Visual alternate realities captivate me. That probably sums up why I was drawn into the world of steampunk. The worlds that Myke Amend creates on canvas have truly taken the steampunk art scene and flipped them up on their head. I had the pleasure of running into Myke up at World Steam Expo 2010, and had a chance to closely examine his pieces up close. How he comes up with these incredible concepts was beyond my comprehension. But here might be some insight on how the magic works. I was able to pin him down between projects enough for an interview.

JS: Myke, how would you put what Steampunk means to you?

“To me, the highest form of ‘Steampunk’ is innovation, ingenuity, a return to the sort of quality we no longer see in this world of mass-produced goods, and a revisiting of forgotten technology.

It is also an aesthetic, and inspiration, looking at the world with strange new eyes, imagining a world that never was, but could have been. I lean more towards the aesthetic, through my art mostly - creating worlds and landscapes that never were, with the sort of wonder the world presented when it was not so well-explored and thoroughly analyzed.

The world was a wonderful place when monsters, strange cultures, and fantastical beasts lurked in the shadows and mist of uncharted territories. A blank spot on a map could hold anything, could *be* anything... and a new technology could lead *anywhere* in the imagination of most anyone.

I try to capture that spirit of exploration and imagination in my works. Often times I paint airships or submarines. It isn't because I believe airships to be the end-all/be-all of steampunk culture - more that they make the perfect mode of exploration for my landscapes - adding a human element, without the works centering on humans specifically."

JS: Would you describe your particular artistic style? What influences do you draw from?

“I like the term ‘Arcanepunk’, coined by artist WinneganFake. It pretty much sums up my aesthetic of choice since the start. I like pulp, horror, sci-fi, but especially where technology melds with the strange and unknown... ‘Technology so advanced, it appears as magic’, heavily in the Lovecraft vein.

I use muted colors mostly - I love making seemingly full color palettes, out of only two colors, coupled with black and/or white.

I also love wide open spaces, with tiny details to draw the viewer in, painting smaller and smaller, down to a single hair - making images within images, and positioning those images to create other images in combination or with the empty space between.

My favorite works were always those where I could find new and interesting things every time I viewed them - I try to do the same with my own works.” 

JS: How were you first exposed to the steampunk subculture and at what point did you realize the parallels in your own aesthetic?

“I spent a very long time on the gothic music scene. My favorite fashions were always the more neo-victorian aspects, or the Nephilim-esque death cowboy look. The people I enjoyed the most were all of the archaeologists, scientists, and creative bohemians the genre once bred. I loved the high amounts of intellectualism and creativity surrounding the culture, and especially the anachronistic tendencies within.

Years later, I found many of my old favorite bands, and artists, gathering for conventions - and found that there was a term for this mix of neovictorian aesthetic, pulp, and ingenuity. Better still, it did not revolve so strictly around any one genre of music, or music in particular. I found here a lot of what was, mixed with a wonderful amount of new and better... more open, to many more people - a wonderful and friendly environment with everyone doing there thing, their way.”

JS: As a successful artist working within the music, publishing, and commercial fields, what kind of advice would you give to artists who share your inspirations and have the drive to succeed?

“I wouldn't exactly call myself a successful artist. I manage to get into magazine articles here or there, or into art books, a cover here or there... and though I have artwork in a *lot* of homes, I manage a lot of that by offering a lot of prints at sized-for-this-economy prices... meaning I pay myself less than minimum wage to paint, draw, ship orders, build my websites, and obsess over sales 16 to 24 hours a day. Though I am very happy that I manage to live as an artist: success is something most artists see after their lifetime, or never at all.

I can paint, draw, sculpt, do photography, work digitally, do web design, ad design, layout, program in many languages... and being my own all-in-one design company works well to make it appear that I have a million dollar budget for site design and other things.”

JS: What are some of your favorite pieces or ones you’re most proud of?

“My favorites would of course be the pieces I did for Captain Robert of Abney Park (the Rescue), and for Vernian Process (Behold the Machine). I grew up wanting to be an album artist, back in the days when albums displayed art from artists like Derek Riggs, Michael Whelan, and Frank Frazetta. The industry isn't the same anymore, but being called to do art for two of my favorite bands was a huge thrill.”