Blair Kelly, Tv Talks

Illustrator Blair Kelly is the newest artist here at Thumbtack Press, and we’re thrilled to offer prints of his work. The first thing that stood out to me when I saw his work was the eyeballs of his subjects. Look at them! They’re looking right back at you, involving you in the work and in the message. Illustrators always have to capture both the topic the client wants AND the interest of the people reading or looking on. Blair Kelly does this with great textural depth, witty juxtaposition, and a broad palette to great effect in his work.

Blair took the time to answer some questions about his process, his work, his inspirations, his process, and, of course, his subjects’ eyeballs. You can read the full Q&A below, and also make sure to see his entire initial TTP collection at his artist page here.

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A lot of your work has a faded texture, sometimes in the background and sometimes on a piece of clothing or an object in the foreground. It reminds me a bit of some of the faded texture in Tatsuro Kiuchi’s work. Is it intentional or a side effect of your printmaking techniques?

Most texture in my work is a side effect of printmaking since I hand burnish my linocut prints versus using a press. I usually print a few editions and pick my favourite which is usually the one that’s not perfect. That, in combination with the vintage paper I have incorporated recently… So I guess it is intentional!

How much of your work is done by hand and as set prints vs. digitally? Do you lean either way for certain projects, as in, say, more digital for editorial work but more printmaking for personal work?

I would say 50/50 at this point. I started out very traditional in the sense that I wouldn’t ever think of altering a linocut print digitally but over the years it has become a really fun part of the process. There is an element of surprise most times with printmaking, in that you don’t totally know what the print will look like until its actually printed and the digital part also provides a bit of a rush. The result of combining different elements like digital collage can’t be fully anticipated which is exciting.

My personal work can involve both digital and traditional though I am currently experimenting with printing on wood panel. I’ve actually been experimenting with a lot of different things recently like monoprints and patterns and letting it kind of influence me but I don’t want to force anything. I want to produce the best work that I am capable of producing but I don’t want to be static, I want to keep growing and evolving.

Talk influences, heroes, dreams, legends – where do you go or look when you want to be inspired or work through mental blocks?

My influences vary from Japanese woodcuts to Dada to anything old and printed. Inspiration can come from anywhere, it’s very random. As for mental blocks I like to totally immerse myself in sketching and brainstorming and research and if nothing comes to me I try to totally forget what I was trying to think of and sleep on it. Sometimes I will wake up with an idea and sometimes it takes more sketching or wordplay. I am a bit obsessive so it’s hard not to think about ideas all day and night which led to some anxiety when I first started. Thankfully that isn’t the case any more.

Blair Kelly, April Showers

How did you get started in illustration? Do you have certain projects you look forward to more than others? Do you approach editorial pieces in a certain way that doesn’t apply to other projects, be they advertising, personal, or something else?

I always knew that I wanted to do something creative, I’d spend endless hours drawing and doodling as a kid even when the other kids were outside playing. After a brief attempt at Graphic Design, I enrolled in Illustration at Sheridan College and landed my first job while I was still in school which was kinda cool. I try to treat all projects with the same level of importance, and try to make the image something that I would already have wanted to create. Some of the business editorial gigs can be a bit more challenging because the subject matter can be a little dry but I like the challenge because it feels like a real accomplishment when I can pull an idea out of the air and it works.

I really like all the subjects’ eyeballs in your work. Why do I keep being drawn back to them? Even in the cows!

Thanks! I have actually heard that before…I try to make the eyeballs big and dark and mysterious with a slight hint of an emotion.

If you could be granted this wish, what sort of work will you be doing in 10 years?

I love this question! I would love to illustrate a children’s book, something really fun and original. I have lots of dream clients, too many to mention, lets just say I want them all

Blair Kelly,  Illuminated Ride

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You can see Blair Kelly’s entire initial TTP collection at his TTP artist page here.

Yuanyuan Yang, No Thrill

When we first reached out to Yuanyuan Yang about offering her prints on Thumbtack Press, she was in New York. In the meantime, she went back to Beijing (where she’s from), to prepare for a show and to reconnect with family. It’s no small deal for anybody to move between cities like NYC and Beijing, but for as thoughtful an artist as Yuanyuan, you’d be forgiven for thinking the effect could be monumental.

Because, as you can tell from our chat (below), besides being an exceptional artist, Yuanyuan is an exceptional thinker. Her contemplations on balancing humor, innocence, and youth with some of the larger conflicts of contemporary society and existence never get bogged down in the boring traps of intellectualism. They stay compelling. Rainbows shine through. 

We’re absolutely thrilled to offer Yuanyuan’s work here at TTP. Read our chat below and dig her entire initial offering at her Thumbtack Press artist page.

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YuanYuan: Hi

TTP: Hey!  How’s it going?

YuanYuan: Good! How are you?

TTP: Great, it’s amazing that spring/summer finally got to Chicago. Feels like I haven’t seen the sun in months.

YuanYuan: Really? Weather in Beijing is good.

TTP: Yeah so what’s up in Beijing? Are you working there?

YuanYuan: I finished my solo show in New York last Dec. It was Chinese New Year in Feb. It kinda lasts more than one month to celebrate. I am just looking for studios in Beijing right now, and communicating with galleries. I’ll be in a group show in fall and hopefully a solo show in Beijing sometime this year.

YuanYuan: Ummm, not sure yet. I am Chinese and it’s been 5 years away from China.I started to notice I want to dig more of myself culturally.

YuanYuan: Yes I do. It was fun to spend my time with them for the luna new year earlier. From then, I started to think I should show my art in both China and US.

YuanYuan: Nope. But I’d like to go back to the states next year if possible.

YuanYuan: The Chinese art market is growing fast and also it’s getting much better than 5 years ago. For me, I think you can see its affect in my concept and the subject matter but not much changed in my style.

YuanYuan: Yes I think kids in my painting represent the innocent and weak but also the pure. And they’ll be the future of our human society. I kinda like the idea of fairy tales, they look very cute and attractive and always have a perfect ending but what hides inside is the cruel reality of life.

YuanYuan: Yeah, because I am not a totally depressed person. Btw, it is kinda stressful to chat … You know why I paint? Because language is not the most comfortable way for me to express myself. lol

TTP: Heh.  There’s some song lyric like “If I was better at finding the right words to say, I wouldn’t need to write these motherfucking songs.” (It’s from ”Don’t Ever Fucking Question That” by Atmosphere.)

