Artist Spotlight: CHILDREN OF CREATION

Sarah Jane, aka Children of Creation, is an amazing artist friend of mine, and her work is constantly getting more and more incredible. There is a dreamlike, enchanting quality to her drawings quite apparently paying homage to Gustav Klimt and art nouveau, simultaneously referencing the tripped out, rock-n-roll poster style of the Woodstock days. You'll be able to see Children of Creation's solo show HEAVY DREAMER at her opening Tuesday, March 11th at the Tin Can. Check out this interview I got to have with Children of Creation about some of her inspirations and body of work:

MAGIC BROTHERHOOD: Sarah Jane, it's an honor to be showing a collection of your work this coming Tuesday, March 11 at the Tin Can! If you can, please tell us a little bit about what we're going to see at this show.
Your show is titled "Heavy Dreamer". What is the significance of this in relation to the body of work you'll be showing?

  SARAH JANE: Hmm I suppose it is just a reference to my aspirations as an artist in this world and modern times. I don't necessarily have a plan for what it is I'm doing here on this planet. I am just trying to act on my dreams no matter how abstract they may be. I reference a lot of occult images and ideas through my art... tarot and astrological influences, rock n roll, and the strong symbolism behind a woman's body. a lot of people think i just draw naked chicks haha, which is true yes, but it's not coming from a lowbrow perspective. I think the female body is a symbol of strength and a force not to be reckoned with. That being said, if you like it because it's tit art, that's totally fine! Who doesn't love tits? But if you see a deeper meaning behind it, then you can understand me more. I do not consider myself to be a feminist, but I obviously identify with the power that a woman's body has. This is how I tie these weird ideas in my brain together. 

MB: How did you come up with the moniker Children of Creation?

SJ: Haha well its some lyrics from "Thrill of it All", a Black Sabbath song. Love me some Sabbath. It was just one of those things that happened- that song came on and I heard these lyrics: "inclination of direction, walk the turned and twisted rift/ with the children of creation futuristic dreams we sift". And it was just like this giant bright light bulb that went off in my head. I felt incredibly connected with these words. Black Sabbath is heavy but if you actually read the lyrics they can be quite poetic and beautiful.  

MB: You've explored many mediums besides drawing and painting and you're an incredibly talented artist who has been making work for a long time. What is your background with the arts and other mediums?

SJ: I was a country kid with a weird imagination I guess; always sprawled out on the floor with paper and pens and markers. My teachers were really encouraging with my creative side and put me in a lot of art contests. My home as a child was always creative, with my mom being a concert pianist, my dad did all kinds of art, and my brother and sister played music. They supported us being the weirdos we were and continue to be. I did the whole school thing, got a degree in Fashion Design, but what has always been my number one love is the art of picking up a pen and inducing a crazy vision on a piece of blank paper. I wasn't confident with sharing my work publicly until very recently in my life. I see it as a rite of passage I suppose, i needed to get over some personal things that had gotten in the way and held my ass back. 

MB: Who are some of your favorite artists?

SJ: Such a complicated question! There are too many to name. But the heaviest influences classically are Mucha and Klimt. They were these very strange dudes for their time who could illustrate the female form as if they were women themselves. They had a softness about them even though they incorporated hard, linear movement. 

As far as contemporary artists I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Alan Forbes. He's this rad dude in SF who has been doing killer band poster art for quite some time. He inspires me so much because every piece of art he does is not only fresh but it's also done in such a classic, clean way. He kinda just put himself out there without having to say, "Here I am who the fuck cares if you don't like it", which I suppose is more or less how I feel about my art. Alan has made me feel ok with the kind of work I do, and for that I'm extremely appreciative. 

MB: favorite musicians?

SJ: I would have very little meaning in my life if it weren't for Sabbath, Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Yes, Velvet Underground, George Harrison, Miles Davis, Skip James, Leadbelly, just to name some ...... All these musicians made me feel things on a deeper level. Much of my work is heavily inspired by rock n roll and what has happened in society (positively) because of it.

And present day? Man there is so much amazing shit out there in a sea of mediocrity. Im lucky enough to be a part of this weird little creative society that churns out some bad ass bands. Artifact, Psicomagia, Glitter Wizard, Wild Honey, Sacri Monti, just to name a few...

MB: Favorite place to make art?

SJ: On the floor, in a room with decent lighting, completely alone.

MB: favorite curse word?

SJ: I love every single curse word under the sun! They are just words but there is something so satisfying to yell "fuck" really loud. It's like oral therapy. 

MB: What can we look forward to see from Children of Creation in the future?

SJ: I hope to continue doing rad projects for other small businesses for a very long time! But also right now I'm working on getting this 5 person creative collective off the ground. We are all bringing different elements with our individual talents (art, clothing design, vintage seekers, writing, jewelry design, music) and creating a bigger monster collective that all of us can show to the world. The goal is to travel and create awareness of all these rad things we are doing, and I feel so lucky that I have found these people to work with and experience life with. Check out what we are doing on instagram @therodadoracollective. 

You can follow Children of Creation on instagram @childrenofcreation

and follow her collective @therodadoracollective

To contact Children of Creation email childrenofcreation@yahoo.com