I first saw Gwenn Seemel’s work about a month or so ago and her unique painting approach to portraiture mesmerized me. Her work is unmistakable. I knew nothing about her and I wanted to know more about the artist behind the incredible images. Gwenn was so gracious enough to provide us an insight to her creative mind. And according to Gwenn, her ultimate goal is to paint everybody’s faces. Well, there’s a billion plus people in the world and growing. I think it’s safe to say that she won’t run out of faces to paint anytime soon. And that’s a very good thing. Enjoy the rest of the interview.

Welshie: I’ve only come to know the Gwenn Seemel I’ve been reading in the articles. But who is the real Gwenn Seemel?

Gwenn: The version of me that’s fit to print wants to write a very long answer that reveals very little; the real me is stumped by your question.

Welshie: You’ve done a lot of portraits (200+ and counting). Where does your obsession of painting portraits come from?

Gwenn: By painting portraits, I’m guaranteeing myself a fascinated audience of at least one. Love it or hate it, the subject of my portrait can’t help but be engrossed with it. I would rather make art that is sure to impact one person than art that may never mean anything to anyone.

Welshie: The general impression of an artist is that he/she is reclusive. You are a contradiction. When approaching your objects, you interview them at great lengths along with snapping hundreds of photos. Why do you go that far? What do you hope to accomplish with that?

Gwenn: Sometimes I think I became a portrait painter because I’m socially awkward. It might have made more sense for me to become a landscape painter or some other kind of artist who is not, by definition, required to meet people, except that the hole in my social skills is in a very specific place.

I enjoy meeting people, but not in that chit-chatty way that’s socially acceptable. I like asking the more personal questions and learning about another individual, even if it’s only for the space of an hour. My interview process allows me to do this.

I take hundreds of photos because I am looking for that little moment in between traditional images, that movement and breath that reveals the essence of the subject.

Welshie: Do you let your subjects give you their input during your painting process?

Gwenn: No. I’m very interested in their favorite colors as well as their self-propaganda–the story they tell themselves about how the world sees them–at the time of the interview, and those things definitely find their way into my paintings. But once the photo session is over, I don’t want or need input from the subjects.

And in my years of doing commission work, only one of my clients has ever asked me to change a finished painting. I told him that he might as well touch up the portrait himself, because the painting wouldn’t be my work if I changed it. He was disappointed to begin with, but, 6 months later, he called to thank me and let me know that he loved the work.

Welshie: Your style of painting is very distinct. I see a lot of bright colors and crosshatching patterns. It’s got that almost unfinished modern look. Have you always been this skilled with your style? How did it (your painting style) evolve over the years?

Gwenn: When I was 15, my parents signed me up for an intaglio printmaking class at the local art college. At the time, I was drawing a lot but without voice or visual integrity. The class introduced me to crosshatching, which is one of the primary ways of creating a tonal area in etching. I left that class with a love of acids and soft ground techniques, but most especially with a passion for crosshatching. When I started painting in acrylic a year later, I kept at it, only now I was doing it in color.

Over the years, that basic style has developed both with the tools I use and with my growing confidence as an artist, but my mark-making remains essentially the same: using line as mass instead of simply contour.

Welshie: In Mutually Beneficial, you went on Craigslist personals looking for men seeking women with the intent of painting their portraits in exchange for some kind of “commission”. It generated a lot of controversy among fellow artists and the media alike. How did the idea come about in the first place?

Gwenn: I was talking with a friend and he was going on and on about how fascinating personal ads are. It occurred to me that I’d never even looked at the personals on Craigslist. Once I took a peek, I was hooked. I began collecting the strangest ones I encountered with a vague idea of doing a series of painted portraits of the people behind the words. But then I started to notice a pattern: men seeking women were often keen on letting their potential dates know that they were financially stable. Once I saw the pattern, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to couple the traditional heterosexual male relationship role with the stereotype of the young female starving artist being little more than a prostitute with a quirky sense of fashion.

There was no “commission” involved in the making of these portraits, nor even the promise of one. When I invited the men to participate, I told them I would buy them a coffee if they’d let me photograph and interview them. A few of the men I contacted asked me what they’d get in exchange for lending me their faces and their stories. I replied that I couldn’t pay them but that participation would give them the opportunity to see their portrait done by me–something which appealed
to just 5 of the 30 men I contacted.

Welshie: That must have been a nerve-racking experience, Gwenn. Tell us a little bit about an encounter you had with one of the male correspondents that made a lasting impression on you.

Gwenn: The subjects were sweet and mostly harmless. It was Portland’s primary art critic who crossed the creepy line. He accused me, in print, of not having the courage to see my project through since I had not slept with any of the men I met. Clearly, we did not agree on the point of my series.

Welshie: You paint portraits exclusively. Do you see yourself moving away from it and trying a different art medium in the foreseeable future?

Gwenn: Of course! But first I have to paint every person in the world. If only people would stop breeding, I might one day get to pursue my career as a mime.

Welshie: I’ve read that you regularly teach art workshops for artists hoping to go full-time and make a living from their artwork. What has been the best advice you’ve given to them so far?

Gwenn: 1) Make a lot of work.
2) Show a lot of people the best of that work.
3) Be friendly.
4) Repeat.

Especially #4. The people we know as artists today are the ones who
didn’t give up.

Welshie: Describe the concept of Swollen where you painted seven women going through changes in their respective lives.

Gwenn: With Swollen, I was looking for the moment that a person becomes a woman, and I conducted my search among the physical changes that are often associated with a transition to womanhood. I found seven test subjects for study, their transitions ranging from puberty and pregnancy to marriage and menopause, but also embracing modern gender surgeries like breast enlargement and male-to-female sex reassignment.

I painted one “before” portrait of each of the test subjects and, a year later, when their transitions were complete, followed up with an “after” portrait.

I also painted “before” and “after” portraits of one subject who would not experience a major physical change during the year’s interval. I painted myself. I became the control subject for my own experiment, and, in one of those delicious moments of unexpected synthesis, learned what scientists have known for years: it all comes down to asking the right question. It turns out that womanhood has nothing at all to do with physical transitions.

Welshie: What do you want people to think about you when they see your artwork?

Gwenn: I’ve been told that my work is adorable and that it radiates happiness. I’ve also been told that it’s unsettling and offensive. That all sounds about right.

Welshie: Wow Gwenn, painting a portrait almost once a week is insane (by my standards). That’s some dedication I admire. Do you even take any breaks at all? What do you do when you’re not interpreting people’s faces?

Gwenn: It does seem a little bit insane when you put it that way. I’m not very good at taking a break if I’m at home, but, when I get out of the city and away from my paints, I excel at not doing anything remotely work-like.

Welshie: What’s next for Gwenn Seemel?

Gwenn: Currently, I’m working on Subjective, a series of portraits in collaboration with Becca Bernstein . For Subjective, we are painting ourselves and each other, as well as our parents, partners, and other relations. Two views each of ten subjects: twenty paintings of loved ones immortalized once by a stranger and once by their kin.

The series will tour through the Pacific Northwest in 2010 and 2011. We’ll also be publishing a catalog early next year to go with the series, and Richard Brilliant, author of countless essays about portraiture as well as a much-quoted book on the subject, has unexpectedly offered to write the catalog essay. Needless to say, I am thrilled to have a respected art historian writing about my work as if I’m dead already!

Thanks so much, Gwenn! We finally got this one posted after a few delays. Hope you’re feeling better and back to painting portraits where you clearly belong. So hey guys, can you count all the portraits she has done since doing this professionally? Well, go find out by visiting her site below and while you’re there, why not get your portrait done by the one and only Gwenn Seemel.

Link here:

Gwenn Seemel’s official homepage

Curiosity is always a good thing. Edie Nadelhaft is all about making ordinary images very, very interesting.. by blowing them up. You can’t help but do double-takes when you see her artwork. Macro painting definitely stimulates the mind in a very relaxing way. So come one, come all. Welcome to Edie’s world.

Welshie: With the latest opening of your Oh Cow! exhibition, let’s go back in time and tell us about your first artwork exhibit. What made you decide to show your work in a gallery?

Edie: Hmmm…this might sound odd but I actually not sure about my first exhibition. I think it might have been at the Trident Booksellers Café on Newberry Street in Boston. I did have a show there but am not gonna swear to it being my first. I liked that space because it was not a gallery but extremely prominent from a traffic and visibility standpoint. They were lovely people - I personally spent endless hours reading their books and magazines for free under their benevolent gaze (as in, they didn’t demand that I buy something or get out!). They were very artist-friendly, plus there were always lots of good looking Berkley students to look at in there. And Tarot readers. They had a rotating cast of Tarot card readers too.

Welshie:How’s the Oh Cow! Art show going? What has been the general response to it?

Edie: The response has been phenomenal! A number of works have sold, and The Flushing Times ran a nice piece on the show in late July for which I was interviewed.

Welshie:Tell us little bit about your painting process? Most of your paintings use multiple canvases like a grid instead of one huge canvas. Any reason in particular?

Edie: Actually, most of my work is not paneled. I started doing the panels to shake things up a bit around the time I did the first large-scale bovine portrait. At the time, I had been working on a painting of a couple of cows (the exception to the single portrait) and kept obsessing over this - forgive me - cow lick ha ha!, I realized that what I really seemed to want to do was make a painting of that hair formation, not man-handle a detail on a larger work. So I did! The result was awesome. It opened up a whole new process for me. It was very liberating because when I do the paneled works, I use a little cardboard window so I only see the piece of the picture that I am painting. This results in me making what are often completely abstract paintings. Only once the panel is finished do I put it together with the others in the context of the whole image. Kind of like a jigsaw puzzle.

Welshie: Out of all your painting series, Cherry Biters intrigues me the most. I wonder why. I’m curious to know if there’s any meaning behind the imagery.

Edie: Those are some of my favorites as well. There is no deep hidden meaning there, though. I intentionally strip out all context for my subject-whatever it may be-so that the viewer may focus entirely on the thing itself and the paint that describes it. In all of my work, I try to depict the sheer essence of the thing represented, be it the sweet sloppy pleasure of eating a cherry or the daiphaneous wing of a fly. Interpretation is open game as far as I’m concerned. As long as you feel something…

Welshie: Whose lips were those modeled from?

Edie: Those are my lips. I take high resolution digital photographs of myself and print ‘em out at about 8” x 8” so I can see what I’m working on. You’d be surprised how hard it is to paint while holding a cherry in your teeth without drooling while trying to get all that fine detail down on canvas

Welshie: I read once on a interview you did that you also work as a web designer. Is this something you’d like to pursue full-time or will it only remain as a part-time gig?

