stephen layout

that is for me to learn from. If I stopped every time I
didn’t know something, I wouldn’t do anything. Music
for one thing, the degree of how good you can be is
dependent on how bad you can be. If you aren’t willing
to suck, you’re not going to get better. Be honest with
yourself.
KN: Let’s talk a bit about your photography.
SL: If I had one truth, a truth about being an artist, it is
that our greatest gift is our pain. The gift is contained
in our wounds. We learn from it. That realization was a
sea-change for me. Our gift is contained in our wound,
as Robert Bly said to me once. Thankfully, I’m an artist
and this is good for me.
Even though I have spent years studying the technical
aspects of photography and with an 8x10 camera there
are lot’s of technical aspects, it is really the emotional
skills I have developed which drive my work. Although
I am a photographer I consider the heart of my work to
be more than merely visual. And what I’m most after,
whether in a landscape or a portrait is actually unseen,
timeless, beyond the temporal world.
I’m currently working on a book of portraits of
older rock icons. The point of these portraits is that
we’ve had a lifetime of learning both as people and as
musicians. I want to show to the world, who we are
Brighton Beach Pier
NOW.
Most of what we see of rock musicians, and this
goes double for my generation of punk musicians is
what they were doing when they were young. Punk in
it’s heydey seemed all about youth, but we are now
upwards of 50 and many of us are more active then
ever. Many of these people have realized they still have
something important to say. I believe that what drove
us then is not actually about youth but who we were
and as we’ve aged we’ve become more interesting and
empowered towards action. Sure many are not as
famous or on the radio but there is more to a person
than just fame. I recently made a portrait of Alice Bag,
a pioneer female punk star, and believe me whatever
gravitas she had in her youth, She is way more
powerful now. This is constantly confirmed for me in
these portraits.
My approach as an artist, is to take the darkness out
into the light. Too find the viewpoint not usually seen.
Under piers, behind the mask of stardom. I’ve trained
myself to respond to more than what my eyes show
me. That which is untrue is like a shadow, and if you
expose it, it will disappear. Turn on the light, and the
shadow is gone. You can’t be afraid. If you take the nottruth
out into the light you can see how false it is. That
realization has lead me on my path as an artist.
Of course I’m dangerously mixing my metaphors since
as a photographer, balancing shadow and light is really
what I do.
Art is all about challenging beliefs about yourself.
Ultimately, the act of creating art is that process. In its
purest form, it’s the idea of having an opinion. Being an
artist is about trusting your insides even though most of
the world doesn’t. It’s always a challenge of trusting of
what you experience. I’ve done a lot of work to actively
trust what I want, but also to be willing to live with the
disappointment of not getting it.
Katie Nartonis is an Art + Design writer, curator and
auction specialist based out of Los Angeles, California and
sometimes Taos, New Mexico. Earlier this year she curated
“Nature: Human Nature” an art + design show at Loft at
Liz’s gallery in Los Angeles. She is currently co-writing and
publishing a book on the late San Diego designer/maker,
“Jack Rogers Hopkins: California Maverick”(with Co-Writer/Editor
Jeffrey Head). She is the founder of The Nartonis
Project and is Art + Design Editor of SoCal Magazine. www.
thenartonisproject.com
Huntington Beach Pier
Stephen was recently made a member of
the Pasadena Society of Artists.
He will have some pieces an the upcoming
show
PSA New Member show Saturday Feb 2
2-4pm
McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World.
869 E. Mariposa st Altadena Ca 91011
www.stephenlinsley.com
SoCal Magazine socalmag.com winter 2019