Privelidge House Artist Interviews

Cassie Kammerzell

2010-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-11-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-08-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T01:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

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.

SOPHIE MCPIKE

2009-07-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Name: Sophie McPike

Age: 20
Country: Australia
Website: www.homesickpipe.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
Since always! I remember making an amazing train when I was 4 or 5 out of tissue boxes and coloured paper circles. The train had eyelashes - it was the best!

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I’m inspired by almost everything I see or that is around me. I’m forever looking for new inspirings; it’s all I do, really. At the moment I am in absolute love with American artist Joe Leyendecker; Ahh gosh, his paintings blow my mind! Also, I adore music; my CD rack is exploding with beautiful sounds. Silent film is a great influence at the moment, too.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
Leyendecker is someone who has an amazing technique, so loose and full of movement, I would quite like to know all of his secrets. Toulouse Lautrec, Lempicka, Al Hirschfeld, Henry Major, to name a few, would be amazing to talk to.

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?
Oh gosh and gee, how can you choose just one!!!??? I don’t know if this quite counts, it’s definitely art though, but a still from my favourite film ‘Sunrise’ (though, choosing the still would prove to be quite difficult). Ahhh, such an amazing film…and I am really smitten by the leading man, George O’Brien.

Tell us about your creative process.
I have sketchbooks (I’ve just finished one!) that I doodle and scribble in - sometimes drawings can turn into paintings or etchings. But I usually research and find tonnes of pictures of a certain someone I want to paint and make some drawings of them. And I suppose painting in ink or oils is kinda similar - I just build up the layers.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Well, if I didn’t make art I would be completely vacant and dull. I find it so hard to express myself in words, so art gives me a kind of release. It’s defiantly something I just HAVE to do...in my life.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
A lot of the time I don’t really think a lot when I’m just drawing in my book. But when I make paintings, drawings or etches of a person I have to be technical and get the face to be as perfect as I can, but when I start painting I loose the plot and time flies, I think I either bite my lip or have a cheesy smile on my face when this happens.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
Usually I will do it all in one go and when I’m satisfied enough I’ll stop. Or when I can’t think of what to add next, I’ll definitely stop - I can sometimes go overboard and ruin it. I work pretty fast, and almost get ahead of myself and excited to do the next thing. Quite often I’m not entirely happy with the finished piece, but that’s good cause making it was so exciting and I have to make more art to feel that thrill again.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
Well, I’m not really sure. There are things that I would like to try, but am too intimidated or afraid, but I’ll get to it eventually, hopefully.

What frightens you most about your art?
Losing use of my hands and/or going blind! Art blocks scare me - or maybe just frustrate me. Besides losing the ability to create, nothing really scares me, I have too much of a blast.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Buy new pens or pencils, and maybe new paper and sit somewhere new and just draw a whole lot of dreadful drawings until the knack returns, (but new pens usually help!!)

Do you dream about your artwork?
Not really, not of my works anyway, but some interesting ideas for drawings and sketches. I seem to dream about 19th century attire quite often, and I’m well interested in that!

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I’m always most excited about new works. I adore an oil painting I made of Anton Walbrook - I just started painting in oils and I learnt a lot and I did it for someone special. Also ’Shy Boy’ which is a pen drawing. It’s true to the person I drew, and makes me feel all tingly.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I love inks, oils, etching, lino and pens. I etch on copper, so much better than plastic! My oil paint is just really old and almost dried up stuff from my nana, and my favourite ink I use is from a strange material shop!

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
Did art all through school and am in my second and final year of a visual arts course. Maybe it’s important, but I kinda hope it isn’t.

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?
Maybe just a show here and there, nothing fancy. I want to open a gallery type shop with my good friend Hanna and we will make art and stuff behind the counter and it will be so lovely. I wouldn’t mind earning sooome money in making art.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Oh yes, quite very much, they’re lovely. Also had some wonderful teachers and the most beautiful friends…awww!

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
So very many much! All of my friends!
Right now: George O’Brien, Tiny Tim, Al Bowlly, Anton Walbrook, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Ray Davies, Ronnie Lane, O. Wilde, and songs, films, poems, flowers!

FRANCESCA CHASSEREAU

2009-07-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Name: Francesca C

Age: 20
Country: US
Website: http://bloodcurdlingcreams.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
When I was about four, my sister's detailed artwork inspired me to start creating my own. I feel I have to create something because it is a part of me and how I put myself out into the world.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am inspired by people who don't make artwork normally. Maybe they doodle once in a while but it always amazes me how creative their minds are and they don't know it! I look up to my mother because she can work with any medium. She can do anything.

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 piece of artwork by my uncle. I just found it a couple days ago. It has a warm feeling.

Tell us about your creative process.
always start off with a detailed pattern and I play with it for a while until I decide how I want to use it. It always ends up as clothes on a person.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I try to be techinical but I have never been that way!

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
None of my artwork is ever finished. I can think of so many ways to change them but eventually I find something that satisfies me enough to think it is finished.
Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Looking at vintage portraits and clothes.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I use cheap markers and pens. Most of my work is digital.

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 love to work with textiles but I am aiming to be a translator instead.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My whole family is artistic in some way and they are always supportive.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I think it will always be a hobby for me.

BERNADETTE PASCUA

2009-07-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Name: Bernadette Marie

Age: 26
Country: nyc, USA
Website: decadediary.typepad.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I’ve seen old letters that my mom wrote to my dad when they lived in separate countries and each one has a mess of scribbles made by me at four years old. Each one is labeled by mom with what I said they were – faces, socks, cookies. And it just went from there, it wasn’t until I was 15 years old and into punk music when I started to share my drawings via xerox copied zines that I made. That’s when I really realized that drawing truly defined me as I made it my own, I feel one hundred percent when I do it. So I guess this all can answer the latter of the question because it is still true for me now.

What are you inspired by?
Right now my drawings are heavily influenced by fashion, as I am wrapped in it myself. I love that there is a high and a low to it, it includes the lowest common denominator of the ordinary day in which you pull things from your closet to satisfy how you feel or want to express. And on the other high extreme end of the spectrum there are these delectable pieces of clothing designers like Dries Van Noten or Margiela are creating, or designers like Yves Saint Laurent or Elsa Schiaparelli have created, real life fantasies, and the windfall of things that come in between: model muses, fashion photography, costume designs for films, both new and old.
I am forever fascinated by what went on in the earlier decades, like
the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. I love going on image hunts to find photographs of the past, going to used book stores to see if I can get lucky with some old finds, trolling through thrift stores to find vintage pieces.
It all comes full circle though as fashion is so much inspired by art. So my mind runs through the full gamut for inspiration: everyday, anything.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I would only want to ask Egon Schiele advice on how to draw hands.

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?
Cy Twombly, The Four Seasons. It would serve as a beautiful calendar for that one year.

Tell us about your creative process.
When I’m working on something more structured like a textile design or commissioned piece, I envision the final project in my mind and just work towards making that happen. When it’s for myself, drawing becomes an improvisation of an image I like and I just sit down and let my mind wander.

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

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I think it’s important to be a little bit of both.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I try to find that right balance, when it feels right I just let go and that’s it.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I don’t think there should ever be any limits in making art but in taste, sometimes. Naturally I just keep myself within a certain aesthetic, I know what I like, but even once in awhile it’s good to shock yourself.

What frightens you most about your art?
That I’m building a little universe full of images that I love but will never really get to live in.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I take a walk around New York City.

Do you dream about your artwork?
I have a really boring day job, I do dream about the time I have for making art.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I haven’t made that one yet.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I love just a simple mechanical pencil with refillable lead accompanied by a full box of good old fashioned pencils in a range of grades. Caran D’Ache makes gorgeous colored pencils. For more color, I like watercolor, just tubes of Winsor & Newton Artist's Water Colour will do. I’ve been trained to use gouache for textiles, but for my own work I like the looseness of watercolor and how spontaneous it is.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I took a couple years of Fashion Illustration and I have a BFA in Textiles. The years I spent in Fashion Illustration were the most important, though in hindsight it made my work a little too precise maybe. It’s important if you have the right teachers who guide you and break you in the right way without masking your own natural style, which is really rare. It’s also important to educate yourself in art history, which is so multifaceted that it may lead to you things you had not thought of doing before.

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’d be too dreamy to say at this point what I would love to have at this age and in the place I live in - living in New York City there is only so much room to be starry eyed. To be completely blunt, it’s expensive and competitive. I’m proud that I’ve made it this far in a place this extreme, though it’s not what I want to be doing, I make a really good living working a full time day job in fashion. I’d rather be in my home studio just drawing for hours on end, but I have a decent cushion of time to create my own stuff on the side and have a small freelance career from that.
Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
I’m really lucky to have had creative parents - my dad has a great talent for drawing and he’s dabbled around photography with a brief stint as a photojournalist, so he’s passed on to me not only the artistic genes but some fantastic old photographs and cameras as well. My mom really loves fashion, she can sew with her eyes closed and when I was growing up she had the panache to wear Halston or Chanel but also loved vintage. She’d treat us to nice things and at the same time take us thrift shops and encouraged me to wear whatever I wanted. So it was just the perfect storm.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
Moving away from pretty faces, pretty things and being a little more less literal, away from the little sketchbook and on to the entire wall.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
There are so many people I admire outside of art, mostly in music, literature and film. My personal favorites are always the ones out there on the fray and carry the same spirit of a brooding musical loner like Neil Young or a gypsy dreamer like Stevie Nicks, a decadent writer like Sidonie Gabrielle Collette or completely opposite literary theorists, a traipsing muse like Charlotte Rampling or Ana Karina, too many to name, doing what they want to do.

MATTHEW SENKOWYCZ

2009-06-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Name: Matthew Senkowycz
Age: twenty too
Country: Oz
Website: www.monotonyofdomesticity.blogspot.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I always really enjoyed drawing and used to just sit at my grandparents’ house with a giant pad of 1980s computer paper and a pen and draw alllllllll day, while my mum and dad were at work, and my grandparents looked after me. Stopping only to eat breadcrumbs, drink tea, and dunk bread rolls in to lemonade. I was also a huge fan of ham….i don’t know why. It’s pretty delicious though…non? I like creating things as a means of exploring the ideas I have

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am inspired by a variety of things, music, architecture, fashion, people, places, situations (real and fictional). I find inspiration in almost everything, not to say sometimes I go for periods without creating a thing. I really admire Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima, two Japanese architects that run a firm called SANAA, because they are able to create these stunning buildings in which they are able to distill their ideas into an unbelievable level of clarity. Their spaces are quite minimal, but paradoxically playful. I also really admire people who have consistency throughout their work and do what they do unashamedly and with a sense of ease within themsleve. Vivienne Westwood, Ruben Toledo, Rei Kawakubo, Raf Simons, Gareth Pugh, Andy Warhol…

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I’d like to speak with Andy Warhol….but then again, he did tell Grace Jones to be less weird. I’d like to speak with Hedi Slimane, simply because he holds a multi dimensional view of art and design. He’s done photography, fashion design, architectural design, a bit of everything, but seems to maintain continuity between mediums and fields. I am really interested in the multiplicity of design.