Edie: I’m pretty much over it-please don’t print that hahaha! No seriously, I got into the field b/c it was challenging and exciting and a ton more intellectually stimulating than bar tending and waiting tables which I had done prior to that. It turned out to be very lucrative and I rode the dot com wave for some time, really enjoying it. I still do it part-time but I am primarily focused on painting now.

Welshie: Talk about obsession. Edie, what attracted you to cows in the first place?

Edie: I have never had any particular interest in cows, but that all changed a few years ago when I rode my motorcycle down to a farm in Bucks County, PA where my husband’s family had been dairy farmers for over 200 years. I met Harold Haldeman, my mother in law Betty’s cousin, who at that time was in his 80’s, still worked the farm despite having been run over by a tractor, and drove that same tractor on the highway when his son refused to humor him with a ride to their other property.

Harold was a very interesting man, very different from us in so many ways yet completely non-plused by our black leather attire and flashy rides. He showed us around, fed us cake and talked about life on the farm. As we stood chatting near a fence, I noticed a number of cows about 20 feet from where we were standing. As we talked, it seemed to me that the cows were getting closer. Within about 10 minutes they were inches front of us nuzzling each other and angling for pats on the snout. I asked Harold why they had come over to us expecting it to have something to do with his taking care of them, but he said that wasn’t it at all, that “They are very curious creatures”.

Wow. I had thought them charming in an abstract landscape-y kind of way, and I’d felt compassionate regarding their treatment in an agricultural context but this, this was a whole new perspective for me: a personality trait. That sparked my interest. That and the sheer magnitude of the creatures. Later that day we went inside the barn where I had my first encounter with a bovine friend in an enclosed space, and I have to tell you, this may sound stupid, but all I could think was they are HUMONGOUS. Another contradiction.

As human beings, we think of cows as gentle and slow –not threatening at all. Which I think is mostly true, but there’s no escaping the instinctual response one has when confronted at such close range with a MUCH BIGGER CRITTER.

Welshie: When I look at your cow portraits, especially the macro paintings, I couldn’t help but giggle. Have you ever intended them on being funny?

Edie: Of course they’re funny! So glad you get that. I think everything in life is at least absurd if not out and out funny. Except cancer. Cancer is not funny.

Some of them are sad, or contemplative or maybe even a little hostile looking, but the body of work, as a whole is a bit silly on a lot of levels. For one thing, if you look at the history of portraiture, it’s all about very rich and/or prominent religious figures immortalized in often self-important displays of wealth and power. So, here I am elevating cattle (a traditional symbol of wealth, btw) to that same stature. But aside from that, the “girls” keep me amused. They have great faces and it is impossible not to anthropomorphize this work.

Welshie: Of course, more cows, the better. However, are you interested in expanding your portraits beyond bovines, say from cats, dogs, to more exotic animals?

Edie: Funny you should ask about that. I have recently been offered a grant by the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development to stay in the area for a week to gather source imagery for paintings that will be mounted in a solo show next season at their Erpf Gallery. It seems there are some fancy goats up there that need paintin’

Welshie: Interestingly, you also paint fly portraits. Do you look at each fly as having its own personality? Personally, White Fly is my favorite. Which one is yours?

Edie: Naw. Flies are vermin. One of the things that interested my about flies is the contradiction embodied in something that is so beautiful when observed at close range but is ultimately associated (quite rightly) with excrement and death. “Handsome Hu” is my favorite. He’s poised on a paint sampler. I thought that was funny, speaking of humor in my work. Since paint samples are for decorating, and decorating or beautifying the home, is most obviously at odds with the creepy little creature. And of course decorating, make up, wealth everything we do in a cosmetic and/or material sense is ultimately a denial of our mortality. That makes it even funnier-right? (see “The Denial of Death” by Ernest Becker)

Welshie: What other things are you into, aside from painting and web design?

Edie: Motorcycling, long walks on the beach…I‘m a Sagittarius (and a smart ass in case you hadn’t noticed;-)).

Welshie: I noticed the electric guitar you’re holding in one of your published photos. Was it only a prop or are you a rocker at heart?

Edie: I am an ardent admirer of sexy rockers, but I personally, do not make the rock. That belongs to my husband. It’s one of seven that he owns I think. He’s the musician in the family.

Welshie: This is something that I have to ask on every interview. What advice can you give to someone pursuing art as a major career option?

Edie: OK, this might sound corny but here goes: Make art for the love of it. Or b/c you can’t NOT do it. Exposure and material rewards are great but they can be elusive and they aren’t good reasons to do something so all-consuming and difficult. I think it can be hard to maintain the brutal honesty and vision required to make meaningful art if that is your primary motivation. Inspiration is the most powerful thing in my life. It is the thing I am most grateful for. Without that, life is dull no matter how much money or press you get.

Welshie: Are you working on some projects right now which you can leak some info about? Anything you are working on at the moment that you are excited about?

Edie: Flesh. And more bugs. Exotic bugs if you must know. Purchased from the entomology department at Evolution. See “Palmed Beetle” on my website’s home page for a sneak peek.

Welshie: Edie, anything you’d like to add? Thank yous?

Edie: I want to thank you and Honey for showing an interest in my work and my story. And Ron Raymond (aka Arena Bound) because he RAWKs and I love him. There are so many friends and family members whose support and confidence in me has been pivotal to my success that I’m kinda scared to try to name them lest I forget someone in my Monday morning, under-caffeinated state…BUT, I have to mention Michael Costello, one of my oldest friends and a wonderful painter whose faith in me has never wavered, my sister Marilyn Hirsch, a couple of teachers-Scott Richter and Kofi Kayiga, my friend John Moore who kept me and my work in his thoughts, any collector who bought my work early on, and Karin Sanders cuz she’s awesome! I think that’s about it. Thank you!

Well there you have it. Another end to a fantastic and entertaining interview. We definitely had fun interviewing Edie. A big thank you to her as always. And we wish her mooooore success in the future. (get it? mooo.. oore.. OK I’ll stop).

.

Links here:

http://www.edienadelhaft.com/
http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?p=4142

Great paintings are more than just applied techniques perfected over time. The best portrays emotion and context, and give us a window into the subject’s world. This leads us to the beautiful work of painter Jeffrey Batchelor. His ability to paint is only secondary to the way he captures his unique vision.  Jeffrey’s artwork not only captivates the viewer’s attention visually, it also makes one think and feel. Exactly how art is supposed to be.  Here’s a good interview by Honey, if I may say so. Now go ahead and read along to get an inside look at the mind of a “magic” realist painter, Mr. Batchelor.

Honey: Hello Jeffrey. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. When did you know you wanted to paint?

JB: My talents and abilities began to present themselves at a very early age. I began drawing at about age three and it was apparent that I was far advanced beyond significantly older children. I always knew that I was going to be an artist of some kind. I studied in college and grad school to that end, but it wasn’t until I got my first job as a scenic artist that I knew I was going to keep – KEEP – a paintbrush in my hand for the rest of my life.

Honey: Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like? Was art a “thing” that was encouraged in your family?

JB: I combined these questions for expediency… I grew up in quasi-rural North Carolina, a slight, “artistic”, nearsighted, acne-prone child, fourth in the line of five. My father was a raging alcoholic; my mother had been hospitalized twice for depression. I was frequently the focus of my father’s violent outbursts because of my “sensitive” nature. I was scholastically gifted, but fell deeply into depression – I didn’t know at the time; it was the only life I knew – and lagged somewhat behind. The only positive reinforcement I knew as a child was my art. To note: I have greatly recovered from this unfortunate beginning to my life. I am a grateful member of Al-Anon, the program for friends and family members of substance abusers. I also found contact lenses and a great dermatologist! I now embrace the sensitive nature for which I once was abused, and employ it generously in my art and in my relationships.

Honey: How often do you paint?

JB: I approach painting as a job, which it is for me. Monday through Friday I usually paint from about noon until 8 PM. I seldom start earlier because I find myself better suited for either paper work in the morning or the gym, and my most productive times are always in the afternoon or early evening. I will frequently add a few hours on the weekend, especially if I’m nearing the end of a piece.

Honey: What style would you most strongly classify your paintings?

JB: I like the term, “Magic Realism” but most people more easily identify with “Surrealism” so that’s fine. People unquestionably recognize that there is something “going on” in my paintings. They can then decide if they want to “put the pieces” together or not. I do enjoy realism for its own sake, and do sometimes paint in that manner. When I do this, like in the glass still lifes, I create a sort of “visual journey” for the viewer. Glass exists as a composite of its surroundings – whatever is in front, behind, or around. I try to take people on a trip through abstract shapes and twisting forms to find the objects, light, and shadows that make the glass “there”…

Honey: Tell us, how do you manage to achieve such realism in your works? Would you give a brief walk through your work flow?

JB: Working in oil, I start with an underpainting, usually a flat color, but sometimes I’ll do a shaded blend. I always mix in some type of drying medium, either liquin or cobalt dryer, so that whatever I paint is dry the next day. I work in layers, so the next day I’ll add additional shapes or shading, being very careful to form sharp or soft edges as need be. I always work with a super-soft bristle brush to lightly go over the paint in appropriate places to blend or shade.

Honey: How long would you say it normally takes you to complete a piece from beginning to end?

JB: It depends on the size and complexity – Small pieces, 16” X 20” or so, take about two weeks. Some of the bigger more complex still lifes with lots of cut crystal can take three to four months to complete. An average surreal painting, about 50” X 40” or so, will take five to seven weeks.

Honey: How important is the clarity of concept to you, prior to starting an artwork? Where does your subject matter come from?

JB: I really stand out here, I think. All of my surreal paintings now start out in written form. I get an idea – sometimes from a meditation – and I write it down on a post-it or piece of paper. I’ll later come back to it and begin writing the concept, describing all of the images and their relationships to each other. More ideas, images, concepts will develop during this process. I find the writing process reaches deep into my imagination, opening up possibilities. Once the piece is in progress things always change, but I need that fertile beginning with countless branches of opportunity to start strong, focus, and keep excited about my direction.

Honey: Are you picky about when and where you paint?

JB: I am. I need good lighting. I need a place away from distraction. I need music or certain non-confrontational talk radio. I need my palette set up a certain way, lit a certain way, a certain place to put my brushes and clean them… As tight a painter as I am, is this a surprise to anyone??? Yes, I have control issues… *Grins!*

Honey: What do you think sets you apart from other artists?

JB: Certainly technique… There just aren’t a lot of artists that work in my kind of detail and realism, if for no other reason than that it dramatically cuts down on the “dollars per hour” factor. That’s the first thing people notice. Second, as I mentioned earlier, my surrealist pieces demand that the viewer looks beyond the imagery to discover the meaning beneath the surface. They must engage their minds.

