Cassie Kammerzell

Name: Cassie Kammerzell   

Age: 19 

Country: United States

Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beehives/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create? 

I have been making things without considering them to be "art" for as long as I can remember, but my passion really bloomed at around age thirteen when I allowed myself to fall into it quickly and wholeheartedly. By the time I was fifteen I was taking photos every day with whatever device was readily available, usually my crappy camera phone. 

It's hard to describe the way I see things now, but it's like I think in still images. Every moment has some massive amount of opportunity and it's often begging to be captured. If I'm compelled to create, it's because I don't want to miss any of that magic.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to? 

I think I am most inspired by the day-to-day things, by fairytales and colors, childhood, fruits and flowers, too. Also, the female form. 

I look up to so many different artists I would not know where to begin. Anyone with a vision is a hero. 

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice? 

A rule breaker.

If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why? 

It would be anything created by my other half, Dimas Melfi. Everything he makes is stupendous to me.

Tell us about your creative process. 

The only part of my process that doesn't change is the presence of [sometimes unwelcome] chain reactions. I have written pages and pages describing what I want to convey in just a single photo, but I'll get set up for shooting it and everything can change very quickly. I'm usually happy with the outcome, but I have so many stories that are struggling to be told. One day I'll execute more of these ideas that are already developed, but most photos I take are spur-of-the-moment kind of images I see in my mind and have an itch to see made real instantaneously. It's just something fun for me and it's different every time.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?

Sometimes it's a little scary how they can be one in the same. 

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate? 

I'm not one way or the other. Of course I am passionate in the moment and sometimes there are glorious instances when decisions are out of my hands and everything just...works, but I really do put thought into what I want to be seen, even if it's just some general idea made to be elaborated upon. 

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?

When it looks the way it felt. 

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?

No, but there are surely places I haven't thought of going yet. I'd like to go there.

What frightens you most about your art?

I am frightened by my style or the fact that I may have a style at all. There are times I feel flat, and I don't want to be pigeonholed into one kind of picture, but I have to be honest and let it all come out the way it wants to. I'm kind of dirty and rough, but that part of me hasn't really figured out how to present itself in this medium yet. It'll come. Hopefully one day I'll be content in feeling I'm showing the whole picture. 

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?

Unplug everything and go outside. Walk, think. It never fails. 

Do you dream about your artwork?

More often than not. My best visions come when I'm drifting to sleep. Very inconvenient! 

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?

I did a series in May with my friend Bekah that is special to me. She parked her car on the side of the road and we climbed up a steep slope into a secret wood with chirping birds, the greenest greenery and perfect sunlight. It was spontaneous and it looks the way it really was. 

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?

Instant film has always been my favorite. If I use anything else it's only for ease and reliability's sake. 

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important? 

Formal education? Next to none. Learning in that setting could be important depending on what you want to do, but it isn't so much to me. There's no right and wrong when teaching yourself, something I find invaluable in personal progression. I still have so, so much to learn. I am excited.

What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically? 

I want to work in fashion, whether it be as a clothing designer or photographer. I wouldn't dare dream if I didn't think both were realistic. 

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?

Knowing would be no fun! 

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Joanna Newsom, Haruki Murakami.

SEBASTIAN

Name: Sebastian
Age: 16
Country: Sweden
Website: http://limblesslove.deviantart.com/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
always, but i started doing it seriously when i was about 15. i came upon this amazing artist. i didn't love drawing before that, but i wrote, sometimes.i need to make things or i feel like i'm wasting my life, kind of a "what are you doing playing video games when you could dieeeee at any moment" sort of thing. so you see, it's a very compelling feeling. i'm really fucking "carpe diem" about everything lately which sometimes leads to some very embarrassing situations

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?

innocence and purity, blood and injuries, elegance, sadomasochism, androgyny and roses and things like that. all things that make me happy and excited and giddy on the inside. there are lots. oh, and martyrs! martyrs especially.

i love dadaly (jinyoung shin), takato yamamoto, yoshitaka amano the most, probably. egon schiele's lines make me happy as well. and ducasse and pinkjellyo on deviantart. ugh, lots.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
all i know is that i'm not precise at all.
i don't do planning and careful decisions and referencing and oh dear...

