Friday, January 21, 2011

Meet a Maker- Melody Dennison

How did you become so Dandy? Were you born that way?

I was born stubborn. My first word was "no", not "mommy" or "daddy". I had to be restrained every time I went to the doctor as a child, and no one could brush my hair without a battle. That hard headed fire in me paid off as an adult because I have always fought and worked hard to do what makes me happy in life.....not what was expected. Luckily I had an amazing mother that supported my decisions, no matter how out there. Thankfully I got over throwing tantrums and am much nicer now.


What drove you to start pursuing art?

I was always drawing and doodling growing up. Art was always the only subject in school I looked forward to. In high school I was in an Art Club that met after school, and outside of school I was exposed to graffiti and was amazed by it.


How do you pick your medium/materials? What are your favorite materials to work with?

I mostly work with spray paint, but I have also been working with acrylic and watercolor more. There are things you can do with spray paint that you just can't replicate with other mediums, and it will always be my first love. I'd like to play with oils though. I like a lot of variety. It's good to push yourself out of the norm.


What pieces do you have in mind for the future?

When I'm not doing stencil and pop art, I really like doing cartoonish style lowbrow stuff. This year I plan on doing more of that.....weird creatures and silly stuff.

Inspiration: anyone who has ever bought one of my paintings
Website: http://hifructose.com/
Music: Lately I've been listening to a lot of Bon Iver or old soul. I also have an obsession with 90's hip hop. I'm all over the place with my music selections.
Artist/Designer: Jeff Soto, Ron English, Audrey Kawasaki, Roy Lichtenstein, Banksy


Thoughts on world domination? Anti-mass production? The handmade movement?

I love that more and more people are putting their handmade creations out there...crafts, knitting, paintings, cartoons..all of it. It's not easy letting people judge your work that you put your heart into, but we need it. People need to be reminded that as adults you can still do all the things you love to do. The daily grind of work can eat at your soul. Creative outlets help relieve that monotony and help you keep your inner child. As far as mass produced art goes...it has no soul. You could splatter some paint and a gallery would sell it for thousands of dollars if you have the right people backing you. The art world is pretentious. You have to hold onto your values, stay true to yourself and be humble. Beware of gallery owners that only see dollar signs. With my stencils I sketch and trace them and cut them all by hand. Even though it would be easier to use a printer, I like doing it the hard way. It wouldn't be as rewarding if I just mass produced paintings without putting everything I could into it. That would take all the fun out of it for me, personally. I make art because it makes me happy and because it's what I love. Knowing that people like anything I make enough to put it in their home just inspires me to keep doing it. I still get excited every time I sell a piece. That support means so much.



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