Honey: What is it that you love about your artworks?

JB: I love that they are all a sincere part of me. I have remained true to my vision and ability without losing the capability to be open and grow. My development has come from the courage to step away from myself, regard myself honestly, and return more aware and focused.

Honey: Can you describe a day in the life of Jeffrey Batchelor? Tell me about your average day.

JB: Hmmm… I’ll pick a gym day: I have coffee in bed with a cat on my lap while reading my meditations. I clean up, dress down, and I’m off to the gym on my bike for a 1 ½ to 2 hour workout. Then I come home, have lunch (usually around 10:30/11 and usually my home made soup!) and then it’s up to the studio. Streaming music or talk, I’ll paint until 7:30 or 8, breaking occasionally for a little snack (my home made hummus, for sure!) or for a few minutes at my piano. Then I’ll clean up, make dinner, clean the kitchen, shower, share some time with my partner, and then off to bed… All boring, predictable, serene… I provide for myself a well-designed routine that cares for my mind and body and leaves me free to create and work on my art.

Honey: In your opinion who are the most overrated artists of the 20th century?

JB: Girlfriend, I ain’t touchin’ that one! I will respect any artist who honestly works to the best of his ability, whether I like his work or not. Sometimes, marketing is the primary focus of an artist, and if that’s the case then he’s a business man, and more than likely will admit it. I think all artists would be better off if they managed themselves with some degree of business-like professionalism. I know this: I can find as many people as I want who will tell me I’m a genius, and just as many who will tell me I’m crap. As long as I respect myself and love my work, that’s all I need. And I’ll admit, it’s nice to have ardent fans and collectors that admire and respect my paintings.

Honey: If you could take home ANY painting from ANY museum, which would you choose and why?

JB: I love this question!!! GOD! OK, I don’t want a painting; I want a sculpture, and I didn’t see it in a museum, I saw it at Art Basel… In 2004? 2005? I went to Art Basel in Miami and saw for the first time the work of Evan Penny… I was STUNNED. I went home and wrote about it. His sculptures are distorted, often oversized busts, full, or partial figures made of aluminum, silicone, pigment, and human hair… They are FRIGHTENINGLY real, horrifically distorted and merciless in their depiction of aged imperfect skin and form. I LOVE THEM. The piece I would love to own would be “Self” – 2008, a bust back study. The attention to detail is nearly beyond comprehension, and once inside the alter-reality of his world, I relish at the loving crafting of imperfection, and the gentle sincerity it brings. It shows the true beauty of humanity, the creation of God, embraced by man…

Honey: How would your life change if you were no longer allowed to make art?

JB: No art, i.e. no music, painting, or sculpture… I would become a psychologist. I spend much of my focus on opening people’s minds to my vision through my art. If I couldn’t do this, I would want to open their minds more directly, for their own vision of themselves. I would move from a more passive outreach to a more active one. I want to make a difference for people, have them think in a different way. …And I’d probably have more cats… *Wink!*

Honey: Any current or future projects that you could tell us about?

JB: I’m loving this “magical still life” series that I’m doing. I have a plan to do a large piece based on “The Last Supper” fresco by Da Vinci. It would be set up and apportioned just like the fresco, but comprised of my wooden hands, gloves, drapery, hats, goblets, plates, masks, all imitating the poses of the characters in the original…

Honey: Final remarks? Anything else you want to say?

JB: It is not easy to be a full-time professional artist. We are self-employed business men and extremely vulnerable even in the best economy. However, I get to do something that I truly love, and with every piece I put out I realize that I will have a voice in centuries to come. Long after I’m gone the creations of my hands will reach the eyes and excite the minds of people I’ll never know. This is an awesome gift. I am honored to have it and I never, never take it for granted.

Links here:

http://www.jeffreybatchelor.com/
http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?p=5431
http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?p=5836

I had the pleasure of interviewing Shay Aaron, a wonderfully talented young jewelry artist based in Israel. His adorable line of polymer food jewelry and charms are so incredibly realistic. It’s exciting to see familiar dishes or yummy pastries being used as a jewelry. A wonderful treat without any calories! I sent Shay my list of questions. Here are his answers..

Honey: Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Shay: My name is Shay; I’m 24 years old and live in the holy land of Israel. I’m working in a daily center for adults and children with special needs and I also teach crafts for a living.

Honey: Did you always think you were creative or is it something that you discovered later on in life?

Shay: I always remember myself as a creative boy. I grew up with scissors in my hand and never stopped to handcraft. Five years ago, I discovered the polymer clay and I fell in love with this great material, but still work with so many other materials.

Honey: How did you learn to make jewelry? What originally led you down the path of jewelry design?

Shay: Before I start to make my Mini Food Jewels, I made tons of fimo beads, using the famous Millefiori technique. But so many people do this kind of art, so I stopped. I never learn how to make jewelry by myself. I have two big sisters who inspired me and taught me what women wants! Nowadays, I create dollhouse miniatures and food jewelry.

Honey: What initially inspired you to create “food jewelry”?

Shay: Oh, there are so many things which inspired me! I collect food magazines and flyers, and have towers of cooking and baking books. I get inspirations from Jamie Oliver to my mom’s kitchen. I usually make dollhouse items, but sometimes I feel like this tiny sandwich should dangle on someone’s ears.

Honey: What kind of materials do you use?

Shay: The major material has to be polymer clay. I’m also combining metal,paper, resin, acrylic paints, glass, ceramic and much more materials in my work. I’m always searching for new clays and for unconventional supplies to include in my work.

Honey: Do you start with the materials or a drawing or do they just come to you as you work? Could you describe a little bit about your process?

Shay: Well, sometimes I do sketches. Usually, when I start to work on a new miniature project, I collect so many photos and information for inspiration. I’m always looking for new and creative dishes on the net, searching in different magazines and books. In 1:12 dollhouse scale, the size of the item is an important issue, so I need to make sure that the item has the correct measurements. Color and texture.. a combination of the both will produce the best and realistic miniature food. Sometimes I found myself fighting with mixing clays for the perfect color and shade for the tiny treat. I use unconventional tools for the texture; a tooth brush, aluminum foil, table cloth and much more funny and unexpected tools.

Honey: What are the rewards and challenges in creating these real small sculptures?

Shay: A plenty of clay do their way to the trash, because I just can’t hold myself from trying new ideas of clay food. I’m always holding a tiny notebook in my pocket and writing down new ideas for new projects. I love to challenge myself with new and ambitious projects, and when I’m done, I expect from everyone to comment about my last design.

Honey: What have been some of your favorite jewelry pieces you’ve created and why?

Shay: It’s too hard for me to say, because I love all my creations. I adore my sandwich earrings collection. It takes me couple of hours to make one tiny pair of them, but they are so detailed and charming, so its worth every second. I’m so proud in my miniatures from the Mediterranean cuisines, I think I have made an excellent job with this collection too.

Honey: Who would you like to see your jewelry on? Got an ideal client?

Shay: I believe that my clients are people who have tons of sense of humor and are truly open-minded. I love to see people enjoying my art and wearing my stuff, it makes me feel good. My handmade jewelries are pretty reasonable price wise. Right now, I just can’t think about the ideal client. I promise to inform you when I can think of one.

Honey: What is the most unusual piece you have made?

Shay: Oh my, you name it! The basket full of veggies necklace and the salmon steaks studs are definitely unusual pieces to wear.

Honey: What’s your favorite food?

Shay: CHOCOLATE!

Honey: One place you could travel right now?

Shay: The States!

Honey: Where would you like to take your craft next? What’s your next goal?

Shay: To build the ultimate dollhouse! I’m in a process of collecting items and materials for my 1:12 kitchen, bakery shop, seafood and supermarket sections. I hope to finish at least one section until the end of the year. Another goal of mine is to keep with the food jewelry items which I love, to be inventive and unique, and to come up with new ideas, techniques and interesting items.

Honey: Where can people buy your work?

Shay: My food jewelry collection is available at my Etsy shop. I will open my second online shop of handmade dollhouse food in 1:12 and 1:6 scales soon. I’ll keep you posted about that one for sure.

Link here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5093660
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shay-aaron/sets/
http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/userblog.asp?foldername=handmade

Frank Plant is a Barcelona based American artist who creates drawings out of sculptured steel. There are really no words to describe how talented this person is. I’m amazed by his ability to consistently create quality metal sculptures whether its two or three dimensional. Anyway, in this interview, Frank talks about his background, inspirations, creative process, and future projects. When words fail in an introduction, we always have the rest of the interview to figure it out right? Ok, enough. Here we go…

Honey: Hi Frank. How has your day been so far?

Frank: There is a bandit fly in the house and he’s driving me a bit nuts… Other than that it’s all good, Barcelona in August is although very sweaty not such a bad place to be. It’s quiet to be honest.

Honey: Can you drop some knowledge about yourself for those who have not been exposed to your work?

Frank: I’m an American creative type based in the Mediterrenean city of Barcelona. I do what I refer to as drawings in steel. The subjects of said drawings are sometimes objects that i like for their composition, sometimes people. The subjects can range from the banal to the provocative. I broach social and political subjects on occasion. Sometimes I’m vulgar in that sense. I believe there are moments to make suggestions and others to make statements. A time for poetry, a time for prose and a time for pulp fiction. Even pulp non-fiction for that matter….

Honey: Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Frank: I was born in Baltimore, Md but didn’t stay there long and spent formative years in Washington DC proper as well as in PA and VA. I consider myself a child of the mid atlantic seaboard.

Honey: Describe your childhood, what were you like growing up?

Frank: Ummm… Those documents are still classified. Suffice to say that I was one of those sensitive yet rotten types. But I turned out kinda normal and that’s due to one hell of a single mother.

Honey: Why choose steel as the main sculptural medium in your work? Could you share with us how that came about?

Frank: I first got the opportunity to work in steel at the University of the Arts where I went to school and I was immediately attracted to it for a number of reasons but primarily it’s sense of permanence and durability. I also very much like the techniques one uses to manipulate it as well as it’s expressive qualities.

Honey: What goes through your head when you are about to start a new piece? Could you tell us about your process? What does your work flow look like?

Frank: A variety of things but I pretty much run all new instincts/ideas through a battery of tests to see if they are really worth realizing. I have to have a visceral reaction to the idea before I will realize it, if my enthusiasm ebbs after a few days or weeks it’s doubtful the piece will be realized. If not I put into motion the necessary steps to conceive it. Some pieces are immediately crystalized in my mind and others require a bit of touch and feel as you go. Which is a bit of a balancing act. But I will say this that once I am in the process it is very much the richest place to be and where a slew of new ideas come from. Almost all my new work stems from a precedent set by a previous piece.

