Artist Mark Licari's Studio Visit At Beautiful/Decay

(Via Beautiful/Decay)

Licari's world is full of sea creatures, crawling bugs, exploding volcanoes, and the degenerative force that turns a clean room into a big fat mess. In addition to his vibrant works on paper, elaborate lithographs, and hilarious sculptures, he also creates dramatic wall drawings that will make you 'ooh' and 'ahh' like a little kid. His show at the Monterey Museum of Art is on view through February 14th, so go check it out!

Can you talk about how you first started making art. When was the first time you considered yourself an artist?
Considering myself an artist can still be difficult, especially at parties or meeting people. The "what do you do" question is horrible, being an artist leads to a tons of follow up questions. So, I have tried telling people other things like that I am a dentist but that just got a flippant remark about how she was a paleo-nuclear physicist.... I first started making art when I was a little kid, drawing and coloring at home. Then, not to completely demystify becoming an artist, but I learned about art and how to make art in school of all places.

See the full studio visit on Beautiful/Decay.