Exploring the Creative Mind: A Conversation with Robert Marx

Recently, I had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with the renowned artist Robert Marx. Our discussion delved into his artistic journey and personal experiences. It's a read that's sure to captivate and enlighten any art enthusiast.

AA: I would love to learn more about you! Please share your background with me and tell me where you're from. I'm interested in hearing about your upbringing, cultural heritage, and significant life experiences that have shaped who you are today.

RM: I was born in Arkansas only living there for a short time before ending up in Illinois. Culturally, I have lived all over the United States, North, South, East and West. Getting to take in all of these regions' culture has led me to have a very eclectic attitude and pallet. School was never a strong point academically, in my youth I was more concerned with social life, but as I grew older, I realized the need to have a broader understanding of the work I lived in. From a cultural standpoint, I always accepted and hung out with cultures that were not my own with a great appreciation for all cultures. Through my youth I generally moved every 2 to three years, living in more than 20 places nationwide, before getting married and settling down in New Hampshire and raising my daughter with my wife.

AA: How has your upbringing shaped your career in art?

RM: My upbringing shaped my art in that I always had support in what I do from those I love. This support always gave me the confidence to pursue my love and being a creative type. There may also be something in the fact of moving around so much that also allowed my mind to be open to moving freely from place to place in order to sell my art and myself in regard to working on creative projects.

AA: What inspired you to pursue an art career?

RM: Since I was a child, I have always loved to draw and paint. My own internal drive is the main push for me to continue to be an inquisitive creative type.

AA: Are there any artists in your family or anyone who pursues other art forms?

RM: No, no one in my family that I know of had pursued a career in art, although I have one member on my wifes side who does graphic art.

AA: Could you share your journey and experience in the art world with us?

RM: Art it-self is a very solitary existence; from studies they say that artists spend more time alone than any profession. I am very comfortable with being alone and thrive on it to focus my creative energies. I have dealt with art communities but in the end, I have become more of a hermit working on myself and my own ideas sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding. Both failure and success and both a learning endeavor.

AA: When you first started your art career, what challenges did you have to overcome?

RM: Beginning in the pursuit of being a creative type, many people gave me great platitudes, while other shot down everything I did. More than anything, my own longing is the vehicle that has drawn me through everything in this pursuit. Sometimes I stand in my own way while on other levels, finances are also an obstacle to being able to move freely in any direction of production. Moreso that anything has been my love of creating more than anything.

AA: What specific style of art do you tend to focus on personally?

RM: I generally focus on creating my own style based on my own perceptions. Most people classify me as a psychedelic artist, but I think art goes way beyond that in that artistic expression is a matter of imagination. Overall, my way of thinking and creating are outside of many peoples' general conception of what reality can be which I guess is why perceptually my work can be seen as “out there.

AA: Are there any illustrators who have inspired you to pursue this craft?

RM: Some of my biggest inspirations in the field of art would have to be Heronimous Bosh, Gustave Dore and Rick Griffin.

AA: How can you ensure that your artwork stands out from the rest?

RM: I don't work to make my art stand out; I work to make my art beautiful in my own mind's eye. In this way maybe it makes it unique enough for people to recognize my style. While I also believe that every person who creates things has their own style which naturally surfaces in their own works.

AA: Could you please walk me through your typical creative process from the initial idea to the finished product?

RM: As far as creative process, first i congeal an idea into its own form in my mind. Second it is a matter of drawing/ sketching the ideas out. Once the base of the sketch is brought to the refined for where in it becomes acceptable, I will then work to bring it to a finished state. This finished state can be from ink to watercolor with-in the analog aspects for creation, while for many projects digitization is required.

AA: Could you share a few of your favorite pieces or projects with me and explain why they are so meaningful to you?

RM: Some of my most meaningful projects i work on are for non-profit organizations for the purpose of helping communities in need or feeding those who go without. For over 20 years I have been working with the organization Conscious Alliance. Conscious Alliance is a youth outreach organization helping those in need by exchanging gig posters for non perishables to help feed communities in need. I encourage everyone to check them out to see if you can help as well at Conscious Alliance.org . I have done artwork for many other non-prophets for fundraising over the years as well.

