Street artist Cosmo-Joe
He’s shooting for a world record
For the better part of a decade, Andy “Cosmo-Joe” Watkins has been a staple of State Street’s art scene on Saturday mornings, laying down a blanket and spray paint cans in front of the Madison Museum Of Contemporary Art and painting from morning until late afternoon. While an artist of various genres, Watkins’ work on Saturdays is mostly dedicated to the creation of planetary landscapes, a style known to the art world as “cosmic spill spray paint.” With artful visions of sci-fi and fantasy created at dizzying speeds, Watkins’ “performances” have consistently attracted a large crowd of onlookers, all hoping to glimpse the creation of a universe in the time it takes to boil an egg. Taking some time to talk to The A.V. Club on the phone after his last performance of the year, we asked Cosmo-Joe about his origins as an artist, his plans to break a world record, and whether he believes in extraterrestrials.
The A.V. Club: Tell us about the beginnings of “Cosmo-Joe.” When did you start getting into art, and when did you start creating cosmic paintings?
Andy Watkins: I’ve always been an artist, in the sense that ever since I was a little kid I’ve had a lot of interest in art and creating art. In middle school, I went to a special art school where I lived in Milwaukee, called Roosevelt Middle School Of The Arts. So as I grew older, I continued pursuing different kinds of arts. I took a few semesters of classes in college, but never completed my BFA because I just haven’t had the time. A lot of my development as an artist is due to the mentorship I’ve received from a lot of different artists and teachers over the years. But it wasn’t until about seven years ago that I began doing spray paint art, which I discovered while I was down in Mexico.
AVC: So before Mexico, you’d never heard of cosmic spill spray paint art before?
AW: No, not until I saw it in Mexico.
AVC: What was it that struck you about the style?
AW: I just thought it was amazing. You know, sometimes I’ll have people come up to me at my shows and tell me the work is amazing, but nobody thinks it’s as amazing as I did when I first saw it. When I first saw it, I watched for hours. I just thought it was the coolest thing in the world, so fast and colorful. The whole “cosmic space” aspect of the art really appealed to me, too. I was born in 1977, so everyone around that time was still really excited about the whole “space thing,” all the talk about the Hubble Space Telescope.
AVC: So what happened when you came back from Mexico?
AW: Well I thought it was cool, and I came back home to Menasha, Wisconsin. And I got a bunch of spray paint and thought, “Oh, this is going to be a piece of cake!” You know? I had been an artist for so long anyway. So I cracked a bucket of paint and started painting, and it was just horrible. [Laughs.] They were all nasty and horrible. I painted a few dozen of them and just wasn’t impressed. So I put the stuff away and didn’t come back to it for about a year after that. And then one day I was looking for something to do, and I remember I had all this spray paint, so I started doing it again. I probably painted another hundred awful, awful paintings, but before I knew it I was like, “Hey, I’ve got some good ones here!” [Laughs.]
AVC: Do you do any kind of research that inspires your work? Maybe huddled in the corner of a library, checking out books on everything from planets to unicorns to fantasy?
AW: Absolutely. I’m a big reader of both sci-fi and fantasy. I’m a big fan of [Isaac] Asimov. So I spend a lot of time reading literature that has to do with sci-fi situations, and a lot of my inspiration comes from that.
AVC: While you’re painting something for a member of a crowd, do you ever feel mischievous and want to paint something into the picture completely unrelated to sci-fi? Like a golf club or a buffalo?
AW: Absolutely! [Laughs.] But there’s a misconception out there that I only do paintings of space-related things. Some of my most popular sellers down there on State Street are nature scenes. So I try and keep things mixed up with a lot of different ideas and concepts. And yeah, sometimes, right when I’m in the middle of a painting, I’ll completely switch gears. I’ll think I have an idea of what I’m doing, and then I’ll manipulate the paint and think, “Maybe I should add this in there.” Like you said, a golf club or a buffalo. [Laughs.]
AVC: Most people who read this will know you best from your work on State Street. How did you come about getting that spot right in front of the MMOCA art gallery? It’s sort of become your “unofficial” spot on Saturdays.
