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Lizzy Falcon
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Episode 25 with LIZZY FALCON
Captivating, fascinating, unique, and soulful, describe Lizzy Falcon’s artwork. Lizzy's work has a whimsical, yet "emo-like" feeling. Thematic threads of her work are grey-toned girls with one big eye as "Big-Eye-Art" and the Lowbrow Art Movement have had a major impact on her, and she (usually) only exposes one eye: the left eye, as that is the eye that represents true emotion. Lizzy uses grey tones for her characters to avoid assigning them race or ethnicity, as all human should be permitted to relate to them, but they end up with a slight creepy look, and that's okay. Lizzy does not try to capture absolute realism in her works, preferring the fantastic and whimsical. Margaret Keane and Walt Disney have been her two biggest artistic influences. As a child, Keane's artwork adorned Lizzy's walls and inspired her to be an artist later in her life. Lizzy is a self-taught artist and mainly works with acrylics on canvas. Lizzy has had the honor to show alongside some very talented artist from all around the world. In addition, buyers from all corners of the world have purchased Lizzy's paintings and sculptures. Whether Lizzy is painting, sculpting, or creating animated shorts of her characters, she is always creating something new.
http://lizzyfalconart.com/index.html
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Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
You are listening to something rather than nothing. Creator and host Ken Valente. Editor and producer Peter Bauer.
Introduction of Guest Artist Lizzie Falcon
00:00:16
Speaker
You're listening to something rather than nothing and this week for episode 25 we have a great guest, Lizzie Falcon, who is an artist, painter,
00:00:29
Speaker
She does sculpture and short animation and really excited to have Lizzie on the show. And Lizzie, welcome to something rather than nothing.
Childhood and Early Expression Through Art
00:00:40
Speaker
Thank you, Ken. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.
00:00:44
Speaker
Yeah, it's a real pleasure. We start off the show and just really like to launch into things as far as your origin story, your background story. So what were you like as a young human? Were you always an artist or what was your personality like? As a young human, I was the youngest of four kids, all older brothers. So I was really, really quiet.
00:01:12
Speaker
And I think that kind of stuck with me through most of my childhood. And I love to be creative. So that's always how I expressed myself. And I just drew a lot, but I didn't talk a lot. So I kind of think that even now, I kind of speak through my art.
Art as a Voice and Coping Mechanism
00:01:32
Speaker
I think it was just kind of a learned thing. As I got older, I learned how to, you know, speak up more and so forth. But as a kid,
00:01:43
Speaker
Um, I liked baseball and playing with the boys and being quiet or you'd get beat up. So yeah, as a young kid, so for, for, for brothers, for older, three, three older brothers, and then all boy cousins. So surrounded by older, um, boys, uh,
00:02:08
Speaker
that, that, that in. And so do you think that had an impact? I mean, I could hear some impacts. I thought, you know, just as far as your, you know, what your place can be within that whole hierarchy. But, um, did you find, uh, that there was any aspect of what you did to, you know, to be able to spend time with everybody that was around you that were boys, did that really impact, you know, what you did? Um, as far as art or just overall overall, um,
00:02:38
Speaker
Yeah, like I said, I remember just being really quiet. I wasn't an outspoken child. I was always just shy. And I remember just loving to draw. And I'd show people my artwork. I was never afraid of that. But also, I was never encouraged to do artwork. So it wasn't important. And I guess until I got a little bit older and learned how to, you know,
00:03:06
Speaker
play with the boys or like the boys. Then I started to kind of stand up for myself and so forth. But but later on, I became the queen of the house. So, you know, that all worked out really well. I learned I learned how to adapt and overcome. That's for sure. There's a lot of human behavior that is adaption. Over overcoming. So tell me about so let's let's go into our tell me about
Embracing Surrealism in Art
00:03:36
Speaker
the art that you like to enjoy looking at or consuming, but also the forms of art that attract you as a creator, where you feel most at home in as far as the forms or styles of art. Now I love, my favorite genre is surrealism. I just love anything that is
00:03:58
Speaker
outside of the box. I appreciate like realism and things like that because it's not something that I can do. But what I most what really speaks to my soul is surreal art and little by little I've been inching my way towards that genre more and more in my artwork. Some people would consider my art especially back when I started like more like dark art
00:04:24
Speaker
And I think it's just kind of lightened up with the years. And I think it's because I've been able to express myself and tell my stories through art. And somehow that's healed me and whatever traumas that we grow up with. So I noticed that my art is continually changing, not just in the technical standpoint, because I'm always trying to improve.
