Interview with Joshua Ben Longo

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)I would ask my mother to draw superheros for me as far as I can remember. When I was around 4 years old I recall my older brother having a play date with some of his friends. My duties as a younger brother included entertaining them and begging for attention. Sooooo...... I drew them a pair of breasts in a lined spiral notebook and snuck it under the door of the room in which they were playing. For one reason or another they were not impressed with my drawing and proceeded to tell my mother. Needless to say I got in trouble.

q) Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

a)I have had a few great mentors and teachers, but the one stands out is Lenny Bacich. He was a teacher at Pratt Institute and the Bauhaus. He dedicated himself fully to his students and let them make mistakes and learn from themselves. He always said he never taught me anything, but just guided me when I went astray.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)My hands, a needle, thread, scissors, a pencil.

q) Is a formal education important?

a)I went to Pratt Institute for Industrial Design. That degree has allowed me to finance my personal work for the past eight years. I dont think school is necessary for everyone, but I needed the discipline. Art school is a fantastic place to grow as an individual.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)That anyone can do it. That it is easy. That it is hard. That you need talent to succeed.

q) Which is more important in art - concept or execution?

a)Neither is more important, but a combination of the two allows for art that stands the test of time.

q) What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?

a)A good sense of craft draws me in. Beyond craft I enjoy figurative work whether it be representational or abstract.

q) What is your favorite piece of art in your home?

a)The stone fireplace in my bedroom.

q) If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

a)Tony Robbins.

q) Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?

a)Colin Kilian. http://www.orangeorangeorange.com/live/

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)Getting the opportunity to teach at Pratt Institute and share what I have learned with others.

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)My own laziness. My bed. The computer.

q) How do you define success?

a)Not having to worry about money. Getting up and making art everyday without the worry of when I'm going to eat next.

q) What will be the name of your autobiography?

a)Handsome & Special, or Does Everyone Love Joshy? , or Goggy : The Joshua Ben Longo Story

q)What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?

a)Whatever you decide to do, make sure your the best at it.

Interview with Shannon Crees

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)Painting teapots with my aunt, an artist i look up to.

q) Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

a)My parents who encouraged me to pursue a difficult career and supported me through the really hard bits.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)Computer, van, paint, poska pens, archival ink pens, glue, gloss, hammer, wood, canvas.......

q) Is a formal education important?

a)Education is always important but there are many things that you learn by trial and error on the job.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)People say 'i cant paint' i think that any one can create art and also enjoy the process.
On the other hand people may devalue a simplistic or abstract work when they are harder to produce than they look.

q) Which is more important in art - concept or execution?

a)They are both important. If you can produce artwork that is strong in both aspects then the sum of the whole becomes greater than the addition of the separate halves.

q) What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?

a)Figurative art.

q) What is your favorite piece of art in your home?

a)I have many. I like other peoples art on my walls, I only hang my own to finish them.

q) If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

a)Gustav Klimt of M.C. Escher although i don't know if the masters would be enthused by the prospect.

q) Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?

a)There are so many, I can't think of just one.

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)Graduation to professional artist.
It took 7 years of dedication and suddenly i didn't need to do other work to support my art habit, i feel very lucky that my hard work has payed off as I love painting.

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)Money!!!! or lack there of.
It is hard to create quality work without money to buy materials and it also affords you the luxury of time to create them.

q) How do you define success?

a)I think you need to look backwards, every success is a small step so if you look at how far you have come as a whole it encourages you further.

q) What will be the name of your autobiography?

a)I haven't thought about anything like that!

q)What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?

a)Work smarter, not harder.

Interview with Erika Iris Simmons

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)My name is Erika Iris Simmons, I'm 26 and I live in Atlanta, Georgia USA. I work mostly with used or donated materials. Kind of a "found art" vibe. I like to take things that are old or going to waste, then turn them into something new.

q) Had you always planned on being an artist [or had you other hopes]?

a)I really had no interest in being an artist growing up; my mom was a painter and fashion designer so I think that I rebelled and wanted to be a scientist. It wasn't until after university that I started to really experiment with art.

q) Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)My favorite medium is film. I like to take a million little pieces of it and put it together like a jigsaw puzzle. Its tedious, but when its done the artwork really sparkles. I also enjoy all the paper collage work.

q) How would you describe your style?

a)intricate and imaginative

q) Do you go through any certain processes while trying to produce your work?

a)I usually get something from goodwill, like the cassette tapes, and set them on top of a blank canvas near my door. Everyday as I come and go I glance at the pile, but don't really think too hard about it. An idea always comes at the most unexpected time. Voila!

q) What are you working on at present?

a)Right now I am finishing a huge cassette tape portrait for a show at Peninsula Art School in April. I'm also working on a large photo-composite of Nelson Mandela made entirely from pictures related to his struggles for civil rights.

q) What about recent sources of inspirations?

a)Right now I'm thinking about a new medium... strings and wires. I would love to do a portrait from guitar strings or sheet music. Could go in many directions: Nirvana, Beethoven, or something more abstract, like an orchestra.

q) What are some of your obsessions?

a)I am obsessed with the idea of the mind/body dilemma. How something can be one thing when you look closely at it; then turn into something else from far away. Like you zoom in on a brain and it just looks like a bunch of cells, zoom out and you're dealing with a conscious being. Hence the "Ghost in the Machine."

q) Which galleries have you shown at and which galleries would you like to show at?

a)I've had pieces in small shows in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and London, but my work is on more permanent display through Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums in London, San Francisco, Niagara Falls, and Australia. I create most of my work on a commission basis and sell it directly through my website.

