Creative Portland

Kaitlin: [00:00:00] Hey there. Do you think of yourself as a creative person? If you found yourself here and you're curious, you are. This is Creative Portland, the podcast made for you by the all volunteer team who organized the Creative Morning Series. speaker series in Portland, Oregon. I'm your host, Kaitlin, and I'm really glad you're here.

Each episode, we are going to share a talk from one of the most generous, inspiring, and creative people in this city. You'll hear from people doing things You probably already think of as creative people who paint, write books, illustrate comics, style photo shoots, make music, even sing opera. There are others who run companies or bake, a few who've broken world records, some who organize festivals.

even a rodeo. [00:01:00] They interrogate sorrow. They create joy. They play. I'm confident you'll take away something different from every person on this show. Each of these talks was originally recorded in front of a live audience. So sometimes they mention things that are on a screen, but those are pretty minor.

Anthony Solano is a self taught painter. His work explores today's environmental conflicts, communicated with vibrant, hyper realistic imagery, and thought provoking storytelling. He gave this talk at Clinton Street Theater in March 2023. You can see some of Anthony's art at the links in the show notes. at brownkid on instagram and at anthonysolanoart.com

Anthony Solano: I Wanted to start our time this morning by having everybody try to [00:02:00] remember, uh, the last plastic thing that you threw in your recycling bin, or maybe, , to make it a little more exciting, , think of some of the plastic things that you have in your home that you find, uh, that you're using frequently or.

, enjoy having around for any reason.

Now, I know that not everything that is made out of plastic , and that we like to have around is necessarily silly, and that some of the things that we do have that are plastic based Are essential to society. The reality of the situation is that, as many of you probably know, that by the year 2050, the weight of the plastic in our seas will outweigh that of all marine life within the ocean.

My name is Anthony Solano, and I am a [00:03:00] self taught surrealist painter currently exploring what I believe is It's the solution not only to our plastic problem, uh, but really to all environmental issues that we're currently facing. Uh, that solution being for humans to no longer exist. Now let's not dwell on how it is that we managed to finally take ourselves off of this planet.

Uh, but whatever it is that ended up happening, I'm sure that we won't go down easily and we won't go down peacefully. However, I do believe that no matter the condition that we leave this planet in. Nature's resiliency and ability to bounce back would allow this planet to really thrive without us around.

The good news is that because plastics, as we think we know, begin to break down after 500 years or so [00:04:00] of being exposed to the environment, this new life will be able to utilize all of our plastic stuff in many ways. In the future, , birds will be able to use our stuff to make nests. New water pools will be created for this new life to be able to get comfortable in the water.

And I think that without us around, new comraderies would be created, between animals that might not necessarily get along, uh, and that's because they'll have a lot more resources and space without us here. New foods will be available that don't expire quickly. I'm sure some of them turning into some kind of currency.

And with 8 billion of us on Earth today, and the expected average of smartphones that we will all own in our lifetime being 22, as well as only 22 percent of them being recycled, there's gotta be plenty of them for this future life to enjoy once we're gone. [00:05:00] In this beach scene here, uh, on the left, called Playdate.

and on the right, there's another little painting that I created called Microplastics Beach. You see a total of six hermit crabs. Uh, now this might seem like it is another one of those futuristic scenes that I explore and paint. But the reality of the situation is that Out of these six hermit crabs living in our garbage, four of them I was able to actually use real photos as references for these paintings, because they are, uh, they were, , hermit crabs that were found in the wild living in our garbage.

Photographer Sean Miller has been documenting these hermit crabs in Okinawa, Japan for the last few years and has also started a non profit organization, which Kaitlin was talking about in the beginning, [00:06:00] where he helps the hermit crabs that he finds be relocated to real shells. If you would like to learn more about his work or help, , with his mission, you can find more information at okinawanaturephotography.

com. Now, let's rewind a little bit, , because I think it's worth starting at the beginning. , I've been painting for about 25 years, and I recall, , from the first time that I picked up a paintbrush in high school that, uh, the paintbrush had powers that I could feel right from the beginning. But I did paint within the abstract expression for about 19 of those years prior to beginning to paint within the surreal genre that I currently paint.

And at the beginning of painting, for me, um, within the, the abstract expression, um, the process was very different. When I first started [00:07:00] painting. And through the whole time that I painted within the abstract expression, I really, it was a very spontaneous process for me. , there was never any preconceived plans of what a painting would look like.

Uh, I really just, , allowed each color and line to be created as it pleased. And afterwards, I would look back. And, uh, explore what I had created as a viewer more than as a creator. In 2010, I became a dad for the first time. And as the whole world around me changed, one of the biggest ways that my world changed was that I became a lot more aware of our environment and concerned about our environment.

My voice changed about. Six years ago, uh, and it was an intentional change. , I found that painting abstract, , felt a lot more personal. , and it felt almost as if [00:08:00] the artwork was talking about me, as opposed to me. talking about the things that I was concerned about that I saw around me. This painting from 2016 titled Dreamcatchers is the one single painting that documents the transition from my abstract expression to the surreal world that I currently explore.

Looking back at this painting, I now realize that this little ship Uh, that I painted as a first subject that looked like something would guide the process of all paintings moving forward. At the beginning, , when I first started painting within the surrealism world that I am currently exploring, , I painted, these big gradient skies, largely inspired by the skies that I was lucky enough to be able to ride my bicycle to, to and from work.