00:04:53
Speaker
But just in what I express and how I express it. But definitely surrealism is by far my favorite genre. And that's what I lean towards. And like in film, I love like those indie films. So I'm not real big into the box office type movies. I'd rather just find some little dark
00:05:15
Speaker
film, you know, on Netflix or something or online. And that's my my favorite. I don't know if if shorts TV exists anymore or not anymore. But I like short films, short animated films. So comedy and things like that. They're they're all cool. And that type of thing I enjoy. But as far as the artistic end, I like like the
00:05:44
Speaker
the real dark films and dark art and surrealism. That's, that's what I gravitate towards.
Discussion on Artistic Style and Emotional Depth
00:05:51
Speaker
Yeah. And I, you know, I, um, I thought about this question a little bit more, um, and, and looking at your, your animation, um, and your paintings and, uh, some of your other art. And I, I mentioned it to, you know, just before this interview, but just,
00:06:11
Speaker
that there's a world that you've created there, that there's a feel to it, and it captures the imagination of the viewer and kind of draws, I think it draws me in to that particular world. Now, I find it difficult to kind of describe what the art was, and I think that, I'm not sure if you embraced
00:06:39
Speaker
The term, you know, sometimes referred to as lowbrow or lowbrow surreal, or, you know, the, I know you've been in exhibitions where we've just referring to the eyes of the women you paint, you know, big eyes. These are all kind of like, like throwing, you know, kind of like darts at trying to describe something. Do you believe, do you believe that any of those descriptions start to point at, you know, categorically what you're trying to do?
00:07:11
Speaker
Yes and no. I don't like to, I guess whenever, I have a really hard time whenever somebody asks me, you know, what type of art do you do? It's just, especially in the area where I live and folk art is really, it's really saturated with folk art here. And growing up in Miami, there was a lot of like contemporary art
00:07:38
Speaker
So I never quite know how to describe it. And I'm always like, Oh, it's kind of weird. You know, and, and I said to myself a couple of years ago, you have to stop saying that and presenting your art as weird. And so what I've started saying is that I just tell stories through art and I paint in a surreal, you know, surrealism, although it's not a hundred percent like surrealism, um, like some of the surreal artists that I, um, admire, I guess, because I'm not at their,
00:08:06
Speaker
level of surrealism like they really think outside of the box and as an artist I'm developing that it doesn't come 100% naturally to me like I wish sometimes that I could just paint I see some drawings and paintings that are real scratchy and just all kind of stuff and and paint thrown all around and
00:08:28
Speaker
And I go to do that. I even did a collection that was called imperfection. And I went into it thinking, I'm going to do some splatters and kind of messy stuff because I had just come back from art basil and I was really inspired by some of the art there. And boy, I just could not do it. So I really believe that you don't choose what you draw or what you paint or what you create if you're creating from the soul.
00:08:56
Speaker
Um, and so sometimes I, I fight with myself and I want to do something else, but it just certain things beg to be created. And even with my last collection that I did, that was for my first international solo show, I was halfway through the collection, painting it. And I looked around and I was like, why in the hell am I, what, what am I painting? Why am I painting these things? Um,
00:09:20
Speaker
So I'd
Being Self-Taught and Breaking Artistic Rules
00:09:23
Speaker
say surrealism and lowbrow art, a lot of people take offense to lowbrow art, but there was a big lowbrow art movement in the 60s and 70s. And part of it was the big eye art that Margaret Keene introduced to the world. And then there were some other big eye artists as well. And that was considered lowbrow art, but
00:09:47
Speaker
The art world has changed so much. And I'm sure that there are some old-fashioned curators and galleries that would not agree with me. But internet has changed so much. And so some lowbrow artists have gotten so much more popular than some traditional, what you would consider like a traditional artist or somebody that was traditionally trained.
00:10:12
Speaker
Um, and that's another thing why I don't take offense to it. I think lowbrow is fine. And even some people have, um, at the beginning, especially would kind of, uh, tell me that my artwork was more like illustration rather than actual art. Um, and, and the first time somebody said that to me, I was a little offended, but then I realized that both Norman Rockwell and Walt Disney were considered illustrators. And yet they're two of the artists that I admire. Um, and
00:10:43
Speaker
So I was like, okay, well, if you want to consider me an illustrator, that's cool, but I'm going to continue doing whatever it is I want to do. And I don't think there's a specific name for it, but it's definitely not traditional. That's for sure. Yeah. And I think part of it is, you know, as far as when we do an inquiry, what I'm trying to do with the podcast and looking at art and talking about it, you know, there's, I think right off the bat, it can be, it can just be difficult, particularly if, uh,
00:11:13
Speaker
artists or viewers of art respond to things as far as what their emotions, right? So then, then you're trying to grapple with, okay, how does this make me feel? What are the words there? And it can be difficult to talk about. I think that's part of the challenge. Um, you know, when we try to categorize or talk about art, it can be useful, but I think we're always tripping a little bit as we try to do it. Yes, we're trying to define it. I think whenever we try to define any one thing in particular, we, you know, you kind of messed it up a little bit.
