Art chats with James "Dalek" Marshall

&: Tell us who you are in one sentence. 

J: i am dalek : ) 

&: How would you characterize your style? 

J: its just an ever evolving experiment in how to use color and space more effectively.

&: Is there anyone or anything that is particularly inspiring to you right now? 

J: i really have been enjoying Crystal Wagner and Katy Ann Gilmore and then maybe just every day stuff.. the way light hits things.. or seeing a particular color.. home depot paint department always gets me pumped.. seeing all those color swatches. 

&: You came to Boulder a couple years ago and did a fantastic mural, which is now one of the most beloved art pieces in the community. Is there a difference in the way you approach your work when you are creating art in a large, public scale versus creating art in your studio? What kinds of things are different?

J: i think the scale requires tools and approaches that make it different in execution.. but conceptually its the same approach. i just don’t need ladders or lifts in the studio.. i use house paint instead of studio acrylics.. its harder to measure things at a large scale and making sure everything lands where its supposed to. 

&: What was your experience like going through the underground street art scene in the 90s to now- where there’s an explosion in street art culture? 

J: its always been there.. i don’t think much has changed at the core of it.. i just think the internet age makes it seem like there is more going on and it gets more attention than it would back in the day of small run graffiti magazines. 
i don’t pay much mind to most things anyhow. i like to keep my head out of scenes and just do my own thing.

&: It’s awesome to go back through the years and see your style evolve and then come full circle in some ways (like the return of the space monkey!). Where do you feel like it’s going in 2016?

J: i have no clue where it’ll go this year. i haven’t been doing much of anything so far.. i don’t tend to want to work much in january and february.. so i imagine i’ll get at it here shortly.. and whatever comes out is what i’ll roll with.

&: Do you collaborate with other artists often and what’s that like? 

J: no.. not big on collaborating with other artist and its mostly just because the opportunities really don’t arise that often to be in that situation. but i am also a control freak.. so i like to do things my way.. so it has to be someone i am really close with and trust in that back and forth process.. or it has to be someone who’s more of a bad ass than me.. then i would defer and take the apprentice roll without issue. 
i do like collaborating with people in other fields.. i think there is always so much for me to learn by entering someone else’s world.

&: Is there anyone you’ve been wanting to work with that you haven’t yet?

J: i don’t know.. i think it’d be apparel/fashion based.. or some industrial designer/architect.. i think i’d like to get on some things in those worlds. 

&: I'm a huge fan of your instagram & Ello profiles. It’s both inspiring and overwhelming the amount of art that’s shared on those sites daily. Do you find yourself going down that rabbit hole much?

J: i limit myself with that stuff. its way too easy for me to get distracted as it is.. so i’ll look at things here and there.. i can usually tell what kind of mood i’m in by how receptive to things i am or am not.. so there are days where things are hitting and having an impact.. and then there are days where i can’t be bothered. 

&: What have you learned through making art that has surprised you?

J: i guess that i can evolve and learn and get better. i don’t know if thats a surprise really.. but i guess on some level i never thought i’d be making art all these years later and challenging and growing in a way that i’m still interested in doing it. 

&: What is the best piece of advice you ever got?

J: lord knows.. i don’t doubt there has been tons of great advice over the years and i don’t doubt that i’ve internalized it without thinking much about it on a conscious level. for me i know the most important thing is just being who i am .. good or bad.. and evolving within myself in a natural way. i can only do what feels right to me.. i don’t worry about much else. 

&: Describe the setting of where a piece of your art will be in the year 3000.

J: i’m sure in landfills with any luck : ) i really don’t care. i am a process person.. i like making it and growing and learning from that process. it means a lot that people like what i do and that i am able to do what i do as a result of their support. so in that sense .. i hope that people still enjoy what i do long after i’m gone.. but thats almost a thousand years from now.. my bet is there won’t be anyone left to worry about it : )

&: What is the last piece of art you acquired?

J:its been a long while.. i used to be on a tear with acquiring art.. and then i just kind of stopped. probably because i have too much shit in my house and nowhere to put anything !! so that being said.. i think it was a Pose painting a few years ago. 

&: What’s on rotation in your stereo right now?

J: sports radio .. all day all night

&: Coffee or Tea? Tequila or Whisky?

J: coffee.. and whiskey.. i like that coffee spot there on Pearl we were going to when i was painting the mural.. those guys did it up right. 
(Boxcar)

&: You get one super-hero power, what is it? 
J: teleportation

&: Any last words of wisdom? 

J: there’s always more words of wisdom. never any last words of wisdom

&: Thank you we love you!

J: love you guys too

Follow James on Instagram: @dalek2020 and on ello: @dalek

Boulder Murals featured in The Westword

We're super stoked to be included in the most recent "murals recap" in the Denver Westword. Check out  Amanda Marie at number 5, Jaime Molina + Pedro Barrios at number 4, and Hollis + Lana in at number 1!

Holler!

20 questions with Hollis+Lana

Conor Hollis + Amorette Lana answer 20 questions! The artists are starting their mural project at 21st and Pearl Street in Boulder this weekend. Check out their interview and stay tuned for more updates on their project.

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Name: Amorette Lana and Conor Hollis

Current Residence: Denver, Colorado

Country/City of Origin:
Amorette: Denver, CO Conor: New Orleans, LA

Describe yourselves and your work:

A: I am here; making life out of art; and love. Living in pursuit through research, testing, process, freedom, and enlightenment toward the elegance and wonder of the question itself. The quest and journey become more present and enjoyable when the exploration, the mistakes, and the open spaces remain. I follow curiosity and organic geometry as far as they will take me. I am fascinated with bio mimicry and biotechnology. I use most things out of context at some point and click on buttons and keys everyday.. Erryday. Philosophy and fiction keep me confused. Music keeps the beat. Movement is to be, as we are together, not approved. Our work is a collaboration that organically came to be as we speak to each other through formal visual language.