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 think I would never get tired of a Warhol. Warhol was about so much more than just Pop-Art, he was the first to take a bohemian scene and launch it into collision with high society. The painting would just serve as a reminder. I also really like classic portraiture, the type that litter the dining halls of lavish European manners.

Tell us about your creative process.
I like creating when I am alone. I enjoy being a lone quite a lot actually.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Not really, I am usually inspired by what has happened, or do things like draw what I think people might wear etc etc. I have recurring dreams though, and sometimes I draw things from them.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Passionate. I am most definitely not very technically advanced :P

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
Usually when I feel all the parts are resolved enough to show (or hide) things that the drawing is about.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
In terms of trying new things, I don’t think so. The prospect excites me. I do find a certain charm in traditional mediums though. Things that are completely digital, while often beautiful, seem far more disposable to me.

What frightens you most about your art?
At first, I was really afraid of people not liking it, because it was so personal. But I’ve come to accept it. I guess I’m still scared that what I do is or will become irrelevant.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Find some new music. Browse your favourite collections from past seasons. Lose yourself in the architecture section of a big library. Buy a new magazine. Watch something by Sophia Coppola or Wes Anderson.

Do you dream about your artwork?
Often the objects the people have or the clothes they are wearing are really important when I’m creating them, and then I dream about those objects….or people having them.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
This is too tough to answer. Generally speaking, upon completion, that work will be my favourite as it encompasses what I am or have been feeling at that immediate point in time. However, in hindsight, my opinions. Often the ones I like the most get the least attention.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I like Progresso Pencils, Rotring pens and mechanical pencils, Pantone markers, Guache, cheap watercolours.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I am not really all that educated in art. I have Bachelor of Design in Architecture and most of the other stuff I know is just what I have found out through my own snooping. I think finding a group of people with whom I could discuss art and design related things was really important in my development.

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 love to be the creative director of something, a label or a magazine, even artistic director, or the architect for a fashion house, doing all their stores and interiors, or an illustrator at a magazine. I’d even love to be the person that makes the window displays somewhere like Rue St Honoroe. Anything where I can be fairly conceptual and indulge all my interests at once. I am still unsure where I will end up, but I’m sure I won’t settle for anything I don’t like. It’s not what I do.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
They are exceptionally supportive. Sometimes I wish they would be a bit more critical. My mum really encouraged me to draw and used to do craft projects and things with me when I was younger. She used to paint lots of flowers on everything.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I also hope to see more continuity in ideas between the creative fields in which I play.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
I adore Bjork, because I feel that her work permeates all aspects of her life. For the same reason, Roisin Murphy. Architecturally, Kazuyo Sejima is my hero. She wanted to be a grandma when she was growing up, sitting on a porch reading the paper and watching people all day. Isn’t that superb? I really like Christian Weinecke’s work for Comme Des Garcons too. Shigeru Ban makes really beautiful spaces too. Vivienne Westwoood in terms of fashion. Like Warhol, she inspired, if not created an entire social movement, a true indication of the power of design. Again, her design aesthetic seems to be very true to who she is which is important. I really enjoy the work of Raf Simons for Jil Sander menswear too. It’s got a supremely admirable level of refinement, without losing its edge. I often also have a “Hero Du Jour”, allocated to the most amazing person I spot in a day. I also love Iekeliene Stange’s face….and Tom Nicon’s.

RAQUEL APARICIO

2009-06-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Name: Raquel
Age: 26
Country: Spain
Website: http://www.raquelissima.com

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I enjoy reading a lot, I get most of my ideas from reading, I also watch lots of documentaries about animals and diferent countries and space . I also spend a lot of time with my sketchbook.
Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
If he was alive I would like a review of my portfolio from Harry Clarke.

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?
Maybe The Sketelon Spectre by Kuniyoshi, I really like that piece.

Tell us about your creative process.
To me first is the idea, I draw some rough, loose sketches and when I like any of them I just draw it in a refined way. I like to use ink because it is very fast and I can get nice textures with it.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Sure, too many.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I always get nervous with every work, so I suppose I'm passionate.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I always want to change something, I don't like to look to my old drawings because I would change everything.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Not really, I go out with my bike or for a walk and then I draw on my sketchbook a little.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Indian Ink and golden interference. I really love FW inks too.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
Yes! It's very important, maybe not an official education. I believe it is more important to keep educating yourself in many ways, keep going to exhibitions, reading, summer schools, screenprinting, baking cakes or whatever just experimenting new ways.

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 just want to keep drawing for a living, I would like to do some more fashion drawings that could be fun.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My twin sister Sae influenced me and my boyfriend too. We always work together so I feel it is impossible not to get influenced by them, I feel grateful to have them so close.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
as I said before my boyfriend and my twinsister Saelia.blogspot.com, Harry Clarke, Kuniyoshi, Atom Mato, Sam Weber among many, many others.

JESSICA SEA

2009-06-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Name: Jessica Sea
Age: Twenty two
Country: U!S!A!
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/disasterlife/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I realized I wanted to be an artist when I was four years old, but didn't start seriously creating anything until I was nineteen. Up until that point, I was making terrible things to please others. I feel compelled to create things because lots of ideas are crowding up my brain and need a way to get out.

What are you inspired by?
I am inspired by my friends, my boyfriend, animals, colloquialisms, fairy tales, religious stories and poems.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I would like to ask Ray Caesar how he goes about getting his inspiration because his pieces are just amazing.

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 probably put up an illustration from Junji Ito's manga, "Uzumaki" because the drawings are so intricate and gory. I could always find something new about the piece when I looked at it.
Tell us about your creative process.
I generally don't plan things out. I don't use pencil; I just go straight for pen on the page and hope what I make is satisfactory. If it isn't, I just keep drawing until everything is in balance.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
I think that the saying that art reflects life is very true. Most of my drawings are made as a reflection on things that have happened to me or things that I wish would happen to me

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Nothing I make is precise. I operate on rash decisions.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I have a rule of odd numbers that I use in most pieces. I have to count out the figures or objects that I am using and make sure that everything is in balance within the composition.
Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I don't think that there are such things as boundaries in art. Art is there to allow all free thinking to be expressed.
What frightens you most about your art?
I am afraid that I will never grow past what I am doing now. While, I like what I am doing, sometimes I feel like I am too repetitive.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I always find that sucking the life out of other artists works pretty well. I pour over images and try to gather up anything that would help me out.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3361165539_f83998490a_b.jpg The Cloaked Crownless Queen is the painting I love the most. It was one of the first things I made on a large scale after I had stopped making things for a long time.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Prismacolors and Micron 005s are basically all I use.
What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I took art all through lower and upper school and two years in college. I don't think having an art education is necessary, but I do think it is important to have some basic understanding of what you are doing and why you are doing it.

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 be able to make a living making the drawings that I want to make. This is sort of selfish and probably not realistic at all. I will most likely end up with an office job doing my art on the side.
Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My parents think most of my work is strange and morbid, which is true. They never discouraged my ways, which I appreciate. I don't know if anyone really influenced my creativity other than myself. I have always needed ways to keep myself entertained and drawing things is the easiest way to do it.
Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
Hopefully, I can start learning how to use watercolors after the millions of tries I have made. I would like to start figuring out how to draw a few new things too, maybe more detailed bodies and clothes.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Most musicians and authors; I love Daniel Johnston and Kate Bush a lot as well as Shirley Jackson and Frank O'hara.

JACK TEAGLE

2009-06-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Name: Jack Teagle
Age: 22
Country: England
Website: www.jackteagle.co.uk

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
There is always that cliched way of saying that people have drawn since they could hold a pencil, but for me I think I was just like any other kid. I progressively drew more when I was around ten, I created my own characters and I wanted to see them get into adventures, and wrote comics about them.
In my teenage years I was really influenced by what comics I read, but I don't think I took it all that seriously. Around the time I started living away from home I matured, and my material started to change, I started to keep about 4-5 sketchbooks at a time of different themes, and my drawing skill increased. At this time I just loved filling books, they were like visual diaries and I just loved keeping them, so I'm at that point now, just drawing out of a passion.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
It's another old tired old cliche, but I'm completely obsessed with popular culture, especially drawing on my childhood, mutant actions figures and strange comics. I love the stiffness of action figures, I always think because of their statures, if they were alive they would be really socially awkward creatures, I just love how absurd toys are.
I take inspiration from the old fine artists, I love how medieval artists weren't concerned by realistic perspectives, or how people stood, I'm a particular fan of Hieronymus Bosch and the insane detail behind his work.

I love lowbrow art, Dave Cooper, Gary Baseman, Gary taxali, Gary Panter work drawing heavily on popular culture, it's all great and it also branches out into comics. I love Fletcher Hanks work in comics in the early part of the 20th century, with his phantomah character, he just shows you how crazy the human imagination can be. I love outsider work like Louis Wain, Henry Darger, and Howard Finster, just because of the obession with their craft, and they go to show how anyone can create art, you don't need fromal training.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
For me it would be Gary Baseman, he has his fingers in all the pies. He's worked in childrens books, animation, painting and commercial work. I'd just like to ask him about his process and how he managed to promote himself so well as a successful artist.

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?
Possibly one of the amazing paintings Henry Darger created for the child slave rebellion. I love how obessive his images are.

Tell us about your creative process.
I've only just got into the habbit of keeping a sketchbook to plan paintings, before I used to jump straight into a finished piece, and they didn't seem as effective. I don't stick to the sketch religiously, but I use it as some guidance. whe I started painting, I paint in layers, I paint huge parts first and then the smaller details get filled in later. I mix paint by applying i directly to a surface, without taking into consideration the colour that was there before, this way I get great inconsistencies that show to people who see my work digitally, that it is a traditional procress.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Alot of the time now, yeah. I remember I used to completely cut my artwork off from my life as an escapist hobby, but now because it's such a huge part of my life, I can see it relating to things everyday.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I'd like to say I'm a healthy mix of the two. Sometimes being spontaneous and excited about a piece of work pushes it into a new area that really works, but as well I think I need a little voice in my head telling me to stop with certain things so it doesn't get too messy.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
That is one of the hardest things to know I think as an artist, when you should know when to leave an image. I think it's a lot about confidence, I'm slowly getting better at leaving work before I overwork it.
When I paint or draw I just work into something until it feels like it's complete, if I'm working to a brief or a deadline it's usually easy to decide.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I guess it would be personal morals and keeping my integrity. I see a lot of people drawing sick stuff without any comment on anything, they're just essentially ripping off a more successful flash-in-the-pan artist. I want to avoid all of that.