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?

it's never finished! it could always be better... but, i guess there's a point when everything you do just makes it worse.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
i don't think you should censor yourself. i doubt i'd ever feel compelled to draw, say, scat, though.

What frightens you most about your art?
that i'm really, really mediocre from the bottom of my heart, that i don't have anything special and that i'm doomed to drawing tulips and portraits of people's cats for the rest of my life. like there's a kind of mysterious magic that creative people have that i'm lacking.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks? 

well, i don't know. i'm blocked a lot of the time. but i think... if it lasts for a long time, it's probably about something else than just the actual act of drawing, so sometimes you need to sort your life and yourself out before you go back to art. if i draw when i really really don't want to, it makes it worse. you should draw because you love to do it. what other reason is there?

Do you dream about your artwork?

no, but i draw my dreams sometimes.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
http://limblesslove.deviantart.com/art/johannes-126801711

http://nessie1001.deviantart.com/art/Several-Cages-98745115

http://nessie1001.deviantart.com/art/Black-glove-73116595

i like to make pictures of people who are bleeding or mutilated or hurt but in a sort of saintly way, especially when i'm melancholic. there's a kind of "noble suffering" idea that i'm very drawn to.

the last one, the one with the lesbians, i'd made when i just turned fifteen or so and it was the first picture i ever made where i felt i'd really expressed myself, no matter how my friends would take it, no matter if it wasn't something my parents would want to hang on the wall. i actually still really like it which is rare. sometimes i think my older pictures were more inspired.


Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?

CHEAP ONES. i'm not knowledgeable, really. my favorite kind of paper is the kind with an okay grain (not too slippery!!) that you can get lots of for really cheap, you know, like in children's stores? like a kg of paper for 39 kr. yes, that makes me happy. it puts me at ease, because i can doodle and get into it like i need to, but i don't feel like i need to produce something amazing constantly or else i'm wasting my ~amazing paper~. and i don't like grainy paper anyway, it makes my pencil strokes look ugly and it feels bad against my hands. i also like thin thin ink pens. and watercolors that come in tubes. and tiny plastic silver stars.

What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?i'd like to draw comics, maybe, but thinking about a "career"... it's so weird. really, i want to be a singer and an adventurer and travel the world. and also draw comics at the same time. most of all i want to be exstatically happy. is that realistic? i don't want to settle for anything less.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
 well, sometimes. i don't know. my dad told me that i could never be an artist becase my pictures were too macabre for anybody to ever want to buy, so i guess that's not so supportive. INCIDENTALLY I WAS QUITE OFFENDED.


Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
i want to go back to the beginning and just draw what i love to do instead of drawing so i'll feel loved. yes, i think that's a good resolution.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?

magnificent weirdos are my saints and heroes.

laura kamppi

Name: Laura Kamppi

Age: 14

Country: Finland

Website :www.mokoumi.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?

I was really young. I was interested by pencil and paper and to make art whit them. Sometimes I drew on to something else than paper. I always wanted to draw pretty faces, because I liked dolls so much. My friends and parents always said how great my drawings were and I really did't kwow what I was doing, I just wanted to draw.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?

I like to put pastel colours in my art and I love personal people, fashion, reading, nature, magic, flowers. I'm just inspired by so many things.

Tell us about your creative process.

I always think a lot before I start to do anything and then I think what colours I should use.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?

Sometimes in very weird kind of way.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?

I think I'm more Technical. I like to think about first and then do it.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?

I prefer big projects more than quick doodles. So when I draw neatly it takes a lot of time and then most of my work are unfinished.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?

Yes, but I think when I grow up some boundaries will dissapear.

What frightens you most about your art?

Old works and unfinished works.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?

For me every day is not art making day, If I don't have a great feeling about drawing on that day, then I don't draw. Then there can be many weeks when I just draw every day too much. Reading and nature are usually my greatest inspiration, my secret magic.

