An email interview with Paul Therien

Joi: Are you pleased with your name?

Paul: I am... until someone adds a "y" or an "ie." An "a" or an "ina" doesn't bother me nearly as much ironically enough. You get a free pass though, because I like you.

Paul: Are you pleased with yours? I'm assuming it's pronounced "Joy"?

Joi: It is and I do like my name, more when it’s written down.

Joi: What is pop art? (asking, so you give my readers who are too damn lazy to google a quick summary)

Paul: Well... my interpretation may be different from the next person, but it's not as much art as it is a state of mind. It's not limited to something you can hang on a wall. For instance, Lady Gaga is living, breathing, walking pop art. The artists that fall into that category have very different styles (Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Hamilton, Jasper Johns, etc), so to peg it as a particular look or style is tough. The basic theme or attitude is to use subjects that are commercial and/or mass consumed. To take the mundane things that aren't considered fine art, and then treat them as such. Andy did that with great proficiency and for a few decades, so he stands out at the king of pop art, but Richard Hamilton is considered to be the father of pop art.

Joi: Are you one of those people who has been arting since he was a kid? I remember doing my brother's homework once, he's 3 years older than me, I think I was 5 and had to draw him a tree. But yeah I've always been sketching for as long as I can remember, it's how I maintain a dialogue with myself.

Paul: I've been "arting" since before I can remember. Always drawing on place mats in restaurants and checking out "How to Draw (insert object)" books as a tot. Then drawing comic book heroes as a kid with the dream of becoming a comic book artist when I grew up. In high school I was always drawing full color things like Earthworm Jim and Beavis & Butthead on my brown paper bag book covers (Misc. drawings from back in the day). Then towards the end of high school Photoshop became my new friend. I started messing about with basic photo manipulation to create hot rods out of regular pictures of cars, and then came college. I ended up going to business school and chased dollar signs rather than going to art school. Worst decision I've ever made. My artistic talents went dormant for a good decade until a couple years go when I became single and decided to reinvent myself. From that point I've been reverse engineering Andy Warhol's analog techniques digitally. I've been a sponge for anything involving art, and I'm always looking for new things to inspire me. Leroy Neiman is the most recent artist to intrigue me.

Joi: I’ve spoken to a few artists recently (it isn’t a habit, most of my friends are programmers). Most artists I’ve spoken to practice art to find answers and nearly all of them increase the frequency of their practice when they are at stages of confusion, loneliness or melancholy. I guess some people drink, others draw.

Joi: Most of your portraits are of pretty girls. Have you always been into girls? or was there a time you looked at guys and thought hmmm I could tap that?

Paul: I always have been and always will be into girls... they're fascinating and beautiful creatures, and they make my bits feel all tingly.

Joi: When we first met on twitter, you added me as a friend on FB and the only reason I accepted you as a friend was you're an artist, so you can't possibly be a nutter. Then for quite a few months all you did was spot where I said poop and repeated the same word 'poop'. I really liked that. What the hell is wrong with you? maybe make a list, 1-3 top things that are wrong with Pauly?

Paul: What's wrong with me?! YOU'RE the one with a picture of a steamy pile of poop on a plate (and one that's lacking in fiber too). I am a nutter, but not the kind of nutter that drives a rusty windowless van... I'm more of a Monty Python nutter. As far as a list of things wrong with me...

1. I have Christopher Walken Schizophrenia.

2. I forever have a cheeky mindset.

3. I'm a sloth when it comes to starting something, and I need a good kick in the pants quite often.

Joi: The reason I oodlie so much is a large portion of my emotions are in a dam and it seems I can only release its contents and relief some of the pressure by drawing. I never sketch with a pencil first as being spontaneous makes the most sense. For the last 3 years Oodlies has brought me good, quirky, whacked, interesting humans. These days I chase that, I stalk people online and oodlie the ones I want to make friends with (kinda like a serial killer without the killing-yet).

Your work takes hours, what's the process and what are you chasing, what makes you see a pretty girl then spend hours on the computer creating a portrait of her. Mainly, what are you chasing?

