An Artist Unfolding: Interview with Randy Lagana, Part 3

This is a continuation of an interview with Randy Lagana. Please take the time to go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.

Your work that shows just a portion of the body - how do you decide (and why) what "parts" to work with?

I have a series of monochromatic paintings on my website that are composed to show only body parts or conceal the face. These paintings are portraits of elements that the human body can possess and express. I want the viewer to recognize these elements in him or herself. A face would always make it somebody else. I want the viewer to at least say, “that body looks a bit like mine and it’s beautiful, powerful” or something positive.

When I focus on parts, I’m working with the shapes that are interesting on their own and when placed within a frame create interesting negative space. Secondly, I do this with the intent to create an image that has a bit of abstractness. Abstract art “does not depict objects in the natural world, but instead uses shapes and colours in a non-representational or non-objective way.” When I say “a bit of abstractness,” I think I’m being very accurate, as I don’t move very far away from a representational depiction. Maybe one day I will create true abstract piece of art.

Sometimes, as with “Lean & Lovely” (left) and “Bound,” (right)
my intent is to be “in your face,” cause some discomfort. I enjoy creating an image that you cannot escape from. The model for “Lean & Lovely” asked me why I framed the shot as I did. This shot represents to me her absolute truth and courage. She has removed her clothes and even her pubic hair, leaving nothing to hide behind because there is no need to hide. This is a totally clear and unobstructed view of the source of everything.

What are your thoughts, as an artist, on anything you feel like talking about now?

The first painting I did, kindergarten finger paintings notwithstanding, was in 7^th grade art class and that’s when I found something special in the world. I was hooked the moment I put paint to canvas and since then I have been captivated by art, especially painting. Even when I’m not actually painting, I’m looking at everything as if I were painting it, him, or her. People and their outward appearances, their emotional state, and their behavior fascinate me. I have a degree in psychology and have worked as a police officer, a drug counselor, and a parole officer. I am totally intrigued by people.

I begin to paint long before I squeeze paint from the tube. What I paint is a decision based on varying factors. I may start with a thought or a question. Sometimes it’s simply that I’m entranced by the color and texture of say a mango and so I paint mangoes. Other times, I’m motivated to paint by a provocative question such as, “are we not all beautiful?”

People quite often ask, “what is the meaning” of a painting. Whatever a painting may mean to me, is what it means to me. When people ask this question, I usually say, “tell me what it means to you first!” I believe that the viewer’s interpretation is no less valid than mine. Some people have “seen” something in a painting of mine that I never saw nor intended, and I really like that. However, most of the time, there is no great philosophy buried in my paintings. Sometimes the painting is just about the beauty of a mango.

Do you have a question for me?

Robin, I have two questions for you. 1) What do you do to overcome writer’s block? 2) How do you know when you are done with a piece?

Randy, I'm often afflicted by writer's block. It seems to come on especially if I'm wanting to write. I'll sit down at my computer or with a notebook and ... nothing. What I usually do is just anything else. Read, take a walk, do domestic stuff like laundry or dishes, or go pull weeds. Though sometimes I do just sit and struggle and make myself miserable. I'd like to say that I'll pull out some writing exercise and do that, but I rarely do those when I'm blocked. What's ironic is that if I'm busy with stuff other than writing, I'll get all sorts of ideas. So I've learned to keep a tiny notebook with me at all times. It lives in my purse and comes with me on walks.

When it "feels" done. I know, very scientific and exact. With poetry, pieces can be fiddled with for years and not be done or be completed and submitted within a day or so (those are very rare). And being published doesn't guarantee they won't be revised. It's a little different with stories. They're not done until I'm ready to submit them. And usually it just comes down to a deadline. At some point I have to quit revising and send it off. That's hard to do. And then I try not to look at it. Because if I do I will find things I'd change and drive myself nuts.

Well, Randy, I hope you enjoyed doing this interview as much as I have. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions thoughtfully and in such detail. I'm hoping if anyone has any further questions we could continue this in the comments section.

I'm fascinated by the creative process, be it word-based, music, or visual. And I do think I'll do more of these interviews. I've already got some ideas.

An Artist Unfolding: Interview with Randy Lagana, Part 2

This is a continuation of an interview with Randy Lagana. To read Part 1, go here.