00:11:43
Speaker
It's like, so that's why, you know, that's why I love tags, like on Instagram. It's like, I can, I can reach people that like, you know, emo art, dark art, but yet it's, it's not, especially lately, not that dark. And I can put surrealism, pop surrealism. And so because of that, I don't really have, um, a definition for what it is, but I know where I want it to go and where it's going is more towards the surreal, um,
00:12:12
Speaker
So hopefully one day I'll be able to say, I'm a surrealist artist, or artist that does surrealism. So I feel like I'm just now sticking my toes in the pool of surreal art more than ever before. And so, and I like your description of that. It's kind of evolving and trying to figure out where you're going with that. And I think I get what you're pointing at.
00:12:42
Speaker
So, uh, how about this question? Um, I like to ask artists why they create. Well, Lizzie, why do you create art? Um, because if I didn't, I would be, um, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
00:12:57
Speaker
I feel like I would go insane if I didn't create. Now that I've started and I'm constantly creating, whether it's for a show or for myself, I'm at the point where I don't even watch television because for me, unless it's a film that I know is going to be worth my time or something to decompress because I have so much going on in my head, but typically I would rather just create something and it just goes
00:13:27
Speaker
It just grows. It's like this monster that once you start creating, your imagination keeps getting fueled. And there are times where just listening to a song like one word or a verse will just be enough inspiration to create an entire art piece, a conversation with a friend, a thought. So it kind of just grows and grows. And if I didn't express that,
00:13:55
Speaker
I really don't know if I would be well because when I used to work when I used to have a desk job for 20 years because I wanted to be an artist as a kid, of course, like I said earlier, I was never encouraged in the arts.
00:14:09
Speaker
So, um, I got a desk job. Actually what I was going to do was go to Disney. I had a portfolio and I was going to go to Disney and be like, look at what I can do. I'm so good. You need to hire me based on my enthusiasm. And so of course I was like 19, you know, like just, uh, yeah.
00:14:29
Speaker
Um, and so Hurricane Andrew came around and destroyed my, uh, portfolio when I got a job with the state. Yeah. And I was like, well, build it back up. Well, I got a job with us with the state 20 years later. Um, I didn't draw a damn thing. So when I finally retired early from the state, um, I thought, let me start drawing. I always wanted to be an artist. I'll just do it kind of like as a hobby, just to do something. And it just.
00:15:00
Speaker
Um, went from hobby to something that I had to do that I was continuously doing. And then I, I felt that the desire to share it with people, even though it was kind of embarrassed about it. Like I wasn't sure, like some of it was really creepy at first. Um, and I was just kind of experimenting and I had no idea what I was doing. Not that I have any idea what I'm doing now, but, um, I've got a little more experience, uh,
00:15:27
Speaker
Where was I going with this? Ken? Well, how long? No, but how long? No, let me jump in though. How long was that? How long was the peer? I mean, I mean, I just mentioned a matter of factly, you lost what you, you, you had created. And then there was this long period where you weren't, what, what, what's the timeline for like you not creating in how long? 20 years. And then how many years ago did you say, okay, I still have this in me. I'm going to pick this back up. When, when was that?
00:15:57
Speaker
2010. Oh, wow. Yeah. And I started just like, I drew like a hello kitty and I was like, Oh my God, I can't even draw. Like I lost my muscle memory. I had no inspiration at all. And, um, and yeah, it was really frustrated, but I knew I wanted to do something. Now I did do, I did have during those 20 years, I did have creative projects that I guess were an outlet for my creativity. Like for a few years I did.
00:16:26
Speaker
I decorated cakes. I learned how to do those big, you know, like topsy turvy cakes and make them all pretty and elaborate. And so what I found out was that I hated baking. I just like decorating the cakes. Sure. I was like, I don't want to do all that other crap just to be able to make something pretty. So when I was able to, I just I just bought a couple canvases. And I remember in eighth grade, I always took art classes whenever I could. And I was always encouraged by my
00:16:56
Speaker
art teachers to follow
Returning to Art After a Hiatus
00:16:59
Speaker
some type of art career. And I always shot it down because my parents never encouraged it. So, you know, you kind of learn it's not important and so you don't give it its importance. And I kind of just started to focus on it when I started to draw after the 20 years and retired or semi-retired and just started like doodling again. And
00:17:22
Speaker
I don't know why I went into sculpture at the time. Oh, it was because I had a bunch of cake stuff. I had learned how to make like sugar flowers and little like bears and characters out of fondant and sugar. So I had all of those things and I thought, well, let me, I don't want to do the cake thing. That's for sure. So I went and bought some polymer clay and that's when I started creating a
00:17:50
Speaker
my first collection of sculptures I didn't know what I was doing I just went on YouTube and kind of learned how to make an armature and what you do with polymer clay like everything else I've done with art even animation I just kind of figure it out on my own and try to teach myself through the University of YouTube yeah well on that on that I was I was really interested in you know you described yourself as self-taught and I
00:18:18
Speaker
I've been thinking about this question. For me, my background isn't in art. It's all self-taught, both the history of it and any aspect of technique. And I find that to be of two worlds, personally. First of all, there's no context, and that's good. And second of all, there's no context, and that's bad.
