Michael Gaughan on collaborating with Sean Hartman, the creative process, crying on the floor

Michael Gaughan and Sean Hartman

​Modern Times Café is now hosting a show featuring the combined talents of locally-based artists Michael Gaughan and Sean Hartman. The exhibit highlights both artists' unique styles: Gaughan's watercolors and illustrations, and Hartman's comic-inspired work. Though their artistic methods are vastly different, the two found collaborating on pieces to be very natural. For example, together they worked on an illustration similar to M.C. Escher's Drawing Hands that shows Hartman's hand drawing Gaughan's, and vice versa. To say that this is a visual metaphor for their collaboration would be too obvious, but we're calling it anyways.

Though the exhibit has been up since October 14, there will be a free public reception this Friday featuring music by John Coe and Hartman himself.

City Pages took a moment to chat with Gaughan about his show with Hartman, the artistic process, and crying on the floor.

Work by Sean Hartman

​Sean Hartman was your intern, right? Can you speak about the collaboration you two have had in the time you've known each other?

Sean and I started out as friends through music. He was in Moonstone, and I was doing Little Dog on Top of a Big Dog. Moonstone asked me to do their album artwork. It was through that project that Sean and I became close friends, and ended up hanging out a lot and doing art together.

He later needed an internship to complete his senior year at MCAD, so it made sense for me to take him on as an intern since we were already really good friends. I love Sean's attitude about life and art. He is really positive and creative. It's been really insightful to get to hang with him and talk about art and ideas. He has his own philosophy about making comics, and has spent the last year developing new ways to do his own style of comics. It's really ambitious and inspiring. This is Sean's first exhibit outside of MCAD.

Work by Sean Hartman

​What kind of inspiration have you found together for this collaborative art show at Modern Times?

I am friends with the Emily and Dylan, who co-run the Modern Times Café. This summer they asked me to have a show there, and I said, "Yes, I'd love to." I thought that would be a perfect opportunity for Sean to show his work, too. We basically just said, "Let's make some cool, fun, funny stuff for this exhibit." Other than that, we really didn't have any rules or guidelines.

You like combining ideas that one doesn't usually think of. Can you talk about your motivation behind these inspirations?

I love making art that's enjoyable to look at, think about, interact with. I am inspired by comedy, music, nature, art, and life. So when I am planning to make a watercolor painting, I am always trying to come up with artistic ways in which I can combine visual imagery with silly ideas with conceptual explorations with aesthetically beautiful moments with a new experience for someone to enjoy. Sometimes things work out, a lot of times they don't. But I keep trying.

Michael Gaughan, Still Life Painting

​What's your favorite piece or subject to date?

My favorite thing is the next thing. I am always trying to improve and learn new things. So, instead of looking back and saying, "That's my favorite thing," I am looking forward. I am figuring out what I could do better. I am making new goals and trying to reach them.

How long does it usually take you to complete a watercolor or illustration project?

Any where between 10 to 100 hours per painting. I love to spend time on my art, so I'll work on stuff right until it's due.

Do you find yourself looking up to any modern (or classical) artists?

Yes, I love more things than I dislike. I am easily inspired! I like that painting called The Harem Guard. I like the work of Christian Marclay, Tom Friedman, Tom Saches, Drew Struzan. Artists that I've met personally in the last few years that have really inspired me are Bly Pope, Kevin Delger, and Ry Fyan.

Michael Gaughan, Smart

​What kind of shows do you have coming up next?

I currently have work on display in a yearlong group show at Yeti Records on 35th and Nicollet, where the art will be rotated three to four times this year. I will have a custom print for sale through a new online store called Ship & Shape. I will have a solo exhibition at Burnet Gallery at the Chambers Hotel in June 2012. Sean will have his senior commencement show at MCAD in December 2011.

Do you feel Minneapolis over other cities has a nurturing art scene? Do you see yourself moving on in the future to a different city or metropolis?

I've lived in the Chicagoland area, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Portland, Boise, Oakland... I love anywhere I am. Everywhere is different, and I can't really compare cities. Minneapolis has a lot of musicians, so sometimes its hard to find friends that just want to hang out and work on art together. My friends here in Minneapolis all want to hang out and play music. I always tell myself that I'm gonna stop doing music and just focus on getting better at visual art, but then I'll get lonely and music is so exciting, and that's what all my friends are doing. [Laughs] I will definitely move somewhere warmer... probably.

If you could get out of the Twin Cities for a week, where would you go and what would you do?

I would go to my parents' house in Illinois, curl up in a ball on their kitchen floor, and spend the entire week crying.

Michael Gaughan and Sean Hartman draw each other

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IF YOU GO:

Sean Hartman & Michael Gaughan
Modern Times Café
3200 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis
Opening reception is from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, October 21
Show runs through November 8