JOE SORREN

SOMEWHERE IN OUR COLLECTIVE MENTAL ART HISTORY, PAINTER JOE SORREN AND HIS ONE-OF-A-KIND STYLE REST COMFORTABLY BETWEEN THE SKEWED STYLINGS OF AESTHETIC HIGH PRIESTS LIKE PABLO PICASSO AND MARK RYDEN. TASTES LIKE CHICKEN'S PORTLIEST LITTLE WALLFLOWER, FPHATTY LAMAR, BREAKS BREAD WITH THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ACRYLIC PAINT.
fphatty: You play drums as part of Lyle and the Sparkleface Band. Is the band something you do for fun or are there hopes of taking it further? I ask because it seems you devote a lot of energy to it.
Joe: No, that’s not it at all. We just do it because it’s fun to do. I hooked up with a guy in 1990 and we’ve put out five CDs so far. We just get together and make music.
f: Even in your art you have many musical references. Is music a major factor in your life?
J: Yeah. I love music to death. In college I either wanted to be a musician or a “fancy artist guy.” I was all over the place; but my wife said to me, "You know, you should really choose one or the other." So I chose art and kept doing music anyway.
f: Because you were better at art?
J: Yeah. I think my strength lies there. I had been doing art longer and felt more comfortable with it. The honest truth is, whenever I do music it feels fun, but whenever I do art it feels right. It feels like I’ve spent my time in a worthwhile way.
f: What kind of music are you into?
J: I’m into everything. I’ll tell you what I listened to today. One of those albums I forget about but love is Gish by the Smashing Pumpkins. You know, when you’re here and you’re working all day, you’ll listen to anything. I keep putting on Tom Waits’ new one. I can’t stop listening to it. And I listen to some classical music, which is nice; like a greatest hits with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And I love books on tape. I listened to music for eight hours straight today, so you would think I would be able to think of more. The thing is, if I don’t wear headphones while I work on the mural, every grandma in town stops me and asks, "What are you working on?” I’ve been working on it for nine months now and I need to get it done.
f: Tell me a little more about it.
J: It’s on an outdoor wall in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona. It’s 40' x 60'. I had fun developing it, and sneaking in little details here and there. Like a two-inch recreation of David’s The Death of Marat, hiding in a buttercup.
f: Where does your subject matter come from? Does it all just come randomly from your head?
J: Actually, there’s a phone number I call that’ll supply all of that for you. (laughs) No, I wish I had a great answer for that ‘cause I get asked it a lot. I put a canvas in front of me and start painting, and things just kinda appear.
f: What about your titles; do they mean anything?
J: The titles mean a lot. I’ve spent a few days working on some of them constantly, with paper or a typewriter; working and editing, because I’m really bad with words. So I like to work on it, work on it, and work on it until it’s perfect. It’s really enjoyable. For me, art’s about the process, and I really enjoy that.
f: Do you always use acrylic?
J: I just bought some oils and when I get done with the mural I’ll have fun playing with them. But so far it’s been acrylic. Just the paint and water. I don’t use the gel mediums and stuff they have for acrylic. I just have a big bucket of water next to me, so I don’t have to think about hitting little half-inch cups of glaze or whatever. It allows me to constantly stare at the canvas. There is something cool that Brian Eno once said. He was discussing musical gear, and had talked about the importance of equipment becoming transparent-- when you no longer notice the materials you are using, but only the results they can lead you to.
f: I’ve seen your work categorized as “childlike.” Do you feel that’s accurate, or maybe more of a broad generalization?
J: I think it’s the biggest insult I’ve ever gotten in my life.
f: Really?
J: No. (laughs) I do think it is too broad, but I don’t worry about how my work’s perceived because I just try to make pictures that are worth leaving on the planet. I’ve had people say, "Your stuff is so childlike," and people say, "Your stuff is so serious." My intention isn’t to make childlike images; just images that I like.
f: I’ve heard you mention potential energy in your compositions; that they are made of slow or even still moments in time. Is this a staple in all of your work?
J: I used to have teachers tell me that I had to have everything flying off of the canvas! But, I found that by slowing things down, there’s a power in there. Have you ever been night-swimming?
f: Once.
J: Well, next time you go, go out really far and go under the water and don’t move. That’s the feeling I’m going for. But when you talk about things you can strip them of their power. When I talk about art I turn off something in me that I use when I paint. I tend to say, "I’m really glad you like my painting." I don’t have a problem talking about it, but if I explain it, then in the end I wouldn’t need to paint. I would just write about it.
f: Dudley Moore, Joan Rivers, and Louis Anderson all walk into your bedroom at the same time. Who do you kill first?
J: Easy: Joan Rivers. The rest of us sit around and chew the fat. You know, Louis is really fat. We chew his fat.
f: Who would you like to paint on?
J: Michelangelo.
f: How many fingers am I holding up?
J: Three.
f: What’s in your freezer?
J: Frozen waffles, a mini-tea set, an icicle from last winter, and homemade popsicles-- grape.
f: What musician makes you want to vomit when you hear them?
J: Celine Dion really gets me that way. She really moves me-- to the restroom.
f: Do dogs have lips?
J: Definitely.
f: The drink of choice?
J: Coca-Cola.
f: Are you The Gate Keeper?
J: Are you The Messenger?
f: What food are you most like?
J: Beef tongue. I really relate to beef tongue.


SEE MORE OF JOE'S BEAUTIFUL WORK AT JOESORREN.COM