C: I'm an art geek. I jump at chances to learn about new processes or materials and hang out with other people who geek out on what they do. Passion or obsession, depending on how you paint it, is what compels me to make our work. I have always been a maker. As a very small child I would collect scraps from construction sites in my neighborhood and build elaborate assemblage sculptures and installations. In a way, I think I still approach making art the same as that small child, discovering and mentally collecting the world around me to assemble something new for me to experience and share. We are nature lovers who spend most of our time together in the studio or studying science, nature, music, architecture and visual art. There is truly a moment when our artwork embodies an act of exploration.

How did you get started?

We each started our lives of making in early childhood leading each of us to discover a love for sculpture which is where our worlds and incidentally our careers melded into one. We started making our individual work together, always assisting each other's work. We entertained each other and grew more inspired by one another's skills and approach to art making. Together we search for the authenticity of a creative moment in its essence and the beauty of sharing those moments together.

What piece of work best represents you and why?

A: The most self-portrait like work for me is actually the most public. It's the central figures in our Seattle block mural. They struck me when I was working on them and I fell connected to their existence. C: pinning down one work as being the most representative of me would be very difficult. The entirety of our body of work is probably the best representation. Our work continues to evolve and develop with every new work, which, I feel is a place I always want to be as an artist.

How does material influence your designs?

C: Texture, weight, color, pliability, etc. determines what I grab when making. The inherent richness or lack thereof of a material can greatly affect the final result of a work. All of these variables are greatly considered throughout my creative process. A: Material declares the physicality of the physicalism.

Where do you go to get inspired?

Natural environments, other areas of study, and museums . We both love technology and the internet. Our peers these days are bold and it's almost too inspiring at times.

What have you learned through making that has surprised you?

It never gets easier, and we don't it's not supposed to. The struggle is infact where the true gems are hidden. The unknowns and the questions we've just thought of, are the paths we choose to explore willingly and fully. The more we know the more we learn there is to know and it's an incredible wormhole to travel!

Describe the setting of where one of your works will be in the year 2050.

Most importantly, in a place where it is thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by those who experience it. Some of our work is intended to have an ephemeral existence leaving only a residue of memories and photos.

What is it like when you collaborate with each other, what is the process?

It's a fucking blast in the studio. The street is unpredictable, as it should be. There's a lot of laughing, dancing, and Pajama wearing in the studio. We like to take full advantage of our living\lovin situation. We are always collaborating in some way. We both live to add to the brain trust and bust ourselves up in the pursuit of art.

How do you balance being an artist and being an entrepreneur?

Dive in, there is no balance! It's what we do all day every day. The hardest thing to balance with being an artist and an entrepreneur is being a human who needs groceries and to clean the house. Sometimes, when you're all in on what you do, the simple everyday things become the hardest to balance.

What is your process for creating new designs?

Create an infrastructure for process, draw, brainstorm and problem solve, correct the drawing, collect materials and supplies, begin, rest, continue, evaluate, problem solve, continue, rest, photographs, review on screen, review budget, continue, finish testing, finish, deliver, install, photos, celebrate, post. Rest. Do it again.

Why do you believe art has value?

C: we wouldn't be human without art. It's a representation of our ability to express emotion outside of our physical being. There are works of art from hundreds of years ago that still convey an emotion the same way it did the day it was completed and long after the creator is gone. That, I believe, has value and significance. A: Art is soul and cultural nutrition a source and action of thought, coexistence, and prosperity.

What is playing on your stereo?

It's a pretty broad musical sampling usually. To mention a few: The National, Future islands, timber timbre, Nappy Roots, Wiz Kalifa, Mos Def, Amy Winehouse, Ottis Redding, Blood Orange and of course our hometown favorites Snake Rattle Rattle Snake and Nathaniel Rateliff.

What’s in your cup in the morning?

A: coffee with cream C: always ice coffee, even in the dead of winter. Both: Bhakti Chai hot or cold

Who inspires you most right now?

C: Marilyn Minter, EtamCru, Herakut, Lee Bontecou, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.

A: Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami, Lisa Yuskavage, Pussy Riot, Jason Freeny, nature videographers, astronomist, always David Jones. Quintin Gonzalez. Pedro Barrios, always Louise Nevelson, and Louise Bourgeois , even if they didn't get along. Christo and Jean-Claude, Ashley Williams, Deborah McClary, Nathan Ables, Hunt Clark, Ashley Carlisle, Jenny Morgan, Joel Swanson, Thomas Evans

Whats the best thing about your studio/workspace/workshop?

We have a great team at the fabrication shop with insane skills and equipment and our studio is home now and always available. We can work on paintings until we fall asleep and get the opportunity to reflect on the work while living with it. The combination of work and studio life makes for a busy and rewarding lifestyle.

How do you stay motivated to create?

Research, reading, and exposing ourselves to other artists work. Many of our family and friends are also makers and they tend to be very inspirational and supportive.

Whats the best part about being an artist?

C: not having to resign myself to what's readily available. Knowing that the world around me is only limited by my own imagination. A: The responsibility to thought and actions of freedom. There is a belief system in art which values thought above conclusion and conversation over judgement. We both find it highly rewarding and sacred to our beings.