Christopher Umana : IPMM Exclusive Interview

Rebirth of Venus

CHRISTOPHER UMANA – IPMM EXCLUSIVE

“There’s gotta be at least one bird out there who would rather walk than fly, for whatever reason…”

Christopher Umana has a precise vision – it’s the auspicious combination of aviary and human condition that form an amalgam in his brain and palette, allowing space for questions that might seem too sticky for direct analysis. His work creates its own world that floats amongst the disparity that exists between gravity and flight, while developing issues that might have more to do with the intricacies of being a human, than the levity of paint. At the same time, he uses his canvas’ as a processing mechanism for his own ideas, plots, and mental makeup, each piece breathing life through complex worldly relationships, that motivate Chris’ self-reflection. His art is his Dr. Freud, and his Carl Jung; his subconscious, and his ideas about the future. It was my suspicion that these historically-dressed birds had more going on than tidy attire…and I was right.

Chris’ career has taken off, recently completing an album art project for Venetian Snares, and using social netwokring to make his art available to those who like their art a little stark, weird, and introspective. Yea, that means IPMM, and it means you too, but that’s more than ok. Chris’ prints are high-quality giclees that are a steal for the prices he offers and we’re sure they’d enjoy your home. Now that you know who he is, and can tell he’s on to something, come along and find out how Chris comes to these visual conclusions. Or are they?

by Evan La Ruffa

Red Raven Revelation

EL: I hilighted your work briefly on IPMM a little while back, and was instantly drawn to the way you put animals in human situations…surreal in all the right ways. I really enjoy it man…

CU: Thank you so much Evan!

EL: Do you ever feel like you’re not the one actually creating your art, but are somehow acting as a conduit of some sort? I’ve always been interested by creative people who feel they’re basically a stopgap for inspiration…
CU: Deepak Chopra said, in so many words, that we carry over to our lives what we had in a past life. We keep these traits and with every life continue adding to these talents or skill sets. I do feel that when I’m creating, I sometimes am channeling something past or improving upon what I’ve done before. It always makes me wonder and anticipate what I will create in the future, whether in this life or the next.

EL: Birds are very often part of your work…are you just like me and amazed by anything that flies, or what’s the deal?
CU: I feel that for centuries, man has been envious of anything that naurally flies. I am no exception. I look at those creatures and marvel at what they are capable of, and which we have to manufacture in order to emulate. Then I wonder if there are those winged creatures which are like some of us who ignore or cast aside their natural abilities. This is why I combine them with human attributes. There’s gotta be at least one bird out there who would rather walk than fly, for whatever reason, but the same applies to humans as well. I enjoy exploring similar types of connections.

Rebirth of Venus

EL: You recently created the artwork for the new Venetian Snares album, entitled, “My So-Called Life,”…have you done album art before? I’m always interested in the relationship between bands and artists as far as matching art and music…
CU: I had only done album art for my own bands’ in high school and college, as well as some local Southern California bands. I’ve always admired album art espcially after I saw the cover art for all the Led Zeppelin and Beatles LPs as a child, or when I saw Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew” at the local library in high school. I loved the idea of artwork being seen worldwide via a musician or band. I wanted to eventually experience that as well, and now this cover for Venetian Snares will do that for my work and I look forward to creating more covers in the future. The beauty about this project, was that I have listened to his music obsessively for the last 8 years and when he described his interpretation of my work to me, it was like I had already explained it to him without realizing it. He completely understood what I’m trying to communicate through my work and how easliy it fit with what he was trying to convey with his music.

Venetian Snares - My So-Called Life

EL: What concepts tend to influence your work? Do you come back to any specific worldview of your own that directs your content?
CU: I tend to lean toward subjects that I am experiencing personally, like family and the human condition. Oddly enough, I use animal features for this. Another topic I often deal with is death, but I feel it drives me to interpret it in ways that I feel I haven’t seen before. I ask myself why it always has to be dark, why can’t it be celebratory, or positive? It has thrust me into researching how different cultures view death and react to it, and I’ve found some great revelations about it. It’s a topic we all can all relate to and must eventually come to terms with.

EL: What artists have influenced your work?
CU: So many have, but a few are Stanislav Szukalski, Robert Crumb, Jerome Witkin, Alex Gross, Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Heinrich Kley, and the list goes on…

Miss Rai

EL: What’s the coolest place you’ve been to? Anywhere in the world, and why?
CU: The rainforest in Costa Rica. It’s a world completely oblivious to anything else outside of it, yet it functions much like the way our society does, with its inhabitants interacting with each other for better or worse, all the while needing each other to sustain life.

EL: What do you hope your work conveys, if anything?
CU: I hope my work conveys a sense of storytelling and conversation, especially since I am pretty introverted and I feel this is the best way that I communicate.

EL: I love pieces that relate an entire scene….tell me about “Punto de Coyuntura.”

Punto de Coyuntura

CU: I made that piece as a reaction to how I felt about taking day jobs to support my family while trying to get my art career off the ground. I took several manual labor jobs, breaking my back, all the while knowing that I am meant for something greater. The foreman-type character on the right of the panel lazily watches over the workers who toil in the dirt regardless of the training or skills they possess to do something better. Meanwhile, the crows are the higher-ups who scrutinize the workers’ every move. The worker on the right gets through his long and exhausting days by reminding himself that he’s doing it for his family and remembering the care free days he had as a child, not knowing the hard days to come.

EL: What are some other pieces that you’re especially proud of?

Heredity

CU: “Heredity,” because it dealt with the passing of personality traits from my grandmother (after her death) to my infant daughter. I’m proud of “The Reaper” because for me it turned out to be an iconic image of the grim reaper without being macabre about it. He just looks deceptively dapper patiently waiting to rain down on someone’s parade.

The Reaper

EL: Coffee or tea?
CU: I rarely drink either, but when I do, I tend to stick to green tea or caramel frappuccinos.

EL: Name one artist or musician/band that IPMM readers should check out.
CU: I’ll give you one of each: Artist- Aunia Kahn,  Band- Fantômas. Both are brilliant in their own ways for many different reasons and both have affected the way I view art and life!

Here are Chris’ multitudinous, yet equally important links…

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cumanaillustration
http://www.myspace.com/cumanaillus
http://twitter.com/cumanaillus
http://www.thumbtackpress.com/browse/ind…
http://www.society6.com/cumanaillus