Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael L. Diaz.
Michael L, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Tampa, Florida being a pretty curious kid. My father is an electrical engineer and my grandfather was an electrician. Both of them were incredibly good at fixing things around the house and doing building projects themselves; they both enjoyed solving problems. So, at a young age I learned to work with my hands as well as having this problem-solving nature imparted on me. I believe it was those early experiences that made me want to make objects and solve the complex problems offered by painting.
Between working with my family and doing schoolwork, I loved getting lost in fantasies. I would play video games, draw, or otherwise get lost in my imagination. Being that I was a total nerd, I started pursuing a career in digital animation by studying art at a local community college. After taking two years of art classes I didn’t feel like I was getting any better. Because of that, I decided to change majors to Marketing and attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
It only took a semester to realize I had made a huge mistake, and turned back to art, attempting to get into the Character Animation Program at UCF. I applied with drawings I had made while at the community college and was denied. The jurors suggested I take Drawing 1 and 2 again at UCF because the program was much more rigorous. I spent the next year taking only those two classes and spent all my time drawing. I was very lucky at UCF to have instructors that really knew how to draw and how to teach others to do it. By the end of that year, I had been accepted both into the Animation program and into the School of Art; I decided to follow my renewed love of drawing. Since then I’ve been working on developing my art and I’m now in my last year at ASU pursuing an MFA in drawing and painting.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I make drawings and paintings mostly; they range in size from small thumbnails in a sketchbook, to large scale pieces between 4 and 5 feet. My artwork is rooted in traditional drawing; however, it is highly experimental both in my approach and in my use of materials. The sources can be from anywhere, often working from imagination or other drawings, but I stress drawing from life whenever possible. For the latest work, I’ve been using a variety of media on canvas, for the most part charcoal with both acrylic and oil paint, as well as acrylic inks.
I’m thinking about several things at once with my work, often times I’m trying to think about too many things and I have to simplify. I’m interested in many of the ideas of modernism and of philosophy, especially Philosophy of Mind. I spend a lot of time thinking about consciousness and creation. Where does consciousness come from? What should we do with it? How can we expand it? My work allows me to be curious and to explore these ideas.
Recently I’ve started working from the phrase “Spirits and Robots”, because I think one of the really illuminating problems in Philosophy of Mind is whether artificial intelligences will be conscious or not. It’s a complex problem, and one that we as a species are likely going to have to grapple with in the coming decades or even sooner. I draw a lot of inspiration from shows and movies like Westworld and Ex Machina. The subject matter of spirits and robots also allows me to explore a range of technical approaches, from loose and gestural marks to tight architectural drawing to even modelled form painting. It’s difficult to say much more about it at the moment, as this is a recent development in my work. I let the process guide me, that is to say, I make first and ask questions later.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
It’s troublesome to try and pinpoint what the role of the artist is today, because “artist” describes a huge number of people doing a variety of different things. With that said, it doesn’t seem that the role of the visual artist has changed all that much as politics has always been a large influence on art. What has changed more dramatically is the audience and the way art is delivered to that audience.
I like to watch or listen to the news every day and keep up with what is happening around the world. At times, certain figures that I’ve seen in a news report have ended up in one of my drawings or paintings. At the moment however I’m more concerned with philosophical issues and problems with art itself, so I’m withholding from dealing with more political issues, though I definitely think that they will make their way in soon enough.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can visit my studio which is located at Grant Street Studios (605 E Grant St, Phoenix, AZ 85004), with all the other ASU graduate students. It’ll be open Thursday-Saturday, 12-5pm, starting in September. I’d also like to encourage everyone to come to my thesis exhibition which will open on April 16, 2019 at 6pm in the Harry Wood Gallery at the ASU Tempe campus.
The best way you can support artists like myself is to come to exhibitions, share the artwork on social media, and perhaps even buy a piece for yourself.
Contact Info:
- Address: 605 E. Grant St Phoenix, AZ 85004
- Website: MLDiaz.com
- Email: M.L.Diaz@asu.edu
- Instagram: M_L_Diaz (instagram.com/m_l_diaz/)
Image Credit:
Michael L. Diaz
Natalia Diaz
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