Christian Solorzano [00:05]

Hello, you're listening to Underscore, a podcast by the Chicago Graphic Design Club dedicated to bringing you conversations with Chicago's creative leaders. On this podcast, we'll explore the craft, theory, and practice of graphic design, plus discuss bold ideas that push the boundaries of what's possible and ways in which we can create a more thoughtful and inclusive community. To learn more about us, visit our website at www.chicagographicdesign.club or find us on social media. Special thanks to the Chicago band Eighties Slang for our theme music.

iicky [00:44]

Thank you.

Christian Solorzano [00:56]

Hello. Today I'm your host, Christian Solorzano, and I'm speaking with iicky, an artist whose work embraces impermanence and non-traditional materials. His ethos centering around decay, aging, and his father's advice of use what you have and there are no mistakes. His mediums include watercolor, pencil, tea, new and used paper, and he seeks to create work that leaves no trace of environmentally damaging byproducts. Born in Trinidad but raised in the Virgin Islands, today he resides in Chicago.

He was among one of the artists to be featured in our art exhibition, Chicago's Tomorrow Today, his piece being titled Floating Taxis in Hyperspace Near Pluto While Eating Vegan Hot Dogs. So I'm very delighted to be speaking with him today. So welcome, iicky. How are you doing?

iicky [01:55]

I'm doing well. Thank you for having me.

Christian Solorzano [01:58]

So I did some research on you, and I learned that you were born in Trinidad, and you were raised in the Virgin Islands. And I want to know, I want to understand a little bit about your upbringing. And what are your earliest memories of creativity?

iicky [02:17]

Upbringing. Basically a Caribbean life. It's very simple and very easy. We kind of believe in the whole thing of like everything is everything. It's more of a not too much— you're not supposed to be in too much of a rush. You just do things within what you can, your means, I guess. It doesn't matter yeah, economic status either, because you all believe that, kind of, thought process. It's like, you're just really chill, really easy.

But my earliest form of creativity— so my mom and dad were creative people. My dad was a builder, carpenter, and he used to— he was an artist as well, but not really showed it. But this one particular thing they used to do, or my dad and his younger friends and siblings, they would make these things, their tops like spinner tops, and they would have this rope tied around it and they would Spin the top and they would have to like break another person's top.

And as the top hits someone, you have a sharp nail, it splits your top, and then, you're the leader while your top is still spinning. And someone always tried to, as they call it, bust your top. Bust your top. And I remember seeing one when I was really little, and I he told me he made it.

And I was like, it's kind of cool because it's a piece of wood and they have to shave it down, carve it down into like the shape, and then add a nail through it. And then they— it has little grooves to hold a rope, and then they throw it while holding on to the rope and it just spins. So it's almost like a yo-yo type thing too, as well. Because if you flick back, it can like come back to you. Like you can retract it.

But anyway, that was one of my first things that I saw. So for me, I just thought I could do the same thing. I would pick up pieces of wood, put string on them, make like, little houses out of sticks, whatever I could find. Or if I found some of his like leftover like wood or, mechanic spray paint, whatever. But my first actual memory is going into his toolbox and taking out a bunch of markers and drawing on the tile.

And in the Caribbean, Spanish tile or just handmade tile is a very big thing. So it's kind of like an expensive way of making tile. They still do it like the old days when I was growing up. And I drew on one of the tiles to like draw the same flowers or the same design. And that was one of my first memories, but it didn't really quite look like anything because the marker was the same color as the tile.

So I went to the closet and drew a chicken, a chicken, because we have roosters and they wake you up in the morning. So that's what I went and drew. And it was scratchy, very weird looking, very, like how kids draw. And my mom came in and saw it. And she was mad. And she said— she asked me, said, did you do this? And I was like, yeah, I did. And I wanted to be like you guys because they all sketch.

And she looked at me and she was like, all right. So she closed the closet. And then that's fun too. I don't know, it's like, it's kind of like what you would call a secondhand, place where you go get, like supplies. I forgot what it was called, but it was like if something was damaged through a hurricane or someone donated it you can go purchase it or you can purchase to send to the States in a barrel.

So we went, bought me a book, and it was a book impressionism book of all the impressionist artists like Manet, Monet, Degas. And it was my first, anything to, painting or introduction. That was the art book.

Christian Solorzano [06:54]

I love that. I love that you're mentioning those tops because I spent a lot of time in Mexico growing up and we call them trompos.

iicky [07:04]

Yeah, that's okay.

