CARMINE MAGAZINE

Carmine Magazine: How would you describe your style?
Serpenthes: I want to say that anyone with eyes will be able to come up with some adjectives and expletives on their own… but I’ll say it’s like you traveled back in time and somewhere along the way you screwed up and killed an ant or saved a person and so now everything in time and universe is just a little off.

CM: Is art a hobby, profession or obsession for you?
S: It’s an obsession. It’s on my mind just about every single moment of the day. Everything looks like a photograph or a clip from a film or music video or a potential sketch.
There are several pieces that I’ve done that will be put together as a book eventually. So hopefully then it’ll be a profession as well.

CM: Do you listen to music when you create? What is the perfect creative setting for you to get your work done in?
S: Music is incredibly important to me and always has been. Some I draw inspiration from and some just creates the background noise or ambiance that I need. My music tastes are pretty diverse. Anything from Tom Waits to Cab Calloway to Air to Arcade Fire. Even Britney Spears.
As for the perfect setting… So as long as I’m not interrupted, have all the supplies I need and some background noise, I’m happy. I used to take the subway to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and sketch in the main waiting hall for hours. The architecture is old and gorgeous and I feel really at peace there. That’s really the only public place I enjoy working in though.

CM: What are some of your biggest inspirations and influences?
S: Anything from the 1920s – music, fashion, bars, cars, buildings – makes me want to create. The music of Tom Waits, the basilicas of Rome and Florence, really good books or films. I’ve had a muse or two over the last couple of years to whisper ideas into my ear as well. I’m a huge fan of Renaissance era art and Art Deco architecture makes me weak in the knees. As of late, ‘The Devil in The White City’ by Erik Larson, ‘Neon Bible’ by Arcade Fire and ‘Back to Black’ by Amy Winehouse, and the film ‘The Prestige’ really got the cogs in my brain going and wanting to create.

CM: Name a few of your favorite artists.
S: Erté, Edward Gorey, Mark Ryden, Michelangelo, Sailor Jerry, Alberto Vargas, and my brain twin Jody Gurke. The photography of Ellen von Unwerth and the architecture of Gaudí . Though I tend fall in love with specific paintings or sculptures more than with an artist’s style.

CM: If there was one style of art that you could take up what would it be?
S: I would like to learn to play the theremin.

Find Serpenthes’ work at these places around the web:
Serpenthes.com
Etsy Store
Official Serpenthes Blog
Serpenthes Art Journal

Some artwork from Serpenthes: