Interview with Tim Enthoven

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I am Tim Enthoven I was born in The Hague, Holland.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I work as an illustrator, created a graphic novel and make fine art.

For me work always starts with pen and paper. Most of the work ends up in print, some of it as books.

Lately I grew fond of doing line-etchings.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I aim to create work that is both well thought-out and well crafted. I love to spend days searching for a suitable but off-beat approach to an assignment.

For me an image may very well please the eye, or might even be slightly frivolous or witty, but should be so for a reason.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I graduated just this year, but I have been showing work for about two years now.

Usually I have a big break once a day around noon.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)One of my main sources of inspiration is irregular and uncomfortable social interaction. I find it A.O. fairly often in daily life, in literature, in visual arts, in film and in all sorts of self help books.

Part of what I am looking for in my work is how I can stimulate irregular interaction myself.

Some people (or rather their work) that inspire me at the moment are Gilbert & George, Leanne Shapton and David Foster Wallace.

I experience visual incentives as well, though I feel unable to incorporate or make use of these influences deliberately.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)This week I have been working on a magazine cover, I’ve been sketching for upcoming illustrations, I made preparations for publishing my graphic novel Binnenskamers and I have been working on a series of etchings.

I have also been updating a new webshop called wobshep.com with fresh silkscreen prints.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)In the concept phase of illustration I prefer silence. However, while I draw I often listen to music.

Two weeks ago, for example, I was struck by the voice of soprano María Cristina Kiehr in a piece by Monteverdi. I completely fell for her. Last week I have been listening to a variety of her recordings. Besides that I also listened to Suede, The Jesus and May Chain and Animal Collective.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I am not sure if I have a main body of work.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)To think about what, where and why they want to show.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I like exhibitions that show work that is exclusively made for the exhibition, where the exhibition is a work in itself.

Next to assignments I try to develop the parts with which I can construct a show piece by piece.

There will be a show of ‘Binnenskamers’ during the release of my graphic novel in early summer 2011 and a show with etchings.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)www.timenthoven.com

email: tim@timenthoven.com

Interview with Gordon Henderson

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)My name is Gordon Henderson and I live in Los Angeles. I was born in Ohio and lived in the Cleveland area when I was a child.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I draw with ink and I make calendars, called the Nib Geebles calendar. I also make public appearances.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)It doesn’t always make sense and perhaps people need that.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a) I have had many big breaks and I have fumbled them. But I do okay just by continuing to work. I had my first show in 1986, or maybe 1987, at San Francisco State University, where I was a student.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)As a teenager I had some bad times and felt alone, that’s when I put pen to paper. I like artists like Jerome Caja, Abira Ali, George Kuchar, Irma Freeman, Captain Beefheart, Danny Nicoletta, Wallace Berman, Ed & Nancy Keinholz, the Fugs, Charles Addams, B. Kliban, R. Crumb, Kathleen Coyle and many others. I also like toys and old broken stuff.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)This year I did my 25^th annual calendar. To celebrate that I did two performances and had a party. Now that it is done I’m going back to drawing.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I listen to music all the time. Right now I like the Growlers, they’re from Costa Mesa, California. I also like Chicano Batman from Mission Viejo, CA. I listen to a variety of things, Henry Mancini, Solid Eye, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Yo La Tengo, Chicha Libre.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)Yes, spoken word performance and I work as a sound engineer.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)You’ll meet a lot of experts and sometimes you have to ignore what they say.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I don’t have anything planned. I’m starting new projects.


q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)http://nibgeebles.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gordonhenderson/

Interview with Lukasz Wierzbowski

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I'm a freelance photographer. I was born in Lubliniec, small town on south of Poland. Six years ago I moved to Wroclaw where I started studying social psychology and that's where I currently live and work.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I'm a portrait photographer who tries to capture the fragile relationship between humans and their surrounding. Currently I use only film cameras although I had digital moment few years ago. At that time I was very much into landscape and urbanism photography being almost obsessed with concrete, steel and glass. The only thing that's left from that time is still existing blog called Picture Shop (http://picture-shop.blogspot.com/).


q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I try to catch this brief moments when everything is in between states looking a bit raw, sometimes ironic and sometimes awkward.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I started showing my photography few years ago and since. I never had a "big break" I don't actually think I need one, as I feel that photography is one of the things that make me truly happy.


q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Everyday life, being in love, meeting new people, daylight.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)While having a little break from commissioned work I focused on personal project. I will try to put it into a publication and an exhibition.