What frightens you most about your art?
Not being able to move with the times we live in. I'm scared of my work dating or merging into a sea of mediocrity, coming up with my own original ideas is important.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Go for a long walk in a cool breeze. Discussing ideas with good friends. Reading and films. But I think the most important is I love to keep observational sketchbooks and scrapbooks, mostly if I'm struggling I can pull ideas from these sources and I'm back on track.

Do you dream about your artwork?
No, it's strange, I dream about other people's artwork, but I don't think I acknowledge that I can paint or draw in my dreamworld. I take inspiration from dreams sometimes, but it's very rare these days, my dreams are getting a lot more mundane in my old age.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
It's hard to choose, because I'm initally proud of everything I do, but then it ages, you produce something a lot better, and the older work gets tossed aside. I think one of my favorites is the portait of my Mum and Dad, I painted it for their 25th wedding aniverserary

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I never really payed much notice with paints, but I do love using indian ink and dip pen for inking. Paint wise a good brush is more important than good paint, but I don't get the cheapest paint either. I guess I get a few really good brushes and then bulk out my collection, I get the student quality art suplies like liquitex or system 3 acrylics, but sometimes I'll be given some Cryla with has the best consistency ever, so I cheat and mix it in with cheaper paint to thick it out a little bit, it feels nicer to paint with.
I'm not so good with pencils, so I usually just get those classic black and yellow staedtler pencils in a range of tones.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have Art and Photography A levels, completed a Foundation art diploma, and I am now waiting to graduate from a BA in Illustration at the University of Plymouth in England.
I think my Foundaion was a bit of a shambles, there was great teaching, but I was still finding my feet and really messed up, but I did learn a lot.
My degree has really pushed me along, it's helped me to realise you're repsonsible for your own development. I really learnt to draw on my Degree, and I think I've finally found a way of working that I feel comfrotable with.
I think my education has been important to me, but I don't think it would work for everyone.

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 really want to work as a freelance illustrator, it'd be great to exhibit my personal work at the same time, and be covered by just doing what I love.
More realistically I think I'll end up getting apart time job or full time job to keep the wolf from the door, and I'll end up doing work as a hobby, although I'm preparing for the worst. I definately won't stop without a fight, and I really want to make it work as an illustrator.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My family are very supportive, especally my parents. They've always spurred me on and without their support, I'm not even sure if I would have persued being an artist as a career.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I'd like to say editorials, comics, and stand alone personal pieces. I'm not sure yet, I've had such a busy year I've just been doodling recently, I can't tell what dircetion I'm going to go into just yet.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
I think it would have to be Frank Zappa, John Cooper Clarke, Alan Moore, Wayne Coyne, and David Lynch.

ELINE JETTEN

2009-06-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Name: Eline Jetten
Age: 19
Country: The Netherlands
Website: http://studenten.wdka.nl/~0812244/ and lienertje.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I was very young when I started drawing. The exact age I don’t recall though. I do know that I was only four years old when I drew an abstract bird. Sadly not on purpose. When I was young I didn’t spend a lot of time on the computer nor television. So in my free time and in elementary school, I drew. My mother used to give us -me and my older sister- toys that would still need some imagination. Like a toy kitchen but without the plastic food, so we could still make and invent something. I can recall making paper lasagna for the dollhouse.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I’m inspired by my whole Art Academy in general. I love to see what other people in my class make. I also love browsing through deviantart. There are so many great artists there. Once you go to someone’s favorites you can just go on and on for hours passing through to their favorite’s favorites etcetera. Famous artists I like are Egon Schiele, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the drawings from Oskar Kokoschka, David Hockney and Andy Warhol. Oh, and Picasso was a genius too.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
They still have to live, right? Then I would say Marlene Dumas. I only discovered her recently. She lives in the Netherlands, so that’s a bonus. I would like to see how she paints. I love her smooth looking blended colors. I would also like to know how she decides what she’s going to make. I know she has a large image collection.

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 have the same poster on my wall for two years now and I still like it. It’s Marcella (1910) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. I bought it at the Brücke-Museum in Berlin. If I had to change it however I would like something by Schiele. Which one I don’t know. I find it to hard to pick just one favorite. I would also like something as James Ensor’s Christ's Entry into Brussels (1888). Just because there‘s always something new to discover.

Tell us about your creative process.
I recently started collecting books of artists and photo books. It’s really nice if you don’t know what to draw. You just look at the pictures and inspiration will come. We also have a subject at art school called Idea development. We have to find and make photos and glue them in a sketchbook. By looking at the pictures we chose and the connections between them we see what interests us.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
I almost always draw things that are alive. People or animals living. My ideas sometimes come from things that happened to me. I would like to be able to draw from life experiences and dreams. I just find it a little hard drawing without visual reference.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate? (Do you lose yourself in the work or do you make precise decisions?)
I think I tend to be a bit more technical than passionate. Because I am always scared of ruining a piece, I always scan it when I’ve done the outline. This way I can always print the linework and start over again. Most time I do the coloring in Photoshop because of this problem. If the work already starts ruined or isn’t important I color it traditionally.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
For school I just think of the amount of time that I have. I don’t want to make things to difficult to achieve within a short deadline. For my free work; it’s finished when I don’t know what to do to it anymore. Or if I think I’m going to ruin it if I’d continue. It always difficult to stop at the right time.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I don’t think I will ever do anything like the Wiener Aktionisten. I think that’s just a little bit too sick.

What frightens you most about your art?
If I can’t reach the same level as something I’ve made earlier. I don’t want my art to stagnate. When this happens I can’t really draw anymore because there’s too much pressure. It’s a slippery slope.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Just don’t make anything for a while. Leave your art for what it is and do different things. Go to a museum, watch a movie, browse through Flickr, search for artists on the internet, collect pictures. You will get the need to start making something soon. Another approach is trying to remake an artwork you like. This way you learn different techniques.

Do you dream about your artwork?
I’ve never done so. But then, I’m really bad at remembering my dreams. So maybe I did!

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
My recent self-portrait. I’m proud I made it using only a mirror and pencils. I also like the fact it looks quite real and technically ok. As always I colored it using Photoshop.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I have colored pencils by Derwent. I have both the new coloursoft ones as some old ones they hardly sell anymore. They are actually my mother’s and called Cumberland. They are nice and give great colors. I don’t use much paint. If I do it’s usually just cheap paint. My linework is usually done with black ballpoint called BIC Velocity.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I am just finishing my first year of Illustration in Rotterdam. It’s not necessary to follow art education but I do recommend it. You learn how to get ideas, to promote your own work, how to make money out of your art and all those kind of things. Art school is also nice for talking to other people about art and other things. You can motivate them and they can motivate you. You get opinions about your work and how you can make it more interesting. What’s really nice, is that they are all people with the same kind of interests.

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 a career that will stimulate me to try different things. I don’t want to be doing the same thing over and over again. I would like to be a wide range illustrator with a broad field of interests. I would also like to do things as Art Direction for movies.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
They are now. At first they were worried that I could not find a job in the art world and take care of myself by being an illustrator. My school is rather interested in money, so we do learn something about finances. My mother went to art school as well. She always tried to teach me things even when I wouldn’t listen. My dad is interested in photography. He knows everything about cameras and lenses.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
That’s a difficult question. I would like to be good at more than one thing. I would love to be a great photographer, painter, sculptor or maybe even a filmmaker. I don’t want to only be able to draw images. I would like using different techniques; collage, assemblage, ceramics and more paint.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
That would be Arjan Ederveen and Tosca Niterink. They made lovely programs on Dutch television in the 80’s and 90’s. As a duo they made a program called Creative with Cork, ridiculing DIY programs. They are great comical talents.

AUDREY MALO

2009-06-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Name: Audrey Malo

Age: 22
Country: Canada
Website: http://grillon-grillon.blogspot.com/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
From what my mom told me.. I was 2 when she first put a crayon and a paper in my hands. A year later, I was drawing characters from my favorite cartoons at the time "Serendipity the pink dragon" and "Candy". I was always impressed by cartoons and illustrated books, and wanted my drawings to be just as good.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am inspired and look up to people who are creative in their everyday lives, that documents make it interesting. Also, runway fashion shows, the world, fancy food, animals, thrift store finds and other illustrators, thanks to internet for opening my eyes to all thoses wonderfully talented artists !

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I don't think I would ask any artist for advice, I would just like to observe them, hide in their studios and learn from what i'm seeing. Maybe some excentric character like Salvador Dali...

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?
This is a hard question. I think I'd like to have some painting from a secret admirer delivered and I would look at it everyday to try to figure out the identity of the painter. Or maybe a world map because it's the best dream provider.

Tell us about your creative process.
I always start to draw in early afternoon, when my mind is clear and awake. I almost never plan what I'm going to draw and what it will end up like, because it never comes out how I plan it anyway.. Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss. If I have to draw something more serious as a commission, I look up for references in books and on the internet and make some small doodles first. Sometimes I also start painting on my doodles and they end up being some finished, satisfying work.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
No, though that would be exciting !

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I am definitely not technical. So yes, passionate. My style is sort of sketchy and when i try to draw straight lines or re-do the drawing because I am not satisfied with it, this is not fun anymore to me. I am really fascinated by other artists who works for days, weeks and months on the same painting, but I am not able to be like them. If I work too long on something I start having ideas for something else in the meantime and will quickly grow bored of my current project.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
When I am satisfied with it or that adding something else would feel like it's too much. Sometimes when I ruin a painting I will abandon the idea forever.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I am not very fond of nudity in my art, though in other people's art it doesn't bother me. I think the characters would en up looking too much like me and would make me feel naked myself, ahaha.

What frightens you most about your art?
I am scared to stay at the same level forever. I'd like to be really comfortable drawing everything someday. Locations and weird angles and shadows.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I rarely stop being creative in my everyday life, so sometimes I will have a creative block for illustration but in the meantime I will be sewing a dress or altering a thrift store found piece of clothing. Do other things, go for a bike ride, or try another medium for a change, start a sketchbook in which you are allowed to draw the ugliest stuff ever.

Do you dream about your artwork?
No but I wish I would. I mostly have reoccurring dreams of my old budgie coming back from the dead with a mega dirty cage that I need to clean up...

