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.

Student Interview~ Stephanie Struse

Stephanie Struse uses a combination of eccentric collage and refined oil painting to produce illustrations that are unique to say the least. Being plugged into contemporary art, fashion, music, and a love of Renaissance painting her work is steeped in a rich cultural foundation that speaks to young and old alike.

Why did you start using collage in your paintings?
I always had an interest in collage and would take every opportunity to introduce it into assignments that I did early on in school. I've been looking at a lot of illustration and got the idea to incorporate it into my work. A great benefit is being able to move around a piece and try out different pieces without having to scan it or worry about painting over it. That and I just like the aesthetic!
Every year there is a competition attached to the Senior Thesis Exhibition and this year you were the artist who placed 1st. What did that mean for you and what did you take from the experience?
Well, I guess in other years the nature of school wasn't really a direct competition, but rather a place to better yourself and be around other artists. But the further you get into illustration and the business of it, you recognize the line between your personal connection to your work and seeing it as a career. Obviously it meant a lot and something like this really encourages you in that last leg of school when things get dry and tired out. It's like finally knowing you're getting somewhere.
Illustration is art, but one that is often made for a specific context- editorial, book cover, posters, etc. How has your view your own art changed over the course of the last 4 years as you chose to study illustration?
It's something I've been thinking about a lot recently. In my earlier work I was really experimental with my subject matter, but my focus changed to material experimentation. I want to get back to that and focus on developing more conceptual illustrations. It's important to balance both sides so that you can cover a broader base as an illustrator and be available to create art for a large range of clients.

Student Interview~ Megan Bux

Megan Bux's work is imbued with a liveliness and sense of fun that spreads its personality across many genres. Her distinct stylization, excellent sense of design, and choice of imagery make her work standout as one of the most distinctive of the senior illustrators.

Your style is easily applied to children's books, but where else do you see your work going? What markets do you want your work to go in?
Other than books, I'd love to work in kid's magazines, packaging, clothes, etc. You see fun illustrations geared towards kids in all kinds of stores whether on their products or even used by the stores themselves for advertisements, signs, etc.
Illustration is a field that welcomes all kinds of personalities, but generally those people don't interact in the freelance environment. How do you feel about the way a school/studio environment puts so many different people together in one space?
I think it's great that there's so many different styles and markets being explored around me. I get the chance to not only be exposed to something I normally wouldn't have seen, but be inspired by it as well. Moreover, it helps me to have so many different ways of thinking in one place. I often get really into the characters I design, so it's beneficial to hear the opinions from people who don't see the image the same way I do.
Does the way you stylize the figure come from the way you draw naturally or was it a conscious design you made at school?
It's a mix of both. When I draw from my head, I don't draw realistically but more cartoony and fun because I see things in terms of line and shape, not form and volume. However, when I'm doing an assignment, I'll really work out a character within that style to get the best result. I also consciously try to keep my animals and people consistent.

Student Interview~ SM Vidaurri

SM Vidaurri 's work is built around sequential imagery and a sense of serenity. A watercolorist who doesn't shy away from, but rather takes advantage of the nature of his material.

What is your ideal assignment?
I try to be open to a lot of different art forms. I'd want to do a comic that reflects the emotions that are evoked in the literature and music that inspire me. In their basic forms these are stories, and they have a certain mood or feeling. Ideally, I'd like to translate those same feelings into a visual.
What purpose does dividing space and using panels play in your work?
Building a page of a comic is like building a sentence. When two or more elements are near each other, there's a meaning that is created from their relationship that wasn't there before. I try to think of unique combinations that have a powerful effect. I just finished a comic about The Band and used the Canadian geese as a symbol for them because the goose, like the band, migrates from Canada to America.
How do you handle making revisions with such a delicate medium?
I do it over again. And again and again. I'm still at the stage where I learn from each painting. I enjoy painting so it's no chore for me to have to do it over. Most often I'll redo a piece if I'm personally dissatisfied with one that I know can be better.