I’m fascinated by woodcuts and linocuts. It’s an art form that effectively gets to the essence of what the artist wants to communicate. Furthermore, I’m compelled to get away from designing on a computer and working with my hands. There’s something magical about getting lost in the act of creation while simultaneously being very aware of what you’re creating.

One of the artists I follow on Instagram is Mazatl, who explores political, social, and environmental justice in his work. His artwork is stark, compelling, and instantly recognizable. He’s been featured in such publications as Juxtapoz and Vice.

I asked Mazatl about his artwork and what advice he’d offer to someone like myself interested in doing woodcuts and linocuts of their own.

I had a teenage interest in tattoos and graffiti, but wasn’t so invested in drawing. It wasn’t until I got involved with the punk rock scene in my town that I started doing zines and messing around with graphics and drawing. It gave me this foundation of doing something creative, and it was immediately being used.

Nikolai: How has activism has informed your artwork?

Mazatl: I think the influence goes beyond the aesthetic, and it has informed my ethics and the way I go about doing what I do. A lot of DIY punk graphics, that black and white, stripped-down sort of texture, to record covers and flyers and scenes. A lot of it has to do with what was available to reproduce your images. You know, it would be a zero-sum machine or any DIY form of printmaking, like silkscreening and woodcuts. So I think it just kind of translates well back and forth, you know, doing woodcuts for it or, or wanting to do a flyer, and then printing it that way. Mainly it’s the DIY ethic of it, not waiting for somebody to come and tell you how to do it or show you. Just experimenting with it, similar to punk rock, in terms of not being professionals and not needing institutional recognition to do it, you just do it and then learn along the way.

Nikolai: Do you come from an artistic family, or was there someone who showed you the way?

Mazatl: Hmm, I think there is an interest in art in my family. My mom painted a bit but not professionally. My dad was really into music, and he had a radio show when I was growing up. I also had an uncle that painted who has passed.

I’m from a small town. There wasn’t a lot of museums or exposure to art. When we would leave town, we would go to museums. If we went to Mexico City or anywhere else, we would spend time looking at art.

I think having those influences helped and having books and that exposure in my diet. There was that sensibility at home.

Since I was a kid, I connected with drawing and art-making. We took some art classes when we were little. I drew a lot as I was growing up. As a teenager, I just kind of stopped.

I had a teenage interest in tattoos and graffiti, but wasn’t so invested in drawing. It wasn’t until I got involved with the punk rock scene in my town that I started doing zines and messing around with graphics and drawing. It gave me this foundation of doing something creative, and it was immediately being used.

I thought, how do I have my work seen? If you create something that will need wide distribution, and if nobody wants to distribute it for you, you just have to take on its distribution yourself.

Nikolai: I discovered you through Instagram(https://www.instagram.com/_mazatli_/ “Instagram: Mazatl”), and then I read articles on you that appeared in Juxtapoz(www.juxtapoz.com/news/stre… “Juxtapoz: Mazatl”) and Vice(www.vice.com/en/articl… “Vice: Mazatl”). Did that that have an impact on you as an artist and you’re in your career?

Mazatl: I suppose it impacts the fact that art can be my primary way of supporting myself. But whether I had the recognition or not, I would still be doing the same things to a certain extent. Whether I’m traveling or doing it at home or in my studio, I have a clear idea of what I want to do. I think that to me is stronger than the recognition, the drive to do it. And I always find ways to collaborate or work with people, whether it’s a monetary exchange or not. I’m interested in supporting communities through art. That, to me, is the primary focus.

Nikolai: So this is more of a calling than a career.

Mazatl: Yeah. The career just happened. I do appreciate people writing about my work, but it doesn’t make a difference to me. I don’t ever read Juxtapoz. I don’t even know what they write about or what their take on art is. I know that it is a system that there’s importance in what they do. But I think the work that has a direct conversation with people and seeing how it impacts the communities around me. That, to me, is much more valuable.

Nikolai: Currently, you’re exploring a theme that focuses on animal skeletons.

Mazatl: I spend a lot of time thinking about the environment, our connection to the elements, and the mass extinction of animals in this environmental disaster that we are in.

Living in Mexico City for the last ten years or so made me want to talk about what is happening outside of the city because city life is so self-involved, it’s easy to forget what is going on outside the city. There are so many endangered species of animals and plants right now, so I did a project to bring these species into the urban context and see how people reacted. The whole series is about the importance of connecting to the natural world and conserving and protecting life.

Nikolai: Do you find yourself exploring different areas in your artwork?

Mazatl: Yeah. For example, that series I mentioned is something that I committed to doing a while back. I wanted to create 50 different species. Right now, during the pandemic, it’s an excellent time to work on it because I usually travel a lot during the year. I travel a lot to do murals, shows, and talks. Because we’re all confined, I stayed and worked on some new pieces. For a lot of the more recent work that I’m doing, I haven’t gotten around to printing and posting it because I made a big move. I moved my studio and home, and so a lot of the new explorations are more introspective, incorporate meditative practices and pattern experimentation—that kind of thing.

I enjoy painting murals a lot. Now that we’re spending more time inside, I’ve been working on sketches, creating smaller work in the studio, and collaborations. I did a big collaboration with a friend that did a poetry book. We did a bunch of images together, sort of paired images with his poetry.

Nikolai: One of the reasons I’m looking forward to getting back into linocuts and woodcuts is that it’s something that takes a lot of time. In contrast, the stuff I do on the computer can be time-consuming, but I don’t get into that sort of meditative headspace that I would get from drawing or sketching something. I haven’t done anything like this since I was a teenager. What is the most valuable lesson you would share with someone who is just starting work on woodcuts and linocuts?

Mazatl: The most important thing is to enjoy it, enjoy the process, and be real with yourself. It’s important to try many different things and give yourself the freedom to experiment and then decide if you like them or connect with the medium. Printmaking called me and pulled me in, but I think everybody has a different experience that links them to whatever medium they’re working with. Some people connect with it, and some people don’t, and some people like the way something looks, but then they don’t enjoy the process. If you enjoy it, you have the greatest tool beyond pre-existing skills and ideas. I think enjoying the process and then letting it guide you to make the work I believe is the most valuable thing. I believe that people find their own drive to do whatever they do and make art. I must say that just because you paint on canvas or draw and paper doesn’t instantly make it art because of the medium. I think real art serves the purpose of connection and healing for a greater community. You could be a plumber fixing pipes and make an art of it as long as you are living your creative potential, and that potential serves the purpose of healing and connecting a larger community. Finding that creative potential that connects and heals in whatever we do is the best thing that we can hope for.

Posted by Nikolai Scratch

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