Do you dream about your artwork?

Yes. If I haven't done so well or there is too much unfinished works in my room, then I see artwork dreams.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?

I am very proud if I have made the very best I can do.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?

Every wednesday I go artschool and I really like it. In real school I have art lesson too, it is very inportant to me, but I belive that everyone can make art education or not.

What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?

I would like to have more education and I would like to go to London some day and learn more about art...

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?

My family is supportive and especially my dad. Sometimes I have these crazy ideas and they don't quite understand, but it's okay, cause I'm little bit shy and I don't like to talk about my art work so loudly.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?

I don't know, because I've got a lot of time to develop.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?

I think actress Chloe Sevigny has great style, also Natasha Khan has great style and great music.

CHIGUSA Y.

Name: Chigusa

Country: Japan
Website: http://radiationeyes.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I've always been drawing as long as I remember. Maybe 1 or 2 years old.
I don't feel compelled to create.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I'm inspired by music, fashion, animals, fairy tales, starry sky, books(magazines) and photos.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
Yoshitomo Nara and Charles Anastase flash into my mind now. and they are alive.

If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why?
A starry sky(Universal) photo! It's very beautiful and mysterious.

Tell us about your creative process.
put some images together in my head. I draw it rough and clean copy with favorit music.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Not found. The life include art or it is linked, I think.


As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Passionate. If I lost passion, I can't draw. Because put my feelings into a drawing.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I think I feel so good and it's looks like a perfect at this time, I finished it.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
Luckly, I don't feel boundaries.

What frightens you most about your art?
It seem looks like somebody's art.


Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Sleep, sleep. Stop thinking of all. Go to sleep.

Do you dream about your artwork?
No. I have sometimes strange dreams but I always forget it.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
Sweet Bunny.
This one is made up of pure heart. so beginning of girls and bunnies story.

Steve Damstra photo + my drawing
http://www.lastfm.jp/music/Steve+Damstra/+images/16914
When I was listening to his music, some images come to my mind. It was so happy while being drawing this one.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
It's very simple mediums. Black ink pens, watercolors and crayons.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have not especially art education. I think it's not important but studying art is fun. I wish I were an art school student.


What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?
mmm....I can't imagine.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
No. They don't know I still have been drawing.
My grandmother most influenced me. We spend a lot of time together.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I will keep drawing. I want to open my exhibition someday.
I would like as many people as possible to look at my art.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Thom Yorke and a lot of musicans.

ULA ZUHRA

Name: Ula Zuhra
Age: sixteen
Country: Indonesia
Website: http://unicorncy.blogspot.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I've always known I wanted to do something creative, I started out just sketching and stuff but when I turned 13 I decided being an artist is the only thing I want to do in the future. I remember when I was still a small kid I used to draw ballerinas all the time, I was desperately obsessed with Ballerinas.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am majorly inspired by Greek mythology, I'm really into those stuff. I'm also inspired by alot of other things like history, fashion, music, most of all : books.
I find books like The Divine Comedy the most inspiring and The Odyssey just as inspiring.
I admire the period painter John William Waterhouse, he's probably my favorite painter ever, most of his paintings are inspired by legends and stories which I find really interesting. Waterhouse has influenced me more than any artist, other artists that I adore are : Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Gustave Dore, Boticelli.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
Gustav Klimt, his paintings are like, the perfect mixture of everything!

If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why?
I cant pick between 'The Deluge' by Gustave Dore or 'Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses' by John William Waterhouse.
Because everytime I look at it, again and again, I would find something new in the painting. Its pretty amazing.

Tell us about your creative process.
I dont know how my ideas come to me, when it does come, I sketch on anything near me.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Life would be such a drag if art wasnt a part of it.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I'm passionate. I've never made precise decisions in anything in my life, I'm very spontaneous.
Any idea that comes to my head I will use it just like how I thought it would look like.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I dont know, I just know that its finished.



What frightens you most about your art?
People say that what I draw or paint mirrors a much older mindset, I'm just a teenager and I dont want to seem too grown up.


