artist interview: theo cook

interview by izzy fitz

how would you describe your art?

evolving, incomplete in the sense that it is in its infancy. it changes a lot, which is a good thing. i think i have a somewhat unique view on things. people mostly, since that’s mainly what i draw.

new zealand is a pretty unique place. how does where you live influence your art?

coming from a small town in new zealand i feel like nz art tends to have a very black-and-white cultural focus: it’s either all white people or all maori people. while the latter is important of course it’s not fully representative of the country. not to sound like a middle-aged woman but it really is kind of a melting pot here, and a lot of art you see in galleries doesn’t reflect that. it’s not as culturally diverse as the actual new zealand, which i think is a shame. when i go to the supermarket or the mall, even in such a small place i see more diversity than i would in an art gallery. i think there’s a somewhat narrow and selective view in art, which i don’t think is right: nowhere is really comprised of one or two races or one or two faces. that’s a whole other issue in terms of representation in art, but i do think its dishonest to only show selected kinds of people in art, if you happen to focus on painting people.

what inspires you?

people! and other artists, and nature, and emotions.

and what do you use to make art? where do you work?

acrylic paint baby! 
 faber castell pencils and whatever other bits and bobs i can find for cheap. i’m only a snob when it comes to coloured pencils and white paint — that’s all i’ll really spend money on. i do my art in bed, or at my desk, and i get crumbs everywhere.

who are your favourite artists — and why?

i hate this question because the answer is every artist ever. i’ll be obsessed with one artist or style a week, or two paintings by one artist for years. it’s a mess of a question. but i like klimt, frida kahlo, van gogh, elly smallwood, william bouguereau. i think they all have a distinctive style and are innovative in their own ways which i also appreciate. i also like self-portraiture and art featuring people.

people have said a lot of things about art. what’s your favourite?

tracey emin, who does these very vulnerable confessional pieces said “i need art like i need god” and i really like that. i find the comparison between art and religion very interesting. religion strikes me as a way humans grapple with their own existence, and art is a very similar thing. they’re both ways people process the world around them in different ways.

when did you decide you wanted to pursue art?

at the sage old age of eleven i said to myself, okay theo, time to stop printing off anime characters kissing and drawing them: it’s time to buckle down, you’re a grown up now, gotta take it seriously. study hard, this is it etcetera etcetera.

originally i wanted to be an animator, then ilearned how hard that was, but i still wanted tobe an artist and that’s the important thing.

what do you wish someone had told you about art when you were younger?

to be a little bit more proud of it, and a little less secretive. i wish someone had told me that there’s a lot of joy in sharing art rather than just making it then hoarding it all to yourself out of insecurity.

so what are you working on at the moment? what’s next for you as an artist?

what aren’t i working on — no, kidding. right as we speak i’m working on a page in my sketchbook of a whole bunch of trans people. the painting i’m doing now is taking me 25 years and i think i hate it, but that’s how it is sometimes. i’ll still finish it. i really like portrait studies of different kinds of people. i miss doing bigger, “proper” paintings too — so i hope to do some of those in a wee while. i’ve been doing a lot of illustrative stuff which i really enjoy, but i have a bunch [of big paintings] that i’ve half done and just forgot about for a few months. i think i have more range than what i play with a lot of the time — i’m building up a real portfolio.

where can we find you and your work?

you can find me on my storenvy (HomemadeHomo), where i sell handmade pins and things, as well as on patreon (@theocook), redbubble (@plntboy), as well as on tumblr (@homoidiotic), @acrylictheo and @floralhomo on instagram if you want to see my art and what i’m up to in general respectively.