Christian Solorzano [07:06]

Yeah. So I'm very familiar and it's not easy to— it's not easy to play with those. So I always admire the people that were able to, do it the right way and it spins for a very long time.

iicky [07:16]

And yeah.

Christian Solorzano [07:20]

Yeah. So at what point do you, do you decide to sort of commit yourself to following this journey or this path of just creativity and actually, not having it just be a hobby, but having it be something that you that is just part of your being?

iicky [07:40]

It's been kind of a while that I've done it as like just about like a, I will not stop doing it. But I did take a break from painting and drawing and sketching for a little while, and I started to focus more on like I just, I used to distress denim or use a style of like shiseko wabi-sabi stitching. It kind of focused on that when I first moved to Chicago.

But it's— the sketching has always been there, but I just— I don't think it's ever gonna leave. It's always gonna be a part of me. So me starting back to paint, I wanted to start back at zero, so I kind of like yeah, the word purposely sounds a little more negative or a little bit more harsh, but I wanted to make a point to feel like I was starting over in certain styles and using certain techniques to make the work feel new every time.

So I can't really say it's gonna be all the time. That I will be creating, but I feel like my approach should always be brand new.

Christian Solorzano [09:01]

Yeah, I love that. And I really want to get into— on your website, you describe as sort of like part of, part of your process, you rely on these ideas of no mistakes, wabi-sabi, and green. And I want to get into each of these one by one because I find them so fascinating and I And I relate to them. They just really speak to me. So can we start off by just No Mistakes?

You write, while working, the unexpected happens, but you must finish what you start. So how does that come across through the work that you're doing?

iicky [09:46]

So I learned about watercolor when I went to art school, I was pretty young when I went to art school. It was a school for like— it started as an after-school program or school for kids that were gifted in the arts. And it was gearing you for college. But this school was for students who were like maybe in the 11th grade or a senior in high school. I went very early.

So to me, it was a little uncomfortable because most of my peers at the school— they weren't my peers, but most of the students that were there, they were like maybe 5 or 6 years older than me. So for me, it was a little uncomfortable, but I did learn how to, be a part of the class. But, my personal life could not be a part of, that class.

For me, learning in the classes was like maybe doubly intense, I guess you could call it something like that. So what I would do when we were getting assignments first off, I couldn't do the nudes. So I would, I could, I would be in a different room when they had the nudes. And but I was given like a watercolor kit. And I was able to do some of my favorite things. So my dad played baseball. And so I would draw baseball players.

And I would make then what I thought was mistakes because watercolor is unforgiving. You don't really have white to it. The paper is the white. And there's a different flow from painting with oil and acrylic. It's backwards. So learning to do that was kind of more— it was a lot easier for me because my mind was open, because I was a little bit younger, and I was just gonna do the approach to the teacher told me.

So if the instructor gave you an assignment, you just do it, and you follow the instructor's assignment, you— instructions, you just plain as how they would say it, because I'm very literal and I've always been literal. But for me, the watercolor started in an area where I saw frustration. And my father would say, there's no— you don't make mistakes, so just keep going. If you think it's a mistake, then you fail. You lose the opportunity for that piece to actually become something.

Even if even if you finish and you don't like it was created. It was invented. So you should not, be so hard on yourself for thinking you made a mistake because you have to get that word out to your mind. So the word mistake is really my dad's influence. If you live on an island and you know he's a carpenter.

And he's building a cabinet and say a piece of wood is too short or a piece of wood is warped because we on the island, you have moisture, et cetera, et cetera. They use a lot of mahogany wood, but, sometimes you get like wood from the States or sometimes you get, secondhand wood. But if it doesn't work out, you don't sit there and just oh, I can't finish the job. Reinvent the cabinet.

You may make a door or something different, but just knowing that and learning and understanding, whenever you start something, you have to finish it because, you don't really have time to waste because your time is very important. So thinking about what you did wrong or thinking about something that you feel that didn't work out wastes your time, and you won't have enough time to finish. So that's kind of the important take from it.

Christian Solorzano [13:52]

No, I like that a lot. It reminds me of a, of a, of a Zen Buddhist practice titled the Art of Immediacy. And it's this idea of just doing things like intuitively, like something happens, you just take a detour and you do something else. And it's not about, sitting there and being like, oh, what do I do now? It's just, a spill happens and then you sort of follow it and see where it takes you.

iicky [14:25]

That's exactly it.