Honey: Were there any challenges? If so, what were they?

Frank: Challenges of getting my head around the technique of working with metal was just patience more than anything and if anyone knows me they would know the size of that challenge. I compare it to learning a new language, at first you speak in the present tense with a limited vocabulary and slowly you add more possibilities solely through increasing one’s awareness and familiarity. It just so happens that with working with metal there’s a few burns and scrapes/cuts etc… along the way.

Honey: “Living with Ghost” is one of my favorite piece you’ve made so far. Can you talk a bit about that one for us? It’s stunning.

Frank: That piece is a bit particular and actually stems from a dream I had, I have never, never made a piece based on a dream. At least that I can remember. Anyway the dream took place in an abandoned industrial sight/building where I happened to be living. It didn’t take long for me to notice that there was something peculiar about said building and then I realized as you do in dreams that i was living/sharing the building with a family of ghosts. This came as a bit of a surprise but in the end we actually got on quite well and I felt that somehow it was quite extraordinary. Enough so that I made the piece, I think that I still have some things to resolve with that piece but I have a lot of affection for it.

Honey: Was anyone in your family an artist?

Frank: There was some great great grandfather that formed a part of the studio that carved the lions on the facade of the San Francisco Art Museum but beyond that no. He died of smoke inhalation putting out fires during the great earthquake there in the early 20th century or so I’ve been told.

Honey: Where do you get all your ideas?

Frank: Various places but the poetry of everyday actions and movements is of late the primary source. As I said before, in the process of creating things is the place where i generate the most ideas. It somehow feeds upon itself.

Honey: Who would you say your biggest artistic influence?

Frank: Different artists/creatives had had a different influence at different times so I’m not sure if there is one person. If I reflect on it though there is a thing and normally you wouldn’t think of it as an artistic influence but it is in every sense of the case in point and that is my economic state (normally bleak). I doubt anything has had a larger impact on my artistic growth and in creating the everyday parameters of what I’m capable of doing. It’s curious to think of that as a determining factor but for better or worse I can’t think of any that has had more influence.

Honey: Is there anyone you’d like to work with creatively in the coming year or so?

Frank: I spent a few years working with the french artist Thomas Charveriat of Island6 Arts Center, all of the interactive work, Awkward Moments nos. 1 and 2, F2T, The Last Supper etc… were all done with him as well as an ever changing group of people that brought various special skills to the mix. Working with people requires a tremendous amount of sacrifice, you get a lot of growth and broadening of horizons out of it though, at least in the best of circumstances. I think I’ve moved into the selfish pig stage of my artistic development although it is nice to chat with folks about art now and again. I’d really like to get voice lessons from Erykah Badu though, if that counts as artistic collaboration I’m all in. In reality I’d settle for any vocalist in the Barcelona area. So anyone interested in voice lessons for welding lessons please contact me.

Honey: Complete this sentence: You can never have too many …?

Frank: .. meters of 3 and 4mm steel bar, light bulbs, friends, patrons, cutting discs, bottles of CO2 and Argon, late night dinners, Sunday afternoons with televised sport, cleaning rags… not necessarily in that order, the list goes on and on.

Honey: If walls could speak, what do you think they would say?

Frank: There is a great quote from Edmond de Goncourt “An artwork in a museum hears more ridiculous opinions than anything else in the world“. Walls most likely as well, but I guess it depends on the location of the wall. Just to tout Monsieur Goncourt who was a very insightful being a bit more he also said this ; “If there is a God, atheism must seem to Him as less of an insult than religion “.

Honey: Are you working on some projects right now which you can leak some info about? Anything you are working on at the moment that you are excited about?

Frank: I’m in the process of incorporating Flock into my works and this is very very very exciting (e.g. Something for Everyone on the Blog), well at least for me. And I just did my very first series of 15 which was a new experience that was very rewarding. Hopefully coming to galleries near those of you based in Amsterdam, Madrid and Dusseldorf soon…

Honey: Thank you for participating in this interview Frank! Anything you’d like to add?

Frank: Thanks for sharing your platform which does a really good job of digging up hidden gems that otherwise I would never have access to.

Links here:

http://www.hierroglyphic.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32547672@N08/
http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?p=3631

Suddenly finding yourself with hours upon hours of free time? Feeling strangely compelled to do something constructive? Well, screw that. Here’s Christabel Sevilla unplugged.  Featured on Sweet Station a month ago (link here),  I slowly developed a man-crush on her line art. Yes, I know it’s weird but that’s how we like it here. It’s amazing what you discover when you get to know the artists behind their artwork. Thus was the case with Christabel. She’s what I would call a “stealth artist on the rise”. Here she talks about her humble beginnings, her love of the ISAW (bbq chicken intestines), what makes her tick, and how she plans to keep on doing was she does best — which i imagine would be drawing lots of sexy half-naked ladies (yes, I said it). Without further ado, I think she’s ready to take on the world.

Welshie: Who is Christabel Sevilla for the uninitiated?

Christabel: I was born and raised in the Philippines. My mom’s half-Spanish (this should answer the question most people ask me. No, I am not German or Norwegian. I am Filipino….with a whole lot of freckles.)

I graduated from *drumroll please* The Royal Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, College of Fine Arts and Design (Major in Painting). I always thought I’d be painting houses for a living, or something similar to it, but thank God I ended up working as a graphic artist for an IT company. I couldn’t wear messy over-alls there, though. When I’m not working, I am either daydreaming, stuffing my face with anything edible (then wishing I never did afterward), making lists of anything and everything (”to do” lists, “to buy” lists, “to draw” lists, “to kill…er…), roaming the metro in search for the best isaw (UP is still at the top of my list), taking pictures, drawing on any surface as long as no one’ll sue me for vandalizing, wasting my money on things I don’t need.

I’ve often been asked what my art style was/is and up to now, I still have no specific answer for that…it just continuously evolves whenever I pick up something here and there. I love searching the web for new artworks and art styles and try to learn as much as I can by looking at them for hours on end. Right now, I am obsessed with trying to color over the lines. I can’t say I’m doing a good job, but it’s teaching me to be more patient with all of my works. I tend to leave artworks unfinished and this new style I’m trying to familiarize myself with is really helping me up my level of patience. I’m really trying to drop the alla-prima style.

Welshie: When did you know you wanted to do what you do? As raised by traditional Asian parents, how did they take it?

Christabel: I’d love to say things like “I grew up in a very culture-rich environment” and such, but my love for art started out simply because I was bored most of the time, when I was a kid. I easily got jaded during classes when I was in grade school and I loved daydreaming my time away. Most of the time, I’d put all my dreams on paper…I’d draw myself on clouds with sheep in bow ties. Paint the stars green, coming up with reasons as to why we shouldn’t all think they’re yellow or white just because it’s what we see or what storybooks tell us. I’d say most of my talent was innate (which, at that time, I was completely unaware of) and I haven’t really discovered I was an artist until I decided to take up an art-related course for college because i couldn’t see myslef doing anything else. They never questioned my decision. I thought they’d make me take up some boring course like medicine or law but, apparently, this art thing made me a genius in their eyes too! :p

(My parents have always been supportive of me but they never liked it when, back in grade school, the guidance councilor would call them in and show them my notebooks with drawings instead of notes. LOL)

Welshie: Aside from practicing consistently, what have you been doing lately to better improve your artistic skills?

Christabel: I’ve been taking on freelance projects. I used to have too much restrictions on the projects I’d take. No macho men, no morbidity, no mechs, no machines, no excruciatingly detailed backgrounds etc. Basically just good looking men and women. So I decided to scrap all the restrictions out cuz I figured, I’ll never learn will all those rules!

Welshie: Art is subjective. Opinions vary from person to person. How do you handle criticisms of all kinds when it comes to your work?

Christabel: Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Now as long as they aren’t saying anything that can offend others, I’m fine with my work being heavily criticized /bashed. I actually often learn from them!

Welshie: I’m a foodie myself, and misses isaw terribly. How many isaw do you consume in a day?

Christabel: I don’t get to eat as much isaw as i want simply because the stalls are closed once I get home from work. but when I DO catch them still open, I’d eat no less than 3 of each kind a day.

Welshie: You primarily work in digital. Could you tell us a lil’ bit about your process?

Christabel: I basically just use Adobe Photoshop CS2. From sketching, inking, coloring to details.

I. AM. A HERMIT. and know nothing at all about the other programs!

I envy those who know how to use Sai, Corel, Open Canvas and other software proficiently. They are able to do a lot more with their art. I simply do not have the time to learn new programs because of my day job…

I tried to use Open Canvas once and I love how you can turn the canvas around so you can ink properly…but I never got to try coloring with it.

Welshie: Your art is heavily influenced by anime/manga, yet your style has subtle differences that separates yours from the pack. Was this something you picked up in college?

Christabel: Well, not really. As I’ve said, my style is continuously evolving. I’d say now it’s a bit of a cross-over between anime and realism. I think I got that from playing too much Marvel Vs. Capcom. :p

Welshie: You’ve collaborated with Joe Ng, one of Udon’s superstar illustrators. I must have devoured all the Street Fighter/Dark Stalkers comics primarily because to their artwork. I’m really jealous. How did that come about?

Christabel: Oh yes! I’ve always loved his works. I put on my never-say-die face and asked him through DeviantArt if we could do a collaboration and, well, to my absolute surprise, he agreed!!! A few days later, he emailed the artwork I was supposed to color. It sat at my hard drive for months!!! I really didn’t know what approach I was going to do. I was afraid I wouldn’t do it justice. Until one day I finally just started coloring and…good God I didn’t want to show it to him for fear of getting a reply that would seem like he was just being nice…but when I finally did, I was relieved that he loved it! It was such an honor!

Welshie: You’ve done comic panels in the past. Is this something you’d like to pursue in the near future?

Christabel: Of course! I’ve always wanted to be a comic book artist but it’s just so time-consuming and I could never find enough time to sit and really draw, you know? I’m working on a one-shot story with a friend of mine and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. This is supposed to be released in an event this October. I really hope everything goes well. She’s written a fantastic story and I can’t wait to get it published! I’m finally given another shot at making this one dream come true.

Welshie: If you weren’t an artist today, what do you see yourself doing?

Christabel: erm…fishing? I honestly don’t know. I’d be lost without my art.

Welshie: You’re gradually building up quite a following. What’s in store for your fans? Do you plan on producing limited edition prints?

Christabel: I’m really, really grateful for all the support I’m getting from the DeviantArt community. I never thought my works would get so much attention from people. I just did what I loved doing. It’s just so heart-warming to see how much they love my works. It makes me want to get better at what I do.