YuanYuan: Yes. As in my statement, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Colors are the deeds of light. Colors are light’s suffering and joy.” That is to say, color can only be seen because light lost its freedom by being hampered and refracted against the substance of the atmosphere.

YuanYuan: Really? Thank you. Also in Chinese, there is a strong relationship between color and desire. “色” (se) is a word with multiple meanings.  It means “color” and at the same time means “lust”.  Even more, in Buddhism, “色界”(se jie) which literally translates into “color world”, is used to describe the material world.

YuanYuan: Yes thats right.

YuanYuan: It’s nice talking with you.

YuanYuan: Talk soon.

Yuanyuan Yang,  The Truth You Want

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You can see all of Yuanyuan’s initial TTP offering at her Thumbtack Press artist page.

Raudiel Sañudo, Nature’s at the Front Door

In case you missed it, Raudiel Sañudo is our current featured artist here at Thumbtack Press. That means we’re offering 15% off his work (use code SOOT at checkout) until the end of May!

I wanted to post a chat Raudiel and I did back in March of last year, when Raudiel explained his Soot character and some of his inspiration as a Mexican-American artist who spent a bunch of time in the midwest and Cali. It’s interesting to hear Raudiel talk about his work, he definitely has a grounded approach – like his work, it’s easy to relate to, easy to love.

You can read the chat in its entirety here, and go through all of Raudiel’s Thumbtack Press collection at his artist page.

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TTP: How’d you end up in bakersfield? At one point you were in Tijuana right?

Raudiel: My father has lived here since about 12 years ago, I used to visit him sometimes. I also used to live in Tecate, Mexico, it’s about 40 minutes from Tijuana, on the border with California. I lived in Tijuana for many years.

TTP: Oh ok cool – how’s your life different in Bakersfield compared to Tijuana or Tecate?

Raudiel: It’s very different, I spend my time working or painting. I like it here because I don’t have as many distractions. People ask what I’m doing living here, because this is not a cool place, but that’s one of the reasons that I like Bakersfield. I’m more focused on painting, and LA is not that far from here.

TTP: Do you miss Mexico?

Raudiel: I go to Mexico any time want, but for other Mexicans who live more to the south of Mexico it’s very difficult to go visit, they are always missing their towns.

TTP: I’ve still never been! Mexico and Mexican folklore is obviously a big part of your work.

Raudiel: I started to paint Mexican folklore since I started to paint, before I was visiting the US more often, but I started to be more focused when I spent some months in Wisconsin.

TTP: Where in Wisconsin?

Raudiel: In Appleton & Brillion (a little town).

TTP: What were you doing there?

Raudiel: I use to live with my family over there. I love Appleton, that was in part of 2007 & 2008. I got a lot of inspiration from the woods.

TTP: Yeah?

Raudiel: When I was in Brillion I lived on a farm, I used to shovel snow almost every day for about 5 months, there was a lot of nature, and at that time I started to paint more detailed painting, for example Nature’s at the Front Door.

TTP: Ohhh that’s interesting – that piece is so packed with symbols.

Raudiel: Yes, the landscape in the painting is what I saw from the window.

TTP: Interesting – what about all the ways the symbols and cultures interact in your work – from Mexican folklore to Wisconsin landscapes? It’s pretty nuts.

Raudiel: I always want to mix both (nature and Mexican folklore). I’ve been painting more of these little monsters lately, I have a lot of ideas to do, I still have ideas to paint from my time in WI. Yes it’s pretty nuts because sometimes I don’t know how to start. I mostly like to paint skulls & flowers.

[...]

Raudiel Sañudo, Little Soot

Raudiel: I started to paint the little monsters called Little Soot when I was invited to a group show at Oo Gallery in Kingston, NY and the subject was “sOot” so little soot is a carbon particle floating and messing around.

TTP: I love him. Him? Her? It?

Raudiel: There are males and females. The first one was a male.

TTP: They could start some kind of colony. They could multiply and take over the world!

Raudiel: Yes, I have a wedding on the sketches actually.

TTP: Haaa – that’s awesome.

Raudiel: A wedding portrait haha

[...]

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See Raudiel’s Thumbtack Press collection here, and don’t forget there’s 15% off with code SOOT until the end of the month.

Alan Flinn, Big City

Thinking – we all do it (some of us more than others). Nothing gets the TTP bunch more revved up than an artist who gets us thinking, wondering, asking questions. Welp, Alan Flinn has served up some fresh food for thought in Big City.

Who is that man? What is he looking at? Are those dashed lines in the distance a commentary on pollution? Maybe those buildings are a subliminal advertisement for AT&T’s infamously great service?

Hell, not even Alan himself knows: “These illustrations are open to interpretation because I sure don’t know what they mean.”

Feel free to sit around and interpret this awesome piece all day long – it’s available here starting at $19.99.

Amy DeVoogd, Bicycle

Chicago-based illustrator Amy DeVoogd‘s work is all over the place, from newspapers and magazines to product packaging, advertising campaigns, and more. We’re thrilled to be working with her to offer high-quality prints on Thumbtack Press and her initial offering here shows why: Cities, fashion, bikes, bags, couples, energy, design, style – it’s city life at its best.

Anyway you can tell from our chat that Amy is also dedicated and so so passionate about her work. We had a blast chatting with her about how going back to grad school affected her process, the lack of faces in her work (and faces in illustration in general), how she was criticized for being too figurative, and more.

You can see her entire initial offering at her Thumbtack Press artist page.

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Thumbtack Press: Hi hi

Amy DeVoogd: Hey

TTP: This still a good time?

Amy: Yeah

TTP: Soooo first thing I have to bring up is faces.

Amy: Funny was just talking to an illustrator friend about that…She was admiring something I did and said it was cool how I could capture the mood with no face, and at first I was like, huh? Because I don’t remember that I usually don’t draw faces. And so I went to my website and looked and, sure enough – not many faces! To me it’s just normal! (Not to see the faces I mean.)

TTP: I love that - ”Not to see faces.”

Amy: It started with my not wanting my work to look cartoon-y, and also to leave some of it open to interpretation I guess. Plus my interest is in the shapes and design, and sometimes the face is just a whole ‘nother thing.

TTP: Yeah.

Amy: A whole world unto itself, ya know?

TTP: It’s funny there are some people who DO FACES. That’s their thing.

