An Interview with Jeremy Scheuch

By Lauri Apple in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 30, 2008 3:45PM

If it weren't for the porn actresses' bodies, rainbow-beaming vaginas and sharp social and political commentary, the works of Chicago artist Jeremy Scheuch would perfectly suit the bedroom of a four-year-old. A graduate of Kansas City Art Institute, Scheuch incorporates unicorns, rainbows and dinosaurs, among other things, to create bold paintings that express politically charged themes in a humorous light. Tonight Scheuch has work featured in Tura! Tura! Tura!: a show at the Tattoo Factory Gallery held in honor of Tura Satana of Russ Meyer's classic Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Satana will be present for the action. 4443 N. Broadway, 7-11 p.m.

Chicagoist: You refer to your art as "pseudo-religious pop-political crap." Why the "crap"? A little tired of full-of-themselves artists who take themselves way too seriously, perhaps?

Jeremy Scheuch: I think the “crap” part is because a lot of things in America have become so muddled: religion and pop culture, politics and religion, art and commerce, celebrity and sainthood. In a lot of ways, consumption, religion, pop culture, politics and patriotism have overlapped into a pile of crap. It’s also to remind myself not to take myself too seriously. I also really like unicorns; it’s a freaking horse that can stab you!! I think dolphins, rainbows, Jesus and America are all pretty great as well.

I’m not “tired of full-of-themselves artists”; I do think they have their place. A lot of artists do take themselves entirely too seriously, though. I think in a lot of ways art and artists have become a commodity, just like everything else. Art can be fun and stupid and also have a serious side. Not to say I don’t take my art seriously, but there is a point where you have to step back and realize it’s just art.

I mean, you have to be a little arrogant to be a successful artist. You have to have an ego to think that a complete stranger really cares about what you think or how you interpret the world. I would love to be able to support myself with my art. The world would be a horrible place without art, but it really doesn’t have any functional use in the basic meaning of the word. It’s not meant to feed, cloth or shelter.

C: When did you start painting? What was your childhood art like? How did it evolve to become the art you make now?

JS: I’ve always made art or other messes as far back as I can remember. I was labeled a gifted underachiever with ADD at a young age, so my parents kept me busy with trips to art museums, science museums, sports, musical performances and T.V. The earliest drawings I can remember making were in first grade; I drew a lot of dinosaurs and Snoopy. I was the kid who always got in trouble for drawing in class, but I am also lucky to have great parents that always encouraged me to be creative. I wasn’t raised on television by any means, but even at a young age cartoons were a big influence on me. Some of my earliest memories involve running home to watch Thundercats and my grandparents and parents taking me to museums. This mix of art museums and cartoons as well as growing up in the Midwest is a big part of my inspiration, even today.

I love America, and like to celebrate its absurdity and irony.

C: How did you settle on printmaking, when you're a painter?

JS: I actually started out all through high school wanting to be a photographer. When I arrived at the Kansas City Art Institute, the printmaking department really caught my attention. It was a real mixed media department, and I have always been fascinated by the ideas of multiples and repeating patterns in art. We were allowed to explore painting, sculpting, collage, photography, street art, even sound. It really helped me grow as an artist.

I don’t really consider myself to be specifically a painter or a printmaker. Painting evolved more out of necessity. Once I left college, my printmaking abilities were greatly reduced. It’s difficult to get the access to presses and lithography stones.

C: Did you make such fanciful art in college? Did your instructors "get" it, or did you have to change your work in order to get through their curriculum?

JS: During college, I created a lot of Jesus art. A lot of Christianity vs. Ronald McDonald pieces have slowly changed over the years into unicorns, rainbows, dolphins, America and Jesus. I had really great professors throughout college: Adriane Herman, Hugh Merrill, Carl Kurtz, Mike Birtchnell, and Michael Keighery. They may not have all gotten it, but they always pushed me to go bigger anyway. They also taught me that not everyone is going to “get it” and that’s okay.

I’ve always found the idea of some organized religion as a little absurd. My teachers helped me realize it was okay to express that idea without being offensive for offensive’s sake. Since then there has always been a lot of research behind my art. Every symbol or icon or religious aspect has been researched for its meaning. Though some things may seem to be arbitrarily placed or represented, everything image is an important part of the whole.

C: What is your process like? How many pieces do you turn out per week/month?

JS: I draw and trace a lot. I am constantly pouring over magazines, celebrity blogs, vintage dictionaries, clip art, thrift stores and flea markets for images and inspiration. I tend to use found icons and imagery as my color palette. If I find an image I like, I will use it over and over again. I might use a story I see on the news or a bad joke I hear on a sitcom as a start to a painting. I was at the Lincoln Park Zoo last year and saw a seagull eat a cute little baby duck. It freaked the shit out of me. That became a painting.

I have been working more digitally recently, which has allowed me to be a little more prolific, but I still don’t consider a piece done until it is painted or something tangible I can hang on the wall.

Depending on my pesky real job, my production can change from week to week. I can turn out half a dozen pieces one week and then not touch a paint brush for a week and a half.

C: Do you ever get complaints from touchy folks that pieces such as, say, TV Guide Jesus, are blasphemous?

JS: Oddly enough, the TV Guide Jesus piece was purchased and donated to the Brauer museum on the Valparaiso University campus; Valparaiso is a Christian college.

I had some issues during a show at university when I was in Australia. Many of the pieces showed the relationship between Christianity and McDonald’s. Because of the comments and complaints the art department and I were receiving, I finally put out a comment sheet. Some of the best comments I received were:

“Just remember God sees everything. Have you stooped so low as to use religion to display your very low artistic talents? Why couldn’t you just display your OWN FACE! And muck it up with your lousy talent!”

“GET A JOB!!!”

“…do us a favor and with all due respect to the effort and time put in it, I think that this talent should not be displayed in public. Thank You.”

I never intentionally want to offend somebody, but I guess I’d feel a little disappointed if I didn’t illicit some sort of response.

I have gotten some people who are offended or put off by my painting of a rainbow shooting out of Britney Spears' vagina, though.

C: What local artists and/or galleries are your favorites?

JS: Mitch O’Connell, Martin Cimek, Vicious Velvet, and Henry Darger, to name a few. Gallerywise: Rotofugi, DVA Gallery, MCA. I am a big fan of non-traditional spaces and street art.

C: What pieces will you be showing at Tura! Tura! Tura!?

JS: The painting is called Galatea, the Statue that Came to Life, and is reference to her stage name when she danced Club Rendezvous in Calumet City, Illinois. It is an iconic tribute piece to a film and pop culture icon.

C: What question have I not asked you that you would like to answer?

JS: I think you got it. I’ve rambled on enough.