"Music that wears all the flaws and beauty on it's sleeve" | An interview with singer-songwriter Lawrence Rothman

Photo ©  Robert Lindholm

I first came across your music in 2016 when your track featuring Kim Gordon “Designer Babies” came out. It had this melancholic yet beautiful ethereal feel that reeled me in and coupled with Kim’s raspy voice it worked perfectly. You have a knack for doing great collaborations. Your most current release “The Book of Law” features more collaborations with amazing female artists; Marissa Nadler and Kristin Control for example. How do you approach the collaboration process and find the right fit? 

MY MUSIC HAS MANY VOICES AND POINT OF VIEWS FROM MY VARIOUS SIDES OF MYSELF WHICH I CALL MY ‘ALTERS” AS A WAY TO SUMMARIZE THEM. WHEN I WRITE A SONG I ALWAYS HEAR ANOTHER VOCAL ACCOMPANIMENT. I REACHED OUT TO ARTISTS THAT I RESPECT IMMENSELY AS I HAD AN INTUITION THEIR TIMBRE OF VOICE WOULD MATCH WELL WITH MINE. I WAS VERY LUCKY AND GRATEFUL THAT THEY ALL WERE INTERESTED AND WILLING.

Photo © Dana Lynn Pleasant

Your music is often spoken about in terms of eclecticism and the expression of many of styles of music. Terms and categories aside, how would you describe Lawrence Rothman to the unbeknownst listener? 

MUSIC THAT WEARS ALL THE FLAWS AND BEAUTY ON ITS SLEEVE. I LOVE GREAT MELODY AND COLORFUL LYRICS. LEONARD COHEN, ARTHUR RUSSELL, NICK DRAKE AND BRIAN ENO ARE SOME OF MY MUSICAL HEROES. I ALSO LOVE MASHING UP STYLES AND ARRANGEMENTS FROM VARIOUS CORNERS- YOU COULD SAY I MAKE AVANT POP.

When researching more into who is “Lawrence Rothman” a parallel is continually drawn between yourself and Cindy Sherman. You identify as gender fluid and we’ve seen the visceral manifestation of this not only through your music but through your videos and aesthetics. The 9 alters you created bring various identities and different perspectives to the forefront. Can you explain the history behind the alters and how you came up with the 9 and what each mean to you? 

I BELIEVE WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT SIDES OF OURSELVES THAT WE REVEAL IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. WE SHAPE SHIFT THROUGH OUR VARIOUS RELATIONSHIPS AND STAGES OF GROWTH.  IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOT SUPPRESS THE MULTIPLE VARIATIONS OF YOURSELF AS IT MAKES FOR A MORE COLORFUL LIFE. IF YOU GET REAL WITH YOURSELF AND ASK WHO ARE YOU? IT'S MOST LIKELY THERE ARE MANY “YOU'S”.  YOU ARE A SINGULAR SOUL WITH THOUSANDS OF BRANCHES. MAYBE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS.

Photo by @annepqe 

How important is expression and authenticity to you and how has that been challenged as your popularity and exposure grows? 

 I ACT ON FIRST IMPULSE. IT TOOK MANY YEARS TO EXPECT THAT. I USED TO THINK THE FIRST IDEA WAS JUST PRACTICE AND THE GEM WOULD APPEAR AT IDEA 20. I QUICKLY REALIZED IDEAS 1-3 ARE ALWAYS THE BEST AND MOST HONEST.

I saw an interview with you last year where you mentioned Nine Inch Nail’s “The Fragile” was the album that changed your life. Now that’s a collab I’d love to hear!! Can you explain the personal significance of that album for you? 

