WHAM! LMI has had another busy week and we are EXCITED! This week we begin our LMI VISITING ARTIST SERIES! We start the series with super-artist and long time friend to LMI, Scott Loke Grigg! First, look at this!...

Anyway, our LMI News and Interview Editing Department Is very new, so bear with us this week. This interview is longer than expected, but very interesting. ("oh geeze, snooze fest," you say.) No, no, no, no! Though interview specialist DENNY LOGGINS went deep, LMI knows how to entertain! Throughout the interview we will...

...Make the important parts bigger, and...

...add in little plenty of art and bits like this:

LMI artist Matt E. did this mosaic in 1995 for an assignment in Gothic Art History. He called it "Ozaic." Very clever. He later punched himself in the face for that title. (digital pic of a crappy photo print)

Okay? You are going to make it through this. Let's begin:

LMI Presents:

Visiting Artist Interview #1: Scott Loke Grigg

Intro by Matthew “E1” Logman.

Interview by Denny Loggins. Notes from recording 3.13.16

Intro: Scotty is an art scientist… or perhaps more accurately, a contemporary art alchemist. His works are visual historic records of a process of purifying the subject matter. The attention to detail is razor sharp (indeed, he uses razors to create some of the art). Every square inch of the work’s surface is broken down atomically, analyzed, sketched, analyzed, erased, re-sketched… over and over, until it has reached perfection. Only then is it etched in place, frozen with an inking/coloring process… again, with mechanical micro-precision. The result is a visual puzzle of magical figures, dancing in a jewel-like atmospheres, each offering years of optical exploration for viewers of every sort. “What is the story here?” Scotty is passionately dedicated to his subject matter. Even the most whimsical-looking figure in his work hides a dark secret, searching desperately to give the viewer the key to unlock the message… the TRUTH that lies under all of the dancing eye candy.

Today the LMI Creative Investigations Department reporter, Denny Loggins, will attempt to break some of the code and catch a glimpse into the mechanical room that is Scott Grigg’s brain.

-Matthew Logman, Art Director and CEO, Logman Industries Ltd.

SG: Geez. I’m glad you added that last part about “Scott Grigg’s brain…” I got lost half way through that.

DL: Yes… that was deep. But, if you don’t mind, let’s get right into this.

SG: No problem.

DL: Let’s talk about process…can you walk me through the process of creating a piece like… well… this one? (pointing at a hanging painting.)

SG: Well… it’s a lot of iteration. Sketching, throwing it out on a board… you saw the board in the studio… just thinking about and reacting to things I’m passionate about, then try to get the ideas represented up there. Little images… a collage in the beginning… then a process of filtering images in and out. The more important an image becomes, the bigger and clearer it gets. The lesser get smaller or disappear. It’s a reaction to research… a lot of news and surrounding. Life evolves and the initial concept is rarely the final product. You know… there are a lot of initial impressions… they evolve into other impressions that...

solidify or devolve into something else.

I would like to say that I know the focus of everything I start… but… just for example… my notebooks are a bunch of scribbles. Through dazing in and out of them and thinking about them… I wake up at night and think about stuff or on my way to work… or in the kitchen… or in the bathroom, I think about stuff. I keep notes as I go… a cheat sheet on my phone. notes, photos, links..

The works are a product of things happening. And events and reactions… there’s so much in the world today that is fucked up… I wish I could do something about it… but I can’t directly. Art is a therapy to get it out, and hopefully help in some way, getting people thinking and talking constructively about serious issues. I’m not put together enough to say anything completely coherent about the political or social atmosphere… My art is simply a gut reaction to life around me. That sounded weird, but..

DL: No, not at all. Let’s move on to question #2: subject matter…

no logs, what’s the story there?

Scott doesn't have any art like this log with a wig.

...Nor does Scott do little snazzy puppies like this Taco Cowboy.

SG: We could work some logs in there… you have a piece with wood in it at your house! I think it’s a crate… or something.

DL: I’m Denny Loggins the reporter and I’ve never met you before. How could you know if I have a piece of yours at my house?

SG: Oh yeah.

DL: So… politics and social commentary… clearly a theme throughout your work…

Graphite drawing on a flat-paneled door.

SG: I didn’t say that.

Close detail of a larger political piece... still in the works.

DL: Excellent. Let’s go onto #3… besides art classes, what were some of your favorite subjects to study in school?

(Blah, blah, blah... The next part is a little long-winded, so let's just skip to the end. I will add in the highlights and more art!)

SG: Um. This is on the record?

DL: (I look around the room and behind me) Uh… Yeah.

SG: Juxtapoz (http://www.juxtapoz.com/), Fantagraphics (http://www.fantagraphics.com/) and the internet ( www.*enteranythinghere.com )… social media...

...It blows your mind!

It’s crowd sourcing for art. It comes from everywhere.

(skip, skip, skip...)

DL: Excellent. Last question…only if you feel comfortable talking about it… In your early teens you were medicated for an attention deficit or similar condition. Do you care to talk about that and how it affects your art?

SG: Yeah, absolutely… that’s a good angle to discuss. I think it’s been with me all of my life. I’ve just had a lot of energy as long as I can remember, and I didn’t work well with taking drugs to counteract the extra energy. I have used sports as an outlet, but I found that art was a great outlet too. I found that the best way to directly face whatever it is that I’m having trouble focusing on, is to just dig in and grind it into a pulp… research, focus, and understanding, make it no longer daunting. It’s my mantra to address it.

Art is the best therapy.

There are many ways to alter your mind and see things from another perspective. Understanding them through leading yourself through the exercises. Reading enough and educating yourself enough… whatever media you can get to… don’t take mainstream media as gospel! Explore alternative sources of information.

DL: Thanks Scott. We appreciate your time to speak with us today. Keep up the good work and, as always, have a LOGGY day. ...I am required to say that.

The END.

Thanks to Scott and Denny for the great interview. And thank YOU, readers, for sticking with us to the end. Please let us know how we did this week and leave a COMMENT!

Scott Loke Grigg doesn't have a website, nor does he prefer to be liked or followed on any social media platform. HOWEVER...follow LOGMANINDUSTRIES on Instagram and @logmanstudio on Twitter.

Here's one more for the road...sneak peak into the LMI R&D Studios from this week...