Artists Interview Artists: Mark Creegan

Mark Creegan, an artist from Jacksonville, FL, participates in the Artists Interview Artists Project. Below Mark responds to another artist's five questions (Zachary Stadel from Los Angeles). In order to participate, Mark had to provide me with five questions for some other artist to answer. The assigning of questions to artists is completely random.

Cassettes for Moon Colony (detail)
dims vary
Cassette Tapes, Fun Tak, Monofilamant on wall
2006

1. To what extent do you allow yourself to make work that isn't yours? That is, how bound are you to be consistent with the work you've made before?

I like to make work that I am not entirely comfortable with, so change is important. Sometimes I wonder if I am shooting myself in the foot by changing materials and such so much, but I really can’t help it. I find switching up the way you work is important. For example, I recently made a piece completely pre-conceived and executed according to plan, totally contrasting with my usual “letting the process determine the outcome” mode. I learned so much by doing that. Having said that, I do hope consistency on some level is noticed when you consider the entire body of work.

2. Do you have an explicit problem or set of problems that you are trying to solve by making objects or images?

Sometimes I set up some sort of physical problem such as making a particular material appear weightless or working with a given space. Conceptual or thematic issues vary according to the piece, but in general my basic problem is how to make the work engaging, seductive and surprising. Basically, I want a piece to be badass, like someone much smarter than me made it.

3. Do you consciously make your artwork a little ugly (not so easy to digest)?

Some of the materials I work with are inherently cruddy because they are discards or trash. I am not consciously trying to show “the beauty of garbage” or whatever. The materials come the way they are. Having said that, I do like the contrast of using base, stupid, ugly things to make tidy, rational minimalist arrangements. When done right, I think there exists a sadness and a hopefulness about it.

4. How do you know when a work is finished?

When I have finished the case of beer! No, just kidding. Um, I guess I could say the typical “a piece is never finished”, but I don’t think that would be entirely correct. There is a certain degree of “rightness” I am after, or at least some sort of equilibrium. But I recognize the fact that many possible “rightnesses” exist, which manifests in my tendency to keep the materials for my installations loose and free, un-static.

5. Does art serve a function beyond decorating walls?

God I hope so, or I have wasted a ton of time and money on those art books on my shelf! Decoration is a small part of art’s function, but if anyone ever sees me drag my 50 grand- in- art- school- debt butt into the studio to paint pretty pictures of palm trees for little old ladies, PLEASE SHOOT ME!

