Art Poll #3

This weeks Art Poll! The idea is to help me further understand the artistic views of those around me. I would love to know what you think, so please vote!

Artists Interview: Scott Slusher

Driving to Heine Brothers, a local coffee shop in the Highlands, I had so many questions popping up in my mind that I wanted to ask  Scott Slusher, Louisville, Kentucky Artistic Photographer, during my interview.
I first learned about Scott a couple years ago through my boyfriend, John Adkins. After seeing his work on flickr, the online photography community, I was awed by his unique artistic style.
Over the past few years I have been quietly following this artist, watching for updates he’d upload to his flickr account and LPC (Louisville Photography Collective), enjoying the compositions that he would share.

Last week I messaged Scott and asked him if he would be willing to meet with me for an interview. I was honored he obliged and we scheduled a meeting.
As I walked into Heine Bros. I saw him across the room sitting at a table waiting for me. I have to laugh because when he stood up to greet me, he literally towered over me! At 6′ 6″ tall, (I being 5′ 1″) he really put the meaning in “as big as life”!
We sat down and started talking like long lost friends. He was so easy to engage in conversation that I forgot that I was holding a pen in my hand. Scott and I talked for what must have been twenty minutes before I stopped and said, “Wait, I should be writing this down!”
Me: Scott, let’s start from the beginning…when did you first begin an interest in art?”
Scott: Well when I was five years old, (the late 60’s) there was this t.v. show that my brother and I used to watch, Ultraman. It was kind of like today’s anime/Japanese style cartoons. My brother and I would draw characters in this style all the time.

Me: When did you add your art interest to include photography?

Scott: I’d say when I was around fourteen years old, when my brother and I got a couple of Kodak Instamatic cameras. One day we wanted to take some pictures, his had no film, mine had no flash. I thought about it for a minute and came up with an idea. I told him to hold both cameras and click them at the same time. He said, “That’s not going to work!”, but I talked him into trying it. I ran through the doorway at him and he took the shot. Of course back then, we took our film to those Fotomat’s, so we rode our bikes down and dropped the film off. When they finally called to tell us the photos were ready we rode over there fast, skimming through the shots till we got to that one…it turned out!

When I turned seventeen would be when I got my first real camera though. I remember I went to a vocational school during my junior and senior high school years, where I studied Graphic Arts. The teacher put me in the darkroom, where I really learned all the ins and outs of film.

Me: Were you interested in other artistic outlets too?

Scott: I asked my parents for a guitar around thirteen. They really didn’t think I would stay interested, kind of like a passing phase, but they bought it for me as well as lessons. I still like playing guitar to this day. I would say those were the years I really opened up my creative side, I wanted to learn more and more in my creative interests.

Me: Did you go to college to be an artist?

Scott: I told my parents I wanted to go to school to study art. They really weren’t happy about that, but supported me anyway. I went on to study Fine Arts.

Me: You have worked many years in the photography industry, haven’t you Scott?

Scott: Yes I have. I spent many years working with various Commercial Catalog Companies. They taught me as a photographer to be prepared for anything with their hit the ground running attitude. I would come in and be given an assignment with no prep time and be expected to shoot…go go go! This is back in the day when big department stores like JCPenny had those phone book size catalogs. Commercial photography has slowed way down since then.

Me: Scott, do you run your own art/photography business?

Scott: I opened up my own business Eyechart in 2001. I felt that commercial photography lacked creative freedom for me. Though, in 2005, I closed up shop because I found I spent eighty percent of my time doing administration work vs. the twenty percent of my time shooting…it didn’t lead to a very creative environment.

Me: Knowing you are going to school again now for Graphics Design, would you consider yourself a lifetime student?

Scott: I wouldn’t consider myself a lifetime student because I just started back after ten years, but I would say you can never be too old to learn.  I finished my Fine Art degree back in 1997 and just started school again in Graphic Design. I am interested in always striving to learn more in many areas.

Me: When you view art, what you see as art, what are you drawn to?

Scott: I am drawn to chiaroscuro: the use of effects representing contrasts of light, not necessarily strong, to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects such as the human body. I like artists such as Ingres (Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres)and Rembrandt, with their use of extreme light and dark values in their work. Edward Hopper is another artist I like, with his powerful use of light…so I would say lighting draws me to art. Shadows also are important if not more important than light. Shadow gives a sense of space and draws you into a composition.

Me: What inspires you? Where do you gain your inspiration from?

Scott: I draw inspiration from looking at other peoples work, the internet and/or movies. Seven is a really good example of a movie that inspires me. I think you can see this in it’s dark style.

Me: When you are being creative, do you create your vision via the subject you want to model for you? Or do you create your vision then get a model to put into it?

Scott: I think it’s a work in progress. It takes time working with a model to gain their trust and figure out what works with that subject. It takes several shoots to develop a rapport or relationship with a model so it’s a collaboration between working with the model and the model themselves.

Me: Could you say that any certain model was your muse? Or that any certain model stood out to you in your work?