Did you start doing photography just as an adjunct to your painting (to have photos to work from) or for other reasons?

I have always used photography as a tool for my painting. Quite often after sketching an idea for a painting, I shoot photos as reference material for the painting. If you say something to me, I do not take it casually and one day a friend asked if I had ever considered the photographs as the finished art. This idea floated around in my head for awhile until I decided I would give it a try. I shot a roll of black & white film and was very pleased with the results, certainly enough to pursue expressing my creativity through photography. A short time later I had an idea to photograph our friends in the nude and without really thinking about it (I act in this way quite often, just blurting things out) I told Jen my idea. She of course responded, "Great, let's ask them!" and I said, "You can't do that." People pick partners who have qualities they themselves would like to possess. I admire Jen for choosing a course of action, being committed to it, and pushing through any fear she may have. I try to be like her in that way and so I got committed to asking our friends to pose nude for me. I also forced myself to subdue my fear. I was fortunate in that the first few people I asked all said yes. That encouraged me to press on and through the experience I felt greatly empowered by it and learned that it was rewarding for me just to ask the question.

Many of your photographs (both nudes and nature/landscapes) are in black and white. Yet you use color in interesting ways (like Beauty and the Beast - which I love, and the sepia ones, and the blue ones, and...). Could you just talk about that? When you play with the colors, are you looking for a specific effect or just seeing what happens?

Sometimes I just feel that an image would be better if it were warmer or cooler and so I tint them sepia or blue. I felt Ancient Magic (left), a shot I took of Stonehenge, needed that antique look that the warmth of sepia can provide. At other times I am just experimenting to see what may happen. When I first saw Beauty and the Beast (below, right) I was disappointed because it was slightly out of focus. I liked the pose and thought it powerful, but slight blurring weakened the impact. So I played around with the image in Photoshop to see if I could salvage it. I kept layering one effect on top of another until the image was as you see it now. Beauty and the Beast was a happy accident, in fact, I'm not sure how I got there and may not be able to duplicate the effect. Other slightly fuzzy images have been saved from the trash heap. Highlights & Drapery (left) and Legs (below) are two images that are slightly out of focus and did not work as straight forward photographs. I bleached the color slightly to give it a 1960's hand-colored look and then added a diffused glow.

Your nudes are stunning. Talk a bit about why they're important to you. You'd mentioned it being "much more interesting and more truthful" - here's your chance to elaborate.

Robin, it pleases me very much that you find my nudes "stunning." I am interested in many, many things and want to paint and photograph them all! However, I think I am most interested in people and especially nudes. As I said, they are "much more interesting and truthful." Clothes can help you feel powerful, thinner, happier, braver, etc. Without clothes we have the naked truth, literally. I think that if you can feel happy and brave without a stitch of clothing, then you truly are happy and brave, or whatever it is that you feel when not hiding beneath clothes. I'm not a nudist nor am I advocating nudism. However, I would recommend having the experience at least once to see what you may discover about yourself.

The initial group of friends I invited to pose nude all said, "yes" and then immediately provided a list of conditions. "First I have to lose ten pounds; no profile shots, I don't like my nose; no frontal shots I have stretch marks on my thighs" and on and on it went. I started to wonder "how am I going to do this?" I attempted to make my case for wanting them just as they were, I wasn't looking for airbrushed images. I'm happy to say that once we got started all the caveats were forgotten. And then there was an additional unexpected result for almost everyone who has participated. Many of my models told me at the end of the shoot that they would do it again and that they had experienced a tremendous sense of freedom. First fear, push through, and then freedom!

I spend about ten minutes at the beginning of each shoot photographing the model dressed so that he or she may get accustomed to the bright lights and the whole environment. The moment of disrobing is still an anxious one and the robe is kept close by for breaks. Many of the models quickly found such a level of comfort that they felt no need for the robe during breaks. We would sit on the sofa, enjoy something to drink (non-alcoholic, as I prefer the model's eyes not to droop and the mind to remain clear), and chat as if we were at Starbucks socializing over a cup of coffee. It is a very unique experience.

Here is another part of photographing nudes where the truth must be absolute. An artist friend once asked me how I get people to pose nude for me and I said that I just ask them. And then I added that you must be sincere about your intent. I have had people respond in such a way that they must have thought I was asking them to do something else. That response is always a disappointment to me, but I can only control my side of the interaction.

