Artist Study: Rebecca Green

As almost all the artists before her, Rebecca Green explains that to find a “good” media for you is to try different things and experiment. She adds that you also have to evolve and not lock into a certain style or media for the rest of your career. The same goes for developing your skills: “Keep working. Keep drawing. Keep trying new things.” Stay active in the art world by going to openings, galleries, lectures, any kind of art you can take in. Another important part is to send work to galleries and keep making new work. On the topic of financial difficulty, Rebecca replies that it is feast or famine. The financial instability is the hardest part of the job and she has had some close experiences. It is important not to give up even at the worst of times and that you have to tough it out as long as you can.

After high school, Rebecca went to community college for several years before she switched to Kendall College so that she could get more rigorous and fulfilling classes. when she started she assumed that the best fit would be an illustrator for greeting cards or something along those lines. Never expecting that the majority of her work would be in galleries. Rebecca notes that traveling and other artists are the two best sources of inspiration. Traveling because it opens you up to fresh views and experiences, and other artists who can give you a new perspective or provide new ideas, themes, and styles. Ms. Green says that without a structured schedule, work can be very frustrating. She likes to put in a full days work but also makes time “off the job” to sketch and get caught up on her website and other things like that. As far as college classes go, she recommends to take classes that you’re interested in and not to restrain yourself from interesting classes that aren’t just the “basics.” I think what she means is that if you’re an art major, don’t just take the generic classes that are required: branch out and take ones that you will find interesting and classes that you think will help you grow. She also says that the most important thing about her studio is simply that it exists and that she has a place designated for work and only work. Rebecca goes down the line of the next important things; “ It has to have a wall where I can hang inspiring things, a shelf for all the things that i love, and the ability to get super messy, which I do. Good lighting is nice. Windows are very nice.” A studio away from home is important to her when she can work around and with other artists, although the one she is in now she is using solo. Art supply needs not being met? Rebecca depends on local art stores (if they have what you need,nothing wrong with Michaels folks!) and Blick, which is apparently awesome.

And for the final responses, Rebecca will be the first artist so far to say that she infact would’ve changed something on her path to becoming an artist. She declares that she sometimes wishes she went to school for stop motion animation and “skipped painting”(skip painting!?gasp!!). Rebecca’s final advice is to “make the work you want to get.” I’m pretty sure this means that the work you make should be the same quality as the work you expect from other artists. “Let go of expectations and really make the work that makes you happy.”

I like that Rebecca Green has made a point of creating her own style of work and seems to do what she loves. Her work also has an interesting texture (is that the right word?) or technique to it when you see some of the closer more detailed pictures. Although Rebecca’s work sports a very interesting color schemes, and a freeing, summer-y style, I would only give her work  three stars. Much of the work I have found is somewhat “girlish” and as that is not a bad thing for all the feminists out there, I mean that her work seems more light hearted and sheltered of you will. Like a child, much of it uses easy colors and is simple in its own way.

Artist Study: Eloy Morales

Eloy not only has very broken english (in a charming way) but is also a spectacular artist. He comes form a line of artists as many of us do so it was somewhat in his nature to follow the path of his grandmother and father. Transferring a pencil at age four, for a set of oils at age nine, he advises young artists to work as hard as you can everyday. See exhibitions of all kinds of art no matter if you want to be a hyperrealist or an abstract artist, it is important to be familiar with all aspects of art. Thanks to Eloy’s super art ability, he notes that he has never struggled with money and had his first solo show at 15 years old (well I’m about 2 years too late for that one!)! Since he is basically an art magician, he has never needed another job to support his art making. He goes on to say that the most important thing to him is his “freedom for creating” and to answer his “inner feelings.” Eloy says that his father was a great inspiration in his work through the advice he gave Eloy; “that is important to be a good artist but its more important to be humble.” Great artists are another force that provides unavoidable influence. All these sources define you into what artist you will become and help you grow. Eloy worked eight hours a day on painting but has to take long term breaks to go home, visit family, and avoid art as what I am guessing works as sort of a pallet cleanser. Eloy likes to keep his studio clean and orderly but is able to work in different situations. He adds that he used to watch horror movie while painting so... to each their own I guess. Finally, he notes that because he took each moment and decision to the heart, he doesn’t have any regrets in his career.

