Artist Jared Konopitski Makes Mixed Things Match

Maybe it’s just a negative stereotype that creative people—you know, musicians, artists and people who go out and get drunk alongside musicians and artists—just aren’t morning people. Artist Jared Konopitski, a Midtown boy, born and raised, was waiting for our phone call at 9 a.m—bright-eyed, bushy tailed and sounding rather chipper. So maybe he is a morning person, or maybe it was the sugar high from the bowl of mango ice cream he’d just eaten. Ice cream for breakfast—he is an artist after all.

Whatever you call it, there’s no denying the charisma of Konopitski’s art. Whether it’s brightly colored illustrations, real-life photographs enhanced with his goofy characters, or the painted Scotch tape sculptures he created in collaboration with Danny Scheible, Konopitski’s work speaks of a limitless imagination and exudes a fun, lighthearted vibe. His latest solo show opens April 2, 2010 at Cuffs Urban Apparel in Midtown. When Submerge spoke with the artist, he was taking a much-needed break from preparing for the exhibition. He says he hopes to have 30 pieces done in time for the show. The works he’ll have on display will be mixed media pieces involving spray paint, vinyl records and Shrinky Dinks. Konopitski says that a few samples of the pieces can be seen on his Facebook page, but he urges those who are curious to check out the exhibit for themselves. We here at Submerge believe you should do the same. It’s a bizarre mixture of materials to be sure, but you know how those artist types are”¦

Are Shrinky Dinks something that you grew up with?
My mom actually introduced them to me. She pulled out her whole antiques there, her charms, and was showing me these little Shrinky Dinks, and I hadn’t heard of them since then.

I didn’t realize they still made them.
I actually ran into a place that was selling blank Shrinky Dinks sheets—just blank sheets like paper. But yeah, I just started making them myself and cutting them out. They’re awesome.

Does the medium you’re working with inform the artwork at all? Does it shape how you create a piece?
Absolutely. Say if I’m working with pen and ink—I don’t know if you’ve seen the tribal works I do—but they become more tedious, more detailed. If I’m working with colored pencils or Shrinky Dinks, they become more cartoonish. I made these sun prints”¦ That’s a whole different technique right there. Those result in creating cutout, silhouette styles and putting them on this paper that’s been chemically laced to react to the sun. So the medium dictates the style I’m going to do.

I saw that you work as a curator also. Is that a big separation for you, working as an artist and working as a curator?
Actually, that’s something I haven’t done frequently, but I have done for a few years. Basically, it’s a thing where I want to see this show, and I want to put this show somewhere, let me find a venue and put this call for art out to all kinds of people and put out a show I want to see, really. It’s like, this kind of show doesn’t exist and I want to see it.

Has working as a curator opened your eyes to how to present your work to other curators?
It helps with networking, I’d say, because then you’re working with other artists, and you’re giving back to them a little. As they find other shows that they’re curating themselves—I’ve found that a lot of artists, once they’ve been showing for so long, they’re also asked to put on shows as well, and they’ll say, “Hey, he gave me a show, why don’t I get him involved too.”

Was it something you went to school for?
I graduated with an AA from the community college, and I was going to move on to the Art Institute, but it seemed at that point that school was going to distract me from what I wanted to do, looking at the students’ work and such. Some of my favorite artists didn’t even go to school. They were all self-taught, so I thought I would save some money and not get all those student loans and try it myself.

We were talking about how the materials you use inspire your artwork. How did working with Shrinky Dinks and records shape your work for this upcoming exhibit?
As far as that goes, it’s kind of a new medium working with acrylic and Shrinky Dink combined. These are the most I’ve done in that way, I guess. They’re all vinyl records, so they’re all circular canvases, and for some reason, I don’t know if it’s because it’s a different shape, but it’s inspired me more than a square canvas. I can’t stop coming up with ideas for it. It’s been a blast. I have more ideas than time.

Has it been a lot of trial and error working with the Shrinky Dinks? I remember when I’d put them in the oven, they’d get all curled up.
This is true. In fact, I didn’t even know that they got so curled up so much at first, so I would take them out of the oven and they’d just be round, curved balls of plastic. I almost gave up, but then I read the instructions, which I don’t do too often, and it actually said to leave them in there longer and they’ll flatten out. I guess that helped out there.

What excites you most about working in the Sacramento art community?
What excites me most is that the artists are so talented. The city is full of talented artists. But what the city doesn’t know, and I didn’t even realize this until I started showing art more, is there aren’t only immensely talented artists, but there are also people who are either traveling through or live here and don’t want people to know that they live here who are big in the art world. There’s folks who have been shown in Juxtapose, High Fructose and those art magazines; there are folks who’ve worked for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, there are folks who know people who make the Cartoon Network shows and Pixar and stuff. I had no idea I’d get to meet these people. I thought I’d show some art in the little town I grew up in, but I had no idea Sacramento secretly harbors these people.

Check out Jared Konopitski’s work at Cuffs Urban Apparel starting April 2, 2010. For more information, go to www.jareko.com or look him up on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ people/Jared-Konopitski/838283475.

