SLAM: You’ve mentioned in your bio that someone once made a statement in regards to the style of your work. The person was claiming that their child could do what you do. While your work might initially come off as looking childlike in it’s deceptive simplicity, one could argue that maybe it’s not as easy as it looks. That perhaps there is a distinct disciple and process, a letting go of convention and norm before the actual execution of your works. Is this a fair assessment?

Jeff: That did happen at a gallery show where I had some work on display. Two ladies were looking at my stuff and I overheard them say something like that. But anyway, yes, I don’t think children are all hung up on convention, especially at a very early age, and that is something that we get too concerned with as we get older. I wasn’t loose with my first artwork that I did. I’d say that there is a “letting go” that has to be done and it took me a while to get to that point. It’s something I continually work on.

Praise the Red Sky - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: You have 3 distinct styles of expression. One more primitive than the other and almost as though traveling through different worlds or states of consciousness. Many artists generally pick one way of voicing their messages and stick with it. You don’t, and it works. To what do you attribute this? Why do you believe you have these distinct styles?

Jeff: Yeah, I guess there are three styles. Really, though there are more. Anyway, that’s probably attributed to my lack of patience and focus. I think I might be suffering from ADD. When I first started, before I painted and was using pastels, I was really into Wolf Kahn which is really different from anything I’m doing now. I look at lots of artwork by all kinds of artists and will see something that connects and often will try and do something similar just because I like it so much. Maybe I have finally settled down into three styles. Eventually it might turn into one? I don’t know.

Glee - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: Your content seems to dig into some fairly visceral realms, or the shadow side of the collective human experience — visual fables in a sense. Is this part of your “painting from the gut?” What stories do you wish to tell and what should we be taking away from them?

Jeff: Wow, I appreciate that. I don’t consider myself a “deep” painter. I think a lot of it is having fun and making up stuff like I used to do when I would scribble drawings in my notebooks and textbooks when I was a kid in school. I don’t think there are any conscious stories. Like you said, it is from “the gut” and maybe it’ll invoke some sort of feeling in the person viewing it. I do think what goes into any number of my paintings is something from my life, past or present. I really can’t say that I have stories to tell in my paintings. I want the viewer to tell ME what the story is because to me that’s most important.

Black Gown - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: There is a prickly nature to the work you create. Lots of angles, corners, straight lines. Then from time to time we see you painting the more curvy and graphic image of the female form. Do you think this angularity is a reflection of the masculine? Is this intentional?

Jeff: Some of the most successful paintings that I think I have created, especially in the last couple of years, are the ones with a female model with scribbled lines and splatters of paints. These are definitely intentional. So, those were the less masculine ones with less bold lines. But really, I can’t say why, one way or another. Most of the time I don’t think too much of anything I paint is intentional other than it is how I am feeling at that particular time.

Out Together - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: Your color palette seems to be an integral part of your message. It’s often bold, bright, even confrontational. Yet it works to engage the viewer. Talk to us about this.

Jeff: Here is where you get an “exclusive”. Something about me that only a small group of people know, and it’s time that it came out. I am colorblind. There, I said it. I have come out of the colorblind closet. It doesn’t mean that I can’t see colors, I just have problems with certain colors. Which means that I will never become a fighter pilot. I was keeping it a secret because I still continue to do web design work and I didn’t want potential customers to get the wrong idea and think I couldn’t design their sites. But I can. Really. So anyhow, back to the paintings. That is probably a good reason why the colors tend to be so wild and bold. I am not seeing them the way other people with perfect vision see them. I am seeing them in a, well, Jeff Hughart color palette.

Performers - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: Before you started your painting career you worked in other areas of the arts including playing in a punk band. Was this a band that any of us who were there in the punk days would remember? Some would definitely see a punk sensibility in your paintings. How do you think punk influences your work, or does it?

Jeff: Yeah, the painting started in 2002. Before that I’ve played in bands. Worked as a photographer. Published a couple of fanzines. Done video work. Creative stuff. The band that I was in that had the biggest recognition would have been The Rotters out of Los Angeles. I played with them from 1983-1999. They were infamous for the song “Sit on my Face Stevie Nicks”. The Rotters are no longer together and played their last show in 2003 or 2004. The punk thing was, for me anyway, a way of saying, screw conventionality, and being an anarchist, a scofflaw. I also think that when you’re young and are raised in a dysfunctional setting, you tend to be angry and self-destructive. I mean, I certainly was. Punk music, I think, is also supposed to be raw and really a way to let out various emotions including a lot of that youthful angst. So, now that I’m almost 55 years old, I can channel painful emotions as well as the happy times in my life. It helps a lot that I am sober now. It makes it easy to focus and “let it all out”.

