Q: What was the impetus for creating the “FEAR” series?

A: The series of drawings were a response to an exhibition that was put on by Clinic Collective in London a while back. Rather than picking random ideas out of the air, I wanted to focus on something personal to me, I have always been a man of many allergies and I figured that if all of my three worst allergies, pollen, chlorine and cat fur were to sneak up on me all at once it would most definitely be the end of me. I also used subtle colours in the piece’s to connote the featherlight qualities of each of the substances.

Q: It seems like your storyline has changed in your most recent work, what’s new?

A: I always want to be pushing my work further and trying out new things, I kind of want to be able to apply myself to any brief, and I enjoy the challenge of working on a new project that I have never experienced before. I think that when I first produced the Sky Larkin ‘Kaleide’ album art, I discovered new ways in which I could create an environment which in this case was inspired by kaleidoscope imagery, it was one of those rare ‘eureka!’ moments in my career so far. After that commission I went on to produce a personal project titled ‘Behind the Scenes and Everything else Inbetween’ within the last few weeks of University that illustrates the process of film making  and contains references to some of my favourite films and movie characters. I feel that my newest work still contains a similar aesthetic to my older work, however I am now more confident with my direction in image-making.

Q: Do you remember the first drawing you made as a kid?

A: I don’t actually know, although my parents always said that the best way to keep me and my brother quiet as children, was to give us some paper and crayons and sit us down for a while. We would then most likely come back with illustrated ‘pipe dream’ Super Mario worlds, and badly drawn Sonic the Hedgehog characters.

Check out some of Jack’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Read the rest of 3 questions: jack hudson (0 words)

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Post tags: art, illustration, illustrator, interview, jack hudson, q & a

Q: What has more weight in your work, the writing or the visual?

A: Right now I spend a lot more time eavesdropping conversations + writing down funny phrases than I do actually drawing. I’m a huge fan of David Shrigley + Gary Larson, + I always liked The Far Side comics that had a lot of text in them. I feel like maybe I’m a better reporter than I am an artist. I’m hoping that at some point my drawing skills improve to the point that I can just make one dot on a piece of paper + it will be like you’re reading a novel, + then I’ll make a drawing with like a thousand dots on it + people’s heads will explode.

Q: What’s changed about your drawing since you were a kid?

A: I used to be able to sit down + draw without thinking, like an unedited stream of consciousness. Now a lot of what I make is really premeditated, executing an idea I already had. I’d like to get back to being a lot more loose.

Q: What’s stayed the same?

A: I still tear pages out of my sketchbook + throw them away. I know I shouldn’t but sometimes things need to be crumpled up + thrown halfway to the garbage can.

Check out some of Jeff‘s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Read the rest of 3 questions: jeff hamada (0 words)

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Post tags: art, booooooom, booooooom.com, illustration, interview, jeff hamada

Q: You’ve recently been making some amazing animations, what’s it like seeing your work in motion?

A: I love seeing the characters I’ve created come to life, and then adding sound to the images just brings it to another level, especially when the sound matches the art perfectly (big thanks to Finn Riggins for scoring sound). I’m into process, not just final product so animation is really enjoyable for me since there is so much planning that takes place. After working on this project I think I’m going to introduce more character design + development into my work even it’s for static images. My first animation was created to promote a festival, but I would like to get more into storytelling, so maybe an animated short or music video in the future.

Q: Paper or plastic?

A: At the risk of sounding just like every other tree-hugging Oregonian…is there a reusable bag option?

Q: I can never quite tell how you’ve made any particular piece, do you have go-to methods or is it a constantly evolving process?

A: I use different media, it all depends on the mood of the piece, but one thing is always constant: I always start with pen or brush and ink and then I may introduce collage elements or textures that I create with monoprints or other media. I end  up working with different pieces that get scanned and assembled in Photoshop where I also add color.

Check out some of Santiago’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Post tags: art, illustration, interview, portland, santiago uceda

Q: Was there a deciding moment when you decided to pick up a camera?

A: The first time I picked up a film camera was in October 2008 when I went to Sydney with some friends. I was always into other forms of art like painting and drawing but there was something addictive about the process of taking a picture. Since then I haven’t really stopped taking pictures; it’s a drug which I can’t get enough of.

Q: How does your relationship with your natural environment, specifically the sea affect your work?

A: I grew up in the foothills and I was forever going exploring through the national parks and down into the creeks. I love big cities but nothing compares to being in the middle of nowhere. The sea is no exception, except that it freaks me out. I believe the sea is the most remarkable part of the world, no matter where you are. I’m fixated with its mass, colour and sound. There’re special feelings in these locations which is what I try to create and evoke in people with my photos.