Eloy is a hyperrealist artist. for those of you newbies who don’t know what that is, it is fairly self explanatory. A hyperrealist artists makes art that looks like it could be a picture and is hyper-realistic. This type of work is very interesting to me. I was wonderfully delighted when I saw that not only does Eloy make beautiful hyperrealistic art but he makes it HUGE! These monstrous paintings are mind blowing on the internet and unimaginable in real life! I have not gotten a chance to see one of these lovely works IN real life, however it came as no shock when Eloy mentioned that he never had to take another job or worry about financing his art. Obviously I give Eloy five stars and I HIGHLY recommend checking out this magnificent work. Until next week!

Artist Study: Orlando sanchez

Since Orlando could only answer one question of my choosing, this artist study will be indefinitely shorter than some of my other two paged rants. He notified me that he already spends more time promoting and emailing than actually drawing and would prefer to spend a quality amount of time on one question rather than only touching on all of them. I chose the most general and direct question of the bunch being,  "what would you recommend to someone interested in art to develop their skills and assert themselves as an artist?" Pretty solid right? Orlando directed me to a youtube TED Talk video titled:” Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes.” After watching this the first time the only thing i took away from this was, how old is this video and why does this Richard guy sound so annoying? Luckily I watched it several more times and focused on the content instead of the speaker. Richard points out eight words that are necessary for success; Passion, Work, Focus, Persist, Ideas, Skill, Push,and Serve. Orlando notes that these have been very important goals of his and that patience is another skill needed because success doesn’t happen overnight. I am a little bit disappointed that Orlando did give me much more than that in his email. I understand that we are all busy and there are very few people who would rather answer emails than doing the thing they love, but what he wrote seemed like just a regurgitated version of this three minute TED Talk. I don’t care how short his answer would’ve been as long as it is coming from the actual artist I am emailing.

Although Orlando isn’t my favorite person right now, I give his art five stars. I absolutely love his pen/ink/ marker whatever work and don’t even get me started on the sketchbook! Orlando uses very interactive and complementary colors in his paintings. I also appreciate his process of using models right in front of him and still managing to spice it up with the movement and color of his work. Adieu until next time!  

Artist Study: Sam Wolfe Connelly

As you can all guess by now, Sam has been interested in art since he was a child. Since it has played such a large role in his life, he urges to “follow your passion” and let nothing else such as money or difficulty get in your way. Let the art be the only factor driving you to what you want to be. He used these skills himself when experimenting with media and style of art he was interested in. Sam recommends to “ ignore what other peoples opinions were” and focus on what felt right for him. Much like Byron Merrill and many other artists I have interviewed, Sam notes that going to art college was a critical time in figuring out where he wanted to take his career and grow. It’s also not a bad place to branch out and meet other fine artists with similar goals and tastes. Mr.Connelly’s focus has shifted through the years from just the simple love of art to a slightly more restricted side of how to pay the bills. Although this sounds like big brother has finally gotten to him, he notes that it is important to integrate your personal creativity with (pardon the hostile word) the assignment. Sam has a rather self sustained way of living and falls on the relaxed side of the scale compared to other artists who keep a more rigid schedule. The trick to his simple style is that he usually “[wakes] up at noon and draw until [he goes] to sleep.” Now as this lax way of living may work for some of us, everyone is different and tends to set different boundaries or goals for ourselves. Aside from the friends he met at art school, gallery openings and parties in the city are another way to meet some artsy people. Sams final advice is to keep pushing for what you truly love, no matter how much rejection you may face.

As an artist, I would give Sam four out of five stars. His eerie work is very original and interesting to look at, not to mention the texture and impact of his work. Some of his works are a bit too grim for my style but creative and impactful nonetheless. When I first say his work I was much less impressed but now that I have taken the time to explore and take in a larger variety of his creations I really do enjoy them much more.

