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My name is Robert Steven
Connett. I go by 'RS' ~ I am currently a full time artist. I live from the sale
of my paintings, and prints made from them.
You can see some of the
art I make here on 'myspace' , and alsoat these links;
http://www.vomitus.com
~ & ~ http://vmaximus.deviantart.com/gallery/
~ & ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/connett/
Please join my mailing list
to see my new releases
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2009 ~ VIRUS MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
V; Many of you pictures seem to be quite happy and colorful
at first sight, but after looking deeper at them they often turn out to be dark
and pessimistic visions. Is that your view of our world?! Is everything just
a lie? The world is dark and destroyed from the inside?!
RS: Do my visions seem pessimistic? I don't always see them
that way. However, yes, I see your point. It's how I feel, so I should not be
surprised that you see pessimism in my paintings. When I paint, I want the painting
to be colorful and beautiful, and I select my colors to get a beautiful picture
if I can. However, my images come from a different part of my mind, my imagination.
These characters evolve as I create them, and sometimes become nightmarish in
spite of my intentions to the contrary.
I think one must admit, if you examine our world, that things
are not so good. Yes, there is much beauty and personal happiness for people
in pockets of affluence. However, at the same time, we are destroying the world!
We are all to blame, from littering the streets, to burning the atmosphere.
I think we are headed for the demise of mankind. It may happen slowly, or fast.
I don't know which would be worse. I feel it coming. I can't help thinking about
it, and seeing how I am part of this problem. This is why my colors are beautiful,
and my images sometimes become dark or pessimistic.
V: Some of your pictures seem to allow a view of our future, especially those
concerning the relationship of humans with their environment and machines. What
inspires you to these ideas of the future? Where will humanity end?
RS: We are already near an end. My inspiration for these images
comes from my belief that we are at the end, and also perhaps, a new beginning.
We are breeding humans at a rate of two or three per second.
The population is now at approximately six and three quarters billion, (6, 740,000,000).
The world hit its first billion in 1840, only 169 years ago. This is exponential
growth! It has become evident that our growing world population is unsustainable.
We are running out of room. And, in our efforts to sustain this gigantic population,
we have damaged the Earth irreparably.
Even though I am pessimistic about the current state of our
human species, I do have hopes for an evolutionary alternative to human extinction.
This is another inspiration that shows up in my paintings. It may be possible
for us to evolve into a new life form that can transcend the problems we face.
I am encouraged by the possibilities of "posthumanism", also known
as "transhumanism". Simply put, technology may enable mankind to become
something different, and better than what we are, by merging man and machine.
We may "evolve ourselves" into a new life form. Humanity, as we know
it, will be gone, but a new and better self invented humanity will emerge. In
doing this, we may survive this first stage of our development. However, the
pain of such a transition is incomprehensible to me. There is plenty of information
about this on the internet.. I suggest reading the works of MIT professor, Ray
Kurzweil.
V: Do believe that drugs can have an impact on the creation
of art? If yes, in what kind of way?
RS: I can only speak for myself. Drugs have not made a positive
contribution to my art. Taking drugs like L.S.D. seemed to change the way I
look at life. However, I think I would come to the same alternative ideas without
psychedelics. As far as other drugs, like alcohol, stimulants and opiates, I
can clearly say these things have negatively touched my life. So I must also
assume, they have negatively touched my art. In any case, I absolutely do not
advocate the use of any drugs whatsoever, other than those used successfully
as medicine to cure and heal. And I suggest being wary of them.
V: It is a quite difficult for a lot of artists to keep balance between freedom
of art and its commercial exploitation. Can you afford living through your art?
Do you think (or have to think) of selling your pictures when you paint them?
RS: For me, money and art mix like oil and water. I work as
an artist, it is my only source of income other than begging, stealing and borrowing.
I do "make a living" with my art, but so far, I use the term "living"
loosely.
Being an artist is a very recent development in my life. In
my past, I have been the owner of an insurance brokerage firm and the general
manager of a film company. I am used to having money and to have the "things"
that money buys. So far, I have not achieved financial security through my artistic
occupation. However, I love making my art. I never loved those other occupations.
This is a personal decision I made, and in spite of my difficulties, I do not
regret it. I try not to think about selling my paintings as I paint them. However,
it does cross my mind. I don't give into it much.
Part of what I need from my work is honesty. I paint from my
heart. I fill my wallet when I can. It is my hope that eventually I can do both.
