John is a young artist based in Los Angeles, studying at the prestigious Art Center College of Design. In this interview, the creative mind explains the journey of an artist, driven by a burning passion.
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John, could you tell us more about your background ? When did you first take a pen and draw?
I've been drawing for most of my life, though I cant really recall at what age I started. My earliest memory is tracing and redrawing the panels from the pages of Spawn, a comic which debuted in 1992. I was 5 in 1992 so it’s likely I didn't discover Spawn for another few years.
Most of my time in public school was spent drawing in the margins of my paper instead of paying attention. In high school I was more concerned with the wave of Japanese animation and manga that was trickling into America, than reading the classics for English class. It’s possible my mother bribed a few teachers to give me passing grades as my school counselor was confident I wasn't going to go to college.
After high school I attended a local community college and that's where I first began to receive some real education in art. I took my first life drawing class a year in and after that I never looked back. I repeated the two life drawing classes that were offered so many times that the administration wouldn't let me enrol anymore.
After about 5 years of community college I started to plateau and began looking to transfer to a higher institution. I spent time looking around and reviewing my work with different schools and ultimately decided on Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Most of the schools I talked to were enthusiastic about my work and were very positive. When I showed Art Center my portfolio they were largely unimpressed and that was key in my decision to apply. I knew I was gonna struggle through school and I wanted to make sure that if I ended up in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, I would get an education from somewhere that would actually push me and not cut corners or bullshit me. I’ve been here at Art Center since 2011.
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Do you have a mentor or somebody who gave you the desire to draw?
I've never really had a mentor or anyone who has taken me aside. My desire to draw and passion to keep going has always been generated internally. My mother has always been supportive even though she isn't educated in the arts. I have sacrificed a lot in the past few years hoping to creep closer to completing my education and she has always been there when I needed her.
Any work ethic or work habits?
I try to make it as easy as possible for myself to work. I always have a sketchbook and pencil with me. Right now I draw and paint a lot but it’s all at a manageable size. I don't use excessive or elaborate materials that make storage difficult or require special exceptions to utilize. If I had a studio perhaps I could be more elaborate and make more demanding work but right now I am more concerned with comfortability and regularity. To me it’s like mastering an instrument, you want to play scales until it is automatic and you don't have to think about which note you’re playing. I want the same mastery in my drawing and painting, so I remove all the difficult parts that may keep me from practicing.
Environment and community is important as I found that it’s easier to be motivated around people who are also working hard to get better and love what they're doing. Also surrounding yourself with artists of different talents, view points and education can be incredibly valuable. There are a few places that inspire procrastination and I try and limit how often I am in situations like that.
Exposure and education is also incredibly valuable. I try to see as much as I can and collect images from sources wherever I can. Museums are a great place to learn and libraries are incredibly valuable. I've scanned whole books to keep on my hard drive and searched for valuable pieces of information regarding some of my favorite artists. There is a whole era of work written by great artists and great art educators that is out of print and sitting on the shelves of America's libraries, waiting to be rediscovered by the current and future generations. But even as I say that, I am terrible at reading. I'm slow to pick up books and slow to continue, its something I need to work on.
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Does your life affect your art directly, or do you manage to split the two?
Life will always try to ruin whatever it is your trying to do. I've struggled the past few years with financing my education, relationships, living arrangements, and just trying to eat. How I work has adjusted to be more manageable no matter what happens in my life. Keeping things simple and making sure I work a little every day keeps me hungry and manages all the difficulties. Some people make work because it’s fun but I make work because it mitigates all the struggles. It has also forced me to distill what I do often into its purest elements. I draw a lot because drawing is where it all begins and it is my purest expression.
The majority of your works illustrate the human body. What do you like about drawing people?
My earliest exposure to art was comic books and those are all filled with people. I recognized early on that people were the hardest subjects to draw and so it was always my goal to master drawing humans. I've learned all the properties of crafting an image by drawing people. I've learned science about our world and our biology by drawing people. Humanity is certainly at the center of our universe, at least to humanity. So people will always be challenging and relevant.
I also believe that representation is important. And while some in the art world see the term "realism" as a four letter word, there is still a lot of work out there that speaks to a limited perspective. I can’t say I've achieved a unique perspective or that what I'm creating now is new or cutting edge. I am not exactly on the forefront of the human experience or currently taking heavy risks with my subject matter but I don't believe we are finished transcribing the human experience. There used to be illustrators that were more like journalists. While photography has replaced a lot of those opportunities, it still is a fascinating way to record time and events. Genuine people and experience will always inspire me.
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What are you favorite lines of the human body?
I find backs to be incredibly valuable when I am trying to loosen up and get the kinks out. There is just something about the angles of the shoulders and the hips and how every thing connects. It could be that the back of a person is perhaps the least personal? Most people don't identify with their scapula as they do their eyes or other pieces of anatomy. Sometimes when you're drawing you can get hung up on likeness and end up making a really forced drawing. But when a person is turned away from you, all the identifying features are limited and you just have to worry about forms moving into other forms.
How do you feel when you are painting?
My time painting is limited when compared to how much time I've invested in drawing. However, painting is a skill I am the most motivated to improving. I love looking at paintings but color has eluded me for the longest time. I've learned, rather recently, that I never really thought in color and when imagining or considering my own work it was always expressed in value in my mind. It has been a challenge but I have been happy with the continued progress. There is something about the way light moves through oil and how paint lays down that is magical. I'm fascinated by how old painting is and how some have survived for centuries. I can’t fathom crafting something and having it last for hundreds of years.
