What stereotype comes to mind when you hear that someone is an artist?

We have our instant reactions, which more often than not include “how cool” “fun” “inspiring” or thoughts of “starving” and “tortured.” Diving deep into the mind and tenacious drive of a local artist and Madison College alumus, Christopher Miscik, may not only broaden views of who artists are but our own horizons.
He can be found breaking new ground in the evolving world of art, yet today was found at Pedros on the east side of Madison, drinking a strawberry margarita.

Shortly after being born in 1981 on an Air Force base near Area 51 in New Mexico, his parent’s divorced and his father slowly drifted out of his life. Growing up in Richland Center, a town of 5,000 people, Miscik said, “I used to tell people my mom saw some experimental craft and she ended up falling in love with one of the captive aliens,” as a way to solidify his weird art-kid reputation and his father’s absence.

His imagination has served him well throughout his career and works as a foundation for many of his creature drawings.

A young Miscik gravitated towards artists such as H.R Giger, stating Giger’s erotic approach of not being afraid to paint a vagina or go into uncomfortable places and flourish has inspired and influenced his own style of conceptual creatures.

“I like that aspect where he’s doing something that is pure to himself – not for everyone, but for him,” says Miscik.

He points out that before starting college he had an attitude, believing he was good at art but didn’t need to learn more but just needed a degree to get a job. “A degree doesn’t matter that much, but the skills did and I learned right away that I was pretty crappy. The thing I miss about pre college days is a lack of voice of self doubt on my shoulder.

During high school Miscik struggled with depression and not fitting in. His mother, also an artist, allowed him to drop out of school sophmore year. He spent junior and senior year homeschooling himself, watching art documentaries and checking books out from the local library. He obtained his high school equivalency diploma in 2001 and quickly enrolled in the Commercial Art Program, now titled Graphic Design, at Madison College.

“I got a lot of passion from my teachers, they were clearly excited about their work and that rubs off,” said Miscik.

Miscik humbly credits his college art teachers with preparing him for a career filled with rejection.

“Chris Gargan, recently retired, was great, one of the first people to say, no you’re not that great. Mark Nelson, now retired, was helpful, technical and harsh, and rarley did he like something, but he made me try more. He put tons of time into his art which was infectious for me. Jon Ribble, also retired, was a good balance of not crushing you but letting you know when you screw up.”

While teaching art at Madison Media Institute last year, Miscik shared his own passion with students.  He enjoys talking with students about observing the world for inspiration by taking them on field trips to walk in the parking lot, looking at stuff and breaking it down. “Students latched on to that. Having to explain art solidifies it more.”

Miscik has worked full time as a conceptual artist at Human Head Studios for the past 11 years. He has done conceptual art for projects from “Prey” to “Lost Within” and is currently working on and jumping between multiple projects, which is as much as he can discuss. He enjoys diving into research for inspiration which can last from 2 hours up to weeks researching something, saying, “music inspires me the most outside of imaginary. It energizes me. I play a song and get images in my head.”

Artistic life can be lonely but you have to get out into the world to make good art and counteract it; experience the world or you will keep recycling your old ideas and lose track of humanity. Bars are inspirational. People are honest and weird. Nature is inspiring, the lakes and dog parks. Finding inspiration in his daily life he’s continually inspired by science, mythology, literature, conversation, radio, astrophysics, roman history and fashion, to name a few.
Photoshop and his computer are his most important art tools as of late.

“As a student, it wasn’t as important as I would go right to my sketch book or acrylics but now my brain goes more towards Photoshop, ZBrush, 3D Studio “Max”, “Unreal 4”, and “Paintstorm” because I can do more quickly. I can sit down and make a sculpture without setting much up at all. I go towards tools that get me there the fastest and the easiest.”

“I loved all the structure I got from college. I understand perspective and rhythm, it’s second nature now. The best artists balance between inner voice and excitement and the structure and standards. We still have to make it compelling and relatable in commercial art.”

Working with clients, whether for Human Head or independently, requires balance. Balancing what the client wants and what they ask you for requires that you, “read between the lines in what they are saying, then bring in the culture at large. Miscik says, “when all is said and done the best result entails that, “I push and excite myself. The client is happy because it achieved what they want and the public can enjoy it because it’s what they haven’t seen before.”

His philosophy for personal art is quite different. “Going with the wind, throwing things together, not as much of a strict goal behind it.  Basically to push myself.” When asked about his fears, he shared that he worries he will be stale and not push himself enough, or lose his edge and his drive. “Worry has always been there and I work to fight that worry.”

Inspired by his childhood, “The Hobbit” and “Nausica,” the latest personal project Miscik is working on is an interactive graphic novel about a kid, an old hunter merchant type guy who’s a mentor for the kid, and a talented swordswoman. After the kid’s village is attacked by a giant monster they all decide to get revenge and go after it. It’s about corruption and manipulation.  Thinking you have the right goal when really you don’t. It’s a tragedy.

Miscik says he’s hoping to do it on the computer so that it can be interactive, or at least have some kind of motion or sound to it. This project stems from a growing up experience where Miscik saw darker sides of the world he wasn’t acknowledging.

Taking on an interactive graphic novel has allowed Miscik to pull from experience as an artist as he dives into the writing world.
If you have a part of your painting you are so in love with, and looks amazing but doesn’t fit with rest of the piece, you have to “murder your darlings.”

Miscik learned of murdering your darlings from Ian McCaig, a famous concept artist who worked on Star Wars. Miscik shares an example by saying “when you are doing a sci-fi piece but have the most amazing puppy dog painting in it, it’s not about that.  So you have to murder your darling to get rid of it for the sake of the whole painting.”

Editor’ note: If you would like to know more about Chris Miscik and his art you can find it at: chrislazzer.deviantart.com.