Chet Zar Interview - 2012

B.C.: Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?
C.Z.: My wife was the first one. I couldn’t have gotten this far without her support. But there was a famous person who initially suggested it- Clive Barker. I was trying to get a computer animation company I started off the ground in the late 90’s, so I sent a reel of my own computer generated animations (later used by the band TOOL in their live shows). He said he didn’t have any work for me but thought that I should consider going into fine art. He said he could see by my computer work that I had a strong vision. It was a bit of a revelation for me. While I had known I always wanted to be an artist from probably 1st grade, getting into makeup effects as a teenager, and later working in the FX field kind of sidetracked that. Hearing that from somebody I really respected as an artist really resonated with me. Adam Jones from TOOL was also very encouraging and him and the band have been very supportive.

B.C.: How do you "flesh out" a creature that exists only in your head?
C.Z.: I usually just start sketching. A lot of the process of designing a creature come from doodling and following the sketch to see where it develops. It’s a very intuitive process for me.

B.C.: What’s your approach to colour? do you keep a limited pallette? Mix on the canvas?
C.Z.: All three. I think that color is probably my weakest skill, so I am constantly working to improve that aspect. I prefer to keep my palette limited. I can get confused and distracted having too many color choices. Also, limiting your color palette makes it easier to achieve color harmony. I definitely use the ‘mud’ technique and often mix on the canvas as well. I try to keep things kind of improvisational to some degree to allow for the happy accidents that can make a good painting great.

B.C.: Is there a particular work you`ve created which stands out for you?
C.Z.: Black Magick is a good one. I think it says a lot in terms of subject matter, mood and tone and is a good representation of what I am all about. “Shamanic Tendencies” is also a favorite. I like most of my work but there are a few clunkers in there that I am not too fond of. But they are like your kids and it’s hard to choose a favorite.

B.C.: You’ve got some very dark elements in your imagery. What do you obsess over?
C.Z.: I am most concerned with capturing a mood but I am constantly obsessed with developing the technical side of my painting. I never went to art school.

B.C.: What is your greatest fear?
C.Z.: Probably death, which I think is most people’s greatest fear. I think that’s why a lot of people can relate to my work.

B.C.: Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?
C.Z.: I have a lot of goals. I would love to create a film one day using characters from my paintings. I would love to create a graphic novel as well. Steve Niles (30 Days of Night creator) and I have been talking about collaborating for a while now. We just need to have our schedules line up. But my main goal is to get better and better as a painter and artist.

B.C.: What has been your personal proudest moment in your career or art?
C.Z.: Creating the makeup effects and puppets for some of the TOOL videos has been a high point, as well as creating digital animation for their live shows. Hearing the crowd cheer at a concert when my imagery comes up on a big screen is pretty exciting. Being in the art collection of Guillermo Del Toro has been pretty cool as well as creating the Chamberlain for Hellboy II for him was really great as well. He pretty much let me design and sculpt that character with little input, which was really satisfying for me. Also having him mention me in his novel The Strain was quite a thrill!

B.C.: Do you have any exciting news for our readers? Upcoming exhibitions, publications or events in the making?"
C.Z.: I am trying to take it slow this year. Last year just about killed me. I was working way too much and I think I had 3 solo shows. It was ridiculous. But the success of the Conjoined II sculpture show has allowed me to be able to do it again next year. It’s gonna be a good one and I am excited about that. I have also been teaching seminars at tattoo conventions and I will continue to do that. I am also going to start to learn tattooing at some point this year. I want to give it a try to see if I am any good at it and I have had some of the biggest names in tattooing offering support that I figured I would be an idiot to pass up such an opportunity.

B.C.: Once again, thank you very much for the interview, your art is really amazing!
Thanks!

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