Christian Solorzano [14:27]

Yeah, I like that a lot. So, and it definitely comes across in a lot of the work that I've seen, that I've seen, that I've seen on your website and in other places. And then now going into the, your second bullet that you have on your website, which you called— which you say wabi-sabi, which I absolutely I just love that philosophy. Tell us a little bit, maybe for someone that is listening that has no idea, what is wabi-sabi?

iicky [15:00]

So it's like the impermanence of like the same thing we were talking about, it's allowing things to age, allowing things to be as it is. So that's the simplest way I can say it. If someone really would want to understand wabi-sabi, I'd say the research is really important. Is a very important part for me because wabi-sabi lends a hand in showing you things in nature, things in life, like your personal life, aging. Like me, I started going gray when I was super young. And bother me.

But learning about, things that are finally going into a direction that you have no control is beautiful. And it's the beauty within those things that you can see that you don't think is beautiful. So I try to not, go too deep into it because I can get a little extra nerdy, but I try to make it really simple. But it's just a practice. It's a very important practice. It's a Japanese way of thinking in life.

The 2 words are separated and are different, but they just lend a factor together to make things as what you would not really take time to pay attention to.

Christian Solorzano [16:37]

Yeah. And I also, I think wabi-sabi, in my opinion, it goes, it seems so counterintuitive to how we define value, at least in the West.

And it's interesting to, because I'm sure you've seen this, but there's definitely I think there's a, there's a, there's an appreciation for things that are aged and things that look worn. And sometimes to the point, that fascination goes to the point where it becomes like this faux wabi-sabi, where— and I think there's a, there's a very— Yeah. There's a distinction between like authentic wabi-sabi, which is like a rusty bridge. Yes, a bridge that's brand new that was made to look rusty.

iicky [17:32]

No, I completely understand. So I'll go to textiles because my mom was a person that created with textiles. She did upholstery, she was a dressmaker. And when she found a fabric that had a hole in it, or she was looking for fabric, and it may have been like something nice like silk. Silk is very hard to come by, even, because the process alone too.

But if the silk had a hole in it, she wouldn't complain or go to the person like, yo, hey, your silk has holes in it. In other words, and instead she would like buy it. Tell them that they were. Maybe my mom is a haggler, so she would always ask for a deal. And she was like, maybe you can give me a deal on that because it has a hole in it.

And I would see my mom take that and take it home and sew a flower design around the hole. So the beauty of what the textile had, maybe an accident or maybe like Maybe bugs or a little insect dot to it, but still using what that piece had to endure and creating something beautiful around it. So to be in that kind of stuff, it was normal. I was telling a friend the other day, baseball is big on the islands. It's like really big.

But sometimes you lose your glove. Sometimes you lose a ball. We have this— I don't know if you may know about this, but we have these things we call cardboard gloves. Just get a piece of cardboard, put a hole in it, you put this string or the tape around it, and you use it to catch. And when I explained this to them, they were like, there's no way that's a real thing.

I was like, it may not be a real thing, but I grew up— we did, we did that. Or I made that for my siblings so that they could play baseball. Or I'll make a I'll make a baseball for them out of like tape and different things. But we use all the things around us that we saw that no one would want. It was discarded. So it then becomes pretty or beautiful because we made something out of it. So that's my introduction to the wabi-sabi lifestyle.

But it's just understanding that certain things look better when it's older. Certain things have a little bit more beautification when you patch something over and over and over again, and you have a story behind the patching.

Christian Solorzano [20:21]

Yeah, it's like the, like the, I believe it's pronounced kintsugi. Like you break your teacup. And rather than discarding it, you embellish it with gold and you use the gold to emphasize its flaws. And it— And it adds beauty to it. So I have a sweater of mine that I've been meaning to— like, it's so old, like it literally has big holes on the elbows.

And I've been wanting to like repair it to like, just like the sweater is gray. And I'm like, it'd be so cool if, rather than patching, stitching with gray thread, if I did, the complete opposite, it was, hot pink or, like a contrasting color. And I guess, how do you— I want— I'm very curious about your thoughts in regards to the computer and artificial intelligence.

iicky [21:25]

Man, I don't know about that one. Kind of bad about that one. AI and computer— me with creativity, within creativity so I'm getting ready to actually get a new iPad so I can start putting— doing artwork on it. I've never done it. I've never actually used a computer to create anything digitally. Once, created a little character. Little— looks like those little box characters that people use. I don't even know what it was. But anyway, it was my first time ever trying.

