‘I vote for art’ blog
01 Jun 2011
Interview with Kendrick Mar
Posted 01 Jun 2011 :: Total comments - 43 :: Permalink
Hi Kendrick. Thanks for chatting to i vote for art. Since we have only a one-sentence synopsis of your work on the site, you better tell us a bit about yourself… Who is Kendrick Mar?
Well, I’m a painter and I currently live in New York. Originally I’m from California, grew up in Fresno, then lived in the San Francisco bay area. For my art training, I attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I got my BFA degree, emphasizing painting.
You have previously commented that your work draws on “childhood emotions and memories”. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
In my work I mostly seek to depict certain feelings rather than concepts or ideas, those from the pre-verbal stages of childhood. They are usually cloaked in hazy memories and capturing it with images is a bit like trying to remember dreams.
There is an inherent sadness in much of your work - do you find that your audience identifies with the ‘toy-like” images, or do you think people observe your work as a narrative of your own personal story?
I am always interested in how my work comes across to others. I would suspect that people can see there is autobiographical content, and I do hope others can identify with the imagery and that it draws them in.
Did you paint much as a kid? When did you start calling yourself “an artists”, and how did you get to that point?
I didn’t become an artist until I was an adult. Growing up, I didn’t really make art any more than the average kid. I got a late start in art, during my fourth year of college as an engineering major. I took a drawing class and had an epiphany of sorts. At that point I realized I wanted to be an artist. I wanted to keep learning and developing as an artist and since then have done just that.
The visual depth in some of your more recent work is really appealing. It almost looks like ‘clay-mation’. Do you work with clay models or stuffed toys to guide your painting?
I paint from a diorama setup. The figures are sculpted in oven-bake colored crafts clay. I pose the figures and light them and then paint observationally from the setup.
Tell us about your “studio space”. Do you work from home?
I do work in my apartment. I have a space setup with my easel, art supplies, desk and books.
What artwork do you have on your walls (other than your own!)?
I don’t have a lot of art on the walls, but I do have a lot of art monographs and books. Some favorites include Basquiat, Ross Bleckner, Damien Hirst, plus the Old Masters from art history.
What things do you do to promote yourself and your work both online and offline?
With being an artist in NY, promoting one’s work is an ongoing process. Occasionally, though there are long periods of time where step away from it and focus primarily on creating a body of work that I’m happy with. That’s sort of where I’m at right now.
And just for a bit of fun, tell us a bit about your last holiday/vacation!
Sure! Nothing terribly exciting, I went to Montreal to visit someone and see a Cirque du Soleil show.
Thanks for that Kendrick!
And thanks for the fun questions!
So there you have it. A little piece of Kendrick Mar. Don’t forget to check out Kendrick’s new work that we have released on i vote for art: The Red Queen (pictured above). And to see all of the other work that Kendrick has available on i vote for art, scoot on over here!
12 May 2011
An interview with Christpher Nielson
Posted 12 May 2011 :: Total comments - 33 :: PermalinkHey Chris! First of all, congratulations on all the well deserved recognition you’ve been getting of late: a highly commended at CREATIVE Hotshop awards, and making it into the 2011 Luerzers Archive 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide! I’m surprised you have time to chat with lowly ol’ i vote for art! So, have you been uber busy as a result?
I have been uber busy thanks for asking! Ulcer inducing busy. I have a bad habit of being able to say “no” to work because I love my job so much but I’m learning to politely decline when it becomes physically impossible. I can delegate certain things like marketing and book-keeping to other people but the majority of what I do i.e. making images, can only be undertaken by little ol’ me!
Your work has a very retro look to it, and indeed, you describe it as “scratchy”. Without telling us all your trade secrets, how do you get that effect?
I work in acrylics and scratch em’ all up before scanning and whacking everything into photoshop on a big wacom cintiq screen to tidy up my mess.
Were you in to art as a kid? .... And were you a fan of The Jetsons? Your piece ‘Jetpac’, which we sell on our site, is very Jetson-esque! Are you still a cartoon man?!
I was a hugh fan of The Jetsons, Space Ghost, The Thunderbirds etc. A steady diet of 50’s space age design. I still love vintage cartoons,
especially the stuff by the Fleischer Brothers like Popeye and Betty Boop. Ben 10’s not really doing it for me…
You share what looks like a pretty amazing studio space with some other very talented illustrators. Do you draw inspiration from each other?
You betcha. I share a space with Nigel Buchanan, Lew Keilar, Jim Tsinganos, and Stuart McLachlan, as well as a casting agent, book designer, interior decorator and landscape designer so there’s a buzz of creative energy around you from the minute you step into the studio. There’s no greater inspiration than seeing what amazing thing the illustrator beside you is working on. My studio keeps me a driven man.
Where else do you seek inspiration?
If I have time I try to visit a few illustration sites over coffee in the morning like:
http://www.drawger.com/
http://blog.drawn.ca/
http://www.illustrationmundo.com/
http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/
I also take inspiration from a walk around the block, music, a visit to a thrift shop, my library, my children, everything really! I think you’ve just got to feed it all in and let it come out the other end. So to speak.
Hhmm, you make it sound easy - but you must be quite a machine! What does a typical day in the life of Christopher Nielsen consist of?