I’m not planning on producing limited edition prints or anything like that at the moment. I think there are a lot of artists who are more deserving and I think I still have a whole lot to learn! The best I can do for everyone is practice and deliver better artworks everytime I post so as not to disappoint them…and myself of course.

Welshie: Who was instrumental in your life growing up?

Christabel: My mother. I can’t stand her at times, but, gosh I can’t live without her. She was the one who really saw my potential. During family reunions, she’d go around telling people I’m a Monet in the making. It just makes my heart melt, seeing her overflowing with pride for me. She was also the one who enrolled me in painting lessons with Fernando Sena. AND my first ever oil painting set was from her.

Welshie: Everything seems to be going well for you. Where do you see yourself in 5 years or so?

Christabel: Still drawing. Still coloring. Still eating isaw. Preferrably in the comfort of my very own gallery/library cafe.

Welshie: If you had to do it all over again, what would you have done differently to get to where you are today?

Christabel: I’d start working on my patience earlier. Everything else is as they should be!

I had so much fun asking Christabel all these questions. She’s very talented AND humble, can’t you tell? Thanks Christabel. The future looks bright for you. Not enough to satisfy your Christa-cravings? Then check out these links:

http://karaiwashi.blogspot.com/
http://ladyfish.deviantart.com
http://edibleimaginings.blogspot.com/

A few years ago, Julian James was known as that “kid [who] has lots of artistic potential”. Now, he’s the guy behind WhyIsBox, a successful online creative studio, New Sugar, an online art magazine expanding beyond its reach, and a DIY geneticist who manage to clone half of himself. He is now recognized by “the grownups” who used to tell him that “doodling will make you go blind”. And if his upcoming project Monstar, which is a book based on a pen-and-paper game that lets you express your mad art skills with a twist, blows up with critics and fans alike, his cover may be blown forever.

Welshie: Hi Julian thanks for doing this interview. In a nutshell, who is Julian James?

Julian: Currently this is me although when my clone is finished it may be him.

Welshie: What’s new with New Sugar?

Julian: Basically it is an online (PDF) magazine created to showcase untapped creative talent from around the world. And man, there is so much good stuff out there! I get excited on a daily basis looking through my inbox at new subs.

Blurb stolen directly from the NewSugar site (oh the joys of cut and paste):
NewSugar is a fresh new PDF magazine with a difference… it’s not so much a magazine as it is a gallery, or a street wall or maybe a glimpse of the future. Whatever it is NewSugar promises to make you weep with delight and have your mind-box releasing endorphins in profusion*!

*Weeping and release of endorphins not guaranteed.

Welshie: You’ve been publishing New Sugar for 6 months now, what was the motivation behind creating an art magazine?

Julian: NewSugar started off with a desire for a self-promotional project that would give me an opportunity to get my teeth into something juicy design wise, and, network with other creatives from around the world. So far it’s delivered on both of those desires fantastically!

Welshie: I would imagine that publishing a magazine (whether online or offline) is a laborious and stressful process that requires strong leadership along with super organizational skills and patience. How do you manage to keep it together?

Julian: Yup, although, I’m not so sure about the strong leadership! It’s only me working on the mag and I hardly ever do what I tell myself to do. I’ve already had two verbal warnings.

There is certainly a lot more to do than I initially thought but I’m getting a method in place now which has sped things up no-end.

And, in terms of keeping it together… if I had strict deadlines it would be a mad struggle. I try to get a mag out about every 6 weeks and that basically floats to fit around my paid design/illustration work. It makes the process a bit less hectic but I still usually worry about how long it’s been between issues.

Welshie: From the 1st issue down to the latest one, we’re really liking the art direction New Sugar is heading. Do you collaborate with other graphic designers at all before deciding on an issue? If so, what have you learned in the process?

Julian: Not really although a few of the more recent covers have been collaborations. I am having them created by different artists with no brief other than space for me to add the logo and artists etc. There is definitely no shortage of offers either but I am pretty sure everyone wants to design a cover at some point! Maybe I should do a mag completely made up of covers?

[Editor's note: Julian's lightning quick update. He answered his own question.] I jokingly said ‘maybe I should do an issue made entirely out of covers’. Well, I twittered the idea and the response was good so I made a new page on the site with a brief and re-posted it on Twitter… Madness followed! The post has been re-tweeted all over the web and I made about 150 followers in a couple of hours… so, the short of it is thanks to the interview  there will be a special edition ‘Covers’ issue.

More here: http://newsugar.co.uk/covers

Welshie: New Sugar is a free downloadable PDF file for now. Along with running Whyisbox, publishing a magazine takes a lot of time and energy. Is New Sugar going to remain free in the foreseeable future or do you have plans on monetizing it eventually?

Julian: I am already looking at several possibilities for NewSugar not least the next generation of its new website. Its future holds loads more ‘sticky’ content, artist profiles, games (like the Monstar! project we are currently running) and social network elements. Once NewSugar.co.uk is a place to visit daily, rather than just a portal to access the magazine, there is more potential to get sponsors involved. I’m not ruling out ad revenue but the key is to make sure those ads or links add some value to the magazine and its brand. You won’t be finding any McDonalds adverts on there for sure.

The mag itself is also prime real estate for advertising and it’s is an avenue I am looking at but again value is key. I don’t want people not reading the mag because a single ad spoils the nature of the project.

I would say though that the mag will always be free!

Welshie: Since New Sugar is freely available for download, how do you track your subscribers?

Julian: Stats are totally key, even as a self promotional project. There is not much point if no one is looking at it. Too much work involved for that.

I use several methods (Google Analytics/server side analytics etc.) and I absolutely love checking how many people are viewing issues. The fact that tens of thousands of people over 100 countries have done so to date just astounds me! If there was ever an argument for digital over print… an instant global market is a pretty strong one.

Welshie: You’re also the founder of Whyisbox, an online creative studio, which has been growing steadily in recent years. Business is good, would you say? Are you now able to quit your day job and concentrate on Whyisbox and New Sugar full time?

Julian: Whyisbox is my day job anyway but NewSugar has started wrestling more and more of my attention recently.

You never know, maybe NewSugar will be my day job eventually and Whyisbox the side project. As long as I am working on creative projects, whatever they are ‘it’s all good’ as they say.

Welshie: Okay, it’s time to shine, Julian. Let’s say I’m a potential client, pitch Whyisbox to me. Why choose your services over the competition? What can Whyisbox do for me and my business?

Julian: Well… basically Whyisbox is made of about 84% magic and 16% awesome. It actually says on the box that ‘Using Whyisbox will boost your kudos… guaranteed’. Granted, I wrote the box but it’s probably true.

On a less serious note I hope the design/illustration work speaks for itself, but, the end product is only half the story. My clients keep coming back because the process is enjoyable too. I am always the consummate professional but creative projects should be fun and working with me is an honest, exciting and pleasurable experience. *This information was also copied from the box.

Welshie: You’ve featured and interviewed tons of wonderfully talented artists on New Sugar already. If there’s any one artist you’re looking forward on having on the future issues of New Sugar, who would it be and why?

Julian: Maybe someone globally famous who hasn’t actually been discovered yet… It would be nice to say ‘you saw them here first’. If you are that person… send us your subs!

Welshie: What has been the best advice given to you while pursuing art that you can share with our readers aspiring to become graphic designers/illustrators?

Julian: ‘I don’t like it…’ Man, that phrase just made me want to prove a point.

Not that it’s advice really but the most useful tool in my motivation box is ‘jealousy’! There is so much great stuff around in the creative world to be jealous of and the more I see work that makes me wish I had done it, the more I want to drive myself. It’s a kind of positive jealousy.

Welshie: Like all things artsy, graphic design is an ever changing field. Change is good but not necessarily easy to deal with. How do you keep up with the times when clients ask for a new style and at the same time staying true to your own style?

Julian: I don’t really suffer from that it’s probably fairer to say that I struggle with repetition. If a project comes up that doesn’t inspire me to create something unique it’s much harder to focus on. That’s not to say that I won’t give 100% but it’s the challenge of pushing my style that makes it all worthwhile. Or, maybe I just suffer from an over active boredom gland?

Welshie: Sometimes, things don’t always go according to plan. With deadlines on your projects looming and unwanted distractions vying for attention, how do you cope with situations like that?

Julian: I find it more difficult if I have only got a few things to do. It’s the crazy deadlines that get me working effectively. I definitely need a little panic to get things done. I’m starting to see a bit of a pattern here!

Welshie: Does talent run in the family?

Julian: Lol, talent eh! You old silver tongue you! They might actually read this so I’m going to say… No. 

Welshie: You primarily work in digital medium. Satisfy our geeky curiosity and tell us how your studio is set up. What gadgets do you plan/wish on getting in the future to ease your work flow?

Julian: PC based is right. I’ve used Mac’s but they are back to front. They sure do look real shiny but all the functions are in the wrong place…
*Please send all pro Mac complaints to Bill@microsoft.com

On top of my PC I use a Wacom tablet which I use for everything. In fact I may have forgotten to use a mouse it’s been so long.

As far as future gadgets go I basically want everything that’s coming out about a week before it does. To say I am a gadget freak is understating it slightly.

Welshie: What’s your goal for New Sugar in the next 3 months, 6 months, 12 months?

Julian: 3 months = New NewSugar website launched.
6 months = Awesome sponsors and monetisation.
12 months = Buy Vogue and include it as a NewSugar fashion supplement – minus the adverts so it should only be about 4 pages.

Welshie: What’s next for Julian James? All shameless promotions is welcome.

Julian: Who knows… and that’s half the fun of it!

In the very near future I have a bunch of interviews and articles coming out in several blogs and magazines; like Computer Arts and Computer Arts Projects which I am chuffed about especially seeing as they are the same mags I read when I started out.

NewSugar has some exciting stuff in the pipeline including a book for the ‘Monstar!’ collaborative project we are running on the site; submissions still welcome. I am also hopefully putting together a joint one off issue of the mag with a print zine called Middle Boop. At the moment it’s still at the planning stage but I’m pretty excited about that. There are also a couple of NewSugar events to look out for.

More info on future happenings will appear on the new site, my blog and twitter (where I practically live these days - @newsugar) when they are confirmed.

Then there is my clone to finish too.

Well, there you have it. We’d like to thank Julian James for taking time out of his ridiculously busy schedule to do this interview. Don’t forget to head over to New Sugar to download a copy of the latest issue.

