A Conversation With
Rusty Arquette
What first enticed you to start drawing?
I used to scribble around as a
kid, but it wasn't until I got into Jr. High that I really started
to get into drawing and the arts. It was in Jr. High I made a
friend who was a terrific artist, a fellow named Pieter Bogert.
Pieter used to draw 'pin-up girls' and a variety of comedic looking
'monsters,' like those in MAD Magazine. Of course these talents
made him a natural draw for all the guys in the 7th grade, they
loved his work.
Pieter found only the best to emulate,
the late Alberto Vargas, for his pin-up studies. Vargas, for
those not familiar with the name, was the man who did the 'Vargas
Girls' for Esquire and Playboy for many, many years; he is still
one of my favorite artists. Pieter would sell his drawings to
our fellow classmates and was able to make a descent amount of
cash for his efforts; this was an obvious attraction to me as
well. I watched and learned what he was doing, but never felt
I'd achieved his level of proficiency. He was the first person
to encourage me to do more and he became the artistic mirror
that challenged me to work at my art.
Have you ever studied under another
artist? What is your artistic background?
I was in art class through Jr. High and High School, as well
as two years of Jr. College. I was born and grew up in Sarasota
Florida, an arts oriented community, where I was exposed to the
classical and modern artists through numerous trips to the Ringling
Museum of Art. I even took summer classes at the Ringling Art
School in my junior year in high school.
My father was living in the French Quarter
in New Orleans during my junior and senior years in high school.
I spent one summer observing and soaking up the local art scene
and the next summer I enrolled in the McReady School of Art in
the Quarter. It was a fabulous place to soak up art in an environment
that fostered its growth. I came back from New Orleans having
worked in pastels and wanted to continue my studies. I met a
portrait artist in Sarasota, a woman named Vern Phillips, who
took me on as a student. It was my intention to explore the use
of pastels, but she started me out using colored pencils. I never
really enjoyed the pastels as much as the pencils so I have continued
with them.
I had a brief affair with acrylic painting
and Constructionist works in the 80's, but I've returned to pencils
and markers as my media of choice. It's only within the last
two years I've become enamored with computer art, my primary
focus being fractal imagery. I got hooked after first seeing
a gallery of fractal images on the internet. There are quite
a few fractal generating software applications available as free
downloads on the internet, just search fractal software and you'll
find dozens of sites listed.
What program or software do you use
to produce your fractal images?
I've tried several, but the one I find most user friendly (easy
to use) is Tierazon. Fractals are actually algorithms, mathematical
code, arranged in specific series that when introduced into the
binary format of a PC generates colorful abstract shapes and
designs. If you had to write these algorithms manually it would
take a lot more time and know-how than I'll ever possess. The
software programs take all the mental math work out of the operation,
letting the artist experiment, creating some rather breathtaking
images. Of all the software I've tried the Tierazon model was
the easiest to pick up and offers a wide variety of images. It's
one I highly recommend to those who may be interested. This is
the address of a site that has one of the best selections of
fractal software: http://fractalarts.com/ASF/
Do you look for a certain design or
does the program dictate the direction and pattern?
You learn, after awhile, which algorithms and commands will give
you certain images, but there is a lot of flexibility and exploration
that leads to some striking discoveries. Images can be manipulated
to achieve an end result, but some of the most creative were
just accidents. The hard part is trying to remember what you've
done so you can do it again.
How did you first get into mathematical
art?
I flunked every sort of math known to man, so it wasn't the math
that attracted me. I didn't even know it was math related until
I had explored fractals on the net. It was the color and design
that drew me in. I've learned to live with the math, but if it
wasn't for available software I probably would have moved on;
back to my colored pencils.
How deep do you burrow down?
I've gone down dozens of layers into a fractal pattern trying
to isolate that one perfect image, but I've learned I can find
those images by focusing in on the small sections of only the
second or third layers in. Then it becomes a matter of color
and cropping to achieve the final image.
What provides inspiration for your art?
It would be my interest in surreal and abstract art coupled with
the visual images from the hallucinogenics I did in my youth.
Some fractal images mimic my old 'trip' imagery perfectly. The
interplay of color and light make the images dance. It's really
a feast for the eye.
Your art that I've seen is all electronic;
do you work with other mediums?
Oh yes, as I mentioned before, I've had my acrylic period where
I churned out several dozen paintings experimenting with various
materials. Most of them are stored in my garage at the moment;
some are hung around the house. I also keep up with my cartoon
and caricature work in Prismacolor Pencils and Markers.
I have two blog sites, one has my caricatures
on it (rcatsmugshots.blogspot.com)
and one that has my fractal imagery (clockworklightning2.blogspot.com).
If you can get to one of them there are links to my other sites.
Here you can see what I'm doing and have done with my art work.
What do you look for in a work of art?
Something out of the ordinary. I am drawn to photo-realistic
paintings as well as the surreal and abstract. I like graphic
arts and illustration as well as fine art. I find joy in both
classical and contemporary styles. The imagery has to make me
stop and think, it has to draw me in and lead me through something
unique.
Who is your favorite artist and why?
There are so many: Dali for his use of color, size, and detail;
Van Gogh for color and style; H.R. Giger for his bizarre marriage
of flesh and machine; Peter Max for his vibrant color and social
relevance; Roger Dean for his imaginary landscapes; Alberto Vargas
for his lovely Pin-Up ladies; Ralph Steadman for his illustrations
of Hunter S. Thompson's articles; Shel Silverstein for his wonderful
line drawings; Klaus Oldenberg for his soft sculpture; Frank
Lloyd Wright for his architecture; The Art Nouveau movement and
the Art Deco movement as a whole. I could go on and on, but I
think you get the picture.
Where do you see yourself and your art
in five, ten, and twenty years?
Well, I'm 58, so I suppose I'm looking forward to retiring so
I can spend more time reading, writing, and creating more artwork.
There never seems to be enough time.
I'm not concerned about being famous or
sought after. If people find my stuff entertaining that's great,
but if they don't that's okay, because the process has served
as a great therapy for me all these years. It is a very quiet,
peaceful place I can go to meditate; Zen for the Artist in search
of Himself.
To view last month's artist Mary
Jane Q. Cross at www.q-cross.com
or www.maryjaneqcross.com
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