Do you dream about your artwork?
Yes! Much of my artwork are inspired by my dreams. I like my art to be trippy and most of my dreams seem like I've been smoking grass all my life. hehe.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
Wow, I dont know! I think one that comes near to a favorite is 'Goddess', its a painting I did for an art project at school. I painted 4 of the greek goddesses : Aphrodite, Hera, Persephone and Demeter. I did it a day before I had to give it to my teacher.
http://unicorncy.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-look-sleepy-it-was-11-pm.html


What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I'm still a high school student, so I dont know if its important or not.



Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Yeah they are. Actually, my brother is trying to draw too.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I already have my own style I guess, but I want to start painting on a much bigger media.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Oh so many! I love Stanley Kubrick and his movies mostly. Oh and I really like naughty, naughty slutty nuns.

JUSTINE

Name: Justine
Age: 23
Country: France
Website: http://sirlonie.tumblr.com/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
My mother is an amazing drawer. As a child I was admirative of her work, I used to trade her drawings at school. ( I almost became rich ). So I guess I started drawing too. I used to enjoy that. Then I let it go, and it came back at the age of 15. I wanted to be proud. I'm still looking for that feeling somehow.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I find inspiration everywhere. I look at people a lot, but basically nothing can beat music.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I m too shy.



If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why?
I would choose something big with many details.


Tell us about your creative process
It is progressiv. I do not know where its gonna lead me. Most of the time it starts with a few strong lines. When I'm in the mood it's getting to look like something, then it turns out to be simple and obvious or twisted and painful.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?

I look at life as if it was art. Sometimes It plays me tricks.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?

Most of the time, I am conscious when I start a drawing, then sometimes I sink into it, and if I ever wake up, then I take some decisions.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
They are finished when I abandon them.

What frightens you most about your art?
It frightens me when I think about its quality.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
There are no creative blocks. There are creative periods.

Do you dream about your artwork?

Never. I tried to draw my dreams but it was bad.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I have not done it yet.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I like to draw with an Automatic Pencil in my sketchbook.


What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I studied mathematics in HighSchool. Then I dropped in some arts schools. The important thing, I think, is to keep learning. And of course you can learn everywhere else. Art Teachers just can't teach art sometimes.


What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?
I want to get better, I dont know if it does legitimize a carreer. I feel like I m practicing, not producing yet. I'd like to have a production. I love to work in collaboration too. I hope I'll get involved in great collaborations. Realistically ? In these troubled times, I just don't know.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
They didn't disapprove. They are great.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I don't have a clue.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Doctor Who. He is a time lord.

cat nap

PH is taking a tiny hiatus, because this month my computer is superduper slow and i simply cannot upload many pictures.

stay tuned!

x caitlin.

MARGARET DUROW

Name: margaret durow
Age: 19
Country: united states
Website: margaretdurow..com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
ever since i can remember. i think in pictures. im always thinking about how things look and go together, my mind is always creating images i need to capture with a camera.


What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
i get inspired when i feel so heavy light sad and excited all at the same time which ends up feeling like some kind of happiness. a happiness that seems important to convey through a photo, to share with other people. i look up to people who can put their words together so nicely and anyone who puts their heart, raw and honest, into whatever they are doing/creating.

Tell us about your creative process.
when i experience anything i think most about the way it looks and feels. i feel obsessed with trying to capture it all in one photo. i feel like if i dont take a photo im not fully appreciating everything around me that i love so much. other times i feel like i have to take a photo just to acknowledge something because i know in just a few minutes the light will change and it won't look the same, it may never look like that again. i need to remember how it looks now, it always just feels so important not to forget.
maybe its not all that important.


Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
life creates art.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
passionate
How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
all my photos feel like another piece to some big project im creating but i dont even really know what it is.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
i won't show any work that doesn't feel honest to me. i wouldn't show something i don't love just because i think it would appeal to other people.



What frightens you most about your art?
looking at old photos and getting nervous about changes.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
marijuana and a sunny afternoon.


