Payton McGowen: Cartoons and Confidence

By Hayley Labrum Morrison

I first saw Payton McGowen’s work in Martha’s Contemporary’s “Another Scorcher” group show, which featured multiple outstanding local and national contemporary 2D artists. Her playful, pretty, but also profoundly feminist work fit seamlessly into the caliber of the show alongside Royal Jarmon (@royal_jarmon), Zoe Blue (@zbluem), Nicasio Fernendaz (@nicasio_fernandez) and more. I frantically looked her up on Instagram and was delighted to find she is Austin-based. Since then I continue to be impressed with the strides Payton is making in her work (check out the dope paper mache piece she finished recently!) Read on to learn about Payton and her fresh and witty work.

CA: Tell us a bit about Payton.

PM: I'm originally from Houston, TX, but I've lived in Austin for around fourteen years (aside from a brief stint in Vegas that I willfully ignore). As cliche as it sounds, I've been interested in art for as long as I can remember. I got sent to the (principal’s) office in third grade for drawing cartoons of people on my desk. I always loved drawing people. My favorite part was adding character through what they were wearing or their hairstyles. In high school I had art class as an elective and started forming my identity as an artist. It gave me a lot of self-confidence when I was a teenager because I didn't always make good grades, I was a bench warmer, and I didn't play an instrument—so when people liked my art I felt good at something. This is why I hate when schools take out their art programs—I'm sure I wasn't the only kid like that! Although I'd always made art in some fashion throughout my twenties, I went to college for an art degree when I was 31 on sort of a whim. I wanted to see what that experience was like. It helped me in that it expanded the way I view art formally and introduced me to talking about my own art. When I think of the debt involved in going to school, I sometimes have regrets, but the great professors I had, that are my friends to this day, make it feel worthwhile. In fact, my first solo show ever was an alumni show last year in the St. Ed's gallery.

CA: Who or what are some of your influences?

PM: I think really anyone doing something involving a cartoonish style boosts me to do my own thing. There have been times when I felt my work wasn't important or elevated enough because I like that style. Trenton Doyle Hancock (@trentondoylehancock) has been one of my favorite artists for a while because he has that comic style but has shown in places like the MOMA. He also has one of my favorite paintings at the Blanton, upstairs. Most of us grow up watching cartoons, I'm no exception. My grandma always had VHS tapes of all the classic Disney cartoons, and sometimes on the weekend my family would go to Mr. Gatti's (pizza place) and sit in the cartoon room (do they still have those?) to watch Merrie Melodies, Looney Toons, or Tom & Jerry. The backgrounds in those cartoons are a big influence to the way I do backgrounds in my paintings now. I'm still trying to get better at them.

CA: How did you get into pencil drawings? Painting? Paper Mache?

PM: My dad made pencil portraits to make extra cash when I was young, so I saw what just a pencil could do. They're also convenient in school because as a kid it's all you have around to doodle in class (one of the reasons my grades were bad). I've painted off and on, but have never felt as confident about painting as I do drawing. I started trying to get better because I can work larger with a little less time—drawing can take forever!—and I can get really rich, bright colors that are hard to get with colored pencils alone. Paper mache I think has been a natural extension of drawing because I really just wanted to see what one of my drawings would look like in 3D! As an artist I suppose experimenting comes naturally, and I get bored quickly, so I'm constantly switching back and forth in both what I'm working on and in medium. My favorite part about a pencil is its simplicity. I'm a cheap date when it comes to pencils, any will do, but I definitely have a few favorites around the house. You can get so much good texture from just using a pencil on paper, and I love how portable they are in case I feel like drawing people while I'm in a waiting room or something. Even though painting is hard for me, I love all the different effects paint can offer. I've been really into splatter lately. I also like how versatile acrylic paint is in particular, because you can use it on so many different surfaces. I have a love-hate thing going on with paper mache. It's so hard to control (maybe due to my inexperience), but that's also why I like working with it, because the results are often a surprise. As far as sculpting materials, I like how inexpensive and accessible paper mache is to make at home.

CA: Where does your creativity usually happen? What are some must-haves while you are working?

PM: My studio space is in our apartment where a dining room would normally be, so it's pretty small. Sometimes I daydream about a "real" studio, but in the meantime I work with what I have, and I guess it's nice to stay up until 2AM working on something without having to leave the house. Plus it's right next to the patio, so I get the sun and and I like watching people walk by. My desk is my favorite thing I have. I bought it from a friend a few years ago and don't know how I ever lived without one. So first I think a designated space, even if it's a small one, is essential. I don't use my desk for any other thing than making art. I also LOVE my electric pencil sharpener. It's yellow and from the 60's (ebay!). If you draw a lot, it rules to have an electric sharpener, trust me on this. Especially if you’re using multiple colored pencils in one drawing, it saves your hand. And I've found that older electric sharpeners, heavy ones, those are the best. I usually like to have wine and snacks—chips—when I'm working, but if it's daytime, or I'm out of wine, I'll have fizzy water. I'm not a big podcast person or anything, but I like having movies playing in the background while I'm working.

CA: Tell us about your creative process. How do you stay productive?

PM: My process always starts with my sketchbook. I generally don't show anyone my sketchbook, so I have free rein to draw shitty drawings without worrying about who's going to see them. Out of about eight shitty drawings, there will be one that I think has potential, and I make a better sketch of that one. I never throw out my sketchbooks because when I run out of ideas, chances are there's an old one that I initially didn't like that I'll sort of like now. That's almost entirely how any idea I have makes it out. If I'm at work and I don't have my sketchbook next to me, I'll do a really rough sketch on a pad or something and stuff it in my pocket for later. I will otherwise forget. I try to work on something at least thirty minutes a day. It's been hard to do that lately, and sometimes I'll miss a day, but I think trying your best to establish a creative routine is important. I don't always feel inspired, but if I waited on inspiration to work, I'd make a lot less work. Of course it's great to be inspired, but I try not to think of it in those terms, and think of it more as an essential part of my daily process. The thing that keeps me working most of all is that when my hands are moving, my mind is happiest.