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
This a drawing I had to do while I was still in college, for our end of the year exhibition. It was one of the first time I was using collage and loving it, and I had it framed professionally and it looks very good hanging on my bedroom wall. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cendrille/2279410063/

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I have this opaque watercolor set that is made by Pelikan, that I love very dearly. Once in highschool I also stole something that looks like hockey pucks that are actually opaque watercolors too, and they are still lasting, but I don't know where to find more of them. I would definitely buy more. For doodling I like having a H pencil and a darker one like a 2B. I also colour some of my drawings digitally with a wacom graphic tablet.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have a college diploma in graphic design. I would like it if i could pursue my studies in illustration but we don't have illustration programs here. I believe it is not an obligation to go to school to be an artist, some are self-taught and are far more talented than any other art student. Personally though, school had helped me on a technical level. For example 4 years ago I didn't know what was a "composition" and once i had drawn a character the sheet would remain white all around. I also learnt important things about graphic design, though this is not what I like the most.

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 just want to be a freelancer illustrator and make a living out of this. This is almost like a dream to me. If I stretch out the dream a little more, I'd be a multidisciplinary artist and work on various projects.. fashion and animation related. When I was young the careers I had in mind where being a fashion designer, an illustrator and an animator, so maybe a mix of the three would be nice. Realistically, if I can't be an illustrator, well I still am a graphic designer and could find a job in this field, though I had a bad experience working in a company that made me do funeral cards and I am a bit scared of this whole corrupted world of creativity versus productivity/pleasing a client that have no clues about aesthetics and just wants a poster for his company asap/ect.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Yes, they are. Which is funny because no one in my family is an artist. Recently I think I've achieved to make them proud with my little successes and contracts and weekly trips to the post office. Since my early life it has always been clear to me and them that I was going to be an artist and go to art school, they never said something against that, though maybe they think I will be a graphic designer someday and they have a hard time figuring out why I have other plans. But they are starting to see what I want to do really.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I want to become more technically good and be able to draw everything, like I stated before. Draw characters that have a story to tell, make series and zines and maybe a book. Try to clean up a bit my messy lines. Learn new techniques.

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

WAI LIN TSE

2009-06-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

Name: wai lin tse

Country: spain
Website: www.wailintse.com

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

As a child I was an outsider, I had an unusual background and an unconventional family and I was living in a small town in Spain. I had a need to express myself. I loved drawing and as a teenager I started singing in a pop band and begun loving fashion, eventually I became a fashion designer. In the end its all the same thing, art and or other creative processes, it fulfills my expression towards others and it satisfies me.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
First it was pop and underground music with all its scene, later fashion both clothes and photography. Now I'm going through intimate phase and I get more inspired by reality and everyday life. I look up to persons that have the strength to really do what they want to do.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I would like to have a conversation with Juergen Teller, who I have admired for many, many years.

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 actually have a photograph by Viviane Sassen, that I bought in Paris about a year ago. I can still stare at it and I don't get tired.

Tell us about your creative process.
Im still searching for a better process!

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Sure, for me they are truly connected, I like photography to be honest.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Passionate, I don't have good technical skills at all. I work more from feelings, although sometimes that makes me fail.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
One thing that I really enjoy about photography is that its instant and I either like it or don't. I dont go much into manipulating processes, the selecting process is the one that marks the end.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
No, I dont think so. Well, maybe I wouldn't go for any physical pain.

What frightens you most about your art?
The solitude and the indeepness that one can reach. I can find that a little scary.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
No, I don't. I try to keep on working.

Do you dream about your artwork?
I guess it happens but normally I dream more about life and relationships.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
My personal work, snapshots of my life. I have a very bad memory, so that helps me remember who I am.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I love my old nikon fm2 that I've had for over 10 years, its still my favorite camera. Film of course, Kodak usually.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I studied fashion design but I never finished and I'm a self taught photographer. I dont think education is that important, I think its more important to have the drive.

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 just want to feel proud of what I'm doing.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
my boyfriend is truly supportive and also inspiring, he's much more a free thinker than I am.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I don't know, I guess I have to get a bit lost before finding my way!

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
I don' t have any heroes.

MEL STRINGER

2009-06-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Name: Mel Stringer
Age: Twenty Two
Country: Australia
Website: www.melstringer.blogspot.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled
to create?
I only really started to consider my works as art when I first moved out of home and accross the country. I started using my drawings more and more for autobiographical purposes, documenting my life.. and I started getting lovely letters from people who could identify with me. (That's been one of my biggest inspirations and motivators.. just being able to connect with my audience. Omg. Best feeling.)

But I've been drawing since I've been little. The evolution has been quite funny, actually. There's manga in there somewhere around grade 7. Punk/emo/goth around grade 10-12. And all the fads I tried in primary school like ballerinas (which failed badly), Sonic the Hedgehog, Mickey Mouse and Kotex R. Panda was in there somewhere.

I actually recently started writing to my good friend from year 5, Taylor Brown who said he kept a whole bunch of drawings I did for him back then. The one that stood out the most he said was one called 'Moad', a mixture of the characters Toad and Mario. Crazy huh? o_o

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
Music is my main mover. If it can soak through me like a ghost, I'm usually compelled to let my paper and pen know about it.

I look up to people who are happy and youthful. It's what I want to be when I'm older.
I guess that means I have to be angsty and moody for a few more years. I mean, the core of me is joy. It really is. It surpasses all the other crazy shit that happens in my life and seeps on through. But I do really admire happy and youthful people, because I know I'll get there really soon.

(And to use what I do as my propellers - the journey becomes all the more satisfying.)

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I'd like to ask Ramon Sierra for some life advice...

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 big custom wall piece of me wearing a dress and angrily pointing and saying "You won't get me down, life! You won't!" by Yoshitomo Nara.

Tell us about your creative process.
It's usually pretty simple. I dont like to have too many tools or be too fiddly. I love just folding a bunch of A4 paper into a book and drawing straight on to it like I could publish it the next day. Because usually if I'm in that mindset, I CAN publish it the next day. And then it's current and new and raw and available.

Oh and I also don't like to spend too long on one piece. It gets boring, trite and exhausting then. What does that say about me? Short attention span? Well.. I mean, there are other things that I don't feel that way about. But when it's me and my art, I want it to be fresh!

Not stale and old. It's same with my music. I hate performing old material. It's like, it's good for the moment and it can be timeless for people if they wish.. but for me it's like old skin and old clothes.

In the moment and at the time, they are beautiful and cathartic and new and fresh. But I soon move on.
I'll have time to admire from afar later on. Once I'm ten billion miles past it.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
I mix the two, so it's my fault :(

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate? (Do you lose yourself in the work or do you make precise decisions?)
Fuck technical. I'm about feeling things.
Arms, legs, hearts, eyes, lips, tips of toes, tongues, eyelashes.
Also,.. angry,sad,happy,sick,joyful,accomplished,curious,cold,hot,heaven,hell.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I like a cut off point. Lingering on is so exhausting. Gotta have sum rest!

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
Oh wow. Um.. I don't think I would ever draw anything to do with toilet humour. I just can't do it. And I don't want to either. Everything else is up for consideration.

What frightens you most about your art?
Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm saying something that my parents / relatives might find really offensive. Because if THEY think you're nuts, that's
it. You got nowhere else to go if you're in real trouble. But that's about it.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Exercise, creating music, cooking. Flickr photos of vintage toys. Reading other people's zines and generally emersing myself in indie press. It's all the energy beaming off indie work that gets my motor running.

Do you dream about your artwork?
Not really. But if I've had a really rough day at work, I can sometimes dream of myself being on stage in an American jazz club, screaming my lungs out like Aretha Franklin so much that I wake up with a sore jaw and wet eyes.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
It's the works that other people treasure that are my most meaningful works. Because they see something inside of it that maybe I never saw at the time. They make their own connection with it, and that means so much to me. (& make me very emo).

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Reflex paper, Artline pens. Faber Castel textas, pencils. Moleskines are goood.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I went to Morningside Tafe in Brisbane for 2 years and studied Visual Arts, and F yes it was important. I met some really beautiful people and well.. they were defining years for me. My first set of years in the 'big smoke'.

I learned about art, but it was more about the experience to me. I'm so sad that building is or has been demolished to build apartment blocks. At least I stayed with it in it's last dying moments. I've never done that with anything before.

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 be more successful in my music and my illustration. It's not something I can just give up. I feel like I'm a endless well. What career comes from the things I love the most? Well, I'll figure that out soon.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My mum is pretty cool. She admits she doesn't 'get' art, but she is very sweet in that if she ever sees anything 'cutely' or 'off-beat-ly' drawn, she'll
ask if I did it. "Mel! Did you do that ad on TV of the cartoon guy with the headache?". It's quite cute.

Dad is a cartoonist and caricaturist, so he's very proud of me. I try hard not to let him discover my more exposed works.. but he has found them in the past and gone, "Did you write the F word? Or did someone else write that?", or "Why is that there for?" (pointing to.. I dunno.. random object strapped to girl's head.)

My Grandma is VERY supportive. Whenever she sees my stuff in a magazine or in some trendy shop on the Gold Coast, she'll immediately strike up
a conversation with whoever is around that I'm her granddaughter. She doesn't like that I draw nipples that show through clothes .. that's the least of her worries.. but she's great. And an evangelist! My grandfather (an evangelist too), however, doesn't get it.
Which is fine.

Actually, now that we're on the subject of family, I may as well mention that I have a younger cousin Sharde who is 16 and is like, totally 'following' in my footsteps. She loves to draw and she loves animals. One thing she said to me a few weeks ago was "I'm learning to drive soon! But what if there
is an ant on the road? I'll have to swerve not to hit it!" It helps that our grandfather is a taxidermy wonder. With dead, stuffed foxes and birds in his office.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
Over the sea. Which is where I'd like to follow it to. Want to come along?

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
There are so many!

AREMPILU VON HULSENFRUCHT

2009-06-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Name: Arempilu
Age:20
Country: Austria
Website: www.arempilu.deviantart.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I’ve always been drawing. Besides lots of princess without arms but with enormous long earrings, one of the first things I remember is a book I made when I was about 4. It’s about a tulip and a daisy who talk about summer, winter, weather and wanting children. I drew the pictures, and my kindergarten teacher wrote the words that I told her. I still have it and I’m very proud of it!
with photography i started about 2 years ago. I don’t really know, I guess it’s just because it’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great feeling to make things from the inside visible on the outside, and to others… it's just something I always did.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
FACES, I love faces. Shiny cheeks, red noses, twinkling eyes...
I’m mostly inspired by the way people look and move, gestures, facial expressions, and what they cause in my head.
Stories, so books, sometimes films, lyrics and music, light, colours, feelings, thoughts, parallel lives.
In an artistic way I look up to people who capture a lot of emotion and individual beauty in their pictures.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I think I would like Ilon Wikland to teach my how to draw children in this absolutely natural loveable way she does it.

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?
”Vorlesung aus Goethes Werther“ by Wilhelm Amberg because i love how the girls show all these different expressions, and the colours and light are overwhelming. I want to be there too and listen. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Wilhelm_Amberg_Vorlesung_aus_Goethes_Werther.jpg )

Or
„to bring you my love“ by Yannis Angel, because I completely love it since I first saw it, with this oh so magical mixture of glittery colours, grace, drama, and human beauty.