U Loot We Shoot - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: Your bio states the following: “A lot of times I’ll begin with a photo for inspiration and let my imagination go from there. I really think it is reliving my childhood and just being a kid again.” This has a very Eastern philosophical tinge to it. Is there any particular philosophy that influences what you do?

Jeff: I wonder if my living in Japan for three years back in the 80’s has any influence on any Eastern philosophy…I would say though, my philosophy would be to try and paint something that is true to me and from my inner self or as I said earlier, from my gut. Trying to keep things raw. That of course isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s easier to play it safe.

Triple Play - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: You are also a very prolific painter. Do you have a specific methodology to your practice? Or are you simply compelled to paint?

Jeff: Thank you. Um, I am compelled to paint. A lot of times I’ll have things in my mind floating around, ideas about something new to paint. Images. Now, I think the smart thing to do in that case would be to sketch them and then bring them to the canvas. Of course, I am not so smart and just end up trying to remember what I was thinking of and then paint later on when I am back in the studio. A lot of times what I had planned isn’t what I end up painting. That probably happens more often than not. It’ll be like, I’m going to paint this big head with weird eyes and no nose and sharp teeth and then it ends up two people holding hands. With weird eyes, no noses and sharp teeth.

Dogs Playing - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: Dogs or cats? Why?

Jeff: I think that it should be dogs AND cats. Since adopting my dog and cat a few years ago and not having any kids, my pets are my children and they mean a lot to me. I never felt this way until I owned my own. I am very big on animal rescue. Anyway, I’ve got cats and dogs on the brain.

So Wonderful - Jeff Hughart Copyright

SLAM: Outside of showing in galleries and the usual venues, you have taken advantage of the internet. You sell your works on EBAY. Would you mind sharing with us what motivated you to use this resource? Do you have a specific strategy? And how is EBAY working out for your art business?

Jeff: I think if it weren’t for the internet that I wouldn’t be selling much art at all. I would be struggling going from gallery to gallery trying to get my work shown and trying to get representation. But since I have been designing websites since 1996, I went ahead and created my own right away. The very first thing that I sold which was before I started painting, was a conte crayon drawing that I happened to list on a free online gallery just to see what might happen. It sold for $190.00 which blew me away. But it also gave me the confidence to sell my work. I found other “outsider artists” both on free online galleries but also ebay. Ebay has worked pretty well for me. It’s my main marketing tool. Some diehard art people might think of it as a “sellout” or whatever, but I don’t find the starving artist thing very glamorous especially at this point in my life. I don’t have a trust fund nor a lot of money and really, I don’t want to work a regular job anymore. So I try and make it work as my job anyway I can. If someone came along and were to represent me and told me not to sell on ebay, I would certainly consider it if they could guarantee me a certain amount of sales.

Zombie Zoo - Jeff Hughart

SLAM: Do you have a dream project? If so, what is it?

Jeff: One dream project would be doing a whole series of large 4×4 foot or bigger paintings. I’ve wanted to do that for a while now. Another one would be doing some beyond painting. Maybe film or sculpture.

SLAM: What are you working on now?

Jeff: I have a couple of large commissioned pieces I am supposed to be working on now, but I keep procrastinating on them. Sometimes commissioned work can be the hardest.

SLAM: What is next for you?

Jeff: Well, on the 25th of March I will be doing a live painting show at a coffee house in Seneca Falls, NY. That should be interesting. They’ll have me painting along with live music. I have never done anything like that before. Other than that, I just keep painting, try new things and hope to get more shows.

SLAM Magazine wants to thank Terri Lloyd for her time with us as a writer. Unfortunately, Terri is no longer with us and this is the last interview we will be posting from her.  I, Lady Grace, on behalf of SLAM Magazine and the rest of our team would like to personally thank her for the many well thought out, uniquely written and thought provoking interviews she has brought to us in the past few months. I want to thank her for her dedication as a writer and a friend to SLAM and to me. Although we don’t always see eye to eye, I can say with conviction that Terri Lloyd is the cat’s pajamas and we wish her ALL THE BEST in everything to come. Huge things are happening for her with the Haggas Society and more. So, please don’t forget about the one and only: Terri Lloyd. Thanks again Jeff for your wonderful interview. You both did an excellent job and I am proud to represent it on our SLAM Magazine website. Danke schon.  Please continue to create with passion and bring joy, peace and love to world with your talent.  VIVA LA SLAM!
-Lady Grace-