Cool Second Saturday Event

One of the nine featured artists at this show is our very own Vanessa Slatter (Paul's lovely arm candy). She's been painting like a mad woman to get a handful of pieces ready for this show, the least we can do it show up and support her. She is an extremely talented painter (not to mention hair artist and photographer) who has a variety of interesting, beautiful, and sometimes downright cute artistic styles.

Vanessa consistantly uses her artistic superpowers for good by creating really cool merch for her friends' bands. She painted a bunch of purses and mirrors for the SOS BBQ last year and painted some mirrors for Final Summation just a few months ago.

To go along with this article, I asked Vanessa a couple questions about her painting. Here are her responses:

How long have you been painting? Always...since I was old enough to wield a brush and fling paint.

Why do you paint? For the money. Kidding. I paint because there is a certain freedom that comes with working with my hands to create something original, colorful and/or meaningful. Someone once wrote that everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path. I believe that I'm supposed to be creating art.

What got you started? I was in 5th or 6h grade when I became serious about painting consistently. I was on vacation in Mendocino. I spent an entire day collecting flat rocks on the beach and painting seascapes on them for all my friends and family.. I must have painted 40 or so by the end of the week!! I was hooked.

Any ambitious painting related plans for the future? I'm currently working on making more band themed mirrors and album art... In the future I'd like to do more art shows, more portraits and eventually another mural.

What have you always wanted to paint? I have always wanted to finish a series of Hitchcock themed art... So far I've only completed one. I am a Hitchcock freak!!!

What do you hate painting - what can you never get "right"? Oh gosh there's a list...I'm going to go with noses. I guess I'm my biggest critic....Hmmm. I guess I don't mind that I'll never be famous for painting extraordinary likenesses of the human nose.

You can see more of her work by visiting her myspace and looking in her photo album called Art.

Jaz Brown, formerly the singer of the Helper Monkeys and drummer for Kepi the Band, will also be showing art. No surprises here, he usually paints comicbooktastic skantily clad ladies. Recently I commissioned him to do a portrait of me for my mom's birthday (wearing slightly more clothes of course). If for no other reason, show up so you can sucker punch his kidneys in retaliation for the Helper Monkeys splitting up.