q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I like the sounds of environment I work in, both the nature and the city. I don't listen to music while taking photos but I like to listen to music while picking the shots. Lately I've been listening quite a lot of Caribou, Flying Lotus, Efterklang and Jenny Wilson.


q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)While being in high school I was very much into making experimental mini movies. The fact that I got bored with it is one of the reasons I started taking photos.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Take pictures and be accessible by showing your work online. Have fun, try to find your own style and don't be afraid to experiment.


q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Not at the moment but I have few publications coming soon. Next year I will try to put together an exhibition of unpublished work but it's


q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet

a)The best places to find my work are lukaszwierzbowski.com/ and Neon.Tambourine ( www.flickr.com/photos/neon_tambourine/) You can also check Magnetic.Elements ( www.flickr.com/photos/magneticelements/) which is a kind of side project, some kind of personal diary.

Interview with James Kuhn

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)Hi. My name is James Kuhn and I currently live in Three Oaks, Michigan. USA. I am 49 years old and have been an artist all my life. My mother says that i drew pictures in my oatmeal when i was a baby. I recieved a B.F.A. in painting and darawing from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I am what some people would call a "Face Painter" but i don't think of what i do like that. My current passion is painting skin, especially my own face, but my interest is about personal transformation and illusion. The term "Face Painting" brings wierd stereotypes to mind...butterfly's and rainbows, children's parties and festivals...my trip is very different from that. I am into the challenge of becomming new to myself. I try and surprize myself by getting lost in the paint.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I come at this medium from a fine arts background. I think of my face just as I would any artist's canvas, and I use the face paint makeup as paint. What i do is performance art for myself, and what you get to see is the photo or video that is left over. The finished product is missing the entire process, which is part of the art for me, and only I get to see that. It is a private journey.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I painted my face every day for a year and that caught the attention of the media all over the world. I was featured in last years "Ripleys Believe It Or Not" book and hundreds of magazines and blogs. I have done about 800 faces now and I feel like I am just starting to break the surface of this art form. they keep getting more complicated and interesting. I'm still excited!

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)My first love in art was Picasso. He still fascinates me. For my transformations, I am interested in popular culture and icons, art history and strong figures from history, I also like exploring gender and taboo.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I still paint myself a couple times a week. I am playing with shadow puppets and doing videos. I am hoping to finish a book project i started using face painting to illustrate the narrative.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)I am getting old, so i like old disco and new wave music from the 70's and 80's. I still love the music i listened to in college...The Pretenders, Elvis Costell, B 52's, Adam Ant.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)Sure. I draw and paint with oils and acrylics. I design costumes.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Be real. Galleries are full of boring common art about nothing. Dig deep and do not make selling a priority. If it is good it will sell, but art that is made to sell becomes a product and you lose your soul. You become a whore for art.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Not for a few months. I'm trying something new and it needs to cook.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)www.flickr.com/photos/hawhawjames/

www.youtube.com/user/bibleartwork

Interview with Danny Quirk

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I am Danny Quirk, an artist/recent college grad looking to make a name for myself in the art world.... I'm originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, but am currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)I am currently working on two major bodies of work, Anatomical Self Dissection, and Military Artistic Journalism... The self dissections are an attempt at combining classical elements (chiaroscuro lighting, portraiture, nudes, etc) with a surreal twist... the figure reveals their inner anatomy via, dissection. As for the military body, the point of the series was to illustrate the story of a 'fictitious' Marine from boot camp, to deployment, to combat, to death, to return emphasizing the emotions felt by those fighting. Each piece was derived from interviews I'd had with Marines, each piece, being a different story. All the pieces, both series are done in watercolor.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I don't know really... I'd say maybe the technical handling of watercolor, or attention to detail.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)Not terribly long... aside from some 'student shows' in high school, I didn't start showing work until I graduated last May (some 5 months ago). Since then, I've had about 13 show(ing)s since then, ranging from a weekend to a month, but sadly, no "big break" as of yet. Granted, every show has opened doors to new opportunities, but I am still what you would call a 'starving artist'. haha.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Anatomy, physiology, the human body... they're all massive sources of inspiration for me. My goal in life is to become a medical illustrator, so it would only make sense these things would be of interest. ha. In terms of artistic influences... always been a huge fan of Alex Grey, H.R. Geiger, Dali, Caravaggio, etc.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)That was inadvertently mentioned above. ha. But for a recap... Anatomical Self Dissections, where the figure portrayed dissects a region of the body, revealing the underlying anatomy, and a series of military pieces derived from interviews with Marines, focusing on the emotions felt by those fighting overseas.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)For me, music is about as important as as the paints when making artwork. ha. I listen to a lot of Tool, Birthday Massacre, Primus, Buckethead, Lacuna Coil, Marilyn Manson... generally speaking 'darker' music, but I'd say it definitely reflects in the artwork.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)Yes... I've been dabbling in some digital work these past few months... it's kind of a side project, branch off of the military pieces, but I've been doing a series of schematic painting of all the US military guns in service.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Coming from experience, I'd say, take any/every opportunity to show your work. I spent far too much time being shy/not getting my work out, it kind of makes me wonder where I could be if I'd shown while in school? But what I'd suggest is just go to as many shows as you can, armed with a stack of business cards... talk about work and find ways to slide yours in, be confident about yourself, but not too confident. ha... one MAJOR thing I've learned is network, netWORK, NETWOK! Go to shows, be proud of your work, and form alliances with artists who are similarly different to you. It's easy for galleries to turn down one artist at a time, but if they're approached by two strong artists of similar themes/different styles (vice versa) they're less apt to turn you down, giving yourself another opportunity to be seen, and fact of the matter is, you just never know who could come through and see it.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Yes... there's going to be a 3 month solo show in Springfield, Massachusetts this Jan-Mar at the Bing Center, and then Dec 20-26th at The Window Gallery in Manhattan, NY.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)http://www.behance.net/dannyquirk

