Carlos Tarrats

Carlos Tarrats is a LA based photographer and graphic designer. Tarrats' haunting photographs of domestic flora turn the concept of still life into an introspective meditation. Tarrats' work is well represented throughout the U.S., and his fashion photography and designs for American Apparel grace the pages of countless magazines.

I know that you have a pretty involved process that is very exciting, and I enjoyed the video on your website. Can you tell everyone a little bit about your studio practice?

Well I will assume by studio practice that you mean, how I go about creating an image. It usually starts with an idea or feeling I have. And then I just play off of that. Its a very organic process. Sometimes it's planned out. Other times it's completely spontaneous. Then I will see what I have on hand, and usually that's not much. So I will go out and find objects and plant life that fit my concept. When creating the image, I just build it on set one layer at a time. Really, the hardest part is getting myself in the right frame of mind to create. Of wanting to share; then to tell the story I want to in a way that's not too obvious or abstract. Though seemingly simple, its usually very exhausting.

Your pictures are remnants of 3D fabrications, painted 2D surfaces, staged light, and photographic processes; to what degree to you consider yourself a mixed media artist? I don't at all really. Personally I consider myself a photographer. I am a terrible painter / sculptor / illustrator ect...I use what's available to me in the best way I can. Any perceived skill I show with any artistic medium is really nothing more than me understanding my artistic limits and doing the best I can with my rudimentary skills. No joke. There are children who finger paint more impressively than my ability with a brush. In fact, I don't like to say I am a photographer either. I just take pictures. I document what i see. Whether it's in front of my face, inside my head or a combination of both.

You've stated that at times you feel your pictures have been more about your feelings and perspectives on your subjects, as opposed to the complex constructions that you photograph. You do feel that you still tend to approach your subjects at an introspective level? Yes, very much so. For me it is not about what I am photographing but rather what the objects represent. All major manipulation is done on set. So the only real influence the camera has is in it's click of the shutter. In a weird way it makes me feel more like I am documenting something rather than creating.

There is a trend within your work to range from portraiture to narrative or allegorical. Can you please talk about how these different outcomes tend to take shape. Nice catch. It depends on what I am interested in exploring at the moment and how I am feeling. Usually the more narrative / allegorical work tends to be more autobiographical, where as the more portraiture based stuff tends to be about my fascination with outside influences. But they are all connected with the same underlying themes and perspective.

How do you feel that your fashion photography or your design work informs your studio art?

Well, I am influenced by everything I see. I am always looking at imagery. But for the most part my studio art is pretty separate. My studio art is much more personal. I think of them as journal entries. I can look at a piece and know what I was feeling and thinking at that time. Where as my other creative outputs are more finding solutions to external problems and situations in a way that represents me but is not about me.

What is next?

Not sure. Have some ideas to explore. Expand on some past ones.

You can see more of Carlos' work at www.carlostarrats.com

Aric Sites

Aric Sites is a mixed media artist from Shippensburg, PA. His most recent body of work, Weight, explores memory at a strikingly personal level.

I am fortunate to call Aric my contemporary and a close friend. His work is consistently technical and conceptually compelling, and a source of personal inspiration.

Aric, we've known each other for a number of years now, but for those that are unfamiliar with your work, please tell us a little bit about what you do.

My recent artisitc focus has been directed towards a series of large format ( 70in. x 48in. ) works on canvas. This series has been executed in a variety of mediums concentrating predominantly on oil + collage/ fusion. The paintings combine abstract, representational, and non-objective elements.

The common thread between the twenty currently finished pieces is the fact that each individual piece contains some degree of text. I like to think of the imagry as music, and the text as lyrics blended to create a sort of haunting, visual diary.

My purpose is not to tell a story to an audience or to necessarily communicate happy feelings. The goal is to directly engage the viewer and relate bare, honest emotions to them from a clearly personal point of view. Please visit www.aricsitesart.com for further explanation.

I love this series Aric. You mentioned the concept of visual diary. Now from previous conversations that we've had, I know that your sketchbook doubles as a very intensive and well kept journal. How much do you feel that the contents of your writings influence the content of your work, other than there being a very visual text presence?

Very much so. The entire concept of the "Weight" series came from sketches and scribblings in notebooks and diaries. The challenge was to incorporate the frantic immediacy of such tiny passages into large scale works of art --- and still have the whole of the content transfer the same raw emotion.

More often than not, the intensely private entries do open up visual images in my head and I find myself immediately beginning to experiment with different ways to express them in my work. In addition to massive variables such as composition and color, I feel much of the final product is formed around the sometimes dark vibe of the text.

Agreed, I've always felt your pictures successfully portray the tonality of the writing included. Do you have any background in writing poetry?

Also, when you start to experiment with imagery, what is your thought process like when choosing to collage an image, or paint it? At what point in time do you decide, "this is going to be based on a collaged print". You are a very accomplished painter, so why make use of materials that are ready-made to some degree?

Definately no background writing poetry---- I still hesitate to call what I do poetry. I feel that it is more like simple -abstract/wierd fragments of thoughts, and memories (or at least interpretations of them) jotted down, then later refined and used in my work. Sometimes I'll sketch the scene of a memory and combine that with some scribbled thoughts as a catalyst for my creative process.

When experimenting with imagry, I usually have an idea in my head of how I wish things to turn out, but they never come off exactly as I envision them. As far as the paint/collage ratio, I would say that trial and error play a significant role. I believe that I use pretty primitive techniques to achieve various effects and textures. Throughout the process, Iwill add---then take away images with paint and collage--- and then repeat over and over until I start to get what I originally wanted. I start with a loose plan, however the process of the work takes control, constantly changing the direction of the work. Hence, I never really know what will work and what won't--until it's happening--but that's the exciting thing about it.

I know Weight has been a project that has been kept hidden and being developed in a basement for a number of years now. What are your plans for this body of work? Are there any shows that we can look forward to?

I plan on completing this body of work (22 pieces) prior to the new year (2011). At that point, I will immediately have a solo exhibition showcasing the entire body of work in its entirety. The show will be held at the Washington County Arts Council in Hagerstown MD beginning January 8 and running until early February.