(http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs11/i/2006/246/4/7/__To_Bring_You_My_Love___by_dasrotkappchen.jpg )

Tell us about your creative process.
My ideas just come up quite suddenly, I trY to make notes so that I don’t forget them. Usually I make some small very ugly sketches to try out the gestures and poses. Then I just start.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Without life there would be nothing artsy, so it's always connected

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I think much more passionate, the technical comes along the way.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
It's either finished when i messed it up completely and there's nothing left to save, or when it finally looks like in my head.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I don't know, but i think i would never be violent against someone else.

What frightens you most about your art?
Sometimes I’m afraid that pictures might reveal to much about me, or that they tell something I don’t really want to tell.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Go for a walk in the woods.
doing something completely different.

Do you dream about your artwork?
No, but sometimes I dream about things, people I draw.
…but mostly I dream about Zombies.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
At the moment I would say “Heul” because it turned out exactly how I wanted it.
Mood, colours, composition...

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I prefer pencil, ink, and water colour, sometimes Acrylic paint.
I use pelikan ink and daler rowney system 3 acrylics (with more water as water colour :) ).

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

I studied art history for a year. It’s interesting, because one gets to understand symbolism and such stuff, all the hidden hints. I’m not sure if it influenced my personal work that much, but it helped me getting a better feeling for how I can express certain things without being too obtrusive or incomprehensibly.
I think it’s not bad to have some kind of art related education, but it’s not really necessary.

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?
if i could be anything i wanted i’d probably be an actress, because of the fact that you can live so many different lives and scream a lot, and wear gorgeous costumes, but that’s just nonsense, will never happen.
I’d absolutely love to be an illustrator.
Another thing i really would like to be is a speaker in radio plays or host a radio show (i like to talk…a lot). Perfectly would be doing all that at once.
I’m not sure yet what i might end up with. Maybe restoration.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Yes. They support whatever they find realistic.
My eldest brother can draw very good too, when I was younger I often asked him to help me with stuff like hands, but he forced me to do it myself, so I had to get better. Also he inveighs me when I moan to much...

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I would like to try making videos, something that moves.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Oscar Wilde, Dinosaurs, Heidi, Jens Lekman, der Nikolaus, CocoRosie, lovely people, Lady Oscar, duckbills, Funny van Dannen

MELISSA LIBRA

2009-06-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Name: Melissa Libra
Age: 21
Country: USA
Website: melissalibra.deviantart.com
flickr.com/photos/littlegoldpoppy/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I was a very shy and reserved little kid and I think a lot of my wanting to create things came from this. The little kid with curious eyes peeking out from behind mom, that’s me. I was always observing everything and keeping to myself. A great chunk of my childhood memories are of hanging around the house working on silly craft projects, coming up with ways to keep myself occupied. And well, not much has changed. I need to have time to lock myself up in a room all alone working on things. There is a humor in coming out of the room and surprising people with, “Hey look what I just made!” At least to me there is.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I’m inspired by everyday simple things—houses, pets, sitting in the car and watching in the rearview mirror the things you just passed or the faces and emotions of people in the cars behind you, old things, children’s books, the way our days unfold. Things about the natural world will always fascinate me: plants & animals (my favorite animals are dogs, pigs, elephants, and manatees), gross anatomy and neuroanatomy, folk traditions, the sun and moon. I look up to people who have an enthusiasm and unending curiosity about life, who can pick out the smallest threads of beauty, day after day yelling out “Oh well would you look at those clouds!”

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I don’t know that I’m ever looking for advice about the things I make. My intentions in creating things come from a different place, just something more for myself. That being said, I’m nearly 100% positive that a conversation with Grandma Tressa Prisbrey (http://www.folkstreams.net/film,102 ) would have left me smiling for days and days. Harry Lieberman (http://www.folkstreams.net/film,103) as well.

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?
This isn’t something that can be hung on a wall. I want a full room video installation of Pipilotti Rist’s Sip My Ocean (http://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/25/pipilotti-rist/images-clips/3/). I saw the installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago a few years ago and I remember sitting there for so long, completely enamored with it. I could watch it all day long.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
They’re inseparable, really. I kept coming back to this question trying to think of different ways to answer it, like maybe a psychic revelation, but I’ve got nothing.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I don’t consider myself technical by any means. I want to know what I’m doing enough to actually do it, but beyond that I mostly run with my gut. Intuition can get you pretty far.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
Photographs are done as soon as they’re processed. I never mess with post-processing and editing, I like to keep it realistic. A picture will either see light of day as it is if I feel it’s valuable and if not it goes straight into my box for keeps. I’ll sort through rolls of film quickly, making “keep” and “not keep” piles based on first reactions; give it a minute, and then go through them a few more times observing details and seeing if any photos jump into the other pile. Collages and writing you just have a feeling like, “Okay, this is it. That’s the last thing it needed.” You can’t put it in words. You just have to be able to walk away from it peacefully.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
There are boundaries I would never cross in life & there are boundaries I would never cross in making art. Topics of interest and personal morals, mostly.

What frightens you most about your art?
Where to keep it all. I’m not even kidding. I have a hard time letting go of things I make that I’m satisfied with. I have boxes and boxes of collages, papers, photographs. On top of this I collect so many other trinkets and treasures. At some point I’m surely going to run out of hiding spots for everything.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I’ve noticed a cycle/system that I have: I take my camera out when I’m in good spirits—my eyes are open and I’m eager to celebrate with a click of camera. When I’m feeling low, I will rarely, if ever see a reason to take pictures, and that’s when everything else (collages, handcrafts, writing) comes in. I mostly keep busy in this pattern, but sometimes the only cure is to settle for taking a break. And then the Seinfeld reruns and sitting in silence make an appearance.

Do you dream about your artwork?
I’ve had a couple instances where I’ve made a collage and a few nights later had elaborate dreams in the landscapes I built in them. This is the collage I had the most remarkable dream about. In the dream there were hundreds of people dressed in all white standing in a green sea. There were black folding chairs in the water. People were slipping and beginning to drown and a loud powerful voice came from nowhere & everywhere and started to declare who needed to be saved first. Then I woke up.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
My collages are most meaningful to me—they’re often very personal and I take so much care in putting together the exact words I want to say. I’m probably most proud of any of my works where I’ve written bits and pieces, because getting to the point where not only have I been able to capture something I wanted to in words (which is rare), but been satisfied enough with it to share with others can be so hard.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I took art classes all throughout grade school and high school simply because I love making things. I have no formal or technical art education, and in retrospect I’m glad that I figured out it wasn’t for me.

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’m currently working towards a Master’s in Occupational Therapy, which I love. I’ll finish the degree in about a year and a half. I always ramble off possible dream careers I’ve thought of for myself to people. For instance, I would love to be a photographer for National Geographic between the years of 1960-1983. Is this possible? No. I would love to be paid to play with dogs in a field of wildflowers all day long. Happening in this lifetime? Probably not. I would also love to be paid to work on crafts or other hobbies with people, especially the elderly. I thought about being a social worker, a special education teacher, an art teacher, a physician assistant. None of them seemed to fit. Somehow occupational therapy encompasses a bit of each of these things I was looking for. Except the National Geographic time travel part. Too bad.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My immediate family is very close, they’re my best friends. I can’t even begin to imagine the number of craft sessions that my parents funded growing up. My parents aren’t involved in art at all, but they always supported anything us kids were interested in. Mom was always the most gracious handmade gift receiver.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I have a lot I want to learn. Mostly I just want to dedicate more time to it, regain the patience it takes to draw and paint like I used to. I’d like to pick up on some more skilled crafts—woodworking, in particular. Ever since grade 7 woodshop class I knew there just had to be a woodworker in me waiting to get out. Woodshop class = my glory days.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
I admire many musicians and writers. I follow them much more closely than visual artists. My very favorites are Bruce Springsteen, William Carlos Williams, Kerouac, Bill Callahan, Nick Cave, Marc Bolan, Gary Snyder. Real old soul storytellers.

CALLIOPE BRIDGE

2009-06-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

name: calliope bridge

country: australia
website: http://lorely.deviantart.com/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I started when I was little and have a big wall mural to prove it, although I got quite a lot of trouble for it, its still there on the wall =). I just love creating I guess I always have, it makes me happy and i just lose track of time when i draw.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
a lot of music inspires me, the lyrics and the notes can create a whole world in my head.
Jan Svankmajer, I saw his stop motion movie Alice recently and loved it.
fashion shoots.
flower bombing.
old old fairytale illustrations.
dreams and Pastels.

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?
An illustration from the book The Princess and Curdie by George Macdonald illustrated by Charles Folkard. Its been my favorite picture for a very long time, i just love the feeling of it and the story with it.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PB-O1yT5EYg/SIgpwEE6ubI/AAAAAAAAOqY/tp45hVsQMFE/s400/10_princesscurdy_folkard_color.jpg

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate? (Do you lose yourself in the work or do you make precise decisions?)
I guess I would say passionate. I never make a plan when drawing, I like to see where it will take me.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I guess I just go with what looks right .

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I go onto other projects like making dresses and jewelry.

Do you dream about your artwork?
I don't think I do, but I do like to draw the dreams I do remember.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I am most proud of my piece "You would fall, next to me" because its where I want to go in my art.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3381846286_021c25baf6.jpg?v=0

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
use a Mars Micro 0.3mm pacer and Alpha Artists Watercolours .

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 think I would love to work at the Perth Mint, I did some work experience there when I was at school as a graphic designer and loved it. otherwise an astronaut. But I think I will go into jewelry design or the family business, publishing books on Australian history.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My Mother, she studied art and helped my sister and I with drawing and still always gives us advice.
Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I am trying to work on a bigger scale, use lighter colours and leave more space in my art.
Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
many musicians and authors.

RACHEL LOUISE HODGSON

2009-06-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Name: Rachel Louise Hodgson

Age: 16
Country: England
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13591393@N00/

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

I have always been doing doodles or drawings of some sort since i was very little, i especially liked drawing my dream house for some reason and would make all my friends and family draw their dream homes too. when i was about 8 i got my first film camera for Christmas and after that i was constantly taking pictures of everything and as i got older i started making up little photo shoots using my friends. There was one time when i made all my cousins dress up in Halloween costumes despite it being Christmas time and i just haven't stopped doing stuff like that since.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I'm probably most inspired by childhood things like fairytale stories and dressing up, which i guess is why i fell in love with Tim Walker's photographs in vogue. I first saw his pictures in a vogue when i was about 12 and it was like all the most amazing imaginary photoshoots that i would dream up when i was little but for real and with adults and amazing dresses and locations.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
someone like Tim Walker or Michel Gondry as despite them being middle aged men they still seem to have the imagination of a 6 years old boy. i hope i still have my childish imagination when im old and grey.

