Interview: Mari Naomi
Mari Naomi is one of the most prolific bay area artists we know-- just when we think she's going to rest for a while she unveils a new set of kick ass clown sumo wrestler watercolors, or tells us she's going to be on TV, at a reading, or putting up a new show. We not only admire her humming bird like motion, we adore her art. Mari will be reading at a Pet Noir event on April 5th at the SF public Library. You can also find volume four of her comic Estrus in stores now. Read on to learn why we're such big fans of this native bay area artist.
I know you do a wide variety of art, from paintings and comics to collage and writing. Which came first and when did it all start?
Although I've always loved drawing and painting, my first passion was story-telling, so for a long time I put the bulk of my creative energy into honing my writing skills. In the mid-nineties, I came across Scott Russo's zine, Jizz. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen, an extremely personal compilation of comics, letters, one-offs...basically whatever he wanted to put in its pages. I was immediately hooked on sequential art as a storytelling method.
In 1997, I decided to try my hand at autobiographical comics. I had a few stories published in Slave Labor's Action Girl and eventually I started putting together my own collection, Estrus Comics.
In 2002, I was invited to exhibit artwork from some of my comics at the Pond Gallery as part of Ladyfest Bay Area. The Ladyfest gals had extra space available in the Spanganga Gallery and asked if I had any paintings I'd like to add to a feminist show. I didn't at the time, but it seemed like a great reason to start painting again, so I committed to a date then got out the painting I’d been working on.
About this painting: Every couple of months for the last six or so years, I brought it out with the intention of finishing it, but would end up only staring at it then putting it back in the closet, afraid I'd ruin it. I was totally blocked, and for days I maintained this familiar holding pattern. But then something happened.
One day, I received some bad news about someone very close to me. Totally freaked out, with nowhere else to direct that panicky energy, I took out my canvas and started painting maniacally. I finished the painting in one sitting, which as it turned out was the release I needed, because over the next year I painted over fifty new pieces. The story has an especially happy ending, as not only did I get my mojo back, but my loved one turned out to be fine, and we all lived happily ever after.
Can you talk a little bit about your comic Estrus?
Estrus is mostly a collection of embarrassing autobiographical comics about my love life. I've been self-publishing it since 1998, and I've put out four issues so far. A while back I got the idea of writing a different comic for each romantic interest I've had, starting with my first kiss in kindergarten. I call these comics “Ex-Factor: A Romantic Résumé.”
The first batch of these stories appeared in part 1 of Estrus 4. Estrus 5 will be entirely comprised of Ex-Factor stories, and eventually I'd like to put a graphic novel together. That'll take a while, though.
Do you ever worry some of your exes will read your comics and get angry or object to how you portrayed things? I know that's a fear of mine when I write about the past.
One story I recently finished but haven't published yet didn't sit well with one of my exes. He was upset that this one incident defined our entire relationship. But that wasn't it at all; I just thought it was an interesting and funny story. Obviously there was a lot more to our relationship than what would fit on one page, and the challenge has been in deciding which details and events to include in each story.
I also showed a story to a high-school ex who got very remorseful and apologetic. I thought that was interesting. I mean, we were teenagers back then and I’ve been over it for a long time!
What do you think about the art community in San Francisco? Would you say there's a lot of support? How about the comics world here?
San Francisco is a gorgeous city filled with lots of excitement and creativity, which makes it a nice place to be if you want to make art. Although there are quite a few artists here, I don't feel like they often merge into communities beyond very specific groups and cliques, defined by social status, race, gender identity, etc. Nor do I feel like there's anyone willing to tie these groups together. Occasionally some people do attempt this, but it never seems to go very far. The payback is scant compared to the amount of time, effort and money you need in order to put together a good show, and in an expensive city like San Francisco, that means your involvement is cutting directly into your rent money.
I think that if the city of San Francisco were more financially supportive of its artists, it would open up the door to its artists being less self-protective and more community-oriented. As it is, we're trained to fend for ourselves and become shameless self-promoters.