Amy: Right! And I totally admire that. But it’s just not my thing.

TTP: Yeah. And there are other illustators who don’t do faces, but I feel like few have the color your work does.

Amy: So cool that you mention that, because I’m in love with color. It’s all about color and shape. Cool that you noticed both things. And I don’t always like “nice colors” either. I was working on an advertising job a few years ago and was on a conference call with a roomful of people, and the account executive says something like, “And can you make sure not to use those *&;$# colors that you use.” I laughed. Kind of knew what she meant. She wanted acceptible colors, not odd ones.

TTP: Right. She wanted some Pantone. But each of your pieces (or many/most) has a focused color.

Amy: Yeah I love doing 2-color, the challenge of limiting the palette.

TTP: Sometimes with fewer colors the eye is drawn to shape, and with shape, we’re in the design realm…

Amy: I don’t always think “formally” like that (is that the term?) but that sounds good! Mostly just instinct, what feels and looks right. Am I talking too much?

TTP: No! So I looked up some of your other interviews that’re on your website, where you talk more about process.

Amy: The process has changed since then…I went to grad school!

TTP: I was just gonna ask!

Amy DeVoogd, Dressy Texter

Amy: Yeah, so I went through this awesome MFA low-residency program at the Hartford Art School. The program director (Murray Tinkelman) is one of the original illustrators from Cooper Studios!

TTP: Oh wow.

Amy: And he knows everything and everyone. And so anyway, I did a week with Nancy Stahl and Zina Saunders and it changed everything.

TTP: Like what specifically did you take away?

Amy: I had created this process of cutting stencils from frisket and using a paint roller to make flat colors. This stemmed from wanted to subract that “personal” feel that you get from a drawn line. And probably from doing printmaking in undergrad. And then I would scan in the painting and maybe do some touch up, but not much else. This was a one-shot deal, if I messed up I’d have to start all over, and also it was limiting in terms of how small I could cut details.

TTP: Right.

Amy: So before I spent that week with them, I had done vector work (Adobe Illustrator) but was never happy with the way it looked (too flat and mechanical). But they showed me how to approach my work using digital tools but with my hand-painted mindset. So I tried it and was thrilled that I could make it look virtually the same, with a lot more flexibility! So now it’s a mixture. I still cut out shapes and paint flats of color…but now I assemble everything digitally. And I think my straight-up vector work (which some clients want) got a lot better.

TTP: Are the TTP pieces all from this technique/mix of techniques?

Amy: Uh lemme check…Dressy is the old paint-only method. The rest are a mix. With three of them I was experimenting with other stuff, like in Big Shoulders with a monoprinted background, Emerald City is a pen and ink background.

TTP: Mary Mack is suuuuuuuuuper not flat.

Amy: No, the background is some texture I photographed on the ground or something, and the drawing in the background is vector, and she’s drawn in Illustrator (vector) and then drawn on top of in Photoshop. The bag might be drawn with pencil then scanned in and messed around with in Photoshop. Yeah it’s really just a mix.

TTP: But it’s all much more sort of involved than the old process? More tinkering?

Amy: I guess so, the other method I had been doing for so long I had down pat. And it was all very segregated: I came up with the composition and shapes, then turned off that part of my brain to cut the stencil, then turned that off to focus on color. Now I kind of do it all simultaneously. To be honest I feel as if I’m still working out this new process.

TTP: What about subject matter? Do you see that as having developed as much as the technique/process?

Amy: Oh, I never really thought of that. I guess it’s about people, that’s what I care about, the shapes of people and their clothes. When I was in undergrad I used to get in trouble for using clothing catalogs as reference. I love advertising!

TTP: Really? I thought *everyone* looked through the giant Vogues and such.

Amy: I went to undergrad in the still-lingering days of abstract expressionism – all my profs had been abstract expressionist painter – and I was figurative. I was “criticized” for my work being too “illustrative.” But my heroes at the time were Wayne Thiebaud and Alex Katz, and Ed Ruscha’s gas stations and Munch’s prints and Robert Longo – have you seen his stuff? Awesome big drawings of people looking like they’re falling, or dancing. Life size.

TTP: Yes yes – never seen one in person though.

Amy: I saw one in person! Awesome!

TTP: Like, blank backgrounds? Like the Mad Men opening credits.

Amy: Yeah, just graphite on paper. Love that opening credit animation by the way. I’m currently teaching myself animation -

TTP: Animation!

Amy: Yeah I want to make my images move. I have two “tests” up on Vimeo now, but it takes time and I’m so busy, it so often takes the back burner to work.

TTP: What about gifs – have you messed around with them at all?

Amy: Funny I’m working on one now! but mostly using After Effects with lots of mentoring from Zina Saunders (she’s my
support group.

TTP: It’s different if there’s a story or narrative vs. the sort of “illustrative animation” that you see with fashion or such.

Amy: Exactly, I don’t want to do regular old animation by the way, my work is more “documentary” or non-fiction you could say than telling a story

TTP: Right although that’s tricky because there are always stories.

Amy: True. It’s just that I don’t deny being very interested in the aesthetic of the thing and leave the rest open to interpretation.

TTP: Yeah. And you’re still teaching or no?

Amy: I teach a class here and there at SAIC.

TTP: Hence so busy.

Amy: Busy because of illustration jobs. Teaching is just every so often.

TTP: But that’s a good thing!

Amy: Oh yes, definitely! I just didn’t want you to think that I was busy because of teaching. That’s just for fun. I don’t want to give up my career to teach quite just yet!

TTP: Ha! This was really fun Amy I appreciate it.

Amy: This was much more fun that I thought it would be. Thanks!

TTP: Thank YOU. Talk soon.

Amy: Later!

Amy DeVoogd, Retro Miami

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See Amy’s entire initial collection over here at her Thumbtack Press artist page.

We extended the cherry blossom 20% off for TODAY ONLY! Use code SPRINGTIME at checkout.

Act by midnight CST!

El Gato Chimney, La Casa Della Polvere

Surrealism isn’t dead and we can prove it. Remember when people thought surrealism had run its course, like it was some kind of fad? The bellbottoms of art?? Pffffffft.

Please help us welcome El Gato Chimney to Thumbtack Press. His work is proof that surrealism is as alive, fresh, provocative, and (dare we say) FUN as ever. All his work has an energy in its composition, something that keeps your eye stuck to it, constantly roving around the symbols, making unexpected connections, probing the subconscious.