I didn't think it was really something I would like because I like pen to paper. I like touching paper. I like tearing paper. I like, using something that my hands can actually touch. But that's that being said, it's the same way, and Johan is touching a computer, so— but me personally, I don't know. I don't have anything to say about that. I think, I think people who can do it, because I've seen some people's work and I like, I'm blown away.

I was like, how is it that they're able to do that? But I guess, people can say the same thing about someone who's drawing or painting on a canvas. So, oh, I know experience.

Christian Solorzano [22:51]

Well, that was, that was a very nice answer.

iicky [22:55]

I have no idea.

Christian Solorzano [22:57]

Yeah, no, it's interesting because I was listening to an interview with an, with an artist that makes electronic music, and they were saying that electronic music is no different than making music with like a, like a guitar or like drums or anything, because essentially their argument is that electricity is nature. And that a computer is nature because it's made by humans. And also, yeah, and I, and it's a, and it was by an artist that I like really respect.

And I was just all right, I could see that, like a synthesizer, like a drum machine. Is it any different than, playing the physical drums or? I don't know. So I'm trying to find ways to embrace AI and all that stuff.

iicky [23:58]

But— Okay, so maybe I could say this at the end. This is just an addition. So it depends on the generation. I personally think that the generation now have the opportunity to use the things that are available to them and the computer, which is like, the AI, et cetera. So to them, that's what they know. So, I just learned that some kids don't even know how to tell time on a clock, like a physical clock.

I was, I was kind of befuddled by this because I was like, well, how would you not know? But if you don't if you don't know, you don't know, period. If you've never, you've never experienced it. Same like what I was saying, I didn't experience the AI or computer art or just creative during that. But for them, I think that is valid now. Now that you mentioned that the computer electricity is, etc., because the computer was man-made, I understand it.

I get what that, what the creative, the artist is saying. So it can be validated by that. But for me, I can't say that because I've seen the other side as well. In comparing now, I can have an idea and I can have my opinion. But if it sounds the same to them as how it sounds like old music, because when the first recording was on that old recorder with the big phone, whatever that thing is called, like the mega— what is it called?

Christian Solorzano [25:38]

The gramophone, I think.

iicky [25:40]

Yeah, and the music was sped up. Life, it— the person speaking compared to what the sound came out of that, it was, it was sped up. It was like a little more intense. So that was a change. And then it slowed down and it became just like black and white TV, black and white TV, and then it turned into color. So for them, it's the same thing, at least in my— in Within my reasoning of thinking, I would give them that as well.

Christian Solorzano [26:10]

Yeah. And it's also just interesting how much the whatever existing current medium, how that shapes or informs how we view reality. So to your point about if you, if all you know is black and white TV or music that sounds like this, or whatever it is that you're working with, it sort of dictates maybe the possibilities that are in your mind.

I don't know, because it's— I don't know, it's just interesting to think about how, what's the relationship between what's possible and what are the things that make those things possible?

iicky [26:57]

No, I feel you on that. Yeah, I agree with you.

Christian Solorzano [27:00]

But I will say that from my experience working in— working with your hands, like with analog media, there is something about the process of actually physically interacting with your subject that I think a computer Perhaps accomplishes it like in a, in a totally different way. Like you can't, like even like wabi-sabi, like wabi-sabi requires time. To go by. And I don't know if time is something that the computer could mimic. Could things age on the computer?

iicky [27:44]

Computer ages within the moment you touch it is already, what is so I mean, no and yes. With value, yes, it's aged. If you still have an iPhone, what, 10? That's considered— so within retrospect, it just— I guess you have to just have more of an understanding of like the tech side of it. And I am techie, and if anybody's a techie out there, I hope you don't attack me. I have no big understanding of like how it would age.

No, I don't think— I don't think so. But somebody could probably correct us within its age— aging. It could be simultaneously to something else we don't have an understanding to. So.

Christian Solorzano [28:35]

The only thing I could think of is like, for instance, looking at a photograph that you took with, let's say, like an iPhone 3.

