Student Interview~ Sean Metcalf

Sean Metcalf's work is marked by a vibrant color sense with a an extremely controlled gestural drawing. He draws on work from the 50's, the surrealist movement, and his own sense of humor to create such energetic pieces. Combining collage, splatters, and painting his easily recognizable work is used as a voice for commentary on politics, society, and culture.

Your work uses a lot of chaotic elements. In getting the look you want, how much is accepting the way things play out and how much control to you try to exercise over those elements?
Recently I kind of started to hold back on it. Really, right now it's only in there if the piece needs it because I've got a better handle on the sketch phase of my work so I know where it's going to go and I started use sponges to control the wildness in those pieces.
You're work can be very strong in its opinion and editorial nature. How would you deal with someone coming to you with a job whom you may not agree with?
I'm sure there'll be times I try to get a job whose client I might not always agree with. In those cases, I might treat it as what it is- I'll always put my say in it. Everything's political if just cause you're still putting your opinion in. If I propose something in the sketch phase that is really strongly my opinion and they throw a fit I'll go back with something more neutral, but a lot of those jobs are about keeping a neutral stance with people I may not agree with. Ambiguity is the word there. Just keep ambiguous.
You maintain a blog yourself with several other artist. What does this allow you to do and what do you think are the advantages of a place where you can come together?
It's not really a huge thing for me, I guess. I like the collaborative nature, if just because I can see a lot of variety and contrast when there's more than one artist contributing. That blog is small one but even with the people on it we have a really big variety of work. Mentally, it keeps me aware that there's more out there and more that's being done. There can be a monotony that occurs if you're the only one putting work up in a given space, a blog or any other, and different contributors and types of work can keep that space fresh.

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.

Student Interview~ Brad Haubrich

Idiosyncratic and purposeful, Brad Haubrich's work is best described as digital screenprinting. He is open to the serendipitous nature of picture making in a world of over-wrought precision that can come from working digitally. His work is intelligent and has a quick-read quality that he applies to both his professional and personal art.

When is a piece finished for you?
It's definitely the print. It scares me that a piece can be just a digital file on the computer, but different papers add textures and a feel to the piece that brings it into the real world and makes it more than just that "file." I try to print everything I make, whether or not it has any legs. I wanted to paint initially, but I was very stubborn and actually against digital work. It was last year that I began to dig deep and really investigate what might be the best way to work.
How does your personal work differ from those pieces you do professionally? How is it similiar?
I just think that there's a place for illustration and a place for the piece as an original. Gallery work is about the experience of a piece, similiar to a project that featured on my website, that tells a story not just through the drawing itself but the experience of reading it. I think that digital work isn't really meant for a gallery environment, which goes back to my original convictions, because I just can't get the same results and as when I'm exploring the world I've built for my illustration work. But, everything comes through my voice.
There are artists, Gary Taxali, Gary Kelley, etc, who use printmaking techniques for their work. Why do you choose to work digitally and does the issue of editioning your work ever come into play?
At the moment, I'm straddling the issue. I work digitally because the work is so much faster but doesn't have a digital look to it. But you also have to keep in mind what you lose when you move to the computer. I can make as many prints as I want all at the same quality with a digital file, but the same isn't true of someone who does an etching plate. Right now I try to use the technology creatively. In the world of wireless gadgets and monitors you lose the tactile process essential to something like a letterpress but the mental process is so much more important in digital work.

Student Interview~ Karen Hagen

Karen Hagen's work is focused around, and fueled by, her passionate concern for the world. Illustrator and environmentalist, her images are soulful in spirit and reminiscent of stained glass windows in appearance, which only furthers the shrine-like nature of her illustration. You can see her work in this year's Society of Illustrators Student Exhibition.

How do your personal interests intertwine with your illustrations?
I almost can't invest time in artwork unless my passion is there. It's about the environment and the human condition, but then the topics spread out from there- bicycling, simple every day life, etc. I love people and the connections we make, motion, action, and capturing moments in time.
Your work is very layered, and often times the abstract shapes in your pieces come from the peeling away and covering of different elements. How planned out is this layering and how much time goes into all the different decisions you make?
It's the most intuitive aspect of my work. It's felt more than planned and in a way, sort of Impressionistic. I'll do revision over revision and that way of working relates to the layering as well- painting on top of things and changing as a I go. I'll leave mistakes covered up as I move forward.
As an environmentalist closely tied to craft, hands on work, and self-sufficiency does your working digitally ever come into question?
It's a bit of a loaded question, but I do have a handle on what it means to be a digital artist. My plan is to live on a homestead and generate my own energy- I don't use manufactured paints, no chemicals are being introduced into the environment, and I try to be conscious of just how much time I spend in front of my screen.