I have seen more of a community spirit in the alternative comics world. This could be because comics are so marginalized as an art form; it is far less competitive than people working in the fine arts. There isn't as much on the line because none of us are really counting on making a living off it. Even the superstars of the comics world have other forms of income to sustain them. I think that this encourages cartoonists to work together, support each other and celebrate each other's successes, since a big achievement in comics ultimately helps out all cartoonists. It's a beautiful thing when the Alternative Press Expo comes to town because you really get to see that camaraderie pull together.
I love the new watercolors you paint of clown sumo wrestlers, I think they're some of my favorites. What inspired those paintings?
Being half-Japanese, I’ve always been fascinated by certain aspects of the culture. Sumo wrestling is especially interesting to me, what with the tradition, the tactics of the game, and most importantly, the freak show nature of these humongous half-naked giants in a land of diminutive folk!
Each time I visit Japan, it’s like going to a brand-new country. Even in the course of one year, the landscape of certain towns will have totally changed and become unrecognizable. This goes for aspects of their culture as well, where traditions much older than anything we have in the U.S. are being shed like reptile skin. This can be good and bad, depending on how you look at it. Like, on one visit they laughed at me when I asked where the recycling was. On my next visit, only a couple years later, they were far more hardcore about recycling than we are here. It’s pretty crazy how quickly they adapt to change.
My paintings address the darker side of that change, such as the popularity of fast food, a very dangerous, health-threatening trend. The clowns symbolize the west turning something revered and ancient, such as the seriousness they put into their cuisine, into something frivolous like a Big Mac. The multi-colored balloons they’re vomiting...well, you can draw your own conclusions to that.
I know you'll be at the Pet Noir reading on April 5th. Can you talk a little bit about your involvement in the book and the project?
I was introduced to Pet Noir's editor, Shannon O'Leary, in 2004 or so (thanks, Christina!) with the intention of helping her illustrate a comic of the dog mauling of Diane Whipple. That story really affected me and was so bizarre that I really wanted to get to the bottom of it. Shannon plotted out the story, and we worked together to sculpt it into a comic that portrayed the incident fairly and with humor. When the mauling was publicized, a lot of the press really went to work demonizing big dogs and told the story in a one-sided, sensationalist manner and we wanted to be careful to avoid that.
After we finished that story, we continued to have meetings to discuss the other stories, content, layout, promotion and so forth. We got an animal rights group involved, got more artists onboard and held a fundraiser. When Manic D Press picked it up, they wanted more content, so I wrote a story about a tiger sanctuary, based on news clippings sent to me by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, which Shannon illustrated. This book was my first major collaboration, and I feel so lucky to be involved. It's been a fantastic learning experience, and the product is something we can really be proud of.
Anything else going on, shows or otherwise that we should know about?
I've got artwork up all around town: Whiskey Thieves on Geary Street, STUDIO Gallery on Polk Street, Hotel des Arts on Bush Street, the Artist Xchange on 16th Street, plus I'll be discussing Pet Noir and reading from Estrus at the San Francisco Public Library on April 5 (at 6:30 p.m.) and at Pegasus Books in Berkeley on May 18. I also have a few shows in the mix and will alert my mailing list and post them on my web page as soon as details become available.
Name
Mari Naomi
Introduce yourself in one sentence
I’m Mari, I rhyme with Atari.
Age and Occupation
33, artist and writer
Hometown
I was born in Texas, and raised in Mill Valley, California.
How long have you lived in the Bay Area and where (city, neighborhood etc.) and WHY?
I moved to Mill Valley at age eight, when my dad got a job in the city. When I was twenty-one I made the leap into San Francisco proper and I’ve been yo-yoing between the Tendernob and the east bay ever since. I LOVE it here. The weather is great, the scenery breathtaking, and there’s always so much to do, every night of the week. When I’m away for too long I start feeling empty inside.
