1xRUN Thru Interview
Conjoined by Kill Taupe
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about the Conjoined series, when were they created and what materials did you use on these pieces?
Kill Taupe: The smaller pieces are acrylic & ink on maple. The larger pieces are acrylic and ink on cradled birch plywood. I wanted this series to look a little more broken down, so I did some heavy sanding on them and built the larger panels in-studio.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Kill Taupe: I’m intrigued by conjoined twins. What would it be like to never truly be alone? Would you share the same likes/dislikes? What if you’re good, but your other half is evil? Is there a way to form separate identities? If you became a zombie, would you eat all your friends first before turning on your other half? I wanted to show all that, but – you know, with rabbits.
1xRun: How long did each piece take?
Kill Taupe: I habitually work on several things at once which means half finished paintings are always scattered around the studio. I started the series in early December, then after a short break started working on them again mid-January. My creative process involves lots of Skyrim breaks and walks to the corner store for McClure’s potato chips, so I’m a pretty bad judge at how long each piece actually took.
1xRun: What is unique about these pieces?
Kill Taupe: I wanted to make sure that each piece told it’s own story within the set.
1xRun: Why should people buy these pieces ?
Kill Taupe: Well, besides the fact that they’re pretty darn awesome, if you hang one on your wall people will undoubtedly walk into your home, see it and just start gushing about how excellent you are to own such a painting. “You have such amazing taste!” they’ll scream before lapsing into mind-spasms of never-ending joy.
1xRun: Describe these pieces in one gut reaction word.
Kill Taupe: Conjoined.
1xRun: When did you first start making art? What was your first piece?
Kill Taupe: I may have left some cave drawings on the inside of my mothers uterus. The first piece I ever sold was a small painting of Mel Gibson with the words “Sugar Tits” drawn in behind him. It was like a hand drawn meme.
1xRun: What artists inspired you early on? Who inspires you lately?
Kill Taupe: Andy Warhol, Keith Harring and Roy Lichtenstein. A lot of comic book artists, like Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos, also inspired me early on. Currently it’s still the aforementioned artists along with heavy hitters in the pop genre like Joe Ledbetter, Banksy and Scott C. Their work never lacks energy, or fun, and always amazes me.
Chris Bachalo
1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work?
Kill Taupe: My studio is pretty cozy and the music’s always on. I listen to a wide variety of stuff. Today’s rotation included Röyksopp’s “Junior”, Graffiti 6, the Black Keys and a few hours of 93.9 the River.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why? Any deceased artists ?
Kill Taupe: Luke Chueh! His work rocks my socks. I guess Keith Haring, but I saw a documentary about him once, and I’m not sure we’d get along. Before we finished whatever we were working on I’d probably end up getting in a slap fight with his corpse.
1xRun: What was the first piece of art that you bought? Do you still have it? The last?
Kill Taupe: It was a print of Scott C’s “Igloo Head & Tree Head 2”, and I still have it! The last was a sculpture, from Emi Slade, of a tentacled alien emerging from a small sugar pot.
1xRun: What else do you have in the works?
Kill Taupe: I’ll be heading to Milwaukee in late April for a show at Rogues Gallery. A few other things on the horizon as well. I’m perpetually becoming an art-making hermit.
1xRun: Where can people find you ?
Kill Taupe: Facebook – Twitter – Tumblr
-1xRUN