Getting the children dressed and brekky ready. Reply to some overseas emails. Then off to work via the train most days. I write down a lot of ideas for stories and pictures and songs on the train. Into the studio for some work. Depending on the schedule it’s usually coming up with concepts and drawings early in the morning, and then I start painting around midday. Do some paperwork and emailing with a sandwich in my hand over lunch, and then a final stretch of work until it’s back home to complete chaos of bathtime and dinner. Pass out with a glass of red wine over some god-awful tv beside my lovely wife around 9pm. Reset.
What do you do to promote yourself and your work, both online and offline?
I send out a monthly email to clients and post out mailers around 4 times a year.
I have a website and blog that I try to keep updated regularly for visitors notified via facebook and twitter, as well as having folios at Behance, The Loop, First-Stop and Illoz
[We snaffled this cute little caterpillar/butterfly below from Chris’s blog… check out his blog for some more great recent works!]
I also have a few great agents on the job for me:
- Here in Oz - Jacky Winter
- In the US - Levy Creative
- and in the UK PhosphorArt
I enter work into Illustration Annual competitions like Communication Arts, American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators Luerzers and 3x3. And last but not least I’m a member of Illustrators Australia who produce a great directory of illustrators and portfolio site that bring me work. It’s almost a full time job and at times and infringes upon getting on with the actual work! Help!!!
Man - you do need help. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! So given your massive online presence, this next question may seem a little redundant, but how important do you think the internet been for your career?
Invaluable. Clients no longer view continental drift as a barrier when commissioning the right person for the right job.
How do you think Australia is traveling in terms of producing and maintaining good illustrators?
We have amazing talent. Now we just need the market to support them.
Tell us about the work that you do in teaching others?
I teach a 5 week illustration course at the Enmore Design Centre every year and an Illustration Masterclass for Shillington College as well as private courses for designers in publishing houses that are looking to get their hands dirty and be inspired artistically. I also do lectures for design students like the guys out at The University of Western Sydney. Teaching is cool because it gives you back exactly, (if not more) than you put in, plus you become acutely aware of your own process and practice when describing it to others. I’m proud to say that some of my students like Marcela Restrepo have gone on to awesome full time careers. Others have gone on to be fantastic designers and actually commissioned me. I’m getting all warm and fuzzy.
Warm and fuzzy away, Chris. It seems you have reason to! A wife and a kid; an amazing career doing just what you love… What do the next 5-10 years have in store for you?
Two kids now!! Hmmm a vasectomy? Actually Jacky Winter just asked all their illustrators to submit a list of goals which is cool. I said something like:
- A great big solo exhibition
- Lots of highly paid, high profile Advertising jobs, thanks!
- A few Children’s books published.
- And THEN I can travel between my New York loft and South Coast beach house whilst casually working selected projects…
Well cheers to those ambitions. No doubt you will achieve them all. Make sure you invite i vote for art to cool parties in your New York Loft. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us.
THANK YOU!
Come readers - you must check out Chris’s work available on i vote for art….
28 Apr 2011
Today I visited Perimeter
Posted 28 Apr 2011 :: Total comments - 4 :: PermalinkJust wanted to write a short little note to spread the word about Perimeter - a cool little bookstore in High Street, Thornbury. They sell a selection of art, photography, architecture and design publications. V cool indeed.
So it turns out that Perimeter is all of two weeks old. But it already commands a real presence up in the top- (read “COOL”) end of Thornbury. The window was clear and bright, and really caught my eye. White-ish walls, blonde timber shelves and a colourful array of crisp new journals and books, all blinking at me, begging me to pop in. Which I did.
I was so excited, that I couldn’t really take it all in. You know when someone tells you to READ THIS, so you look at the page with all the words, and you sort of stare at it for a while, and then after your time’s up, you realise that you haven’t read any of it? Well, I experienced that today. Fortunately, the friendly man in the store pointed me in the right direction and I came out with a little story book by Melbourne artist Marc Martin, and Issue 3 of Nobrow.
It is definitely worth a visit. Jump on the 86 tram towards RMIT Bundoora, and jump off at the top end of Thornbury. You won’t be disappointed. After you’ve made your purchase, you can read and re-read it at Umberto. Another beauty!
15 Apr 2011
Artists help Japan :: Jim Bradshaw
Posted 15 Apr 2011 :: Total comments - 7 :: PermalinkOne of our i vote for art-ists, Jim Bradshaw, has recently thrown himself behind the fundraising efforts in support of Japan by auctioning an original drawing on an Ema.
Ema are traditional small Japanese wooden tablets left at shrines with an image on one side, and a wish or a prayer on the other. The auction has been organised by Give2Asia to help Japan relief efforts, spread awareness, support and hope.
The auction is taking place on ebay. You can bid on his Ema here - it is quite special! Well done Jim and to all other artists involved in the Artists Help Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.
A brief bio of Jim and the work that he has made available on i vote for art is available here.
11 Apr 2011
Free Condom Project
Posted 11 Apr 2011 :: Total comments - 10 :: PermalinkWe have always LOVED Third Drawer Down, an amazing Melbourne company which reproduces artwork by Australian and International artists on items such as tea towels and bed linen. Ben and I have two sets of pillow cases at home on high rotation; two limited edition tea towels, one of which is framed in our bathroom (of course). And my latest purchase - a gorgeous illustration by Emma Magenta on a little plate! So you see, we really do love Third Drawer Down.