Artist Study: Byron Merrill

Our lovely artist this week is Mr. Byron Merrill. He starts his email saying that he is truly flattered and doesn't mind at all to answer my questions. great! I like this guy already! Byron states in his first answer that he couldn’t not draw and that it was such a natural urge for him to just do it all the time. Unlike me, he says he still has sketchbooks and doodles from middle school and high school. Practice is what really got him through but there are many, MANY bad drawings that come out before the good ones do. “You just need a lot of trial and error to find something that works for you. comfort zones in media can be a gift and a curse.” on the financial side, Byron explains that you just have to  do what you can. In illustration he says, “the longer you're in the game, the more steady the work gets.” He has survived with a steady job and much freelance work. He states that college is where it’s at for really getting your ass into gear and growing up. It allowed him to make the mistakes and successes he needed to and that he would love to tell his younger self to get serious about drawing. Although when he was a kid he just doodled and messed around, his focus and interests have shifted with age and knowledge. Byron also takes a stab at answering a question about where his influence and inspiration come from. He notes that you must live to create. You’re not going to get any good stuff from sitting around and hoping you think of something soon. You have to get out there, do the things that you’re passionate about to really make your art stand out. I very much agree with this in that you can only learn or experience so much from your computer screen ( even with how advanced they have gotten). Mr.Merrill and I are also similar in the way that we are unstructured by ourselves. In response to this, he sets up 8 hour workdays to keep structure and on task. Byron also tries to get as much work done on a project as soon as he can and tends to work when there are less outside distractions such as early in the morning or later at night. His best advice to get your are “out there and noticed” is to simply put it out there until it gets noticed. The internet is a wonderful place and if you send out enough samples of work, and throw it in the right peoples faces, ( and make good work too obviously) you WILL get noticed! Byron goes on to encourage me that artists are not monsters, and sometimes emailing them is the best way to make friends... even when you’re old and experienced. Byron leaves me with the advice to read Paul Pope’s PulpHope. A book i very much plan to get my hands on and an apparently amazing read for any artist at any age, and an amazing artist at that. He also recommends Neil Gaiman’s commencement address, a 20 minute or so, video of, what do you know, Neil Gaiman, giving a commencement speech. I have already seen it but decided to take another look at this inspiring piece of art (yes, this speech is pure art!) onb Byron’s request and was once again, blown away! I highly HIGHLY recommend it to anyone, artist, sculptor, actor lawyer, hobo,( alright Mimi, i think they get the point!) everyone to watch/ read this speech! It will make you want to get out of your seat and to get inspired!

    Although now is the time I usually give artists a rating of one through five stars, I feel like this is way too biased. Byron is one of the more cheerful, humorous, and interesting artists I have gotten a response from, with detailed answers that also seem very understandable! The few sketchbook images I have found are wonderful to look at, although I must admit that I have... not an obsession... a burning interest and appreciation for sketchbooks and all of their glory! I also enjoy the style and texture of his work, although I do believe that his traditional work has much more to say as art work rather than digital, but that’s only my opinion!

Artist Study: Cameron Stewart

This week we have answers from dear Cameron Stewart all the way from Canada. A sassy comic book artist, here to share his wisdom. As first order, he states that developing skills and the best media to fit said skills is simple, yet time consuming; “a matter of practice and experiment.” Cameron went on to quote the famous Chuck Jones by saying that you have 10,000 terrible drawings in you, and you have to get them all out on paper before you can get to the good ones. Although I’ve already heard this quote many times and in fact considered taping it to my wall, yet decided against it as to not fall prey to being a cliche, I strongly agree and think that everyone should hear it. You’re all smart people ( I hope) and are certainly capable of picking this quote apart by yourselves, but to make a point and maybe save a few of your precious seconds, I will do it for you! Of course we aren’t going to wake up one day and be amazing artists, and it does feel like forever getting to that point where you feel you’ve reached success (at least for me anyway, and I’m STILL not there!) this quote gives you, or me at least, hope for the future. There have been countless times where I have been completely fed up with all my crappy sketches yet find some hope thinking, only 9,875 more crappy pieces of art until i don’t totally suck any more! I actually don’t keep track, that would be a mess but you get what I mean. Now that I’ve rambled for a good solid 10 lines or so, back to Cameron!!

    As many other artists have noted, the best way to develop your skills and assert yourself as an artist is to practice your butt off! It really does pay off. The second piece of advice is to follow deadlines, NEVER work for free, and to seek professional jobs which might be more stable in a sense. Instability in an art career is different for anyone. Cameron has been fortunate in finding a job where he doesn’t have to worry about that too much, although he does recommend not biting off more than you can chew, understanding your abilities and how you work best, keeping a consistent quality, delivery, and finally budgeting accordingly.

    After high school ,Cameron decided to try his luck in a workforce. This allowed him to do his art independently, focus on the points he wanted to learn to improve his art, and learn the discipline to hold down a “real” job. Since he started as an artist, his focus has remained on comics with the exception of technical practice and drifting away from Marvel/ DC to more personal and independent comics.

    As one of the FIRST artists to understand what I mean by this question, Cam, his new unauthorized nickname, advises youngsters everywhere to find inspiration and to expose themselves to as much of the world as possible(... wait, what?). Let me rephrase that... meet people, experience the world, try new things,read, travel, watch, listen, write! Well, maybe not write... but find inspiration! It DOES exist! Go find it... now. Go!