AA: Could you explain what analog art is?

RM: Analog art is the traditional act of creating art in the real world. Doing such things as drawing on paper or painting with watercolors. Whereas virtual art is done in the digital space and can be output into an analog form such as prints or other products.

AA: How has your creative process evolved over the years?

RM: Other than a stylistic evolution of my work which has come with age and experience, in my younger days I would isolate myself and draw and paint in silence. As I have gotten older and have the need to work while I travel, I now will make art anywhere, generally blocking out the outside world through focus. In my younger days I was only concerned with my own output, but as I have progressed in a career of professional art, I have also allowed myself to become very malleable in order to make images for clients.

AA: Have you ever teamed up with other artists or professionals on a project? If yes, how was the experience?

RM: Most of the time when I have worked with other artists in a background setting. I have added text to poster art for artists that could not, refined and cleaned up stuff for presswork and more technical aspects of production and reproduction. I have many times been offered to collaborate with other artists but schedules have generally kept me on the production of my own work. Most of the collaboration i have done with other artists consists of creating a poster of tee design for a band of musicians.

AA: Throughout your artistic journey, you have undoubtedly created numerous pieces of artwork. Can you take a moment to reflect and identify the top 5 artworks that brought you the most joy and satisfaction during the creative process?

RM: Looking back some of the most satisfying moments have been getting to work with some top tier clients that are essential bands i know and love. These high moments from working with the likes of Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, and Widespread Panic, as well as doing work for the 50th anniversary of Woodstock and the Fuji Rock Fest in Japan. I generally enjoy all the projects that I work on, but especially when they are for some of my favorite bands.

AA: Which art festival has been the most memorable for showcasing and selling your artwork?

RM: The most memorable was going down to Florida for a Big Phish festival in Big Cypress with about 80,000 people and i completely sold out of all the art i had in my van in one day. A very fun and exciting show with Phish playing for over 16 hours straight as well as the entire crowed getting in the Guinness book of world records for the most people doing the same dance at the same time.

AA: Do you have a piece of artwork that you've created with a special story behind it?

RM: Every piece of artwork I create has a special story behind it. I like to incorporate things like moon phases, stars from the night sky at said location, aspects of the event and bands into the works themselves. Artwork in its essential form is a storytelling device.

AA: What Impact Do You Hope to Have on Viewers or Society Through Your Art?

RM: Most ideally high art conveys beauty and contrast. In my opinion, in its essential form art is meant to elevate the minds of the viewer through a series of symbols to tell an abstract story or idea of sorts. This idea or story being told through color, line, rhythm, balance and imagery as a whole. Hopefully those who view my art see something that elevates their mind and spirit.

AA: How do you define success as an artist?

RM: Success is subjective. If someone can spend their time doing what they love and being productive is the most evident type of success to me.

AA: Does art help you in other areas of your life?

RM: To me art is my life. All aspects of my life involve art, from unloading the dishwasher and doing the job well to focusing on creating art for my self or a client. Life itself can be an art form if you so choose.

AA: Imagine your ultimate art passion project. What does it look like? Describe your dream project in vivid detail.

RM: Currently, besides working on my art for clients and myself, my brother Richard and I are talking about working to build a small publishing house selling books and prints.

AA: I'm interested in learning more about the Solomon Temple. Could you provide us the comprehensive information on its history, architecture, religious significance, and any other relevant details? Additionally, I want to understand why studying this topic is important for people to gain a deeper understanding of history, culture, and religion.

RM: The thing about Solomon's Temple I guess that is the grounding factor would be that it is the Temple that is the base of influencing much of the modern world in the west. It has influenced the ideas of Judaism, coming out of Zoroastrianism, and has influenced the ideas leading to modern Christianity and Islam. If Solomon's Temple is something that is interesting to you, for a more indepth look at its histor and its relationship with concepts of Magic, Banking and Religion, please check out the 5 part series of around 15 hours of material on my MettaMindCast podcast on all major platforms.