But now we love them even more.
Last year, Third Drawer Down developed the Free Condom Project. The condoms feature cool designs by artists David Shrigley, James Gallagher, Anne De Vries and Kill Pixie. The project hopes to make condoms more accessible to people, and therefore help to reduce the incidence of sexually transmissible infections (STIs).
It’s a very novel idea that merges good health with good design. A good public health campaign should make people understand the issue (if I have unprotected sex, I might contracted a sexually transmissible infection = yuk) and then do something about it (hhhm, I better wear a condom). But what makes this project so tip top is that they’ve wrapped the health message up with good design. The packaging is really appealing, and makes you think about safe sex in a totally different light! It does indeed make “condoms readily accessible in a fun and engaging way”. Which is what they wanted! And hopefully, this may prevent a few nasty infections along the way. So now, when you fancy a bit of action from the cultured cutie you met at that gallery opening the other day… you’ve got a perfect segue into a fun and, more importantly, safe night of rumpy pumpy!
The free condoms are available at various retail outlets and galleries such as Polyester Records, Mag Nation and Heide Museum of Modern Art. Good on you guys for supporting such a cool and innovative health promotion campaign. The art is great, and the message is good! It certainly beats having a few skanky Ansell’s lying around!!
For more information, check out the project’s website: http://freecondomproject.com/. VAC (Victorian AIDS Council) is a major sponsor - so if you also want to learn a little more about sexually transmissible infections, you can visit their website too.
i vote for art on facebook….. finally!
Posted 11 Apr 2011 :: Total comments - 6 :: PermalinkWe know, We know. A bit slow on the uptake, but i vote for art has finally got a facebook page.
Here is our link: facebook/ivoteforart
Actually, now that we have it, we’re really enjoying it. We’ve been using personal pages for a while now, but it’s actually quite handy for us as a website. It’s made keeping a track of great art and artist that little bit easier. And how handy is it that thumbnail images are picked up from the link you want to post? Beats dicking around with Photoshop on our blog!
We’ve linked our facebook posts with our Twitter account, so that explains our increased activity… (in case you were wondering).
The problem is, we don’t have many friends yet. Stacey’s sisters don’t count. So please head on over and check out our page. And don’t forget to Like us! You won’t be disappointed!
30 Mar 2011
An interview with Mel Kadel
Posted 30 Mar 2011 :: Total comments - 10 :: PermalinkHi Mel, we are so glad you could find the time to chat with us. How did you start out as an artist? Were you good at drawing as a kid?
Hello! I don’t believe I was a stand-out artist as a kid. I think art is a part of everyone’s life when they are little ones, but at some age most people put down the paint and pens. My focus on art became more serious when I was around 15 or 16 years old. I was taking tons of photographs, getting turned onto a new world of music, and drawing was the way I spent my time. It was exciting.
We have two of your beautiful pieces available on ivoteforart.com. How would you describe them and your work generally?
They are scenes of struggle and strength, to me. They are full of patterns and color and girls conquering obstacles. My hopes are that they end up looking pretty, for lack of better words, but convey some humor in our daily lives.
What are you working on at the moment (apart from this interview, of course!)?
I’m just wrapping up work on a solo show at Merry Karnowsky Gallery (in LA), that opens on February 5th, 2011. I’ve been working on this for months and months, so now I’m not sure what to do with myself? It’s a weird calm, but I can’t quite relax and am sure there is something I should be doing.
We see you are exhibiting at THIS gallery in February with fellow ivoteforart-ist, Michael Hsiung! There is an amazing line up at that exhibition actually: who are you most excited about exhibiting next to?
It’s impossible to pick out a few names, over others. It’s one of those amazing group shows that everyone in it, is excited to show with everyone else. Michael Hsiung and I are going to high five.
Very diplomatic response Mel! Hope you were able to slap some skin with Mike! So, do you keep a sketch book, and do you think we could sneak a peak at a few pages?
Ah, my sketchbook is just such a random thing I pick up once in a while and write ideas down. [Thanks for ripping a few of your pages out for us, Mel!]
What sort of paper do you work on? It has a sort of antique or distressed look to it…
It’s stained with coffee, on my porch, under the sun. It’s one benefit of living in California, where I’m still shocked by the weather. It’s actually sunny almost every day, just like they say. Drives me nuts sometimes, but it’s great for staining paper.
And one question we like to ask all our artists - What things do you do to promote yourself and your work both online and offline?
I’m not a great promoter. I work on large bodies of drawings, and then have shows, spread the word, make zines, post news on my site, and let people know about it. It’s not that in-depth, but it works different for everyone. I just make sure I work harder on the drawings than I do talking about it.
Well that’s it for now. Thanks again for your time, Mel, and for being such a wonderful ivoteforart-ist!
Thanks to you.
Click here for a quick look at the two amazing pieces Mel has on offer at i vote for art
26 Jan 2011
Australia Day
Posted 26 Jan 2011 :: Total comments - 9 :: PermalinkOk, Ok. So we ditched the Aussie dollar and started selling in US dollars, but we haven’t totally turned our backs on this crazy continent we call home. Yes, it’s Australia Day today. A day to celebrate all that Australia was, is, and will be. Oh - how patriotic we sound! It also means that it’s a public holiday, and we are home working hard on ivoteforart.com (obviously)!