    Although not all of us can be as motivated as Mister Stewart, who varies from working 10 hours a day uninterrupted to “jerking around for a couple of hours” and then calling it a day, I always enjoy getting such varied answers from this question. Cameron cites the internet and various social media sites as a good way to spread art around. If its good, it will get noticed, therefore, make good art because “the best stuff gets noticed.” as other artists, Cam tells me that working hard is the most important thing; “It's a long road, and you will never actually reach the end, but it can be a very rewarding journey.” As for his most unusual advice, he notes that a good way to meet artists is to simply ask. Look up local artists in the area, find someone whose work you like, and send them an email or invite them to coffee. According to Cameron, this is a great to find people to share some good art talk with.

    Cameron was a very fun person to talk to and I really enjoyed the energy and answers he gave me. Now to clarify, I know that saying “energy” like that makes me sound like a crazy hippie; “that tree is giving off really good energy dude...” but thats not what I meant. I mean more on the lines of; “he sounded like a really nice, good natured person” kind of energy. Now that i've cleared that up, I would give his art three or four stars. I really enjoy his comic book-like style although I prefer his work that is more on the realistic, accurate side.

Artist Study: Mark Demsteader

Mark Demsteader is the candidate for this lovely week, giving us a short and sweet little refresher from previous weeks.Mark has always been an artist and experimented with as many types of media as he could to develop his skills and see what works for his style. He recommends practice to improve skills. He also says to focus on the art style you want to pursue, not to just follow the “trends.” Mark used to be a butcher. Life drawing classes kept his art interests alive during this time until he got fired and didn’t really have anywhere else to turn except for art and he thought ‘I might as well give this a try!’ Throughout the years he has become more focused on what he is doing and somewhat settled into a process that works for him, whereas shen he just started out, he was doing more experimenting. When faced with the question of work habits, he usually works for four hours in the morning, takes a nice little lunch break, and then works for as long as he has to for a project to be completed. He mostly shows his work in exhibits but his website also brings in a lot of buyers. Unlike some other artists i have been graced with, Mark says that he is fairly isolated when it comes to work and only sees other artists at exhibitions. Mark’s final advice is to work hard and stick with what you believe in. “It sounds simple but there are no shortcuts as many students think there are.”

In contrast to my very first artist study, so so long ago, I enjoyed that Mark’s answers were short and to the point. What I was most fascinated with was that Mark’s soul job, before art, was being a butcher. I always had in my head someone waiting tables and coming home to a cramped apartment full of unfinished work, half painted canvases, and paint messily arranged on the side of the counter... but butcher works too. I was also surprised that none of Mark’s work seem to reflect his time as a butcher. As far as I know it would seem to be a very likely thing, and proven to be more realistic than my possible future of trying to live in NYC. I also would’ve like to know how long he worked as a butcher and how it may have affected his life (I know, I’m really obsessed with this bitcher thing! whatever!). Finally, if he had to add one more thing, I REALLY want to know what artists inspire him, what actions he took in and just out of high school that maybe helped him improve and what he uses for inspirations. All the artists that I have seen so far mention that they get inspiration from “everywhere!” which always frustrates me. Somehow, i was more frustrated by Mark’s response: “I don`t think outside influences come into it for me, i tend to be focused on what i do.” That’s all well and good but you have to be inspired by SOMETHING! He may have also just not understood the question, inevitably making me look like a dumbass. That’s cool too.

Moving on from my nosy inquiries, I would give Mark Demsteader four stars. I have always admired the “unfinished” effect. Mark also does a magnificent job at capturing the eerie side of things by using intense shading, and bright focal colors. I really enjoy his (almost foggy) technique in many of his paintings and drawings.

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Artist Study: Benoit Godde

This week’s runner up, BENOIT GODDE EVERYBODY! A french illustration-ist, with bad english! Yay! Benoit has been interested in art since he was seventeen (woohoo! someone who hasn’t known their whole live what they want to do!). He went to a “really good school in paris” but started off drawing on his desk instead of paying attention like the rest of us freaks. He admits that he has not yet found his best media but enjoys working with photoshop and says that as long as you work a lot and enjoy the work you’re doing, it’s not really work. He didn’t recommend anything for someone interested in art to work on because he doesn’t consider himself an artist because he only works to eat, not to express himself. He has been lucky enough to have not delt with issues of instability (was there a worst way I could’ve put that?) because he is a hard worker and plans to stay like that. His simple advice is to work a lot and not be lazy. After he graduated he found work as soon as he could and has been working ever since. Inspiration wise, he mentions that many things inspire him but the special part is when you take all those things that you like and create something that is a blend... something new! When he got to college he lacked experience so he just stuck with the classes he was given and he loved it. Many of his ideas come from his childhood and where he lives in Paris. Unfortunately, he only uses photoshop and therefore doesn’t have many good tips on where to get quality supplies.