What has it been like working with your models? Are they professionals or just "everyday" folks?

My models are "everyday folks" and that is for a couple of reasons. When I first conceived the idea for this project, I wanted everyday people and not professional models. My original idea was a bit gimmicky. I thought I've never done this and my friends have never done nude modeling, so this will be interesting from that point alone. I also wanted to show that we all have beauty just the way we are. After the first few sessions, I realized that faith and trust were the heart of this project. I was overwhelmed by the amount of faith and trust my friends had in me. Consider the title of my book, Would You Pose Nude for Me? Robin, I know you have considered this question since you submitted work for the poetry project, but most people have never been asked this.

Not everyone I asked said "yes." One person said, "No one wants to see me naked." Over the years I have considered exactly what that response means. Of course I can only imagine what he really meant, but I bet it was about his fear. Or it might have been that he just did not want to say "no" and said that instead. Another possibility is that he did not feel safe. I believe that we feel the most vulnerable when we are without our clothes. My friends trusted me enough to put themselves in a very vulnerable place. Some allowed me to blindfold them and handcuff them. If that isn't trust, I don't know what it is!

Part 3 of the interview will be tomorrow.

An Artist Unfolding: Interview with Randy Lagana, Part 1

If you've been reading this blog for awhile (or not), you've seen some of Randy Lagana's images (here, here & here, here, here & a lot more). I also linked to his website in my sidebar. So who is this guy?

About five years ago I was introduced to Randy's photography. A stack of his black and white pictures was passed around at a writer's group meeting by someone who was brainstorming a project involving Randy as the photographer. Poetry and nude photographs of the poets along with our reactions to the whole process. I say "our" because I submitted work and was accepted. There was a lot of deep thinking on my part, along with discussions with my husband and therapist at the time (both said "go for it").

That project unfortunately never came to fruition. But Randy's images stayed with me. I'd check his website every now and then to see what new work he'd posted. Then when I started this blog and started using images (because a blog without pictures is all too often a boring blog) I thought of Randy. But I didn't want to just use them, which is so easily done these days. So I emailed him and told him what I was doing and asked if he'd be interested in letting me use some of his images. I was so nervous - almost sure he'd say no.

But he said yes, and I've been thrilled to sometimes have the perfect image of his to go with what I'm writing. And a friendship was born. We've had lunch a few times and we just had him and his wife over for dinner. I've always enjoyed my conversations with him and eventually it occurred to me to do an interview with him for my blog. But I've NEVER interviewed anyone before. Let's just say - it's not easy! Trying to come up with questions that don't sound stupid and require more than just a yes/no answer.

This is a fairly long interview, so I'm breaking it into three parts - three days. So, without further ado (there's already been enough ado) , Randy Lagana.

Do you have a particular image in mind when you start to work? Or is it more vague? Even though I'm not a visual artist, I was raised by one (my mother) and both my daughters are, as well as my son though he'd dispute that. I tend to think of visual art in the same way as I think about poetry - there is usually a little spark, a word or phrase, maybe even a full line or two that gets the artist started, but the finished piece does not always end up quite as planned,if planned at all.

There are many ways an image comes into being for me. Sometimes I have a painting in mind, a specific scene, subject matter, or theme and I just need to get it out. And sometimes I'm just struck with an idea! I genuinely enjoy that method, the outside force infusing me with the creative spirit. Other times it's not so glorious. I see a color scheme I like and the painting grows from there. On occasion I get fascinated with something I see and can't wait to paint it, like a mango. I've painted those a few times. As you have said, I quite often head out in a certain direction with a specific destination in mind and end up miles away and in a different, but possibly better place. I really enjoy creating when I'm a spectator, appearing not to be in control, and the painting unfolds before me. That altered state of consciousness is a marvelous experience.