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Danny-Quirk-Artwork/283073600976?ref=ts

http://danquirk.blogspot.com/

Interview with Martha Verschaffel

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I’m an illustrator from Ghent (Belgium), graduated one year ago. Now I’m trying to make my own zines, drawings and comics.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)During my studies I experimented with a lot of materials and techniques. But now I’m drawing with nothing but pink plastic bic matic pencils.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)My most important source of inspiration are my nightmares and dreams. These stories are very personal and awkward, and I guess that’s why the drawings can also be described as somehow oppressive and intimidating.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)After graduating, I’ve been publishing my work on a blog and flickr-page. I was able to distribute my first zine (‘Alma Mater’) around the world through those different internet-sources and independent publications.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)My work is mainly about obsessions, so that’s an essential aspect I search for in my inspiration sources. As I said, in the first place, I can find them in my own nightmares. But also in old movies (Bergman, Murnau, Svankmajer, …), literature (T. S. Eliot, Kafka, Sartre, ...) or outsider art (Wölfli, Darger, Lobanov, …). I’m also fascinated by science, anatomy and taxidermy collections, and old daguerroype and tintype photographs.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)At the time, I’m working on several new projects. A collaboration with my cousin about motorcycles and cows, a new zine about the nightmares and some silkscreen tests.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)For me, music is indispensable while drawing. Joanna Newsom and Bob Dylan might be the most important. But lately I have been listeling a lot to Wire, Wipers and Digable Planets. Sometimes I like to put one song or one cd on repeat for an entire day.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I’m following silkscreen and photography classes, and now I’m experimenting with scraperboard. But pencil will always be my first and true love.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)I’m still searching for good advice myself, so I don’t think I’m the right person to give other people advice. But I would recommend to show some work on a flickr page, it helped me with getting in touch with other illustrators from around the world.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I’m not really into the art-gallery world, but when I will finish my next zine or when I have a small expo, you can read it on my blog.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)My blog (www.marthaverschaffel.blogspot.com) or my flickr page (www.flickr.com/marthaverschaffel)

Interview with Caio Locke

q)What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)As a child, seeing MC Escher’s House of Stairs in one of my first art classes.

q) Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

a)Conservation, design and architecture in my family background, both in the UK and Brazil, have been strong influences. At school, I was encouraged to focus almost entirely on etching, which has had a significant and positive influence on my painting style.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)Imagination, travel, acrylic and oil paints

q) Is a formal education important?

a)It depends on the individual. I feel art education was of benefit initially, but then became inhibiting and interfered with personal inspiration. My work needed to develop in isolation once I felt sufficiently confident technically.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)That it needs to shock to be original

q) Which is more important in art - concept or execution?

a)They are equally important.

q) What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?

a)Atmosphere

q) What is your favorite piece of art in your home?

a)A mysterious tribal style blue and green ceramic

q) If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

a)Goya, Van Gogh, Max Ernst, De Chirico, Kandinsky, Escher, HR Giger and the Futurists – preferably simultaneously!

q) Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?

a)Yours truly…

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)Committing entirely to painting

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)Developing the ability and freedom of mind to fully express my imagination in a visual way.

q) How do you define success?

a)That my work is appreciated without compromise to my artistic vision

q) What will be the name of your autobiography?

a)I let my paintings speak for me

q)What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?

a)Leave enough space for the viewer to think