Contemporary artist Casey Jex Smith calls his style Dungeons & Dragons power simulation fantasy landscape ink drawings. An interview by Anjali Singh for the Asian Curator.
The artist takes on so much risk with such a small chance of success that I try to dissuade artists from getting an MFA or studying Art at all if they have another avenue of study. If you’re a highly motivated self-starter type of artist then I recommend you skip an MFA and just move to NYC or LA and start making things while holding a day job.
Contemporary artist Casey Jex Smith
What brought you to the world of contemporary digital/visual art and how did you start?
My mother after a divorce had gone back to get her MFA in Painting after having taught middle-school Art for 15 years. Her Department was putting together a trip to NYC and they invited me to come along. Before that I had taken 1 year of Design courses and was on the path to computer animation. During this trip to NYC we visited museums, galleries, and non-profit spaces and I was thrilled by the novelty and conceptual nature of the work I saw. Right after the trip I changed majors and have been enthralled ever since.
Lets talk about your frameworks, references and creative process.
I grew up in an orthodox, Mormon family in Utah and practiced the faith up until a few years ago. Besides the strict moral code and traditional family and social life that entails, there is also a distinct visual history in painting, educational illustration, and architecture that continues to be an influence or point of rejection in my work. The other framework that has continued to be a large influence is Dungeons & Dragons. My dungeon master lived a few blocks away and was in my church congregation and in the same grade. My parents never knew that we stayed up late playing Dungeons & Dragons and watching HBO. That fascination with fantasy worlds and world-making is still a strong influence in my art.
What would you call your style?
Dungeons & Dragons power simulation fantasy landscape ink drawings.
Choice of medium in art
Let’s talk about the evolution of your practice and medium of art over the years. Tell us about your commitment to your current medium in art.
Drawing has stuck with while painting, collage, performance, and installation have largely fallen by the wayside. This is primarily due to practical reasons. I’ve never had much space or time to make work.
So when I have the time, it has to be something that I can quickly pick up without effort. I’ve tried to take out as many obstacles to making as I possibly can. It takes very little time or effort to grab a small drawing pad and a micron pen. And I’ve learned over time that I can pack a lot into an 8 x 8 inch space.
The creative process: creative blocks
How do you overcome creative blocks?
I don’t have the luxury of waiting until the next great idea comes. When I have time to work, I have to make something. So I grab a piece of paper and start drawing a landscape until the right idea comes. I can work days on just a corner drawing bushes, rocks, and grass. Some of my best drawings have started without an idea.
What is your source of creative inspiration? What are you looking for in other visual artists work?
I still look to art to give me a kind of visual jolt. Even scrolling through Instagram and viewing hundreds or thousands of artworks a day, I frequently still find this kind of work. It tends to look self-taught. It often hints at the transgressive or has an institutional irreverence.
I have to admit that sometimes, like anyone else, I’m a sucker for great design that uses a novel or super-refined process.
Which shows, performances and experiences have shaped your own creative process?
Seeing William Kentridge’s animated short films at the New Museum in 2001. Playing the Painstation by Volker Morawe and Tilman Reiffat at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 2004. Multiple Matmos lectures and performances around the Bay Area circa 2005. Playing Dungeons & Dragons in my teens.
Who are your favourite contemporary artist maestros?
Tara Booth, Matt Lock, Jordan River, Laurie Nye, Oda Iselin Sonderland, Hayley Barker, Cheyenne Julien, Sara Anstis, Brian Uhl, Paul Simmons, Jonny Negron, Meg Franklin, Matt Haywood, and John Maggie.
Mention any art books, writers or blogs of note
I really enjoy Butt Johnson’s Instagram account. Besides being a fan of his drawing process that has an insane degree of difficulty, he’s a historian of drawing processes. If you’re a drawing nerd, then you’ll love his well-researched posts.
I’m reading Symbolists and Decadents right now. I’ve had it in my library for 20 years but haven’t picked it up till now. Learning about some of their crazy experiments around the senses and how to be a proper Dandy.
Artist lifestyle: Art studio
Tell us about your art studio, what kind of place is it?
I share a studio with my wife Amanda Smith. We have two desks sid-by-side and an old iMac between them where we watch The Soprano’s or The Office. We joined spaces during the pandemic basically to have more time together. It’s been a really nice way to unwind after the kids go to sleep and get some work done.
Day in the life of a visual artist: Could you describe your usual work-day?
I start the day by doing a 25 minute ride on my stationary bike while watching The Walking Dead. I then put the dog out to pee and help my daughter get breakfast. Then shower, eat something, and go down to the studio/office and log on. I do UX Design for a BI cloud platform until around 5pm. Then I either make dinner or play outside with the dog and kids until dinner. Wash dishes. Play a board game or watch some TV with the kids. Get kids ready for bed. Lay with them until they fall asleep. Go down to studio around 9:30. Follow up on emails or make some artwork with my wife while we watch The Office until 11:30. Repeat.
Career as an artist
Any mentor, curator or gallerist who deserves a special mention for furthering your career as an artist?
I have to give a lot of credit to Allegra LaViola who gave me three solo shows and let me do whatever I wanted in her space including some participatory performances and installations. There was also a lot of experimentation in my object-making in both concept and form during that period that made it difficult for her to sell the work. The gallery took on the risk and it didn’t pay off. But I’m glad I made the work that I did during that time and was able to push it into strange places because of Allegra’s generosity.
Is it imperative to have a visual art degree become a visual artist?
It’s not imperative if you just want to make things. However, if you want a career that gives you a chance to be in a Whitney Biennial you have to have an MFA and the connections it provides. But MFA’s are unsustainable. It’s a real bind for artists. If you want any kind of national recognition you have to go to one of those top programs and you have to have some quick successes in residencies and gallery shows right after grad school.
The artist takes on so much risk with such a small chance of success that I try to dissuade artists from getting an MFA or studying Art at all if they have another avenue of study. If you’re a highly motivated self-starter type of artist then I recommend you skip an MFA and just move to NYC or LA and start making things while holding a day job.
Art marketing & building an audience
Tell us about your first sale.
It was a few months before finishing up my MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute and some collectors from LA came through and did studio visits. They purchased a large diptych drawing for $3,500. I remember them being either shocked at how much or how little I was charging. Because I was so new to the process, to this day I’m not sure which it was.
Does art marketing come naturally to you?
It doesn’t come natural but did come with time, experience, and enjoying some aspects of it. I’ve always been interested in the art market. It’s just a little more difficult when you try to apply certain principles to your own work.
Any upcoming show or events we can look forward to?
I just finished up a commission for some album art and I’m working with a London gallery for a 2021 exhibition but still unsure of dates for both. I also spend a bit of my time each day curating the drawing account on Instagram called @thedrawingstall, where I post drawings from living artists that I admire.
Artist contact
For enquiries contact: caseyjexsmith [at] gmail [dot] com
Website & Instagram
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.