Macy Goodwin - The Cosmic Palace

I first met Macy through Live Art sessions happening at shows, and I couldn’t pull myself away from her work.  What I saw was an LSD induced effect, reminiscent of Greatful Dead and the 60’s in general, but twisted and uncomfortable at the same time.   It was an addictive feeling.  Then again we met when  she created a beast of a comic for the Creasetoberfest  event along with other devoted comic artists.   It’s our extreme pleasure to be able to get inside her  head a bit, and include her work here at Creases.
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What inspiration do you commonly pull from when painting or sculpting?

A simultaneously Subconscious and Conscious reflection of the world I live in. Cartoons, music, classical art, social justice, emotional responses, nature...

I grew up in Augusta, but have traveled around as well, splitting my time between street kid antics, parties and shows, hanging out in the woods, and going to school. I am a sculpture student at Augusta University, so I am getting an institutional education, and fusing that with the freedom of art as whatever I want it to be. Sometimes cathartic spiritual practice – sometimes a job, but always happening. Art is made whether I feel like making it or not, we can’t breathe without each other. 

Work is the sacrifice that calls the muse to light. If you sit around waiting for the muse without working you may not have what it takes to bear her fruit when she finally comes, and sometimes you don’t see it at all, but someone else does, and they couldn’t have seen it without you.

​I am inspired by art in the broadest sense possible. Everything is art, and everything is inspiring. Textures, sounds, smells, feels, experiences, flavors.
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How do you know a piece is complete?

Sometimes I step back from a drawing and if I am struck with an emotional response – like an uncomfortable disgust that makes me laugh – then I know I can move on. 
It can be tricky to know when– sometimes stopping is taking a break –for years and suddenly coming back, like spiraling around and returning to a spot- everything is different but so is nothing, and you know what you have to do, or you don’t and you do it anyway. 

​Who are some artists that inspire what you do?

Ah hmm,  – John K. (Ren and Stimpy), Hieronymus Bosch (early Netherlandish), Maurice Sendak (wild things), Richard Williams (the thief and the cobbler), Salvador Dali, Jhonen Vasquez (Zim), Ralph Bakshi (Hobbit/wizards), Miyazaki (Ghibli), Theodor Geisel - any Adult Swim stuff 

Each piece I work on is inspired individually, but these are some artists I admired growing up and now draw from most often.

How do you distribute your art?

I function under the title, The Cosmic Palace, which is divided into an Arts side and a Wild Foraging side.  I sell online, in an etsy shop under the same title. 

I do a lot of guerrilla vending, setting up a table at all sorts of events, and parking lots of concerts all along the east coast. I have done a number of band posters. I live paint alongside local bands, sometimes selling art right off the easel. I enjoy live painting and getting to create during the energy of a show. I enjoy the local downtown scene and have been a part of it for as long as I can remember. I have painted on Joe’s pillars, and any day will start something in Iron Heights. Sometimes I contribute work to Free Art Fridays, or any day really, if I feel like dropping some art into the world. I do installations from time to time as well, dream catchers in the trees, or human nests - sometimes impromptu performances. 

I am a regular vendor at the Saturday Market on Riverwalk, The Veggie Truck Farmers Market on broad, First Fridays in shifting spots on broad, and the monthly market at That Place Coffee  -all of which are wonderful, and I recommend visiting. 

​What’s your experience with the Saturday Market as an artist?
 
I enjoy it. I split my booth between The Cosmic Palace, and fellow student, Ceramics by Alexandra. With both of our stuff you can find nearly anything you need. Our booth has a variety of art that I think is unique to the market, ceramics, paintings, prints, decorated clothing, as well as local wild foods, and my handpicked tea blends.

​What do you like most about it (the market)?

The people that come to the market get to have a personal experience with the pieces and the artists. We are there to answer any questions and ultimately see our hard work appreciated and given a home. I love talking to people and hearing their responses, and it exposes my work to a lot of people I may not have ever ran into otherwise.
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How is it different from live painting?

Live Painting is more about the experience. There is a creative energy happening between the band, and the audience, and I love tapping into that, and contributing something to the night. There is an intimacy in the process of creating. The market isn't as much about the process but the creations as finished, potentially functioning pieces of people’s lives. I am able to bring out a lot more of my work and really share a broader sense of who I am as an artist than I could manage at a show.  
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Do you have any gallery plans?

I do. I have a space reserved in Artist’s Local 1155 for february. It will be a collaborative show between myself and local special effects artist Taylor Gary. We will be taking a macabre focus on the emergence of the figure, pulling out from a 2 dimensional into a 3 dimensional space. 

Other than that, I haven't made any plans. I am always open to being a part of group shows when i can find the time. At some point in the future I will have my obligatory senior show as a part of graduating from college, but that is infinitely far from now. 

​Find The Cosmic Palace, on Facebook, on Etsy, on Instagram, on all those things.. And probably other things, but mostly those things - those internet based social media platform things. ~ Macy