So to mark this National Day, we thought we’d take stock of all our Australian artists on ivoteforart.com and wish them a happy Australia Day!
Here’s our list:
Christopher Nielson
City Shrinker
Magic Jelly
Martin Harris
Noferin
Sandra Krumins
SKAFFS
Yiying Lu
To be honest, we are a bit disappointed to see that Australian artists only represent 17 per cent of all artists on the site. So this year we are going to make a concerted effort to increase that proportion! Perhaps if each artist listed above recommended one other Aussie artist to join ivoteforart.com, then we’ll be well on our way! That said, we already have some GREAT Australian artists on the site, and if you don’t believe me you should check out those links!
Happy Australia Day team!
17 Jan 2011
An interview with Michael Hsiung!
Posted 17 Jan 2011 :: Total comments - 8 :: PermalinkHey Mike – you’ve been kicking around with i vote for art for a while now so we thought we’d step it up a notch and really get to know you. Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself, and how you became an artist?
My name is Michael C. Hsiung, 33, and I’m an artist living in Los Angeles, CA. Some of my favorite things include Dungeons & Dragons, reading, listening to records, playing dice (ok just gambling), and hanging out with friends. I’ve had probably over 25 different jobs my entire life, but finally found one I really like which happens to be making art.
Although I’ve always drawn my whole life, I never thought of it as a career until I was about 29, unemployed, recently transplanted from San Jose, and hanging out with friends. With the encouragement of friends and my sister, I began to draw more and more, even though at the time I was working as a full time grant writer’s assistant at a museum. I found myself getting more involved in shows and projects, and then the best thing happened to me, I got laid off from my job. Naturally, I was nervous, but just went for it, and two and half years later here I am.
Well, we’re really glad the museum let you go, coz now you can share with the world your quirky illustrations. How would you describe your work?
My drawings are usually black ink drawings on cream paper, sometimes with red accents. Sometimes I depict oddly realistic tales. Protagonists include obese men, Mermen, bears, centaurs, and Victorian athletes, usually struggling among or with imaginary and real animals. I’d say that the tone of my art is playful, humorous, a little weird and imaginary.
What are you working on at the moment? We see you’ve got a new zine out - tell us a bit about that.
That’s right. I just finished my first zine, called Doobert Life, which contains 28 drawings and doodlings. We’re printing 250 copies, and it’ll be available internationally and within the U.S. What happened was that I was approached by some fellows from Trineo in Madrid about making one, and then it just went from there. I’m also working on a mini zine with Secret Headquarters in Silverlake, which is an awesome store that has and helps produce comics, graphic novels, and artist mini’s. In addition, I’ll be participating in an upcoming show called THESE Friends at THIS gallery which opens February 4th, and am slated in June 2011 for a solo show at the Slingluff gallery in Philadelphia. Finally, I’m just working on various projects like one that will make some of my art available as a screensaver, print and game for the iPhone, which is totally nuts for me to think about.
You’re definitely an artist who has a strong presence online. How important has the internet been for your career as an artist?
Personally, the interweb has been a great help to me as an artist. When I began drawing and showing my art, sites like flickr and even myspace at the time really helped to get my work seen. As a result, a local gallery at the time called GalleryRevisited in Los Angeles had seen some of my work online. I was invited to meet the gallerist and had my first two-person show with Cole Gerst of Option G! Since then, it has really helped me to meet new artists, folks, and fans as well as participate in various projects and shows. My work with the fellows in Madrid was also something born out of having a presence online; however, that being said, the internet is just another tool which can work for some artists, like myself, and not for others.
What things do you do to promote yourself and your work both online and offline?
To promote myself online, I just usually post drawings, working projects and show information on sites like flickr, society6.com, blogs, twitter, tumblr, and my website. Also art sites like fecalface.com, dailydujour.com and myloveforyou.typepad.com have really helped to get my artwork around. Lastly, my friend Hovin who runs the Human Pyramid Collective, website of international artists, helps all of us to promote our art to a wider audience.
Yeah, I’m an internet whore . . . but it just is something that works for me and can be fun. I’ve never met so many people I’ve never met. HAHA. Other than that, I try not to bombard my friends with my boring art stuff . . . and I guess I don’t do too much to promote my own things out of the internet. I did recently start using my own iPhone case, mostly because I don’t have a case, and that seems to start conversations unintentionally, good and bad.
We love the titles you give you work - how on earth do you come up with these crazy verbose titles like “on the precariousness of drinking during the wintertime amongst arctic baby angora unicorns”!?
I think my verbose titling habits really came from my interests in literature, but more specifically from the era when they used long chapter title introductions—Don Quixote, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Tom Jones, and even seen most recently in books like Blood Meridian. It started out because I always found the titles fun to write, and then I realized it helped to support a narrative in my work.
You characterise yourself as “one of the few remaining facially hairy Asians surviving today”. All the men in your artwork appear to be particularly hirsuit - do you see yourself in your work?... discuss!
HAHA. Well, this happens to be one of those really weird things that I started to notice as well. I don’t really see myself in my work as “a” or “the” character—I don’t see myself wrestling giant beavers or fighting bears in my underwear (haha), but perhaps imaginatively and subconsciously I do.
