Dark Friends Series
Baruška Michalčíková
Originally from the village of Hranice in the Czech Republic, artist Baruška A Michalčíková currently resides in Jacksonville, FL. While Baruška and I have not met in person, we know each other because of our mutual friendship with Mombi Yuleman, a name that followers of Dark Corners and this newsletter know very well.
I have several small pieces of Baruška’s art in my office since I love virtually everything she creates. Baruška agreed to answer a few questions about her unique art and background, and I encourage you to visit her websites where you can see much more of her amazing work.
The Interview
Q: As I mentioned in this intro, I learned of your art because of our connections with dark ambient musician Mombi Yuleman.
But your art is really not typically dark, is it? How would you describe your art in general?
My Art style is considered to be “Visionary Art.” The subject matter of this style can go either way; most of this kind of Art reflect realities, realms, and even entities that are not limited to only this 3D World.
The Art tends to be often conjured up from beyond just our five senses.
I always strive to bring a bit of light to the topic of what Darkness is, and how broadly and uniquely it can be interpreted by different people. How much dark is “TOO dark”? It, too, most certainly has its place in my Art, due to it having its place in the construct of our overall existence and of our Cosmos. All that is within the “unseen.” Even the thought of that, in particular, can be creepy and scary to some.
I’d say my Art is a reflection of all which could be viewed as the polarities of existence. Even in the midst of some of my most colorful and vibrant Mandala pieces, You could observe how I may incorporate the dark within them. Often, You’ll see sharp detail and edges, fire references, archetypal entities, and the thick black lines between each color shade. I’d say if one is keen enough to notice, they’d see that both sides of the spectrum of light and dark are incorporated.
Q: How old were you when you came to the US? How did that move affect your life?
I was nine. So I was still a kid!
To be honest, it was very difficult the first few years, being that Life as You knew it had completely changed. Different culture. Different methods. Different mentalities. Different rules. My whole Family, other than my Mom, remained in Czech. I’d still visit every summer. Though, I’d say the true concept of the whole duality thing was mostly highlighted and a frequent part of my Life once I began experiencing those two separate, back-to-back lives, year after year. It was quite wild to experience this.
Eventually, though, down the line, I found gratitude in it. It has taught me a lot.
Q: Speaking as someone who grew up in the US during the 1960s with memories of Woodstock, “Flower Power,” pop art, and psychedelia, it sure looks like that age might have been an influence for you even though you weren’t born yet. Would you ever describe yourself as a “flower child”? Did the spirit of the sixties have any impact on your work?
You know, you’d think so! I would say the closest I’ve come to being heavily inspired by the sixties is by following the Visionary Artist by the name of Alex Grey. He came up more so from the seventies. And, by all means, I do identify very much so with the concept of us all being ONE in this mysterious web of consciousness. To pursue Unity, Love, and Harmony. But, the only true reason why I became so enchanted with Alex’s work is because his Art very much resembled the visual experiences I’ve had myself since I was around eighteen or nineteen years old. I just draw what I see. Those images come from a place where time does not really exist; it could technically be connected to any decade or era one could possibly think of. It’s all quite timeless.
Q: Many of your images incorporate animals and plants, and they evoke a sense of wonder and of finding harmony with nature. Do you hope that your art conveys a message to your viewer, and if so, what is that message?
I definitely do feel called to reflect on what is most natural and real, beyond just the tangible, when regarding my Art. My overall message has always been to explore various facets of Life, of Nature, of Mind, of Spirit, and of the Cosmos. To seek some kind of a center point within it all, and mostly, more than anything else, for us all to explore and pursue our own passions and creativity. I think our passion is our calling. And if me devoting myself to my dreams could inspire another to do the same, then I feel that I’ve done my job in this Life, as an Artist.
Q: Would you consider your artistic ability a gift? Where do you find inspiration?
