1. You're an artist and an illustrator - Is that how you would describe yourself?
1999: I am an artist and an illustrator. I am a graphic designer and web-designer. I'm a writer and a poet. I'm a dreamer and a thinker. I'm a liar and a soothsayer. I am ego and I am phantom (I wish this intro had music). Who we are constantly changes, and what we think of ourselves changes from day to day. I am Robert, and Azodnem is just my last name spelled backwards. |
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| 2010: There was a fire to my voice back then. "I am ego and I am phantom." I was a bleeding poet, yearning for one last magnificent masterpiece before his death. Azodnem.com grew out of control. I wanted a page for every thought, every friend, and every piece of artwork I had ever breathed life into. I was screaming so loudly at the world, demanding my due attention and admiration. "Here! I am here!" What was I trying to prove? and to whom? Where did Azodnem end, and Robert begin? Was there even a separation anymore? Was there ever? The fire is still there, but it is now tempered with purpose. It no longer burns to consume, but rather to provide warmth and light. The ego has been replaced with occasional sparks of wisdom, I hope. I am still an artist, and I will die a dreamer. |
2. When you started drawing as a kid, did you ever think that you could eventually do that for a living? How did it happen for you?
1999: Not really. My parents always wanted me to become a doctor, or something "prestigious" with the potential for a large income. I guess all parents want that for their children, on some level. At one point, I even dreamed of becoming an architect, but that required far too much math. The "art-thing" just seemed to happen on its own, luckily. I landed a few freelance gigs here and there, thanks to friends (like you) or fate, or both. |
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| 2010: Speaking of those "freelance gigs"... they have ranged from drawing porn to making puppets. LOL. I've been very fortunate to have been able to make a living from what I love to do, and I attribute a great deal of my personal happiness and mental stability (what little I have) to that fact. I don't think that there could have been a truer or better road for me to walk, than that of an artist. |
3. Are there other artists or creative people in your family? Did they encourage you to be an artist? What did?
1999: My cousins. Oneida studied art for awhile... then became a hair dresser. Now she's studying to become a masseuse, I think? Her brother is a cop and a part-time actor for a small local Latino theater company. No one ever actually "encouraged" me to pursue the arts. It was quite the opposite on some occasions, but art was the only thing I always truly felt pulled to do. |
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| 2010: There have been, and are a great deal of artistic and creative people in my family. My cousins, Oneida and Omar, as I mentioned above. My father is a folk poet. My mother stunned both my sister and I once, ages ago, by picking up a guitar in her brother's house and playing it... beautifully. Sadly, she's never touched one since. That same brother (my Uncle / Godfather) is also a folk poet and a talented guitarist. My sister has always had a "crafty" side to her, in more ways than one. Both of my nieces are dancers, the eldest can sing and wants to become an actress. It would seem that we are the gypsy children of artists and dreamers, and within us plays the melody of inspiration. Stroke the strings, and let the music play. I am still a bleeding poet. |
4. Does drawing fulfill fantasies for you? Does it make the "real" world seem unsatisfactory to you? How do you handle going from the fantasy world of your creative mind, to the bleak reality of day to day life?
1999: Isn't all art to some extent "escapism"? I consider myself a very practical and logical person. Separating imagination and routine are unconsciously easy, but on second thought... since imagination is a reality in and of itself, so to speak... can we ever really leave it? Is imagination a "tangible concept"? |
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2010 #1: "Tangible concept"? What the fuck did I mean by that? 2010 #2: Imagination is power. Thought is creative. To a great extent, we all can create our reality. We all "imagine" our reality. We are all the "artists" of our own lives. If you view the world about you with nothing but sadness, bitterness or misery... you will encounter nothing else, because you are incapable of seeing anything else. Change your perception, and you can change your life. All is love. It really is. If you imagine your life being filled with love, then the reality is... it will be. So if you believe it, repeat it. All is love. 2010# 3: I must have definitely been a child of the 60's in a past life. LOL. Regardless... all is love. |
5. How has the computer and internet changed things for you as an illustrator? Have you ever just used paints, pencils and paper, or did you learn to draw on the computer? Would you prefer to not use a computer and go back to the days of pencil and paper?
1999: "Hand-art" was always my first love. I love painting and drawing by hand. I actually learned to use a computer simply for the sake of being able to get myself a full-time job, and ensure a steady flow of income ("Robert-Practicality" at its best). There is something I love about the process of "hand-art"... getting your hands dirty, the physical tangibility of your art after the process... the cleaning-up / winding down... There is something about that "ritual" that to me defines art. |
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| 2010: Lately, I miss the "ritual". I have definitely become more of a digital artist in the past few years. Adobe Illustrator is both my heaven and hell. However, through that evolution... I have become more conscious of the need to have an "audience" for my art, especially since opening my online shops. After all, rent needs to get paid, and so do the bills. "Shop and support your local Azodnem." So, stop reading this, and go buy my shit... shop links are up on top. LOL. |
6. I'm not familiar with your history and progression as an artist; but from what I have seen, it is all very occult looking, Japanese Anime looking, and super sexually charged. Is sex always on your mind, so it just comes out that way? Or is it a combination of the two?
1999: I'm 27 and Latin. Sex is always on my mind... Sensuality and sexuality are a natural part of life. Their presence in my art, or lack of it, is often NOT intentional. It is simply natural. Japanimation is definitely one of my frequent sources of inspiration. Dark gothic imagery is also another great source of inspiration. |
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| 2010: I'm 36, and Latin. Sex is still on my mind, but I can't remember why. |
7. Have you ever drawn in a totally opposite way, or is it the only way you know how? Where did that "style" come from and when? Do you know and follow art history? Or, do you prefer to just take influences as they come, make your own thing with them, and try not to think about it?
1999: Actually, my style has changed often. It has gone from tight realistic renderings to smooth and "cartoony" kind of stuff. I have been influenced by certain periods of art history and fashion, to a certain extent. I can definitely see some Greek / Roman and Eygptian influences in my early art, but I think I have been effected more by modern cultural influences than historical ones. |
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| 2010: My style has changed, evolved and revolved more times than I can count, and my influences have been innumerous. Currently, I've been bitten by the "writing bug"... so we'll see where that takes me now. |
8. What is the DEAL with you and other male artists obsessed with drawing big-breasted women? Is it just because they're fun to draw? Or, are they a symbol of female power to you?
1999: I think it's the world's largest cover-up. Men have secretly wanted to have their own breasts for centuries, and have been viciously denied this by evolution. In response, several comic book artists have begun to render them obnoxiously large and cumbersome in the hopes to make them less appealing to the masses. Honestly, I have no idea why. I never gave it much thought. It does seem to be a standard or "default setting" for super-heroines, though. Even female and gay comic book artists adhere to that "unwritten rule". |
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| 2010: Boobs are fun to draw. There's no "right" way they're supposed to look, so you can literally make them look like anything you want them to ~ even squares. |
About
the Interviewer |
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1999 |
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2010 |
Kelly Kuvo is an artist that teaches Fine Art |