As an artist, I would give Benoit three stars. He doesn’t consider himself as an artist and doesn’t seem like the striving perfectionist, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” kind of people, which, for the record, I totally respect. I really enjoy his style and wish that he was more of a painter/ illustrator (mostly because it would mean more fancy art for me to look at). I also found him really easy to connect with: I don’t know if it’s the broken english or because he is closer to my skill level than some of the other crazy “professional artists” but I really enjoy him as a person too. Until next week, that’s all folks!

Artist Study 6: Floyd Grey

 

‘13 March 24-30th,

Meredith Lawhead

Artist Study 6: Floyd Grey

Floyd Grey is from our lovely round two of questions. I figured after enough replies to the same question things might start to get a bit dull so this may have a few different questions than usual. I’m not totally sure where Floyd is from but I’m somewhat of a disconser- i don’t care enough to look it up. Because of this, his answers are a bit choppy and awkward (no offence  bro) but I will do my best to paraphrase. Floyd doesn’t mention how much art he did in high school but afterwards, he attended Dasein Academy of Art(so he may be from Malaysia?). In art school was where he most developed his skills and tried out different types of media. Much like his time in college, he recommends to try new techniques, media, etc. and look at what other artists are doing. This can help you find which direction to go first. Floyd’s financial standing is slightly more stable than those of other artists in that he lives with his parents which proves to be a good way to save money. He also says that you must only spend money on the right things. In that case, I guess that includes that new iphone. Crap. Well anyway, like many artists before him, art was only a hobby. After college, when it came time to look for a job he just went with what he could find. Now this doesn’t mean you can sit on your couch and hope that a job will come to you. Floyd went to many job interviews looking for a photography job. That didn’t work out as well as he planned so he began to develope his fashion illustration which he is still doing now. Floyd goes onto explain that most of his inspiration comes from the internet. This made me a little sad; I mean, of course the internet has basically everything you need to do anything ever but come on guys! Whatever happened to traveling and being inspired by,oh,  I don’t know.. REAL things.I’m definitely overreacting so I’m going to stop there.

Floyd works on an illustration per day, usually three or four hours, and doesn’t have much time outside of commissions. Finally, Floyd’s best advice has been that great artists steal and good artists copy. He sees no reason in creating a photo-like replica of something because if you’re doing that, why not just take a photo?

I do agree with this statement to some extent. Copying something to the point ( if you have the skills to do so) doesn’t give you the same effect that making something new is. Being just a highschool student however, my goal has been getting to that  point where if it needed to, I could replicate a photo or image. My intent from that point, on the other hand,is NOT to then copy all the things that I think are pretty, but to establish a strong artistic base so that from that point I have the skills to go in whatever direction I want.

Now that I’m done explaining myself to no one in particular for absolutely no reason at all, I would give Floyd Grey  four stars as an artist. I enjoy that his art has somewhat of a simplistic classiness about it. Like the other artists I have interviewed, Floyd has a solid skill base. On a final note, although his work is very easy, interesting and fun to look at, I feel like it lacks that extra push that would make it amazing to look at. Anyway, there is my overly judgy artist study for week six. Until next time!

NYC SOHO Galleries

   So this weekend I made it down to Manhattan to check out the SOHO galleries. Unfortunately, my dad and I didn't have time to check out Chelsea but we got some great photos of work from SOHO, MOMA, and some student works from SUNY Purchase and Parsons studios so Enjoy! I don't have the artists for all of the works we saw but I will include them when I can! None of this art belongs to me or is anything I made!

John John Jesse:

Malcolm Liepke:Francis Liuingston:Pretty sure these are Robert Liberate:Here is some of the unknown art from students and other:

