MomTried

Interview with artist Myles Smutney of MomTried

"The Lovers"

 

"Growing Pains"

The amazing Myles wearing a shirt she designed herself

Myles Smutney is a born & raised Chicago artist who currently resides and works in Philadelphia.  We've asked her 5 questions and she's answered here folks!

 

1.  What does Mom Tried mean?
Mom Tried is derivative to Merle Haggard's Mama Tried song.  I was sitting in a tattoo shop, prolly at 16 or 17, getting my spiderwebs tattooed and Brendan Kelly from Lawrence Arms was 2 chairs away getting a Mama Tried Rocker on his chest.  The boys in the shop played the song for me, and I instantly connected with it.  I added the phrase to my own chest piece one year later. Its kind of always stuck. I am that wild child. And my mom, bless her heart, did everything she could to keep me off the path I chose.

2.  What are your main inspirations for your art?
Tattooing and its culture.  I always reference tattoos I fall in love with and add my own touch to them. Expanding  on the image and adding to it my own personal depth.  The imagery of women, tragedy, hope, glory, freedom is what I base all of my work on.  The spirit of those things is where I draw my creative strength.  When I'm bored I look at tattoo albums, when a picture resonates, I'll dive in and let whatever worries or trouble I have take over and show themselves in the piece.  Once I am done with an image and its out of my system, I am free to move on.

3.  What's something you really, really want to do (art wise) but haven't been able to either due to time or money?
Fuck, God, lots of things. I always imagine how rad it would be to do a 4 color shirt instead of 1 or 2, Print 500 Calendars instead of 100,  or create custom gilded fucking awesome frames for everything I do. I'd love to travel for openings too and hit up the Louvre.  But when it comes down to it, I live within my means, so I am always able to make whatever I want happen.  I feel like that's what give me an edge. And I've proven time and again I can accomplish anything on a shoe-string budget and ridiculous timelines.  For example, most of my large scale installations I use cardboard because I cant afford wood and its lightweight.  For Urban Outfitters I took the bus with my 7 foot long cardboard horses.  If I had money I would have carved them from wood, and have had a Mercedes.  I do what I can with what I have and make shit happen.

4.  What do you think of the Philadelphia art scene?
I think within it lies an incredibly supportive network of really amazing artists.  Since its soo small its not very hard to work within it. To find your voice, and meet similar talents. Finding collaborative partners is easy, and I've had the chance to learn from some really amazing people. Things about myself, art and life. That I never would have if I hadn't left Chicago.  I could go further into this but....What happens lately is someone will come to me with an idea for a project, if its something I don't wanna do, I know just who to refer them to.  I've made it a point to know who and what is around me.  What they are capable of, and how we can help each other, if at all.  I've always made it a point to surround myself with passionate creative people, and create an energy that gets shit done and has a lot of fucking fun in the process.  If I cant draw a particular something, cast metal, build a house, or recite lines form Jersey Shore, I know just the person who can.

5.  What's next for Mom Tried?
Keep on living.  Always updating MomTried.com with new works and items for the store.
I'm working on reconstructed pieces for boutiques in the Spring and a new online store solely for the finished products. I have a bunch of leather and denim in my studio. I used to create a lot of recons when I worked with Kylie Grant at the Topstitch studio, under the brand MyKy Collection.  I've been shopping my calendar out to get corporate sponsorship for 2011. Even though it was a success, I don't know If I wanna self-publish again next year. I purposely made something affordable and recession-proof, I think that's part of its success.  I'm sold out!  And finally, I am a Double Dutch Dame, face-painting at our monthly party Saturdays at the Barbary. And I keep it real as one of the boys and acting Road Captain of the Night Train Gang Thursdays at KFN. No one owns me. Hahha! Even though I've been struggling with sobriety since October, I've manged to get shit done and have the freedom to party with the rest of them.  Just with a clear head.  Its all about balance.

www.MomTried.com

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