Shane Paxton

EXHIBITING ARTIST'S INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ARTIST NAME: Shane Paxton

DATE OF EXHIBITION : April 2021

1)What inspired the body of work presented in your exhibit at Distinction?

To put it simply: fear of the dark and the monsters that may lurk there. Since childhood I have been obsessed with books and movies depicting the shadows, the dark of my closet and the underside of my bed as rife with gnashing needle-like teeth and small claws waiting to catch me unawares. Movies like Labrinth and the Dark Crystal kept me up at night, but I loved them nonetheless. I began to draw the faces I imagined were peering malevolently at me from the foot of my bed as I slept. I made them into garish cartoons; parodies of the things that scared me, taking away their ability to frighten me. I guess I've never stopped doing this, though at one point I decided to start sculpting them and taught myself how. After all, the fears and anxieties of childhood become the worries of adulthood. I just keep making a mockery of them.

2) What does the artwork represent to you?

They represent my anxious nature. This is something Iv'e battled with my whole life. I've learned that dragging these things out of the darkness and shining a stark light on them reveals just how ridiculous they are. Hence the title of my exhibition: Monsters in My Head. That's just what they are and the only place they have power. This is also why I give them smiles or vacant expressions. They are silly things, just like the worries they are inspired by.

3) Is this a departure from your previous work? In other words, is it different than work you have done?

I did a lot of illustration as a young man. Most of it was dark and brooding chaos with no real cohesive theme. Ten years ago I started experimenting with clay to bring the monsters of my childhood into the third dimension. Being self-taught, I am always learning new techniques and ways to bring those internal visions to life.

4) What kind of response do you hope people will have when engaging with your work?

Smiles. That's the best I can hope for. The deeper meaning I attempt to bestow on these things is secondary to that reaction. One should make up ones own mind as to whether the pieces mean anything or not. I know what I made, but what do you see?

5) What do you experience when making art? How do you come up with the content?

My stuff happens organically in a sense. I form a lump of clay on a surface, sit back and see a face there. Like looking at a cloud and deciding what it resembles, even if no one else sees it. I form a plan from there, but it often changes. Almost like how authors frame a story, you have an idea where the character is going, though they have a tendency to dictate their own destiny.

6) Anything else you want to share about your work, yourself, or what inspires you as an artist?

I am overwhelmed by the response I have received in regards to my work. I feel extremely lucky that so many have found a connection to these absurd little monsters. And I would like to thank those that have been collecting my pieces for years, you know who you are. I am inspired by you. Thank you for taking the Monsters out of my head.