Links here:

http://newsugar.co.uk/
www.whyisbox.com
www.newsugar.co.uk/monstar/index.html
www.newsugar.co.uk/covers

I have had a most wonderful time recently viewing the photography of Justin Tyler Close, the absurdly sweet and talented young photographer based in Vancouver. Going through his website is pure pleasure. Below is just a small sample of the talent Justin holds and what hes shooting today. I thought it would be a great idea to run an interview with him here at Sweet Station. Let’s not waste any time and get right to it, shall we?

Honey: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Justin: My name is Justin Tyler Close, I’m 24 years old and live in Vancouver, BC but travel lot’s to LA, New York and back home to Toronto.

Honey: Why photography? When did you decide that photography was a career that you wanted to pursue?

Justin: I guess it’s like asking a musician why music? It’s a funny question for me because I never had some epiphany and decided to become a photographer one day. It kind of just evolved organically through the other fields I was involved in, such as film, acting and modeling. I have always been a people watcher. I do it all the time. Its a little creepy, but fascinating and very educational. I really enjoy writing screenplays and stories, so by studying people it helps with the development of the characters. I also am addicted to magazines. I love them! and have a massive collection of them in my studio. I think I’m addicted actually, and maybe a problem? hahaha It’s like the best form of education because I don’t get much time to travel the world, so this is my way of seeing what other photographers are doing in other parts of the country. Magazines are a huge part on why I do photography. There are just so many amazing photographers, models, artist out there that I would never discover if it wasn’t for magazines. Eyemazing, S Magazine, Interview, VS, Dazed, Random are some of my favourites….I could go on for days, but that would make for a lame interview! So I guess you could say that I never made a decision to become a photographer, it just kind of happened with being inspired by other photographers, filmmakers, artist. I really enjoy the collaboration part of being a photographer and have met some really amazing people along the way.

Honey: How would you describe your photos to someone whose never seen them?

Justin: This is by far the hardest question because I really don’t like explaining my work to people. I always feel like I explain it wrong, or start of the sentence wrong. First impressions are everything. So if someone hasn’t seen my work, I would usually just say, well here is my card go check it out. But that’s a lame answer isn’t it honey? If I had to answer…. I would say that my photos are edgy and complicated.

Honey: What reactions have you been getting from people about the photos you took?

Justin: I can honestly say that a lot of the reactions to my work have been very generous and kind in the past. People seem to really like my new website, which is amazing because what would I do if they didn’t? I guess, If people had bad things to say about my work, I would never hear them? Unless I was famous then I would read them in some shitty tabloid magazine. I love constructive criticism though, I encourage it. It’s how I learn. To be honest, I have kept a lot of my work hidden until about 1 month ago. I’m not really sure why I kept it hidden?? I think I felt like I needed to have enough work that I was really proud of before I showed anyone, anything. It actually made my website launch a month ago a bigger success. So even though keeping it hidden for a long time, bothered me then. Now I am thankful that I had some patience before releasing the website, because the feedback has been really awesome!

Honey: What’s the most interesting comment you’ve heard from a viewer?

Justin: “Do you get to have sex with all the models?” This question happens quite often from people outside of the industry. I think it’s hilarious!

Honey: What equipment do you use?

Justin: I shoot with a Nikon D300 and have a variation of nikon lens. I also have a hensel, 3-head studio lighting kit that I use quite a bit if I’m inside a studio shooting, but I always prefer to shoot with natural light if it’s possible. I also have an old, 1970’s Minolta film camera, with a variety of lens, that I love but don’t use enough. If I could, I would do every photoshoot on my polaroid camera. I’m serious! I’m simple like that. I’m not much of a tech guy, it evolves way too fast for me. My ideal photoshoot is to put on a record, maybe Sam Cooke, BB King or Bob Dylan, drink some wine and shoot on my polaroid. I could do that forever.

Honey: Do you do much editing on your images after shooting them?

Justin: I usually do all the editing but sometimes I will bring in a photoshop wizard if the idea needs it. Shout Out to JP, my Gandolf of photoshop. Editing is important to me, because a lot of decisions can happen in this process so I definitely like to do it myself, if not be directly involved with the process.

Honey: What other media have you tried or wanted to experiment with?

Justin: This is an exciting question for me right now because I literally just booked a gig which involves using stop motion photography. It is a music video for an amazing and beautiful singer named Zara Taylor. I am very excited to try this format out because it kind of combines my two worlds of being a Music Video Director and Photographer into one. It is exciting because I don’t ever operate the camera on the music videos I direct, and by using a still’s camera I get to control it all. Muahahahahahah (Insert evil laugh here). When the video is done, I will send it to you Honey for a special sneak preview!

I also really REALLY want to start writing for a magazine. My ideal job is to travel the world, interviewing and taking pictures of different artist. Painters, sculptures, photographers, actors, directors, street artist, anyone who is expressing themselves through a form of art. I love the way Interview Magazine does this, or Flaunt. I think combining the 2 of having the photographer, also the interviewer is interesting because when shooting a subject you ask questions and become comfortable with one another. I think it’s perfect and I am waiting for someone to hire me…………..waiting………..

Honey: I really like your ” Pretty Normal ” series. Looks fantastic. Can you talk us through the process of this photo shoot?

Justin: Thanks Honey! The yellow house picture is by far my most famous photograph. I actually have it printed on a gigantic canvas in my studio. I really wanted to do a shoot that was multi character based. Something that was just so completely random, that it would make people really have to take a double glance at it. The process is simple, come up with an idea and do it! I pride myself on doing almost every idea I come up with. There is nothing more annoying to me, when people say, “Hey I have this awesome idea, yadadadada”. But then they never do it? It pisses me off so I make sure If I ever talk about a concept out loud, I do it! Also this series was very inspired by David LaChapelle’s work and the way he uses bright, high contrasted, vibrant colors. I think we all can agree on his brilliance and trendsetting with photography. I actually am planning 2 more shoots like this and will be up on my site very soon. So keep checking up!.

Honey: What’s the most fun experience you ever had shooting?

Justin: The most fun…hummm……Well a few come to mind. The 1st one I can think of is the time I went on a little road trip with a band called Bend Sinister to a venue about 2 hours away from the city, to where they were playing live for a radio station. We drank DUDE beer all day and took tons of pictures. This was awesome because they literally are my favorite band from Vancouver and really fun guys to hang out with. All in all, we drank a lot of beer and got some killer shots. Success!

The 2nd one that comes to mind was during the zombie shoot I did, that’s called Dark Transitions on my site. During the make up session, one of the zombies with fake blood dripping from his head decided to go out to the busy street to take a phone call. Not a good idea, because an old frantic lady drove passed him and thought he was really hurt. She called the cops and they came kicking down our door in a panic and since we never got any “so called” permits to do this, the cops were very angry at us. This is not a laughing matter, but all the sun I got that day, made me laugh because the cops were so serious. A real try hard cop he was but in a really rude and awful way. He didn’t like my laughing very much, so then I wrote him a song on the guitar. It was a sing a long for the entire shoot and will be on my first album.

Honey: How do you get your models?

Justin: A lot of the models I shoot are personal friends of mine, or friends of friends. Sometimes I will get an email saying that they want to take part in one of my photoshoots which is awesome because it makes me way more inclined to work with them. Sometimes I will search all the agencies in the city where I am at the time and find models that have the look i’m going for and then I will just contact the agent and let them know who I am, and what I am doing. I also work a lot with non models. People of the community. Musicians, artist, painters, strangers off the street, anyone who is intriguing to me and wants to take part in my crazy idea. The majority of the time I will meet someone, have a wicked conversation then just ask them to be in one of my photo shoots. Personality goes further with me then just a pretty model. You must have substance or else it’s just a flat piece of paper with a picture on it. Overall I just like interesting people and am up for pretty much anything!

Honey: Do you have an all time favorite photograph from your collection?

Justin: I always like my new work the best because it’s NEW! It is hard for me to choose just 1 photograph….So instead of choosing just 1 photograph, I will choose my favorite photo series at this very moment. It is the series in my new work portfolio on my website, called “A Day with Francois“. I like this the best because I got the chance to work with a great actor, performer, good friend named Rainbow Sun Francks. Which was a crazy time to say the least because together were kind of like a tornado of ideas. We actually made money that day because people would be giving him change on the street as if he was a real street performer. He is that good! hahaha. I also love this series because it roots from a story I wrote about a Love triangle between a man, a woman and a hobo clown. I still am going to make this short film but couldn’t wait to explore the character so I decided to do a photo series of his lonely life, waking up from his vertical bed and traveling to the beach. I am very happy with the way the series turned out and can’t wait to tell the whole story!

Honey: From where do you gather creative inspiration?

Justin: I gather inspiration from anywhere. A movie, a magazine, a artist, a novel, a song, someone’s unique fashion sense walking down the street or a stranger I met in a coffee shop, a friend, a lover anything and anywhere. I really love what I do, so by loving it so much, it’s constantly on my mind and since its always on my mind, I tend to find inspiration in really weird places. As cliche as it sounds, music really makes me who I am. I love to put on my ipod and walk through the city, listening to an artist like Bob Dylan, Devandra Banhart or Amos Lee, watching people live their lives to my own personal soundtrack. When the music is on and the city sounds are silent, the inspiration flows nicely for me. If I am ever stuck or feel that my mind is cluttered, I will just go for a walk with my ipod. It’s kind of like my yoga!

Honey: Are there any photographers that have influenced you?

Justin: Of course! To list a couple from the top of my head. Miles Aldridge, David LaChapelle, Anton Corbijn, Frank Ockenfels. Some local photographers such as Trevor Brady, Fiona Garden, Tiffany May. The artists that have influenced me the most are film directors, such as Jean Pierre Jeunet who directed Amelie, A Very Long Engagement, City of Lost Children and the infamous Tim Burton for his originality with characters, locations and the way he can create a world. Another artist is Julian Schnabel who directed a beautiful and one of my favorite movies called A Diving Bell and the Butterfly and he also interior decorated the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York which is incredible. I think he is quite the brilliant, all around artist. I would love to meet him one day. Other directors such as Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, Jonathan Glazer have influenced me tremendously and I constantly look at their work for inspiration.

Honey: Which countries have you traveled to?

Justin: Unfortunately I haven’t done much traveling around the world. I have traveled all throughout North America many times but have yet to make my way towards Europe to where I think I belong, although I could never know this until I actually go, right? Right now it’s all in my head. It makes me sad talking about it actually because all I hear are wonderful stories and people telling me that I would love it there and probably never come back if I went. I actually plan on going this year, so hopefully it happens. Cross fingers! I also would love to go to Africa which may happen this year also, taking pictures and traveling with a wonderful charity foundation called Calebs Hope and I would love to go to Australia because it just seems so far away. Other then that, Europe is definitely first on my list!!!