Ha - Yeah, man, you should take on some Australian natives! My dad once punched a kangaroo in the face. No joke… it was ready to disembowel him! (but he was fully clothed). On a nicer note - what is your first art-making memory as a kid?
I think my first art-making memory involves cooking with my mom. She would bake these steamed buns when we were kids, but she always let my sister and I create our own creations out of steam bun dough. I remember making tanks and faces and mustaches too. My art hasn’t changed too much from manipulating steam bun dough, has it?
That’s a great sequeway to our final question. If you were on death row, what would your last meal be? (Apart from your mum’s steam buns of course!)
This is a good question and one I’ve prepared for. I once asked this to my girlfriend Rachel who answered that she’d have two vegetarian burritos and a large coke. Two burritos! haha. For me, I think I’d have a giant cheeseburger with like a fried egg on it, rum raisin ice cream, a couple of ice cream sandwiches, and a twelve pack of beer.
Nice! After a twelve pack of beer, you’ll probably really enjoy being executed! Thanks for chatting with us Mike.
So now all you ivoteforarters know just a teeny bit more about Michael Hsiung. Check out the artwork available on ivoteforart.com here, which also has a link to his website and blog, for those who want to snoop around some more!
02 Dec 2010
Beards
Posted 02 Dec 2010 :: Total comments - 10 :: PermalinkThere seems to be an awful lot of interest in beards lately. Many Melburnians are sporting them. Or at least trying to pull the look off. A whole photography exhibition by Bestfiend is dedicated to bearded works. They call it “Beardo“ and it’s on at the Town Hall Gallery between 24 November and 18 December. And I stumbled across this striking piece by Kelly Lasserre yesterday on Pikaland. It’s entitled “All the bearded men in my life”. There are plenty more examples around.
So why is hirsutism back in vogue? For blokes, is it just like a new hair do? A new identity or statement? Or just a bit of fun? Joan Hollaway from Mad Men certainly thinks that Mr Kinsey’s beard is some kind of a statement he is trying to make. She is the master of mockery in this scene “....Walkin’ around with your pipe and your beard….“ She stabs a dagger into the heart of all bearded hipsters. I reckon there are a few Mr Kinsey’s in Northcote!!
So, my activity for today was to check out all our bearded pieces on I Vote For Art. As a result, I have generated this list of our bearded beauties:
- There are beards aplenty on all of the pieces by Micheale Hsiung
- There’s a little goatie on the original by Magic Jelly
- Nathaniel Eckstrom’s little man looks a bit dishevelled - Some Day I’ll Get There
- If you squint, you can see a smattering of facial hair on Martin Harris‘s Atoms - Core of All Matter and Pirate Circus
- I think that there is some sort of beard on Lamontagne’s Tree by Shane Vorhaben
- And the mo on the very chubby Fitness Fairytales by Ryan Snook is also worth a mention
But the winner by far is Wilmer Murillo’s “Looking For Truth”. Spectacular!
If you were clever, you would snap up one of these little bearded beauties, and forever remember 2010 as the year of the beard because the fad may not last into the New Year!
06 Apr 2010
Vote for Nathaniel
Posted 06 Apr 2010 :: Total comments - 28 :: PermalinkThe 10 finalists from Desktop Magazine’s cover competition have been chosen, and include our very own Nathaniel Eckstrom. Here’s his submission:
The top four entries will appear on the cover of the June 2010 issue of Desktop. Make sure you vote for Nathaniel at the link below. Thanks!
http://www.desktopmag.com.au/features/vote-for-your-favourite-desktop-cover-finalist-now/
29 Oct 2009
Giveaway Time!
Posted 29 Oct 2009 :: Total comments - 10 :: PermalinkWhat the heck - we feel like doing a little giveaway!
To enter the draw to win a free print of your choosing from the site, just do the following:
1) Follow @ivoteforart on Twitter
2) Retweet the following message:
Wanna win a free art print from ivoteforart.com? Just follow @ivoteforart (if you don’t already) and retweet this message.
That’s it!
We’ll randomly select a winner, and announce it here on the blog (and on Twitter of course).
This contest is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Entries close this Sunday, 1st November.
Good Luck!
17 Sep 2009
Thanks Madison!
Posted 17 Sep 2009 :: Total comments - 17 :: PermalinkWe’re lucky enough to get lots of online coverage from all sorts of online sources. But it isn’t quite as often that the old school, off-line media folk pay attention to our site.
So we were most grateful to be featured in this month’s Madison magazine.
Stacey tells me that Madison’s a rather popular women’s lifestyle magazine here in Australia (although she’s more of a Frankie girl herself). Either way, we’re over the moon about the coverage ... and the swag of new members that have joined the site since. Welcome aboard new people!
Those two pictures featured belong to Trish Grantham and Julia Kuo, by the way.
21 Jun 2009
ivoteforart talks to Kareem Rizk
Posted 21 Jun 2009 :: Total comments - 834 :: PermalinkWe’re super excited this week to have some new pieces up on the site by none other than Kareem Rizk.
We also managed to squeeze in an interview with Kareem, asking him about his career, how he got started, and how he promotes himself, among other things
Hi Kareem. How are you? What’s news?