THE FRAGILE TOOK THE SONIC EXPLORATION OF ORGANIC INSTRUMENTS MANIPULATED TO NEW HEIGHTS. TRENT, I READ WOULD SAMPLE ALL THESE WILD STRINGED INSTRUMENTS AND PERCUSSION AND AUGMENTED THEM THROUGH EFFECTS AND SYNTHESIS. IT HAD THIS GRANULAR  EMOTION I HAD NEVER HEARD IN MUSIC. HE PICKED UP WHERE DAVID BOWIE LEFT OFF WITH HIS “LOW” ALBUM.

https://www.crash.fr

You’ve talked in the past about your musical influences from Prince to Leonard Cohen to Bowie. When did you have that moment when it all fell together and you realised music and art were your path? 

 VERY EARLY ON IN MY LIFE AROUND THE AGE OF 12, I NEW I HAD NO OTHER THING THAT INTERESTED ME IN LIFE. I LOVE WRITING, PLAYING AND PERFORMING MUSIC. IT'S NEVER ENDING CYCLE OF LEARNING - MUSIC HAS INFINITE VARIATIONS.

Photo © Floria Sigismondi

You’ve worked on at least five music videos with Floria Sigismondi whose unique style and aesthetic vision is both distinctive and atypical not unlike your work. How did you and Floria meet and can you talk about that creative relationship and process?  

FLORIA HAS BEEN ABLE TO TAKE MY LYRICS AND PERSONAL STORIES AND HELP THROUGH METAPHOR’S AND DRAMA HAVE WHAT I SEE IN MY DREAMS AND DAY DREAMS COME ALIVE ON FILM.

What I love about your music and song-writing is how multi-faceted, bold and yet delicate it is. How has your song-writing and musical prowess progressed from your humble beginnings in 2013 to now? And has that in turn changed the way you perform live and the way you write tracks?

 I WRITE SONGS AND RECORD EVERYDAY. I HAVE MANY MANY ALBUMS WORTH OF MUSIC - PROBABLY NO JOKE AROUND 125 FULLY PRODUCED SONGS NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD. FOR ME IT'S LIKE EATING DINNER. I MUST DO IT EVERYDAY TO FEEL HEALTHY. I PLAY MANY INSTRUMENTS SO I’LL GO FOR STRETCHES OF TIME WHERE I JUST WRITE ON PIANO THEN GUITAR THEN FLUTE AND SO FORTH SO IT KEEPS THE INSPIRATIONAL SPARK VIBRANT.

Photo by @justinlraisen

What are you most proud of with ‘The Book of Law” and what track or tracks are most poignant for you? 

I AM PROUD OF THE WHOLE RECORD AS A PIECE. IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING- AS WE SPENT 18 MONTHS ON THE RECORD AND 88 SONGS. LYRICALLY IT TELLS A PERSONAL STORY OF MY JOURNEY AND TO FULLY UNDERSTAND IT YOU WOULD HAVE TO LISTEN STARTING FROM SONG ONE WITH THE LYRICS IN FRONT OF YOU.

More often than not some of our biggest fans or influences are our peers. You’ve surrounded yourself with a decent slew of musicians and artists. What and who are you personally listening to at the moment?

 I LISTEN TO SO MUCH MUSIC - AT THE MOMENT I HAVE BOY GENIUS, NILUFER YANYA, JOHANN JOHANNSON AND HOLLY HERDON ON LOOP.

Photo © Steven Klein Studio

What’s next for Lawrence Rothman and what can fans expect coming into 2019/2020?

 I WILL BE RELEASING TWO NEW ALBUMS IN 2020, ONE IN FEBRUARY 2020 THAT IS A FULL BAND RECORDING AND ONE ACOUSTIC ALBUM IN MAY 2020.

Photo © Floria Sigismondi

https://www.lawrencerothman.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/lawrencerothmanmusic/

https://twitter.com/lawrencerothman

https://www.instagram.com/lawrencerothman/

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE ROTHMAN ON SPOTIFY

Eternity is but an instant | An interview with Thomas Martin Ekelund of Trepaneringsritualen

"We stare into the radiant light, and stumble blind and mad into the moonless night. We bow not our heads, nor do we ask for mercy. 

The world is agony. 