[00:09:00] And within these scenes, , I played with the relationship between nature and machine, , and I really made it intentional for it to feel like nature had an upper hand within whatever scenario was being In a way, I feel like the, the big gradient skies from my early work, , taught me and guided me as much as they challenged me to, , paint the subjects and objects, uh, in as real of a form as possible.

During these early paintings, I also explored amazing people that I found super inspirational. On the right hand side, you see a photograph of my friend Dan Nanamkin, which was taken in 2017 at Standing Rock, where he [00:10:00] defended clean water for all of us. And the more that I researched about Dan's work and his life, , the more that I kept playing with the idea of the painting that you see on the left hand side.

Um, and ultimately this is the result of what that thought process was like as Dan stands in the same concrete road. A confrontation of sorts looks like it has taken place, but now because of Dan's efforts, it seems that Dan now is almost super human and possibly half human, half nature and has been able to grow a lot of life around him and maybe that life also now protects him.

If you want to learn more about Dan's work, you can find a lot more information at nanamkin. com. I'm not sure if painting within the abstract expression for all those years helped, or sped up a [00:11:00] process of sorts in, in me taking on this new direction within my work. Uh, but I do recall early on and, and maybe even sometimes today, uh, being surprised when a painting comes through, uh, smoothly or when it looks the way that I envisioned it in my mind.

This painting titled Ghosts of the Past. I remember thinking about this idea and in a way being shocked of, , the contrast between water and desert present and past, and kind of the blurry line that exists there between those two. In 2021, um, the most recent change within my voice took place, when I created.

a series of new paintings that opened here in Portland. Uh, this painting titled the big melt was part of that series. [00:12:00] And the series was named after we are gone. My voice today, uh, I have come to understand has evolved to allow the viewer of my work to be exposed to my work in a way where maybe there is a chuckle that is created, maybe there's a sense of playfulness or tenderness, and I've done that on purpose so that we Can all connect to a piece of artwork in a positive way before realizing that what we are looking at is maybe not right.

In this painting, uh, you see all of our garbage that is swirling around a bear cub. , and for me, what was really fun to explore within this idea was just, uh, how much effort we put into each one of [00:13:00] these labels that we create in each one of these. Things that are beautiful to look at individually, yet a lot of these items we end up only using for minutes before they are thrown away.

This seal, uh, besides being adorable, is, , obviously resting on a floaty, which isn't quite right, but for me, even bigger than that, I, I was really thinking through how it is that society has made it. So that we look at products in a way that they feel like they're either masculine or feminine in order to be able to impact consumption in a greater way.

, and also kind of at the end of it all, I, I was amused by the fact that the seal almost has this look of not. Knowing if [00:14:00] they fit into this mold here, the colorful and vibrant colors of organic matter and and plastic and labels. Uh, lays the foundation of what is going on within the scene. And, I just pictured a really tired parent, , and almost in that moment where they're trying to put their baby to sleep and how it is that we as humans purchase anything necessary through the different stages of our children in order to help them and soothe them.

And also the fact that. We don't necessarily consider buying any of these items, like chewing toys or pacifiers, used because we would not want to expose our children to that. Therefore, all of these items are quickly outgrown and thrown away. The evolution of my voice is [00:15:00] something that took place, and, and it was intentional from when I used to paint in a form that spoke of me and felt that there was a bigger need within my creative voice.

to what it is today. And I guess at this point, the big question that people ask me all the time is, is there hope? Which I think is a funny question to ask the guy whose solution is for all of us to disappear. However, everyone's voice within a creative environment is different and unique to them. What I have found is important within my voice is to show that there are Ways, , that we can look at this in a, in a different perspective.

and I think that as I explore this environment more, it's really cool to see that there are glimpse of hope out there that do still exist. [00:16:00] Um, and when I was invited to be a part of this conversation, I, I also wanted to kind of take the time because, um, I have been a full-time artist for two years now.

And I, as I say frequently about many things, , nothing I believe in life is perfect. It all comes with some good and some bad. , but something that I wish somebody would have kind of told me when I was working a non creative job for my entire life was That, , this life too is not perfect, it is, , a life that is surprisingly challenging in, uh, mental ways, , it is silent, , it is lonely, and, uh, if anybody here or anybody later listens to this, I guess I also wish that somebody would have told me that while I was working, not in the creative field that I am today, you are [00:17:00] more than an artist.

You are, , both what you do, , when you're doing it outside of your creative work, but also, when you are creating. So, uh, just know that I guess is what I'm hoping to say. And so, my creative voice. currently excites me in a way that I see it heading down this path, but I think that what is really cool about being a creator is that I don't know what's going to happen next and and I look forward to being influenced in a way where my voice will continue to evolve.

Thank you for your time.

Kaitlin: This podcast is produced by the all volunteer crew who bring you Creative Mornings events in Portland, Oregon. You can reach us at mornings, portland@gmail.com and watch the videos of all the talks that are featured on this podcast, plus others.[00:18:00]

to the Regional Arts and Culture Council, whose 2024 grant funding helped us launch this podcast. Thank you also to our sustaining partner Wacom, who make each of these original events possible, and to Cova Coffee, who caffeinate everyone who attends. Thank you to Johnny and Simon of Weird Wonderful for their audio production and podcast wizardry.

And just a huge hug to each person who's been part of the Creative Mornings Portland volunteer team over the years. Thank you to Antha, Rogan, Shemisa, Charlie, Chelsea, Christopher, Crystal, Elizabeth, Hannah, Yvonne. Joan, Julia, Kavir, Laura M, Laura N, Leah, [00:19:00] Lucy, Sarah, Sumit, Tyler, and Vinny.