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?
Andrew Wyeth's painting called Christina's World. I saw it in New York recently and was very much happy standing and staring at it to the point that my sister got annoyed with me. It was also alot smaller then i thought it would be, which is good as there would not be much wall space to hang it in my tiny room.

Tell us about your creative process.
There is no process involved really as i tend to just create when i feel like it or if i dream up an idea that i like enough to do. Im always doodling new ideas and little drawings in different books.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
i am definitely more passionate then technical, as my technical skills are probably more rubbish then i ever care to realise.

What frightens you most about your art?
That people might read too much into it and start analysing me through what i create. like recently my art teacher was looking through my sketch books and then looked at me rather oddly and asked if everything was ok with me. that frightened me a bit as i was actually feeling fine.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Reading new books or watching new films or even reading and watching films that you loved when you were little. I always get lost in my imagination on long journeys aswell, especially on buses or trains through the country side passing all the different forests and little country houses, makes me want to get off the train and take some pictures.

Do you dream about your artwork?
i don't think so although i wish i did. but i dream alot about animals, like a crocodile and an elephant living at the end of my garden, and they often end up in alot of my drawing and ideas.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
i havent got that far in life yet, i would hope that that feeling will happen closer to the end of my life when i look back on what i have created through out my years and hopefully then i will feel happy and proud, well this is what i hope anyway.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
art lessons at school and thats about it for now but i think its good to be taught the basics of art and photography so you feel more confident in what you do, ya know, for example you couldnt write a really great book without being taught how to read and write first.

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?
well i would love to be a professional photographer of some sorts, probably fashion so i could have a circus of creative people involved to help. i would also love to be photographing all the creative and influential people that i am in love with now and when i was younger, as its always a dream for anyone to meet the people that they are fascinated with. but realistically any job where i can keep on using my imagination and keep on creating would be good enough for me although at the moment i can still have big dreams of my future.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
my dad is a creative man and so that must of had some sort of affect on me unless its just in our genes. he also is happy to hang up my crappy gcse final pieces in his house which is sweet of him.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
directors such as michel gondry and sofia coppola inspire me to no end. and ladies such as Bjork and Karen O because their style reminds me of the kind of things that i would want to wear when i was a kid but my nannies would never let me leave the house wearing my minnie mouse or Cinderella outfits.

ISABELLA ANDRONOS

2009-06-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Name: Isabella Andronos
Country: Australia
Website: www.isabellaandronos.com and www.flickr.com/photos/isabellaandronos

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
When I was ten I was really into tigers and the cat family so I used to draw them. But I think I think I started making art before then…

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am inspired by the people I love and the people around me. I’m also inspired by cinema, places, good stories, images. At the moment I’m really interested in abandoned spaces and houses that look haunted.
I look up to a lot of people. Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors. I really like the images made by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Gustav Klimt, Bill Viola, Alphonse Mucha, Charles Addams, and Ted Serios. Thomas Walther’s collection of vernacular photographs is great too.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I’d really like to ask Alfred Hitchcock about his set in Rear Window. I would really love to have a conversation with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman. I’d like to ask Sally Mann about her ambrotypes in her “What Remains” series. Also I’d like a drawing class with Egon Schiele.

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?
The La Dame à la Licorne tapestries. Or the snapshot of my great grandmother at her dressing table in the 1920s.

Tell us about your creative process.
Normally I begin photographing or drawing something because it fascinates me.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
My art reflects my life; my loves, my interests..

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
The word “technical” to me has all kinds of connotations with digital photography- Photoshop, RAW files, pixels, printing quality. I try to avoid focusing wholly on those elements, but I think it’s important to be both passionate and technical. As an artist I would probably describe myself as “obsessive.”

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I determine when a work is finished by whether I like it or not. If I don’t like it, it’s not finished.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I would never exploit animals in my artwork; I don’t believe in killing animals for art or exhibiting animals as art. I don’t believe in eating animals either. Don’t buy me taxidermy for my birthday!

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Watching films seems to help to cure creative blocks; I like to re-watch my favourite movies over and over and over again. Whether it’s a character, a set, a scene, or dialogue it can be inspiring. Although, if I need to get away from the screen I will go on a walk and try and find a seascape or a house that I like. Going to flea markets with friends is good too!

Do you dream about your artwork?
I had a dream that I was taking photographs of clouds whilst being in the clouds -what I saw in my mind as I was dreaming was the view of the landscape through the camera; of the aperture opening and clicking shut after I pressed the button. It was sort of like the James Bond gun barrel sequence, except with a camera. Then I woke up and was annoyed that I didn’t have the photographs I’d taken.
I dream of places, and when I wake up and wish I could take photographs of them. Once I dreamt of an enormous majestic room that had a four-poster bed with airy golden curtains. The bed looked out through a huge floor-to-ceiling bay window onto the black ocean and the night sky. I woke up and wanted to go there, so maybe one day I will try and re-create that space for a film, a photograph or a drawing.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
At the moment I like my moon prints and moon film; because it’s a project I have wanted to start for a long time.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I really like to use expired film to create photographs because you never know what you’re going to get. I use 35mm film, 120 film, 500 polaroid film, mini fujifilm, 110 film, and I’d really like to get my hands on some 127 for my box brownie... As far as cameras go, my favourites are my canon AV-1, my Hasselblad and my little fixed-focus camera which is shaped like a caterpillar (albeit a little childish). I also use my now outdated Canon 350D.
when I draw my favourite thing to use is the progresso woodless graphite pencil. I also like kilometrico pens (because you get a kilometre of ink), fine liners, charcoal sticks, heavy pencils, my crayola washable markers, pantone markers, water colour pencils. I love gouache too.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I’m currently doing a Bachelor of Visual Arts at Sydney College of the Arts in Photomedia + Film. It’s a great going to school in an old mental institution, there are some really amazing buildings on the grounds which have been boarded up, or reclaimed by plants or that have been taken over by stray cats. I don’t think it’s necessary to have an art education to be an ‘artist’ but it sure is fun.

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 currently work in a photo lab, which is quite good work. My favourite part of the job is restoring the old photographs which people bring in (even though I like them more before the restoration.) I would love to publish a book of words or a book of images. Ultimately I would like to have a career as a film maker. I’m interested in costume design and set design too.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My mother really likes to tell the story of how she used to let me draw on the walls at home when I was a kid, so the answer to the first question is “yes!”

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I would really love to make a feature length film with a proper script and actors. I would also love to buy some Super8 film and go wild, to build some lavish sets, to make some ambrotypes, and to have an exhibition but not necessarily in that order. I’d like to collaborate with other artists and create great things!

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
My hero is Morticia Addams!

MIKE LAY

2009-06-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

Name: Mike Lay
Age: 30
Country: The United Fate of America
Website: www.padlaversusmoij.net

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled
to create?
Really young but really not. I don't know. I mean all kids
draw pictures... It's not really until you get to like 12 that you
start to try and live up to other people expectations and get
frustrated and stop. So I guess I started at like 17. I heard a Sunny
Day Real Estate song and everything kind of clicked. So unclever but
true.

I think its a bad habit at this point. Before that it was trying to not
just be a consumer. I mean like, back in the old days(or so I'm told),
people would hang out and play the piano and sing along with each
other. Now we just turn on the radio or play a song we downloaded. It
was about participating I guess. Make something. Even if it wasn't
great. At least I wasn't just waiting for someone else to do something
to entertain me.


What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
E V E R Y T H I N G. Seriously. I'm not specific. You can make
something beautiful from anything. It's much more about figuring out
what makes people feel something. I try really hard these days to not
let my snob bone kick in. I mean for shout outs... I can't even do it
without 40 pages and still feeling bad about leaving someone out. And I
listen and watch soooo much crap that I have no respect for.

Look up to is actually pretty tough cause my mom's dead.
 
Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I don't know. Most influential artists are downright terrible. These
days they're really just designers. Back then they were just drug
addicts. I don't know. I used to really care about icons and public
figures. Nowadays I really just care about the people I met the other
day.


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? 
Oh no. This is like that 10 album desert island question. By the way,
desert is with one 's' and dessert is with two 's's cause you would
want two desserts. Damn, the things you remember from 3rd grade. But
ya, back on track. Fuck... after that last comment this one is gonna
sound bad... ok goddammit... i'm gonna regret this in the morning. Ok,
Max Beckmann's Departure. It really is just as close to classic and
perfect and universal as I've ever seen and I've never seen it in
person. It's narrative, vague, strong, soft, crazy... its as close as
I've ever seen to doing everything. although it's kind of a cheat by
being a triptych.


Tell us about your creative process.
There's really two main parts.
Research:
Get really really drunk with my laptop. Listen to absolute crap on
last.fm and myspace and fish for hours on the internet and indulge
every guilty impulse I have while drawing overreaching and unqualified
conclusions related to the personal thoughts of everyone in the world.

Production:
Get half drunk and hopped up on whatever
uppers I have around and listen to music as loud as my headphones will
go. Then I look for pictures/people I've never met that I like. Then I
just kind of start making something and try really hard not to qualify
anything that I'm doing.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
ummmm.... or do you ever find anything that isn't connected. They are
pretty much the same thing as far as i'm concerned.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I don't know if passionate is a good word. I don't know if technical
is the right word. But there is very little precision and i'm most
definitely lost while working.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
I usually get tired or scared. Sometimes a little of both.
 
Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art
making?
I think this question is more about like kiddie porn or violence
or something like that. But the boundaries I deal with are usually
about doing things that I think work good in the context of what I'm
doing but are really fucking square. I think I'm getting better at it,
but it's a really hard line to work with.

What frightens you most about your art?
Delusions of grandeur or being a creeper.


Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
ya, move to a new town and start your life over every 2 years.
 
Do you dream about your artwork?
Nope... never really have many dreams.
 
Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to
you and why?
The last one I did. I've learned to ignore everything I've done before
that because I'll just see it and think it's crap and then lose all
confidence and never want to make anything again.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Oh shit... Let's talk shop!!! I love doing this. I'm such a boy. Ok...
For my bright color stuff... Most of the color is Stabilo point 88's
although before you go out and buy them they are kind of shit.
Staedlers are better. I have a really light touch so I can deal with
them. Your mileage may vary. Also use colored pencils. Doesn't really
matter. Prismacolor's are tops but crayola's will get you by unless
you're a blender. Ink is Microns(005 for the little lines) although I
hate microns. I have a ZIG Writer that I don't hate, but its pretty much
crap and that's really why I like it. A few Le Plume's. Also, Gel
metallics... I think they're Sakura. I can't remember. For ballpoint's
its bic crystal all the way. Although you have to search around for the
old USA made ones. No offense intended to Mexico, but the housing for
the ball is too big and they bleed after like 2 minutes and they scrape
too. For pencils(oh it's graphite these days... haha)... For the #2's
its Mirado. You can get them everywhere. For the 8B's and 9B's its
Faber-Castell 9000's. They don't seem to break as much. But other's are
ok too. For erasers its pink pearls and any old white plastic for the
light stuff. Oh ya, paper is Strathmore 400 off-white and regular
white. Also bristol, doesn't matter which.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is
important?
don't know if it's important cause I've never been.