This is a journey of pain, ecstasy, and death. We do not seek companionship, because this prison of flesh is a solipsism. We straddle the balancing point between light and darkness, love and hate, life and death. We hide our countenance to reveal the hidden face of god. 

We hang ourself from trees and crosses. We bleed and suffer. All in roaring silence.

Eternity is but an instant."

Firstly, I wanted to talk about your latest work with Nordvargr this year. The collaboration seems almost both instinctual and inevitable. Listening to the music you feel a mutual animalistic dichotomy between the two of you, almost a push and pulling of motion and energy. Can you explain this collaboration and how it felt creating this project together? 

Definitely. Fairly natural, it should have been much weirder. Because I have listened to Nordvargr for say 20 years but all of the sudden we are very working together. Instead it came together very naturally.

   

Often at your live shows you start with a sack tied over your head, a somewhat faceless force coming out of the smoke and dark. Does this signify a sort of metamorphosis of your essence coming forth or serve as a cathartic measure that in part couples the intensity of the music?

Yeah I guess. The reason I started using it was to hint at the hanged man, at the sacrifice. But yes, I guess it dissolves me a bit so I can concentrate on TRP and behind the mask there is so freedom.



Ritual is very important to you musically, personally and in the realm of performance. You’ve talked about the importance of not only sound but smell and vision as a part of a TRP performance. What is it you want the audience to take away from one of ‘rituals’?

I guess it depends on where they start. Are they already converts? Have they had any experiences of total annihilation of the ego and submitting to forces beyond themselves? If they haven't before then I want them to experience tearing down their protective barriers and shit...to experience this fully like I do.

Reason, inhibitions, let down your guard. Be overwhelmed. The state of just letting go.

Photo by Kim Sølve

The ongoing journey of TRP is one of spirals and manifestations both tribal and cerebral. What is different about TRP now versus the birth of TRP?

I know on one hand I understand a lot more and on one hand a lot less. It seemed easier to understand more at the beginning of TRP. There was a spark to get it out.Whereas now it seems harder to understand what I'm doing and why. The more it comes out the purpose is lost which is hard to deal with. Every new path create more paths. Each question creates more questions. 

Whilst there is this feral animalistic, almost primal nature about TRP there is still machinery involved which pulls us back into the realm of reality again even jarringly. What is your relationship with the machines and tools you use to create your music and is there an element of self betrayal in needing that aspect of modernity or are you comfortable with their uncomfortable alliance? 

Some of the tools are quite powerful, like spiritually. But in relation to modern machines etc I don’t think about it too much. Not much thought at all really. Obviously if I could I would use nothing. Put two rocks and bang them but no, I don't think too much about what we are using to make our music. It's the end result that's most important not what we used to make it. 

In July you will be embarking on your first ever Australian tour. What can fans expect? And do you, yourself have any expectations?

First off its amazing to go to other side of country. Ritualistically I'm not sure. It's like therapy and overpowering. I've never been to the southern hemisphere before so that is amazing to get to do that. It will be sweating and dirty for sure. 

Beside working with Nordvargr this year, is there anything you're working on with trp now? 

I'm working on 2 eps at the moment and a more ritualistic ep which should be out September/October. I'm also working on our next song based album (the last one took 4 years so we have some time ha) plus other collaborations all around in the works.

Trepaneringsritualen will embark on their debut Australian tour this July and it's bound to be an unmissable performance. 

ALL DATES: 

JULY 12, THE DEN, PERTH

JULY 13, CROWBAR, SYDNEY

JULY 14 THE TOTE, MELBOURNE

JULY 16 THE OLD BAR, MELBOURNE

But you'll find me here 👇

The T × R × P curse descends on the Southern Hemisphere, courtesy of UMACollective and ALT Events.

https://trepaneringsritualen.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/t__r__p__/

https://www.facebook.com/Trepaneringsritualen/

Sexual power, living your truth and breaking the narrative | An interview with rapper Dana Dentata

Dana Dentata is flipping the script and is making some of the most in-your-face, empowered female rap out their right now. Full stop. Ex-metal band front woman, ex-stripper, is unapologetic, authentic and owns her truth and sexuality without an inch of misandry and all with a sense of glamour, gloom and a punch of feminine power. Her blend of industrial, metal and almost chill trip hop sounds leads you down a path of hot feisty femme poetic prowess. 

