VOICE 1156 Q&A WITH TRAVIS CHATHAM
Interview conducted by Noah Spahn

Voice 1156: Travis, you are definitely among the most jovial artists that we have ever met- what was your impression of the two opening nights for the current show at voice1156 (are you always that jolly)?
TC: Hey Noah, thank you for the “Jovial-Jolly” compliment. I usually try to be a positive and happy guy. The opening nights were a good time. There really was no way one could not have been Jovial or Jolly that night. It was a time of fun and relaxing. The show was hung and there were no more worries. Just to enjoy the two nights and have a good ol’ time… San Diego style. The openings were great. I met a lot of really nice people. People had questions about the work. It was cool to hear what they thought and had to say. I have only been in a couple of group shows in the San Diego area. To have an opportunity like this and show a larger body of my work was really cool. I have not had many shows where I have gotten to show a lot of work. I was a little nervous because I was not in a familiar area. It was out of my hands on how many people would show. In LA I can at least make my friends or family show up. But in this case It was out of my hands. I really liked that feeling, I knew I was going to get an honest response and I would see what people thought of my work.

Voice1156: What are your present activities?
TC: Well, for work, freelance illustration and decorative painting. The freelance work isnt paying the bills just yet, so I have jumped into the world of decorative painting/faux finishing. So far, Its been a great learning experience. I work with great people and work on some great projects. Other activities would be like skateboarding, enjoying time with my wife, and playing some good ol’ rock and roll with my band.

Voice1156: "Philip" made quite an impression on everyone; even before they entered the gallery- people were jolted to notice a (mostly) nude businessman, casually checking his watch. Everyone had questions about him: what is the story behind Philip?
TC: I would have to say Phillip is my take on what the everyday business man we all see walking around downtown or in any town. We really get to see what this person is like on the inside. He is doing the same thing we see these people do everyday. Standing there waiting for something and checking his watch. There is a real person there. He has that inviting stare in his eyes. Is he asking for help? Or is he just wanting to make a friend? Maybe we should say hi next time we make eye contact with anyone on the street. They just may smile and say hi back. (Hopefully they will have all of their clothes on.)

Voice1156: Among your compositional elements- you make use of the 'buffed' look (graffiti that has been painted over). What can you tell us about your affinity to this neo-urban style?
TC : I dont know. What a great answer huh? I dont know. Well, you can drive into any town and see how a business or city is trying to cover up some graffiti. They just roll right over it with hopefully the same color paint as the building or freeway. Most of the time the color or value is just a little off and I love the slight difference. It makes a great design composition. a great background for a piece. I also like to use it to help tell the story.

Voice1156: What were your sentiments behind the painting entitled: 'Support'? What can you tell us about the significance of your chosen elements (colors, the posturing of the soldier and his juxtaposition with the dove)?
TC: I wanted to do a piece about the war. I am sure like many artists have. I have placed the dove in for the symbol of peace. The bird is flying in towards the soldier hopeing to spread peace and end this war. I have the soldier standing in a crouched ready to fight stance and is staring at the bird almost “Mad dogging” the bird. He is telling the bird that he isn’t ready just yet. He was sent there on a mission and he wants to complete his mission. I used the different colors of green in the background for camouflage.
I have such a respect for the armed forces and Military. The People who have fought and are fighting for us right now. I am so thankfull to have people like them in our country who are willing to fight for us. Thank you so much to those people who have done so.

Voice1156: What are your beliefs about pre-mixed house paint?
TC : I would get the returned cans of paint that people didn’t like. I guess the color wasn’t right. I guess It was right for me. I would love the random colors they would have. The light pastel colors. Great colors that people would have in their house. It is great to get a new color and see what I can do with it. How I can incorporate it in a piece..

Voice1156: How do you see your fascination in animals (as a subject for painting) changing/evolving in the future?
TC : Right now I have been painting a lot of animals. Especially ones with a lot of fur. Kittens, Monkeys, dogs. Birds. I know birds don’t have fur, but they have feathers. I have been painting with smaller brushes. Liner brushes. I don’t know what it is. I can sit there for hours and paint hair, furry animals. Lots of lines. Good times. Maybe its therapeutic..

Voice1156: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us, and we look forward to seeing more of your art in the future…
TC : Thank you Noah, I truly had a great experience with you guys at voice 1156. Opening nights were a blast. Hanging the show was great. Everyone was great to work with. San Diego is a great place. I look forward to coming down for openings and hopefully showing again in the area. Thanks.