Do you dream about your artwork?
im often taking photos in my dreams. sometimes im in the most beautiful worlds with a camera that wont work.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
i had an art class almost every year in grade school and high school. i had one photography class my first year of college. i think the basics are good to learn, but i don't think it's too important, id rather see art inspired by life, not by more rules and other art.


What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?
i want someone to pay me to travel around taking photos. ill probably end up hiding away in the woods studying plants.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
yes i think so. i think the internet has been most supportive and encouraging of my art (hahaha). my creativity has been influenced and nurtured most by my close friends.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
cole alexander and george breitzmann.

F. A. WOJTOWICZ

Name: F. A. Wójtowicz

Age: sixteen
Country: Poland, land of meat
Website: http://kodeine.deviantart.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/salcefix/
http://trotzki.digart.pl/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
Drawing in meaning >>creating reasonable lines to pretty fun for eyes<< was started three years ago and it was nice. Lines were nice, fun was nice, only process of creation was quite shite.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
Long time ago I saw japanesee pornoart and that was very wowza happening in my art. Next I saw Matthew Barney's films and installations, Henry Darger's heroic girls, Bellmer's dolls and nazi-style Helnwein. Odd mix of japanesse pornography, american bodyart, naive children's bodies, sexuality of dolls and nazi suits made me. But in bigger piece I am beetrooty-meaty pessimistic Pole, so I must adore art of brilliant geniuses - Jan Koza and Maciej Sieńczyk. I am turpist and big fan of medical crashes. Jim Jarmusch have nice hair.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I must ask Wilhelm Sasnal how to doing shite stuff and sell it.


As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I am Saint Sebastian of Art and selfslaughterer. That's lol, but in my mind this idea is very attractive.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
In every bad work is a lot to draw.


Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
Definitely no.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Yes, do not draw and piss at art for a month.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
Portrait of Thom Yorke
http://kodeine.deviantart.com/art/prayer-for-England-83594069
And this Carol the Cat
http://kodeine.deviantart.com/art/CAROL-THE-HUNGER-118975613
- because is the biggest work of me and he's very sexy. Generally I am in love with my photos of redhead Anna and my selfportraits.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Gold acrilic, white guache, black czech ink and staedler rapidograf are my friends.


What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
High School of Arts in Cracow are my place of education, and actually I don't know what I am doing in this place.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Mother are painter and she laughs at things what I do. And vice versa, so ...

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
Neodada and pixeloosa.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
My great cracow hero is Marcin Świetlicki, poet, writer and singer. Pretty nice are Emil Zegadłowicz and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. I want Tom Waits as my grandfather.

OLIVER HULL

Name: Oliver Hull
Age:18
Country: Australia
Website:www.oliverhull.com.au / www.hummachine.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I started pretty young and drawing has been my best skill all my life really.
I first used drawing as a way to compete against my friends. You know boys pretty competitive. So we would go in competitions in the local newspaper and stuff , see who could win and also we would use it to fight against each other with force fields and lasers and robots and men with axes, but we would also do nice things like inventing computer game characters. That kind of thing happened pretty frequently until I was about 14 I drew zombies, then when I was 15 I started Illustrating posters and I discovered Graffitti artists like KRSN and I met Doug. Not until recently have really known why I draw, but i think its something like keeping a daily diary/ working things out from my life and my ideas about people and things, as I'm not eloquent enough to write them, but i dont think i would write them anyway i like drawing more.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I was inspired by alot of popular artists such as graffiti artists and like soft drawn girlie pictures , but that seems boring now, but still evident in my work. I've been seeing things in my life which I find more beautiful more like my messy room and the layering of sticks in the Australian bush because the lines are awkward, Also over cropped photos and atmosphere and mannered things. Personal symbols which gain more meaning as you see them, when used in different contexts despite Munch having said that an artist who relies upon personal symbols is a bad one or something along those lines . Having said that I do look up to alot of artists particularly friends, as I guess I understand more because I know them, like Holly Coopers drawings and photos. they seem to reflect the relationship between emotion and history and how it creates nostalgia and beauty. thats pretty cool. I also like outsider artists like Daniel Johnston and Henry Darger, because there lives are so intense. the work seems to be far richer and because they are really dedicated.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I would ask a Daniel Clowes because hes a brilliant draftsman and writer. i fucking love his comics fuck yes. I would ask him about brush techniques and for his essay on brush and ink and also on writing and illustration.