Who is Dana Dentata?

A mullet having, no fucks given, pussy power preacher. 

Originally you were in a metal band. Can you tell us about the

transition from the metal scene to the rap scene? And how you were received?

I've always loved rap and metal. My first album that I owned as a kid was Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored water by Limp Bizkit which I think helps paint a picture there. I feel like I've always been treated with respect and received well by both worlds because nothing I do is a gimmick, it all comes straight from my heart and real recognize real. 

© INDIANA PIOREK

One of that things I like most about you is your authenticity and unafraid attitude to address sexuality, femininity and the taboo. Mainstream rappers whilst they may drop the word “pussy” or “dick” every now and then they tend to present themselves as very mainstream and majority even aesthetically and physically. You shut this down by being who you are and simply showing your truth. There’s no appropriation you were a damn stripper not some mainstream rapper or pop star trying to

appropriate the culture. Is that something you consciously thought about when becoming Dana Dentata or something that just simply fell into place?

It's just always been pulsing through my veins. My girl band Dentata that I started at 18 was the same energy and it was never intentional. It didn't fall into place so easily though. It was a fight and it took me a really long time and many words of wisdom from my heroes to realize that I can't listen to anybody and I just have to be myself and do what feels right to me. I'm living my truth now, that's for sure. 

Going against the traditional stereotype of a female musician and rapper often some women prefer to distance themselves from the sexuality and femaleness but its every bit you in your music. What are your thoughts on owning who you are and owning your sexuality instead of demanding to be just a “rapper” as opposed to a “female rapper”?

It pisses me off that there is a preconceived notion you can't be taken seriously if you are aware and in control of your sexual power. This is our strength and it's only been confused as a weakness by the patriarchy's manipulation game. 

 Your lyrics are very female empowering and your-in your-face attitude is refreshing whilst also flipping the narrative of masculine rap. The darkness and gloomy vibes your music elicits speaks to a whole new audience of outcasts who now have a rap artist they can relate to and in many ways empathise with. How would you describe your music and your ethos behind Dana Dentata?

Even though I'm feminine I feel very masculine. My biggest influences being Eminem and Marilyn Manson. They are so much more then artists with great songs. They were a voice for people that needed an outlet for their pain and frustrations, to call shit out for them and make them feel seen and heard. They invoked necessary thought to the masses. I feel that this is my higher purpose. I believe I was meant to be more then a cool artist with a lot of clicks and views. I don't give a shit about that, I care about making an impact on someones soul. Women in particular. 

 I’ve noticed just from looking on social media that because you don’t fit the stereotyped female mould you often get a lot of negative comments and sadly mostly from women. How do you deal with the negativity and judgment? Personally, I love seeing a darker more goth and harder female representation in rap. It's something I think not only I but many can relate with.

I think any hate from women comes from the patriarchy mind game I mentioned earlier. A lot of women don't realize we were subliminally brainwashed our whole lives to go against each other. All that hate does is make me want to work harder to dismantle it. I have spirit guides and healers as well as a core group that keep me focused and hold me down. Also if you truly don't give a fuck about something you wont put your energy into it. I keep that in mind when people put their hateful energy towards me because I know deep down they're loving it :P Or they just genuinely don't like me and that's cool too I honestly don't give a fuck. 

 In 2018, you took a hiatus after dealing with years of abuse and a subsequent harmful relationship full of toxicity. Is this something you have tackled in your newer lyrics and how do you rebuild yourself after something like that?

