Johnny Larson.. Check out his Spaceblues STUDIO

·        How would you describe your "style" as an artist? A lot of people have told me I’m “pop surreal”, “abstract urban”, or even a “graffiti stylist”—which is kind of perfect. Personally I don’t shoot for a style in particular, its kind of a big blend. If I had one style it would change my outlook and it would confine me as an artist. My main goal is to create something that has a reality in the subconscious. But I definitely like to use bold, loud, and happy colors. I go for the “Bruce Lee philosophy” that says if you stick to one style you limit what you’re capable of.

·         What medium do you prefer working in, and on what scale? Right now I’ve been using acrylic on a small scale because I’m limited as far as space. I do enjoy using oil on a large scale, but its just that the canvasses tend to be more pricey and a bitch to store. Acrylic is also good because of the smell and it is easier to store. I’m capable of using all sorts of medium though. Except I don’t use is pencil and charcoal. I’ve also being using watercolor now because of my strong illustration style.

·         From where do you draw your inspiration as an artist? My inspiration for becoming an artists is Van Gogh all the way and his vibrant style. Salvador Dali also caught my attention by saying you can do whatever you want and don’t limit yourself because we have cameras for that. Comic books and anime have also influenced me and they’re definitely mixed in w my style. I really like escaping reality, and I tend to like creating  my own moods, backdrops, and settings. I don’t know what it is, I really like to stretch people out. It’s not fun to be realistic, there’s no imagination to it. I like to create my own little setting. And a lot of the time I’ll hear a good music record and that will channel through into my art, ad I wont realize it until I’m done.

·         When did you discover that art was something you were going to pursue, and how did you figure out that you had legit artistic ability? When I was younger I remember thinking it would be really easy because I was talented enough to being with. I got to the point where it was personal and fun. But about a year and a haldf ago I started putting stuff up online and I started getting commission calls. And I figured I should go out and try to sell my stuff. I guess you could say that I fell into the mainstream view that needed to get a “real” job and not worry about art. But then I did a  complete  180 and now I’m a full time artist.

·         What goes into your artistic creative process? Meaning, where do you ideas come from? How do you ideas end up on the canvas? How do you plan or map out your work? Do you have a methodology of painting that you implement, or is your creative process more random? Etc.. I compare my process to automatic writing, and its sort of like I’m channeling something. I’ve never been able to draw exactly what I want. As a freestyle artist, I tend to just put the pen down and start going. When I start to think too much it becomes a long process. I have a lot of political ideas too, but when I try to think about them I over think and my ideas don’t make sense. Instead, I just  let the thoughts flow from my subconscious and try not to think about anything too much.

·         In what ways does the internet serve someone like you in terms of exposing your work and sharing with others? It’sdefinitely a great platform for artists to reach all sorts of people who otherwise might not know you exist. I’ve reached this point in my career solely because of the internet. Right now I’m working on projects for musicians who otherwise wouldn’t know that I did art. One thing I’m always afraid of is people stealing your work, but I haven’t heard of it. You can’t really steal someone’s style. I could never pull off someone else’s art. It just wouldn’t work.

·         If you were building a site for artists, what would be some of the main features that you believe would best serve the artist? For me I would like to find a way to connect with galleries that might show your type of work. Also, the biggest thing is being able to meet and collaborate with like minds. It’s all about constructive criticism, although that’s pretty hit or miss. Some people really hate criticism [laughs].

·         How do you think a site like Spaceblues will help to benefit the artists and the art community on the whole? There is a huge need for that site. I’ve seen quite a few art social networking sites that are so half-ass. They last a month and the server overloads. Social networking sites are really good for promotion, but now its just really watered down. It doesn’t have a professional feel. If I’m looking for art solely, I don’t care if your baking cookies with your grandma [laughs]. I want it to be more about the art itself.