Hi. I’m doing well. I’m currently working on some new canvas pieces. I was invited recently to be part of an annual group show at Retrospect Galleries in Byron Bay. This year the show is titled ‘Revolution of Art’. It drew a big crowd last year as it runs in conjunction with the Splendour on the Grass music festival. The gallery shows work by many established and emerging artists, both local and international. Luminaries such as Ben Frost, Anthony Lister, Jeremyville and Kill Pixie are represented there. I’m looking forward to seeing who’s involved this year. The show runs from July 24th - August 13th.
As well as making new work I also just released a catalogue of new prints over at inPRNT. Also an Australian t-shirt company called White With One have just released their new range of tees which features my piece ‘Tinsel Town Trash‘ in 3 different colours. The new range is currently hitting stores in Brisbane, Sydney, Byron Bay and Melbourne. A couple of the t-shirts will be on display at the ‘Revolution of Art’ group show.
I’ve also got some collaborations currently in progress with a couple of very cool collage artists from America - Robert Mars and Brandon McLean. I’m also working on some new stuff with Brazilian artist Eduardo Recife (Misprinted Type). Hopefully we’ll soon be able to finally release our first collaborative print. We’re currently discussing the possibility of working on another brand new collaboration as well.
Readers will be able to stay up to date with all my other goings via my blog: www.kareemr.blogspot.com
Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into this whole ‘art’ thing? What got you started?
I first started making collages seriously in April 2006. I remember this month fairly vividly. I had just quit my job at The Herald Sun newspaper. I found that the work I was doing there wasn’t stimulating enough creatively. I also found that my interest in fine art was starting to take more of a focus over design. I knew at the time that it was a risky move to make. I was on a very good salary as a junior designer. I drove a Lexus and I had a stack of money in the bank. But I gave it all up. I just wasn’t happy spending 45 hours a week doing something that I didn’t enjoy.
This was the time when I made the decision that I wanted to be an artist. This is when I created some of the very first collages that I then used for promotion a couple of months later when I released my website. Before 2006 I had only ever made a handful of collages. I only ever dabbled in it either as a hobby or for university assignments.
I started promoting my work in June 2006. At that stage no one had ever heard of me. But I knew I wanted to be an artist. I also knew I would have to make major sacrifices and I continue still to make sacrifices. But I made the decision and I have stuck with it ever since. I figured I may as well be doing something that I enjoy - something that I have a passion for. Our soul is only in this body for one life time. I figured I may as well leave something behind that I might be remembered for. Either that or try my damnedest to make it happen.
It sounds like a cliché, but anything worth while doing in this world doesn’t come easy. I learnt this from a young age. Something I learnt from a tough upbringing is that if you want something in life, then you should go and get it. But just as importantly this struggle has taught me to have a tremendous amount of patience.
From what we’ve seen, most of your work is collage pieces? What is it that’s drawn you to collage?
The Graphic Design course that I did at Monash University supported a very tactile and hands-on approach to design and illustration. As my skills started to develop during the course I found that in my work there was often a fine line between design and fine art. But I didn’t find this peculiar in any way. Instead I felt an immediate connection to a more fine art based approach to design and illustration. To me it made sense that a creative person in any discipline should be flexible and would only benefit from having many techniques from many disciplines at their disposal.
During the course I also started developing an affinity with nostalgia and eclecticism. The medium that drew this nostalgic source out of me most often was collage. It seemed like the most obvious progression for me to move into collage as the medium itself is very tactile and eclectic. Adding the elements of vintage imagery, distressed typography and a grittiness or dirtiness to the work only heightened my appreciation and affinity with collage and the potential that I saw in this medium.
You started out in Graphic Design, and have worked heavily in that field. Do you call yourself a designer, or an artist? What do you think the difference is these days?
I call myself an artist. Especially as I haven’t practised professional graphic design for at least 2 years. My focus has been on establishing a career as an artist.
I think often there is quite a big difference between a designer and an artist. The main one being the techniques and processes that are employed under both titles. But it is interesting when fine art techniques and mediums are introduced to design and its application. Only then does the line between the two titles tend to become blurred. Particularly in my own process of image making. A lot of my work will be put together using strong design principles, but most of the mediums I use come from the fine art category, particularly in my handmade work.
What does a typical day in your life consist of? Where and when do you find yourself at your most creative.
I generally can’t start the day until I’ve had my cup of inspiration (a big mug of black tea, a dash of full cream milk, no sugar and warm buttered toast with Vegemite). This year I’ve been producing a lot of new gallery work - larger canvas pieces in particular. A good part of my days most recently has been spent preparing canvases, painting, searching for and collecting images, thinking up ideas for new pieces and of course collage. When I’m not making new work for an exhibition or gallery (or answering interview questions ) I could be doing any number of creative things on any given day. Recent projects have included some freelance illustration and commissioned artwork.
You’re definitely an artist who has a strong presence online? How important has the internet been for your career as an artist?
The internet has been quite an integral part of making my work visible, especially in the beginning stages and also on an international level. I probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have so far without an online presence. It’s no surprise that the US and Europe makes up a large part and possibly the majority of my audience. Without the internet acting as a platform for international exposure it would definitely take a much longer time for people to become aware of my work.
In your opinion, is it as important to break into the gallery / exhibition scene as it used to be?
