Terry Barth: Lansing Illinois/ interview by black dog bone
Terry Barth/ interview by black dog bone

do you think art is giving expression to our feeling. or what is art to you?
Art is simply a language and is interpreted in no different way than one would from the charisma of the speaker/listener. Whether it is words spoken to forgotten air, or a dedicated perspective, a means of conversation that has more of the intent of interpretation retains the common verbal tongue has a firm meaning in life.
In my particular case, I had a particular scenario that drove me into a point where the dam broke and the river ran wild. In result, I had succumbed to a free expressive point of my life where I felt the best in hiding nothing.

when I see your art I feel like the art is coming from a person that has a deep understanding of what is really going on. also reminded me of children art. in your the images you have are real raw, has very natural feel. very free. where does it all come from.
If you look at the creative aspect of human beings you will see their progressive desperation in evolution. The entirety of our human history sums up a path, but the individual (in their time) has a personal garden of hells, heavens, salt, and solvents to which involve a person to act on their own circumstances. In my particular case, I had a particular scenario that drove me into a point where the dam broke and the river ran wild. In result, I had succumbed to a free expressive point of my life where I felt the best in hiding nothing.
If you look at a multitude of artists, they have a sense of suffering they express through their paintings. I think that people find some art so macabre, disturbing, or depressing is because it can be a very naked expression to a lot of personal feelings that others would not even dare express in words, let alone in a public visual form. On the other hand, the childlike aspect is an important tool to drop all securities and inhibitions that we develop, in defense, throughout our growth to elder hood.

people feel like its negative when they hear words like darkness or gloomy or sad. what do you feel about words like that. People are commonly obsessed with the folly and maelstrom of life. I believe, in our history, that we have highly thrived on it in all forms of intent of growth or idle ridiculed obsession. Nonetheless, people are focused on conflict. Whether it is progressive for everyone or self-addressed is more of the conflict. I firmly believe empathy is the higher tier of creativity. Those who create to crown their ego usually dance on their horned crowns to act on fuelling a narcissist agenda. I suppose I play on both empathy and narcissism on said "deep understanding" in reaction to the dailies of life.
I feel like I'm just renting my time to life while having won a particular lottery in the life and place I've been given. That gives me a calmness and patience to deal with all the hardships in other people's life. As for mine, I use my music, words, paint, and any other medium I can find to work through life. I try to do my best to help others, teach others, be taught by others, but in result I admit to becoming a bit reclusive to become less distracted from personal growth with a strong desire to just get more work done
I wouldn't say my art is too unusual. If you look at a multitude of artists, they have a sense of suffering they express through their paintings. I think that people find some art so macabre, disturbing, or depressing is because it can be a very naked expression to a lot of personal feelings that others would not even dare express in words, let alone in a public visual form. On the other hand, the childlike aspect is an important tool to drop all securities and inhibitions that we develop, in defense, throughout our growth to elder hood.

In a similar sense as the previous question, it comes from a natural childlike response. I do relate to certain artists as like Basquiat (in playfulness), Pollock (in process over product), and Modigliani (the perspective of the character through the personal eye). Before I even knew a name of an artist, as a child, I was always obsessed with art within mythology, whether it be Roman, Egyptian, Japanese, etc. The art from those said cultures have had a very dark sense of work in the tragedies of history with a sometimes primitive outlook of the human body and the elegant over the poor.

when you see whats going on, do you get this feeling that you keep calm, that you need to do something about it.
"less is more" has less of a meaning in America these days. I'm a firm believer that ignorance is brought by excessive convenience and, with saying that, I believe that having so much information at hand, the accessibility of resources, and technology being able to dominate most physical and mental efforts, is hindering us from growth. I can only hope that we can utilize that in other future obstacles and it doesn't come back to haunt us.

As for what's going on in life, I feel like I'm just renting my time to life while having won a particular lottery in the life and place I've been given. That gives me a calmness and patience to deal with all the hardships in other people's life. As for mine, I use my music, words, paint, and any other medium I can find to work through life. I try to do my best to help others, teach others, be taught by others, but in result I admit to becoming a bit reclusive to become less distracted from personal growth with a strong desire to just get more work done.

your from america? what what state what city. are you from.
I am from the Midwest of the United States Lansing, Illinois and I do feel like the term "less is more" has less of a meaning in America these days. I'm a firm believer that ignorance is brought by excessive convenience and, with saying that, I believe that having so much information at hand, the accessibility of resources, and technology being able to dominate most physical and mental efforts, is hindering us from growth. I can only hope that we can utilize that in other future obstacles and it doesn't come back to haunt us.
If at all, I'd say my happiest experience of my life would be childhood in its entirety. My saddest experience though.... I suppose it was when one particular person who broke my heart and nearly brought me to the point of quitting all my creative endeavors. It caused such an awful reaction that I remained in bed for as long as I could and was the beginning of my present reclusiveness. I had gone through many hells of my own, but for the way this one individual broke my heart.... well, it changed me.

what is your saddest and happiest experience in your life?
The saddest and happiest experience in my life is truly hard to hone in on. If at all, I'd say my happiest experience of my life would be childhood in its entirety. My saddest experience though.... I suppose it was when one particular person who broke my heart and nearly brought me to the point of quitting all my creative endeavors. It caused such an awful reaction that I remained in bed for as long as I could and was the beginning of my present reclusiveness. I had gone through many hells of my own, but for the way this one individual broke my heart.... well, it changed me.

like around what age did you start to draw? I've been drawing since as far back as I can remember. It always made more sense to me than words did. The only thing that may hit closer to my heart is music, but I've never truly studied an instrument. I always enjoyed the childlike approach of surprising myself with the improvisation of it. Art, on the other hand, came easy for some reason. At one point in time I had worked on comics and realistic images, but eventually I started working in the style I am now which is subject to change.

have you had many exhibitions. why did you choose to be an artist? or start painting? I used to have a lot of exhibitions, but not so much these days. Again, it's an isolation issue. I have plenty of friends trying to push a show but, not only do I prefer to be out of the public eye, I also have a close connection to my paintings that creates conflict with parting. I never choose to be an artist though. It was always something I just did. There was never a "most important moment" with being an artist though. In all honesty, I wasn't ever doing any of this as occupation. I just does what I does.

how was your childhood spent? were you happy, were mischievous? My childhood was very happy. I had a sense of mischievousness, but nothing harmful and more in a playful manner. I was very fortunate to have a good loving family and friends. I had a very supportive youth in many aspects.
Music, on the other hand, was a weakness of mine in the enjoyment of textured and found sounds, with well written lyrics. I've always favored music from Aphex Twin, Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Skinny Puppy, and other "Industrial Music" musicians. I've always enjoyed that genre or category for the anonymity of the artists, the raw expression, and the experiment of sound.

do you like to read? What is the books you like most? do you like music? what music do you like? As for books, I was always interested into history, psychology, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. Music, on the other hand, was a weakness of mine in the enjoyment of textured and found sounds, with well written lyrics. I've always favored music from Aphex Twin, Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Skinny Puppy, and other "Industrial Music" musicians. I've always enjoyed that genre or category for the anonymity of the artists, the raw expression, and the experiment of sound.

what can you say about the artist in modern society? The artist of the modern day is a very commercial aspect in terms of tattoos, digital, and both in advertisement. Perhaps the way things are progressing and/or regressing that could be good or bad. One thing I do feel is that there is less incentive in being yourself rather than joining the modern crowd. Warhol made an interesting point in the expression of commercial art being everyday life, but he also made the same insulting result of "15min" of fame which is where we are these days.