AW: Actually, according to the city it ought to be my “official” spot. [Laughs.] I’m in the works right now with the city to get that declared my official spot. But before I got onto State, I was spray painting all these pictures and showing them to my friends and family. I have one buddy named Chris who lived in Madison and told me, “Hey, you should really come down and paint during the farmers’ market and see if people like your stuff.” So, one day six years ago, I went down there, and I set up right in front of a church that’s on the square. I forget the name of it, but I set up there, and before I knew it I had people gathering around and clapping and enjoying the show. So I was hooked from then on. I just thought it was fantastic. No city has the energy and feel that Madison has. I’ve done shows all over the place, and Madison is without a doubt the best place to do a show like I do.
AVC: What do you think it is about your style of art that draws such huge crowds compared to, let’s say, someone with a canvas and acrylics painting a storefront or the Capitol?
AW: I think there’s a couple reasons. For one, I’m using unconventional materials that people aren’t used to seeing in person, and I think people are always attracted to something when it’s a little different. Another reason is my strong personality. [Laughs.] I think I put on a great show and try and keep it fun for people watching. But mostly I think it’s the speed. People love to see art created, but if you’re going to spend 60 hours on a painting (which I’ve done, too), nobody is going to sit there and watch you. Now, if you paint something in 20 minutes, some people are going to stick around and want to watch the process.
AVC: How many paintings do you produce in a day’s session?
AW: Well, that really, really varies on the day, but on a very big weekend, like Labor Day weekend or the Taste Of Madison, I’ll paint 80 paintings.
AVC: And they are all off the top of your head? Or do you have some pre-figured sketches tucked away somewhere that you look at from time to time?
AW: No, I don’t use any sketches or drawings on hand. I do normally have a few production pieces, works whose theme I’ve repeated, but for the most part they all come from the top of my head. If you’ve ever watched me do it, you can see that it takes me a few seconds where I’m thinking, “Okay, what am I going to do today? What am I going to do for this next painting?”
AVC: Could you tell me a little bit about the gallery you own in Menasha?
AW: I’m actually standing in it right now as we’re talking. It’s called the Art Affair Gallery and is located at 196 Main St. in downtown Menasha. I represent 52 of the area’s best artists, and most of them have won several awards. I actually just bought it last June, and the previous owner said she just couldn’t make a go of it anymore, and that she needed to get out and was going to shut it down. So I offered to buy it from her for the sake of keeping the art up on the walls and keeping a gallery in our community.
AVC: I also saw on your website that you have plans on breaking a world record?
AW: That’s right. I’m hoping to break the world record for largest spray paint painting ever painted.
AVC: In one session, right?
AW: I’m trying to do it for one session. Now here’s the thing: I’m trying to do it through Guinness, and let’s just say they are a little difficult to deal with. [Laughs.] So I’m having a little bit of a hard time nailing down the category. Because I plan on finishing this thing in one day, in one session, and right now they don’t have a category for that. They do have a category for “largest spray paint painting ever painted,” but that was painted by hundreds of people. That one was 18,000 sq. feet. So, I plan to do one that’s 30,000 sq. feet. And I honestly think I can get it done in one session.
AVC: Maybe this is something you don’t want to unveil, but what’s going to be the subject of the huge painting?
AW: That’s something I cannot reveal yet. [Laughs.] I’ll tell you when I do, though. I’m working out the details, but right now I’m shooting to have it completed the weekend after Labor Day weekend next year.
AVC: That’s if Guinness stops giving you a hard time.
AW: Well yeah, but they are the record keeper for all the records in the world, so I can imagine all the absurd phone calls they get.
AVC: Last two questions: 1.) What is the future of your cosmic art? and 2.) Do you believe in extraterrestrials?
AW: [Laughs.] I plan to continue painting pictures in Madison as long as they want me to be there and as long as I can physically do it. I have never found something I enjoying doing as much as I enjoy painting pictures of State Street. Apart from State Street, I hope to grow as an artist until the day I die. If I’m not painting pictures, I’m going to be thinking about painting pictures. Now, as far as extraterrestrials go, I’ll tell you this right now: I’ve never met any that I know of, but I’d be really surprised if there’s nothing out there. [Laughs.]