Not necessarily. I think it depends on the individual artist and their audience. Some artists have done very well from only promoting and selling their work online. This technique of becoming a recognised artist I think is growing - simply because of the enormity of the internet and the demographic that accesses it. I think the internet affords great opportunities for artists who may not necessarily appeal initially to the gallery scene. But often, once an artist finds and develops their audience online it is usually not long before galleries start paying attention or noticing the artist’s name. For some artists it may not necessarily be very important to be in the gallery scene, but by having work available offline it certainly enables your audience to grow and I think it dramatically improves an artist’s visibility.
How do you promote yourself, both online and offline?
As of late the most regular online promotion of my work has been done through The Little Chimp Society, my personal blog and my personal website. I also have an art/design blog list and email contact list that is constantly growing. I generally use this for more major news and updates. Recently the guys at Design is Kinky posted a news feature on my updated website which has consistently doubled the amount of traffic to my site in a matter of days. These kinds of spotlights are always very handy.
I’ve also tried running a couple of advertising campaigns on a couple of high traffic blogs such as Design Sponge. But to have any kind of sustained presence on these sites is pretty expensive. So I tend to stick to the art & design portals and my own websites to stay on top of updates and keep my audience informed.
I do very little offline promotion simply because I have been very fortunate that my internet promotion has been consistently converted into opportunities for offline exposure and work. I am very fortunate also that I have been contacted on a fairly regular basis by local and international galleries, magazines, clients and retailers for exhibitions, opportunities for work and exposure.
Who are some other artists that you admire? Alive or dead?
- Kurt Schwitters
- Richard Hamilton
- Rene Magritte
- Eduardo Recife
- Mario Wagner
- Robert Mars
- Charles Wilkin
- Tez Humphries
Impressive list! Ok, one more question. Let’s finish with something a little less serious. What was your favourite TV show as a kid? And why?
I used to watch a lot of TV as a kid. I probably couldn’t name just one, so I’ll name four! The Goodies. Monkey Magic. Knight Rider. Hey, hey it’s Saturday!
Each one of them was quite unique in their appeal. But I think they were favourites because they were all a bit over the top in terms of humour, storyline and concept.
Thanks very much to for Kareem taking the time to chat with us. Make sure you check out his tremendous 3 pieces available for sale here. And you can find out more about Kareem via his website.
16 Apr 2009
An interview with Nathaniel Eckstrom
Posted 16 Apr 2009 :: Total comments - 4703 :: PermalinkSomething we’ve been talking about for a while now is to do some interviews with our artists. So that you, the dear ivoteforart visitor, can find out more about the amazing team of artists that we have here.
First cab off the rank is Sydneysider, Nathaniel Eckstrom. Nathaniel has been with us on ivoteforart since the very beginning. Nathaniel is a prominent part of the Australian illustration scene, and having picked up the Desktop Magazine’s Create Award for Illustration last year, you’re bound to hear more about him wherever it is you are. We spoke to Nathaniel during the week about his illustration, his influences, and a whole lot more:
Photo copyright Britta Campion
Hi Nathaniel. How’s it going?
Great, I’m heading up north to a farm for the weekend. So I’m planning on doing very little. Piece and quiet and some drawing.
Sounds nice. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you started illustrating? When did you decide that you were going to be an artist?
Art was the only subject I felt comfortable with in High School. In fact, I topped the year once which seemed promising. I went on to study Graphic Design for two years and loved the illustration classes. I always had this idea in my head that I wanted to be a freelance illustrator.
Just after finishing College I called a big Illustration agency and made an appointment. Young and naive I walked in with my book of not very much thinking all I have to do is show my stuff and they’ll take me on. After a brief meeting with one of their illustrators I was quickly cut back down. He gave me some encouraging words and said to come back and keep showing my stuff. I always laugh thinking about that. I hadn’t realised just how many years of hard work, promoting etc is involved in Illustration. I love it now and it’s a rewarding profession full of highs and lows.
What is your first art-making memory as a kid?
A colaborative pirate book the class made in Grade 2. I still have it after winning it for a reason i can’t remember.
2008 was a pretty big year for you, especially since you were the winner of the Desktop Create Awards for Illustration - How has that helped your career?
Desktop Magazine have been very kind to me. I’ve had a few great jobs since winning the award. It helped introduce my work to a wider audience plus I have a extremely sturdy bookend now. That thing weighs a ton!
Has this allowed illustrating to be a full time career for you?
I’m slowly getting there!
I know that feeling! We’re obviously interested in the online art world. Has the internet been a good thing for your career? How has it changed your role as an artist?
It’s definitely given me a huge amount of exposure. To my knowledge all of my clients have found me this way. So yes, it’s been a great advantage. Everything is at your fingertips and it allows artists to take more control over their careers. The only downside is trying not to spend too much time on it. The days when you actively had to seek out material from the library or other sources is long gone.
Are you working on anything exciting at the moment? New work? Upcoming exhibitions?
Right now I’m working on a full page editorial piece. And I’m very excitied about an upcoming colouring book. I finished a range of teaboxes for ‘Home & Human Fashion’ that should be released this month. I also have plans for another exhibition, but that could take a while.
Tell about your creative process. What inspires you to create new pieces? Do you have particular habits to your creativity?
A lot of my inspiration is derived from some of my musical heroes. Some of my favourite musicians are extremely creative people. I’m a massive fan of Mike Patton and Perry Farrell’s projects. I usually listen to music while I’m drawing or painting. I’m not sure it’s possible to capture the same emotions in art as in music. But when you have the visual element together with music, it magnifies the whole experience.
