Love Is Spoken Here by Chyp Maikoski
Chester Ben Maikoski, IV. But you can call me Chyp. I call myself PoeGogh at time for alias-like reasons - Helping with the idea of stepping outside of myself. It gets crowded in here.
What art medium or mediums do you use? What is your favorite?
I'm traditionally known for using regular ball point pens. I always doodled as a kid and I kinda perfected it in my own way. Sitting in class or in church my mind would run for miles. Drawing kept me at bay and my Father always had pens on him. Its my comfort-medium. I now use a lot of various mediums and have a strong affection for mixed media using water colors, microns, charcoal and colored pencils in one form or another. I also have dabbled in digital art with a wacom tablet. "Dabbled" doesn't mean good though.
What is your tie to Kalamazoo and how much time have you spent in Kzoo?
I was born and raised here for my entire adolescence. I moved to the Tampa Florida area when I was in my early 20's for a job opportunity and ended up staying there for about 12 years with the same job. To put it simply, life got complicated and I found myself back home again, raising my two teenage daughters with the love of my life. It took me a second try to get the "love of my life" part right but I have it now and couldn't be happier. The schooling and special needs awareness for my children is remarkable in Kalamazoo and that was enough to pull My girls and I back.
What is your favorite venue and/or spot to chill in Kzoo?
I'm not going to lie, i don't really have one. I have been known to graze around the Arthop circles on the first Friday every month but thats really the only place I go now. Being a Father, Husband and a working man, I don't find the night life or the morning coffee shops that enticing. I have good friends at arthop and that's really the only outside source of socializing I need.
What season do you love most in Michigan?
I have to say all of them. My gut says autumn but Autumn wouldn't be as amazing without the contrast of the other seasons.
What is your go to jam, band, or music genre when creating?
Progressive Rock. Its atmospheric music with minimal, if any, singing or words. It creates a space for my mind to really feel comfortable to wander. Short songs and looping albums cause distraction for me. The long drawn out songs slows my breathing and reminds me of patience.
If you had an empty vessel and you could fill it with an infinite amount of any fluid you wanted, what would the fluid be?
Water with fresh lemon juice and stevia sweetener for sure! But an additonal vessel with "All Day IPA" wouldn't hurt either.
What can you talk about for hours?
Your'e going to laugh but, everything, dammit. I don't know if its a curse or a blessing. I can really put some words into situations, man. Socially, that is absolutely true. When it comes to the dialogue in my head it really is the deeper aspect of life and the intertwining aspects that bind us as matter and energy together with out environment. A lot sacred geometry, life theory, what I understand quantum physics to be and space-time continuums rolling around up there.
What is something most people don't know about you?
I'm immensely insecure with horrible anxiety. When I show my teeth while smiling, It's usually because I'm gritting them.
Give a description of the art piece we are using for the shirts.
It's a personal piece (as most of my pieces are) and a continuation of a previous drawing I did named "speechless". The speechless drawing is a front portrait of a skull surrounded by tiger lilies and one hinge of the jaw is hanging off the top part of the skull. This was drawn during a difficult time of my life. The piece i submitted is named "love is spoken here", it has no jaw and flower pedals spilling from the mouth with a forward movement. This is created in retaliation to that piece. I'm in a better place now.
Are there any current events going on that you feel strongly about, think people should know more about, and/or should be taking a more active role in?
I am not of a political mind but i do believe in rights. Your right to be who you are and maintain the right to freely think. Generally, anything that opposes that or causes innocent individuals to be imprisoned, literally or metaphorically, I will speak out against. I think thats why I talk a lot... Self empowerment, the problem starts with the proverbial "you".
Where can people find more of your art and more about you?
I have an artist account on instagram @artwillsaveusall and Facebook "PoeGogh" Thank you for everything!