I had to completely shut down. All I did for months was work, go to therapy and hang out with the same 3 people. In Canada if you are a victim in a criminal investigation you get free therapy, otherwise I would never have gone. They let me choose someone that specializes in what I've been through and I took that shit very seriously. I studied myself and my past so meticulously and made the intention to heal and protect myself. I made a deadline for myself to stop dancing and focus on my true mission. I felt like after all that went down in 2018 I was being given a second chance at life so I went extra hard. 

You featured on Marilyn Manson’s album ‘Heaven Upside Down’. What was that like? And what’s the best advice Manson has given you?

He's been my favorite artist my entire life so it was surreal. It was extra sick because we recorded it together in the studio. I played him some music I had at the time, including TND before I put it out because I kinda made that song in secret (everyone was telling me not to rap). He could tell that was the one song I had where I was being my true self and helped me realize that was all I had to do. I stopped listening to everybody else after that.  

© Jared Eng

 You have eight strip club approved songs including ‘Trust No Dick’ which is seriously badass. I read you said: “‘Stripper jams’ are sexy, empowering songs the girls can dance to on stage that aren’t about bitches all up on some rapper,”. I read you had said in a previous interview your music is “‘Stripper jams’ are sexy, empowering songs the girls can dance to on stage that aren’t about bitches all up on some rapper”. What's the biggest misconception and myths about stripping and/or strippers?

That we're being objectified. It's an exchange and we are very much in control of the situation. We have boundaries and they must be adhered, you'll always get your asshole that wants to push your limits but that is what the bouncers are for. There's a lot of things we gain as dancers other then money. It's a mutual understanding of a basic human need and sometimes it can be beautiful to provide that for people that don't get it in the real world. I still talk to some of my regulars and they have always been really supportive and up lifting. 

© Walter Brady

Misogyny is present in all music genres but seems to be more prevalent in the rap/hip-hop scene how do deal with that and counter that with your music and image?

By saying all the things we're supposed to be afraid to say. By showing men a masculinity that comes from a woman. Owning my power and using it to empower other women. 

You are heading down under in a few months as a special guest on Ghostemane’s tour. What can Australian audiences expect?

FEMALE ENERGY AT ITS FINEST and a bad ass bitch shredding a 7 string guitar 

What does the rest of 2019 have in store for Dana Dentata?

I have no idea but I can't wait to find out. 

You can catch Dana Dentata as special guest on Ghostemane's Australian tour this May. 

Listen to DANAVI$ION: https://fanlink.to/danavision IG: https://www.instagram.com/danadentata/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dentata666 FB: https://www.facebook.com/danadentata/

Unspoken magic, death and the macabre / An interview with Artist Lizz Lopez

When did you discover drawing and illustration was your passion and you had a talent for it? 

I’ve been drawing as far back as I can remember. Making art has always been an escape from reality for me and a place where I could create a different world and express my ideas. It’s more difficult to say when I understood I had a talent for it as my parents were usually impressed by what I created even though they pushed me towards a life of medicine. It wasn’t until I started to compete in school competitions that I realized my work was worthy of a ribbon or accolades. The pivotal point of my career began when I was in my last year of undergraduate studies. 

I started to take a serious look at my skills when I had art professors tell me I was in the wrong field of work and that I should pursue art and apply to art school. At the time, I was about to graduate with my Bachelors in science. Even then, it was hard for me to understand what artistic talent indicated or what could be done with it as I was more focused on academics. I realized that unlike my years of rigorously studying science, I spent so many days of my life immersed in art pieces with no guidance or encouragement at all. It was something that I had to do to maintain normalcy versus something I was working on out of interest, monetary security or my parent’s wishes. 

Your work is very identifiably yours. Where do you find your inspiration for your work and are there central themes you like to visit and re-visit? 

My life has been a complicated contradictory roller coaster. 

