Artist Interview: Stacey Rozich
“Never Send A Mercenary To Watch Your Kids“ 2013 Roq la Rue Gallery solo show
“The King Is Dead” 2013 Roq la Rue Gallery solo show
How long have you been making art?
I’ve been drawing since I was a toddler and besides the several 60 page comic book epics I would draw in middle school and early high school, I’d say I officially started making art, or just painting when I turned eighteen — during my freshman year in the illustration program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
How did you make the switch from amateur to professional artist?
I think as soon as someone bought a piece of my work from a tiny group gallery show when I was 20 did that get the ball rolling towards self-employment. From there on I sold more work, got more tiny commercial jobs which lead to bigger jobs and it all snow balled into where I am today. I guess the key is hard work and sticking with it.
Where do your characters come from?
All over the place: the mixed bag of memories I have from devotedly watching television as a kid growing up in the 90′s to folklore throughout history from all over the world.
What medium do you use?
Watercolor and gouache. The imbedded cat hair is incidental.
There seem to be a lot of “bad dudes” in your work. Someone always seems to be up to no good. Are these pieces commentary on real life?
I find there to be bad and shady characters in every walk of life. Especially growing up in the city, I think I learned pretty quickly there are some shadows one should never ignore. I’m interested in them now, and I’ve always seemed to know people with less savory backgrounds; I find them fascinating.
Tell me about your cat Julius.
He’s a total trip. I’ve never owned my own cat before even though I grew up in a veritable animal sanctuary. He’s all at once stoic, and handsome in his permanent tuxedo and then the next minute he’s wired bouncing off the walls and into the tub with pupils dilated to full capacity which I call his “Vietnam flashbacks”. Jules is definitely a hit with guests too, he likes to crawl up on your shoulder and kiss your ear which either melts my friends hearts or makes them very nervous. He also has about 8 inch long whiskers, which is why I call him “Catfish wizard.”
Describe your personal style.
I love menswear-inspired looks but with definite feminine touches, I’m pretty tall so I feel like it works for me. I’ve always dreamed about having a well tailored suit someday which I could play up with different textured tops and jewelry. I’m all about pattern and texture which I’m sure comes as a huge surprise. I also believe that shoes and jackets make a look. I horde both of them.
You do a lot of commissions. How does that work compare to the work you do for your gallery shows? Is one more fulfilling than the other?
Each fulfills a different role in my life. Working on commissions can be a really nice challenge to imagine someone else’s idea through my own lens which is ultimately why they approached me: because they enjoy my style and want to envision their story within it. When I started getting them a few years ago, I got some really ridiculous requests. But since then I’ve gotten more control; maybe buyers trust me more now? And speaking about control, that’s what is so freeing about gallery shows. I have the reigns to do my work that is wholly me — I can be as exploratory and free as I want. But then you have a host of so many other anxieties, like will the public enjoy this? It is so exposing of yourself and your psyche. Will someone want to own this? And the snarky and lazy reviews that come along with it are my least favorite part. But really, I should be so lucky to get the attention of being written about in the first place, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.
What’s your favorite color?
That is too hard for me to choose. They’re like my children, I love all my children just the same.
Your instagram description says that you can be found at the snack table. What is your favorite food to snack on?
You know, when you’re a kid and you can plow into pretty much any bag of Cheetos or skittles and someone says to you, finger wagging, “someday you won’t be able to eat all that because your metabolism will slow down.” And I would roll my eyes and tip the bag into my mouth and eat the last of the crumbs silently flipping them off. Well damn it all, it really does happen. I could definitely cozy up with a bag of nacho cheese Doritos, but I try to keep it healthy with bell peppers and hummus, apples and almond butter and rye crackers and light cheese. Sigh.
If you weren’t a famous artist what other career would you try?
Anything that satiates and stimulates my curiosity. Being a broadcast journalist would be fun, but then cultural ethnography fascinates me (though I think the exploration of that happens in my work), or maybe a Slavic language studies major or a textile designer. Snack tester, maybe. Oh! The possibilities are endless.