Favorite place to spend time online
I’m all about Cute Overload It’s like a sweet, fluffy drug.
Favorite local business
I adore the STUDIO Gallery on Polk Street (at Clay). The owners are great people and I feel like they care a lot about the community and what they do. I also like the children’s boutique, Little Bug Lounge, also on Polk Street (at Broadway). Those gals have a keen eye for quality merchandise (I buy my unscented moisturizer there), and the animal furniture (made, I think, by one of the owners) is breathtaking.
What I'm currently reading
At breakfast-time I’ve been reading Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni. Before bedtime I’ve been reading Salman Rushdie’s Shame.
Best deal in San Francisco
The Tamale Lady.
Favorite mode of transportation
Walking!
Best band or musician to come out of the Bay Area
Current: Terese Taylor, Thee More Shallows
Sort of current: Cracker
Not-so-current: The Dead Kennedys
Favorite Bay Area stereotype, and whether or not you buy into it
In the ‘80s, before my family moved to Marin County, we watched a movie called Serial. It was a madcap comedy portraying Marin-ites as horny, hot-tubbing, self-involved, pseudo-spiritual, ex-hippies. And it was pretty right-on.
Favorite local hangout
The park next to the Grace Cathedral, right around six o’clock on a weekday. That’s when people bring their little dogs to play.
SF has the BEST
...hills
You've never lived in SF until
...you’ve protested in its streets.
Favorite Bay area politician of past or present
I really wanted Matt Gonzalez to be mayor. Can we please convince him to run again?
Now that Mayor Gavin is single, who are you going to set him up with?
I think Gavin needs some alone time, to think about what he did.
You can tell someone is a local here IF
...they feel strongly about whether or not bonfires are legal on Ocean Beach.
SF would be soooo much better if only
...houses were more affordable.
Best burrito
Lucinda’s in Mill Valley.
Best restaurant
I think Ryoko’s is one of the coolest restaurants in SF. Every time I go down those stairs I feel like I’m in Tokyo. Millennium is probably the tastiest, but it’s pretty pricey.
Best movie scene filmed in or about SF
In Tales of the City part one, when Norman falls off the cliff and leaves his clip-on tie in Maryann’s hand.
Favorite artist to come out of the bay area
That’s a tough question! I’d have to say that Bill Dunlap is my favorite up-and-coming SF artist, although he recently moved to somewhere cheaper and quieter. His artwork is dark and hilarious, and he is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
Favorite author to come out of the bay area
Bucky Sinister
Place you always tell visitors to check out
It depends on who is visiting. I think the prettiest thing in the bay area is Bolinas Ridge, but it’s not that easy to get to. In SF, I point people towards the Sutro Baths. Lesbians always get directed to the Lexington.
Favorite bridge in the area
I’m not a bridge fan. I do like the rainbow tunnel that goes into Marin. In high school we used to joke that it sucked the color out of you before you got to the other side.
You have two hours and $15 bucks to kill in SF, what are you going to do?
Go to the MoMA.
I have found/sold/bought the following on craigslist:
...best friends, roller-skates, a light box, roommates, my perfect, rent-controlled apartment, lots of jobs, art shows...
I want all the SFists out there to know
It’s a dangerous world out there, so look both ways before you cross the street.
Tell us a San Francisco story
My favorite San Francisco moment was in 2002 or so. An out-of-town friend was visiting and we were bar hopping. We ended up in the little performance area in the back of the Hemlock, where a pretty good band was playing. I don’t remember its name, but I do remember that the singer reminded me a little of Fred Schneider from the B-52s, and there was an Asian girl playing violin. At one point some guy grabbed a guitar and pushed his way onstage. It was Gordon Gano from the Violent Femmes, and he was only inches away from where I was sitting cross-legged on the floor. When he bust out with the song “Good Feeling” I felt myself getting swept away. It was magical.
Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview
Q: Name a must-read graphic novel by a bay area artist
A: Double Happiness by Oakland’s Jason Shiga