Paul: The process is the same exact thing Andy did, but with digital layers in Photoshop with the final layer being a photo that is turned into a "silkscreen." Even to this day I've been constantly tweaking the silkscreen effect to get the desired look. What I'm chasing is perfection, and by that I mean I want to reverse engineer Andy's technique digitally to the point that if he were alive today he'd be amazed. I'm by no means trying to copy him. I'm merely trying to keep pop art alive and evolve it. As far as just seeing a pretty girl and doing a portrait... There's a little more to it than that. It's just easier to do a portrait of a girl. Y'all have things and stuff that makes for an interesting portrait. Usually a model, actress, singer, etc. catches my eye then I go looking for a photo to work with. I try to do them of girls that have a fan base that will appreciate it and/or to show my appreciation for the girl herself if it ever makes it in front of her eyes.

Joi: Thanks for my fab portrait below.

Joi: I don’t own lipsticks, I did try it in the past but I have a fidgety personality and lipsticks feel a little too much like eating KFC and not wiping your mouth so I end up wiping it off within minutes. Thanks for making fidgety me look good. Here’s an oodlie portrait of you. You’re so big.

Joi: Have you met many playmates in person? I'd like to, as I suspect many playmates would have a sense of humour.

Paul: I have met quite a few actually. I went to LA recently, and while I was out there I was blessed with the opportunity to attend movie night at the Playboy mansion. While one would think the place is always packed with Playmates, it really isn’t a party 24/7. It’s a home first and foremost, and it’s a very family orientated vibe. Dinner, movie, drinks, conversation and laughs. The previous night when I arrived in LA there was a little soiree held by my friends Joel and Alison with a handful of Playmates in attendance. All of which are down to earth girls and total sweethearts. Then I got to meet a plethora of Playmates at Glamourcon that weekend. I’ve always said, “Playmates are people too… just really really ridiculously good-looking people” and it’s true.

Joi: Do you send them all their portraits? I can imagine its a huge compliment and you're kicking yourself for not coming up with this scheme to meet pretty girls in high school!?

Paul: I've sent a handful of canvas prints and 8x10's to the girls I'm closer to or big fans of, but not so much recently. It get's pretty expensive, but anyone I've done portraits of is welcomed to order a print at whatever it costs me, or I can send them the file to do as they please. I can't really kick myself since this was the furthest thing from what I was doing at the time, but if you told me when I was in high school that in ten years because of my pop art, pretty girls would be... "fans" for lack of a better word, I'd have laughed at you. Well... I'd probably ask you how you got here from the future THEN laughed at the pretty girl thing.

Joi: I’d ask you that while wearing a strap-on to totally mess with you.

Joi: Are you shy? What would you do if you were alone in a room with 3 playmates? (and you had vaseline)

Paul: I am in fact shy, but it depends on the situation. In general I tend to keep to myself until I feel comfortable, but not in an anti-social kind of way.

How much Vaseline? Lip balm size tube or enough to fill a kiddie pool?

Joi: It always surprises me how utterly disgusting some people can be.

Joi: Are you the only artist in your family? I am and it creates funnies.

Paul: Traditionally speaking I am the only artist, but not the only creative person. My father is a Jack of all trades and can pretty much make anything with his hands and wood. My mother is very crafty with yarn and loves to cook. My brother is pretty good at home brewing beer. Basically... we all have creative sparks, but different outlets for that creativity.

Joi: You post all your new portraits up on twitter and facebook much like I do with my oodlies. What is it about sharing that makes you keep doing it over and over again? A friend of mine had this discussion with me and he said a huge part of it must be attention. And yeah of course it is. But attention is such a wide word. We could narrow it down. Would you keep posting your work up with the sort of attention that would give you personal comfort but never get you fame?

Paul: There's different levels of attention. "Look at me!" is for people who usually have nothing to offer. That lot tend to be the gold digging girls with daddy issues that weren't hugged enough as children. Then there's "Look what I can do!" and that tends to be people who are trying to get recognized for what talents they may or may not have. Not bad people, but usually have entitlement issues. I think you and I fall into the third category of "Here's what I can do." We do what we want and put it out there to be consumed. We do it and share it because we can. We get recognition because groups of people genuinely like it, and then like us once they get to know us. Art has an intrinsic value for me, and the praise or criticism just comes with the territory rather than being the reason why I do it. I would keep posting my work regardless of the potential for fame... absolutely.