When I'm working in the photographic medium, my approach is similar. I have images in mind that float up from my subconscious, as I do for painting. Or I see things in the world that inspire me. I may see someone leaning against the counter in a store with one leg kicked back crossing over the other and think it a wonderful pose. I make a sketch of the pose (yes, I have done the cliché napkin sketch)and file it for future use. When I turn the sketch into a photographic image, I remove the clothes of course, much more interesting and more truthful, but nudity is a topic I could write a great deal about and is not appropriate to this question. However, when photographing people there is a source of creativity that is not available to me when painting. The people I photograph are part of the creative process. Let me relate a story to illustrate my point. In preparation for a shoot I went to a fabric shop and purchased various bolts of cloth. At one point during the shoot I brought out the box of fabric and placed it on the floor. My model, a lovely young woman, spotted this diaphanous piece of cloth, snatched it up, and held it to her breast. Fortunately for me I was ready and caught this beautiful moment, it is one of my very favorite shots. Ilove the collaborative aspect of this kind of work.

You have a number of pieces, paintings & photographs that are related, using the same basic image - thinking of Bound (left) and Bound Freedom (scroll down) & Love (below left) and Nicole's Love (below right). You said in your answer before "When I turn the sketch into a photographic image..." and I was wondering, do your ideas flow both ways? Sketch to photograph. Photograph to sketch or painting. In the examples I gave (feel free to provide others), which image came first in your mind?

Robin, the ideas definitely flow both ways. I have sketched for a painting in mind and then shot photos as reference to paint from. I have also made sketches of poses I wanted to photograph. I have a folder filled with hundreds of ideas sketched for photo sessions. Many times it is easier for me to show my model or models a sketch of what I want than it is for me to describe it in words. At the time of the photo shoot, the purpose of the sketch is to get the photographic image. When I am stuck for something to paint, I have mined these photos for inspiration. With only two exceptions: The Persistence of Magritte and Only By Moonlight, all the images you see in the Nude/Paintings category on my website are from photos I took.

You may notice that Divine Proportions (above top) and Grace (above bottom) are the same figure, one is flipped the other way round. When I was painting Grace, my wife looked at the reference photo and said, "Nice ass! Whose is it?" I gave her a look of disbelief and said, "yours!" (I just made a rather interesting freudian slip, I had typed "ours," then corrected it, but now that I think about it "ours" might be more appropriate.) Then it was her turn to have the look of disbelief. I guess we don't really get to have a good view of our backside. Bound Freedom, Marked Woman, and Once in a Blue Moon are creations that incorporate photos from my various shoots. I took the actual photos, manipulated them in Photoshop, and adhered them into a paintings. Nicole's Love was first a photographic image that later served as reference for the painting Love.

When you start working on something, do you just want to keep working till it's done or are you able to quit and walk away and do something else (with ease)? (I'm asking this one because I have a hard time quitting when I'm really going and I can get pretty cranky - ala last night when I had to quit to fix dinner - arggghhhh!)

When I'm working and it's all going well, I don't want to stop because it doesn't always go that way. Sometimes a painting just doesn't seem to be working or more accurately I am not able to produce the effect I'm looking for and that is when it is good to be able to walk away. When I try to force my way through, it never seems to make a positive change. I need to get away from the painting, think about something else, and come back later with a fresh viewpoint.

You've done book covers. Talk about how that came about and what that's like.

Years ago I was a police officer and I was following in my father's footsteps because after I discharged from the Marine Corps, I really did not know what I wanted to do for work. When I was a teenager I had thought about art as a career, but my parents were both children of the Great Depression and somehow I received a message about security. So artists do not have security. At the end of every job they have to look for a new job. However, I could never stop painting. While I was a police officer in Ridgefield, CT, I met an artist, Harry Bennett, who saw my work and convinced me that I could have a whole new career in art as a bookcover artist. He had painted romance bookcovers for more than twenty years and made a very nice living. So I began to pursue a career painting covers for Science Fiction and Fantasy books. I did this and some advertising art for a short period and during that time I quickly realized that the crushing deadlines were unacceptable. The deadlines and a personal situation helped me decide to pursue a different art career. But having said all that, let me say that it is very gratifying to read someone else's words, select a scene, and paint it for the cover of a book. I used to attend a number of SF/Fantasy conventions and still attend LunaCon every year. I have had people approach me at these conventions to sign a copy of their book that has my painting on the cover. That experience is quite a head trip. I had the opportunity to use my wife, Jen, as a model for one bookcover, a frontispiece actually, and as a bonus the book was written by one of Jen's favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey. At LunaCon Jen was asked for her autograph and she was quite stunned! Even on a very small scale it is a tremendous rush to be asked for your autograph.

Part 2 of this interview with Randy Lagana will run tomorrow.