Issue 8, January 2011
Nick Rose
Interview by John "JAM" Arthur MillerSince many of our readers at Liquid Imagination Online are horror enthusiasts, it's only fitting that we showcase a dark artist specializing in horror. Nick Rose: his art has appeared on hundreds of book and magazine covers (as well as interior illustrations). He has an impressive list of well-known clients: Sea World, the Carolina Panthers, the Williamsburg VA Civil War Museum, Quay Publishing in England, and many more. The more well known publishers featuring his work include Dragon Magazine, Evil Nerd Empire, Hero Games Inc., 100 Kingdom Games, and Whiskey Creek Press. Intensely proud of his artistic heritage and teachers, Nick guards only the reputation and chain linking him to legendary fantasy artist. Nick is gearing up to teach at limited cost what the fantasy masters have taught him. Some of the proceeds will help children's charities. He has just signed on with one of the best agents in the business, and 2011 promises to be his best year yet.
Known originally as William "Nick" Johns, this nationally known artist took the name "Rose" to signify that he'd bloomed as an artist. The name has significance beyond that: to show that every rose has its thorn (like the Poison song), showing he's not afraid of confrontation. He studied under the great Master Daniel Horne, the master artist who trained Daniel is Ken Lagger. Eventually, Daniel introduced Nick to legendary Todd Lockwood.
Nick sees the world dark, and in an interview with Main Street Magazine, Nick says he was "Goth" before there was a name for it.
Liquid Imagination Online came to me in the form of two dreams before its conception and inception. Because of this, I feel the first two questions I'd like to ask Nick are about the dreams influencing his work:
Nick, can you tell us about Spooky? And can you tell us about how your dreams affect your work?
Hey JAM, how are you? I want to thank you for taking the time and interest in doing an interview with me. "Spooky" … You are referring to the little ghost girl with the flower. (I hope you post the painting with this question so folks will know what we are talking about.) There is a very interesting story behind that painting. Until a couple of years ago, I still had to install carpet to support myself. At the time art was paying some of the bills, but not all of them like now. We were working in an old apartment building, I was up on the top floor working on putting carpet in a bedroom and closet. While I was in the closet, I notice what looked like snow coming down around me. I looked up and there was a small access panel in the ceiling to go into the attic, and it was slightly open, like if someone was spying through a door and had it cracked just enough to see through. When I looked at it, it closed very slowly. Like it was being gently put into place. It freaked me out at first and I told myself there had to be a logical explanation, but there was no draft or anything that could have caused it to move by itself. I took a broom handle and pushed on it to see if it easily moved, and it didn't at all.
The next day when I went back, I took a flashlight and ladder. I opened up the panel and stuck my head up through the whole with the flashlight. There was nothing there, nothing but old newspapers spread around from years past, but no sign of life. No birds, bats, rats or even spiders that I could see. Of course it was very cold. I think it was around zero degrees and you could feel the cold in the attic, so I concluded that no one could survive in the cold. I looked through the whole building, and this was the only access to the attic. For some reason I got the impression that the spirit of a child was hiding up there, very afraid. Then I did something that surprised me: I said to the empty attic "I know you are here, and I know that you are afraid. You can come with me and be around a family again. As long as you respect us, we will respect you."
That should have been the end of it, but no. I noticed that some unusual things started happening around the house, especially when I was alone. Like I could feel something sit on the bed or the couch, and no one was there. A few months later we moved into where we live now, and my studio is in the basement. I love it, but overall the house is 3 stories tall. Shortly after we moved, I started having dreams about this little girl, around seven, that was hiding in the house vent system. I would see her in the vents looking out at me. After having the dreams for a while, I said either I am crazy or there is a reason for them. One day I said out loud "what is your name little girl" and just as plainly as anything I heard a little voice say back to me "Cathy."
Again I said to myself, either I am crazier than I thought or this is real. So I said to her, "You are welcome here to be with our family, just don't startle us and you can do whatever makes you happy." I think she spends time in the studio with me. I have gotten use to the feeling that someone is always there. Madison and the kids know that she is here as well. They have all had interaction with Cathy. We just accept her and in a way I feel bad for her, why she didn't pass over or whatever happens when we die. At some point I am going to get one of those "spirit boxes" that you see paranormal investors use to see if I can talk to her and find out what happen to here. That is the reason I did the painting. Some people see it as "Spooky" I see it as sadness and love for a lost little girl.
