Vampiria Magazine Interview - (9/2002) - Issue #6
(Originally published by Vampiria Magazine)
 
  1. Just to start this interview, give me a short presentation of yours and the main steps of your career as professional illustrator and graphic designer·?
     Hello, My name is Mike Bohatch. I am a professional illustrator of dark art and surreal horror. It all started with a vision and an overactive imagination. Since a child, I've always really enjoyed the elements of horror, haunted houses, aliens, monsters, movies and things of metaphysical nature. On the flip side I was always involved with facets of the music and art. Pretty much interested in the "creative side of life and the aesthetics of visuals and sound. I was a dedicated musician of 25 years before deciding on pursuing other courses of interest. This led me to many years and courses of schooling in the areas of printing, digital art, design and later video and web production. It was after taking prerequisites in traditional arts that I began to preconceive a direction. A direction that incorporated the genre's that I found interest in on all levels·.Music, movies, art and horror. This was the beginnings of "Eyes of Chaos". So I began just sketching out all these ideas and building them using my background education··. A single desire to just create these weird little pictures and to produce a lot of them. I like to refer to it as cleaning my head of ideas by getting them down visually. I really did know that what I was doing at the time was called "illustration" or "collage" or mixed media". I saw it as making pictures of bizarre things that had a certain edge to them. Well from there··. I started researching into this stuff and discovered there is a wide "world of opportunity and need for "dark visions"··· if you think about it ranges from film, comics, books, magazine illustrations, concepts work, gallery shows, motion graphics, and of course CD covers and promotions···. So I was like, wow·.You mean I can get paid for this stuff!··..And so it began. Now I was hooked on getting another perspective out into the world ·and see where it takes me.

  2. How did this passion begin and what did it convince you to dedicate your life to Art??
    I just enjoy the process, the subject matter, the construction and the possibilities available to expose the work. I call it the gift that keeps on giving·because I love to create, I love that kind of art and I love opportunity to be able to leverage myself into new areas. I was convinced by the response I get from emails, from teachers and students, from publications and from art directors. I guess when you realize that there is an audience it disciplines you into staying focused and producing on a constant level. Being a musician it is real enjoyable to contribute on another level that helps other acts with their release presentations. I think visual representation is "really" important in the promotion of ones music. It's the first thing people see that entices them to want to buy an album. I'm just happy to assist in that aspect of the marketing. I will have to mention as well that I'm constantly inspired by other artwork out there whether it's from old school or the new. There really is a lot of interesting interpretations of art and visuals that just speak to me on a lot of different levels. Sometimes you can just see a piece and go wow·now that's really cool and sort of absorb their energy. Sometimes just the fact of ·now how did they do that inspired one to experiment in different mediums to arrive at their own interpretations and presentation.

  3. As you say, you are specialized in the realm of dark horrific imagery and surreal compositions. So your way to perform Art is, in my opinion, very close to a shocking vision of the reality, seen in its darkest and sometimes most terrible forms. What does it inspire you to create these pieces of a cruel world?
    Well··.. it's true, I'm not as deranged as my art would present itself to be and I don't suffer from depression or some sort of metal psychosis, but I do enjoy the fantastical, the surreal, the horrific, and the theatrical disturbing. In general, the fruits of labor. I certainly don't want to give the wrong impression that I'm walking around in a black hooded robe and chanting Greek scriptures of the dead and buried. I'm just an artist with a vision. And that vision happens to be dark. I believe that as people, we portray different roles and serve different functions. I expose the darkness of reality and fantasy and somewhere in between. I specialize in this area because I believe in focus and don't want to confuse people by presenting paintings of butterflies and scenic landscapes and then putting on the "dark" mask the next day with something on a whole different level. I do believe that not always presenting the world in a candy-coated shell is healthy to human evolution. Sometimes, we need to see something dark and disturbing to balance our outlooks. The world really isn't all that forgiving and glorious at times and we need to be reminded of that to inspire us to work harder, to achieve more and to relax and just let go once in awhile. Whether that is a painting or just a song·it surely can be a release.

  4. You use to combine the mediums of drawing, painting, assemblage, collage, photography, sculpture and digital composition to create a your own style and maybe it is the force of your way to perform art. Is there a special reason behind this choice of yours to combine different kinds of Arts?
    Oh most certainly! Part of having an open mind is being open-minded in the mediums and materials as well. There really is endless combinations and endless ways to combine and experiment that can all be contributed to the actual formation of a work of art. Sometimes, I may grab some household products and throw paint around on them to see how they transform or what colors come out. Mixed media seems to summarize all of that because it is exactly that. When you combine the limitless bounds of digital with the abundant mediums of nature, products and art mediums you can get really interesting results. Although you really need to have a basic concept in order first. You can throw oatmeal on a canvas spray paint it and call it art, but you have to ask yourself how many people will appreciate or buy it. So you have to balance the mediums and techniques with the concept and composition. I think how one chooses to combine these mediums becomes facets of a particular style. Sure, there are overlaps of familiar styles but sooner or later your own voice begins to speak. And it's what you have to say that makes a difference.