I believe anyone can be an Artist if they were to devote enough time and effort. In my case, though, I do believe it was something that was as if chosen “for“ me. I was absolutely obsessed with markers, which is my predominant medium today, already at the age of two. Also, my Father was a wonderful painter. He painted by my crib, purposely, since I was an infant.
Art is the only thing that has remained to be 100% consistent and steady in my Life. Inspiration comes from anything and everything, though mostly, it’s from my imagination and from whichever stream of visions that come rolling through.
Q: What are the greatest challenges for you as a professional artist?
Even though I’d say I’ve done relatively ok as an Artist, enough to keep the wheel of this path in motion for the past nine years now, it’s the marketing and the commerce aspect of this field that can be most challenging. Continually striving to remain relevant. The promoting and the networking. It’s the business aspect of Art that can be very discouraging to so many incredible Artists out there. Why so many don’t have a successful Art career, because somewhere down the line, the juggling of both the left brain and the right brain has become incredibly daunting and treacherous for them. All they want to do is paint! Not be a salesman! So, they give up.
In my Life, that aspect has its ups and downs. But, again, I most positively view it to be my calling. So even if it takes me decades to navigate through it all, I’m pretty devoted to the process.
Q: As I noted earlier, your art is not generally very dark, but rather uplifting. Do you have a dark side that also likes scary, dark stuff?
I do! I always have. To various degrees, of course. Though, I’ve been introduced to spirits, death, horror and density at a very young age. My birth house in Czech was right in front of the cemetery. All you’d see outside of our bedroom windows were graves.
I view both the light and the dark to be a part of the totality of our existence. To dabble within the elements of the dark, the gloomy, and the haunting, while also exploring the chambers of our minds and the underbelly of humanity is in my view totally fine. As long as there is a healthy balance. One ought not to be too consumed by it, otherwise, things can get really messy, and dangerous. The goal is to never hurt anyone nor hurt oneself. I wish to always embrace and bow to both sides of the spectrum. Even though, today, I tend to lean more towards the light, than the dark.
Q: What might people who only know of you because of your art find surprising about you?
They all might become quite surprised that I come from a background of Metal Heads, and Love Death Metal. I like all sorts of music, but do tend to gravitate more towards what could be considered Dark Music.
I Love Dark Ambient, Dark Techno, DarkPsy, etc…
My wardrobe mostly consists of black clothing and boots. Often, this throws many people off, since rarely ever could they pick up on that while observing my Art.
This is what I mean, by seeking the center point.
It all has its place.
Q: Your art can be purchased in many different forms, not only as traditional prints but as magnets, stickers, on clothing, bags, cell phone “skins,” side tables––it’s amazing! But what many people might find special are your hats. What prompted you to make these wildly beautiful hats?
I have this amazing Artist Pal that goes by the name of Visible Man. He once showed me one of his bowler hats he had painted. He’s also a Visionary Artist, so it was incredibly inspiring for me to try it myself. Originally, I just wanted to paint a hat for myself. I wanted to create a really spiffy, UV reactive, psychedelic hat to wear around the Music festivals.
Typically, at these festivals, there’s a nice altar space in front of the DJ booth where You could place Your personal items like crystals, talismans, notes and herbs. I placed my hat on the altar and left it there all weekend.
A week after the festival I got a message from a person that had seen the hat on the altar and wanted to purchase it. I honestly never thought anyone would want to buy it. Don’t know why it didn’t occur to me.
But, it was a heartfelt surprise, and given the fact that this person was willing to pay some bucks for it, it dawned on me that the hats could be my little side project, along with my regular drawings, as well. This was back in 2013.
I’ve evolved quite a bit since then, in regards to my process with the hats. They are all UV reactive, glow in the dark, dimensional, and chromadepth 3D.
Q: Where online might people find your work to view and purchase it?
You can find these pieces of my art AND MORE by clicking on the following links:
Website: www.bigbamtheory.com
Website: www.etsy.com/shop/BigBamTheory
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