If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why?
I would put Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time by Angelo Bronzino because I love the duality between the themes and the beauty of the piece, also how croweded the compostions are and the girl in the background on the right is possibly my favourate thing i have seen in an artwork for a long time. its so twisted and awkward and her expression is like "so?" . its pretty good.

Tell us about your creative process.
well It depends if I have a Brief for an illustration or something. ill think for a while, make some notes, or ill get an idea and do the drawing and finish it as fast as i can. I will try to draw as many figures and as much line as i can when thats done i colour.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Yeah all the time. I think it seeps in and life and art become the same thing when you open up. i used to be all cagey and think no thats wrong, but yeah thats ebbing .

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Im passionate. I can't be technical in anything. im the same in every area - messy and wiggly. i like the taste of my food like that i dress like that, and speak like that.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
when i see it and go yeah thats good or you get that tingle in the middle of your head and it vibrates a bit and i can imagine if i was an animation it would have lines growing and shrinking and maybe a colour wheel and like other stuff maybe or you get the creative euphoric moment thats really good, but i could always do more on the drawing.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
Not pushing my own boundaries is one i think and like maybe doing stuff that doesn't feel honest to what i think I'm about.

What frightens you most about your art?
Stealing other peoples gardens and realising you have no garden and only slugs.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I draw twice as much and get as frustrated as i can then i end up getting through it also going for walks and taking photos.

Do you dream about your artwork?
no I dream about weird stuff. last night i was living in a gym and i turned into harry potter and my girlfriend was hermione but she still looked the same and she saved me from some Slytherins and a chupacobra. I take alot of inspiration from dreams.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I don't really covet any of my drawings highly, but the collab I did with Holly Cooper has definitely the most meaning, as we did it on the way to the airport when she was going back home which was sad.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I dont really favour any brand but I like to use artline artist series fine liners and copic fine liners and any old pencils with varying shades and house paint and belton spraypaint.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have half of a semester of a diploma and like highschool and other not very much but yeah i really think it is the more i learn the more i understand i think its important for me and helps me organise my thoughts a bit more which are generally scattered but yeah I think its good to have, but not essential cos you know all the artists who don't have one who are fucking ace.

What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?
I want to have like multiple being a really good illustrator/fine artist would be great / owning a magazine/shop/gallery would be cool but realistically I probably will have a part time job for ages and spend my days off pushing my art goods on teh STREET!.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
yeah they are really supportive there all "do what you love because i didn't so you should" which is really cool.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
Larger and better painted i would like to have mad oil painting skills and combine all the binary opposites i can think off into a bit jumble piece of flotsam and jetsam and people and characters and more collabs and jewellery and t shirts.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Albert Camus, Milan Kundera,Moot, Rob Poulter and Daniel Johnston and David Bryne.

OSKAR EK

Name: Oskar Ek

Age: 19
Country: Sweden
Website: www.neontights.blogspot.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
13, it was about then that i chose art to be something that i'd like to define myself with. I even put a big post-it over my bed saying "I WILL GET GREAT AT DRAWING". I was so dramatic back then and ever so eager to prove myself worthy to a girl i had a crush on back then.
There are times in my life when i don't draw/create for a while and as time passes i dramatically feel how i lose track of who i am or whom i strive to be. I'd like to see "creating" as a necessary tool to define yourself.


What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
My friends mainly, what we talk and joke about. Trivial stuff that tends to escape the eye if you're not bored enough. We can go on for hours mocking the font Comic Sans and how companies around the world are abusing it to an ridiculous extent.
I look up to my friends, i would go as far as to call them 'awesome', haha.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
Hanna Therese Nilsson

If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why?
Karin Mamma Andersson, her paintings are very soothing look at and refreshingly inspiring. The compositions she makes are always well thought-through and never leaves me disappointed.