I have been painting professionally for only 5 years. Of course, I've drawn
and painted all my life, as a hobby. However, doing something as a hobby, and
doing something with all your energy, are two very different things. Five years
is not enough time. My work has not matured yet. I have a way to go. I'm confident.
V: As we are already talking about money; what do you think about the economic
crisis we have at the moment? Will everything turn out to be good if we just
stick billions of dollars into of human and environment unfriendly systems or
is capitalism at its end?
RS: I think that the major western economies will bounce back
a bit. They are not over yet. (I could be wrong) However, things will never
be the same. It would seem that we are at the beginning of the end of this fantastic
economic empire.
World economy is based upon trade of goods. When the goods diminish,
trade breaks down. The core of this monster we call "THE ECONOMY"
is rotting at its roots. The problem is not economic flux, like a recession,
that is merely a symptom of the problem. The thing that will destroy the system
is the end of resources, and the inability to sustain the delicate infrastructure
that supports the process of world trade. We don't have enough and we are running
low of what we have. We have overpopulated a finite environment. There are too
many rats in the rat race.
First, the poorer third world countries will absorb the shortages.
There will be more famine, more war, more disease. In time, this will effect
the wealthy first world countries. As you see, this is already happening. This
current financial meltdown is an example. We are having trouble sustaining the
monster.
My guess is some sort of cataclysmic event will occur. Perhaps
by nature, or by mans hand. Something that will set off a chain of events which
will plunge our systems into chaos. The delicate balances that we have come
to depend upon will break down and fail. The delivery infrastructure will collapse.
The millions of connections that allow us to keep things moving will come apart.
Food will rot while people starve because there will be no way to deliver food
and supplies when the truck, trains and planes don't run Water will go bad.
Power will shut down. No gasoline, no medicine, etcetera.
I don't want to be around for this breakdown. I don't see myself
as a road warrior. What would be the point? The things I love about life would
be gone. Art would be meaningless in such a world. That would be a world of
true "subsistence existence". I sometimes paint this world, but I
want no part of it. Personally, I have a suicide plan.
V: A question everyone gets here; should art be allowed to cover everything
what is possible or are there themes which not even art should touch. As example
we have the Mohammed cartoons, which caused an outrage.
RS: I believe that anyone should have the right to create anything
they want. However, if there is a direct connection to human harm, then no.
You can not be allowed to yell "FIRE" in a crowded theatre. I say,
you can do anything, but cause no harm to others by it. We do not have the right
to harm others for art.
V: Where can your pictures be purchased? Where will there be any exhibitions
and releases? Which artist, dead or alive, would you like to ask a question?
And what would that question be?
RS: The artist I would like to talk to would be Hieronymus Bosch.
(Bosh link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch) He was my first big artistic
influence. I would love to sit and watch him paint. I would ask him his feeling
about Hell and heaven and earth. I would ask him what it was like to live in
the 15th Century.
If anyone wishes to purchase or commission a painting, or to
buy giclee prints, I can be contacted through my website,
http://www.vomitus.com.
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2006: Here's the short version about me.
I was born in San Francisco on August 19, 1951. I lived in San
Francisco until 1999. I then moved to Los Angeles, CA, where I live currently.
Being born in 1951 makes me a Geezer in most of your young eyes.
Unfortunately, If you live long enough, becoming old is unavoidable. At least,
for now ...
When I was young I thought that I would die young. I hoped that
I would die young. Now, I want to live forever because I feel the reality of
death. I hope that technology will be able to augment my existence so that I
might never die. Better a living brain in a jar than death. I would prefer my
dreams to nothingness. I would like to live indefinitely, choosing the time
and place of my death. I would like to perfect who I am until I grew weary of
my life, and choose to end it. Though I believe this will all soon become possible,
I think I may have been born too soon to benefit from the science that will
come to make it happen. That science that may make immortals of us all is coming.
It may actually be an evolutionary step for mankind. ... but I digress.
I like to believe that I have not lost the idealism and fascination
with life which I have seen die in the hearts and minds of so many of my contemporaries.
(contemporaries = The people you grew up with) I also believe that throughout
the years my soul has been saved by my art. Through my art I have been able
to maintain an important balance.The creation of art has helped me gain a certain
amount of pride and sense of specialness. It is important to feel special. In
some way we all are. When you forget that, or take for granted that you are
not, you begin to lose the game of life.
