Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Miriam Vukich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Miriam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
As an artist…I have learned that the ONLY way to fully realize your full potential as a viable artist is to create exactly what is in your heart and mind. In my previous career (celebrity makeup artist) the “creative choices” weren’t always up to me. I was often only a means to an end, not the driving force of my creative abilities. This is precisely why I am rather single minded in perusing making art that gives me joy and that truly is representative of what is inside my soul. I believe I have a specific vision, that I am compelled to create what speaks to me and have faith that there is an audience that is in alignment. All this being said, I go about making my ‘PunkRockPopArt’ very much in a way a songwriter writes a song…. I tell stories of a sort with my art. The colors are bright and poppy to draw you in and on the surface they can just look like fun, colorful works without any substance or meaning. My work is mostly misunderstood because the context of what I’m trying to convey (through the use of mostly collage) can be overlooked. The idea of being drawn into the work by the color, bold and graphic backgrounds, only to discover that each piece is dropping a message and/or speaking a truth. Much like punk rock music, the messages of what is being said can at times get lost in all of the loudness.
Miriam, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Well, I am a transplant to Detroit from Los Angeles (where I was born and grew up). I have been making art in some form or another literally my entire life. When it came time to choose what I wanted to do for a living, the art I thought I wanted to pursue wasn’t actually a thing at the time, so I segued into makeup artistry (after all, growing up in Hollywood, it was a no brainer). I studied to become a special effects makeup artist (since I had an unwavering love for horror films) and upon completing my studies secured a job at a special effects shop, which I inevitably didn’t end up doing. I instead started working with a lot of friends that had bands at the time, doing videos, album packaging and promotional shoots. This became my career. I was so fortunate to know so many people and was gaining traction from word of mouth. This kind of afterthought or reimagining turned into a 30+ year career as a celebrity makeup artist. “Painting” someone’s face is temporary art of a kind, and while it was at times wholly fulfilling, it wasn’t until I picked up an ink pen or paint brush and drew or painted on paper or canvas that the fulfillment was complete. I am incredibly proud of my illustrious previous career and am so fortunate to have had all the opportunities that I did. While I tried to keep up with (non makeup art) during that time, it wasn’t always easy. My career was pretty demanding at times so there were years of not drawing or painting other than for makeup purposes. Then the pandemic hit and I had nothing but time to make art that was just for art’s sake. This changed the trajectory of my life! It was time to see if I could make art that wasn’t directly tied to another persons face. I decided to incorporate all the art elements I’d come to love over the years…painting, drawing, collage and music. This is where ‘PUNKROCKPOPART’ was born. As I mentioned earlier, music is intrinsic to my art….they go hand-in-hand. I not only am influenced by music when I work, I approach these pieces as songs if you will. I can’t play any instruments or write songs…but I can paint and collage them. I believe the structure is the same, just in a different medium. I’m a creature of my time and of the significance of pop culture has had on my art. I came of age during the early 80s when so much of society and culture was melding from past eras. All of this was influential for me. After the pandemic, I decided to retire from Hollywood, move my entire life to the Midwest and virtually start over. Detroit was it, the perfect place for me to thrive in this completely fortunate next chapter. Like everything in life, being at the right place at the right time is key. Detroit is that for me! I’m so honored to be making even the smallest strides in the incredible art community here. I am finding my way, meeting my ‘folk’, and creating works that are uniquely me.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is that I have no choice and that I am doing exactly the thing I was born to do. I was “given this gift” and am proud to be utilizing it to its fullest capacity. Art (in all its forms) is the one thing that makes me whole. Nothing is more rewarding than that.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I touched on this before…my pivot happened when I left my hometown of Los Angeles in December of 2022 and retired from being a celebrity makeup artist and moved to Detroit Michigan to completely start over and to put all my concentration on art (without the makeup). To move across country to a strange City/State, where I knew no one, completely starting over from scratch, was needless to say…daunting and not without its challenges, but we are given one life and my belief is that you are obligated to make the most of it. I can say without any hesitation that this decision was one of my very best.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://miriamvukich.com
- Instagram: @miriamvukich @miriamvukichgloryart
- Facebook: Miriam Vukich
- Linkedin: Miriam Vukich
Image Credits
Miriam Vukich