What’re the numbers for? Is that a tea kettle? A LION.

El Gato Chimney, Presa Di Posizione (detail)

We asked El Gato about how people experience his work. Considering that it’s packed with symbols and incongruities that are surprising to the eye (as well as the subconscious!), does he prefer people interact with his work a certain way? No way, he said:

“I love when one painting provokes opposite, strong reactions in different people. If I were to tell anyone beforehand how to read my work, this would never happen, and I find it very important that everyone finds their own key to the reading, only guided by their subconscious.”

Sounds like Andre Breton’s famous definition of surrealism as “Pure psychic automatism,” right? Experience the work, experience it purely, experience it deeply. Amen.

Oh, and as for the name El Gato Chimney, we have some guesses, but it’s as mysterious as the symbols in his work. When we asked him about the story behind it, all we got was, “The name is a very long story and I will tell you someday, you will have a laugh.”

Rock. On.

See all of El Gato’s initial offering at his Thumbtack Press artist page.

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Don’t forget you can still get 20% off (use code “SPRINGTIME” at checkout) until 4/20!

El Gato Chimney, El Base E La Scala

Italian artist El Gato Chimney is the newest artist we’re working with to offer high-quality, affordable art prints. We were immediately interested in collaborating with El Gato when we saw the way his work translated into a huge range of  mediums. His surreal works elevated cabinets and walls into something else entirely, almost like artscapes. There’s something about experiencing his work, something about their composition and energy – it tricks you into focusing on parts of the piece you didn’t expect.

Anyway we’re extremely honored to work with El Gato, who was kind enough to take the time to answer some of our questions about Bosch, experiencing surrealist art, what he learned from street art, and more. 

You can see all the works currently available at El Gato’s Thumbtack Press artist page here.

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The only comparison or influence you name in your bio is Bosch. What’s your relationship with him? Is he strictly an inspiration for you, do you feel like you’re continuing the project he set out on so many years ago, or something else entirely?

Bosch was, and still is, a huge inspiration to me.

Although he is considered a visionary, the subjects of his paintings were related to the cult he belonged to, but it is undoubted that he helped tremendously to bring the invisible worlds, disquieting and magic, to the attention of the public.

He probably was the first who showed that there is something more beyond classic beauty, reason and technique… I am trying to go in this direction.

The titles of your TTP pieces are all over the place. Big topics like time and earth and change – even though your pieces aren’t really narratives or political or trying to tell a story. I feel like the pieces are events in themselves, which makes them hard to “title” in the sense that putting a title on it can affect the way people experience your work.

Yes, this is true. The title are extensions of the painting themselves and are an important part of the finished works. Most of the time the titles aren’t related at all to what’s depicted on the canvas, because I don’t want to influence the observer in any way. Finding the right title takes a lot of time and I never find it easy.

Staying on that idea, knowing that the experience of looking at your work is an engrossing thing (following the letters and the numbers and the objects and making sense of it, or not making sense of it – it’s a surreal and psychological experience), do you place any restriction on how people interact with your work? I mean, it feels like your work could be more affected by the context of its showing than other work. Do you prefer people to experience your work in certain ways? How is that all affected by “digital galleries” and the internet at large?

The elements, symbols and words come from my studies of folklore and religions, and I try to include them in my poetics and revise them my way. I don’t want to place any restriction on how people interpret my work.

I love when one painting provokes opposite, strong reactions in different people. If I were to tell anyone beforehand how to read my work, this would never happen, and I find very important that everyone finds their own key to the reading, only guided by their subconscious.

El Gato Chimney, Presa Di Posizione

Can you say a little bit about your process, material, and studio? Where do you get the best work done? What’s the craziest medium or material you’ve worked on? There are some really unexpected mediums in your portfolio

I paint with acrylics and sometimes, depending on the support, with spray paint. I love printmaking too, especially etching. I’ve often had the chance to create ceramic and resin sculptures, they are very interesting techniques, but they also require very expensive equipment and lots of time.

I like to try new things, so in the past I agreed to customize vinyl toys, bikes, cars and even manhole covers! Crazy, but lots of fun. I don’t have a favourite place where I work, I tend to be inspired both in the street and in the studio, although lately I am spending more and more time in my studio, with my books around me. I study all the subjects that interest me the most and that I want to include in my art, travelling as often as I can to experience them firsthand. I am a good observer and I try to channel what surrounds me everyday into my work. I collect my sketches and my thoughts into my beloved notebooks, and when I need some inspiration I flip through them and I let them influence my subconscious.

Where do you think the time you spent/spend doing street art shows up in your work? Obviously you’re still the same person (I think!) who paints, but is the approach so different between street works and paintings? How is your approach different, if it is?

The time spent painting in the street was very important for me. I never attended art school and the street gave me the chance to meet and to work with several great artists that taught me most of what I know; also, it is a very competive place, and at the beginning this encouraged me to experiment and to improve.

I think I have reached a good equilibrium between street art and studio art, I have a classical approach and an underground spirit.

At the moment I can’t call myself a street artist, because in the past years I felt the need to be in my studio to focus on some aspects of my work, but this doesn’t mean that I will never do street art again, I am just waiting for the right idea.

Ok, lastly: What’s the story behind the name El Gato Chimney?

The name is a very long story and I will tell you someday, you will have a laugh.

El Gato Chimney, Airiness

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See El Gato’s TTP collection in its entirety here.

Colin Johnson, Percolate

We had some trouble getting this last new piece by Colin Johnson up, but the TTP robots worked hard and emerged from deep within the mechanical bowels of the Thumbtack Press gears with their steel bodies stained with oil and rust and the problems solved.

So, behold! The other new Colin Johnson piece! Percolate fits in with the other collage/paintings in Colin’s Thumbtack Press collection. The works like those we talked about yesterday, with their insane detail and lessons on colors and composition. Something about the boldness of changing the feeling of pieces right in the middle or all over the canvas.

Percolate doesn’t just change in the middle of the piece, it transforms into something totally different. But despite the pretty brazen move, the piece works. Here’s a shot of some of the piece’s details – look how Colin’s eye for detail and use of circular symbols helps ease the  piece’s vertical transition:

Colin Johnson, Percolate (detail)

There’s more on Colin’s work in our post about the other three new pieces and at his TTP artist page.