Artist study 5: Andy Cristoffi
Decided to start my crazy artist study early this week so here we go! Andy Christoffi, an artist who is still young enough to be attractive( just had to put that out there), is the lucky contestant of the week. Like all the other boring artists I've annoyed, Andy has always been drawing. He claims that developing your art skills only takes a crap load of practice and says, “It’s not like riding a bike where you never lose the ability once you learn it, you need to practice everyday and that’s the only way to improve.” On the topic of media, he has been practicing his bold line work and when he realized that he wasn't so good with colors he simply looked at other artists work and then practiced some more! He only quickly touches on the topic of how to develop your skills and get noticed, but the point is clear: If you can’t live without art, then don’t. Do all you can to throw your work in peoples faces until you have enough work to sustain yourself on art making alone. If you try hard enough you can succeed but what helped him after high school was finding a good teacher in college to make him step outside his comfort zone and give him a new look on things. Since his start in illustration he has learned that the best way to sell art is to shift your ideas to what people want. “This sounds restricting but If you embrace it you soon realize that the boundaries and rules you set for yourself can be quite silly.” Since he is still in his 20’s, he has mostly been influenced by other artists and his huge collection of art books. Although deadlines and Andy’s day job mostly direct his day, he still takes art very seriously as a second job; finishing pieces after work and on free days he spends pouring over sketches and illustrations, plowing through commissions one step at a time.  His final advice is to not wait for luck. the more skill and effort you put into your work the luckier you will get.
I also found that this interview was not as helpful as some of the other, more experienced artists who are well into their careers. Since he very recently got out of college (literally, summer of 2012) I feel like he doesn't have as many bumps and bruises as the the rest of the gang who can go on for paragraphs about financial troubles, commissioning experiences and long hours. I just want to get everything straight here, I’m not dissing Andy! Just pointing out that since he is in the beginning of his career, his advice wasn't as expansive as some other folks I have interviewed I am going to give Andy three stars. Although Andy’s work doesn't seem like it has reached it’s full potential, I really love his cross hatching technique and the blend between media that he often uses. It’s also at least five years better than my work so who am I to judge?

Artist Study 4: Nico Delort

Artist Study 4: Nico Delort
Since Nico Delort didn’t answer all of my questions this martist study may be jsut a bit all over the place. Starting right into it, Nice was very lucky stability wise at the beginning of his career. His parents financial support and all the freelance work he could manage kept him afloat in his early year until he became more established.He notes that he was unable to turn down work no matter how soul crushing it may have been. Luckily he has reached a point where he doesn’t have to chose between a terrible project and putting food on the table. This has allowed him to move away from generic art and help establish his own style which has proven to be successful all on its own. Unlike some other artists I have talked to who recommend a very strict schedule, Nico tends to live life day by day: Each night he writes down goals for the next day, making sure to squeeze in some free time for reading or taking care of his dogs. When he wakes up he gets started and depending on the number of goals, some days can be more fun than others. Since this is starting to sound like a match dot com and, I might as well throw in that he likes the long walks on the beach,the sunset and playing instruments (that last one wasn’t a joke). As for getting your art “out there and recognized,” he recommends choosing several social networking sites and going from there. Even though consistent styles and regular updating sound fairly helpful, I feel like it may be too good to be true. Networking sites are a fine way to kind of throw your work in peoples faces, it seems like you must be very lucky and very talented to get many results and that selling work is a whole other story, but hey, I’m not the professional artist in the room so what do I know? Nico seems to stray from the path that other artists have taken once more, explaining that he doesn’t have much of a network of artist friends but does run into the same people now and again at shows and openings. Finally, Nicos advice is to never give up on your work and to keep improving!
This artist study was a really nice and refreshing one to do. I haven’t talked to  a whole lot of artists and have only read bits and pieces of interviews that I have not yet written a study on but from what I’ve heard so far, Nico’s answers seem to be a bit, I don’t want to say less professional, but less rigid or, developed than the other artists I have encountered. I guess it only goes to show that there are many different styles and ways of doing things.
As for rating Nico’s work, I would give him five stars. I really enjoy his style and the detail that he uses makes each work seem more important: I mean its obvious that he spent many many hours on each piece whereas with some artists it is not so clear. He also makes it obvious in his work that he has a strong skill base and a very firm grasp on composition and has settled into a fascinating technique.

Although Nico didn’t answer all of my questions, more of his answers and interviews can be found here: http://www.youthedesigner.com/2013/01/31/detailed-ink-works-of-nicolas-delort/

                               http://openlabartists.tumblr.com/post/31012216159/nicolas-delort-on-etchings-ink-stories-and

