The Krakens

Thank you to all of the fine artists–and fine people–who cooperated on this project we called The Krakens. Our goal was to highlight the fascinating work being done in so many different areas and connect more of the talented Mormon artists around the world. By those measures I am happy to report we were successful. Artists were hired for commissions, interviewed for publications, made real world connections, and just got to share their work to a new audience.

After 221 profiles and interviews we are calling it a wrap. I have learned so much about the careers, testimonies, and craft of each of these fine artists. I have seen so much good art, purchased pieces, and even tried to connect with many who feel alienated from the Church.

Art seems to be a discipline that brings people so close to the edge of their membership in the Church. Many are lost for being different, alternative, or subversive. My hope is that we can be more inclusive. We featured many artists who were gay, had left the church, or perhaps just kicked against the pricks. One artist insisted, ‘But I’m not Mormon anymore.’ I told her, ‘My only qualifier to being on this website is if you know Johnny Lingo.’ She replied, ‘Well, of course I know Johnny Lingo so I guess I’m in.’

Sometimes art makes us uncomfortable, but sometimes it opens our eyes to see something new.

So many of the artists talked about how their testimonies were so closely related to their art. One of my favorite quotes from all these interviews came from Colby Sanford talking about his use of reclaimed materials in his work, “There is a deeper meaning that has me searching for found materials all the time. I take the abandoned garbage, spend time with it, polish it up, and give it life and value. I get emotional thinking about the atonement and what it does for us in our various states of garbage and despair. Through the atonement we can be polished back up and find our innate worth.”

Art has an indescribable way of connecting us with the spiritual plane. May we each find our innate worth and come one step closer to the people we want to be.

We will leave the archive online going forward for anyone who would like to revisit the talented painters, illustrators, sculptors, photographers, and other artists. Here are a few of the pieces and artists who really resonated with me over the past two years.

Alex Warnick (above).

Jed Wells (above).

Rose Datoc Dall (above).

Justin Wheatley (above).

Chris Burkard (above).

Caitlin Connolly (above).

Joshua Baird (above).

Roy Adams (above).

Ben Hammond (above).

Michal Luch Onyon (above).

David Habben (above).

Eric Roberts (above).

Miranda Meeks (above).

Nnamdi Okonkwo (above).

Colby Adams Sanford (above).

Melanie Mauer (above).

Gregory Mortenson (above).

Paige Crosland Anderson (above).

Matt Page (above).

Nick Stephens (above).

Huzzah!

Garrick Infanger

Garrick Infanger is not an artist. He does work hard on an unsuccessful art website called The Krakens that only his mother and sister read. He explains about his series Lunch Bags, “I work with two rules. I can only use a Sharpie and I have to work fast because everyone is trying to get out the door in the morning. I also love the fact that the bags are completely ephemeral–they don’t make it out of the cafeteria.” He lives with his wife and five hungry kids in Tampa, Florida.

Tell us about your evolution as an artist. Again, and I can’t say this any more emphatically, I am not an artist. I did doodle a lot growing up. I spent most sacrament meetings trying to craft a comic that would make my family laugh out loud. My dear mother was wise enough to see that my piano career was going nowhere and switched me to art lessons. My teacher, John Thrasher, was wonderful and is now on the faculty at Ohio State University. I will forever remember those quiet Friday afternoons in his eclectic apartment as he labored to teach a hapless, talentless boy to pen and ink.

Your series Lunch Bags, is…okay. The artwork is a little rough, but can you explain a few of these that don’t seem to make any sense? I feel like I keep repeating this, but I am not an artist. One is a pretty accurate series of aircraft. Another is a crude homage to cars from famous 80’s pop culture (can you name them?). One of my favorites is modeled after teams from the English Premier League. I also enjoy hiding birthdates or incorporating their names into the designs.

What’s been the reaction to Lunch Bags? I’ve received some nice reviews from the lunch ladies. My mother feigns interest when I text her pictures of the bags. But, like so many things in my life, I am the only person who enjoys them. My kids show mild amusement when they see the bags each morning, but after a few weeks of Dad’s doodles they diplomatically ask for lunch boxes and I put the Sharpies away for a spell. One of my favorites was the series I did for September 11, but my wife deemed them not-appropriate-for-a-grade-school-cafeteria and they didn’t leave the house. I thought they were pretty good–considering I’m not an artist.

Visit Garrick Infanger’s website.

Follow Garrick Infanger on Instagram.

(April Fools! Huzzah.)

Contemporary Mormon Art: 221 Artist Profiles

Garrick Infanger: April Fools Artist