Honey: Favorite location to take pictures?

Justin: My favorite location to take photos are places like a bus-stop, subway stations or airports. There is something about catching real people in the midst of travel. There is always something hidden behind their expression. Like…..what if I’m going to be late? I wish my tea wasn’t so hot so I could drink it, I wonder if that girl is going to be at the coffee shop today? Maybe I will ask for her number this time? Things like this. If you ask me this question a year from now, I will most likely have a more interesting answer.

Honey: What other interests do you have besides photography?

Justin: I love directing and producing films. www.thestudiomovement.com I love to write, play music, dance like an idiot, run in the rain. If i’m not working, which is hardly ever, I love to just chill with friends and family. As you get older, you realize how important relationships are, so I try my hardest to make time for the important ones. I have a lot of interests and my brain is constantly moving trying to create new interests. That’s the beauty of being a photographer or any kind of artist, is that it always gets better and there are always new things to learn and new ideas to explore. The perfect career for someone with little attention span.

Honey: Tell us about a recent dream you had.

Justin: I just had a dream that someone asked me this. Whoa.

Honey: If you could have only one ice cream flavor forever, which one would it be?

Justin: This is a tough one, because I have a mega sweet tooth. My mom is a pastry chef so I kind of grew up with a mega liking to all kinds of sweets. But I guess if I had to choose just 1 for now, it would be Mint Chocolate Chip. mmmmmmmmmm…….. This is a great question right now because I am sitting in LA right now on my laptop in 96 degree weather, stuck to my leather chair haha It’s very very hot today and and ice cream sounds amazing!

Honey: What’s next for you?

Justin: The next move for me, is to start submitting my photo’s to magazines. I really would love to see some of my photo’s published one day. I also would love to start shooting for a magazine, teaming up with bigger names, shooting for bigger clients. So, the next big step for me is to do some mega research and emailing, trying to figure out who to approach and where. I am constantly shooting and constantly learning but there comes a time in a photographer’s career that calls for something bigger and better. I think my time is now! I also hope to travel lots within the next two years, putting myself out there, discovering new methods and meeting new artist to collaborate with. It’s such a big world out there and I haven’t seen nearly enough of it. Curiosity can be a curse. So my #1 next move is to get a job that will allow me to travel to Europe and other places around the world to work. All in all, I have a ton of new projects on my plate and feel grateful every minute of the day that I get to do what I love most.

Honey: Anything you’d like to say to me? Thank yous? Shoutouts?

Justin: I’d like to say that I love! Honey and I love! the Sweet Station blog and feel very grateful that I got this opportunity. I think Honey has one of the best eyes for what is good out there in the arts and by bringing it to life on this blog, makes it worldwide and very magical. I would like to say thank you to my stylist Emily Hill for taking part in countless crazy adventures, make up artist Payje Yeoman for always being up for the challenge, my partners in crime Jeremy Regimbal, John Poliquin at The Studio Movement. Isabela for being Isabela xo. Tiffany May for inspiring me and teaching me everyday (Lisa Leeroy). Chin Injeti, The Hasting Set, Rachel Zottenberg (Grace Gallery), Fiona Garden and all the amazing artist in Vancouver. My family for the endless love and support. Most importantly I would like to thank my big brother Josh Close because if it wasn’t for him, who knows where I would be right now? He inspired me to follow my dreams and it would take a lifetime to repay him for that. Thanks big bro! If I forgot anyone, please forgive me, you know I am full of love. and….Honey, never stop doing what your doing! I think that’s it? Sweet Station for life.

Links here:

http://www.justintylerclose.com/
http://www.thestudiomovement.com/

I think Zagreb residents are the luckiest because they all get to share a city with the seriously talented Slaven Kosanovic more commonly known as Lunar whose work delights me to no end. I caught up with Lunar to discover more about his life and work. I believe you will find this interview to be intelligent, informative and nothing but inspiring so get reading, there is a lot of solid information to take in.

Honey: Hi Slaven, how’s it going? For our readers, can you tell us a bit about your background? Tell us what you do.

Lunar: What’s up Honey, it’s all good My 9-5 work is graphic designer. I work at an advertising agency where I create visual part of campaigns for various clients. It’s team work including interactions with the clients, and I barely put results into my portfolio. This is a place where I’m focused on visually good execution in first place. After work I’m getting to a more open field which allows me to create freely.

Honey: Where did the name Lunar come from?

Lunar: As a kid in primary school I was playing a game Jetpac on my old computer ZX Spectrum and I loved it. Once I went to my neighbour Mario who had same computer and another game from this series of 2, called Jetman, with small Lunar written above it, to announce where the scenario was happening. It was nearly the same game with a bit different mission and I saw it only once but fell in love with the name so I adopted it instantly. Even if it was probably subliminal then, I think if you choose life of a graffiti writer, you should have a short recognizable name which sounds good and is easy to remember. In the field where I work my daily job it’s known as branding. Beside developing a good style I think a good and original name, with some meaning if possible, is crucial if you want to achieve graffiti fame. And if you decided to write your own name in a variety of shapes and colors you definitely look out for a fame, no matter what some people might say.

Honey: What is it like being a graphic designer by day and graffiti artist by night, do these two worlds collide?

Lunar: Earlier I thought that these worlds are so much more like each other.. When I stepped into graphic design seriously I was horrified that it doesn’t mean nothing if you’re good at one and expecting to maintain same level in another. It doesn’t have much in common, not at all. Positive thing about design is that it’s logical, clean and well organized. Positive thing about graffiti is that it’s spontaneous and natural, elements are playful and relaxing and it keeps you fit, you’re walking, climbing, carring stuff, always physically active. Negative things about graphic design is that it’s cold, conservative and hurts your eyes + makes your body inactive and graffiti again could be not well thought, dirty, unorganized and harmful for your health. Both could be driven by enormous amount of egoism. So there must be much thinking and working to overcome these.. Mixing good stuff from each is good sometimes, enriches it.

Honey: What’s good about the art and graff scene in Croatia?

Lunar: I’m not very familiar with art scene here. I love the work of old masters like for example Vlaho Bukovac, Josip Racic or Celestin Medovic and from living authors Mirko Ilic is one of the names whose work amaze, even though he is a graphic designer and illustrator and not painter, his works could hardly be compared to any other artist of recent times coming from my area. Among painters the late Edo Murtic is my favorite in recent times. Art and graffiti in Croatia doesn’t have much in common. I don’t even know art scene so well, only few people so far. I’m not very much fan of circles of people who gather around same interest. I prefer Intelligent and good-hearted individuals who have their own opinion with solid basis, no matter if they are heavy metal musicians, sportsmen or doctors. About graffiti scene here, after almost 20 years I’m pretty sure who’s men and who’s mice now so I’m trying to deal with good people only.

Honey: How would you describe your work?

Lunar: Maybe the most recognizable stuff I do are simple black and white characters painted on red background. Non-colors give them shape and the red background is the one who gives them life. Besides that I do illustrations, graphic design and paint classical graffiti pieces. Graffiti is my first love and will remain so.

Honey: You had a show at the Galerija Vladimir Nazor recently.. how did everything go? I would have really loved to have seen that.

Lunar: It would be nice if you have been here! On two walls of 56 square meters I put 9 canvases 1×1.2 meters and then applied the sketch and worked out the entire picture. Cats and birds shown both depict humans, predators and prey. You see that not all the prey is looking really as prey and not all predators are looking as they should, considering their nature, but same as humans, everyone has its own scale within, which shows amount of good/bad. And for the opening, a lot of people attended, atmosphere was good and DJ-ane Iva Starkova did great job playin’ some good electro tunes. When I’m here in Zagreb, I see my exhibitions as private parties at my crib and I want to make people feel comfortable and have fun while they look at the stuff I did.

Honey: In terms of influences, is there anyone or anything that inspires your art?

Lunar: My work is inspired by simple things which surround us. Landscapes, buildings, human behaviour, nature, music, people like Nikola Tesla… It also depends on the mood who or what is going to inspire me. If I’m down it’s rather Depeche Mode, Massive Attack or Rammstein, criminal, war or negative things in politics, if I’m up it could be Duran Duran, Faithless, wife, family, friends, belief in better tomorrow above all.. These moods may vary from very deep negative feelings, being convinced world is definitely going to hell soon and the population deserved it big time and on the other hand, I see all those who do no harm, who work hard to ensure their kids better prosperity for future… Than again, their kids might grow up and in the whirlpool of circumstances become football hooligans or drug dealers and their parents spent their life for nothing. Life is a gift and a curse at the same time so I guess one should not try to play God but live and let live.

Honey: Who was the most influential person in your life? Who is your mentor?

Lunar: Probably most influential people in my life are my parents. Being intelligent, well-educated and modest, who put their egos aside and completely devoted their life to their three kids. In art I never actually had a mentor, I was hard-headed.

Honey: What are you trying to express through your work or what is the main message you are trying to send the people who see your art?

Lunar: My personified animal characters are humans actually. I put them in context of doing regular things that humans do. I just simply put them in position to show as much with very little drawn. Some are lazy, some are crooks, some are just regular Harry, Dick and Tom with their own little satisfactions which will cost them life one day, like smoking or drinking. For some we feel sympathy, some are getting on our nerves, some are ugly, some are nicer, some we’d like to hug, some to kick their butt.. Graffiti are thing I naturally do since I was a kid. I always loved to play with letters. Since most people cannot read them I find it a play among the writers, like a video game with collecting points. As you evolve and grow, you find more efficient ways to put your name up. The writing which I sometimes put next to my pieces shows the way I felt at that time.. Sometimes might be some harsh sentence from a rap song, sometimes a thought from Russian literature which I might have liked.

Honey: How long have you been painting/writing? What keeps you interested?

Lunar: First time when I grabbed spray was in 1989. At that time I was finishing my elementary school. My loving grandfather died. His stories were a huge fuel for my soul, when I was kid seeking for an adventure. Life wasn’t pampering him but he remained cool and friendly, life-loving person who kept on being that way until cancer caught him. It was my first horrible experience, to see a strong person like him, losing the struggle of his life. At the same time I met my best friend Kreso Buden, later knows as 2Fast. War was about to start in ex-Yugoslavia, it was getting obvious what was going to happen from the media. In this atmosphere Kreso and myself were just kids who were trying to find a place under the sun. He was already attending art-school and sketching first graffiti, I was just doodling on papers, making some ugly comics+photo comics and video-sketches with several friends from school. Graffiti sketches occupied my attention big time and since I had too much energy and too little experience it didn’t need much couraging to start painting in the streets. In the first time a flavor of adventure mixed with inner urge to express myself visually was what made me do it. What I love the most about graffiti nowadays is the medium which allows me to transfer small sketch to big wall and develop it there. Same as on paper or canvas but on bigger space and ability to cover all the imperfections on the wall with a layer of paint and make it disappear. Letters again give you unlimited opportunities to change their shape and remain readable, add elements or cut them out, enrich the painting with adding new medias to it, I guess the only limit might lay within one’s head.