Sacramento Designers Look to Remove Small City Stigma

Words by Michaela Pommells
Photo above by Nick Avey

If you haven’t been a part of it, you may not know Sacramento’s fashion scene is as alive as it is. It reaches far beyond the chic boutiques on the Midtown grid. A dynamic class of needle and thread craftsmen make up a strong community of local designers. Yet, while they wipe sweat from their brow in the name of fashion, they can sometimes be overshadowed by the stigma of working in a smaller city.

The truth is Sacramento is home to artistic talent defined by relentless creativity and eccentricity. Here to relinquish the unaware from what some may perceive as local fashion doldrums are three capital city designers. Here are their insights on the local fashion scene and how they plan to breathe life into it.

Trisha Rhomberg is part of the local fashion scene’s legacy and future. Originally from St. Louis, she has developed strong roots in Sacramento. A self-taught seamstress, she began creating and selling her garments out of recycled materials while a studio art student at Sac State. In 2003 her clothing line, Pretty Trashy, was birthed in a downtown garage. She began selling Pretty Trashy at Olipom, a Midtown boutique owned by Olivia Coelho. Five years later, Rhomberg co-owns popular vintage boutique “Bows and Arrows” with Coelho and sells Pretty Trashy in over a dozen stores across the country and one in London.

She describes the current conditions as “Slowly rumbling…small tremors before the quake. Lots of talent [with] little things happening.” You’ll find no disillusionment in her voice as she describes what needs to happen to stimulate the local crowds.

“We need bigger venues to get involved, enough talent to fill a theater, enough support to fill the seats,” Rhomberg says. “Shows need more respectable stages. We have to reach out to the people who may not seem to know or care what’s going on in the little Sac fashion world and take a chance. You have to go after what you want. I’ll go get them. I’m going to find a bigger prettier stage to display our works of art.”

Incorporating a plethora of local artists to infuse their talents in the streets of Sacramento looks to be Rhomberg’s mission. She has linked with other local artists such as Lacadia Olson of Cuffs Urban Apparel and Deeda Salon, among others. She’s participated in innumerable local fashion shows with more in the works. She’s a likely candidate to lead the budding fashion scene in Sacramento.

Benzo Couture Photo by Jeremy Scott

To help further the crusade is Mercedes Ben, owner and designer of Benzo Couture. She officially began her fashion career two years ago. An apparel design student at Sac State, her ambition stretches far beyond the city limits.

Ben’s short presence on the local front doesn’t come with little experience. She’s lived in a handful of major cities before coming to Sacramento. She speaks of her time spent in New York, Los Angeles and Denver as the force behind many of her creations. The relationships she has formed through her travels allow her to display her art to many audiences. She will be showing her work with Betsy Johnson in an upcoming show in Denver.

Ben has seen a lot of change since hitting town. She watches with a close eye as more local designers emerge, striking interest with local boutiques and residents. She sees fashion events getting more crowded and respected. Ben’s sentiments are not unlike Rhomberg’s. Ben believes local designers can form a more unified front.

“I believe people love seeing the shows but there is still a lot of work that Sacramento and our small design community has to do to ever get it to the level of much larger cities,” Ben says.

Benzo has her sights set high. Her enthusiasm is seen in her efforts to expand as an international brand with results benefiting Sacramento.

“I will always show in Sacramento, but in order to put Sacramento on the fashion map, the rest of the world has to be exposed to the talent that is here,” she says.

Designer Jesus Medrano Photo by Andrea Telles

Whenever an industry is in need of change, hope often lies in its youth — not youth represented by a numerical digit but instead the kind that’s refreshing, unpretentious and optimistic. That is precisely what you will find in Jesus Medrano. He sees so much potential in Sacramento’s future he refuses the notion that it’s at all dull.

“I see Sac as the next L.A. or San Francisco,” he claims. “Soon designers from out of town will want to come here. All it needs is everyone to believe in it. It can be achieved we just have to change a few things. And I feel it’s happening already.”

Born in Mexico, Medrano comes to Sacramento from Los Angeles. His love for fashion was developed as a youngster by watching his trendsetting sister. He equates much of the slow-moving fashion scene to a lack of designers appreciating its art form. He wants local designers to get the communities feet wet with innovative shows and practical designs.

“Let’s not scare everyone with crazy fashions, let’s give them stylish wearable garments,” Medrano explains. “I think some Sacramento designers are pushing people’s interest away with things that they might not understand yet. I feel that if we want Sacramento to become addicted to fabulous fashions we have to give it to them in small doses.” Medrano realizes a hunger for fashion around town and has every intention of harvesting his fashion career in Sacramento.

Sacramento’s fashion scene undoubtedly has a steady pulse. Yet, so much talent lurks in the city’s streets waiting to be uncovered. An alliance between artists, local business owners and community members appears vital. These designers each have the potential to be Sacramento’s white knights. Those of us waiting for everyone else to get on board will have to put our faith in their hands.