Artist Chloe Trujillo is a mother to her two children and wife to her famous husband, world renowned bassist Robert Trujillo of METALLICA fame. She grew up in Paris and is all about creating intriguing works of art and showing us all that creativity is only limited by ones imagination. She is most well known for a pyrography (woodburning) design of the Aztec Calendar she did for one of her man’s bass guitars, taking ‘art on instrument’ to a whole new level. With some newer works completed, including the Psyche Dias de Los Muertos bass guitar design, Chloe Trujillo is working harder than ever in 2011 to keep her ‘art’ alive.
The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody recently conducted an interview with artist Chloe Trujillo for his loyal army of Den Headz worldwide.
Rocket: First off, how has the new year in 2011 been treating you?
Chloe: Wow I can’t believe it’s February already!! 2011 has been great so far, everything moving on full speed!! Tons of projects,tons of awesome opportunities and already tons of things getting done!!!
Can you tell how energy is shifting, our personal power intensifying? I see around me change is coming faster and faster and if we focus on the things we’d love to create. I believe this year will bring it to us! I think we are transitioning in a new era where reality as we know it will finally reveal its true self to us and change our perceptions for good.
Rocket: In our last interview (Dec/’09) you had just finished a Psychedelic-dias de los muertos-painted bass for your husband Robert, correct? What can you tell us about that one?
Chloe: Yes, Robert is pictured with it on the Met Club New Year’s card of last year! What I can say is that Robert brought me this beat up bass guitar that he loves to play and asked me if I could paint something on it. So I did! I wanted to keep the scrapes and bangs it had on it and I kept the old paint underneath.
Then I started painting, without anything in mind, but my husband, so of course a “Dias de Los Muertos” theme appeared to me. I thought about the colors, his Mexican heritage, the skulls, etc… I added my own flavor to it with some personal touches, like a french message inside the snake, a specific number of stars and other details I won’t give away… keeping the mystery alive!
Rocket: What about the Aztec warrior bass? Did you ever get it started?
Chloe: I was so busy, I actually just completed an Aztec warrior surfboard. You’ll be able to view it on the ceiling of the new Billabong store at Universal Citywalk!
Rocket: That is awesome. You also said something about painting a surfboard for your husband. Was that something he asked you to do or was it your idea?
Chloe: He’s the one that triggered the idea. I painted 2 so far. One of them I just told you about. The other one, actually the first one I made, has a great story! I can’t reveal too much of it yet, but I actually channeled very deep images while working on it, more intense than ever before,and I was unsure about how I could explain these later on… I just painted everything on the board and you’ll hear more about it very soon I believe!
Rocket: Of course my personal favorite is your artwork on the “Aztec” bass that Robert can be
seen rocking out on stage with Metallica. Again, you did what is called pyrography (woodburning) and
it’s a design of the Aztec Calendar. When you are working on something like this for Robert do
you wait and show him when you’re totally completed or does he watch you as you go from the start
and offer suggestions?
Chloe: He sees the work as it progresses, but leaves me total freedom!!
Rocket: As I understand it, there’s only certain types of light colored hardwood that are best for pyrography art, correct? Like sycamore, beech and birch?
Chloe: Yes, softer woods will definitely be easier to work on, problem is I don’t have much of a choice working on wooden instruments! The resonance, the sound of the instrument is the first priority, then I deal with the hardness of the wood.
Rocket: Who are your personal favorite painters/artists?
Chloe: I have so many to list them all, so here are a few: I love Medieval, Gothic art,the “Enluminures” especially. Love Flemish artist like Jan Van Eyck, Jan Toorop, love also Hieronymus Bosh. I’m just naming names as they come to my head… sorry if it’s unorganized… Love also German Expressionism, Symbolism, artists like Gustav Klimt, Max Beckmann, Edward Munch, Otto Dix, Vincent Van Gogh. Another thing I’ve always loved is poster art, Art Nouveau, Alfons Mucha, Gustave, Moreau, Toulouse-Lautrec, the wall papers of Voysey…. basically colors, expression, symbolism.
Rocket: What about other art that you are doing? Have you been doing much paint on canvas lately?
Chloe: I am currently painting on a huge wood panel, after that I was asked to do some work on a drum set and a tattoo design for an event in NYC called Burning Ink, so if someone wants to get a unique design from me tattooed, here is your chance (all original drawings will be burned after they’ve been tattooed)!
Rocket: I know you mentioned that you’re writing a children’s book, right? How is that going? Will that
be sold on your website?
Chloe: Yes very soon it’ll be available online, in French only for now, we are getting it translated in English, Spanish and German, stay tuned!
Rocket: You told me before that you were planning on doing some musical gigs in the bay area sharing vocals with a fellow female singer and you’re also writing a fusion-album. How has all that been doing?
Chloe: Yes, wow, we’ve done that, but we recently moved back to LA, so right now I am focusing on finishing all the recordings… I’ve done some vocals on a Frank Zappa cover for his Birthday Bundle Album, it was released December 21st,now I am finishing up two “healing music” songs I co-wrote with two different healers-artists,also finishing up this crazy project I probably told you about in the last interview and working on my own songs all by myself like a big girl! Everything is planned to come out this year!!
Rocket: With your husband performing in the biggest Heavy Metal band in the world, is there
ever a time when you all sit at home and enjoy music together? Besides hard rock, what
other types of music do you and Robert generally enjoy when he’s not playing the heavy stuff?
Chloe: We listen to a lot of different styles of music, we love to play some funky grooves for the kids and get them dancing!
Rocket: Do you have a new year’s resolution for 2011?
Chloe: I have tons of goals, not really a resolution…
Rocket: Now do you have any other art exhibits planned for this year that you are working on or
planning that we need to be aware of?
Chloe: Well I talked about the Burning Ink event in NYC, I’m supposed to be part of some group show in March and April. I’m also going to paint and sing for children in April. Anyway all the info will be posted on my website at www.chloeinart.com and on my facebook page Chloe Trujillo Art.
Rocket: Of all the things you’ve done, drawing, painting, wood burning, what’s the one medium as an artist that you have yet to work in that you would like to see yourself master somewhere in the future?
Chloe: Illustration. I did illustrate a Children’s book and I loved it. I would like to get more into comic books type of illustrations, less words, more images!
Rocket: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone who has not tried to do art,
but is maybe interested in it? How should they get started in your opinion?
Chloe: Put your inner critic aside and have fun. Learn the technique and then free yourself from it.
Find your own self in your creations and they will be unique. And start with what you’re attracted to, don’t be scared. I mean the main thing is starting! That’s the big first step!
Rocket: Thanks very much for taking time to do another interview with me, Chloe. I wish you nothing but the best of luck with all of your endeavors. Any last words for your fans?
Chloe: Thanks, it’s always a pleasure! And thank you to all who have been supporting me, sending me their love and appreciation of my work, hope I will get to meet more of you at one of my shows…Much love to all!!!
http://chloeinart.com/
Great job Chloé !!!!!
Metallica continues to be one of the most influential bands of our time. Their music has been a part of my life since age 13. I am 40 now, and as long as I am on this earth, I will always live and breathe Metal. Thanks to bans like Pantera, slayer and Metallica. Metal Is alive and is continuing to Rock the youth of our current generation. Great article on Chloe Trujillo Randy. She has a talent for art.