This year I will be showing at the:

Aqualounge in Beverly Hills February 25

Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek WI April 16 - July 10

Arizona Museum for Youth April 22 - July 3

I will attend the openings of each of these and would love for anyone interested to come say hi!

q) If people would like to contact you, how would you like to be contacted?

a)My website (www.iri5.com) has a contact form, or they can email me at eisimmons@gmail.com I welcome all questions and comments. I'm always up for collaborating with cool people on cool projects.

q) Do you have any suggestions or advice for artists that are just starting out?

a)If you are seriously pursuing art, nothing beats practice. For my first two years, I vowed to work on a piece of art everyday. It doesn't matter what you are doing or how it looks, the most important thing is to be in the habit and not give up.

q) Who are your favorite artists?

a)My favorite artist is Aleksander Vrubel, a Russian symbolist painter. The modern artists that I have inspired me most have been Ken Knowlton and Vik Muniz.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)GEB by Douglas Hofstadter, Master and Margarita by Bulgakov and a Trigonometry textbook

q) To what weaknesses are you most indulgent?

a)I enjoy all the vices life has to offer.. haha

q)….your contacts…

a)Eisimmons@gmail.com or www.iri5.com Feel free to contact me for any reason, even if you want tips on how to replicate some of the projects on my site... I'm happy to help!

Interview with Fernanda Guedes

q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.

a)I'm a freelancer illustrator based in São Paulo, Brazil.

q) Had you always planned on being an artist [or had you other hopes]?

a)Not at all! It never crossed my mind I could make a living out of my illustrations. Althought one of my aunts was a sucessfull illustrator in her time, I've always considered drawing rather a hobby than a profession. It was only by 1992, when I begun making money with illustrations, that I realized I could do it professionally. And by the end of 1999, I quit my job as Art Director in an Advertisement Agency to dedicate myself entirely to illustrations. It was a bold decisiom, but it was worthy. I was miserable at that job and, honestly, I sucked!

q) Do you have a preferred medium to work on? Why?

a)I do enjoy working with pen and markers. But I must say I've tried almost everything so far and I intend to keep on trying, for I'm always looking for a new way of doing things.

q) How would you describe your style?

a)That's a though question to ask... If I say something positive it might sound like I'm bragging myself. If I say nothing it might look like I don't know how to evaluete my work... But I guess my work is simple, focused on people and very influenced by fashion.

q) Do you go through any certain processes while trying to produce your work?

a)It all depends on what I'm doing.

If it is a commercial work with a briefing to be followed, I'd start with a little research, then draft some ideas on a paper, send it to a first approval and then finalize it accordingly to the client's preferences. I'm a very obedient worker, hahaha.

But If I'm doing a personal work, of course, it is all much looser and free.

q) What are you working on at present?

a)I've just finished some illustrations for cover and spread featured on Época Magazine about Women and Money.

On March, 8th I'll be exhibiting some works on a group show sponsored ny Mitsubishi Rally cars.

I'm also working on my new sketchbook, doing a series of Imaginary Friends that might or might not turn out to be a book project.

q) What about recent sources of inspirations?

a)Unfortunately, I've got just one source of inspiration: people. So, thank God it is not an endangered specie.

q) What are some of your obsessions?

a)Wow, that's an up close and personal question! :)

Well, let's see... I'm obsessed with faces (mostly), pink, numbers 22, 4 and 13 and simetry.

q) Which galleries have you shown at and which galleries would you like to show at?

a)I've been very lucky these past couple of years and had my work shown in some nice galleries such as: POP (São Paulo), FAAP (São Paulo), GNT Lounge (Rio), Mori Gallery (Sydney-AUS) and Gallery Nucleus (Los Angeles-USA).

I'd love to have my work exhibit in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, Rome, Berlin, New York... and the list goes on and on.

q) If people would like to contact you, how would you like to be contacted?

a)I keep my blog updated, so I guess that's the best way to reach me: http://www.fernandaguedes.blogspot.com/

q) Do you have any suggestions or advice for artists that are just starting out?

a)Draw like there's no tomorow.

q) Who are your favorite artists?

a)I'll say just 3, because the list is too big and can be boring: Gustav Klimt, Chuck Close and John Currin.

q) What books are on your nightstand?

a)"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Auten, "Women of the Planet" by Titouan Lamazou and "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carrol. I'm also reading a book with my 9 year old son about Greek Mythology (for kids, of course!).

q) To what weaknesses are you most indulgent?

a)Laziness.

q)….your contacts…

a)www.galeriamagenta.com.br

www.fernandaguedes.com.br

http://fernandaguedes.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/LadyGuedes