Tell us about your creative process.
That's hard, i usually go out for a smoke and gather my thoughts around some of the impressions i've gotten lately. Then i get a cup of coffee, stay in my basement until i'm done haha.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Not really, i'd say the two of them has a pretty healthy relationship.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate? (Do you lose yourself in the work or do you make precise decisions?)
Both but leaning towards passionate. There's a lot of passion in the work composition but that's usually labeled as a technical merit so i'm not sure what to say.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
Some say 'less is more' but that's just a way of saying that 'more' isn't the answer to everything. I aim to find a balance in my paintings, i find it eventually, not always but most of the time.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
No.


What frightens you most about your art?
That it can remind me of who i were.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Get your fat ass back on the track. It works, always. I've been taking a break for two weeks now and I'm quite mad at myself for doing so. Creative blocks is all about FEAR as with any other "blocks" in life and as for all other "blocks" in life there's just one way out. Get yourself into the messy mess and confront the problem and eventually you'll find there's nothing to fear but FEAR ITSELF haha god that's so cliché but ever so hard to realize.

Do you dream about your artwork?
No. I'd like to but i don't.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
"sims" - The most technically challanging work i've ever created, took me about one month to finish. That's the most time i've ever spent on one drawing. Though the most meaningful one is "there" since i have a strong emotional bond to it.


Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Corel Painter IX and traditional pencils 4B-HB.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
3 year long in the upper secondary-school. Not really, if you just put your heart to it you'll make it far. I had a lot of friends who have had far more years in art-school but that just made me even more motivated to show them your educational background has no meaning.

What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?
I'd like to be an artist or an illustrator with no commercial commitment. Realistically, i think i'll have a commercial commitment but that's just as good. I don't really see it as a relevant matter, i'll just keep on doing what i love and see where it takes me. It'll be interesting to see how much i love it haha.

ERIN ORNSTEIN

Name: Erin Ornstein
Age: 23

Country: Canada

Website: my website is in construction for now. best to find me @http://www.flickr.com/photos/intothetrees/ or http://users.livejournal.com/_intothetrees_/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
Ok so I really have been drawing since I could hold a pencil. Often when the other kids were out on loud messy crazy adventures, my father and I spend the day in galleries and museums. With the promise of junk food at the finish, I would sit patiently with him the many quite rooms of paintings, dinosaur bones and period clothing and we'd sketch for hours.
I have lost most of them now but somewhere in the universe there a lot of scribbly child drawings of dead birds, buddha statures, kimonos and renaissance paintings.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
Everything really, but especially stories, storytellers and strangers I meet in my travels. Also science and the deconstruction of the world around me, and particularly right now radiolab podcasts which explore and discuss everything about life the universe and everything. I can't get enough of them.
I find seeing people (and/or myself) in moments of awkwardness or discovery is really inspiring.
And finding out where science and magic overlap and wind up accidentally explaining one and other. This makes my toes tingle.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
Most of my favourite artists right now are my contemporaries and are around my age. I would probably be to nervous to ask them anything but if i did it would probably be more about themselves than their artistic techniques. I'd ask for one story about whatever.
It would be nice to watch them all work separately, to be like a ghost in their studios. One of my favourite teachers, Harvey Chan, would do media tutorials with us in many of the classes he taught. He would take the new materials and do a piece or several pieces of artwork, superfast, right in front of us. I loved watching the whole process unfold and I really liked everything he did. I would leave the class full of inspiration and understanding of a new technique.

If you had to put up one piece of artwork on your wall and stare at it for a year, who would it be by and why?
I could never pick only. There is just too much great art longing to be put up on my walls. I can't say no.
In the interest of saying something I'll say something by Sarah Ferrick, her art is like a thousand stories from a thousand universes.