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 live alone in a field Nebraska with my dog. I don't really
care what I do for a living as long as it doesn't hurt any people or
animals.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and
nurtured your creativity most?
My mom used to buy me paint and pencils sometimes. No one nurtured it
really. It just kept happening.

Which direction do you see your art
heading in the future?
Short term... getting less imaginative. More direct. Can probably get
away with being more narrative than I could before. Less color. Or less
shine would be more accurate. Everything is more aggressive and
hopeless at the same time. Guess I'll be working on bottling that.

Who are some of your heroes outside
of the visual art stream?
Heroes are for zeroes.

MATTHEW DIONNE

2009-06-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

Name: Matthew Dionne
Age: 23
Country: Canada
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbison/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?   
For as far back as I can recollect I have tried to be creative in some facet or another. I certainly wouldn’t consider my early adventures into creativity art, more work that allows me to escape into my own reality for a while. I don’t like to throw the word art around lightly. I create because it is the most truthful personal expression I can muster and for some reason personal expression is the only thing that gives me satisfaction.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?  
Life, death, and interaction are my inspiration. Also symmetry, I’m a sucker for symmetry. I’m not one to admire, truthfully. I certainly respect people’s work but my mind is my own and it’s hard enough trying to figure that out let alone figure someone else’s out. I find it counter productive to have role models.

 Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
I wouldn’t ask any artist for advice. If someone asked me for advice artistically I wouldn’t have anything to say. Artistic lessons are best learned through your own eyes, not from someone else’s mouth. I suppose though that I would like to sit down with Dali or Bosch and just watch them create without any kind of conversation. That would be pretty cool.

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?   
The third triptych in Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delight. The one dedicated to hell. The detail and symbolism would take at least a year to uncover.

Tell us about your creative process. Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Well I’m an actor before a visual artist. So all my training in creative process has come from that. Its all about trust and risk. Grabbing a fleeting feeling and ridding it until its end. For my photography it’s a mixture of this and the right symmetrical balance. I remember when I was in elementary school we had a speaker talk about advertisement and she told us that the eye natural follows a Z pattern when scanning a page, starting with the top left and moving on down to the bottom right. Its always stuck I guess.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Being an analog photographer it’s a little more technical due to the fact that you are physically working with older technology that can be very temperamental. Sure there is emotion that goes behind each shot otherwise I wouldn’t have pushed the shutter. There is just too much checking, setting and framing going on to say I’m completely passionate. It’s easier to be passionate when technical situations create themselves and I don’t need to work for it, those times are always the most gratifying. I would like to be able to leave the technical stuff behind but then I would just be in the land of digital…and no one likes digital.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
When that roll goes through my scanner. I like to keep the image as truthful to the actual negative as possible. Do the work before the picture so you don’t need to do it after. Keep it truthful.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I don’t consider anything a boundary. Just ideas I haven’t gotten around to trying yet.

What frightens you most about your art?
The fact people would call it art. It puts your work in another realm. When I am taking my shots I don’t do it for the sake of art, or to prove myself artistically. I do photography because it makes me feel and allows me to express in a way that I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. Also I fear becoming a pretentious artist completely disconnected from actual reality.

 Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?   
For Photography: Go somewhere new where you’ve never been. Capture the most horrible or beautiful image around.
Generally: Write on a piece of paper for 15 minutes straight without lifting the pen off the page once. Not once. Just write any series of words or phrases in your head at that time no matter how non-sensical. Under no circumstances are you to stop.

Do you dream about your artwork?
Your dreams are an extension of your mind so in that sense they influence me. Directly my dreams don’t influence my photography though, in that I don’t try to recreate images from my sleep. Most of the images I use from my head are the ones that come to me when I’m awake.

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

This captures a moment in time I could never dream of, the light, the highlights, and the mood, like nothing I could have ever planned. Its like I took a picture of my mind. It’s viewed best in the dark.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
Well like I said I am a film junky. I don’t use any specific brand of film on purpose but I do have a preference for expired film. Late 80’s to mid 90’s are the best. I am a pretty big fan of 126mm film as well for its lower quality grain and its high contrasting colours. I like the look of cheap and old looking photography. With that said my favourite cameras are my Rolleiflex SL26 which shoots 126mm, my Pentax SP II which shoots 35mm and my Diana-F 162B which shoots 120mm.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have zero visual arts education. I went to a high school that specialized in dramatic performance and I went to a university that also specialized in dramatic performance. This training has certainly shaped me artistically. Being allowed to create as freely and openly as I pleased for so many years has given me my perspective on reality. This has leant itself very well to my photography.

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?
Ideally I would like to be a theatre actor as that is the art form I am most passionate about. As far as photography is concerned it is what I do to keep myself sane when I’m off the stage, although, lately it has become more then that and separated into its own entity. Realistically who knows, maybe working in the local Beer Store telling customers about how I almost made it.

Is your family supportive of your art?
100%. My family is full of very artistic people who were never truly able to follow any kind of artistic dream due to family obligations and the simple chore of paying the bills. So because of this I have had nothing but support from all my family, even if they are still a tad bit frightened for my future.

Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My girlfriend is the one who influenced me to start using photography as a creative outlet. Her style and ability has certainly been a great inspiration for what I have been able to produce. I certainly wouldn’t be taking pictures without her.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitelightof3/
Check her link out!

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
That’s pretty hard to say, as I don’t really have a direction now. I just follow where I am at during that specific moment. My hope is that time permits me to be a little more prolific.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Like I said I’m not a huge fan of heroes but I certainly respect the work of, Jim Jarmusch, early German expressionistic directors like Robert Wiene, Mogwai, Do Make Say Think, Holy Sons, Tool, and Pink Floyd to name only a few.

JESSICA CASSAR

2009-06-09T23:55:00.000-07:00

Name: Jessica Cassar
Age: 24
Country: Australia
Website: www.jessica-cassar.com

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I have always expressed myself ‘artistically’ throughout my life, ever since I was young. However, it is only the last few years I have found photography as a perfect artistic outlet. I guess I cannot describe why I feel compelled to create, I think those who are creators, are creators intrinsically. For me, and I assume most, it’s a desire, but an ambiguous one.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am inspired by theatre, light, film, story, music, painting and the journey and psyche of ‘the individual’. I look up to most people—I am 5”2.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
Ron Mueck. He’s not a photographer, but I just want to know how the hell he makes his sculptures. They are amazing.

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?
Paul Delaroche’s La Jeune Martyr (The Young Martyr) 1855. I was walking in the Louvre seven years ago, and this painting struck me. I stood there, in a trance, staring at it. I love its beauty, its simplicity, its mood and its deliberate use of dark and light. And-- it’s a painting! I envy those who can paint and draw. It is something that acts as a reminder to the kind of photography I want to make--so--I do have it on my wall and have for the past seven years. Its small, but it’s there!

Tell us about your creative process.
My photographs are usually staged, so before I can take a photo there is the ‘constructive’ element, may it be getting a scene ready with props or explaining to my subject (if there is one) what ‘character’ they need to be. My photographs are usually fairly dark, with a lot of negative space, so I usually spend time adjusting light. I don’t use studio lights, just an old, worn out spotlight. It’s pretty much an electrical nightmare, and looks like its about to fall apart (I’ve got gaffa tape holding it all together), but I love it, and don’t want to part with it.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
I think the two are inextricable. Well, for me anyway.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Despite my photos being mostly staged and constructed, I am extremely passionate about what I do. I do make precise decisions, some wrong, some right, but it all stems from a deep passion! I don’t think the two should be considered separate.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
Most of the time a photo is finished when I feel it looks good and I am willing to show other people. The one thing I hate doing at my art school is presenting half finished works all in the name of ‘process’ I never feel good doing that, I don’t want people to see my work incomplete. Although, time is massive influence—I may look at a photo a year later and think, that is not finished at all.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
I guess I would hope I would never hurt anyone for my own artistic gratification.

What frightens you most about your art?
Sometimes I think my photos expose too much of myself, and that’s frightening. But really, I think what frightens me most about my art is not being able to create my art.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Equal the size of your creative block, with a chocolate block. Eat. Eat some more.

Do you dream about your artwork?
No, I don’t think I’ve ever dreamt about my artwork. But sometimes ideas come to me in dreams, and most of the time, right before I’m about to drift into sleep. People always say to leave a notebook and pen next to your pillow, but I’ve never tried it! Maybe I should.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
Recently, I have done a series called 29.08.84; that is very meaningful to me as it involves my twin sister and I. I am also proud of a series called The Red Dress—it was taken in my first year of college. The Johari Window series I am proud of because I did not think I could get away with what I did, and did manage to, successfully. And lastly, a self-portrait called Window and I. I am proud of these works mainly because they came out as I imagined in my head.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I am quite partial to matt paper. But other than that I use what I can afford mostly. I know that’s limiting, and stifles creativity, but at the moment, that’s all I can do. I use my digital SLR and find that is the best camera to use—it goes very well with the constructive element of my photography.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have never done any photography classes, and at school did not do art as a major subject. But now, studying at Sydney College Of The Arts, for me, it is important. I’ve been exposed to the works of important and inspirational artists and at the same time I am seeing other students express themselves. It’s an enjoyable and freeing experience... Its also enjoyable knowing I am not the only one who’s not a school leaver, and that there are other people like me who have found their passion later in life.

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?
My dream would be to have my own space. With a stage, theatre lights, a set and costume department and a cage of actors where I could construct and create scenes at my own free will! Of course, this is not realistic and a blatant abuse of human rights, but hey, dreaming is important! Realistically, I am not sure. I live in the dream.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My family was never dismissive of my creative pursuits, and was always encouraging and supportive in everything I have tried to do. I think my parents get scared of the future in terms of financial security, but they have never used that as a way of stopping me from doing anything. My brothers and twin sister have nurtured my creativity and to this day we are all aspiring, crazy, creative-types together.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I tend to not look at the future, but hopefully on a wall somewhere (and preferably not mine).

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Pedro Almadovar…Tim Winton…Charlie Kaufman…Bjork…Radiohead There’s so many to remember.