Colin Johnson, Everything & Nothing

Illustrator/collagist/painter/collector/Sun Ra enthusiast Colin Johnson has some spanking new work up at his Thumbtack Press artist page. Colin’s long been a TTP favorite for his incredibly detailed works (see: Big Numbers, Heart & Teeth, Effloresce, the Flotsam & Jetsam limited edition, etc.) his wit, and the works that defy any kind of easy description.

Colin Johnson, Everything & Nothing (detail)

And now there are three new ones! Colin creates his pieces with a combination of painting and collage, layering thousands of found scraps with paint. His work is a master class in composition, and the three new pieces are no exception.

To take one example, the black/grey/red theme in Everything & Nothing (above) seems to pop out in five somewhat distinct sections, but each section has its own narrative and symbology, even as it all connects into one picee. Notice how the body figure in the bottom right balances out the Eugene Delacroix quote in the top left. Or the rhythm of the snaking blue figure on the bottom of the piece, sneaking into the redder box just above it.

It can keep your eyes busy for days.

Colin Johnson, Frequency

Here’s a chunk of our interview with Colin back in November for the release of his Flotsam & Jetsam limited edition release:

Where do you find all the pieces you use for the collage? Do certain pieces rely on a certain aesthetic of collage scraps or do you use anything you find that you think works? 

I generally use collage pieces from older magazines and other piece of ephemera usually from 1950 or earlier. I try to only pick the mostly visually striking bits that I can find that are hopefully old enough, and obscure enough, not to have any copyright issues. If the resulting aesthetic gives the feel of pop culture or Americana then so be it. But I usually don’t strive to put a label on the final result of my efforts. I’m really just trying to produce the most visually arresting piece possible.

Sooo…where are the secret illuminati messages hidden in the piece?

If I told you that I’d have to kill you! Ha, ha. No, really, I would. Kidding! Actually, there are some numbers, letters, or symbols that I add in each piece that are personal to me and the rest are all elements that I find to be visually striking. However, I never really point any of those elements out to other people, because even if I did, each person is going to relate to the individual collage bits in his or her own way. I’m hoping and expecting that people will find and make their own connections with the work and that they are going to do so regardless of any input on my part.

Colin Johnson, Defenders of Nature: Mer Man

Matthew Woodson, Odd Man Out

Due to popular demand from his vocal and passionate fan base over on The Canary and elsewhere, we’ve just added this new print by Matthew Woodson. Get Odd Man Out framed (like above), on canvas, or on a number of heavy papers. You do you.

Matthew was also featured on Supersonic Electronic earlier this week. Basically, he’s killin it.

And you can always see more of Matthew’s work over at his Thumbtack Press artist page.

Alex Varanese, Alt/1977 Mobile Voxx Ad 

So this Radioshack ad (below) offers a cell phone for $1,500. That’s four times as much as an iPhone, but hey who can turn down “Affordable handheld communication convenience?”

It’s all summed up so well in Alex Varanese‘s Alt/1977 series. Alex turns his satirical and incisive eye on music players, video games, computers, and phones. Alex’s faux-ad for the Mobile Voxx calls it out: “Like any other phone. But without the wall attached.”

See the rest of his Alt/1977 series at his Thumbtack Press artist page.

David Cooper, For The Love of Listening

One of the first things people notice when they see David Cooper’s work for the first time is the elongated figures that populate all his work, from basketball backboards to giant murals to canvases to ping pong paddles to illustrations to the prints of his work that just went live on his Thumbtack Press artist page.

The figures are definitely human, they’re by no means alien, but they come off as almost super-human, reaching impossible distances, handling impossible grips. Even in pieces without as much sunshine (like Delivering Despair below), their reaching gives David’s work an energy. The characters he creates might be contorted, but they’re not fragmented or chaotic. They’re in the moment, endeavoring, working, faithful of their reach – they might even be having fun.

David told us they’re also part of the fact that his work spans so many mediums. Whether faced with a canvas or a giant blank wall somewhere in Miami, the piece has to fit, and it starts from the very beginning sketching process (which David does by hand). David talked about it in a chat we put up last week:

“The characters are part of my visual language. I love abstracting the human body to fit my composition. It helps me to solve visual challenges I might be faced with during the sketching process.”

We’re in love with this concept of abstracting the human body to fit the composition. It’s not exactly a revolutionary approach – what artist doesn’t battle with the problems of space? – but David’s been able to marry what he calls his “visual language” across all the mediums he works on.

It’s that approach that makes us honored to announce our collaboration with David, and it’s that energy infused in all of David’s work that makes it so original and engaging. The good news is that unlike the murals and one-offs David is known for, you can now actually own David’s work for your walls.

Here’s to more energy, more drawing by hand, and more giant walls to paint.

David Cooper, Sacred Ceremony

See all of David’s initial offering at his Thumbtack Press artist page.

David Cooper, It Must Be Love 

One of the first things people notice when they see David Cooper’s work for the first time is the elongated figures that populate all his work, from basketball backboards to giant murals to canvases to ping pong paddles to illustrations to the prints of his work that just went live on his Thumbtack Press artist page.

The figures are definitely human, they’re by no means alien, but they come off as almost super-human, reaching impossible distances, handling impossible grips. Even in pieces without as much sunshine (like Delivering Despair below), their reaching gives David’s work an energy. The characters he creates might be contorted, but they’re not fragmented or chaotic. They’re in the moment, endeavoring, working, faithful of their reach – they might even be having fun. 

David took the time to chat with us about his process, painting giant murals, sketching by hand, and more below. You can see his entire initial TTP offering here.

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DC: Morning Ben. Are you there?

TTP: Hey! How you doing?

DC: I’m pretty good. I’m at work producing a cover shoot for the magazine I work for as a photo editor.

TTP: Yeah I noticed on your blog there was a bunch of styled photo work – but your training is in illustration, no? Or have you always done photo stuff?

DC: Yes, I have a BFA from Pratt Institute in Communications Design with a concentration in Illustration, but I’ve always been interested in photography.

TTP: And fashion too, it seems?

DC: Yes. Fashion, covers, and conceptual beauty still lives.

TTP: It’s always been interesting to me how “styling” overlaps with the images themselves. Like, what’s in the images versus how the images lay onto a page.

DC: The styling is a very important part of the shot. It’s one of the many elements that help to create an overall mood.

TTP: Yeah. And it’s like, even though there’s this word “styling” – how is it different from similar composition-related aspects in illustration, painting, etc?