I was raised the daughter of a baptist conservative minister in Texas and my mother was a Mexican immigrant and practicing curandera. In regards to central themes, there have been many revolving ideas that have found their way in to my work either as a means of self-therapy or purging of old ideas in order to find my true self. My early work revolved around religion and sacrilegious images. As a young artist, I felt the need to rid myself of my “demons” and after moving to San Francisco to attend art school, I had no boundaries on the rebellion I needed to release before finding my core self. 

My current work is based on my lifelong obsession with death and dying. I’ve spent my life, both in science and art, exploring this experience. It’s something that feeds and drives me like nothing else. I’ve worked in hospice and the intensive care unit for ten years with actively dying patients and the following 10 years in anesthesia where we are essentially the gatekeepers between morbidity and mortality. It is the most humbling and privileged experience to be witness to this.

A lot of your work uses primarily black and white combinations. Is there a reason behind this preference?

I received my degree in fine arts with a primary focus on classical oil painting. I spent years studying masters and classical techniques including creating my own mediums and mixing pigments. Unfortunately, I understand my own limitations and realized my eye for color was sub par and struggled with identifying colors, warms, and cools. I spent countless days trying to create a system to make it work but ended up working monochromatically for years because of it. I tried everything from limited palettes to eye dropping in photoshop to assist me. This task proved exhaustive in the long run. I went at this for over a decade before I decided to spend more time on my graphite studies. It was at this point that I felt I found my medium. It’s amazing how much torture I was willing to endure but my persistence to succeed and my lack of success led me to this place. To be honest, this is typical for me. I’ve often gone about things wrong way for much of my life, usually taking the most difficult route. Either way, this is where I finally found my vision.

Your work is very macabre and witchy and dark which I love. It has this sort of female power to it. What is it about the macabre and the dark that love and continues to inspire you? 

I completely attribute my darkness to my mother. She was a powerful witch but never allowed me to say this out loud as it went against the Christian doctrine she subscribed to in adulthood. She always embraced natural medicinal healing, ritual, death, darkness and the macabre. She taught me to embrace death from a very early age and always encouraged my dark side in spite of my father’s beliefs. The occult is a topic I rarely discuss in interviews as it’s a constant evolutionary process for me but I was raised with ancient ideas, stories and medicinal practises that have formed the core of who I am. These ideas and practises have evolved into a sort of creation magic that I have been refining over the years. 

Can you briefly explain the process you undertake from idea to finished illustration?

Most of the ideas that I draw are images that have been sitting in my mental archive for years. The skills that I currently have are only able to materialize some of what exists in my mind’s eye. My goal is to eventually have the ability to render my ideas as I truly see them, in multiple dimensions and mediums. In the time being, I attempt to take the idea and create the closest interpretation to the concept as I can. I typically gather plants, leaves, and other botanicals from my yard. All of my elements are collected after extensive research on the symbolic meaning or medicinal value as they relate to the piece and also after researching what has been created before on the subject. 

The skulls I reference are from a collection I have and I photograph each one under multiple lighting conditions until I find one that expresses the emotion I’m looking to convey. When drawing hands, I spend quite a bit of time in front of a mirror gesturing and changing lighting as well as considering ancient hand gestures as they relate to meaning in historic works. When I find something that speaks to me, I investigate it and sketch it several times before solidifying the piece. From this point, I allow the focal point to dictate where other elements will grow. I’m never too sure what will occur after I create the central point. The image usually determines this and I become a passenger on a ride for remainder of the drawing. 

Are there any artists across any medium you admire and would love to someday work/collaborate with?

There are many artists I admire but I don’t spend much time looking at feeds of art as I feel it contaminates my voice as I’m easily overwhelmed by visual stimuli and covet the isolation of my studio. I make a conscious effort to keep my ideas as personal and unique as possible. While I spend much of my time alone, I collect art and have a moderate collection of antique and contemporary art in our home that reflects my interests and inspires me. In regards to collaborations, I enjoy and welcome working with photographers and film makers in my genre. This year, I’m excited to be working on a project with one of my colleagues in realizing his vision. Transversing my medium is is a wonderful way of giving a new dimension to my work and persona. 