Artist Study 3: Steven DaLuz

Artist Study 3: Steven DaLuz
Being in my third artist study, I am beginning to think that that story of a lonely kid who didn't find art until their late teens, when they acquired also the magical skills of becoming a famous artist, is the artistic version of Cinderella. Steven DaLuz, although harbors the skills to blow people away with his art, is not one of those ‘ Cinderella’ kind of kids. Unlike the magical artist that all young kids are so dying to be, Steve has focused on art since middle school and believes that art is a lifelong journey of learning. Since a young age, he has been doing as much as he can to be a better artist from copying superheroes in comic books, magazines and even kids at school, to reading all the books there are to read and visiting work of “old masters.” He took art classes every year in high school and got his BFA from UTSA. Steve claims that next he would work for months with different materials until he found the right materials and techniques that “best expressed [himself] through art.” That is when he began to learn the most. When I asked him what would he recommend to someone to develop their skills, he says that it is very important to have discipline and to establish a great foundation in drawing skills even if one plans to move onto sculpture or digital art. He also says that an artist should spend a lot of effort learning various skills so that they can find the best process and materials for their style and then master it. DaLuz goes onto recommend a general knowledge of design principles, composition, color theory, MINIMUM. “ Ideas, and WHAT is expressed lies within the artist.” In the same response he mentions that drawing is just a tool for you artist tool box, and that ideas and themes of pieces cannot be taught and must be found on their own. He states that one should first find a good and proficient instructor,(preferably one that the student admires and/or respects) “BUT, they should not try to emulate that artist too much in style or manner.  Rather, they should focus upon gaining technical proficiency with the medium.” He recommends to keep your mind open and experiment so that you can find what medium and style is right for you. As John Park mentioned, Steve also recommends a growing artist to be proactive; get involved in art associations, take advantage of books, DVD’s, and any other instructional material he/ she can get their hands on.
    Has your brain exploded with crazy artistic information yet? Fear not, for we have survived the worst of it. Like any sane artist, he advocates to hit the ground running after art school but also to not expect a win right out of the gates. Expenses such as studio space, supplies, shipping expenses, framing, website, advertising, travel,and more are all going to be financial... inconveniences for a full time artist who is still green out of art school. What DOES Steve urge you to do? First of all, a part time job is key, at least until your art pays more than your waitress/ janitor gig. Plus, save up some money before going off and buying yourself a studio and a new pair of pumps. In general, you should have a consistent “body of artwork” of around 12-25 works BEFORE bothering galleries. Next in your lovely art path, you will go through three “career stages.” First, while you’re still emerging as an artist, you have to keep patient and stick to your guns until you get a good career going and are making enough money to at least scrape by without selling any organs. Finally, you will become “established,”and you all know what that means kids... Partay with my bro Picasso! Plus, being an art teacher is always possible with an MFA! I apologize for the off topic-ness.
    When I asked Steve about instability in an art career he explains that you can’t put all your eggs in one basket: there will be good months and there will be lean months. Not everyone will connect with your artwork and there isn't really a solution for that.Secondly, expansion is key! You can’t expect to sell in one spot without exhausting your resourc-I mean buyers! Try to show work in several different galleries. It is also sometimes necessary to shuffle work around. Steve mentions that some work in one city will sell better that in another city.
    Since most artists I have talked to are about in the same generation and have much of the same answer to this question, I think its worthwhile to share this response to how have your actions after high school affected your career: “In my era, it was a bit different than now.Any male over 18 was registered for the draft, and if you were not in school at the time, and in good health, you were likely to be drafted into the military and sent off to Viet Nam.  My good friend was sent there, so I decided to join the Air Force.  That decision postponed my art career for over 20 years.  Still, I found a way to create art part time, always fueling my passion.  There is no "expiration date" for being an artist.  I did not return to art school until I was 43 years of age.  For the past 7 years I have enjoyed full-time income as an artist.  I recommend that young students who are able to financially handle it--pursue your passion as soon as you can. Start early, and stay motivated.”
    To wrap up our little weekly interview, DaLuz says that when he started as an artist he focused on getting his work into galleries but now struggles with what he feels like he should be making and what the galleries want to sell. He NEVER intentionally creates work that resembles another living artists work but also explains that we cannot worry about being original. He has a regular schedule of spending a fair amount of time in the studio where he cannot be disturbed. Although he spends plenty of hours in his studio, he also seems to think about art all the time: going to openings after dinner and planning after breakfast.Like all the other artist I have talked to, he meets artists naturally and all over the place. Steve considers art a lifelong journey of which you cannot just “arrive” at with so many techniques and studies that you can expand to. Finally he wishes that he had started his long journey earlier and the best advice he has ever been given has been:"Save at least 6 months of living expenses before going out there to make it as an artist."
    Since this Artist study seems much longer and more like a list of responses than it should, I will get to the point. I really enjoyed this interview mostly because many of the responses were full of information and didn't leave me asking questions. I would give Steven’s artwork five stars because the technique he uses is like no other and the way he uses light is all his own. Those two things basically mean the same thing but I have a lot of homework left and the night is no longer young. Until next week, adieu.      