Some artists use airbrush techniques and some delve into photography. If you had to explain your artistic techniques to someone new, how would you describe it?
That is the beauty of art, there are so many ways to express yourself. When I did the painting of "Spooky" I was still working digitally, now I have gone back to my traditional roots. The best way to describe it is an explosion of love, paint and brushes. In a way it is a lot like lovemaking. You put yourself completly into it and when you are finished, you are drained and spent. Spooky Is one of the few digital paintings I plan to do as a oil in the future.
Is it true you've left digital for traditional oil painting?
It is true. I was a traditional artist long before I was a digital artist. I painted for over 20 years in acrylics paints. Only when I was training under Daniel and Todd did I take up oil painting. I never intended to become a "digital artist" but I felt it was necessary to learn to be competitive in the publishing market, and some unforeseen circumstances placed me in a spot to where I was forced to work digitally for 2 years.
When I moved to Michigan, I had to leave most of my belongings and life behind, including most of my studio. When I meet and feel in love with Madison, we moved in together, but our first home together was not large enough to allow me to set up to paint, so I had to do all my assignments digitally. Once we moved into the new place, I started spending a ton of money buying all new things for my new studio. I would say I easily spent over $8,000 to redo my studio and I am still not done. That included an iMac, printers, easels, drawing tables, 100 tubes of oil paint and all the supplies I needed to get back to my roots. Now that I make enough money from the selling of prints and collectors buying anything I put up for sale, I don't need to work in publishing anymore. If I do, it is because it is something I really want to do. Overall I much prefer painting my own ideas instead of some writers, and based on sells and fan letters the fans like that much better as well.
One of the things I discovered during my time away from paint and brushes is that it was like losing the love of your life. Digital art has its place, but there is no way it can ever replace the love and satisfaction you have from doing a real painting. It's like having sex with a very thick condom, there is no comparison between the two. On the downside, if you use a digital program, it is so easy to cheat and not really do the work, like drawing the figure. You can simply paint over the photo you are using. This is great for people who can't draw the human figure. Unfortunately, if you put a pencil or brush into the hands of most digital artist, they could not draw nearly as good as the computer makes them look. It's sad but true. In many cases it is a major slap in the face to artists that worked their whole lives to learn their craft. Anyone that uses that Poser program and tries to say they are a professional artist are a joke. Ask them to draw a person on a piece of paper.
I got a letter about 6 months ago from some jerk that told me I wouldn't know what to do with a pencil and paintbrush. It really motivated me to get back to painting. Ninety-eight percent of the mail I get is really wonderful an from very loving and caring fans, but it seems if I mention "Art Thief" or people that call themselves artist using the program "Poser" I get really hateful letters. I never respond to it, but if someone is going to send me hate mail, please use spell check and make sure that you didn't leave out words. LMAO.
In your picture of Spooky, she stands in front of an abandoned ghost house with a "For Sale" sign. To me it looks 3-dimensional. How in the world did you achieve that effect?
Heck, JAM, brother I don't know. LOL. Seriously, it wasn't anything I set out to do, but what makes it look like it has that effect is the use of values and the way you create air around your objects and the distance they appear to have. The computer at this point can't do that for you, that is just good old fashion traditional knowledge.
My guess is when folks read this they are going to be thinking I am really dissing digital art. The fact is, I am really not. Lockwood works mostly digitally these days, and I know how he goes about it. He doesn't cheat, take no shortcuts. His drawing skills are superb. He was a traditional artist for most of his career and simply switched to digital because of the demand for his work. He approaches it the same as he would an oil painting.
I have another friend J.P. Powell that does photo manipulation, and he is brilliant with it. He truly has turned it into an art form and his work is very dark. Although he doesn't use traditional methods he has turned what he does into art. There are many superb digital Illustrators out there and I do not know them all. I am hoping to meet most them at the art shows next year. But on the other hand, you have a huge amount of people who use programs like Bryce and Poser and enter their works into art shows. This is where I think art shows should draw the line. On one hand I am thrilled to see anyone do anything that lets them be creative, but on the other hand it is not fair to all the artist that have worked their whole life to learn their skills and to have that kind of work hanging next to theirs. It is a major insult and I think art shows like Dragoncon should draw the line. At least put them into a separate area and inform the viewers that the work is done on such a program. The normal viewer may not be able to tell the difference. If a fan is paying out their hard earned money on a print, they at least should be informed if the work they are investing into is the real deal or not.
