Rick Krieger Interview: artist behind Hudson Guild Gallery's Freestyle Skateboarding Art NYC exhibit
When I read about the upcoming skateboard art show being held at the Hudson Guild Gallery in New York City this week I decided to make contact with Rick Krieger, artist, musician and co-curator of the exhibit. I asked him about the exhibit, his experience with skateboards and his career. Here's what Krieger had to say:
Gonzalez: What was your inspiration for the Freestyle Skateboarding Art NY 2011 exhibit?
Krieger: My co-curator Jim Furlong, who is the director of the Hudson Guild Gallery, asked me to come up with an idea for a show. I met a friend who told me her son, who is an artist, was creating artwork for skateboards. I thought this would be a good idea for a show and Jim agreed.
Gonzalez: How long did it take you to put the exhibit together from inspiration to completion?
Krieger: A year.
Gonzalez: Would you mind giving us an overview of some of the skateboard artwork that will be on display?
Krieger: The show brings together painting, photography, sculpture as well as skateboard decks, including some that are one of a kind. There are a few surprises in the show I'm sure people will find very interesting. All the artists are represented by very strong work.
Gonzalez: Are you a skateboarder?
Krieger: I got my first skateboard, a Chicago Sidewalk Surfer, in the early sixties and skated through grammar school into high school. I'm not skateboarding at the moment but I am thinking about buying one of the long boards in the show and giving it a try. For a skateboarder, New York City is just one great big skate park. My favorite maneuver is the ollie of course.
Gonzalez: I read that you have roots in NYC's original "Tin Pan Alley." Would you care to share with us what it was like living and working there in the 1970s?
Krieger: It was a community of artists. The buildings on West 28 Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue were old but had very good vibes. I lived in two different lofts on the block. It was a great place to create art and music and the rent was cheap. I was very productive during the years I lived there.
Gonzalez: What was it like studying with artist Jerry Moriarty?
Krieger: Jerry was my drawing and painting instructor at the School of Visual Arts. Jerry encouraged you to follow your own path. His method of "drawing from your head" is the way I have been creating my work for the past 39 years.
Gonzalez: I read that you admire the work of artist Phillip Guston. What is it, specifically, about his work that captured your imagination?
Krieger: His imagination. The figurative paintings from the late '60s and '70s are my favorites.
Gonzalez: Do you still play the double bass and the saxophone?
Krieger: Yes. I have two musical projects in the works. The first project is Music to My Ears, a combination of the double bass and recorded sounds. The second project is called The Post Apocalyptic Double Bass, which is the musical accompaniment to my latest series of drawings entitled "The Bomb Shelters Will Save Us." I will be uploading the drawings and music on Myspace soon, so please stand by.
Gonzalez: What will happen to the Freestyle Skateboarding Art once the exhibit ends?
Krieger: I'm hoping the artists will have sold some work and had a good experience. I will begin planning for Skate Art NYC 2012.
Gonzalez: Do you have any other exhibits scheduled for this year?
Krieger: No plans to show my work this year. I do have some ideas for shows that I would like to put together. If there are any gallery owners out there with open slots in their schedules, I have some real blockbuster ideas for group shows guaranteed to get people into your galleries.
Gonzalez: Where may people purchase your art?
Krieger: I sell my work directly from my studio. At the moment I'm not affiliated with a gallery.
Gonzalez: If you could cook and have dinner with five famous people (living or dead) who would you choose and why? What meal would you prepare?
Krieger: The Beatles, because after seeing them on the Ed Sullivan Show music became such an important part of my life and I am eternally grateful. I'd also invite Frank Sinatra because he did it his way. I would prepare whatever they wanted to eat.
Gonzalez: If you could only be remembered for one thing, what would you want that one thing to be?
Krieger: I would like to be remembered for being the first person among my grammar school friends to play bar chords on the guitar.
Read the original article here.
