The State of The Union: Post 1

1. What kind of media do you like working with?

I think I have the best results when I work in oils. I’d like to work more with subtractive oil washes and color pencil, though. Masonite is usually my painting surface of choice.

2. What media do you hate working in? Why?

I think I get frustrated and challenged by certain mediums, but I wouldn’t say that I hate any of them. Ink and watercolors are the mediums that I struggle the most with…probably because I treat them like oils, and oils are infinitely more forgiving.

3. What media would you like to try, but haven’t?

I haven’t tried using oil bars yet. I’ve watched Mark and John English use them with great success. Wax medium would also produce some interesting results. The struggle with using these mediums is being able to let go of details and start building layers of information.

4. List three non-Illustration classes that have influenced you and/or your work positively.

1. Color Studies was very useful because we covered color theory and studied the masters for better understanding of color usage.

2 My painting classes in Governor’s School gave me a better understanding of everything from mixing colors to various methods of paint application.

3 Professional Practices was a great class for learning the basics of writing cover letters, resumes, etc.

5. How has the work of your peers influenced you and your work?

I admire the motivation and dedication that my peers seem to have. I’ve learned that talent is just a small part of the equation of a good Illustrator. A lot of the success my peers have obtained comes from their extreme persistence and passion for their careers. I also admire the vast differences in artists’ unique personal points of view and their success with using different mediums.

6. What sort of subject matter do you like to create work about?

The one thing that is consistent in my work is my interest in the figure. One of my favorite things is to do is to look at the figure objectively and record what I see. Portraiture is something that I find interesting, but the idea of telling a story through human gestures in an illustration is an even more attractive challenge.

7. What sort of subject matter do you like to read about?

I usually enjoy reading nonfictional material, or anything fictional that is based on a true story. Believability is important to me, but I also enjoy being naive and inspired by fictional details. Reading a book and then discussing its content and/or analyzing the difference between a book and a movie are interesting to me. Books that have collections of poems or short stories are great, too. A couple of books I’ve enjoyed recently were No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

8. What kind of music do you like? Why?

I like anything from the Black Keys and Wolfmother, to Fiona Apple and Feist. Usually I’m more attracted to specific songs than entire albums, so my musical interests tend to be a hodgepodge of genres. It would be impossible for me to list all of the music I enjoy in one sitting, but I will say that my taste depends on what mood I’d like to create while I’m working, cleaning, driving, etc.

9. What non-art related interest/hobbies/skills do you have?

I’ll start with crossbow hunting because it tends to be what others find the most interesting and surprising about me. I love to ride my bike and use it to commute whenever possible. I’ve been told I’m good with kids, and I enjoy spending time with them, whether it is teaching or just being imaginative and acting silly. I know how to do lots of things that may or may not be helpful in the future, like catering for weddings, cake decorating, face painting, driving manual transmission, etc.

10. What is something you like that nobody else likes?

I like cheese grits with homemade spaghetti sauce. I know, “eww!” but you should try it sometime. It is amazing.

11. If you had the run of the world’s museums, what three works of original art would you like to own?

Well, if I were forced to choose just three…

Anything by Bernie Fuchs.

This N.C. Wyeth piece. I would never get tired of analyzing the implied detail and his ability to make amazing images.

It would be tough for me to have to pick just one portrait… but I would want one. There would be a tossup between Madame X and Mada Primavesi.