I met Bogaert many summers ago in Hollywood while visiting a friend. At the time Bogie was working on his Music Series. His flat was a bare bones bohemian art loft with only the essentials: every color imaginable in tube form, canvases, brushes, cigarettes, an amazing coffee maker that looked like it came from outer-space, and a 'fridge made for one. With The New Latinaires in the background I got to see how "the magic" happened. Bogie is no longer in Los Angeles, once the wind changed he blew with it but he continues to paint and shares some of his work and insight with us today. I shot him a few questions:
I always like to start with this question since it helps us get an insight into you, How would you describe your work in one short sentence?
People in Motion by Bogaert
When we met, you were working from Hollywood, how did painting in "the states" affect your work?
I became a painter in the states. I arrived in LA as a designer and that's how I got my work permit, there was some sort of an adventurous playfullnes in the air and also the people I met were open and curious.
LA - Miami Beach - NYC , it was all eye candy and interacting with people was fairly easy. All the elements to keep the artist creative. Moving from state to state was (each time) discovering a new world.
It is my understanding that you travel a lot, does the location change how you work or what you paint?
It's not really traveling, I just move. When I stay to long in one place, after a while, things start to run smooth. I tend to go on automatic pilot. I become a bit lazy and bored. When I move to a new place, all my senses and emotions work again . It gives a lot of energy. When I lived in New York I got sucked into the city and my work was not all that great, but years after I left , I made some great New York paintings .
Is there a series you are currently working on or planning on working on?
I am working currently on the POP PORN series, 32 oilpaintings depicting pornography as popular culture. With this series i want to take porn out of the shadow and make it more or less tasteful, acceptable and funny. For each painting I designed a different wallpaper backdrop, refering to the fetish the characters are playing out. I posted the full series on www.bogaertstudio.com
Do you ever collaborate with other artists?
No till now
Can you share with us an artist or two that inspired you?
There are so many great artists dead and alive, impossible to pick one out, well there's one guy I know about today making great feel good stuff: Takashi Murakami. I like the worlds he creates, I want to go live there, but is it good art?
Impart some wisdom for the young artists on filter foundry who are reading this and looking to follow in your footsteps:
Who cares if you do it for the money. The world is saturated with images. Invent the missing image. Borrow and steal. Pay somebody in China to work it out. You sign it. Start to twitter.
If you do it do it for LOVE.
All little children are artists, Don't Grow Up .
Don't get to deep in the system.
Smell the terpentine.
PAD: /Bogie/
Featured Artist: Bogaert
Written by on in Alternative, Fine Art.
Chappy on 01/18/2012 2:11 p.m.
Edgy dude.
Tony on 01/19/2012 3:36 p.m.
I can't wait to see more work by Bogart.
Matthew Boggs on 02/02/2012 12:53 p.m.
I met Bogie shortly after moving in to the craziest building / neighborhood I have lived in thus far in East Hollywood. I walked in to his studio and there on the walls were HUGE canvases of vibrant color and energetic scenes. He was working on his music series and each piece depicted a specific genre of music.
Bogaert was painting away, cigarette in hand, coffee within reach, and music blaring. It was such a breath of fresh air and over the course of the next year I very much lived the life of bohemian artist by such close proxy.
I had the pleasure of working on Bogaert's website just before his big show in Manhattan. I remember putting the finishing touches on it during the flight and launching for him just before the show. He was so pleased and the show was great fun. It was amazing to finally see all of those pieces together in their over-sized glory with people reveling around them.
Just the way Bogie likes it because his paintings are about life and living.