  5. Do you think you are original with your style? Do you get inspiration from other painters from the past and the present?
    I don't think I'm really breaking any grounds that haven't been broken 20 or 30 years ago. Digital is still fairly new so that medium accomplishes things that weren't possible before··.. but once you get past all the tutorials, buttons and fancy gadgets if offers you begin to use as another tool rather than a means to do something cool really fast. If you look at the large number of past and present collage artists you'll see a lot of things that were done traditionally in bizarre ways·alot that replicate what is being done on the computer. I get my inspiration form these traditionalists for that fact alone. I'm always amazed to see different uses of digital that leave much room for wonder as well. So there is much, much available on all mediums for inspiration. A simple walk through an art gallery can accomplish that. If I were to name some favorites of mine as artists I would have to list Dave Mckean, Miran Kim, Russell Mills, J.K. Potter, Robert Rauschberg and Marshall Arisman. They all have evolved in their works and continue to reach levels of innovation. If I'm successful at originality it is merely just a result of my passion for my work.

  6. Some of your works can be considered very close to Modern Art and in a certain way like a degeneration of the artistic movement called cubism that sees in Picasso its greatest author. Do you agree with this interpretation of mine and in any case what do you think about Picasso's works?
    Yes I do. In fact, I tend to wrap it all under the art of composition but it is generally a enigma area in that is hard to define but falls under the mindset of shapes, forms and colors. It also is a very personal design that is purely based on the artists own interpretation of composition and aesthetics A line floating in odd places, a square or section that is retained form the ret of the . It becomes this psychological decision of what "feels" right and what completes a work of art. It comes down to - "Hey, why did you put that line there?" Because without it the work wouldn't feel complete. I prefer to show some of the making and original elements in the final piece. I think it adds to the "attitude", rather than covering up mistakes and presenting it as "clean". The grungy leftovers have a lot of personality. On Picasso, I haven't really studied his work but I do gravitate to some of his concepts and believe he was merely "letting go" in a trained, abstract disciplined manner.

  7. Very often I can see in your images something close to a dream or better to a nightmare. Do dreams and nightmares really inspire you in creating these images? And in which way do they do it?
    Maybe subconsciously, but I am one of those people who don't remember much from dream state. Maybe I cross the line a bit to dig into deeper subject matter. I believe that if you present a problem, concept or idea early on that it manifests itself into a solution through dream state. So I practice staying proactive in that respect to be able to deliver more rapidly. Nightmares are interesting because they open the door to otherwise closed area's that you may conceal during awake times. Now if you approached all your nightmares with the desire and intention to capture them into a work of art··..wouldn't that make for an interesting creation of subject matter? I think I carry that desire with me to bring back something to share. .

  8. You define your way to present Art just with the term "DARK ART". Maybe it is very difficult to explain this for you who usually use images to explain it, but could you try to do it for us?
    Well I've always imagined that if darkness had a form it would be represented in this character called "Chaos" ...Now when I mention darkness I'm referring to sort of a grungy entity of sorts that transforms on both emotional and visual levels....a sort of oddity in a sense that is both disturbing and appealing, if you get the sense.....and of course I have this love for horror and its fantasticism that I love to illustrate in artistic ways. So this entity called "Chaos" would see things for what they are.....emotions would transform into visions, creatures would emerge from whence hidden, life would present itself into this surreal place that transcends the world that we know it. Deformations and torturous acts would exist in artistic standards that presented themselves as normality's... So in essence a beautiful nightmare of sorts. Dark art is the realization of images, shapes and colors that presents itself in a fantastical horrific way that touches on the darker subject matter of emotions, life and dream states. Beauty in darkness that is realized through the mediums of art.

  9. Some of your images are included in different portfolios: Industrial Series, Mindstem Series and Kismet Series. What is the sense of these specific series and in which way do they differ from the other works? Is there a particular reason behind these images?
    What these are is a collection of images based on the idea of one theme or concept. Not necessarily sequential but generated either with similar "look and feel" or purely conceptual. I find series to be exciting because it sort of spreads an idea over more than 1 illustration. Kismet is a real personal storyline from start to finish·this one illustrates on the emotional aspects. It tells a story in a nontraditional way. The Industrial series is based on a feel of how certain music may generate fantasy images. Industrial music evokes certain emotional responses··..the series just illustrate a vision of my industrial world. Mindstem is a trilogy of mind, body and soul···· a subject that has been transformed and interpreted many time over.

