So Graphic Echo is my latest project in exploring and promoting the art of those whose work I find distinctive and noteworthy. The blog will produce interviews with working artists for the purpose of providing a better understanding of the individual's processes and vision. Fonts may be off because I am having a hard time dealing with the logistics of blogger. Anyway, suggestions and opinions are always welcome so contact me with any thoughts you might have. Hope you had a Merry Xmas and let's not forget, it was Issac Newton's birthday too. Happy bday Issac.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Gillean Eaton-Koch
"The truly successful fine artist is willing to let go of
many of the extra things in life to harness the skills to become a success"
As a master manipulator of images from pop culture, the work of Gillean Eaton-Koch is wild, colorful, and outspoken - a few words that could be used to describe the artist himself.
As a master manipulator of images from pop culture, the work of Gillean Eaton-Koch is wild, colorful, and outspoken - a few words that could be used to describe the artist himself.
GE: How long has art been in your blood?
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| Untitled, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: Do you believe that being a fine artist is a viable career?
GEK: I do believe that being a fine artist is a viable career, however, it’s challenging - you have to be very self aware of your work and aware of your own self. Then, you have to be able to communicate, through your work and other forms, in order to make connections with people so that your name and work will attract attention. Finally, you have to be totally engrossed in your own work, there can be little to no side options - the truly successful fine artist is willing to let go of many of the extra things in life to harness the skills to become a success.
GE: When did you start working with digital collage? (Is that what you would call your digital work?)
GEK: First, I think calling them digital collages is a great idea and I'll be using that for now on. I started working on them in the fall of 2010 in my Digital Photo II class. Because I hadn't studied abroad or have a nice camera, I didn’t have the visual material necessary for the project we were working on, so I needed to find content. I remembered my mother told me to do more work like a piece I had done that merged an image of Godzilla on an old naval painting. So, I started doing work like that. At home over the semester break, I noticed these video game collages that I had made when I was a kid to decorate my room. They were old tack boars about 2' x 4' and they were covered in stuff. That's when the idea hit me to do works with bright colors with modern pop culture as backgrounds.
GEK: I do believe that being a fine artist is a viable career, however, it’s challenging - you have to be very self aware of your work and aware of your own self. Then, you have to be able to communicate, through your work and other forms, in order to make connections with people so that your name and work will attract attention. Finally, you have to be totally engrossed in your own work, there can be little to no side options - the truly successful fine artist is willing to let go of many of the extra things in life to harness the skills to become a success.
GE: When did you start working with digital collage? (Is that what you would call your digital work?)
GEK: First, I think calling them digital collages is a great idea and I'll be using that for now on. I started working on them in the fall of 2010 in my Digital Photo II class. Because I hadn't studied abroad or have a nice camera, I didn’t have the visual material necessary for the project we were working on, so I needed to find content. I remembered my mother told me to do more work like a piece I had done that merged an image of Godzilla on an old naval painting. So, I started doing work like that. At home over the semester break, I noticed these video game collages that I had made when I was a kid to decorate my room. They were old tack boars about 2' x 4' and they were covered in stuff. That's when the idea hit me to do works with bright colors with modern pop culture as backgrounds.
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| Untitled, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: Can you describe the process of making one of your pieces? Do
you maintain an image library that you work from?
GEK: I start by looking at my image bank which includes different folders containing different types of images. I usually start by finding one image that pops out at me and in my head I say, “Hey, lets work with this one.” That's the image that I base everything else off of. I then will go through looking for images that work well as backgrounds and look for, I guess what I call, “sub-base” images that work with the first image pulled out. From there, I lay them all out in Photoshop making changes to them, cutting parts out, adding things in, changes in colors and shape, along with other effects. Sometimes I’ll go back into the bank to get more images to replace or add in. Once the structure of the image is to my liking, I play around with the colors until I’m happy with a few different options. Usually while working on one image, it starts to give me ideas on what the next image should be.
GE: Do you work on multiple pieces at a time?