Joi: I had 3 exhibitions this year that really made me question why I'm doing this.

I felt the exhibitions were so far removed from me, as Oodlies are part of the process of understanding my life it seemed pointless to have an exhibition in an environment that was sterile or didn’t offer a quick visitor any background or dialogue. The attention from Oodlies gives me the sort of comfort I get when an old friend gives me a look that says 'I know you're being ridiculously sappy but you're masking it with a joke ... and I'll let you have that'. The attention? it's just an amazing feeling, when you do something and a stranger drops you a comment or a look that says 'fuck yeah me too' that sort of connection soothes and verifies your head things, instantly.

I do this well online, sharing my life, learning, understanding, giving and receiving comfort from it. I do this badly at exhibitions and in real life. So for now I'm laying off the laxatives of exhibitions and keeping regular online. (pick any question you want).

Paul: Well... I can't speak to what it's like having an exhibition since I haven't had one, and deservingly so. I'm not ready for one... I haven't earned it. I also don't share my life at all. I'm a very private person... a very solitary person. What I can speak to is the real world versus online aspect of my life. I live a double life it feels like. At my corporate day job I sit in a cube getting a fluorescent tan surrounded by people that only know me as Paul the quiet guy. I leave my personal life at the door and refuse to allow them into my real life or online world. Most don't even know that I'm an artist, and I prefer to keep it that way.

Then there's the people locally outside of work. I have a touch of agoraphobia, so seeing me out in public is unusual enough, but out of the few that I do interact with or are acquainted with, even fewer know I'm an artist. This leads me to my online life. This is the place that I thrive like you do. I have about 225 friends on facebook and about 90% of them are people that I only know as a result of my art. These are people that I've never met... people that would trip over me and not know it's me, yet I've built lasting relationships with many of them. The same goes for Twitter. 576 followers... excluding the spambots, those followers are there because of my art. It's humbling and kind of blows my mind that so many people genuinely like my weekend pop art hobby enough to want to be a part of my life albeit online, but part of my life nonetheless.

Joi: I don’t only find it normal, I expect to meet like minded people online more than in real life. Because I’m more myself online.

Joi: 3 things about you that I haven't a clue about?

Paul: 1. I'm allergic to poultry.

2. Aside from Christopher Walken, I can do decent impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stewart from MadTV, James Stewart & Sean Connery.

3. I have a funny accent as a result of being from Rhode Island.

Joi: Poultry! I eat nothing but chicken and seafood, red meat of any sort makes me gag. There’s something about Walken.

Joi: Ingredients that would make your perfect girl cookie? (I promise I won't talk about you eating your perfect girl).

Paul: Cinnamon, sugar, Nutella, honey and 2 gum drops...

Joi: I lied. How would you eat your perfect girl?

Paul: I’d go straight for the gum drops…

Paul: When and how did oodlie-ing go from a hobby to garnering your international recognition and exhibits?

Joi: I don’t think it was ever a hobby, as in something done during off time or for pleasure. It started out as an almost desperate escape when I was six and that went on for years. I’ve only calmed down about it in the last 3-4 years. I drew more when I wasn’t sharing, it didn’t feel good, it does now.

Paul: What is the obsession with Vegemite in Oz?

Joi: That shit will kill you! go for Promite mate!

Paul: Do dingo's really eat babies?

Joi: I loved it when Elaine said that in Seinfeld. Look at the shit people google.

Joi: What’s the next chapter?

Paul: The next chapter for me will be to start painting my portraits rather than doing the digital thing, and with that I’d like to get into gallery shows. Hopefully I can course correct my life to becoming an artist whose art sustains him, rather than just another Peter Gibbons in a cubicle working in the corporate world.

Joi: Wishing you planned and unplanned success, Paul the shy guy.

Follow Paul Therien on twitter. Get Paul Therien Studio updates on facebook. For artwork, available prints and artist information check out Paul Therien Studios website.

The recent adventures of Paul Therein ...

Paul and Hugh Hefner at the playboy mansion.