And looking at it on an iPhone 14, and that photo has now aged because our perception of quality has shifted. So in graphic design, I see a lot of filters that graphic designers will use to apply to their work, to their digital work, that then makes that digital work look like it was let's say printed and then scanned. And it's just this like filter that makes things look aged? It's just interesting to think about. My brain is going in so many different directions right now.

iicky [29:24]

That makes sense because within retro— well, within understanding the word sabi is where it's like old, rustic, like patina, patchy, holey, etc. But then you have the other side, which is wabi. So it could have the connection to the digital because it's closer to like something new, something tasteful. I We can, we can make it work somewhere in there, but I'm just— I mean, that's another— that's what I was like, I don't know, that's— this whole— this could be a terrible rabbit hole.

I will do more research and I will get back to you on that. I will, I will actually figure this out. One thing I love is research things. So yeah.

Christian Solorzano [30:25]

Yeah. All right. Yeah, maybe there'll be like a part 2.

iicky [30:29]

Yeah, do the part 2, come up with that part, the digital side.

Christian Solorzano [30:33]

So let's go into green that you describe as aim to create and live in a way that is good for the environment and health. What does that mean to you?

iicky [30:47]

It's so simple, it's like almost kind of like sounds silly to even answer it, but for me, going green is kind of like the hardest thing that us as humans right now can do. Yeah, everyone is doing their part, everyone can do their part but then, there are certain things that kind of like kick back at it.

But when it comes to art, I get like kind of nervous talking about, saying about like how art is, but we're one of the most— we contribute terribly to the environment. Our waste is at a level where some people wouldn't even really want to think about. Oil and acrylic. Acrylic is a plastic form base of paint. Oil, you have to use a certain chemical to break it down, to soften it. And for the most part, a lot of that waste goes down drain.

And we dump it in a sink, we clean it out with water, we discard our plastics or whatever we use supplies, paintbrushes. We don't really hold on to those things. We discard them. And they have a lot of toxins on them or in them. And we don't really think about it because art is like beautiful. It beautifies.

You get a pass when, you may be dumping linseed oil down the sink, or, you open a tube of paint and it smells rotten, and you just like squeeze it out into like a cup, dilute it, and then you dump it or flush it or whatever. We don't, we don't think about, I haven't, I haven't perfected this yet, but I'm still working on it, is reusing my watercolor paper or my watercolor pigment water that's been used.

I'm trying to use osmosis to try to let the water clean, let the pigment settle and have the clean water go through the plastic bag. It's still difficult. I'm still learning it. So again, don't put me too deep into it on that one. But for the most part, going green is like essentially just trying to take out a lot of these little mini factors because I heard— I've always heard that some things are toxic, so don't put the paintbrush in your mouth.

How many times have you heard from an artist, they were thinking while drawing and accidentally put the paintbrush in their mouth and they have to go get their mouth flushed? Or get a drop of paint in your face or your eye and you have to go get your eyes flushed, etc? So it's like that old thing say, whatever you use, you should be able to eat it still. I don't know if you hear that. Kind of like they say. We can't eat our art supplies, man.

So just think about what we're putting on these papers, these canvas, etc. But that's a whole nother story, and I could get some artists mad at me and some other environmentalists get real vexed. But to me, I feel like going green is just using a lot of the same things that I have around me. So if I have a friend that has a sketchpad that he's gonna discard, hey, I'll take it and I'll use it, and I'll use every piece of paper.

I'll even use the cardboard on the back of the like the sketchpad that's holding all the paper. I'll use the paper on the front. I'll use every piece of it. Nothing's getting thrown away.

And that's my way of looking at it as going green using different solutions, if there's paper that's biodegradable, if there is paintbrushes that can be rebristled or, get new brushes put back on there, finding out what, what's more organic than what's manmade, plastics using instead of using like a poly sketch, poly, like paint holder, or little things you put your paint in. You can get some made out of China or pottery or something. You can, you can use the same things over and over again.

Like if you have an old toothbrush, and this is my favorite. We throw away a lot of toothbrush. And I don't throw away the toothbrush. I cut it, shave it, and then I use it to do splatter for paint. So I put a little bit of paint on there, water and paint, and I splat it and I get the little effect that I need. Like markers, old markers still have life.

You can add, you can take out all the stuff out of it and you can use the little filter tip. To create something too, or even smash it down and make it like, a part of the piece where you have texture. I mean, there's so much like things to do. There was a point where I was walking around with a coffee cup, paper coffee cup, and the lid. Like, for instance, the coffee lid. You should keep that because it's a coaster.