Q: What do you know about shooting now that you wish you knew when you started out?

A: Well, being eighteen and untaught I really only know the absolute basics about taking a picture. The SLR I use was my father’s from the 70s so he showed the fundamentals. I am keen to learn more whether I attend some classes or continue to learn from my own mistakes.

Check out some of Ryan’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Post tags: film, interview, photographer, photography, ryan thomas kenny

Q: The worlds in your recent work are so involved, do you create a narrative for each piece or is there a blanket storyline?

A: I don’t know, I don’t really have a very rational approach to my creative process, I don’t think a lot before I start drawing or painting something but everything kinda evolves during the process, I sketch a basic shape or background or just some colors and then I add details, characters, layers, symbols, sometimes a hint of landscape and in the end everything mixes up in some sort of scene which gives it this narrative feeling. Which gave me the idea to create stories for the characters in the “With” series. I don’t think of a story before I create the character but after. I just look at the pieces and start making up short biographies, individual myths for the main characters, and eventually, connections between every story.

Q: What’s making art like in Berlin as opposed to your native Romania?

A: I moved from Berlin back to Bucharest. I have to admit that Berlin is a more creative place than Bucharest, but Romania is not bad either. I mean, in Berlin there are hundreds of artists who are doing stuff, it’s a little bit harder to get some attention or even sell your art. Because probably people are so used to the art scene, it’s hard to come up with something so good and new and fresh that would make art consumers invest in it. In Bucharest things are a little different, there aren’t so many artists, the urban art/lowbrow art scene is not so big and varied and people are pretty happy to see some new colorful, fresh, different artworks, and sometime, even buy them. Me and my girlfriend Aitch, who is also an artist, we had a show recently in Bucharest, and after the Berlin experience we didn’t have such high expectations from a show in Romania, but we were pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the public and by the amount of sold pieces. Maybe it was just luck, I’m not saying that you can’t make money out of art in Berlin and you can make shitloads of money in Romania. This is just my experience. And both Berlin and Bucharest were/are good experiences, with bad and good aspects.

Q: If you woke up tomorrow and couldn’t draw, what would you do to get by?

A: I don’t know…..I can’t imagine not being able to draw. I mean, I have my bad days, when I really can’t or won’t draw, but then it all comes back, an urge to grab a pen or some paints or sprays and do something….I don’t know, I don’t think that this will ever stop. But…if I won’t be able to draw, I don’t know, I think I’ll be a loser, I wouldn’t do too much to get by…

Check out some of Saddo’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Post tags: art, artist, berlin, murals, painting, raul oprea, romania, saddo

Q: How would you describe your style to someone who hasn’t seen your work?

A: That question would just make me choke whatever I would be eating. I try to tell myself there’s no style to be followed apart from the established formalities like portrait, landscape and such. We live in a post-modern world, despite personally believing we’ve already moved on from that. There’s no style anymore; everyone misreads everything therefore everybody mixes whatever they want, only to pursue the meaning each individual wants to perceive, which is a selfish reality. I do take photographs, but I am too frightened to honestly define what I’m looking for when I do it. I try to make it as a lucid and spontaneous act, but if anyone asks me I’ll just scratch my neck + blush hoping they’ll get my expression facing such complexity, which an outsider would just consider schizo and weird.

Q: What inspired you to pick up a camera in the first place?

A: I picked up a camera for necessity, specially because I wasn’t feeling that drawing could follow the speed and capture the full moment I was looking for, or maybe I’m just a terrible drawer.

Q: Who are the photographers that you admire the most?

A: I don’t have a podium for my favourite photographer. Staring at a Hiroshi Sugimoto piece takes my breath away; flicking through a Nan Goldin makes me laugh; Francesca Woodman inspires me to get flowers; Ryan McGinley and Jurgen Teller could make me take my shirt off…”Streets” mean Cartier-Bresson, Frank Capa, Andreas Feininger and more…there’s also Fashion Photography, a nonstop growing phenomenon, from the early 20th century Edward Steichen to the contemporary Viviane Sassen, everything is a possibility + a source of information. I admire each one of them for having the power to strike in a visual form; that’s the achievement I praise because we as spectators are bombed by our own daily lives images + still be able to recognize, remember and dream with their work. But things got more intense lately, with online communities appearing everyday showcasing more and more photographers thriving with beautiful imagery from all over the world. There’s a huge web of beauty coming from this rounded planet! I shouldn’t be going on with this subject, there would be an infinite name list to be read + it would be excruciating to even think where to start.

Check out some of Bruno’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Q: What inspired you to found GHOSTWOOD?