Scott: I don’t really think muse is the term I’d use, as muse is more of a soul connection. I would say Melissa stands out as a model that inspired me most though. She stood out on the first shoot. We were mutually inspired and she opened her creative mind with our shoots. She would come over and sketch an idea for me and we would get to shooting. I can’t say we didn’t have shoots that didn’t work like we saw it in our heads or on paper, but we tried them out and some we would shoot again and they would turn out after some reconfiguring. I haven’t found another model I connect with quite like her yet.

Me: What would you say about your work as an artist over…say, the last ten years, as far as do you see a growth?

Scott: If I look back on work I’ve done ten years ago? Yes I can still say there a few that really grab me. Right now I could say that there are some that couldn’t be improved upon, but then ten years from now, I might say I could have done better. Process can only happen over time.

Me: I understand you are active in the community, via art groups?

Scott: Yes I am involved with Art Sanctuary. I met Lisa Frye (President of Art Sanctuary since 2004) in college. We remained friends afterward and over time held similar ideologies about art and the community. Lisa convinced me to join, which put me in the role of Director of Operations. I have since become Vice President (though I prefer to work behind the scenes).

Me: What is Art Sanctuary? What is it’s role in the community?

Scott: Art Sanctuary gives artists of all types, the opportunity to show their work, regardless of the type of art, from acting to painting or photography. It also provides a place for people to have the opportunity to view the artists works via art shows and theatre performances. In 2009 Art Sanctuary partnered with the Alley Theatre in opening up a location in Louisville dedicated to the arts.

Me: I have loved talking with you today Scott. It has been a pleasure…in closing is there some type of advice you could give beginning artists/artist’s in general?

Scott: Advice…”Don’t be afraid to f**k up, in anything in life not just art.” I could say it more politely, “Don’t be afraid you are going to screw up.”, but it doesn’t really feel like it holds the same feeling. If I hadn’t taken a chance and tried different things, I wouldn’t have the art that I have created. I can’t tell you how many files I have on my computer that will never see the light of day, but had I not tried…I would never have figured out how to make them work.

***In closing, I enjoyed getting a chance to talk to Scott, he was very gracious, intelligent and fun to interview, besides an amazing Artistic Photographer…an artist through and through, in this artist’s eyes.

What The Duck: What’s with Bob!

via What The Duck: What’s with Bob!.
© 2010 Aaron Johnson

I love visiting What the Duck every morning. Aaron’s  comic strip always brings a smile to my face. Yesterdays strip really made me smile. What a fun way to start the day! What the Duck

KOI Fish Eco Wall-Hanging

KOI - ECO Art - Front view

This is an 18×24″ two dimensional wall hanging I created out of 100% recycled paper products, including the canvas which is 1/4″ thick. The two Koi fish are molded, with recycled paper materials, giving a nice raised effect to the painting. Recycled copper wire creates a water ripple effect to complete the wall-hanging.

This piece is inspired by Chinese watercolors. I felt that the style was very soft, but adding the raised textures and wire gave a unique modern touch to the artwork.

ECO friendly frames will add the finishing touch to this art piece, giving it a shadow box feel. All ECO friendly frames are custom made out of 100% recycled wood scraps.

To see this wall-hanging and future added ECO works, please visit my ECO Art Portfolio.

• ECO frames coming soon!
• If you are interested in purchasing this piece, another ECO piece or custom ordering a piece, please contact me for order & pricing info.

M.C. Escher

Growing up always fascinated in art, I liked to find out about different famous artists and their styles. One artist in particular that I found quite interesting was M.C. Escher.

Maurits Cornelis Escher, known by most as M.C. Escher, was born a humble man in the Netherlands. He was always interested in drawing from an early age, though his grades in school were pretty poor and remained so throughout his schooling.  Not much is known about Escher’s inspiration yet he was recorded to create 400 lithographs, over two thousand sketches, book illustrations, tapestry designs, woodcuts/wood engravings and murals.

Drawing Hands was one of the first works I ever saw of Escher’s while in art class one year. I found it truly fantastic how he drew the hands from a realist perspective, drawing each other. My absolute favorite was one of Escher’s works of stairs. You know which one I am talking about right? Every staircase stretches up or down. As you follow each staircase with your eyes, each one leads you into another direction.

Every one of Escher’s works are completely different from another. Each drawing showing you another peek inside the fantasy world of his mind. His use of monotone colors are so vivid regardless of lack of color, as well as his use of patterns and color take you to a completely different reality.

Even though Escher was no scholar in his youth, he grew to merge a natural marriage with mathematics in his drawings. In 1941 he would write a paper that is still held in high regards today: Regular Division of the Plane with Asymmetric Congruent Polygons. He would become known as the research mathematician of his time with this paper and later paper on representing infinity on a two-dimensional plane as well as a paper called Regular Division of the Plane.

M.C. Escher is a fascinating artist that saw the world from a unique perspective. If you get the chance to peruse his works, I am sure you will see through the artist’s eyes.

M.C. Escher collaborated on many published books including his mathematical writings, biography and many picture books of his works. One of my favorites is The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher.