There are many artists 'better' and 'worse' than me. Comparisons
of this sort do not matter. It should not matter to anyone. Comparing yourself
to others is a deadly trap. You must have faith in the knowledge of our uniqueness.
I have seen envy ruin many a good soul. The world is a place of relativities.
We all see things so differently, that I believe we might go mad if we were
able to see through the eyes of another, if even for a few moments. I think
when one goes mad, truly mad, it only takes a moment.
For over 20 years I worked by day, and created my art by night.
I disliked my day job. I resented this job. I was always angry about that. I
was envious of what I thought I saw in others. Those who had the wisdom or luck
to be doing things they enjoyed. I was forced to work for money as most of us
are. The days of hoping life would change for me, (Rather than I changing it)
turned into years and then decades. Life is a very short dream. The awakening
is in your death bed.
I lived in the city of San Francisco all my life.In 1998 I moved
from my home in San Francisco to Los Angeles. I was married that year. I was
47 years old.
My wife is my great support, in all ways. In LA I worked as
a general manager in a film distribution company, another job I loathed, ( including
3 hours a day of unpaid commuting time) My wife suggested that I quit this job
because I was miserable. She said, "You can work only on your art and I
will support us while you build a career."
I jumped at that opportunity! The first year of that was wonderful.
it is a VERY different thing to work a few days or nights a week doing artwork,
than to do it every day, for many hours. When one works many hours every day,
one develops abilities and builds knowledge quickly, (through trial & error
in my case because I have no art education) In fact, I find that as I work on
my art every day, my artistic expertise and knowledge grows exponentially. Once
I discovered the joy of working on my art every day, I could no sooner think
of stopping the process than to stop eating or breathing.
Then suddenly everything changed. My wife was diagnosed with
breast cancer. This happened about one year into her support plan of me. She
was forced to go through the hideous treatments; chemotherapy, radiation, etc.
and of course, our 'deal' was cancelled by fate. Suddenly, my comfortable 'slow
& steady' career move had to become our main source of income. I had to
take care of my wife and bring home enough money for us to keep our home. All
this is terrifying for many reasons. It was like jumping from heaven into hell
within 24 hours. The randomness of life can pull the rug out from under us,
and I'm afraid it does this to most of us, often repeatedly.
I had to find a way make enough money for us to live with my
artwork alone. I'd compromised all my life to make money. The only thing I held
sacred was my artwork. I look back now and see much of my earlier art as being
immature, pretentious and derivative. However, that was me!
My art is the sanctuary where I protect my heart and my individuality.
I believe that in creating my art I have saved my eyes from total blindness.
It is why I see things with eyes that can still recognize the magic in the world.
I am now still in the middle of this 'mid-life career change'
fight . I do whatever I have to do to keep us home and eating. I sell prints
and small originals on Ebay. I take on private commissions. I sell originals
and mounted 'Giclee' prints privately to a growing list of private collectors.
I even painted a portrait, (http://www.vomitus.com/museum/new_work/Portrait_Magee.html,
or see it here on my 'myspace' page under 'music') That's all much more than
'okay' because I enjoy and feel pride as a craftsman in the creation of these
works.
After 25 years of creating art for my own catharsis first, and
for public scrutiny second, I'm not sure I could become 'commercialized' now
ever if I wanted to. And I don't want to.
I appreciate the support of anyone who cares to write me, make
a comment, or to critique. I learn the most from negative criticisms concerning
my technique than anything else. As I said, I did not attend any art school,
and so the world is my teacher. I study the art of the contemporary artists,
many of whom have 'myspace' pages. I watch their work and dissect it. I see
their originals in the galleries of LA, my one remaining social practice. I
do my best to deconstruct their works and learn from their ways. Of course,
I am very influenced by these artists. I'm sure you can find similarities of
their styles in my work. This is a homage to their talent, craft and imaginations.
I feed from their minds.
............. more
In 1994 I put up a small website to show my artwork, ( with
the help of a computer savvy friend ) This site has been online for 12 years,
The Vomitus Maximus Museum,
http://www.vomitus.com
or http://www.rsconnett.com
This website changed my outlook. The interactions and encouragement from and
with thousands of strangers changed the way I looked at the world, my life,
and my art. The many people who thought enough of my art to speak to me about
it gave me confidence.
I continue to make my work. I shall post it here when I can.
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Online Now!
