sharon arnold | dimensions variable: Interview, Laura Castellanos

Laura Castellanos is a local artist in Seattle who's got a lot of love and imagination to give to the world, and her joyful enterprise bummerbunny has captured the hearts of people nationwide. You can see Laura talking about her work with Nancy Guppy here on ArtZone.

Here's Laura talking with me (questions posted yesterday):

To be honest, my initial thoughts went straight to the "gutter". So, instead of going against them, I decided to be playful and reference an ancient “sex symbol”… the Venus of Willendorf.

I knew that the best way for me to come up with something especially for the Seattle Erotic Art Festival would be to make an attempt at expressing intimacy, approachability, and impulsiveness. The piece that came out, “Pink Venus” is a small, spur of the moment cardboard painting, which I hope will create a light spirited connection with viewers.

One of the things I love most about your work is that you really give us an entry into joy and into art as a whole. I can really see how this functions particularly well in an erotic piece! Is this part of a larger philosophy you might have of connecting art to people?

I love creating and believe that the sense of play and discovery one can channel while in the act of creating can often reach “cosmic-erotic” intensity. It is my intention to manifest this energy unto the work (self/object) and to create a spark or moment of transitory togetherness with the viewer.

I know you've created this world of characters and protagonists with your paintings. If they all met and had a big party together, what would they be celebrating?

These characters ARE having a party and my guess is that they are celebrating each other’s secrets!

What do you most look forward to in this year's Seattle Erotic Art Festival?

The experience with SEAF has been very positive…thanks Sharon! I’m really looking forward to meeting participating artists and to continue having a positive connection with the Festival. I think it’s going to be fun and I’m planning on making some “Pink Venus” urban visionary art buttons to give away at the event!!!

Give us one thing you think is unexpectedly sexy:

self-control

Thanks Laura, I'm looking forward to seeing your buttons adorning the finery at the Festival!

As always, if you're curious and want to learn more, please visit SeattleErotic.Org!