  10. Lately you are working a lot with bands and labels thanks to the fact that your works fit a lot with the kind of music we listen to and that it is so extreme as your works are. What do this represent for you? Is it the aim of your creations or it is just a consequence of your art?
    Both actually, It certainly is a consequence and a blessing. I believe the genres cross over real well. Art and music has always gone hand in hand. Today bands are looking for something not so typical. Something that relates on a mental and spiritual level. Something that captures in 1 image the essence of their music. This is why ambiguous works. I do keep a certain level of awareness on what works and what doesn't for covers and such when creating. This is just plain marketing sense. You can't nail everything for everyone, but you can nail pieces that will appeal to different bands on different levels. Some prefer more meta-physical, some more gruesome, some more angry, and some more ambiguous. To be honest, I love to see a finished work end up on someone's cover··· I'm all about exposing the work not hiding it. I figure if your going to make a statement then shout. All it really adds to is more exposure which equals more opportunities.

  11. What does it represent to you the concept of Extreme?
    Extreme is taking something to the ultimate level. Not getting caught up in barriers and inhibitions and taking it all the way. You have to go to extremes sometimes to cross roadblocks. Stay true to your passion and see it all the way.

  12. And what about music? What kind of music do you like to listen to? And which kind of importance has it in your life?
    Lately I really am into the darkwave industrial type stuff. I stay more with the mainstream aspect of that but I really enjoy Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Gary Numan, David Bowie and Machines of Loving Grace. I like a lot of diversity though, sometimes I like the commercial stuff for the melodies, sometimes the progressive for the guitar work and sometimes the heavy for the energy. It depends on the mood. I think music is as important as any can be. I really sets a tone for different periods of your life, motivates, helps you through emotional issues and breaks the silence of a sometimes grey world.

  13. Tell me something about "Inner - Book Of Despair", an online book· its contents, the reason leading you to create and assemble it. Which are the most important aims and meanings of this online book?
    "Inner" was somewhat of a personal ambition. That being, to create a entire body of work from start to finish that incorporated the elements of collage presented in a very dark and grungy way. I knew how I was going to present it and what the content would be·after that it was just a matter of focusing the time to build it. In the presentation of "Inner", I wanted to produce a sort of psycho-journal that looked at the world, it's media, it's religions, it's politics and it's history and collected segments from it ·.Dark segments that you would find in the presence of a person who was at lost with it all. A person who's art is a staple of his slow decline into madness. Not quite a journal, not quite a scrapbook and not quite a diary but the combination of all. For me, it 's a step away from my regular illustration work. So it was both a challenge of working in a non-digital medium almost entirely and constructing this "book of despair" as I call it based on simple ideas. It actually took a lot of research and gathering of elements·as well as raw materials and then trying to make all this coincide in a collective way. My favorite part was then trying to incorporate methods of aging along the way to give the appearance of something that had been created over a "long" period of time·possibly from someone's past. I should note though that many of the "messages" interpreted in the book do not really project my own. It's purely for theatrical purposes and really a voyage into dark collage" work. I was obviously inspired by a lot of movies that deal on that subject matter and so I took it upon myself to create something of my own offering. Perhaps even something that you could see as a movie prop. Where I would like to take it?··· well it would be interesting to publish it in print someday and present it purely as a "art" book ···..So we'll see.

  14. During an interview with a photographer called John Santerinerros (a friend of yours too) he said me: "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are". Give me your explanation to this citation? Could it be the same with your images?
    I believe he is referring to how we perceive things, situations and people that fit within our own little morals, standards and understanding. We tend to have Preconceived notions on how things are and should be when they could be far from that. We feel comfortable in our own little worlds because that is safe and understood. We sometimes miss the big picture and feel content trolling through life with blinders on when so much goes on around us. We are fed what the media dictates and loose our sense of self. We have our own ideas about what is acceptable and what isn't. We are sometimes the problem we seek to resolve. My images see things without compromise or approval. I just create that which is not there and make it so.

  15. Just a consideration about the value of our life during these difficult days of War· How do you live it and how do you imagine the future?
    I live it day by day. I'm stay aware but also knowing that life needs to go on and hope for safety for me and my family. It is certainly tragic and out of my hands. I just avoid contributing to the mayhem and just provide entertainment in the form of pictures. You can't ignore things but you have to maintain a quality of life.

  16. To end this interview maybe the most difficult question for you: what is Art?
    Art is an idea, a concept a form of expression that comes from the creative part of thinking. Art is life, is science, is technique and is a lifestyle. Art is the passion, the poetry and the evolution of artistic endeavors. Art is creation from nothingness.