Erick Rodriguez is a self-taught artist born and raised in Los Angeles. He is one of my favorite artists because, yes—he makes monsters. He is a master of difficult-to-master techniques such as airbrush and hair infusion. He can make stuff look hellishly real, and strikingly freaky!!
Erick’s monsters aren’t the usual zombie/Frankenstein types we’re used to encountering in Hollywood land. His work is straight out of his own highly dertaled imaginary world. I saw my first Rodriguez piece in Crewest Gallery (on Winston, just off Main Street between 4th and 5th), and was blown away. It was a character with glistening teeth, meticulously sewn handmade clothes and a spray-paint can emerging from the top of its nasty little head. His work seemed the perfect blend of old, well-studied special effects techniques spicfed up with a brand new vision of urban excitement. I found out later that this particular character was a symbol dominating many of his works. He says that the “spray-can” head character with nozzle pointing forward is a symbol of his “under pressure imagination” and a creative outlet. “My creatures allow me to escape the humdrum reality of the world by exploring new internal frontiers,” he says. Erick’s inner exploration and dance with the inner demons inside his head, allow him to unleash an uncontrollable talent for creation.
Nathan Cartwright: I consider you one of the master sculptors that show here at The Hive; you not only sculpt sickly detailed characters, but you also intricately paint them. How do you decide on colors and textures for your creatures?
Erick Rodriguez: Well I study insects, bugs and fishes quite a bit. I own a great collection books on animals, insects, and the like. I dig in to my books and from that point begin to choose the colors that I want to use. I apply my aesthetic decisions to the piece and then mimic the patterns. For example, I may mix a fish with a dragonfly. I’ll see what I like in both animals and create a new character with the styles and colors I’ve learned about each.
Nathan Cartwright: I’m a sculpee freak- I’ve never branched out much from there. Do you use a range of sculpting materials or prefer one type of medium?
Erick Rodriguez: Of course, yeah, I like to work with all types of materials like sculpee and latexmix, but lately I’ve been working a lot with silcone mixed with gelcoat. I’m very happy with the results.
Nathan Cartwright: How about your process? Do you sketch out your characters or just go straight ahead?
Erick Rodriguez: I tend to do lots of thumbnail drawings first and then pick the most interesting and organic one. From there, I proceed to make to a full drawing of my top choice. The full drawing has all the information I need to transform my vision into a 3D version.
Nathan Cartwright: You tend to dance with the devils and monsters in your art. I figure you’ve watched your share of horror movies…..What are some of your influences?
Erick Rodriguez: Some of my influences are Bekinski, Brom, Carlos Huante, Spectrum Magazine, Music, Dreams, Nightmares, Nature, and art in general. I’m interested in anything that is organic in nature.
Nathan Cartwright: What do you plan on releasing into The Hive Gallery for your upcoming January 2008 show?ER: I plan on unleashing a titanous wonderland of creatures, faces, babies and robots.
Check out Erick’s work at www.imaginerick.com. Erick will be featured alongside Max Grundy, Ryan Gannon, Brendan Sharkey, and Peter Romberg at The Hive at their New Year’s show opening January 5th, 2008 through the 26th.