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It’s Fine to Find Cracks in Perfection: The Art of Nicholas Gazin

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 2011-01-27 dont care

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]N[/dropcap]icholas Gazin is a self-proclaimed, “famed, proud pants shitter and coke head.” He also happens to be a self-proclaimed spreader of lies and misinformation and cries a lot at Disneyland. Gazin is the Art Editor for Vice Magazine yet he draws almost daily. He never works for free; says Gazin, “I’m thirty-two and I’ve been working my ass off for a long time and made enough of a name that I can be choosy.” He comes from a family of artists; from his sister to his mother to his grandfather, it seems predestined that, he too, would find his voice through art. He smokes a lot of cannabis and watches a lot of Seinfeld. Did I mention he also draws . . . a lot? He has an odd fascination with Walt Disney, deaths at Disneyland, and a not-so-odd fascination with his cat. It was difficult to pull this information from him but aside from finding Walt Disney to be the greatest American Artist to ever live, his other major artistic influences are Egon Schiele, Gary Panter, Mike Allred, Lamour Supreme, Suehiro Maruo and James Jean.

Gazin is strong-willed and a hard worker. His illustrations are his escape and his expression. CULTURE sits down to have a light chat with Gazin about how he’s angry, how highly he thinks of both his cat and the world ending.

2010-09-27 of legends

What got you into making art in the first place? Did growing up with a family of artists make you love or hate it?

My mother’s a professional painter and seeing her painting since I was born probably is the reason I do art. I don’t think I’ve ever hated making art . . . I just hate the human race. Drawing and being alone has always been great.

How do you feel about medical cannabis? Does it pertain to your art in any way?

It’s cool that there’s legal weed. It should be legal for non-medical purposes too.

Does it help in any way with your level of creativity and/or concentration?

No, but it does help me sleep.

Are you working on anything you’d like to tell us about?

Not really. Talking about stuff that’s still being made in interviews is a hack move that can only embarrass you if the project doesn’t work out.

Do you have a degree?

No, I went to School of Visual Arts in New York for five years without graduating.

What inspires you?

My main motivators are fear and anxiety. Following that, I am also bored all the time. Third is that I get fidgety if I don’t draw. Fourth is that I am trying to prove my own value to myself. Fifth is being horny. Sixth is doing drugs. Seventh is my cat.

2011-01-27 need no pity

Tell me about your cat. Please.

My cat is named Banjo and I stole him from an ex-girlfriend. He is the smartest, most beautiful cat I have ever met. He is also incredibly callous and uncaring. He doesn’t like to be touched but whenever he can tell I’m sad he comes and lies next to me.

What are common themes you’re generally trying to communicate through your illustrations?

I’m an angry boy.

How do you think the world will end?

I don’t know but I hope it happens soon.

nickgazin.tumblr.com

 

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