Tell us about your creative process.
I put my headphones on and draw between dancing or dance between drawing.
I'm working at a law firm now so I draw all over the office supplies when I'm on my lunch or between jobs when no one's watching (shhhhh)

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
When I look at people on the subway I am often drawing them in my head
and when I've got my headphones on and I'm walking around, I frequently imagine I am drawing a visual accompaniment to the music.
As far as connections that exist outside of those I create I don't know, I'll have to watch more closely. :^)

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate? (Do you lose yourself in the work or do you make precise decisions?)
I am always passionate, in life, in art, in everything......really a bit of a mess. But a creative chaotic enthusiastic mess. When I am in the earliest stages of art making I usually just let whatever I'm thinking about or feeling drive me. When I move towards the finishing of pieces I often get tense and technical and sometimes a bit overwhelmed with the infinite ways to move forward. This though I think is just a side effect of not enough experience and hopefully will pass with more work, work, work and of course play.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
Sometimes I know and sometimes time runs out. Sometimes I just get dragged off in new directions by new ideas and have to abandon what I'm working on to start something new.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
no, at least none that come to mind. There may be some that are so unconscious I am unaware of them. I think art is for crossing boundaries, if for no other reason than to make us aware of what boundaries exist at any given time and invite discussion and provoke thought about the lines we draw and what they mean. I believe it's always a good idea to keep an open and critical mind about the world and it's important to be shaken a little out of stale, static or comfortable thinking every now and then.

What frightens you most about your art?
I sometimes worry about telling too many secrets, but mostly people have their own interpretations of my work, which are usually worlds away from my own.
I also worry about not being good enough or doing too much of the same thing, but it pushes me to try new things and make art constantly.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
New music, long walks, and I am constantly looking for and collecting inspiration. The internet is good.
I read sua's "find I think and draw well when my hormones are really jumpy." and laughed because this is the same for me. Not that I necessarily think better but that I draw more. I find the spring affects me more and more like clockwork. I wind up doing all these really horny lusty spring drawings. It's always just before the school year ends when I'm supposed to be really focused and instead I'm just distracted and anxious.

Do you dream about your artwork?
Yes, although I only do this when I am really anxious and it is never a good thing. I dreamt I was painting and choosing colour schemes for my grad show pieces most nights in the final months and weeks leading up to the grad show. I would figure out how to finish a piece 10 different ways before the end of the night and as would come up with each I would forget it and have to start over. I was a mess by the end of the school year.
Supposedly it's common for people to solve creative problems through dreaming but I don't think that's happened for me yet.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I'm not sure. Perhaps my wolfberry folk remedy piece. It reminds me of the struggle and panic I partially overcame while doing my thesis and graduation show. I still think I could've, should've, would've done a lot better but I learned a lot and tried tons of new techniques and materials. I think even with all that I still like this piece. I like the wolfies and the character and the faces.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Right now, I use a lot of pencil. I like the flexibility of it and the way it behaves well. I love ink and the beautiful accidents that happen with it. I think as I get more comfortable making art I will surrender more control to these kinds of unplannable lovely mistakes, which will make everything better. In recent years I've become more of a control freak than I should be. I need a good hard shake or something to get me out of it. Now is the time!

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I am currently working towards a degree in design and majoring in illustration. I've really enjoyed the experience so far. I think it has helped me a lot but I don't think it's necessarily for everyone. If nothing else it was a great place to meet a lot of really talented people, share ideas and get exposed to a lot of artists I might not have heard of on my own. I had some really great teachers too.


What kind of career do you ultimately want? And what kind of career do you think you'll end up having (or already have) realistically?
It feels strange to answer this question since in my program so many people have already started getting illustration work. That is what I want to do. I'm working on it. I still feel somewhat nervous about it but I'll get over it. I can't imagine myself doing anything not art related.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Yes, I am lucky. My house has always been filled with art and everyone in my family is and has been very supportive. My dad and I share and trade art supplies, critique each other's work and swap sources of inspiration constantly.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
It's a surprise for me too.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Those that come to mind at the moment are Björk, Patrick Wolf, Neil Gaiman, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich...... and Merlin(particularly as he is portrayed in the sword in the stone - yes the disney movie) Ever since I was very little I wanted to follow him around and learn about magic.