect, uh, you know, emotionally, you know, them spiritually. Um, so to look at them and to conceptualise that I understand that, uh, Uh, other, what other subject matter outside that, do you, um, because I kind of want to move into your, into the, into the surrealist theme, but I want to get down.


[00:15:33] So I don't want to build up to that. Um, because, um, what I know, um, when I was, uh, I was, when I was a young fellow, when I was in my teens, um, I'd draw lots and lots of self-portraits. Um, that was my thing. I used to sit in front of a mirror and. Um, what I, um, what are I used to do? I think every two years I have to do a self portrait of myself.


[00:15:56] Yeah. I stopped some years ago for a bunch of reasons, but, uh, uh, it was, it was the digital, the personal subject matter. That was very, very, very, very personal. And it made me once I was comfortable with my technique, it made it that made it easier to, to, to, to, to sort of venture into other, uh, uh, Uh, genres and other subject matters and stuff.


[00:16:17] So explain to me your approach. Uh, so you started off with your sister and your mom. I understand that. So yeah. How did it move from there? Yeah. 


[00:16:25] Genn Art: [00:16:25] With, with them, it's more of experimenting with techniques when I use them as subject matter. But when I convey specific messages, I use my sister and myself only because my sister and I are growing up in a different time in comparison to my mom.


[00:16:41] So I feel like we have a lot of messages or stuff that I would like to address. So I usually use that as my platform to convey a message or something. So for example, body positivity or even negativity, um, I would really. Portraits or photographs of my sister and myself, and like our stretch marks and stuff like that, you know?


[00:17:04] So it's, it's, it's not even any more about who I'm using. I've just found a sense of comfort in being able to transpire my message, but using it either through my sister or myself or my mom as a subject matter. Yeah. Respective of what the concept may be. So if I speak about my personality or if I speak about, um, stuff that I feel negative, or I have doubts or stuff, and people think like, oh, now this person is like always happy and shit.


[00:17:36] And then you do artworks and you read the captionings like. Like I also go through that. I'm a human being at the end of the day. And then I tell them, they're like, who's this? And I'm like, that's actually me. So like my WhatsApp photo at the Mo at the, at the moment is an oil painting I did of myself before I actually locked my hair.


[00:17:56] So, um, I dyed my hair orange back then. I'm very experimental with my hair. And then I was thinking of a lot of things recently. Um, Yeah, a lot has been happening this year. And it was just, it got to that point where, because I was so stuck in my head, I felt like my own head was a prison, regardless of whether I spoke to people or not.


[00:18:21] So I drew like a prison in my head. 


[00:18:25] Wesley Pepper: [00:18:25] Interesting. Um, you and your sister, you've got a very close relationship. Um, older or younger 


[00:18:30] Genn Art: [00:18:30] younger. She is, I think seven years younger than me. She's turning 20 this year. 


[00:18:37] Wesley Pepper: [00:18:37] Um, okay. So I like the, that's a very interesting point about how you conceptualise what's going on in your head and the photo that you used on WhatsApp.


[00:18:47] That's a seamless, uh, image. Um, did you read up on surrealism before? Did you, uh, you know, did you have. I guess, did you like...

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Wesley Pepper's Art Lexica
This is a show where we talk art and art processes. It's typically an interview format, where we talk to different artists about their journey.

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