GEK: There are times when I find myself stalling out on a work and I’ll put it away, but they usually stay in the back of my mind as I work on others so if I have an idea I can pop it open real fast and see if the changes I've come up with make a difference.
GEK: I start by looking at my image bank which includes different folders containing different types of images. I usually start by finding one image that pops out at me and in my head I say, “Hey, lets work with this one.” That's the image that I base everything else off of. I then will go through looking for images that work well as backgrounds and look for, I guess what I call, “sub-base” images that work with the first image pulled out. From there, I lay them all out in Photoshop making changes to them, cutting parts out, adding things in, changes in colors and shape, along with other effects. Sometimes I’ll go back into the bank to get more images to replace or add in. Once the structure of the image is to my liking, I play around with the colors until I’m happy with a few different options. Usually while working on one image, it starts to give me ideas on what the next image should be.
GE: Do you work on multiple pieces at a time?
GEK: There are times when I find myself stalling out on a work and I’ll put it away, but they usually stay in the back of my mind as I work on others so if I have an idea I can pop it open real fast and see if the changes I've come up with make a difference.
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| Untitled, Digital Print. 2011 |
GEK: I'm sure I can which is why I'm trying to take more pictures myself and I have been talking with people in the art world and asking for their opinion on things. I intend on contacting a few artist I have found over the years, like Dale May whose work has obvious connections to copyrighted material. I'm not selling my work and I still consider myself a student with much to learn, especially about legal restrictions in the art world.
GE: You paint, you draw, and you work in digital (P.S. is there anything else?). What bridges the works that you have created in differing media?
GEK: I also like to work with wire and metal sculpture at times. The biggest bridge I can think of is Graffiti. I love doing my studio work in a large scale because I've always wanted to become a graffiti artist doing mural works on walls. Most the time when I'm working on something studio or digital I'm always thinking about how this would look on a wall on the side of the street.
GE: How would you describe your style?
GEK: My style is Student.... I'm really bad at evaluating where my own work, both digital and studio, belongs in classification. If I had to label my studio work it would be “Graffuturism” since all my works have a strong relation to graffiti and street art. As for my digital works they are more of an abstract collection of possible copyright lawsuits waiting to happen but they help give me the ideas to base studio works off of that are original works in themselves.
GE: What artists do you look at for inspiration?
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| Untitled, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: How do you feel about cutting art programs out of public
schools? Do you feel art is as important as traditional academics such as
science or history?
GEK: I hate how the arts are always cut from the public school system. Learning and doing art is a way of expressing oneself along with writing and speech. I understand why they are targeted often since people often think of such classes as a free time then actual education. But its these classes that push some kids to develop their skills which are needed today in the digital and business world to help companies make products that appeal to consumers.
To check out Gill's book, "Cause I Stole Your Work" visit: http://bookify-api.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2133164
GEK: I hate how the arts are always cut from the public school system. Learning and doing art is a way of expressing oneself along with writing and speech. I understand why they are targeted often since people often think of such classes as a free time then actual education. But its these classes that push some kids to develop their skills which are needed today in the digital and business world to help companies make products that appeal to consumers.
To check out Gill's book, "Cause I Stole Your Work" visit: http://bookify-api.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2133164
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Josh Jenkins
“As long as they are feeling something - that’s the point.”
Primarily focused on self-expression, the work of Josh
Jenkins is strong, raw, violent, and rough. He uses mixed mediums and vibrant
colors to explore themes of sexuality, self-reflections, religion and emotions.
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| Dof, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: You graduated almost two years ago with a B.A. in
Digital Media and a minor in Studio Art. What has life after college been like
for you?
