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The work of Kristin Winters, Zach Fleming, and Aaron Hansen vividly encapsulates the magic of the illusive desert from its meticulous landscape to its more hallucinatory effects on the human mind. The artists find the beauty and color that oftentimes gets lost within a desert landscape, the kind that’s been there all along, begging to be found. Breathing a new life into their everyday environments, these artists paint the Coachella Valley in a way only a true desert native could.
Read on for the Coachella Magazine interview.
Tell us about yourself and current work for Extra Celestial.
Zachary: I am an Art Educator and Manager of School Programs at the Palm Springs Art Museum where I interact and work with students in grades K-12th from all across the Coachella Valley. I majored in Art and delivered pizzas for a while. My paintings in the Extra Celestial show are part of an ongoing series of “Cactus Portraits” based on various cactuses in my garden, or encountered in and about my travels throughout the Coachella Valley. Highly saturated colors and day-glo paint are used to evoke a synesthesiac sense of the desert’s heat.
Kristin: I am a Coachella Valley native artist, who grew up in La Quinta Cove among the Santa Rosa Mountains. I’ve had an affinity for the desert landscape and a passion for the arts from a very young age. I further studied painting and printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, earning my BFA in 2008.
My art featured in our show Extra Celestial, is my current body of work. My paintings question our still state of sentience, and explore the possibilities of consciousness. I record dreams, memories and events how I feel them, rather than how I physically see them. Painting itself is an act of alchemy- the humble materials of pigment, wood, resin and clay can be transformed into work of art with the ability to communicate with the human spirit.
Aaron: I paint on various surfaces and various reasons with various mediums, the work I’m showing is fresh and new, yanked down from the 5D for all earth people to consider.
What does the desert mean to you and what inspires you?
Zachary: The first painting I ever made on stretched canvas at the age of 9 was of a desert-mountain landscape at night. I had collected actual sand from my backyard and glued it to the canvas to represent the foreground. I suppose the natural landscape I am surrounded by has always been an inspiration for me, but it is a subconscious influence and not something I think about. I have thought about it in retrospect, but really it is more a by-product of having grown up always having sand in my shoes.
Kristin: I love how the desert is a continual light show! In the morning when the sun is rising, the mountains are brilliant orange, with dramatic deep purple shadows. The skies range from a soft baby pink to blue-green, to a spectacular red-orange sunset. The valley’s brilliant lighting effects inspire the bright colors in my paintings. The unique topography of the mountains also inspires the melting geometric shapes in work.
Aaron: Home is where the Heat is. Deserts offer peace and an expansive void to fill. The nature of deserts are very harsh and honest, doesn’t give a shit about you or your efforts really because everything is attuned to survival. I think it’s good to keep that perspective in mind so creators in the desert stay humble and show respect to our environment. My favorite part of the desert in Coachella Valley is that it allows you to venture into yourself due to lack of distraction. And if you feel like being distracted from yourself or desire a new perspective, Mexico, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix and other nodes are always down a highway or two.
If a UFO came down today and you could ask an extraterrestrial one question, what would it be?
Zachary: Greetings interstellar travelers, have you seen Seinfeld? [Chances are they have. If they are intelligent enough for interstellar travel (assuming they aren’t already hiding among us in which case they would know all about Seinfeld), they should be able to detect our terrestrial radio-wave broadcasts. This also means they would possess the ability to travel faster than light. If they are able to understand the postmodern meta-humor of Seinfeld despite not being limited to the same four-dimensions all human creation is based on, then it’s a good conversation starter despite their vastly superior technological intelligence.]
Kristin: Have you seen Rick Sanchez?
Aaron: I mean, drones are ufos, planes are ufos, spores are ufo, dense thoughts are ufos, shooting stars are ufos. I don’t necessarily believe in a distant space, ever hear of unidentified Submerged Objects? How deep is the ocean, center of the earth? I’ve seen ufos several times and I also am not convinced that we ourselves are “humans.” Either way, probably would just say hi and keep it moving, plus words are pretty archaic, doubt intelligent life forms actually use labor intensive vocal language. Guess I would ask to learn the best way to communicate or travel tips around the celestial/terrestrial biome we call home!
Flat Black Art Supplies is quickly becoming a hub for local creatives. What makes it unique and how did the show come together?
Kylie Knight: Flat Black continues to be unique not only because of their superior selection and quality of supplies but because of their inspiring message to young and up and coming artists. It’s family owned and operated and they always strive to make it feel open and inviting. They do their part in giving back to their community, whether they’re hosting paint nights, painting murals, or supporting the under dogs through art shows like this one.
This show has been an idea of mine for a few months now. All of these artists have been friends with me for years and I’ve done nothing but admire and respect their works for just as long. All three of them are constantly working on art in the same vein, all of them are Coachella Valley desert natives, and none of them had had an art show in years, so my brain just kind of put it all together. Also wanted to use this opportunity to try my hand at art curation which has always been a hobby of mine.
WHAT: Extra-Celestial opening reception.
Kristin Winters x Aaron Hansen x Zachary Fleming.
Curated by Kylie Knight
WHEN: May 12, 2018 @6pm-10pm
WHERE: Flat Black Art Supplies
LIVE MUSIC: Desert rock duo Town Troubles, DJ Performances by Young Tough and I-Town