Artist Study 2:John Park

In my interview with John Park he says that he has always been interested in art but as other kids slowly stopped doodling he kept it up as a hobby and didn't really think anything of it until his senior year in high school. He recommends to find artists to admire and try to pick apart their art making process the best you can to help develop your skills. What helped him was practice(obviously) and sketching all the time. Once he started to really focus on his art for his senior year, trying to get a portfolio put together was the main factor that focused his work since many colleges only want to see observational art: not drawing from a picture or imagination. and finally after high school he got a lot of direction from his professors.   When I asked him how he has dealt with job instability it really riled him up: he stated that no job is ever one hundred percent stable especially in this economy and you just have to do your best to be smart with your money. He says, “ Of course there will be days of feast and days of fast but that’s the job.” He also emphasized how important it is to know how to live with the budget of the job and really down size your expenses but fear of instability is no reason to give up because all jobs are unstable weather you’re a doctor or an artist. In his Blue Canvas interview, a quote that I found was, “Do the most that you can possibly do, and then do some more.”   After he got his point across we moved onto things that have affected his art career. Choosing to attend a four year art school (Rhode Island School of Design) was really the start of his career and where he first got a chance to meet other serious artists. Since then, the biggest change has been moving to LA. John spent a couple of minutes explaining that moving to such a flourishing art community has been so amazing, being able to feel so close to upcoming tattoo artists, graffiti artists, animation artists. Feeling engulfed in such a vibrant art area has really made all the difference, and also being able to see new concepts such as the pop surrealism movement which is a huge movement that is going on now has made all the difference in his career.   Next we covered his 180 degree turn from when he started as an artist up to now. As he said in question two, he started to give his art direction in his senior year and then throughout college toward observational drawing: focusing on technique and learning how to improve his skills. Even though drawing accurately felt like more of a chore than making art, it all was worth it when he felt like he has built up enough skill to be happy with his skill level and master it enough to be able to go anywhere from there. That is when he decided to turn around and go the opposite way. Now he works more abstractly and expressionistic-ally and almost always just draws from memory.    My biggest concern is not being able to get my art to the right markets, or rather, to people who actually buy art (so much for Ithaca!). John remarks that there is always the internet as a good place to make some money but that should be all you do. “Get a good relationship with galleries.” Find one that really suits you artistically and become friends so to speak. Then it is easier to branch out from there. By the way Park explained it, it sounded like the best actions would be to establish relationships with artists and galleries and eventually the art community will open up and it will be easier to navigate.   During his time at the Rhode Island School of Design, he wanted to give himself a classical education. This lead him to take anatomy, figure drawing, figure painting, and figure sculpting. After school John taught at Concord Prep High School for 14 years. John claims that teaching was the best job he ever had and if you’re a good teacher, you learn more from trying to teach. This idea of his got me thinking. I just expected him to say “if you're a good teacher you learn as much from your students as they learn from you” and i always had trouble connecting with that phrase. I mean, what if your students are ass holes and don’t want to learn? I guess you can always learn to teach better but really, if someone doesn't want to learn how much can you make them? Anyway, the way that John Park said it just clicked for me in a way that regular teaching cliches haven’t.   These last few questions may be the shortest but I have tried to save the best for last. Where do you get your ideas from? This question is a pet peeve of mine. All artists ask it at one point or another and every time they get the same answer no matter who you ask: Everywhere. This question is so difficult for us artists to wrap our minds around because it isn't an easy answer. It requires one to think for themselves and try to find their own answer. The hardest part about this question is that if your ideas aren't as good as someone elses, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it besides work harder.   If you could change anything on your art career path, what would it be? “Nothing. I wouldn't change anything.” Johns response to this was nothing new or super exciting and if it had just been in an email I might not have even thought twice about it. It was the way he said it, with complete certainty. His voice was much more eager and assertive. If I had one word to describe it I would use inspired.   John’s Final advice was to never let the money worry you. Being constantly worried won’t help anything and not worrying about it is the hardest part of the job. “There is no guarantee on any job so be careful.” As I mentioned in the beginning, this interview was very special not only because the experience of calling and connecting with an artist is still new and exciting, but because I enjoy his work so much. John Parks work is very unique because he doesn't paint for the finished product as I feel like most people do. He paints more for the viewers enjoyment of the process. I would give him five stars as an artist because I adore his style and the way he blends classical art with contemporary art. His paintings are also so unique and unlike anything out there that I have ever seen. Finally, I could look at one of his paintings all day and not be bored with it while other paintings lack layer upon layer, Johns work focuses in layering giving you so much to take in.