'Ainting Two
dims vary
paintcan drips and tape on wall
2006

Previous Interviews:
Juno Doran (questions by James W. Bailey)
Josh Feldman (questions by Joseph Barbaccia)
Lisa Stephenson (questions by Whitney Lynn)
Joseph Barbaccia (questions by Josh Feldman)
James W. Bailey (questions by Matt Hollis)
Matt Hollis (questions by Juno Doran)
Carol Es (questions by James Leonard)
Alexandra Silverthorne (questions by Ami Lahoff)
Christine Buckton Tillman (questions by Carol Es)
Douglas Witmer (questions by Alexandra Silverthorne)
Sky Pape (questions by Douglas Witmer)
Whitney Lynn (questions by Lisa Stephenson)
Heather Levy (questions by Joanne Greenbaum)
Heather Lowe (questions by Samantha Wolov)
Samantha Wolov (questions by Heather Levy)
Timothy McClellan (questions by Heather Lowe)
James Leonard (questions by Sky Pape)
Joanne Greenbaum (questions by Timothy McClellan)
Richard Kooyman (questions by Robert Walton)
Candy Keegan (questions by Warren Craghead)
Robert Walton (questions by Candy Keegan)
John M. Adams (questions by Richard Kooyman)
Prescott Moore Lassman (questions by Mary Addison Hackett)
Mary Addison Hackett (questions by Prescott Moore Lassman)
Andrew Wodzianski (questions by Nathan Manuel & D.Billy)
Nathan Manuel & D.Billy (questions by Andrew Wodzianski)
Michael Janis (questions by Scott Listfield)
Scott Listfield (questions by Michael Janis)
F. Lennox Campello (questions by Sean Hennessy)
Matt Andrade (questions by Adrian Parsons)
Sean Hennessy (questions by F. Lennox Campello)
George Wayne (questions by Michelle McAuliffe)
Eridanus Sellen (questions by Anabela Jevtovic)
Anabela Jevtovic (questions by Eridanus Sellen)
Marianela de la Hoz (questions by A.B. Miner)
Martin Henry (questions by Barbara Johnson-Gresser)
A.B. Miner (questions by George Wayne)
Barbara Johnson-Gresser (questions by Martin Henry)
Adrian Parsons (questions by Matt Andrade)
Heather Schmaedeke (questions by Patricia Hartnett)
Anthony Easton (questions by Melissa Kennedy)
Roz Leibowitz (questions by Anthony Easton)
Melissa Kennedy (questions by Tracy Lee)
Michelle McAuliffe (questions by Marianela de la Hoz)
Tim Folzenlogen (questions by Jason Hanasik)
Rob Willms (questions by Dott Schneider)
Marsha Stein (questions by Gregg Chadwick)
Jason Hanasik (questions by Tim Folzenlogen)
John LeKay (questions by Rosa Naparstek)
Brock Neilson (questions by Richard Vosseller)
Rosa Naparstek (questions by Howard Salmon)
Patricia Hartnett (questions by Verta Reyes)
William Andrews (questions by Bean Gilsdorf)
Howard Salmon (questions by John LeKay)
Corey Amaro (questions by Jason Dean and Matt Nash)
Michael Grayeagle (questions by Chris Ashley)
Marion Boddy-Evans (questions by Deborah Fisher)
Richard Vosseller (questions by Brock Neilson)
Deborah Fisher (questions by Corey Amaro)
Eileen Wold (questions by Michael Grayeagle)
Rob Myers (questions by William Andrews)
Gregg Chadwick (questions by Marsha Stein)
Chris Ashley (questions by Eileen Wold)
Verta Reyes (questions by Heather Schmaedeke)
Jason Dean & Matt Nash (questions by Rob Myers)
Mary Taitt (questions by Adriane Giberson)
Adriane Giberson (questions by Peter Ferko)
Peter Ferko (questions by Amethyst Begley)
Susan Schwake-Larochelle (questions by Jean Hutter)
Jean Hutter (questions by Mary Stebbins Taitt)
Amethyst Begley (questions by Kimberley Lindsley)
Kimberley Lindsley (questions by Susan Schwake-Larochelle)
Prem Singh (questions by Alison Rose)
Erin Antognoli (questions by Karen Winters)
Denis Peterson (questions by Andrea Pratt)
Jennifer Seymour (questions by Erin Antognoli)
Imants Ozers (questions by Denis Peterson)
Mark Malmgren (quesntions by Fiona Ross)
Remi Viger (questions by Brady Hegberg)
Fiona Ross (questions by Susan Constanse)
Susan Constanse (questions by Remi Viger)
Amie Oliver (questions by Christin Ciaccio Briggs)
Christin Ciaccio Briggs (questions by Dawn Whetzel)
Tara Krause (questions by Cathy Breslaw)
Dawn Whetzel (questions by Tara Krause)
Warren Craghead (questions by John M. Adams)
Dwayne Butcher (questions by Miguel Avila)
Zachary Stadel (questions by Walter Logeman)
Miguel Ángel Ávila (questions by Mark Creegan)
Walter Logeman (questions by Dwayne Butcher)

Comments

[Zack]

Hey, a little news:
Mark and I both have shows up in LA at the same time. We got to meet and see each other's shows.

Mark Creegan
"New Paint Things"
Dangerous Curve
March 17th - April 21st, 2007
http://dangerouscurve.org/

Zachary Stadel
"Heat and Dust"
See Line Gallery
March 24th - May 12th, 2007
http://www.seelinegallery.com/