AA: Regarding books, which ones are at the top of your list? What makes these books stand out to you? Is it the writing style, the themes, or the emotions they evoke?

RM: Books are something I have fallen in love with as I get older. I currently collect a variety of Books on many subjects. Some of my favorite reads are various ancient texts from Samaria to India. The Enuma Elish, The Bible including The Book of Enoch and all the apocryphal, The Bhagavad Gita, the writing of Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle and on and on. Books I believe add to the understanding of the human condition and lend to individuals having a deeper understanding of the origins of humanity.

AA: Which podcasts do you highly recommend and why? What sets these podcasts apart from others, in your opinion? Do they offer valuable insights, entertaining content, or something else that keeps you hooked?

RM: Some of my favorite podcasts are Grandtheft World and No Agenda in the political realm. I also enjoy such show as (in no particular order) the Occult Rejects, Aeon Byte, Amish Inquisition, Cocaine and Rhinestones, Hardcore History, End of Days radio, The Free Zone, William Ramsey Investigates, Grimerica, Juan on Juan, The Hawk-It podcast, TinFoil Hat, Martyr Made, Subconscious Realms, Those Conspiracy Guys, Unlimited Hangout and more. While i do skip around listening to various things, most of my time is usually listening to audio books on various historical topics. The only fiction I can really get into is the works of Philip K. Dick’s and H.P. Lovecraft.

AA: I know you have a passion for traveling and have been on many exciting trips. Could you share specific details about some of your most memorable travel experiences? I'd love to hear about the destinations you visited, the activities you enjoyed, and the delicious foods you savored during your journeys, etc

RM: At this point in my travels I have been to every state multiple times and have to say that everywhere you can go is filled with wonderful people who want to show you the best parts of their lives. From scenery, to food and other pleasures, everywhere has its own unique beauty. Some of my favorite places would have to be the North West and the North east. The seafood on and beautiful autumn on the North East coast is a favorite. While the The Pacific Coast Highway in the Northwest is my favorite drive in the states.

AA: Could you share the story of how you and your wife first met? Also, does she share your passion for art?

RM: My wife and I met initially at the Memphis in May festival, but did not get together until we were hanging out in Rhode Island. My wife is my biggest patron and supports me in all of my artistic endeavors from drawing and printing to writing.

AA: What was something about her that made me think, "This is the woman I want to marry and start a family with?

RM: When we started hanging out the most important aspect was that we became friends and as the years went by with me taking her from New Orleans to Las Vegas and beyond, we have grown close and more patient with one another. We were together for almost five years when we decided to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. If you can manage to live out of a car with someone while traveling and running a business for three or more months at a time, they're a keeper.

AA: What bands or artists do you enjoy listening to? Also, I'd love to hear about your favorite concert experience!

RM: I enjoy all types of music and often relate that there are two kinds of music, good music and Bad music. I enjoy all genres from Classical to Rock and Roll. Some of my favorite bands are Leftover Salmon, Lefty Frizzell, the String Cheese Incident, alot of old school hip-hop and old school western swing like Bob Wills. One of my most memorable concerts was seeing the Flaming Lips on the beach in Alabama where I ended up on stage with the band while they were playing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and when the song Eclypse came on there was an actual solar Eclipse in the sky. While simultaneously Wayne, the lead singer, was in a blow-up ball walking on the crowd, confetti cannons blasting every few minutes and a semblance of Dorthies and multiple Lion, Tinmen and Scarecrows dancing all around me while the band played.

AA: What are your favorite ways to spend your free time?

RM: My favorite way to spend my free time is hanging out with the people I know and love. On the other hand, when I'm alone, my favorite way to pass the time is reading books.

AA: I'd love to hear about three people who have had a significant impact on your life, whether positive or negative

RM: The people who have had the most significant effect on my life are by far my Mother, My Wife and My Daughter lending to help me develop Morals, Stability and Love.

AA: What would you say if you had the world's attention for 5 minutes?

RM: Know they self and all good things will follow. Love over Will.

AA: Robert Marx, thank you for sharing so much about yourself and your artistic journey! I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!