Is there any subject matter or new materials you would love explore but haven't yet had the opportunity to?

Art is very similar to religion and spirituality for me. I believe it’s important to explore every avenue. I started in sculpture and photography but have drawn most of my life. I took up painting 24 years ago but have worked in graphic/web design, illustration, movie poster design and printmaking. Above all, I’m interested in the most efficient way to express my ideas and this includes whatever materials are available to me. 

Is there one piece of your work that you are most fond of or proud of?

I’d say I’m most fond of my piece Tristeza. As an artist, what we find value in is not always what the public finds interesting. This is one of several pieces that I can sit in front of and contemplate each pencil stroke and wonder what possessed each mark. When I see it, I feel the bewitchment that overcomes artists when they get lost in that ethereal spiritual place. I feel disconnected to it and because of this, it’s almost as if I didn’t create it and can therefore appreciate it more-so. 

You recently had a big exhibition at Lethal Amounts in LA. What was that experience like?

 It was an invigorating and restorative experience. It was my first solo show and while I’ve been in many group shows and have been a featured artist, I never had the opportunity to exhibit alone. Exhibiting alone, in itself is frightening as you don’t know if anyone is going to show up for you in spite of your online support. The most significant part of the experience was seeing years of my work together. In my mind, one piece leads to the next, almost like a stream of thought, so to see the entire story of time laid out in front of me was very satisfying and brought me a feeling of accomplishment. The outpouring of support that the show received was beyond what I could have imagined and definitely fueled me. 

How do you cope with the juxtaposition of being an artist and also trying to make a living and pay your bills etc.?

This is a question I get often. I think most people think I’m working a day job that I don’t enjoy to fund my art career but I’ve spent years studying science, medicine, and anesthesia and it’s an equal love of mine. I’ve reached a point where I could abandon my “day job” but I enjoy both equally and wouldn’t quit anesthesia if given the choice. It also keeps me grounded and connected to humanity in a manner unlike any other. It also keeps me on a regimented schedule. If left to my own devices with unlimited time, I might find myself binging shows or spending too much time on mindless activities. 

How hard is it to maintain personal integrity while also working on more commercial work for other people? How do you ensure it is still uniquely yours?

I have a disclaimer on commissioned work that allows me to maintain my style so that I can still be proud to put my name on it. I’ve also been fortunate to have clients who allow me creative liberty. One of the most essential lessons from working on commissioned work has been learning to say “no” to particular projects and shows that don’t reflect my vision. That said, I’m strictly working on my own work this year in order to maintain a more constant visual stream of thought. 

I love that your work has a very strong connection to the dark and the sort of inner witch in all of us. Even though most people would probably describe your work as dark I think there is also a lightness and connection to nature and and empowerment. Would you agree? 

I’d have to agree. I understand my work is dark but I’ve worked on presenting this type of subject imagery in the light that it deserves. Death is an inevitable part of life and I attempt to be reverent in the way I define this idea. My profession has allowed me the privilege to both be present at many deaths and to be gatekeeper to those undergoing life threatening procedures and I have a great respect for it. In regards to witchcraft, I believe most women are born healers or caregivers . We are innately intuitive to the unspoken magic that we yield. 

What can we expect from Lizz Lopez in 2019? 

I’m spending this year focused on continuing to build a new body of work in the purest and most honest form. I have a number of group shows in Los Angeles and will take part in my first museum exhibition in Paris, France. In the last couple of years, I’ve had booths at conventions and plan on continuing with multiple events as I’ve found it to be the most organic way of connecting with my followers who’ve been such a great inspiration to me. This year, my greatest challenge has been to take on the production of my own printing and merchandising as well as curating a show that will be announced late Spring or Summer. I’m excited to see how the rest of the year unfolds. 

All artwork © Lizz Lopez

https://onemorefix.bigcartel.com

https://www.instagram.com/onemorefix/

https://www.facebook.com/onemorefix/