A lot of people don't realize it's a coaster because when you turn it to— it's the same way you put it on the top, and you can put your cup on the middle in it, and it's a circle for the bottom of your cup. And I use those to hold my watercolor paints. And I put it in there.

I've been walking around with a metal can that I used to store my watercolor for like maybe 30 years, and I painted out of it when I traveled, and I still have it. Like things like that, using glass more instead of plastic. If you do use that stuff, learn where you can discard it. And that's the part on green. I mean, there's a lot more to say, but we can run on talking about that.

Christian Solorzano [37:37]

Yeah, no, I like that. And it also, I think it allows for your work to be sustainable in the sense that it lets you— maybe the proper word is it gives you permission to keep creating because you, you're you have an ab— like, it's almost like an abundance mindset of where, you look at everything out, everything around you is a— yeah, it's something that you could collaborate with. It could be that you pick up a stick on the, on the side of the sidewalk and you—

iicky [38:13]

Exactly. I've— I have a bunch of sticks in my little jars that I use to drag like ink on the pen or the canvas or whatever. So yes, that's exactly right. And then you have, you have the opportunity of learning like what fruits and vegetables can leave a stain and dye. And, like tea bags or, not that I don't really use a lot of tea bags, but like tea has its own way of staining. Matcha has a great stain. It's not the—

Christian Solorzano [38:44]

It is.

iicky [38:45]

Because it's green, it's stone milled, it stays the same color, but sometimes it comes out brown. You can use black tea, you can use hojicha tea as one of— oolong tea is a really good one to stain with. And, coffee is brilliant, but it's so acidic. A lot of stuff is acidic. So by using this, it will erode. And that's why I always say, well, These things that I'm using, it may, it may change the product, it may change the piece, the artwork.

But then again, that's the whole suit of finding wabi-sabi. It's supposed to age and beautify and change, and you have a new story every day. But, it's just learning and keep going and keep trying new things.

Christian Solorzano [39:34]

And I was reading something about you and I discovered that you mentioned working with tea right now, but you like emphasize working with tea on your website. And I wanna learn more about what's your relationship with tea. I know you drink matcha based on what I've seen on your social media.

iicky [40:03]

So, yeah.

Christian Solorzano [40:03]

Tell me a little bit about— I love tea. I, I'm like a real— like, I drink tea religiously, so I love speaking with other people that also—

iicky [40:14]

Enjoying some right now. Okay, so I think in the Caribbean it's a lot of cultures, but a lot of people— colonialism of it was tea was big export-import and sugar as well. 'Cause, people needed a cube of sugar to go with the tea. So sugarcane, cotton, et cetera. But it was a main lifestyle growing up. That's all I knew. You wake up in the morning, you have a hot cup of tea. By the afternoon, you get another hot cup of tea.

So it was like, traditionally, it was like, most islands are all like that. So for us, you started out drinking simple tea. My mom she's from Trinidad as well, and they drink a lot of green teas and chai. But it's like cardamom tea and different things like that, and black tea as well. But growing up, that's the only thing I knew. So I was introduced to matcha tea in a different way because matcha is considered green tea in the islands.

And it was more for like when you weren't feeling well. So if you weren't feeling well, like say, I don't know, like you're a kid, you're not feeling too well, they'll give you matcha. But matcha to a little kid has a lot of caffeine. So kind of gives you the good properties, it gives you the good, whatever, but it'll boost you and you'll get up, you'll be moving again soon. So it was kind of like, that's kind of like how I look at matcha.

And when I came to the States, I still drink it, I still drank it, but I've never— it's going to sound weird to some of the matcha drinkers, but I didn't know you could add milk. To matcha. So 5 years ago, like literally, because whenever I drink it, I drink it because of course, you get— you can get the milled, stone-milled powder and tea leaves, right? You can get— there are different versions too, but the matcha powder is the best.

So when I got— when I started getting matcha powder, I never added milk or added— I don't really drink milk, like milk substitutes, because really we didn't really get a lot of milk growing up. So for me it was like, this is kind of weird. And I tried a matcha. I was like, why does it taste— it tastes good, but it didn't taste perfect. So for me, I started adding sugar to it, and I realized you don't have to add sugar to matcha when it's plain.

So I still, I still get a matcha latte. I still, of course, I indulge in it. I love it. It tastes good. It's kind of like something I always enjoy, but the new way of drinking is just introduced to me just like 5 years, 5, 6 years ago.