DC: It’s not very different at all. The word “Styling” when referring to photography and painting basically relates to visual language, which will always affect the composition in unique ways.

TTP: True – so where is work exactly, if I can ask? What mag?

DC: The magazine is called Siempre Mujer. I helped start it up back in 2005.

TTP: Oh word. But so back to different contexts, your painting/illustration is also on a million different mediums. That ping pong paddle is so legit. How do you approach different mediums – like, a mural versus a backboard versus a canvas versus something digital?

DC: Thanks man.

TTP: Does it change how/where the idea’s formed?

DC: I try to approach most of my projects in the same way. It all starts with a basic idea and a drawing.

TTP: By hand?

DC: Yes, all of my initial sketches start by hand. Before I start to draw I have to consider what I’m drawing on. If I’m planning a mural, I have to think about the dimensions of the wall. If I’m painting on a basketball, I have to think about drawing on a round shape. The crazier the object, the more I have to plan. One of the most interesting objects I’ve painted on to date has been a Eames lounge chair.

TTP: So, the surface will sometimes dictate the concept and the drawing.

DC: Yes, and the composition.

TTP: In other words it’s not often that you have an idea for one medium that ends up on another? I mean obviously ideas can combine, fuse, overlap, etc., but you seem to corral them into specific projects.

DC: For the most part yes, but I’ve also done pieces that were only intended to be paintings and they were eventually placed on graphic tees and even silk scarves.

TTP: Badass.

DC: Ha!

David Cooper, Through Death With Earthly Pleasures

TTP: Which mediums do you most like to work with? I mean are there certain ones that you dread or look forward to?

DC: I honestly love them all, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be painting murals. Painting a mural is such an insane experience! There’s nothing like it.

TTP: In what way? Being outside just in itself makes it a win to me.

DC: First of all, painting large is such a rewarding and physical act.

TTP: True.

DC: When I paint a mural, it demands 100% of my mind and body. I totally get consumed by the physical act of creating it.

TTP: Yeah.

DC: I also love the fact that when I paint a mural outside, I’m totally out in the open. It can easily become a man vs. nature scenario, which is a very humbling experience. I also love the fact that people are free to watch me paint and ask me questions. It becomes a way of connecting with the community.

TTP: Ya. It’s incredible. What about the characters that often show up in your murals? With the long limbs, the big heads – are they inspired by anything? (Actually, they’re in a lot of your work, not just murals.)

DC: The characters are part of my visual language. I love abstracting the human body to fit my composition. It helps me to solve visual challenges that I might be faced with during the sketching process.

TTP: Whoa that’s a cool way to think about it. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard that – “abstracting the human body to fit my composition.”

DC: It’s a freeing experience to not have to be confined to a “realistic” point of view.

TTP: Fluid. Ya. Also allows more sort of improv when you’re out there.

DC: Exactly! In 2010 I painted a mural in Miami during Art Basel. It was 95ft long x 25 ft high.

TTP: Sheeeeeeeeeit!

DC: I sketched and planned as much as I could, but once i got to the wall, I freestyled most of the drawing because I didn’t want to feel limited by my own sketch.

TTP: Right. None of that grid system fascism.

DC: I wanted the drawing to feel fresh, new and spontaneous.

TTP: The grid system is dead long live the grid system.

DC: A grid system would just drive me insane. No offense to anyone that believes in the grid system! Ha! It’s just not how “I” go about things.

TTP: The grid system illuminati is gonna come after you. Art school teachers the world over will show up at your place with pitchforks and lanterns.

DC: Man, I’m gonna shut my mouth about the grid system.

TTP: Anyway I don’t want to take up too much of your time – I appreciate this. I had fun. Enjoy your weekend.

DC: Same to you. Speak to you soon.

David Cooper, Delivering Despair

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See David’s Thumbtack Press artist page here.

Enzo Peres-Labourdette, The Crane

Big welcome to Enzo Peres-Labourdette, the newest addition to Thumbtack Press. A fabulous Dutch fashion illustrator, Enzo’s been making a name for himself through pieces that feel like they’re set in a bedazzled Upper East Side jungle of gilded patterns, like a bizarro Versailles Hall of Mirrors.

But Enzo’s work is also classic. See the careful historical references to Picasso and fashion among settings that seem innocuous and placid until they burst into stories of glamour and intrigue and more.

Things in Enzo’s work:

- Fur
- Champagne
- Helmets
- Robots
- Necklaces
- Stalactites
- A crane
- Homicide
- Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
- Green hair
- Laboratories
- Crystals
- Human pods
- A crown

He’s bombastic. As Enzo told us in one anecdote (from the interview you can find here):

“When I started my art studies I liked doing everything in black & white with some hints of red, to get that Sin City look, until a teacher told me, “Enzo, your work is good, but you should start using more color.” The thing is that I’m quiet dramatic (might be because I’m from southern Europe, I’m not sure) so my reaction to his advice was you want colour? I’ll show you colour!”

Color indeed.

You can see Enzo’s initial TTP collection in full at his Thumbtack Press artist page.

Enzo Peres-Labourdette, Party

Enzo Peres-Labourdette, The Crane

Newest Thumbtack Press artist Enzo Peres-Labourdette‘s work has a classic feel, and not only because it references art and fashion classics. It’s also the settings and the storytelling, the composition and the depth, the patterns and the palette. His work includes the future, homicide, an oracle, bedazzled settings, patterns on patterns, laboratory experiments, and more.

Enzo took the time to answer some questions about his work. We ended up going through his process with paint and computers, color, Chanel, and more. His work is live and available for purchase – starting at $19.99 – at his Thumbtack Press artist page. 

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One of the first things in your bio is your concern and passion for “traditional media.” It would seem to go against the trend of your generation of young artists that are constantly seeking new medias to express themselves in, but on the other hand many young artists are finding more meaning in working with paint and getting off the computer. What is it about traditional mediums that make them fun or inspiring? Do you do any work digitally?

Secretly I use the computer a lot! Many people forget that before you paint, there is a lot of time that goes into research. I’m very happy I’m a 90′s kid and have always been surrounded by technology (shock value for people who are a bit older: I can’t remember the sound internet dial-up used to make). The internet makes it so easy to look up images from all around the world, reference material, etc.