Honey: How have you handled the business side of being an artist? I know that not too long ago, you and some of your colleagues were featured on Forbes magazine. Can you also talk about that a bit for us?

Lunar: I always felt that serious graffiti should be treated with respect, not only from other writers but from regular people. Maybe to somebody graffiti could be just a weekend fun for several years until finding a regular job, up to anybody to decide for him or herself. I witnessed so many times that people are considering graffiti kiddish fun, done by those who doesn’t have nothing smarter to do in life. I don’t know what they thought was smarter, perhaps watching a soccer game at home and drinking beer, moving things in garage from place a to place b or playing cards? I think that’s a complete waste of time. How to fight against such people’s opinion? By enjoying your life and getting paid of course. I just kept doing what I loved and never cared what people said, just being honest to myself. I was doing public projects, organizing graffiti jams, doing exhibitions, supporting entire Croatian scene at the beginning and later only the ones who I thought deserved it. Media started recognizing what I was doing and slowly they started asking about it. I kept on answering those questions, getting into serious conversations with some, explaining my points of view and time showed it raised some interest among media and clients as well. That’s one of the reasons I kept on working freelance all the time since mid-90’s and from early 00’s I decided to get a full time job as well, cause I wanted to have money at the end of each month for sure, to pay the bills and cover my costs and I don’t have to accept any projects (which I had to do when doing only freelance) but chose the ones I liked and do them the way I wanted to. It gave me freedom in creativity but also cut my free time in half from one side and give more opportunities and connections at studios where I was working on the other hand. Forbes magazine contacted me after our last group exhibition, initiated and organized by Darko Bekic, Croatian ambassador in Morocco, who loved graffiti and wanted to have a collection for himself and promote it properly. He wanted to make a 10th anniversary of first official graffiti exposition in a gallery in Zagreb and brought together same artists who exhibited in 1998 and some fresh blood along. Forbes was making a theme issue called ‘Croatian dream’, about people who run their private businesses and some known creatives like us and they contacted me to ask me whether I’d be interested in giving an interview to them about what I do, illustrating their cover and recommending several other important graffiti artists who successfully transferred their graffiti energy into new fields. Session was done quite professionally, editor, art director, journalist and photographer showed up and done a good job but we didn’t really know our faces will be on the cover on the magazine so it was quite a nice surprise to see it. I guess it’s pushing a boundaries of graffiti a bit forward.

Honey: What do you hope to get into as your career progress?

Lunar: I hope to become fully independent artist someday. I also hope to have a constant intake of interesting project, in Croatia and internationally. I’d like to live comfortably from my own intellectual property and therefore have absolute freedom in what I do. Some clients sometimes make you really feel irritated, I’d absolutely like to skip that part in future and work with people who know why they chose my work and not someone else.

Honey: What is your definition of success?

Lunar: Living a happy life, being fulfilled, living in peace. Sharing with your loved ones. Material possession means nothing unless you share it with someone. If you’re the one who exclusively enjoy what you have, you could talk about your good experience with your mirror. It will be the only one listening to you carefully.

Honey: What other artists do you most admire?

Lunar: Mode 2 or Os Gemeos to name a few with graffiti roots. Picasso or Edo Murtic to name few painters.

Honey: Any favorite childhood memory?

Lunar: Thanks to my family I had a childhood which anyone could wish to have. To neutralize the shock of growing up and having to deal with real life and sharks somehow I refused to grow so I still find all I do just a play. Many memories from the earlier childhood, it would be hard to pick up one which is better than others.

Honey: What else besides art do you like to do?

Lunar: Reading books is my soul food. It takes a time nowadays to read the book due to insuficience of time but I use every free moment to relax by reading. Also regular stuff that people enjoy; sex, music, travel, theatre, cinema, interesting social communication, good and diverse food and good relations within my family are my main fuels.

Honey: Top 3 websites we would find in your favorites bookmarks bar.

Lunar: Wooster Collective, Sweet Station and Style is king

Honey: Can you fill us in your upcoming shows and/or projects you are looking forward this year?

Lunar: Now parallel with ‘Bird watching‘ in Zagreb, there is an exhibition ‘Spray 1387′ in Tehran where I participate with two paintings. Next project is a part of Hope Box activities (the humanitarian international project by Rienke Enghardt, based in Amsterdam) and it should take place in March and May in Zagreb, with some of international friends participating. New good festival is taking part in Split/Croatia in May, so after 11 years from last big one there it will be pleasure to attend again along with the rest of my crew. In April, Nina and myself we plan a small tour around Holland and Belgium and for first part of 2009 that would be quite enough, the rest of the year is still far away

Honey: Finish this sentence.. ” Life is short, so remember to …. “.

Lunar: …walk with your senses open but keep your ratio included. Keep the balance.

Honey: Alright Slaven, thanks for taking time out to take part in this interview and good luck with everything. Any final words?

Lunar: Thank you for the opportunity to show my stuff and I wish you all the best. God gave us two ears and one mouth, twice more to listen than to speak. I didn’t see that many people noticed this

Links here:

http://www.lunar75.com
http://lunar.boonika.net
http://www.myspace.com/lunar75

I had the great privilege of interviewing the amazingly talented Juan Carlos Bravo. JC was born in Ica, Peru and moved to Uruguay for a bit before landing in Florida. In this interview, JC talks about his background, inspirations, creative process.. and near the end, he tells us what he would wish for if a genie offered him 3 wishes. Ha! Now onto the interview!

Honey: Hi JC. What purpose do you think art serves in our world?

JC: I believe art is the celebration of life and its purpose is to enlighten by teaching and inspiring. It is a form of communication where we can learn from one another. Besides entertainment, art should be an instruction manual on the human condition.

Honey: What led you to be an artist? Do you have any formal artistic education?

JC: It wasn’t until college that I considered becoming an artist. I could always draw, so I took an elective course in drawing and the professor recognized my talent and encouraged me to consider a career in the field. She told me if I practiced an hour a day, that I could make it. So I decided to give it a try and I switched my major from Psychology to Visual Arts. I studied painting at Florida International University. Mainly my professors taught me about conceptual art and how to apply it in my creative process. Technically, I learned to paint on my own, through trial and error. I also have traveled to museums to learn from looking at master paintings.

Honey: How would you describe your work? Tell us about your style.

JC: I describe my art as tragic comedy. My work may be characterized as absurd and comical, sensual and spiritual, with a streak of the unconscious showing through and always bearing a deeper meaning. I rely on beauty to portray the darker side inherent in us all. I make beauty out of ashes. I term my style as Sensualism. I use the surrealist technique of automatism to establish my compositions and then develop it to a sensual finish. In other words, it is a form of sensual surrealism.

Honey: Can you describe to us your process of creating a new piece?

JC: I always begin in my sketchbooks. In my sketchbooks, I work out my ideas. Once I have a concept or an idea that inspires me, I move to paint. I work intuitively, trying to create a vision on canvas. I get pleasure in being able to create figures from my imagination and making them come to life through my work. Sometimes I use references to add realism and details. I paint in oil, applying thin layers of paint. Since oil takes a long time to dry, I try to work on several pieces at one time. While one canvas dries, I focus on the next. I rarely work on one piece exclusively.

Honey: How are the reactions on your work in general?

JC: The first thing most people do when they encounter my work is laugh. At first they don’t know what to make of it. It’s painted so beautifully but it depicts disturbing scenes. The tension is broken by laughter.

Honey: When are you most productive?

JC: I am most productive when I have peace of mind. I work best during moments when I am not thinking of responsibilities or temptations. There is so much one can do besides sitting by your easel and working that it is difficult to concentrate. Going to exercise or surfing at the sunny beach are a constant temptations.

Honey: From where do you most like to draw your inspiration?

JC: I get my inspiration from daily life, observing others and experiences. Sometimes I get ideas from dreams or memories. Technically I get inspired by other artist works. Especially the old masters.

Honey: What do you think are some of the greatest challenges artists face today?

JC: Artists are being persuaded by so many forces that it is a challenge to find your own artistic voice. There are so many choices two dwell into that it becomes problematic. You can do conceptual art or illustration or low brow or movies or graphic design and photography and comics. The challenge is to find your artistic voice.

Honey: What’s the art scene like in Miami?

JC: The Miami art scene is flourishing. A few years a go the Miami art scene was weak. There were a lot of vanity galleries and a lot of decorative art. Our most celebrated painter was BRITTO. But all that is changing with the emergence of Art Basel. Once a year, Art Basel comes to town and Miami becomes a carnival of art. We get to see high caliber work and art celebrities. This event has ignited the art scene and now we have serious galleries and quality emerging artists. We also have one of the best collections in the Rubell’s Family.

Honey: What were you like growing up?

JC: I was very spoiled. I was the youngest of five children with three sisters and a brother. I was always surrounded by women. As a child, if I didn’t get what I wanted I would bang my head on the walls or floor. I lived in Peru for the first eight years, when I moved to the US, I became withdrawn and rebellious. Displacement was hard on me but things got better once I learned the language. But I was a bit of a trouble maker and an occasional brawl or two kept things exciting.

Honey: Who are some of your favorite figures in art history?

JC: I love Bosch and Van Eyck. There are so many inspirations but if I had to pick the most influential on my art these two would top the list. I also love Rubens, Goya, Da Vinci, Picasso, Dali, Ingres and Bouguerau. Some modern artists would be David Lynch, Joe Coleman, John Currin, Mark Ryden, Charlie White and Louise Bourgeois.

Honey: If a genie would grant you 3 wishes, what would those wishes be and why? Hehe.

JC: To be financially secured for the rest of my life, that my daughter grows up healthy and finds happiness and that I die peacefully during sleep next to my wife.

Honey: Any current or future projects that you could tell us about?

JC: I am currently working on a new series. My new body of work deals with vulnerability and longing. My abundant landscapes have been replaced by modern interiors. I am excited about it. These canvases have a sense of modernity and newness that’s refreshing for me.

Honey: Final words? Anything you want to say to me?

JC: I thank you for the opportunity to speak to a new (your) audience and I encourage people to visit my website and check periodically for future shows and new works. The best is yet to come!!

Links here:

http://www.jcbravo.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jcthepoet
http://www.jcbravo.blogspot.com/