00:18:47
Speaker
Where am I going? What am I doing? What are the steps when I'm done? Has that process for you as far as developing it on your own been, what's that process been like for you? I mean, is it extremely frustrating, liberating, both? How's it been? It's definitely been both. It was frustrating at first, like when you pick up paint and you start putting it on the canvas and it doesn't move or do the things that you want it to do.
00:19:16
Speaker
You know, so I think when I decided that I wanted to paint. I think one of my first you know searches was how to paint with acrylic And then how to blend with acrylic and I just pretty much everything from the actual like how to paint. I didn't even know you had a prep a canvas. So it was pretty much just kind of, I didn't have anybody to ask. I just kind of did it went on YouTube figured some things out. And yeah, it was
00:19:44
Speaker
kind of frustrating, but I love to learn. And especially if it's something that I'm interested in. So clarification, I love to learn things I'm interested in because if you teach me something, I don't care about like science. Although now I always wish I paid attention in science, but at the time I didn't care. So yeah, I absorb things really quickly if I'm really interested. And so it was kind of like I was just like this sponge that
00:20:10
Speaker
needed all of this information. And as soon as things started to click and make sense, and of course that took, you know, a few years, then I started to get excited. I was like, all right, this is kind of looking like what I want it to look like. And somebody asked me once, like, something about how, if I'm happy with where I was in art.
00:20:32
Speaker
And my answer is still the same 10 or nine years later than it was a couple of years after starting. And I'm never happy with my artwork because I always want it to be better than what it is. And so I'll finish a collection and I'll love it. But I hope that in a year or two, I look at it and I'm like, all right, I don't like that anymore because I'm
00:20:59
Speaker
I'm at a different level and I'm also expressing different things. So with the learning process, I've actually enjoyed it. And so when I, I had a mentor for a little while, his name is Jesse Clay. He's a retired Disney artist.
Mentorship and Originality in Art
00:21:16
Speaker
It was great that I met him because I heard so many stories about things that I wish I would have experienced. So I kind of lived them vicariously through him.
00:21:26
Speaker
But I remember him telling me that I broke all the rules in art, he says, but that's what makes your art so special you by you breaking the rules you're essentially doing something really, really original and somehow you make it work and. That for me was a great compliment and I think one of the first people to buy an art piece of mine.
00:21:50
Speaker
I think I sold it was like a 16 by 20 and I sold it for like $80 and I was even embarrassed to ask for that much she was she had an art degree, and so that was a big. confidence booster and she loved the fact that I hadn't been to school and I wasn't classically trained and I was just kind of you know, doing some hit and miss type thing.
00:22:13
Speaker
So overall, I'd have to say both, because it is frustrating. But at the same time, when you do figure things out, and you're figuring them out on your own, and it finally clicks, it's such an amazing feeling. And then you just want to keep going, and it becomes this monster, just like creativity. Yeah. And I picked up on, you know, there's that dynamic, right? I mean, it sounds to me that for you, you're like, you want it to,
00:22:43
Speaker
the piece to be its best, you want it, you know, is it done? And that could be so frustrating. As a matter of fact, for me, when I started painting, I found that the urge, you know, of reacting, I guess negatively against pieces that I made to be like, it surprised me because I'm like, well, why is all this? You know, I just wanted it to be
00:23:08
Speaker
just kind of this even copacetic type of process for me. And it wasn't, and it couldn't be. So. No, it can be very frustrating. Extremely and provoking. So I definitely, I definitely connect with that. And I also, I'd imagine for, and just sharing this with you, both of us not, you know, having that formal training, I think there's, there's a lot of,
00:23:35
Speaker
There's a lot of surprises along the way, because I think other folks maybe have a little bit more in mind of what to expect or how to encounter things. And so I know it can be quite the process. Yeah. When you go in blind, it's going to be frustrating. But it's kind of like walking in blind somewhere. Once you figure it out, it's like, OK, I've got this figured out.