All the image-creation is done by hand. The reason I do this is because paint pigments are a lot more vivid and surprising than anything that can be done digitally (I’m sure the computer will catch up in the future). It’s also a lot easier to discover new things by accident, or to use your fingertips or old brushes for texture. And then there is also the health part, staring at a computer screen hurts my eyes after a long time and using a tablet and keyboard hurts my wrists.

The one digital process that you can’t escape nowadays is scanning and adjusting the colours in photoshop, which I actually like doing, because once an image is on my screen it’s somehow more distant from me and it’s easier to notice mistakes. The last big plus working by hand has is that when I die, there might still be some of my work in an attic somewhere, it would be a pity if it all disappears in the digital world no?

Your TTP collection is PACKED with color. There’s color everywhere. All of the pieces have a certain palette, but even within the pieces colors seem to pop from everywhere. How do you manage to keep the palettes and the rhythms of the colors straight, if that makes sense? Do you start with a certain palette and go from there, or do you let the colors go where they may?

Funny thing is that when I started my art studies I liked doing everything in black & white with some hints of red, to get that Sin City look, until a teacher told me, “Enzo, your work is good, but you should start using more color.” The thing is that I’m quite dramatic (might be because I’m from southern Europe, I’m not sure) so my reaction to his advice was, “You want colour? I’ll show you colour!”

I immediately started researching and discovered that (bright) colour is something very integral to human history. What I like about living in Europe is that it’s so full of history that you find lot’s of different things. So I realized that there where hundreds of ways to use colour in my paintings. Somehow we wrongly assume that the past is black and white and sepia, but that’s just how the colour TV used to be. History is filled with art and clothes that were very bright-coloured.

And as to how I manage to keep the colours straight, I achieve that by being a copycat and brave. It can be a bit scary to use a certain colour, but I once read that we wrongly assume that certain colours clash. Because we are brought up to believe that red and pink clash, but then in India you’ll see those two colours together all the time. So I just put them where I want them to be without worrying to much about it.

Enzo Peres-Labourdette, Murder in the Chateau

I know you’re interested in fashion, and it’s interesting because there are now a few TTPers who incorporate ideas of design and fashion into their illustration, painting, or other work (Cristian Grossi for example). Where is the intersection of fashion and painting for you? Do you have any experience designing clothes or have any desire to? Who’s your favorite fashion label right now and historically?

I got interested in fashion when I did a bit of modeling. I was fascinated by the idea that you could change your personality just by wearing certain clothes. You can feel strong by wearing black leather, or attractive when wearing a certain perfume. What I liked most about it is that it’s all just a big fat lie and there is nothing wrong about it. Because everything in life is a lie/story to a certain extent. When I want to paint a lady that has to radiate a certain personality, I just borrow the idea of a designer that has thought about it and has created something that shows the feeling I’m looking for. It would be arrogant of me to think I could come up with a better looking dress than somebody who has dedicated their life to creating them. When you look at the great paintings of queens in the past, all the dresses and jewels weren’t made up by the painter, but already created especially for that queen, to show her power and wealth.

Oh and I love all the dramatic designers like McQueen and Galliano but Chanel will always have the place closest to my heart, because I’m French.

There’s also a lot of drama in some of your work. Like “Murder in the Chateau” and “Party” – these are not really static pieces, you get the feeling they’re snapshots of a narrative, as if something just happened or something is about to happen. How does narrative operate in your work, if at all? What are some of the stories you’re trying to tell?

What I like to do is create a kind of cliffhanger. Life is full of those moments when you’d really love to know what happens next (for example two guys fighting in the supermarket). I want to paint moments that make people curious, but also makes them uncertain if they want to see what will happen/has happened. Something else I hope occurs is that people don’t get bored of my work when it’s hanging in their home, and that they keep imagining new stories around the moment I created.

Tell me a little bit about your multinational background and what it was like growing up, it seems, all over Europe! Is there a spot you always return to? Are you happy where you’re living now (and where is that)?

I think a difference between Europe and America is that it doesn’t matter if you’re from Georgia or California – you’re still an American. If you’re from France or Holland you speak a totally different language, have different habits and foods, etc. So moving when you’re a kid creates the feeling that you’re European, instead of feeling like you “belong” to a certain country. I’ve talked to other Europeans that have moved when they were young and they have the same experience. I like it, being the outsider always makes for good conversations and makes it less scary moving to other places. I’m living in Groningen now (a small city two hours from Amsterdam, close to Germany) but I’m certain I’ll be leaving for another country in the near future.

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See Enzo’s initial offering – available starting at $19.99 – at his Thumbtack Press page!  

Enzo Peres-Labourdette, Party

Ana Galvañ, Carnivale

We’ve worked with Ana Galvañ, one of Thumbtack Press’s elite group of illustrators from around the world, to thoroughly replenish her Thumbtack Press collection. Go there now and you’ll see new pieces that are both firmly within her wheelhouse – seriously, who conjures a woman’s face with as much style as Ana does? – while also pushing it.

There are works packed with stories and personality, like Carnivale above, and there are pieces with subtle (or not so subtle) messages and narratives and warnings and pace. Ladytron  emerges from the sea. A goddess floats by.

It’s truly a pleasure to work with Ana and to offer her work as prints. Based in Spain, she’s an illustrator whose work never seems to settle neatly into the term “illustration.” It’s personal, it’s funny, it’s interesting, it’s everything, it’s the world.

Xiau-Fong Wee, Ruff!

California artist Xiau-Fong Wee is the newest artist whose work we’re proud to offer on Thumbtack Press. Her initial collection is comprised of pieces from her Crinkle series, which as she explains in the chat below, “Is an ever growing army of animals armed with guns, wearing glasses, ready to conquer the world!”

The Crinkle series can be thought of as expertly drawn cuteness, but it’s also about things appearing in ways you might not expect (a common theme here at TTP). Xiau-Fong was kind enough to take some time out from her work drawing a pig at the time to speak to us about how she started the Crinkle series, how people have reacted to it, how she came up with their titles (!), and life as an artist in San Francisco. Part 1 of the chat is here.

See Xiau-Fong’s work on her Thumbtack Press page, starting at $19.99!

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TTP: Totally. So are you able to work on art stuff full time these days?

XFW: Yes, I am very fortunate to be able to paint and draw most of the time! For now! You
never know what will happen next when you are in the art business

XFW: I wish i could visit more cities though…never been to Chicago. New York would be nice to visit too.