A: Well. Lots of things. The mystery of female condoms for one – our childhood for another. We grew up in the forest building forts – GHOSTWOOD is just that: big kids building forts in the forest. GHOSTWOOD is also an experiment. You see, we are life scientists, we want to push ourselves outside of what has already been established – start from scratch. We cut down some trees in the woods – pitched our tents – started making a habitat for ourselves. Soon we had a solar powered cabin built. We discovered that creating our own environment makes everything meaningful + personal, + greatly enhances our superpowers.Building is something that nearly everyone did for themselves just a few hundred years ago. We’re bringing that back in a big way. We are the new pilgrims – no rules – steady dreaming. Big dreams. We’re talking hard + wet. We see the world very differently from most people. We think our culture is filled with bad ideas – like decaffeinated coffee or sugarless gum – to us that shit doesn’t even exist. We want to live the most amazing lives we can imagine right now – forever – we’re creating our own world.

Q: GHOSTWOOD + your new gig designing the world for Cartoon Network’s ADVENTURE TIME (which is awesome, everybody) seem like distant relatives. How has the transition been?

A: Hollywood is most definitely the opposite of GHOSTWOOD. For instance-there are a lot more non-passable trannies here in Hollywood. You can spot them from a mile off and that wouldn’t fly back home. Non-passable trannies get beat up pretty bad in New England. Also, black face doesn’t seem to be really as popular on the West Coast as it is in the North East. I guess it’s because there are real live black people here. We pretty much always wear our OJ Simpson masks when we draw for ADVENTURE TIME. It helps us focus and keeps our co-workers from knowing what we really look like. We also talk in fake voices around the office to throw people off. It’s a dream job really. Like one day Pen Ward was just like: “YO GHOST – I would feel really good knowing that you are in charge of the world for my show” + we were like “all day baby!” and that was that. It was a huge moment – for us – in television history. Now the show is on the air + we have like a billion fans watching – totally topless – every week. It really feels just like we’re getting the whole world pregnant at once. It’s that rad. But we totally really wicked miss living up on Mystery Mountain – and so do our dogs! They eat deer scat like it was raisonettes for brunch. I think they’ll be really glad to move back to GHOSTWOOD.

Q: What was your favorite thing to draw when you were a kid?

A: We used to draw a lot of comic book characters – like Captain Unicorn. We liked to make believe what was going on inside his rape van – we also drew maps to imaginary worlds with our older brother. He was really good at drawing maps. Every country was a different color. His maps looked way too real. It wasn’t that we were ever very good at drawing – we just kept doing it. Eventually we discovered how to capture a special feeling in our heads – and on the paper – while we drew. Then we really got obsessed with it. The only thing that even compares to that feeling for us is jerking off with a broken hand. Some people were born to be snake handlers or family therapists – we’re just like them but better. It’s simple really. Just ask someone what they do during their free time. Whatever they answer is what they love most in the world. For us – that is drawing. If we couldn’t draw we would be a park ranger. If we couldn’t be a park ranger we would probably be in jail for murdering our elementary school principal. That guy was such a dick. Drawing keeps our dark side in check. There was a time in our life when we were confused – we were pretty close to ending up in jail back then. We would just drink Mad Dog 20/20′s + spit at the police station. We were always looking at Playboy magazines + talking about drugs. One time we flattened all the tires on a logging truck. We were wicked out of control in those days. Drawing was the one thing that helped us understand our place in this crazy world. Look at us now – we’re out here in Hollywood getting wigger rich – watching the NBA playoffs in sports bars – trying on shoes at the mall – upgrading our cell phone plans. Dreams totally can come true.

Check out some of Ghostshrimp’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

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Post tags: adventure land, artist, dan james, ghostshrimp, illustration

Q: If you could’ve gotten a tattoo when you were 13 (with no repercussions), what do you think you would’ve chosen?

A: I probably would have gotten some Nirvana lyrics tattooed on me. I was a real big Kurt Cobain fan when I was younger. I mean I still am, he could really write a good song.

Q: If all of the film on the planet were destroyed in a freak terror strike, would you rather quit or shoot digital full time?

A: I would shoot tintypes if those were not destroyed by the film terrorists or just travel to beautiful places + make huge wooden one room shacks, drill a tiny hole in them + make walk-in camera obscuras in the style of Abe Morell.

Q: When you travel to shoot, what do you need to bring with you?

A: Hand sanitizer. What can I say? I am a bit of a germaphobe + I hate to get sick when I travel.

Check out some of Jeff’s work after the jump!

Every Wednesday we sit down (briefly) with a talented artist + ask them 3 questions.

If you’re an artist + you’d like to be grilled, email me at questions@hardfeelingsblog.com

(...)
Read the rest of 3 questions: jeff luker (0 words)