00:24:03
Speaker
And, um, and like I said, because I like to continuously grow and learn more. It's not like, cause I love, for example, the last collection I did, I love it. It's the first time I think I've done an entire collection where I actually love every piece. Um, and I'm not like, well, that one, and, and, and it's not that I want to put my artwork down. I'm really proud of what I do. And I'm glad that I'm able to create it from absolutely nothing. Um,
00:24:29
Speaker
And by nothing, I don't really mean nothing. We can get into that later. Thank you. But, but I am proud of the pieces that I do, but I feel like as long as I'm always very, um, Oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Uh, self. What's the word I'm looking for? Maybe self assured.
00:24:57
Speaker
No, not self-assured, self-critical. Self-deprecating comedy. Yeah, it kind of keeps me always wanting to do better. And when people mention to me, wow, this collection is
00:25:12
Speaker
Is so much better than like your pieces from here before it doesn't mean that my pieces from here before people aren't enjoying them. And so forth. It's just for me. I'm like, I've moved on and I need to do something better and greater the next time. So whenever I stare at that next blank canvas. I'm like,
00:25:32
Speaker
Oh God, how do I outdo myself next time, you know, and so I'm always looking to do something bigger and greater, more impactful. And what I've been doing is I noticed that when I first started my, my pieces were more basic and now they're getting a little more um,
00:25:51
Speaker
Like they're just evolving. They've got more elements in them. I'm being more brave. I'm being a little more brave about what the subject matter is and the story that I want to tell. Where before I was just doing something to do it. To the point where like I don't even, I try not to do like any fan art or anything like
Creating Original Art from Personal Experience
00:26:12
Speaker
that. I just want everything to be completely original content and just based on
00:26:20
Speaker
my experience, my life, my views on my experience here on earth and what and whether it's a conversation with someone or music, like I said before, once I get that inspiration, that's what I want to put on a canvas. And I hope that when I create that somebody else will connect with it. Yeah, let's let's talk about the canvas. I wonder if you could help me with this question, which is always a challenge for more of the visual
00:26:50
Speaker
artists that I interview I've mentioned before that you know if I have a musician on we could play a track and you can hear the art right and of course we're talking about you know the visual arts that you create your painting and animation but I was just wondering if you could if you could just try to describe if somebody were to look at a painting that you're that that you're working on now what is it
00:27:17
Speaker
What is it that they're likely to see in that painting as far as like the objects in the world that you're creating? Well, I'm currently getting ready for my first show at the Lotus Gallery. And it's the piece that I'm working on. I've asked all the artists to put lotuses, if they can, into their paintings. And so
00:27:41
Speaker
In this particular painting, there's a lotus crown lately, buildings and structures have been making their way into my paintings as well as like checkerboard pieces and a lot of angles. Also storms, there's a storm in this painting and those have been making an appearance in my paintings recently as well, I think like in the last
00:28:10
Speaker
few collections. I've had a couple of tornadoes in the background and just like dark skies. And these are things that just kind of come to me and they seem to trend in my paintings for a while. In addition, clocks, a USO, it's very surreal and just kind of out of the box. And of course, my girl with the big eye. So that's what I'm working on and I'll be revealing
00:28:38
Speaker
Uh, the painting at the first show at the Lotus gallery, um, on main second. And until then, I was just going to put sneak peeks, but that's what people will see is there's a UFO in the background and just random stuff, uh, checkerboards and a Lotus in there somewhere. So yeah, that's what I'm working on right now. Thank you. That's great. Well, in, uh, I wanted to ask you, uh, tell us about, tell us about
00:29:06
Speaker
prominent in your work, big guys, tell us about Margaret Keene and just that just those images. Well, I had Margaret Keene's artwork on my wall as a kid. And I remember because at that time I lived in California. And I mean, we were at Redwood City. So I was somewhere around four or five years old. And I remember asking my dad every night before I went to bed because the
00:29:32
Speaker
or the images were right next to my bed, I asked him, why are these kids so sad? And every night I would ask him, why are they so sad? And the only thing he ever answered was he didn't know, but he would tell me a little bit about the actual artist. And it stuck with me because there were two things that he said. He knew that she was a Jehovah's Witness and he knew that she was from California. But that's all he ever told me.
00:29:59
Speaker
And I didn't know that it was Margaret Keene. It wasn't until years later when I first started drawing and painting and had this girl with a big eye, somebody mentioned to me that my artwork reminded them of some big eyed paintings from back in the sixties. And I did some Googling, found out it was Margaret Keene. And so the only thing that I remember made a huge impact on me was the emotion in those paintings.
