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An Artist Is Churning Out Steve Buscemi Portraits for Election Day

Things got weird when we talked to 'Baby Dick Donald Trump' artist Illma Gore about her series of distractions from tomorrow's election.
Images courtesy the artist

As election day creeps up on us (November 8, kids, remember to vote), we've been desperately scrolling Instagram for distractions from the hardest choice we've had to make outside of a brunch menu all year. Our prayers were answered when we came across LA artist Illma Gore's ongoing project devoted to depicting beloved Reservoir Dogs, The Big Lebowski, and Horace and Pete actor Steve Buscemi in surreal situations. In one he's riding a gallant white stallion, in another he's holding a pug that also has Buscemi-like eyes and jowls. "I will be painting a new portrait of Steve Buscemi every day this month," she promises in her first Instagram post of the series, in which Buscemi's face is trapped in an egg yolk. The whole series is being auctioned on eBay starting at $0.99 each, though several have risen to well over $100.

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Gore skyrocketed into the political media cycle when she painted a portrait of Donald Trump with a micropenis, and was allegedly attacked by a group of his supporters in retaliation. Last month, she added a picture of a gloved vagina KOing Trump in a boxing ring. Now she's devoting her energy to gentle comic relief to ease us throught the final stretch of this exhausting campaign season. We reached out to Gore to pierce the veil of absurdity around her new body of work. All we found is more absurdity, but honestly it's refreshing to think about nonsensical situations that don't have the future of our country hanging in the balance.

The Creators Project: Let's start with the obvious. What made you decide to draw pictures of Steve Buscemi every day in November? 

Illma Gore: I was once trapped in a cabinet with a small version of Steve Buscemi and the ghost of aluminum foil. These are simply still images, memories of those times.

More specifically, why is a depiction of Steve Buscemi astride a beautiful stallion good for the political process?

It's not. You cannot define what "is" without what it "isn't."

How did the, er, mixed reactions to your Donald Trump baby dick painting inform this Buscemi-inspired series?

The Buscemi paintings came after the Donald Trump painting, so I suppose the perils of linear time. If I could take time and shove it into a freezer, start a fight with its icy structure and rearrange time's face, I would do the Buscemi paintings much earlier in my life. But, I am very weak so time would have to be a small six-year-old.

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You've got Steve BuscEGGmi, Steve PUGscemi, and Stallion Buscemi—where are you coming up with all these takes on the celebrated actor and former volunteer firefighter?

Lady GAGA whispers into my ear at night and tells me what to paint.

You've got 23 days left to fill with Buscemi art. What's your process like for coming up with ideas and how long does it take you to draw them?

I black out and wake up three to eight hours later. One of those eight hours is spent asking myself if I should just throw this one out and start again.

How are you planning on coping with election day itself?

By voting, and live tweeting a 100 piece puzzle.

Keep up with Illma Gore's Steve Buscemi-inspired series here. Check out The Creators Project's Instagram feed to find more art you'll love.

Every vote counts, so remember to hit the polls on November 8. Check out the VICE Guide to the 2016 Election here.

Related:

Trump Fanatics Reportedly Attacked an Artist

This Artist Captured Donald Trump in a Compromising Position

Thanks, Obama | GIF Six-Pack