JJ: Life after college has been kind of been a non stop whirlwind for me. I was
interning at a gas & electric corporation for the last two years of
college. Right before graduation, I was asked to interview for a new graphic
design position in the company that they were opening. Unfortunately, a month
after the interview and after graduation, I found out that I didn't get the
job. Not only was my internship coming to an end, I had no other job
opportunities in the area. I ended up having to move. Luckily, my sister in
Philadelphia let me stay with her for six months as I tried looking for a job. However,
the jobs in Philadelphia for graphic designers was extremely limited and the
only thing I could find was a part time job at an Urban Outfitters making
minimum wage. Finally after deciding to give up job searching in the North East
I expanded my horizons and found a job in Louisville, KY as a full time
production artist and graphic designer. Life since then has finally been where
I'd expect to be after college. I'm currently living on my own (well with
housemates), have a full time job, a new car, my own insurance, rarely ever
money for art supplies and well, lots of debt I'm paying off from student
loans!
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| JAMES-etta, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: Are you working at a job that utilizes your creative skills?
JJ: I work for a marketing company that mainly works with car dealerships. I'm able to use my skills from my digital media degree, but unfortunately the creative aspect of the job is extremely limited.
GE: What’s your dream job?
JJ: To be a successful artist where I can create art all day.
JJ: To be a successful artist where I can create art all day.
GE: What type of media are you currently working with
JJ: Due to living pay check to pay check I'm kind of restricted to using the computer to create my art. Currently I've been playing with multimedias (photos and vector art using a tablet).
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| Testosterone, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: Which artists do you look at for inspiration?
JJ: I've always been inspired by street artists like Banksy, but always look back at the masters like Picasso. Some of my most inspiring artists are Basquiat, Warhol and Dekooning.
GE: What role does your personal life play in the creation of your art?
JJ: A lot. My artwork is highly influenced by my personal life, experiences, and thoughts.
GE: Are you looking to evoke particular feelings in your audience?
JJ: I just want people to feel something when they look at my work, whether it be discomfort, fear, sadness or anxiety. As long as they are feeling something - that’s the point.
GE: how has your art changed in the past year?
JJ: My work is always evolving. I think the subject matter has stayed the same, but the process and medium has definitely changed from using traditional materials like oils to experimenting with every day art supplies like colored pencils to using the computer.
JJ: My work is always evolving. I think the subject matter has stayed the same, but the process and medium has definitely changed from using traditional materials like oils to experimenting with every day art supplies like colored pencils to using the computer.
GE: Can you describe the process of making one of your pieces?
JJ: Currently creating work on the computer, my process has evolved some, but it starts off with creating a simple vector background, using my own or found imagery, vectorizing it, then using a tablet and drawing over the imagery. I work in a lot of layers and spend a lot of time changing colors and the order of the layers trying to get variations and seeing which one works best for the individual piece.
JJ: Currently creating work on the computer, my process has evolved some, but it starts off with creating a simple vector background, using my own or found imagery, vectorizing it, then using a tablet and drawing over the imagery. I work in a lot of layers and spend a lot of time changing colors and the order of the layers trying to get variations and seeing which one works best for the individual piece.
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| Jambalaya, Digital Print. 2011 |
GE: I understand you were involved with the founding of the Hudson Valley Artists group. What led you to create HVA? What about the work of Hudson Valley artists do you find unique?
JJ: The last year of college I started to discover the local art scene in the Hudson Valley. I also befriended a local artist that was very prominent in the art scene. I think being friends with him and discovering the Hudson Valley art scene, I realized how there were so many artists and a lot of people didn't even know of each other. So using my connections with my friend, and my skills in website, I decided to put together a Facebook page and website for local artists to share their work and let themselves be known. I think what is unique about the Hudson Valley artists is that they are all so unique themselves. The Hudson Valley holds such a wide range of artists from all over the U.S. and the world--successful and not so successful (but all amazing artists).
GE: What cities in the country or the world do you feel have an important art scene and why?
JJ: From my own experience and knowledge, the only city that I know of personally that I think has a important art scene is in Syracuse, NY. The art scene, and the city itself, is small, but surprisingly prominent. I just see a lot of great artists developing in the area and large sense of pride.
To check out more of Josh's work,
visit: http://www.hvartists.com/jenkins/index.html
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