If I’m not working on a commission I work on whatever ideas I’m thinking at the time. Sometimes they come from a piece in my sketchbook or random thoughts that need to be expressed in drawing somehow. I like to do a bit of research first. I try and come up with word and picture association related to my subject. And then it’s a matter of combining the ideas I think work best.
How do you feel about the state of the Australian art / illustration scene at the moment?
There’s a lot of amazing talent in Australia. And more and more establishing themselves Internationally. And with sites such as ‘I vote for art’ it helps artists get thier work out there.
Ding ding! Thanks for the little ivoteforart plug there! Now, onto more serious topics - If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
I’d hate to be faced with that decision but definitely my favourite dish - chilli crab pasta!
Ooh, Nice. Ok - one more question ... Who are some other artists, living or dead, there that you admire?
I love Robert Dickerson’s faces. And Gary Shead is also amazing. James Jean, Jeff Soto, Tara Mcpherson, Istvan Banyai and Yuko Shimizu are amongst a long list of favourites.
Thanks very much to for Nathaniel for talking to us.. You can, of course, check out his tremendous 3 pieces available for sale here. And you can find out more about Nathaniel via his website.
15 Apr 2009
Hooray for Jing Wei
Posted 15 Apr 2009 :: Total comments - 411 :: PermalinkSo, we’re sitting here in the new ivoteforart office (ok, to be honest, it’s the spare room of our house). And excited, of course, because we have just added Jing Wei to the site.
Jing specialises in Woodcuts, or specifically reduction cuts. Take a quick look at the thumbnail images of her pieces, and you see some cheerfully surreal images. What you don’t see though is the superb detail of the print ... It’s a shame a website can’t give you that. But below is a little here’s a little close up of one of the pieces, to give you an idea of the texture.
Detail from Roperite
I first saw Jing’s work on the Juxtapoz website back in December. I knew what I had to do. Contact her immediately. Ask her to sell some pieces on ivoteforart. Beg and plead if necessary. Because here is an artist that is definitely going places. A few months later, we’re really excited to have her work here.
We have 4 pieces for sale for the moment. 2 for $45 and 2 for $65. Make sure you have a look at them here.
06 Apr 2009
Pro Antigraphic
Posted 06 Apr 2009 :: Total comments - 13 :: PermalinkWe love Flickr. We can spend hours looking at the collective creativity of our planet, uncovering a cornucopia of designers, artists and illustrators. And it was here where we first found Antigraphic.
Antigraphic is Brighton based Patrick Edgeley. He brings 4 new pieces to our site - each a unique demosntration of Pat’s style and talent. Here they are below:
Quite nice, huh? You can go ahead and peruse them further here
03 Apr 2009
We’ve Gone Global
Posted 03 Apr 2009 :: Total comments - 49 :: PermalinkAustralia, (wikipedia tells me), makes up just 0.32% of the Worlds’ population.
I guess it’s fair to assume that no-one in their right mind would have a clue how much an Australian dollar, or $AUD is actually worth.
So, with our Akubra’s between our Hill’s Hoist, ivoteforart has decided to sell Artwork in $US Dollars.
It’s not that we don’t love the little Aussie Dollar. It’s colourful, It can survive the tsunami of the washing machine. It’s just that no-one is used to trading in the ol’ $AUD. So it would be crazy of us not to sell our wares in $US. Everyone knows it. Everyone understands it. That simple.
So, good friends, from this day forth, everything for sale here will be available at the same, crazily affordable prices ... just in $US, not AUD.
22 Mar 2009
Twitter Twitter Little Star
Posted 22 Mar 2009 :: Total comments - 14 :: PermalinkAs we were sitting at out kitchen table this morning, eating our breakfast, we were thrilled to open up the Sunday Age magazine and see this article about Yiying Lu and her famous FailWhale
If you’re in Australia and you have a copy of The Age(Vic) or The Sun-Herald (NSW), have a read for yourself!
Congratulations Yiying!
19 Mar 2009
Welcome aboard Martin Harris!
Posted 19 Mar 2009 :: Total comments - 1932 :: PermalinkDo a Google search on Martin Harris, and you’ll find many things. Academic and Professor of Linguistics. Mormon high priest. Backstroke swimmer. The first Danish train surfing fatality ...
But the Martin Harris you’ll find at ivoteforart.com is something different again. He’s a self taught Melbournian artist with the sort of talent you can spot a mile away.
Those in the art world will have heard of pop-surrealism, a well used term to describe to current art movement, with artists like Mark Ryden, Audery Kawasaki, Tim Biskip and everyone else in-between fitting within it’s boundaries. I’d put Martin Harris into this broad category.
Martin’s style of work is exactly what I love about the current art movement. It’s exactly the sort of art that I was thinking about when I dreamed up ivoteforart. And I feel kind of tingly to have his work here, to be honest.
I first found Martin’s work through Outre Gallery, a trult amazing gallery here in Australia, but recently he showed some new artworks at the Kaiju Monster Invasion Show at Art Basel, Miami Beach.
As usual, you can check out Martin’s page, and pick one some pieces like the one above for a very very very affordable price.
Want to sell your art?
We don't just sell any old art for the site, and we will be quite picky about the work that we accept. But if you think you have something you'd like to sell, click below to submit it.
