Andy Lakey's "Brilliant Nature": His Monsters... And The Unencountered
September 14, 2011 (Santa Monica, CA) – Born 1959 Chateauroux, France - Andy Lakey is a painter, focusing on original works which includes angels, hearts, language, portraits, and flora and fauna color studies titled "Brilliant Nature" or, as this cycle is collectively called, "Unencountered."
Over two decades, he has produced thousands of paintings, sculptures, and drawings. In 1999, Lakey began to suffer chronic health issues from overexposure to toxins in paint, resulting in multiple and ongoing surgeries, and took a hiatus from his painting while focusing upon other outlets developing the "Unencountered" characters, including books of abstract art-poems. He still continues to paint, but wears protective gear for health reasons. Other projects that will take him out of the studio soon will include sculpture, drawing and producing films.
In 2010, Lakey has now begun a seminal endeavor - a new, two-stage painting cycle in his studio. The cycle consists of Studies, the preparatory work which is his current focus, and Paintings, the eventual art works that will result from his Studies.
Over two decades, he has produced thousands of paintings, sculptures, and drawings. In 1999, Lakey began to suffer chronic health issues from overexposure to toxins in paint, resulting in multiple and ongoing surgeries, and took a hiatus from his painting while focusing upon other outlets developing the "Unencountered" characters, including books of abstract art-poems. He still continues to paint, but wears protective gear for health reasons. Other projects that will take him out of the studio soon will include sculpture, drawing and producing films.
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CVA: There's no question the Unencountered monsters could be seen as your most playful period of work. A true statement?
Andy Lakey: I think so.
…That makes it possibly the hardest to categorize in the whole body of your work with other cycles… But here, we can see "new" applications for the Brilliant Nature characters and studies, as characters for books as well for gifts, toys, films, and merchandising too. Have you ever considered these other avenues for your art?
Andy Lakey: Yes, I have. These particular subjects are, to me, some of the most challenging. |  |
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 Beautiful Dreamers collection from Andy Lakey's Unencountered world (aka Brilliant Nature) "Daphne" (top left) "Dalia" (top right) "Deirdre" (bottom left) "Diana" (bottom right) | |
CVA: How did you come up with these characters?
Andy Lakey: These little creatures, these little monsters, these flowers and birds – I’ve had them in my mind … since I was a child. They’ve been floating in my mind – I’ve seen them – and I’ve never had the technical skills to create how I originally saw them in what I call “the Unencountered world.” For a long time I could never quite put them out on the paper.
Then, an interesting thing happened after almost sixteen years of creating paintings, drawings and studies. One day I sat down and I wanted to create one of these birds I saw in my mind and I simply drew it. It just came out, putting the eye and the wing in the position. I was surprised – as I only can create them in two-dimensions because I don't see them in any other perspective, they have to be still, almost like the character's are posing for a photograph. Which is truly the only way I can create these characters.
I was so pleased after I created that first bird, and so I decided to create hundreds, if not thousands more I see in this “world.” I did in fact make thousands of drawings on yellow notebook paper as studies for this project, like I did so many years ago before I painted the Angels. Now, I had that whole world from my mind coming to life on paper as studies. I simply transferred these studies to flat boards, and came up with a very different style and technique. I titled that world "Brilliant Nature," or “The Unencountered.”
 "First Bird" | |  "Drill Sergeant Art Dealer" |
CVA: Nevertheless, “Brilliant Nature” and the universe of “Unencountered” characters are communicative in ways we as humans can relate with, showing fear, tenderness, sadness, excitement, anger – a whole range of feeling. Would you agree that this is different, expressively, from any of your other painting cycles to date? Where does this come from?
Andy Lakey: These characters are purely imaginations from my mind, they are not from another world. They have not transported themselves through a portal from the other side. I sometimes like to use live subjects also for this project. For example, I have an art dealer, an elderly gentleman and a good friend who is very proud of his new earring. He showed it to me one day and I looked at him and said ‘I’m going to create you as one of my Brilliant Nature characters in the Unencountered world. He had such an interesting look that I wished I’d had my camera. So, I actually sat down and did a quick profile sketch on my notebook. I said ‘you have five hairs on your head, and you have a brand new earring! It’s so refreshing - you look like a drill sergeant that is going out for a fashion show’.
A lot of these subjects are people that I know or animals that I see. In fact I have five dogs, and all are represented in this Unencountered world. The personality of each of these dogs comes across in each of the studies of them.
Dorothy, our oldest dog, (who will turn 13 on October 4th) is our most relaxed dog. She likes to lay on the couch all day - she has an enlarged heart and low thyroid – so I created her in that relaxed state.
And then there is Emma, she will be 7 on February 28th she is our chunky little dog that I created in yellow, though she is pure white. She has some serious health challenges and likes me to carry her around. The Cushing’s disease increases her appetite. Emma is the one who always has the best attitude.
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 Dorothy (top) and her study by Lakey |  Emma (top) and her study by Lakey |
Then there’s Harlow… Harlow is the dog with the most character – turned 2 on November 15, and she is very curious, wanting to know everything. Harlow has tremendous personality. Anybody or anything new that comes into the studio, Harlow wants to find out what it’s all about. Once she finds out, she easily gets bored and goes back to her business.
And then, Lucy (who turns two on June 14th) is probably the smartest animal that I’ve ever met – she radiates her intelligence in the way she walks and looks at you. It almost seems like Lucy wants to talk to me and tell me how she’s feeling.
Maggie is our puppy that was born on June 1st. She is your typical puppy always running around and I haven't figured her out yet.
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 Harlow (top) and her study by Lakey |  Lucy (top) and her study by Lakey |
Our daughter went to college and give us her little dog named Max who at the time weighed four pounds! He had small little teeth, but he thought he was ten feet tall and ferocious. I’ll never forget seeing Max when someone came to the door, standing on pillows barking – of course he had this tiny little bark. But looking at Max’s profile you could see that he felt gigantic. So I created Max and that is why I have 6 dogs in the Unencountered World…
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 Maggie (top) and study by Lakey |  Max (top) and study by Lakey |
CVA: Unencounted seems playful, but it really sounds like many of the subjects of your studies are closer, more lifelike and more personal to you.
Andy Lakey: I really dove into it and tried to create these characters where they almost came to life. They all look like they’re from the same family or from the same planet… time will tell if and when they will make it to the next level. I would like to find a group of artists - illustrators, filmmakers, mold-makers or three-dimensional creators - to help me further animate this Unencountered world. I think it would be a lot of fun. I do also have a story-line that I believe would match the characters. Perhaps I’ll be on a search for this – after I turn 52.
A lot of times when I find things that I love or that I care about, I create them and place them in this Brilliant Nature world, that may come even more to life one day.
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For more, read the full-length interview, unedited, at:
http://people.southwestern.edu/~prevots/andrew-lakey-interview.html
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For more information about Andrew Lakey and his "Brilliant Nature / Unencountered " cycle, please visit:
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