00:30:28
Speaker
And so when I started to paint, I thought, I want to create art that has so much emotion, it makes people ask questions. So it's not just a piece of artwork that you put in your living room and it's pretty, it also hopefully carries emotion and is a conversation starter. So Margaret Keene and her kids with big sad eyes
00:30:56
Speaker
was a huge influence on me and I didn't even really know it until I started painting so um so yeah that's how the whole big eye thing came about and then um I reached out to an artist when I was kind of developing my web page and stuff uh his name is um he goes by sugar fueled and I just kind of reached out to him because in his bio he had on there that he liked Disney and he liked
00:31:24
Speaker
Margaret keen and so on. And then I found out that there's this whole group of artists out there in this world that do big eyes. I of course just do the one big eye and the lines a little bit different because I just expose one of the eyes and the girls are gray tone. So all of the big eye artists have their own unique style, but Margaret keen was the mother of big eyes. And so here I am following that in her footsteps because they're, they're way too big for me to follow in, but
00:31:55
Speaker
Definitely in that genre. I'm kind of proud to be doing big eyed art and to be part of that artistic community online and around the world, really. I get this question. And you've hinted at the answer to it earlier in the interview. But it has to do with the role of art in your life. And the question is, does art help you
00:32:25
Speaker
live your life? Does it help you live? Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt, art helps me live. First of all, it pays some bills. And second of all, it's such an amazing expression that I'm able to just get out. I mean, I don't know if I'd be able to express everything that I do
00:32:48
Speaker
or want to express. A lot of times I don't even bother having conversations with certain people about things. I just would rather paint them. And even if no one ever asks what it's about, and I never get a chance to say, I made this because this is how I was feeling this day or that day, I got that out. It's out there in the world. It's on a canvas, and I feel great.
00:33:14
Speaker
So yeah, it definitely helps me. And like I said, I feel that when you create from the soul and you're really authentic, it also just kind of leads you to the right places and people.
Art as a Means of Living and Emotional Expression
00:33:28
Speaker
So yes, it helps me live for sure. And it gives me something to look forward to. Like I'm always looking for inspiration. So that in itself, sometimes I've said yes to things, to experiences,
00:33:43
Speaker
I'd rather stay home and do this, but you know what, I'm going to go and do that. Cause you just never know what might spark some creativity. So I noticed that just in my life in general, I take maybe more chances or do more things just so that I am able to fill my little, you know, jar of inspiration and experiences. So it has helped me tremendously in so many ways. I wanted to ask a question about, um, about, about
00:34:13
Speaker
uh, Disney, Walt Disney. And I saw in your, um, your description and you mentioned it earlier, um, I was really intrigued, um, you know, by that influence, uh, obviously a huge monumental, uh, figure worldwide as far as, you know, art, animation, illustration. I think people interact with Disney in like such different ways. And I say for me.
00:34:39
Speaker
I'd never been until I was in my forties. I'd never been to Disneyland. I'm a bit of a crank. The happiest place in the world, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it at first. Especially if you go in the summer, it's not that happy. I did go in the summer. Here's my thing with it. I opened up, and for me, it was super, super simple. When I was there,
00:35:08
Speaker
immediately having a ton of fun in my eyes were full because it was so colorful. Like I love like the parade and the color and like all of this. It all seems so vibrant and inactive. Now here's some piece in it back to you. Here's the question. I, there are some, you know, dark motifs. I don't know what we need to call them in your, in your work.
00:35:34
Speaker
Do you approach Walt Disney and that influence on the level or is there any kind of subversive twist in your mind when you interact with, say, Disney? If you if you think Disney and you think happy thoughts, you have consumed the Disney juice. But
00:35:57
Speaker
Disney's got a lot of dark stuff, man. If you look at some of the things that they've done, even for example, which is the Fantasia. If you look at Fantasia, that animation, I mean, it's got the big devil guy. It's got all kinds of things. They always love to pose the good and bad. In Snow White, you've got the witch. You've got a real sinister,
00:36:25
Speaker
they always, they're really good with villains too. So Disney itself, like you go to Disney world, of course there, you know,
00:36:35
Speaker
They want the consumer to be happy and have this euphoric feeling as soon as you pass those gates, which, hey, I do. That for me is the happiest, besides my studio, is the happiest place on earth. I will drop anything and run and go to Disney. However, that's the happiness of Disney and that's Disney World or Disneyland or whatever. But when you look at the work of Disney,
00:37:04
Speaker
of what they've done as far as films go, they mix a lot of dark and light. And I like that. I like to think that I do that in my artwork. I love the juxtaposition of something sweet and something not so sweet. And I think that's what the girls that I paint kind of have in them. They're kind of sweet and kind of not. They've got this gray,
00:37:34
Speaker
tone skin and maybe a little pouty or whatever and the subject matter isn't always all you know sweet. But I like to think that I kind of reach a happy medium with pretty with something a little deeper and usually when you go deeper that's where you find the darkness.