Christian Solorzano [43:32]

So what's your favorite, what's your favorite tea to drink?

iicky [43:36]

Man, I like hojicha. You can add different flavors to it too. I like hojicha tea a lot. If you add milk to it tastes like Cheerios.

Christian Solorzano [43:48]

So that one is, that one is, it's like slightly roasted, right? And then like the opposite is kukicha and that's the one I like.

iicky [43:58]

Yeah. Kukicha is amazing as well. It has flavor. It doesn't, cuz sometimes when you drink matcha, it could, it could have a bitter taste if it's not the right. But like hojicha and kukicha is a it has the same flavor. It has the same taste. I mean, again, this could be a conversation that I could go into and have all the matcha heads get vexed with me. But some— I like mixing mine culturally. Mix matcha and chai.

I grew up drinking a lot of chai, so chai is my favorite go-to. But I, I've never had chai with like real milk. So like growing up, my mom was like this wild— well, I mean, I shouldn't say wild. She used to be wilding though. But she would make oat water. So we would— we eat a lot of oats. Oats and like the ting in the morning.

And then of course like a fried Johnny cake, and then you'll put a little bit of like some goat cheese in there or whatever, and some fried plantains. That's breakfast. And when you get oat— so when the oat was— if you didn't finish your oat, my mom would take the oat and press it and put it in like this little thing, and you get oat water. And then she would it'll be our little milk, especially hurricane season. At least in my house.

I mean, some people could argue with me about this one, but my mother used to press the oat down and the water at the bottom would be something she would flavor tea with. Sometimes she'll put into like the dough to make Johnny cake or fried bread or fried dumpling. And so, that's how I kind of enjoy my tea is with a little bit of, a little dash of oat milk.

Christian Solorzano [45:53]

We'll have to talk more tea outside of this podcast because I Like I said, a big fan. So I wanna talk a little bit about your actual work and some of the subject matter that you focus on. I found your piece titled Floating Taxis in Hyperspace Near Pluto While Eating Vegan Hot Dogs to be fascinating. So is— do you, do you consider your work to be autobiographical, or where does, where does the work come from?

iicky [46:31]

So that's awesome that you said that. So every character or every person, it's someone I know or I'm related to. So all the names like the people's names, they're actual people. I grew up with, or they're like part of the family. So yes, it is autobiographical. So this particular piece is— so taxi drivers in the Caribbean are, they're some of the wealthiest people because they can do tours and they can get tourists because of tourism.

Which is one of the main way of income for the island. Just straight up, it's like everything is sourced around the ships come into the docks. We have like sub-bases a different place in the Virgin Islands, and then you have the regular, Charlotte Amalie area that the ships come in. Sometimes the ship can't come in because it's too— the tide was too low, so they stay out in the deeper side and then they send the little ferries in.

When you see those ships, that means if you're working in any of these industries, that means you were making money. So the taxi driver to me was one of the most important characters to actually develop. So when they asked me for the project, I wanted to collate the same thing. Here in Chicago, taxi drivers are probably having the same kind of issue that happened in the Caribbean. Losing it to like Uber, Lyft, etc., even self-driving cars.

And for me, I didn't add the person's name in this one, but it's just more about the action. So the title is just describing what he is experiencing. He's waiting all the way out at Pluto and he's enjoying— oh, because I try to eat plant-based as best as possible. The vegan hot dog is my throw-in to catch people like what is a vegan Chicago hot dog? This is impossible. And so, but it correlates to Chicago, and Chicago has its like, thing about the Chicago hot dog.

And I wanted to add that. But yes, he's a character that I know here that drives a taxi. One of the first people I met. So.

Christian Solorzano [49:12]

Yeah, I love the title. And Portillo's has really nice vegan hot dogs.

iicky [49:19]

After I put up the piece, everyone told me, I was like, yeah, I have never been there. And one of my friends, he was so vexed with me to find out I've been living in Chicago for so long and I never went to Portillo's. I was like, I don't see any reason to go to it, but all right.

Christian Solorzano [49:38]

Yeah, they used to do like their vegan hot dogs. Well, recently they introduced where now there's like a vegan, like the vegan meat in it, so it's like a Garden Dog. But before then, instead of the meat, it was a pickle.

iicky [49:53]

Yeah, I could do that.

