Jane Almirall is a funny, creative mama, and an odd duck.
She creates beautiful, eerie art but is also quite business savvy.
(Her Sun sits right next to Saturn and her moon is in Capricorn)
1. Name, Astrology sign, and location please.
My
name is Jane Almirall, I'm a Gemini and I live in Mission, Kansas (very close to
Kansas City, Missouri)
2.
What are you currently working on?
At
the moment my studio is completely filled with inventory for a shop that I am
opening this summer with my friend (and business partner) Carrie Parker. It's
called, Oracle - Fine Curiosities - and we will be selling framed insects,
taxidermy, bones, skulls, memento mori pieces and other beautiful oddities. She
and I have been collecting pieces for months now and I'm really excited about
it! I swear, everything about the experience of opening this store has been like
magic or something - we are in a wonderful space in the Crossroads area - 115 W.
18th Street, to be exact - and we are nestled among some incredible local
businesses too. It's such a great neighborhood and community of people, I love
it.
3.
Who are your favorite artists?
My
favorite dead artists are Martin Johnson Heade, Feicien Rops, John Singer
Sargent and Masaccio. My favorite living
artists whom I've never met are Camille Rose Garcia, Walton Ford, Monica Cook,
Marcel Dzama, Sally Mann, Amy Cutler and a new favorite (I only recently saw his
work and I love it) is Richard Colman. I really like representational imagery -
particularly figurative - especially if it's dark and funny.
4.
What's the best advice you ever received about your career choice?
The
first, best piece of advice I received came from Linda Lighton (sculptor) when
she suggested that I apply for Artist INC, which is an intensive training
seminar that focuses on the business aspects of a career in the arts. This was
almost two years ago, I applied and got in and the program was incredible. I met
some fantastic people, pretty much everything I've learned from that experience
has been so helpful...things that don't always get addressed in art school. So
yeah, if you are in the arts, take a business class or look for programs within
your community that can offer guidance and support in that way.
Along the same topic, I did have a funny experience about 10 years
ago, when I was fresh out of grad school and was participating in an artist
residency program. Kiki Smith, whose work I admired, was a guest speaker and we
were all so excited to meet her. During her talk, someone asked her what career
advice she could spare and she told us, point blank:
'Lower your expectations.'
At
the time, I was equal parts pissed and crushed, but I have to admit that I think
about what she said all the time - even though I don't agree with
it.
5.
Favorite place(s) in your city?
My
favorite places are mostly food-oriented! I love EV, The Rieger Hotel Grill
& Exchange, Grinders, Vietnam Cafe, Room 39, The Filling Station, Oklahoma
Joe's...there are so many great places in Kansas City and a bunch more have
opened up that I haven't even tried yet. I also love trail running at Shawnee
Mission Park and Wyandotte County Park, both places have super pretty trails...I
love the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and on Sunday afternoons there is a Yoga in
the Park series on the Nelson lawn hosted by some incredible local yoga
teachers, it's so fun!
6.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? And while we're at
it, what about a different era?
This is a tough one...I need to travel more before I can settle on
one place, but so far - this being hypothetical dream life stuff and if I could
have my way and money was no object, I'd have a place in Portland, New Orleans,
Austin, Florence, Barcelona and Elba. As for living in a different era - and for
purely superficial, costuming reasons, I would pick the Belle
Époque.
7.
What do you usually mindlessly doodle? (do you have a picture of
this?)
I
tend to doodle feathers and eyeballs mostly...I love pattern too...but mostly
eyeballs. :)
8.
First website you peruse of the day?
I
have a handful of them that I like to check while I'm drinking my coffee, but
the one I tend to go to first is called Intothegloss.com -.it's a straight-up
beauty blog, but a creatively curated one. Some of my other favorite sites post
once a week: Hilahcooking.com - it's an awesome site for
food/recipes that features How To videos and it's worth mentioning that Hilah is
a wizard of food, being hilarious and a stone cold fox; I love
Strawberryfieldswhatever.com for music and really great writing, Laura Jane
Faulds' posts in particular are my favorite; and my sister's movie reviews on
Walkmanjunkie.com are wonderful.
(Oh...and I love the
compilation FAIL videos that turn up on YouTube.)
9.
What's the worst movie you've ever seen, but secretly love?
Oh
man...this is such a great question because I'm genetically pre-disposed to like
some crap. I was going to say anything in Jean Claude Van Damme's oeuvre, but
really, the argument could be made for any movie which features street battle
dancing. I love them and will seek them out intentionally. The very worst - and
the one which I love the most - is called Center Stage. Are you familiar with
it? Anyways, I saw it in the theater when it came out (twice) and watch it on
purpose at least once a year...plus I'll stop and watch it anytime it happens to
be on. Here is a link to the final dance number, SPOILER, there is a motorcycle
in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBTuIsB3ls
Center Stage is a treasure, I cherish it.
10.
Any pets? Any kids?
I
have two kids, my daughter Josephine and my son Owen. They are six and four and
they are extremely busy and wake up waaaaay too early. We don't have any pets,
but the kids have named some of the critters in our yard: Stinky The Pet (a
beetle), Sausage (a chipmunk), Tickbite, Biscuit Joe and Princess Celestia
(three bunnies, all of them vegetable-thieving jerkfaces).
Thank you Jane!
You can find more of Jane here