Your tagline is: "May the Darkness Comfort you." Can you explain what that signifies?
There is a story to this and I will be happy to share it with the readers. Unlike most people who are interviewed, if I am asked a question, either I will say "No Comment" if I feel that it is too sensitive and hurtful to others, but as a rule I am going to tell you the way it is and sometimes people's feelings get hurt. I do make it a rule not to mention the names of the people involved though. My intention is not to trash people, but to be as honest as I know how to be in answering the questions put to me. If someone is reading this, then they are reading it because they want to know about me, so I am not going to create a fantasy world of lies to tell people so they will think I am something special, when in fact, I am very human. Now that has been said…
The man my mother married when I was 4 was a monster in the truest sense of the word. In my teenage years he used to race a "Dirt Track" race car, and every night I was forced to work on the car with him to get it ready for the following weekend, usually up to 11pm on school nights. One night he was drunker than usual and took his anger out on me again. He threw a beer glass at my face. I put my arm up in time to keep it from hitting my eyes, but the glass shattered and shards of it went into my face and especially under my neck. My mother, who was drunk as well, pulled me in the house and started pulling the glass out of my neck and face piece by piece with a pair of tweezers. Luckily none of the glass hit my jugular vein. After she was done, I ran from the house in panic and in fear of him and what else he might do to me. I went deep into the woods to a place I had found in the past that I loved and made me feel good to be there. It was like a circle of moss in middle of the trees. It was my private "Safe" place. That night, I knew that as long as I stayed within my circle, I would be safe, and that was when "May the Darkness Comfort You" was born in my mind.
Do you feel that "Nick Rose" is a persona generated by you for your art? Or do you feel, as so many novelists do concerning characters of their novels, that "Nick Rose" has taken on a life of his own? Perhaps even taken over William Johns?
In the beginning it was, JAM. I had created Nick Rose as a switch. By day I had to install carpet and vinyl floors, it was very difficult for me to come home and just start drawing. Too much of the day's trash lingered in my mind and the exhaustion of the physical work. So when I got home, I would take a one hour nap, then take a shower and make a pot of coffee. Somewhere during this period my mind would switch over and Nick Rose would emerge. I took the phone off the hook and went into my own little world.
Back in those days I used to smoke pot as well. I would create until I passed out on the drawing table some nights. Other nights I would make it to the couch LOL. Back during my training, an old friend convinced me that I should use my real name to pay respect to the people training me and the knowledge that was given to me. That was a horrible mistake on levels I don't even understand yet. It was like opening up the little child that still lives inside of me to a shark infested world. That child was destroyed by all the people I loved and trusted at that time. I had never let that part of me be open before. I was betrayed by my best friends and anyone I was doing business with during the "Dark Angel" period. It hurt me so bad that I almost committed suicide.
I checked into the VA mental ward for 3 weeks until I had time to get everything worked out in my mind. When I came out, all that was left was Nick Rose. It took 2 years and moving to Michigan to get my life back on track, but once I did, I have conquered everything that has been put before me, and I am just getting warmed up. I truly wish that the art that I do and will do will inspire generations to come. I want the people to know even though I grew up much abused, I was still able to make a good life for myself by sharing the darkness that life had given me. If I can do it, then they can too.
If someone had a dream (artist, writer, poet, etc.), what advice would you give them?
I would tell them to work as hard as they can toward being the best they can be at their chosen craft and don't let nay-sayers discourage them, because they will try relentlessly. The more knowledge you have about the thing you love most to do, the better chance you have. But you have to be realistic too. You're not going to master your passion overnight. It takes years and years. Your Ego will lie to you and tell you that you are better than you really are, so learn to keep that Ego in check.