Christian Solorzano [49:56]

Yeah, but now it's like, now you got like the the— I think it's, I think it's like a Field Roast, like vegan sausage or something, but it's really good. So is there anything that you're currently working on or anything like what's going on lately? Anything you want to mention? I know you, you're very involved in art shows throughout Chicago and anything you want to shout out?

iicky [50:24]

I mean, shout out to all my favorite artists in Chicago. 'Cause there's a lot of artists who I'm very influenced by and proud to even like see their work in person at times. But I am working on a project right now. There's 2 projects where I'm using some larger format pieces and larger format paper. And they're actually like, the paper's in bad condition. So I am actually going to do a complete show wabi-sabi. It won't be frames. It won't be— I won't use the frames.

I won't use your traditional way of putting the show up. So I'm working through that right now. I have 1 or 2 more pieces to finish. I think it might be— it'll be a large number of pieces, anywhere close to like almost 40 pieces. So I'm working on that. That will be Coming up pretty soon. And if we do a part 2, I can, I can say when because I'm still working through it. Maybe doing the installation in the next few weeks.

Christian Solorzano [51:38]

Okay, well, that's exciting. Yeah, certainly let us know when you get more details. So if anyone wants to get in touch with you, or if anyone wants to find you, what's the best way for someone to get in touch?

iicky [51:53]

Personally, I kind of keep a very low-key and very low level in everything. But if you are looking for work or looking for art or trying to— I mean, just communication is one of the lowest parts sometimes. I'm working very much so, I can admit it. A lot of my friends will tell you, it's like, yeah, you keep Probably won't. He probably won't. You probably won't see him. I'm very low key.

But my website has my email on the bottom of it, which is website, and it's a little different compared to like the other one I had recently. But you can contact me there, or you can contact me on I guess Instagram. I don't really like. Pick up the Instagram thing a lot. If it has to be like accepted, I probably I'm sorry out there who have like tried to text me or email me, not text me, DM me, and I didn't respond.

It's because I don't know that I have to accept some of them, and I don't see them really. That's because I don't really go direct messages. So but you can do a direct message. Just. Shoot me an email. That will help me best.

Christian Solorzano [53:18]

Okay, sounds good. I respect that. And so before we, before we end here what are you listening to currently? What are any— anything interesting, or music, movies?

iicky [53:35]

Man, I love music. Music is like the fuel. Music and tea is the fuel to, my creativity, to be very honest. So when it comes to what am I listening to, that's kind of hard to answer because I like the new music. But I'm one of those people, I just always go back to the same old tunes. Of course I love Miles Davis, as everyone does, because everyone has learned more about jazz through Miles Davis. But I like Bill Evans. I like Duke Ellington.

Jazz is one of my bigger influences, but lo-fi is my new go-to, my new— well, not new. I've been listening for a little bit, but I call it, compared to jazz. Newer. I love lo-fi music or lo-fi, I don't know if that's the correct term but right now I am— let me see, what's the name of the song? I have to find it.

It's like, it's kind of like what you were talking about, like the electronical music that make— there's a few songs that is just all electric, like all computer-based, and that has really been like giving me some good things. I listen to Bob Marley jazz Brazilian jazz because my dad played it all the time, and Cuban jazz as my dad played that all the time. So, and my family, they're my dad's my dad's family, they're all from either Santo Domingo or Cuba or those kind of places.

So the music that we listened to, it was hip-hop, merengue, and a big influence on Latino music.

Christian Solorzano [55:40]

Do you have a favorite, a favorite movie?

iicky [55:43]

Movie, current or old?

Christian Solorzano [55:46]

Just in general, like what's your go-to?

iicky [55:48]

Man Empire Strikes Back. Or Back to the Future. Oh, nice.

Christian Solorzano [55:59]

I just— I watched Back to the Future for the first time maybe like 2 years ago. And then I watched all of them because I can't believe I lived so long without watching any of them. And yeah, they're great. Any—

iicky [56:16]

For me is anything with Denzel. Washington and what's his name, the guy that played Pirates of the Caribbean? Yeah.

Christian Solorzano [56:30]

Johnny Depp's style is very wabi-sabi.

iicky [56:33]

Yes, when it comes to style, him and Lenny Kravitz are probably my favorite.

Christian Solorzano [56:41]

Yeah, very similar. Awesome. Well, this was great. Thank you so much for taking the time. I enjoyed learning more about you. And I look forward to yeah, to continuing to connect. I certainly want to keep in touch. And hopefully once you get more details about your upcoming art show or just any show that you're doing, let us know and we're more than happy to promote it through the club.