Surrealist Artist Petecia Le Fawnhawk Creates Desert Magic from the Subconscious

Artist:
Petecia Le Fawnhawk
Photography:
Petecia Le Fawnhawk
Words:
Erica Nichols

Soulful surrealism has become as much a part of artist Petecia Le Fawnhawk’s being as her right arm. It’s instinctual, an extension of her innermost thoughts and perspectives. Inspired by desert landscapes—a climate she gladly left at 18 but recently found herself returning to—Le Fawnhawk’s work expresses a romantic minimalism that most avoid exploring. In fact, the deeper into her own subconscious she goes, the better. From searching for inspiration to sitting down and creating, Le Fawnhawk taps into her intuition without hesitation and sees what comes of it. In our discussion, the visual artist expands on this process and talks about developing her visual voice.

VISUAL PLEASURE Magazine: You’ve said in a past interview that you don’t recall ever “becoming” an artist. What are your earliest memories of creating, and when did you realize it could be your career?

Petecia Le Fawnhawk: [Growing up] we mostly lived in rural places, so my brother, sister, and I would spend our time from sun-up to sun-down exploring and creating in our surrounding landscapes. I guess I never stopped exploring and playing. The only thing that changed was that I had to make a living. After moving to Los Angeles, and becoming a self-made designer and creative director, I had a hard time calling myself an artist because I was afraid I wouldn’t be taken seriously. And I was making a better living as a creative professional than I was as an “artist.” It wasn’t until recently that I felt confident enough to call myself an artist, because I now know I have always been an artist, I just needed to trust and create for myself. By doing that consistently, it naturally has evolved into what you might call a career, a life following my curiosity and giving form to my inner voice and creative impulse.

There’s a romantic, soulful quality to your surrealism. Talk to us about your style, what you’re drawn to when creating, and what inspires you most.

I am drawn to naturalism and purity; minimalism in the way that I seek to strip form down to the essential in search of revealing it’s truth. Truth to me is the fundamental laws that govern the universe and our physical, spiritual, psychological, emotional, and intellectual experience of this universe and the evidence produced through our creations and connections as human beings.

Are your works inspired by your own thoughts or personality, or inspired by external places, people, or ideas?

Yes, I would say my works are products of a process of being guided by my instinct and intuition. Through my work, I’m trying to articulate the language of my subconscious that makes up a lush landscape of my perspective of my experiences through existence thus far. I’m endlessly inspired by nature, and it’s design, by artists who too were or are inspired by the desert and philosophy.

Desolate desert landscapes seem to make up a large part of your work. Talk to us about what the desert and the idea of the West mean to you and why it plays such a significant role in your work.

I spent most of my youth in the high desert of Arizona. When I turned 18, I got out of there never thinking I’d return. But in 2012, Mark and I decided to move there for a year to minimize expenses and maximize art. Doing this, I felt I had returned home literally and figuratively. It was the first time I devoted myself to expressing myself honestly and purely from the heart. The desert was and still is my canvas, my chapel, my playground, my home.

You’ve created works in a variety of mediums. Are there any you’re more drawn to than others? Does the creative impulse come before or after deciding which medium to use?

This all depends. I’m either inspired to want to get my hands on some wet clay to see what takes shape, or I’ll imagine a form or figure in my mind that would be beautifully realized as a clay sculpture. I choose the medium, and sometimes it chooses me. I just follow those impulses without question and am treated to a pleasant surprise either way.

Which of your past projects have resonated with you the most?

Oh man, so many and for so many different reasons. My projects with my husband, Mark Maggiori, leave a lasting impression on my heart. We met as collaborators and after creating films, music videos, photoshoots, and art, they are like artistic mementos, ornamenting our years together as lovers and artists. After recently creating our daughter, Wilderness, we are now collaborators in life.

Talk to us about the role social media plays with artists. Do you feel that your work has changed at all, or do you ever feel pressured from social media to alter or produce work faster?

I have so many feelings about social media. I repel it in one sense, and then I am hopelessly drawn to it in another. It’s a form of social accountability, but also becomes a sort of beast you feel you have to feed. All an illusion I realize, but a very real illusion. On the positive, it’s never been easier to connect directly with like-minded people and facilitate meet-ups. I’m able to share my art with people from all walks of life all over the world. That is pretty incredible.

What are some upcoming projects you’re working on? What’s on the horizon?

I’m working on figuring out how to produce my “digital monumental art” in the physical realm. I’d like to produce my renderings as monumental sculptures in the desert. So I’m looking into how one does that! I just got an Akai production studio, so you might hear some sonic pieces to accompany the visuals soon!