If you want to know where you are on the ladder, ask a pro to critique your work, and be prepared to have your feelings hurt. You will get there in time, but it is a long hard road and not everyone can make the sacrifices it takes to see their dreams come true. For gosh sakes don't quit your day job until the money you making as a artist/writer is more than you make in your day job and you're losing money by keeping the that job.
If you take a spouse, you need to make darn sure they understand where your heart and ambitions lie. If your spouse doesn't support your dreams then you're pretty much shooting yourself in the foot. It's not all glamour, and you will have to make very hard choices at times to continue with your dream. The payoff is getting there to where your passion can pay the bills. And always remember "If you trade your passion for fame, you will lose both" Nick Rose -Main Street Magazine- 2010.
What would you say if someone said your work was upsetting?
If I did a good job on the painting then that would be the reaction I hope to get. Every artist or writers sets out to upset their viewers in one way or another. My thing is to shake up the dark side of the viewer, to make their imaginations come to life, to forget about their crappy job, or their bad relationship. I want to take them away from reality and give them a break. Sometimes you "upset" your viewer in a good way, by putting a smile on their face, or stirring passion inside of them. Other times you want to scare the hell out of them. Show them the things they fear the most.
Here at Liquid Imagination Online, our dream is to have a contest in which the winning story, voted on by editors, gets made into a film that is showcased at our site. It's just a dream, but it's a dream we will realize one day. What are some of your biggest dreams you've yet to realize?
Honestly, JAM, as far as the art goes, I have exceeded every dream I ever had for it. Most of the things that are going to happen in 2011 - 2012 are the icing on the cake. Now, if I could dream wildly and have one that seems farfetched, it would be to start a safe home for abused children. I would also want to start a foundation to help pay the medical bills for poor kids that might die otherwise. I hope to be involved in as many Children's charities as possible. Right now, I have set up my blog so that whenever anyone goes there and clicks on the ads that are there, it is like donating 1 cent to the Shriners Children's Hospital. At the end of each fiscal year the money made on the blog goes to the kids, so please if you go to my blog, remember to click on the ad in the right side of the page under the visitor map. Every penny counts.
Nick, what projects are you working on now?
On a daily basis I work on a painting. Right now I am either doing private commissions or paintings designed to be prints. Most of those paintings feature Super Model and bestselling Author Tilly Rivers. I also work with Scream Queen Suzi Lorainne.
The game plan with my agent is to get my work on a mass market these next 2 years. One of those projects is to get a "Coffee Table" book collection of my art, as well as getting merchandize into mainstream mall stores and military bases. We never know what the future holds, but I will probably be working for some mainstream publishers now. It is almost impossible to get into that market without an Agent. Now that I have one, the sky is the limit as they say.
Are there any last comments you'd like to add?
Sure, JAM, a couple. First, the work you see that I am doing now did not happen overnight. It took a lot of years of learning, practicing, and working to get to this point. No one is born with the skill to paint on this level. Some start sooner than others. Myself, I am a late bloomer. I did not take up art until I was 21, and I didn't take it seriously until I was in my 30's.
I believe that no matter what your dream is, that if you work hard and be patient, you can see it come true. But it takes very hard work, sacrifices, and learning all that you can do. I can't even count the number of artist that write me that ask me if I will teach them. If I decide to, usually when I tell them what they need to do, they blow me off like they don't need to do that, and when I look at their work, I know that they do need to.
If you think you have got it all figured out and you just want someone to tell you how great your ego thinks you are, pack up your art supplies and don't make your family suffer because you think your an artist, because you're not. The same is true if you're a writer.
I am a firm believer in Karma. I honestly believe you get what you give. Always remember that before you stab a friend in the back or steal from them. If you do good things, then good things will come back to you.
Where can lovers of dark art buy your product?
Right now you can go to my website www.wickedkittystudio.com and order prints and other things, but by this time next year you will be able to find it in selected retail stores, or you can come see me at a convention when I am in your area. I love to talk and meet new folks. So don't be shy.
Come by and see me at my blog as well. You can see works in progress and get tips on how I do things as well.
Much Love my friends, and "May the Darkness Comfort You."
Thank you, Nick Rose, for revealing the Comfort of the Dark Side.
Thank you Jam for having me. I hope your readers enjoy my words and my art. Peace out.
— Best Regards, Nick Rose "May the Darkness comfort you"