ANTHONY CAFRITZ Dry Heave 2018 mixed media Photo: courtesy of Salem Art Works
ANTHONY CAFRITZ Gauloises 2013 mixed media Photo: courtesy of Salem Art Works
Anthony, tell us about your childhood? I was born in Washington, D.C. I was raised by people from all over the city and the world. I had the fortune to travel as a child. During my youth, I was exposed to and taught many things. I was very lucky to have had so many mentors. Every day, I hear their voices. I am the amalgamation of them all. And what propelled you into art? Or, rather who might have instigated your talent into taking it to a serious level? In my childhood, I was immersed in the arts and artmaking. My mother would take me to her friends’ studios before I could walk. My parents would take our family to openings and museums and other cultural events. My mother is a painter and my father studied art. It’s in my blood. Tell us about your relationship with music? It is great to learn new things. It is also amazing to evolve oneself. The more you do, the more you
see the relativeness in everything. I am also lucky to be able to write music and have sung in a band and for other projects. I have always loved music, all kinds of genres. There is nothing like a live show. When I am working in the studio or just thinking, music becomes the conduit for evolving the ideas in the air. Music also gives those hours a cadence to follow while clarifying the actions I take in real time. How do you create challenges for yourself in music so that you are in the position of always having something new to try and learn? I am learning how to play the harmonica. People must ask you how you manage to make things happen. What would you say are the insider’s golden rules to follow if they should like to succeed in creating a mission that benefits so many on all levels. What do they have to believe? Keep things very real. Keep things very simple.
Never give up. Work as hard as you can and then work harder. Work smartly and effectively. If you have any resources, regardless of what form they take, see them as aspects of energy. Honor them and be very careful how they are utilized. Do you also teach at SAW? I taught welding some years back. Gary Humphreys and Adam Sorrano now teach this workshop. They are strong mentors and do a great job. It is hard for me to take blocks of time off to teach during a season. Tell us about one of the most important moments in your life that you have had? What did you learn? What I see every day is preciously fleeting. I think trying to be in the moment is extremely important. Starting SAW is where I cultivated everything that I previously learned into a confluence. This foundation became the reservoir, the touchContinued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2020 • 21