#extraterrestials

Tell us about yourself Hi, I am Mark Rogers. I am a painter from Portland, Oregon. I have an irrational fear of bees, I am a vegan, and I love metal. Thanks so much for interviewing me.

What is your art background and when did you first get into drawing? I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. A lot of my elementary school memories were of me drawing on back side of whatever assignment the teachers had handed out to us, and possibly getting into trouble for it.

Being self taught, what are your thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of maybe not attending art school?  Well, I don’t have to deal with the crippling student loan debt. Perhaps this is the most advantageous aspect of being self-taught. I received my degree in Political Science of all things, perhaps out of a sense of naive idealism before the grim apathy of adulthood sunk it’s fangs into my heart. I started making art seriously at an older age, (around 27) and felt that the school-thing wasn’t for me any more. Because I have never been to art school, I can’t completely attest to the advantages, but I do know quite a few other artists who have gone to art school, who also work a few shifts a week in restaurants and bars like myself. The same holds true of political science majors. It seems like I’m on the right path.    

Tell us about your current work which feature some prominent protagonist in the form of extraterrestrial beings interacting with American pioneers in the 1800’s. How did they evolve into your subject matter? Before I started painting, I dabbled in writing, but I wasn’t really that good at it.  My pioneer/alien narrative coalesced over the course of many paintings and sketchbook doodles and I am learning more about the story all the time. I feel that Aliens are the modern folklore creatures of the our current time as maybe fairies and elves were their predecessors from earlier generations. I have always loved westerns, but felt that they were sort of boring due to the lack of magic or mystery. A lot of people might say that my work is science fiction, but I am actually trying to create/explore a newer fantasy paradigm that is both magical and American. …..also I saw a UFO in 2009.

Wait, whoaaaa … Please share with us your U.F.O story. It was the early summer of 2009 and I was married at the time, living in Springfield Oregon. My ex-wife and I were walking down Centennial Blvd around dusk, headed to the corner store, when we both saw a glowing ball of orange light silently make its way really low across the sky to our right to vanish over the horizon line. We both looked at each other with huge eyes and say at the same time “UFO”. It was super weird and eerie. 

Later that summer we bought a telescope and spent a bit of time each night in the back yard hoping to see something like what we had witnessed, but sadly I have never seen anything like that ever again. That was around the time that I first began painting, although I didn’t paint aliens and such until much later. The painting that I made called, “Prayer to the Magi” depicts the actual UFO that we both witnessed. It might not be an actual ship from outer space, but it was certainly unusual, and unidentifiable.

What’s the weirdest comment or compliment you’ve gotten on a piece? I had a guy the other day tell me that if I painted an Alien virgin Mary, he would have that tattooed on his belly. Some people just message me wanting to talk about their experiences or their extraterrestrial DNA.

What were you painting or drawing prior to extraterrestrials?  Can you look back and see a direct evolution to what you’re painting now?  What was your first painting, painting? I have always done narrative paintings with characters but they didn’t have the same theme as my current work. They focused usually on something personal in my life that bothered me and I would use symbolism to create an image usually with ghosts and skulls and creepy spooky stuff. My first painting sucked and it was of a woman with branches growing out of her head and perched on the branches were crows. I recently learned from Game of Thrones that was she was doing would be considered “warging”.  

Do you keep a sketchbook or work your ideas as you go along?  What type of sketchbook do you keep – disorganized chaos or neat and clean? Hell Yeah!! My sketch book is my most important art weapon as well as a wonderfully antisocial lifestyle choice. I have used a lot of sketchbooks over the years, but my total favorite is the Stillman and Birn Gamma Series 9X12. My sketchbooks are filled with thumbnails, doodles and watercolor paintings. Some pages are organized and some are bonkers depending on my sobriety during my bi-weekly drink and draw sessions. I usually go out to coffee and draw once or twice a week too. I bring my sketchbook along with a box of art supplies with me everywhere.    

What are the current mediums you work with? What about them are forgiving and what about them is challenging if at all? I love oil painting!! It is my main medium and mega-forgiving. I have tried comic-style inking but getting all the lines perfect on the first shot really stressed me out. I love the slower drying time of oils, the rich colors you can get with glazing, and the texture of the paint. The poisons are fun too! I live in a small studio apartment and my easel is about 8 feet from my bed.  The only thing that is really challenging about oil painting is that packing in tiny details can be a little tricky, but it works for me, and I don’t ever foresee changing mediums.

What’s your specific artistic process like? Does a schedule help you? Are you a morning person or night owl? I am extremely process oriented. My typical flow goes: Sketchbook thumbnail, gather reference, better sketchbook thumbnail, draw on the panel, spray fix and cover it with matte medium, then do an underpainting and then the final layers. After that I varnish the painting and photograph it, frame it, and then usually mail it somewhere. I have a suggested art schedule, but I never stick to it. Instead, I am always kind of working or squeezing in chunks of painting time in here or there.  I am a total night owl, in fact I rarely leave my apartment unless it is dark out.

What artists are you really into at the moment? What is it about his or her work that stand out to you? I like so many artists both classical and contemporary that it is hard to really answer this question. I am very inspired by a lot of my friends and the community of people that I have met online. I feel like the person that most fascinates me currently is James Gurney because he is really into sharing his process. I have learned so much by just reading his blog. I love how he is a plein air painter as well as an amazing illustrator. I have almost all of his books.

Do you have a favorite pair of Vans (classics, sk8-hi etc)? I am currently wearing the AUTHENTIC black on black, but I also have had a ton of the OLD SKOOL and SK8 HI in the past.

What are some words you like to live by? I don’t have an exact quote, but I am very big on the idea of “Grit” as a personality trait. According to wikipedia: “Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective.” I feel that Grit is the most important personality trait of any serious artist.  

What are you looking forward to the rest of this year artwise? I have been working a ton with Red Truck Gallery in New Orleans, and I will continue to over the course of the year, with maybe a trip down to Los Angeles for the LA Art show and another trip to NOLA for fun. Also, I would really like to complete a very large painting with lots of characters before the year is over. Finally, it would be nice to have the Alien implant in my frontal cortex removed if possible. Thanks so much for interviewing me, Mike!