OOTB: Arist, Miz Sin

Executing illustrious visions of darkness has
turned blank canvases into compelling pieces of
art that create an oxymoronic description when
viewed: a feeling of sedate with an equal
apprehensive sense of chaos.

This is the independent dark artwork of Miz Sin.

The Columbus, OH resident originally became
interested in art the moment she put her first
crayon onto a coloring book.

“The madness couldn’t be stopped from there on
out,” Miz Sin said.

Although the more popular works of Michael
Manning, Boris Vallejo, H.R. Giger and Roman
Dirge’s paintings impact Miz Sin’s creations to
varying degrees, she said her biggest influence is
a tattoo artist named Bok.

“The first time I ever came across his flash was
at a tattoo shop in Kalamazoo, MI almost 17
years ago,” she said. “His style was creepy and
vivid at the same time.”

The left-handed artist also attributes Anthony
Sarcomenos of Columbus, OH as a significant
influence, with whom she’s collaborated under
the name “Dark Moon Sojourn.”

“Tony plays a big role in my drive to constantly
challenge myself. I was attracted to his style
long before I actually met him,” Miz Sin said.

The various states of relaxation, sleep and
dreams often trigger a coercive image that
inspires Miz Sin.

“That moment after you’ve relaxed completely,
right before a lucid cycle begins, or as I’m
waking from one, an image will just pop into my
brain,” she said.

Growing up with music always playing, Miz Sin
said it’s a special need while working on
something. Her taste is diverse and features
most genres with the exception of country,
because she said it gives her indigestion. Some
of the bands on her MP3 playlist include: Kyuss,
Ani DiFranco, Southern Culture on the Skids,
Sculthorpe and Jack Off Jill.

“Sometimes it’s what I’m listening to that’ll
spark an ironic situation that I just have to bring
to life,” she said.

When painting Miz Sin said she usually begins
with a rough sketch directly on the canvas, then
she paints a messy first layer to get the basic
feel in a disorderly style.

“Most of the time I finish the background first,
then work my way out in sort of a 3-D fashion,”
Miz Sin said. “I’m a little bit selfish when it
comes to certain ideas; I’ll paint what I’m most
giddy about then follow up with the less fun.”

Miz Sin said none of her finished pieces have
truly braced her initial idea as she metaphorically
described this continuative process.

“It’s kinda like working on a car: You plan a
simple oil change, but 19 beers later you’ve
rebuilt the engine and chromed the body out.
That’s the bliss of using acrylic, if you fuck up or
don’t like the route it’s going, you can always
paint over it,” she said.

Other than her true passion of painting Miz Sin
also has a weekday job, dabbles with
photography, has occasionally modeled in fashion
shows, and collects oddities as well as bugs.

“I’m always doing something so I don’t ever feel
like I’m wasting what precious time I have with
my life,” she said. “[I have] an intense urge to
feel like I’ve made enough of an impact to last
after I’m gone.”

On art in general Miz Sin said she is an optimist
who believes the craft has no structure, that
there is no standard for what is aesthetically
“right.”

“I personally think Picasso sucked; his paintings
are universally adored and go for millions. A
child’s smeared tempera paint on a sheet of plain
paper will sell better on eBay than someone
spending months pouring their heart and soul
onto a large canvas,” she said. “That’s the
world. That’s why there are starving artists.
At least we look fabulous.”

Shedding light on the dark artistic creations of Miz Sin
N. SHUMATE, OUT OF THE BLUE