BRANDON MARKS

2009-06-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Name: Brandon M.
Age: 14
Country: USA
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssap

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I think, if you could ask her to open up again, you could find cave drawings on the inside of my mother's stomach. According to her, I've been doing drawings and little things ever since I was born. I started drawing around the age of two or three, and have been ever since. If not that, I have ventured into other areas, such as fashion design and photography. I am a lover of design. My love of design forces me to capture my world through my eyes, in a translation unknown to anyone else, which I feel is important for everyone to do.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
I am inspired by anything and everything. Memories play a big part on what I do, and feelings compel me to do something that I have forgotten. I am also definitely inspired by my idols and mentors; these can be anyone, really: a woman on the street or someone in a photograph. I love the minds of people such as Karl Lagerfeld or Rei Kawakubo (design masters), and others like John William Waterhouse, Gustav Klimt (and his protege Shiele, obviously). I am inspired by so many people, it is hard to list.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
More than ask for advice, I would very much enjoy and could greatly use simply sitting with a few people. Quizzical wonders like Bjork (and her husband, Matthew Barney) spring to mind as people I would love to be around and ask questions.

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 think I would definitely choose The Lady of Shallot by John William Waterhouse. It was first shown to be years ago by my mother, who is an incredible fan of his and other pre-Raphaelite artists' works. I have seen it so many times, but I feel I need to explore its depths more.

Tell us about your creative process.
I feel mine is quite random, if that is appropriate. I think of an idea, but most of the time am too lazy to write it down or sketch it out. Sometimes I do, but when I don't, it is able to sit in my head and meld with other ideas, waiting to be rebirthed as something even better and more original. When I finally get it out, usually sporadically and in a fraction of time that another artist might produce a work, I ponder what I have done, not touching it or viewing it for some time, as I feel doing this helps you see the true work you have created.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
I do not really understand this question, but I think I do find them. Sometimes I feel artists have an otherworldly intuition or sixth sense, something nobody else has. I feel myself and others have tapped into other worlds no one has yet to discover, and we can sense what is coming and what is going to be coming in the future, so we can produce what we feel is the future of our lives.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
Spatially, I feel I am technical, such as when I am framing a photograph or drawing. I am more in tune to my emotions, but I don't let my eye fly out the window; it helps me correct what is wrong after I am done with a section of a work.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
For me, doing a work is very frustrating, as I do not want it to end. I usually find mistakes or things I can improve on by the end, but I leave them, because this was my most pure state of creation, therefore my most original perspective of the work's true potential. I'd like to go back and fix many of my drawings or photos, but I am also terribly sentimental and would rather leave them be.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making?
For me, as I get older, there are never boundaries. Just doing what you do is important.

What frightens you most about your art?
I feel I have more of a mind than others do, which sounds haughty, but I feel many simply have not come in contact with the world I have, which is a sad thing. I think I am very honest with my work, and I do not compromise for anyone, which can be scary at times.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
I will likely never have one, but if I did, I would be a creative machine, and I'd work myself to a happy death. I feel just waiting it out and collecting more inspiration is the best way to go.

Do you dream about your artwork?
Like Sua said in her interview, I artwork what I dream. Most of what I dream ends up in what I create, whether it be direct or subconscious. Dreams are pure, and I want my works to be pure.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I think all of my work is meaningful, because I can look back on it to help myself improve, but I think my self portraits are my most treasured. They reveal a lot not only to myself, but much to my audience that I could never express in everyday speech and situations. Portraits capture so much; silence explains infinitely more than words ever can.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I use film most of the time for photographs, but digital is just as well if you can be creative with it. For drawings and paintings, I use watercolours and arcrylics, but sometimes I revert back to markers (though the ones I use now are much more pricey!) and crayons, bleeding and blending into my works. I love anything I can get my hands on that works for the drawing or photo, but I mostly love outdated films and Superia 400 Fujifilm for my film photographs.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I think a knowledge for art history (as any history) is essential before you move on into creating works, but it is not neccesarily key to being good. I have a junior high level art education, though I believe was a waste, because I taught myself so much that I did not need it. I feel no real need to go to college for anything other than sewing or patternmaking, because I think I can evolve on my own, without the help of others (my independent quality can be annoying).

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 a blended carrer. I think I can achieve it as well; I want to be a designer, not just of pictures, taken with a picture or drawn with a hand, but of clothing, architechture, prose, music, and everything inbetween. I want to have a mixture of all of these, and I will try to accomplish them all within my lifetime. The only thing that matters is what you love and what is in your heart and your imagination. If you can feel what is there, then you must be happy.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
My family knows I make art, and they are definitely supportive. I am quite shy with my works, because I am so personal and introvertive when it comes to that subject. They support me and ask me questions about what I would like to achieve in the future with my art. My mother has supported me since childhood by providing me with materials and inspiration, and letting me know that I should never hold back for anyone, especially myself. Telling me to just be myself was one of the best gifts she has given me.

Which direction do you see your art heading in the future?
I see my art becoming more famous, but I'd still like it to be special and somewhat unknown, underground even. I just want to bring my mind into others' lives, and I'd love for them to do the same. A lot of collaboration, and a lot more radical and inventive ideas. I'm not sure where it will end up, but hopefully somewhere good.

Who are some of your heroes outside of the visual art stream?
Is fashion a visual art? I think it is, but many of my heroes come from the fashion design field, including the Lagerfeld, Kawakubo, Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, and the Rodarte Sisters. I am in love with models and dreamers, and many musical artists, too many to list here. Heroes can pop up from anywhere at any time, so I always have to keep my eyes open and ready.

TARA VIOLET NIAMI

2009-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Name: Tara Violet Niami
Age: 15
Country: USA
Website: www.flickr.com/photos/_throughthelookingglass_/

At which age did you start creating art? And why do you feel compelled to create?
I have been interested in art since I was a child. I was brought up with music in the house, so I picked up the guitar at age 6 and wrote my first song at age 7. I also used to take photographs on my toy polaroid camera when I was about 6. That was probably the first time I took photographs. I feel compelled because it's the main thing I love. I live and breathe art-I am obsessed with multiple forms of it.

What are you inspired by? And who do you look up to?
For photography, my main inspiration is Diane Arbus, because of the raw way that she captured society. However, I have found many photographers on flickr that truly inspire me, such as Olivia (Bee), Chrissie White, Laurence, and Eleanor Hardwick. Though they are not much older than I am, I truly look up to their photographic art.

Which influential artist would you like to ask for advice?
That is a quite difficult question. I would like to ask Diane Arbus if she was 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?
It would be this picture by Elena. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorellana/2956558066/

I look at it often, each time I notice details left unnoticed by my eyes before. It's whimsical, it's dreamy. The colors are like childhood fairytales brought to life, and it's really one of the most beautiful photographs I've ever ever seen.

Tell us about your creative process.

I take photographs whenever I feel like it. I often use my front or back gardens as backdrops, for they are the most accessible and versatile nearby 'locations' for my photographs. My garden reminds me of the garden in the film "The Secret Garden." My photos in it are generally full of whismy and are ethereal, for that is how I see my garden to be.

Do you ever find weird connections between life and art?
Yes. I feel as though art is just a representation of one's mind, the way they view the world. For me, I try and weave in the emotions I myself have experienced in life, into my photographs.

As an artist, are you Technical or passionate?
I am passionate. I can be technical, but I try not to worry about details all the time. For example, I break photographic rules often, such as taking out-of-focus or grainy photographs, or letting my film photos recieve light leaks from exposing the film.

How do you determine when a work is finished? Or is it ever finished?
With photography, it depends. Sometimes I take a batch of photos and then pick one or two that I really like. I often don't do much editing. Most of my editing takes just a few minutes-contrast, saturation, temperature. Mostly dealing with bringing colors out, or making my black and whites more contrasted.

Do you think there are boundaries you would never cross in your art making? There are boundaries that I won't cross at the present, as I am still young, but I think that I as I get older, I will cross many more. I will be more mature, more confident from the years of experience.

What frightens you most about your art?
How much emotion I put into photographs. Sometimes I look at a photograph of mine, and I realize how I can truly see how I was feeling when I took it. There's something about eyes, my eyes in my self portraits read more than my pose or any of that.

Do you have any magic cures for creative blocks?
Unfortunately, no. I have gone through some before, and I just continue to look at art on flickr, look at fashion magazines, sketch. Often the blocks end once I have gained enough inspiration from what I've viewed to start again. And once I've realized that I am imperfect, and that not everything I create will be great.

Do you dream about your artwork?
I generally daydream about photography, about shoots in the woods with cloaks and masks. Once however, I had a dream that involved a photography exhibit/competition that I didn't win.

Which of your own works are you most proud of/ is most meaningful to you and why?
I love this one "I want to be a forest" (http://www.flickr.com/photos/_throughthelookingglass_/3109004111/in/set-72157604887569223/) dearly. The crop I did and the editing I got spot-on. I also love "I think I've seen the place where dreams are formed" http://www.flickr.com/photos/_throughthelookingglass_/3423426982/in/set-72157604887569223/ because it's just a photograph out of a plane window, yet it seems to be a representation of what dreaming really is, and how magical clouds can look. I have never been so happy with a disposable camera photograph. Lastly, I've always loved this film photograph of my mother http://www.flickr.com/photos/_throughthelookingglass_/2408326988/in/set-72157604887569223/ "dreaming in cinematic trees." It was from when I took a photo class at my school, hand developing my own black and white film photos. It was the one good photo on the roll, and the expression in her face blows me away. I didn't tell her to pose, she just closed her eyes from the blinding sun and positioned herself in the branches.

Which art mediums and brands do you prefer to use?
I love film, film over digital. I have been shooting film lately because the mood film gives to photographs is something I have never seen in digital.

What kind of art education do you have? Do you think it is important?
I have taken one year of photograph classes, last year. It really helped me understand the technical aspects of photography as well as teaching me how to use a darkroom. I loved it.

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 love to do something to do with music. I am a musician, I sing, play guitar, and play piano (as well as writing songs. I have a myspace page for my music http://www.myspace.com/431899206). I want to do photography on the side as I really love it, but don't want to do it as a profession.

Is your family supportive of your art? Who influenced and nurtured your creativity most?
Yes. They are extremely supportive of my love of the arts. My father is involved with the arts, as he is an independent film director. He has influenced and nurtured my creativity the most, as he used to be a photographer. He has taught me about photography, as well as bringing me up on good music and cinema.

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

In the performing arts realm, my great heroes are Bob Dylan (a master songwriter), Jimmy Page (whose guitar skills blow me away), and outside of that realm, my parents are my heroes. My father, though growing up in Tehran where science and mathematics was suggested in accordance to career options, he chose to become a film-maker. He stood up for what he believed in in high school, being a sort of peaceful rebel. He listened to 'foreign' music that he loved, and fought his way to go to a top-notch film school in London. My mother, is a composed and kind-natured soul, her attitude inspires me as a person.