00:37:57
Speaker
because everybody you're like, hi, how are you? Oh, I'm fine. Nobody ever is like, man, this sucks. Well, maybe a downer, but you don't, you don't get to the, what I'm saying is you don't get to the heart of someone, their soul with, with the, with the surface level. And so with Disney, the surface level is super happy, but if you keep digging, you'll see there's some, there's some stuff that has been created by them. I totally appreciate it. Um, and, and love it. And that I think is why,
00:38:27
Speaker
I like Disney so much. It's because they've been able to do that and still have, you know, this persona of happiness and jolliness. But like I said, just Fantasia, check out that film. That is dark. I think, yeah, and I appreciate, I tell you, that's part of the reason, you know, doing the podcast and asking questions.
00:38:53
Speaker
because I learn a lot too. And just in your answer there, yeah, there was a lot I remember and build in into that Disney. And the way that you see is really, really helpful to kind of like combine these components. It's not either this or that, it's these elements, right? Of, I don't know, like the dark and the light. Exactly. Yeah. It's the elements. And I think that once you throw all of that in there, it's what makes
00:39:24
Speaker
it. So here's what I got for you now, Lizzie. Big question that you told me you had the answer for is why is there something rather than nothing? I don't claim to have the answer. I claim to have a theory, my own theory. Let's go with your theory. Yeah, my theory. Is there something? What? Tell me the exact question again. Yeah. Why? Why is there something rather than nothing?
00:39:53
Speaker
All right. So for example, like a blank canvas, there's nothing there and it's so intimidating. And I think I started to tell you earlier, like I used to take art classes and I always wanted to paint paint on canvas and I was given the opportunity to do so in the eighth grade. And I was so terrified of that white canvas. I thought to myself, I'll never paint that. I mean, there's no way. It was just so scary. So there's the nothing, right? Because
00:40:22
Speaker
When I pick up a canvas and it's blank and I start creating, there's nothing. And I do turn it into something. But in reality, there's always that something. It's in you. And it's just a matter as a creative to get it out. So I think that there's something rather than nothing. And it's an artist's job to bring it to life and to share it.
00:40:48
Speaker
And that's why whenever I meet anyone who is like slightly creative, I'm like the biggest pain in the ass because I just start telling them that they have to be creative. You have to start drawing, just draw a little bit every day, just do it. And part of that is also because those 20 years that I sat in that desk, I didn't create the way that I could have. And now I think, man, where would I be, you know, not just on a technical level,
00:41:16
Speaker
but on an expressive level, on an artistic level, and so many levels.
Belief in the Inner Source of Art
00:41:22
Speaker
Because all of that that I started to create. And most of my stuff, other than when I got into the phase of doing fan art, which I thought I kind of needed to do to broaden my audience. And I enjoyed it at the time, because that's when I was learning a lot of technical things. I'm always learning technical things. But during that process, I was creating things like, for example,
00:41:46
Speaker
A character that already exists like a snow white but i'd give her my twist and make her look into my style where now I kind of just want to create you know random image and it comes from supposedly or you would think nothing.
00:42:02
Speaker
But that's not true. It comes from somewhere. It comes from our soul. And I don't remember the quote exactly, but man, I'd love to Google it. So it's just ad libbing it. That creativity does not live in us, but through us. So it isn't ours. So it's kind of like if you're paying attention to life and you're really, really in sync with yourself, you can create art that is truly authentic and just
00:42:33
Speaker
turn it into something, but it doesn't mean that there wasn't anything there to begin with. You know, it's just kind of like you're bringing it to life. That's my, that's, that's my deep thought for the day. That's, that's, that's, that's really solid, Lizzie. Seriously. Thank you. Um, uh, so we're talking with, uh, Lizzie Falcon and, uh, it's been great chatting with you before, before we, um, let you go.
00:43:02
Speaker
I was hoping you take a little bit of time to let listeners know about how to interact with you, your art, where to find it. But I also know that there's some gallery work that you do. I was wondering if listeners are interested, how they can connect with you after this show.
00:43:29
Speaker
Well, I'm all over the internet. I pretty much, when I decided to share my work, I got on any platform that would allow me to create a username and a password. And I just dumped my artwork in there. But mainly, I'm on Instagram is where I put a lot of my works in progress. And I kind of let everybody know what's going on there.
Finding Lizzie's Work Online
00:43:52
Speaker
And that's Lizzie underscore Falcon. So pretty much Lizzie Falcon or Lizzie Falcon art will
00:43:58
Speaker
Googling my name will take you to whatever platform you prefer. I'm on Facebook to Lizzie Falcon art and for the for the young generation. I'm on tick tock and I have a Tick tock account which I absolutely love that platform because it allows you to make little 15 second mini films about the creative process. And that's my new favorite platform, by the way.
00:44:26
Speaker
Um, but I've also got my website, Lizzie Falcon art.com and I'm working on a project where, um, I'm opening a gallery in
Opening a Gallery to Mentor and Showcase Artists
00:44:35
Speaker
my town. It's the Lotus gallery and art center. And it's, uh, the Lotus gallery. You at Lotus gallery.us. I should have had that information. Um, Well, now you can Google, you can Google anything. So Lotus gallery, Lotus gallery.
