Opening
tonight, just below Slowtrain Music, is a brand new art gallery that
is sure to give any local concert goer a feeling of
reminiscence.
--- Signed & Numbered takes the conventional
poster or flyer and shows it off for the work of art is truly is.
Bringing back memories of concerts gone by in the Utah area from both
local and national artists. And what better place to be than
right below a record store. I got a chance to talk to very
talented artist and owner, Leia Bell. As well as snap some
photos of the new place before it opens up to the general
public.
Leia Bell
http://www.leiabell.com/
Gavin:
Hey Leia, tell us a little about
yourself.
Leia: I was born and raised in Tennessee with
one older brother, and mom and a dad. I moved to Utah about 10 years
ago, and now I think of Salt Lake as my home. I have an awesome
family of my own now too—3 sons and my better half, Phil. I spend a
lot of time designing and printing posters.
Gavin: I
read a little on your bio, where did the decision come from to move
from Tennessee to Utah?
Leia: I wanted to try something
new, it didn’t matter much to me where. I’d never actually been
to Utah, but the guy I was with at the time had friends that moved
here for snowboarding and skiing, so it sounded pretty nice. He got a
job here and I started my art degree at the U.
Gavin:
You went to the U for the majority of your artistic classes, what was
that like?
Leia: At first it was hard because I’d
already taken Foundation art classes at the University of Tennessee,
but my credits didn’t transfer. It added an extra year to my
schooling, but I’m probably a better artist because of it. I didn’t
get outstanding grades in drawing because I am not the best at
rendering things accurately. I opted for an emphasis in printmaking
because I love the process, and it wasn’t as much about being able
to draw well.
Gavin: When you got out, you started
doing posters for Kilby Court back when it was originally owned by
Phil. How did that conversation come about for you to do
those?
Leia: One of my roommates at the time saw Phil
at the Coffee Garden and started chatting him up about Kilby because
we’d just gone there for an Art Night organized by Richard Visick
(comic book artist who now lives in Seattle). My roommate invited
Phil to our house, and when he came over he saw some of my prints on
the wall. We talked the whole night and instantly became friends. I
wanted to help him out because I loved Kilby, so I offered to make
flyers for the shows. I made Xeroxed ones at first, but Phil soon
insisted that I screenprint them. He even built me a studio on the
street.
Gavin: What did the bands at the time think of
the work you did for them? Any negative feedback or were they all
glad to have some artistic promotion?
Leia: I have been
very lucky to have never had negative feedback (knocks on wood).
For the first few years I was printing posters I gave all of them
away at the shows, to the bands and the fans. I felt like it was a
nice gesture for these indie bands to get a souvenir from their show
at our little venue, to show our appreciation of them (since we
couldn’t always pay them in lots of money). The bands were always
very positive and grateful, with no "rock star attitude"
(Kilby’s unofficial motto). I sold my first poster in 2003 to Pat
Eddington, art teacher at Highland High. He came by Kilby and wanted
to buy posters. I tried to give them to him, but he insisted on
paying—it was weird for me! It was the first time I thought that
maybe I could make a career out of being an artist. The next turning
point came soon after that when I attended my first "Flatstock"
(semi-annual contemporary rock poster convention) at SXSW in Austin
2003. The authors of the book The Art of Modern Rock were there and
they made an offer to buy every poster I brought with me. It was
exciting to say the least!
Gavin: What was it like for
you when he sold Kilby?
Leia: I knew it was time, but
it was a bit sad for me… mostly because I’m not sure if our boys
will remember it when they’re older. We named our youngest son Oslo
Kilby, so maybe one day he’ll ask us where he got his name. Phil
had been talking about closing it for a while because he spent so
much time working at it, and yet it wasn’t enough money to support
a family of five. We were so happy that Will and Lance took over—it
needed young, gung-ho folks with no kids to carry on the
legacy. I am just so happy that it didn’t have to shut down all
together. I think it is a wonderful, positive thing for Salt Lake
City.
Gavin: Tell us about Signed &
Numbered.
Leia: Signed & Numbered is my
little poster gallery/store on Broadway. The name refers to the
technical term collectors use when talking about a limited edition
run of prints. In printmaking, the artist signs their name and then
numbers the prints in sequence (1/100, 2/100, etc). This lets a
collector know which print they have and how many others there are
like it out there. I have met so many amazing artists from all over
the world by attending Flatstock conventions and in the online poster
community, Gigposters.com,
I wanted to bring their work to Salt Lake to
get more people excited about attainable art. Many people may not be
able to spend money on an original painting, but with posters, one
can still own a handmade piece of art that is totally affordable.
Along with gig posters and art prints, the store will also features
art and music magazines, limited edition stationery, clothing, comics
and other handmade collectibles.
Gavin: Just curious,
why did you set up in Slowtrain's basement and not set up your own
shop?
Leia: Phil and I had originally been trying to
get our own space on 3rd South, but nothing was available. I knew
that was the area of town I wanted to be in, and I love the energy
and dynamic of that street. Then when Anna and Chris of Slowtrain
offered their basement to us, we realized it would be a perfect fit.
Music and Posters go hand-in-hand, so it seemed like a no-brainer for
us.
Gavin: What's your opinion on the local art scene
here in Utah, both good and bad?
Leia: Salt Lake has so
much potential. I loved seeing what happened with the 337 Project—it
made us feel like a big city in terms of cutting edge/underground
art. It’s a great time to be an artist because with the internet,
you don’t have to be in L.A. or New York showing in a fancy gallery
to get your work noticed. This may create more issues though—over
saturation. This is already happening with underground music because
anyone can create a Myspace account for their band and get "heard"
I suppose. It seems like bands are trying new tactics and gimmicks to
stand out from the pack.
Gavin: Is there anything you
believe could be done to improve it?
Leia: The
mentality of "I bought this in New York" meaning, "it
must be better" needs to change. People should be proud of their
local art scene and want to own work by local artists.
Gavin:
Are there any local artists you recommend people go check out?
Leia:
Off the top of my head: Potter Press, Trent Call, Sri Whipple, Cein
Watson, Saltgrass Printmakers, Fletcher Booth, Dana Costello,
Furturtle Printworks, Erik Dewaal, Lenka Konopasek, Tessa
Mecham
Gavin: Touching base on music a little, what's
your take on the local scene?
Leia: I think it’s
thriving—there are so many bands I can’t keep up!
Gavin:
What are some bands you think people should be checking out?
Leia:
This is a hard one for me to answer, I don't like to talk much about
music… All I know is, almost every time I go over to Kilby and a
local band is playing, I like what I hear! I think some of my
favorites of the past few years have been TaughtMe, Vile Blue Shades,
Redd Tape, The Brobecks and Neon Trees.
Gavin: Aside
from the new store, what can we expect from you the rest of the
year?
Leia: I have a solo show in West Virginia (of all
places) this fall, and a custom toy in another show there that opens
May 16th. In July I’ll be Chicago with a booth at the Pitchfork
festival, and (at this point) I also plan on having a booth at the
Bumbershoot festival in Seattle in September. I might also be doing
another show in the U.K. either late this year or early in
2009.
Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug while
we're here?
Leia: I think you got it covered!