August 14, 2018

Meet Chwdog *ask interviewee

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chwdog *ask interviewee.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am a self-taught Artist living in the Edgewood Neighborhood of Atlanta, and GA born and raised. I started creating Art after becoming disabled in 2010 after a routine medical procedure. I have been involved with Art & creating spaces for Art for almost 2 decades. Between the local music scene in Atl & North GA and helping start one of the first Burning Man Regional Events in the South East, I have surrounded myself in supporting Art for most of my life. In 1999 I was woken up by a smoke detector and crawled out of my house burning down. Even though most was lost, the fact that no lives were lost – I knew that I was here for a reason. This and my involvement in Burning Man also plays a part in my Art, both in process and some in design.. I learned about the Free Art Friday community or #FAFATL in 2011. If you are not familiar it is an internet based “Art Scavenger Hunt” that is used primarily on Instagram using photos to give clues for anyone to find a “Gift” from the Artist. We have a very active community still and always welcome more Artists to pARTicipate! I use Art as physical and mental therapy for my disability and sanity. It has been such a productive outlet that I find myself trying to work on something everyday possible that I am feeling physically able to.

Please tell us about your art.
I work mostly with spray paint on wood and canvases. I use hand cut stencils for my canvas pieces to create images of some of my favorite musicians and some fan Art. I use wood for my flame pieces and all are wall hanging. I do smaller versions of most of my Art on canvases with magnets that I “drop” around the city for Free Art Friday Atlanta as well as selling them at local pop-up style Art markets, when I am physically able to do so. I use fire, flames and flame color combinations to help “spark” the conversation about my past and to help spread the word about changing the batteries and testing your smoke detector. If I can help one person through my Art then it is worth more than anything to me. I was lucky to get out of my house burning down alive. For that I will always be grateful and be there for anyone who goes through a fire or any situation that leaves them with everything destroyed. I have been able to help a number of people, thru my experience, get thru their own. I am currently testing out other mediums (that still incorporate fire & smoke) that I look forward to sharing soon!

As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Random question answer: Art is a very hard way to make a living. Most people don’t take the time an Artist puts into their work or the cost of supplies into account when looking at the price the Artist is charging. To get a quality product, it isn’t always going to be “cheap”. I know that bigger events can be good for some Artists, but they can be difficult for Artists starting out or who don’t do Art full time to get into due to how much they charge to setup. You end up having to sell a lot of Art to be able to even pay the booth fee. This is hard for a “Striving Artist” or one who is just starting to sell their Art, unless they have enough money to take the chance. I believe that more neighborhood events that let Artists setup booths and sell their Art can be some of the best ways to support them. Events like Oakhurst PorchFest, Bizarre Bazzar (in Avondale Estates), Little 5 Arts Alive and a few others are all events that have been very welcoming and supportive of local Artists. There are also more Artists like myself who are creating our own events (I am working on doing one early this fall and another during the holidays in a warehouse in Midtown). I think the more of these happening the better for our Arts community and Artists locally.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have Art locally for sale at both Savi Provisions and Trackside Tavern in Decatur. You can see all of my Art on my Etsy shop which can be seen via my website – www.chwdog.com I also have two public Art signs in the Atlanta area, hanging in Little 5 Points and Decatur for the #lookupL5P and #lookupdecatur projects. The #lookupdecatur project will be ending this summer so check it out while they are still hanging in the square of Decatur before the show when they will be sold in late Aug with the Decatur Arts Alliance.

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