CA: What concepts are you currently exploring? Why are they important to you?

PM: I don't know if this is a concept necessarily, but humor in my art has been important to me lately. I've never been a good sad painter. When I'm sad, I'm completely uninspired, so by adding something sort of funny in my work, I'm way more likely to finish a piece even when I don't feel like it. Generally humor is something I'd always like to have in my work, but especially right now. People will tell me sometimes that my work makes them happy, and I take it as a great compliment. I'm not always happy, but I think art can be used as a momentary escape from reality, and so I like the idea that my art can offer that for someone else.

CA: Tell us about your perspective on the female figure.

PM: My perspective of the female figure has changed a lot since my twenties, and my idea of beauty has gotten more diverse. Many times I will add some muscle to my drawings, and although I think female body builders are extremely cool, it's not necessarily a literal translation, but more of a symbol of power in my characters’ personas. I'm pretty scrawny, no muscle, so adding muscle to my drawings is also a way to project what I'd like to be. Likewise, nudity in my art is not always necessarily sexual, but symbolic of power, freedom and confidence. When I think of how female figures are portrayed in society, I associate it with something negative for many reasons. I think it's gotten better, but ultimately there is still ageism and unrealistic expectations of what society thinks a woman's body "should" look like. Regarding the female body in visual art, I don't notice it as much, or I guess it doesn't offend me as much. There's a level of freedom to making art that you're creating your own world in the way that you want to see it. And obviously, everyone's viewpoint is different. In collective society, I think there's a narrow idea of what a woman's body should be, whereas in art, there are a lot of broad, new body-positive ideas, especially from the female perspective.

CA: Tell us about the relationship between nature and the human figure in your work.

PM: Most things I have in paintings can be broken down into a jumble of symbols. Flowers are sensuality, smoking is rebellion, muscles are power, nudity is freedom and apples are trouble. When I paint nature, it's because I like what nature can represent. Nature is open, free and dangerous. The possibilities are endless. I often paint my figures outside because the attributes of nature transfer to them and they adapt—they are chameleons. That's why I often make the figures similar colors to their surroundings. Since I've mostly lived in crowded cities throughout my life, open spaces have a certain level of mystery that I like to daydream about.

CA: What discoveries have you made the past few weeks while in quarantine?

PM: The way I work hasn't really changed from being at home. The thing that has changed is that since I've not been doing my day job, I've been less inspired. I thought it would be cool to have all of this time to work on whatever I wanted, but I guess I've learned that I work better when I'm stealing time, if that makes sense. In other words I'd look forward to staying up late when I got home from work to draw, whereas now everything just seems like an eternity. I get a lot of inspiration from being around people as well, so having that taken away all of the sudden, I've had to look for inspiration in other places.

CA: Tell us about your relationship with Martha's Contemporary and your upcoming show(!!!)

PM: I first connected with Martha’s Contemporary (@marthascontemporary) when I got involved with GIFC (@gifcworldwide). They were doing an event in Austin, and Martha's was hosting it. It was a great experience in that I got to become friends with Ricky (@Motorollarick) and Meredith (@mer_mar) who run Martha's, and I've since connected to so many really cool artists through them. After that event I got to have a piece in a group show (at Martha’s). Of course I was thrilled. For how long I've been making art, I'm pretty inexperienced in shows, so my relationship with Martha's has helped me have direction and be more diligent in working. Ricky has encouraged me a lot in being myself creatively and making what I want to make. My solo show at Martha's was supposed to happen in October, but with everything going on in the world I'm not really sure when it'll be. It's a bummer, but they have some great shows coming up that had to be postponed that I'm looking forward to seeing.

CA: Tell us about “Color with Payton.”

PM: I saw a few artists online who were offering downloadable color pages of their stuff and I thought it was a great idea! I was initially going to make a physical coloring book, but a lot of people are not working, so something free sounded better at the time. My legendary friend Erin Sanders (@unclebunky) set it up, she's the best. You can still download them in the link in my Instagram bio.

CA: Who are some contemporary artists whose work you're really digging right now?

PM: One of my favorite artists is Ebecho Muslimova (@ebecho). She's very bold and there is so much humor in her work. The images and situations are very relatable. I also love Raina Hamner (@rrainaterrorr)! Her drawings are beautiful and look so technically hard to execute. I stare at them a lot to try and figure out how she did them. I just recently discovered Lesley Wamsley (@lesleywamsley). Her colored pencil drawings and mark-making are outstanding. There are so many artists I like! Those are just the first that popped into my head.

CA: What future projects are you working toward?

PM: I'm pretty excited to try more sculpture. It's really challenging for me because I'm not used to thinking about how something will look from all angles. With a drawing you only really get to see one side. I'm also going to be trying some oil painting this week—I haven't oil painted in ages! I don't have any official future projects, but I'm going to try and keep making work as if I do.

CA: Is there a dream project you'd like to execute? Let's pretend you have an unlimited budget and endless resources and support.

PM: Hmm... I think a huge parade float! I'm not sure for what event or what it'd be made out of, but I admire the amount of planning and work that goes into some of them.

CA: Where can fans learn more about you and view your work?

PM: The best place is my Instagram (@pmcgowenart). I'm working on getting a website up soon, but meantime my instagram is the most updated.

Written by Hayley Labrum Morrison for concept animals, 2020.