To see more about M.C Escher and his works please visit these links: The Official M.C. Escher Website, Unofficial collection – Escher Gallery

His works are on display in several museums around the world: the Escher Museum, the National Gallery of Art – Washington DC., the National Gallery of Canada, the Isreal Museum – Jerusalem, Huis ten Bosch – Japan and the Boston Public Library.

Scrappy

Portrait Painting

Scrappy is a spunky, adorable pup recently adopted by Kentucky couple Charlie & Christina, through the Kentucky Humane Society.

It warms my heart to see families adopt homeless pets. So many pets are rescued each day it is overwhelming.

I was commissioned by one of their good friends Beth, to paint a portrait of  Scrappy for Christina’s birthday. The 11×14 painting was created on a 100% recycled paper canvas I created, as well as the paints used being non toxic acrylics. I have added it to my Pet Portfolio page…feel free to take a peek!

It was an honor to be asked to do this portrait, as well a joy to know the recipient loved it! Happy birthday Christina!

Art Poll #2

This weeks Art Poll! The idea is to help me further understand the artistic views of those around me. I would love to know what you think, so please vote!

Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell has always been one of my favorite artists. He was criticized as being a simple  illustrator vs. a serious artist by many. In this artist’s eyes, he was a serious artist through and through.

Mr. Rockwell started out at 18 years of age, creating his first illustration for a book Tell Me Why: Stories About Mother Nature by author Carl H. Claudy.  A year later he became the art editor for the Boy Scout magazine: Boy’s Life. His most known cover being Scout at Ship’s Wheel, over his three year run with the magazine.

When WWI rolled around Norman joined the Navy as military artist. There are a few works in his museum that depict his works from this time frame. Once out of the military, Mr. Rockwell became friends with a cartoonist that worked for The Saturday Evening Post.

Norman Rockwell’s time with The Saturday Evening Post would record 322 original pieces used as covers over 47 years. Literary Digest, The Country Gentleman, Peoples Popular Monthly and Life Magazine would be added to the long list of magazines that published his works on their covers as well.

President Franklin Roosevelt’s speech in 1941 would be the inspiration for a set of paintings he would create called the Four Freedoms. The Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear. The United States Treasury would later put them on a touring exhibition raising over $132 million towards war bonds. I loved Mr. Rockwells style so much I painted Freedom of Worship, as a teen.

Mr. Rockwell is recognized as a famous artist to this day, providing inspiration to many various film makers in movies like: Empire of the Sun, Forest Gump, American Gangster as well as many others. If you watch these movies, watch closely. You will see a magazine or a scene that mimics one of his famous works. Norman also illustrated over 40 books including: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and many others over his lifetime as well as writing his own autobiography: My Adventures as an Illustrator ~ Published in 1960

His work is on display in his museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, near his home, still today boasting over 500 of his original paintings and drawings . It is open year round to visitors and I have to say this would be fascinating to visit one day.

Interesting side note: Norman Rockwell would set up his own compositions with real people in his life or models then have a photographer capture it to print. His technique was called photo realism. Many of the images/photographs are also able to be viewed in his museum.

In conclusion, there will always be critics, what is important is to follow your heart and what you are passionate about, do what you love, enjoy your life to the fullest and never let anyone discourage you.

I am an artist, I love art in all its forms and I feel happiest when I am creating art. Dream big and live your dream, Norman Rockwell did!

Art Poll

I thought it might be nice to add a weekly poll to the blog. The idea is to help me further understand the artistic views of those around me. I would love to know what you think, so please vote!

What the duck?

What the Duck? Yes I said it! Awhile back I was introduced to a comic strip called What the Duck, by artist, Aaron Johnson. I find inspiration can be found in his little three box strips. I found myself sitting at my computer for hours looking back through his archives and enjoying every single one. I still go back and look at some of the archives when I need a little extra pick me up.

What is What the Duck? What the Duck is a comic strip about a duck photographer. The strip brings humor about situations many amateur and professional photographers relate to, but also can be chuckled at by any creative artist.

Aaron Johnson is a jack of all trades in some ways. Daytime Animator & Graphic Artist, Photographer, Comic Strip artist, band member and of course business owner of What the Duck. Back in 2006 he started What the Duck comics as a filler for his bands blog then grew to being added to photography magazines and newspapers internationally.

What the Duck has become such a icon in the photography community leading to the spotting of What the Duck all over the world! On the official website you can find a fan gallery of What the Duck spottings. It’s quite a gallery boosting over 800 photos!

With Aaron Johnson’s comic popularity, it has grown to carry quite the themed merchandise, such as: plush What the Ducks, water bottles, figurines, Signed Prints, What the Duck: A W.T. Duck Collection & What the Duck: Rule of Nerds books and even a What the Duck mini camcorder, not to forget What the Duck shirts as well as other humorous t-shirts  like my personal favorite: Photoshop: Helping the Ugly since 1988.

You can also follow What the Duck -Aaron Johnson on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube as well as  sign up for his mailing list.

In conclusion, no matter your artistic outlet, no matter your medium of choice, art can be whatever you choose to create. Even the simplest comic is creative art…in this artist’s eyes.

*Congratulations to Aaron Johnson & What the Duck, I wish you continued creativity & success.