we are all seeking some kind of acceptance

Welcome to this week's Drive-by Interview with artist Christopher Paul Brown

Is there something you are currently working on, or are excited about starting?

Yes. I shoot outdoors exclusively at this juncture. However, the cold of Winter causes me to reduce my photo shoots, and cease entirely photo shoots with models. Due to my heavy post-production processing I usually have a backlog of un-viewed photographs; the Winter is a great time to get caught up. I have shot with models as late as November and as early as March, so I am excited to return to shoots with models in a couple of months. One of my models and I are exploring new outfits for her.

Do you have a background in something other than art?

My Bachelor’s degree is in film. I was very active making experimental videos in the 2002 to 2007 period and participated in many festivals. I co-founded two experimental music groups and produced 17 releases (cds, cd/dvds. vinyl) from 2000 to 2012. I have five children and three of them are minors and are home-schooled. I have been raising kids for almost forty years. I also co-managed a hedge fund from 1990 to 2001.

Do you encounter misconceptions about being an artist?

As in many arenas there are a wide range of misconceptions. One of the biggest is that we are all seeking some kind of acceptance and applause, like someone who says the right things or wears the right clothes in order to be liked. The final product itself finds completion in being apprehended. The product itself is like a child of mine. I market primarily for the product and viewer’s fulfillment in the art/viewer experience. Sadly, the vast majority of my art has never been marketed. There are only so many hours in the day. I do want to earn money from my art. Who wouldn’t? However, the idea that I require confirmation of my value as an artist is entirely wrong. I am mere midwife to the creation of art. Energies beyond me are far more important, and the outcomes are usually a surprise to me. I have weaknesses and doubts, but this art midwifery is not one of them. The other misconception is that making art is hard, difficult work. I find it can be hard to make the time for art, and marketing it can sometimes be hard work, but making it is easy and satisfying.

What does creating art provide for you?

Creating art provides confirmation that the world is a magickal place. It provides an emotional high when energies beyond myself use me as a conduit. The experience of entering into flow is unmatched outside of sex.

About work featured in Creatures-real and imagined on exhibition thru March:

The Rodent Princess, Up in Smoke $590. Giclee print on Hahnemuhle paper "In experimenting with smoke, I knew about possible resonances (the creation of faces and such);so I intended strong images that were portraits, even as I made no effort to control how that would happen. This work exemplifies how the invisible and the unconscious manifest in my images."