00:44:54
Speaker
The Lotus Gallery, yeah. I think there's one somewhere. So mine is the Lotus Gallery and Art Center in Raven Gap, Georgia. And let me, since I've got my computer up here, I'm just going to confirm the website address because it would be a waste to not do that. And is that opening, is that opening
00:45:15
Speaker
Is it opening now or is it opening soon? It's opening May 2nd is the grand opening and I'm curating shows. I grew up in Miami where there's certain areas like the Wynwood Art District where during the week, it's just a bunch of warehouses and it just looks like some junky neighborhood or at least it used to. It's just grown into this great art community now.
00:45:41
Speaker
But you kind of just go to this place at the first Saturday, or I think they do it like the third Saturday of every month. And they just open these warehouses, and they've got music playing, and couches where people are hanging out, and amazing art all over the place by both well-known artists and up-and-coming artists. And when I moved to my area, I realized that there wasn't a big voice as far as art, and especially kind of like out-of-the-box stuff.
00:46:12
Speaker
And little by little, my community has just grown and they've even accepted my artwork. And I thought, you know, it'd be great. I was given the opportunity to rent a space. And so the Lotus Gallery and Art Center is opening up. It opens up May 2nd, and I'm going to be featuring some of the best artists from all over the world. And because I was not encouraged as a kid to be creative and to pursue art, what I'm doing is picking a local creative
00:46:41
Speaker
child in the area and by child I mean like middle school, high school age that is into art and hopefully has like their own style or whatever and feature them alongside with these artists who have these amazing careers and hopefully give them like this instant worldwide stage where you know if they if they got it they can show it and and also I'm doing a mentoring program for them so
00:47:11
Speaker
when they're chosen, they kind of like, they've never been in a show or anything. I'll mentor them whether they want to learn something technical or how to prepare for a show emotionally as far as putting their artwork before their community and on a worldwide like internet stage. So that is really one of the biggest focuses of the Lotus and of mine.
00:47:38
Speaker
And I'm really excited about it because I'm hoping I can inspire people that are creative and that I can teach some young creative youth that, you know, you can do something with your art and that they shouldn't give up on their talent, which is what I did. Yeah. And I deeply appreciate that you're sharing that and really just
00:48:03
Speaker
doing that, particularly at a younger age and creating that space for a young artist. And it goes back to like, there's this expression for work, I represent teachers for a labor union and the role of teachers can be so important where I saw this quote one time, you know, my teacher said I was smart, so I was, right? That those who see, adults who see kids and say that
00:48:33
Speaker
hey, you're an artist or you're a dancer and then they are. And I think what you're doing really helps with that and it's such a great service. And I can't imagine how excited both the adult artists who end up in the gallery, but also the younger
00:48:52
Speaker
artists who say, oh, right next to this great exhibit is my great exhibit. So right. And that's what I hope. I hope that they do enjoy the process. And I'm hoping I hope I'm able to impact even one kid, you know, where they might have been giving up on art, and especially because so many people
00:49:13
Speaker
that they know are just artists as a craft or as something that you do, you sip wine and do a little art project or you color. But they don't, and I don't know what all of these kids have been exposed to or not, but I'd love for them just to see that there are artists from all over the world that are working at just doing art and that's how they pay their bills and that's what they do.
00:49:43
Speaker
because I didn't see that as a kid. Like I didn't know you could do art as a real career. I thought you had to go like to Disney and that, you know, somebody had to pay you for you to draw. And the fact that I'm able to just create whatever I want to create because I had a certain experience and now I want to put it on canvas. That for me is the greatest gift ever. So I'd love to pass that along to somebody that wants to express themselves through art as well. That, that is, that is great. And, um,
00:50:12
Speaker
I want to thank you, Lizzie, for sharing about your experience in developing as an artist. Also, to thank you specifically for your artwork that I really enjoy, which is why I reached out to you. And also, just your ideas on a lot of these questions that I like to ask.
00:50:39
Speaker
Just hearing about what you're working on and seeing what you're working on is pretty darn exciting for an art enthusiast like myself. Thanks so much. Yeah, and I just wanted to thank you for spending time on the podcast. And yeah, I hope we have the chance to talk again soon, Lizzie. I wanted to thank you very much. Same. Same here, Ken. Thanks for sharing my experience with your listeners and also on your
00:51:08
Speaker
pages and so forth and for even just taking an interest in my artwork or in me. So thank you for your time as well. Thanks again, Lizzie. I hope you have a great day. Same to you Ken. Bye bye. Bye bye. You are listening to something rather than nothing.