Student Interview~ Tim Durning

The work of Tim Durning is both thoughtful and elegant. Combining a traditional foundation with digital media, he embraces contemporary art while utilizing a traditional painter's approach. His use of symbol and metaphor creates work that is appreciable on the surface but layered with meaning.

Why do you base your illustrations in traditional drawings, before you move to working digitally?
I've tried to do things completely digitally before but it never quite worked out, there were awkward compositional things that never happened when I had a physical piece of paper in front of me. Another downside of working digitally is that you don't end up with an original piece of artwork, so my drawings are a way of meeting that problem halfway. I really enjoy the aesthetic of my drawings, and the process helps me to finalize all of my decisions before I take it to the computer.
Using symbolism and metaphor is a big part of the illustrations you create, are the symbols you utilize something that you include consciously?
A lot of the symbolism comes from the source material. I try to grab the attention of the viewer and introduce the main themes behind each piece, and essentially the illustration and the source are enriched by each other. I want to bring people into the world that I have created, with each piece having its own rules and logic. After these larger elements are introduced, I want the viewer to appreciate the smaller elements of the nuance of the drawing and technique.
Do you view traditional artists like Sterling Hundley and Roberto Parada differently than digital or mixed artists like Sam Weber or Todd Lockwood?
I think people often view digital art as a separate entity, because the way we're using it is newer than traditional media. Really, the only thing that matters is the final piece and how we use the medium we chose. I wouldn't judge someone who works in oils differently than someone who works in watercolors, and a good picture takes a lot of work regardless of the medium. I admire people who use digital work seamlessly with traditional media, artists like Jon Foster and Jillian Tamaki.