TTP: Chicago is great – def a different feel than SF.

XFW: Every city is unique

TTP: Ok so back to Crinkle for a second – do you have a favorite one? And I’m curious about people’s reactions to it like, do people get it?

XFW: No, i don’t have a favorite one, the part about my art i most enjoy is the process of
it – seeing something emerge from my own doing.

I was surprised at people’s reactions to it! When I drew my first animal, I did not think much about it and I gave it away to an uncle for Christmas.

TTP: Do people gravitate towards certain animals?

XFW: I notice people tend to gravitate towards cats and then dogs and bunnies…I think it is because they can relate to them as their pets.

TTP: Cats. Of course! Should’ve guessed that.

XFW: Some people do not understand the art though…

TTP: What do they say?

XFW: They ask me about the glasses… why glasses? I just tell them that it protects their eyes, of course! We need eye protection too when we go to battle!

TTP: Haaaaaaa

XFW: Some people think that i am encouraging violence too. Or some people think I am trying to make a political statement about ‘big dogs’ and ‘under dogs’ of the economy.

TTP: Whoaaa reading into it a bit much I guess,

TTP: What did your uncle say when he got it? What was the animal he got ?

XFW: Yeah, my concepts are actually very simple

XFW: My uncle loved the drawing. He actually wanted to buy it from me, but it was around Xmas, so why not just gift it? He got “Fuzz!” (the prairie dog). That was the very first soldier. My first few animals had names that did not really imitate war cries he he he

Xiau-Fong Wee, Grawr!

TTP: Oh man the names are a whole other story – where do they come from??

XFW: Yeah, after Fuzz, Fluff, and Floof, I started to run out of names that described the physical appearance of the animal. Oh and Gruff. So I moved onto the noises they make…and ran into the problem of animals that don’t really make sounds

TTP: Right! Ha

XFW: So I had to invent sounds I thought they would make if they could yell…kind of fun, trying to sound out weird words.

TTP: Oh man that’s good

XFW: And lucky I live alone in my apartment…if I had a roommate, he/she would think I am crazy, talking strange noises to myself haha.

TTP: Too funny!

TTP: But anyway I don’t want to take up any more of your time. This was fun we appreciate it.

XFW: Thank you! It was great talking with you! Enjoy the rest of your night.

TTP: Ciao

XFW: Bye!

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Part 1 of this chat is here. And make sure to see her Thumbtack Press artist page, all prints start at $19.99!

Hernan Paganini, Al Destino Con Amor.

Well well well. More more art. Argentinian artist Hernan Paganini’s Thumbtack Press artist page is yet another one with a bunch of new pieces.

Hernan is the TTP abstract champion. His work always bounces with a legit energy – look at how pieces like Radio stand out with their bursts of color and shape - and we’re honored to be able to offer even more of them!

Hernan Paganini, Amanece La Voz Dormida. 

Browse through the rest of Hernan’s work (starting at $19.99!) here.

Hernan Paganini, La Belleza De Mi Mujer Se Proyecta En Todo.

Hernan Paganini, Somos Inagotables.

Xiau-Fong Wee, Mrrra!

California artist Xiau-Fong Wee is the newest artist whose work we’re proud to offer on Thumbtack Press. Her initial collection is comprised of pieces from her Crinkle series, which as she explains in the chat below, “Is an ever growing army of animals armed with guns, wearing glasses, ready to conquer the world!”

The Crinkle series can be thought of as expertly drawn cuteness, but it’s also about things appearing in ways you might not expect (a common theme here at TTP). Xiau-Fong was kind enough to take some time out from her work drawing a pig at the time to speak to us about how she started the Crinkle series, how people have reacted to it, how she came up with their titles (!), and life as an artist in San Francisco. Part 2 of the chat is here.

See Xiau-Fong’s work on her Thumbtack Press page, starting at $19.99!

_

[Note: We chatted with Xiau-Fong in the fall. But as gun violence and gun control has risen to the front of so many national conversations, we followed up and asked Xiau-Fong about possible reactions to her work. Xiau-Fong said:

"People enjoy the balance between adorable and fierce. But not surprisingly there are people who find my animal army offensive, blaming me for promoting violence and aggression. The balance between cute violent and violent violent is really up to the viewer.

I am just having fun! I love contrasts: cute and violent, corruption and innocence, soft and fuzzy versus cold and metallic. Looks can be deceiving!"

In part 2, Xiau-Fong speaks more about reactions to her work, from the guns to complex political messaging.]

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TTP: Hey Xiau-Fong you there?

Xiau-Fong Wee: Hi! How are you!

TTP: I’m good good I ended up spending a lot of today downtown with a friend I hadn’t
seen in years. I like walking around Chicago with people who’ve never been here.

XFW: Sounds like fun, it is always nice to catch up with old friends!

TTP: How are you? What are you up to? I’m fine, doing some acrylic painting right now! Painting a pig…

TTP: So can you talk about the Crinkle series on TTP?

XFW: Right up front, the Crinkle series are all drawings, charcoal on paper. It is an ever growing army of animals armed with guns, wearing glasses, ready to conquer the world! So you better watch out… But below the surface they are a reminder to not judge a book by its cover, and that looks can be deceiving… it is the cute and innocent who will turn against you!

TTP: Haaa awesome! I love the army idea.

XFW: He he he, good for the zombies.

Xiau-Fong Wee, Schnork!

TTP: When did you start it?

XFW: I started it a couple years ago…it started as random crappy sketches and I found an opportunity to turn one of my sketches into a finished drawing.

TTP: What’s the context? Were you is SF then too?

XFW: Yes, I was living in San Francisco, and I was still in school then too!

TTP: For your MFA? Where?

XFW: Actually, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco.

TTP: Oh nice!

XFW: I don’t think i will be going for my MFA.

TTP: Well you’re doing fine without it I mean get real.

XFW: Aw ha ha

TTP: Were you also born out west?

XFW: Yep, ABC all the way! Born in Salinas CA, grew up in Los Gatos CA, and now
living in San Francisco. Love the city.

TTP: Where in the city are you?

XFW: I live near Chinatown. I love how i am near most everything… downtown, north beach, it only takes 10 – 15 minutes to get to a different district. I enjoy it here, the weather is nice, architecture is interesting, and it is just an artsy place to be in

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Part 2 of this chat is here. And make sure to see her Thumbtack Press artist page, all prints start at $19.99!