As an artist, do you sometimes doubt yourself and your skills? If so, why?
All the time and it’s quite easy to doubt yourself when you're at an institution surrounded by people who are incredible. There is always going to be someone "better" or who has more followers or gets more work. I just worry about myself and that I am happy with what I’m doing. As long as I continue to make work that is close to me and that I continue to work towards my own goals, I rarely get hung up on doubt. Some times I have a bad day where I see my work as shit but then there are some days where I look at other peoples work and I feel validated in my own. Everyone struggles with it, you just need to remember to keep on working. Also keep in mind that work, like people, is different. I know some artists who can conceive a project and spend months completing it to the tiniest details. I know other artists who can pull amazing things from their imagination but they can’t convincingly draw something from observation. I myself hate noodling work until its perfect, so my goal is to achieve the expression in the moment.
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In your opinion, how can an artist evolve and improve her/himself?
Practice is always key to performing any skill. Drawing and painting is much like an instrument in that you gain a certain amount of muscle memory from consistent practice. There is a certain amount of immediacy and ease that regular execution brings. I believe many creators can attest to a certain amount of rust after a long vacation away from the grind.
Experience, as there is just no substitute for going somewhere and really taking in the environment. The internet is an incredibly useful tool but it cannot wholly reproduce reality. This is obvious but it seems far more regular that people are content with the results from Google searches rather then investing in the time it takes to go somewhere and really experience something. Postcards were created to remind us of our time in paradise, not to replace the real thing. So when I draw someone or something, it’s all distilled through my language. It’s a post card of notations, editing, and it is this human element that is important. And whether I am trying to render the tiniest detail of a scene or loosely represent a figure, it’s all created with stuff. Stuff that is alive as much as we are. Oil paint lives long after it sets, drawings are made of burnt sticks and trees, photography is capturing light and chemical reactions, and sculpture is crafted with the foundations of the earth. It can be quite romantic but the point is there is no substitute for the real thing.
I don't believe that everyone needs to earn a degree from a higher institution but education is incredibly valuable however its achieved. Education has revealed to me how much I just don't know. It has forced me to listen, ask questions and to pay attention to not just art but also life. In Art, education provides context that will often open up new avenues of inspiration. In life, I found that I listen and observe a lot more effectively. I am continuously inspired or energized to keep working because of my education and it helps me to connect the dots between artists, time and industries. Whether it is the contemporary world or the past, Art is no different from the rest of humanity; we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors for better or for worse. It is a big idea but often represented in the smallest ways and it’s all those small moments that add up into something greater. Just like practicing every day to get better, your mind is a muscle too. I cant say it is the sharpest of all my tools but if I keep testing it then it'll get stronger.
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What would you like to do after your school? Would you like to work in a particular industry, or follow your own path?
I don't have a particular path I'm striving for. There's very little opportunities I won’t entertain but really I won’t have any idea until I try whatever comes my way. There are advantages to working in a studio and there are advantages to freelancing. Gallery work is enticing and I'm open to teaching as well. I believe more in teaching the skills rather than teaching the industry. However, I am certain that I would love the opportunity to travel. There is much more of the world out there than what’s in LA and I would like to see more of it.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Do whatever you want, doing things the way other people do or what you're "supposed" to always hurts more than it helps.
To finish, what is for you, the most beautiful thing?
Love, it seems to be quite elusive and, like art, everyone seems to know what it is even though they can't define it.
Thank you John!
To find more about the artist:
website
John, could you tell us more about your background ? When did you first take a pen and draw?
I've been drawing for most of my life, though I cant really recall at what age I started. My earliest memory is tracing and redrawing the panels from the pages of Spawn, a comic which debuted in 1992. I was 5 in 1992 so it’s likely I didn't discover Spawn for another few years.
Most of my time in public school was spent drawing in the margins of my paper instead of paying attention. In high school I was more concerned with the wave of Japanese animation and manga that was trickling into America, than reading the classics for English class. It’s possible my mother bribed a few teachers to give me passing grades as my school counselor was confident I wasn't going to go to college.
After high school I attended a local community college and that's where I first began to receive some real education in art. I took my first life drawing class a year in and after that I never looked back. I repeated the two life drawing classes that were offered so many times that the administration wouldn't let me enrol anymore.
After about 5 years of community college I started to plateau and began looking to transfer to a higher institution. I spent time looking around and reviewing my work with different schools and ultimately decided on Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Most of the schools I talked to were enthusiastic about my work and were very positive. When I showed Art Center my portfolio they were largely unimpressed and that was key in my decision to apply. I knew I was gonna struggle through school and I wanted to make sure that if I ended up in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, I would get an education from somewhere that would actually push me and not cut corners or bullshit me. I’ve been here at Art Center since 2011.
Do you have a mentor or somebody who gave you the desire to draw?
I've never really had a mentor or anyone who has taken me aside. My desire to draw and passion to keep going has always been generated internally. My mother has always been supportive even though she isn't educated in the arts. I have sacrificed a lot in the past few years hoping to creep closer to completing my education and she has always been there when I needed her.
Any work ethic or work habits?
I try to make it as easy as possible for myself to work. I always have a sketchbook and pencil with me. Right now I draw and paint a lot but it’s all at a manageable size. I don't use excessive or elaborate materials that make storage difficult or require special exceptions to utilize. If I had a studio perhaps I could be more elaborate and make more demanding work but right now I am more concerned with comfortability and regularity. To me it’s like mastering an instrument, you want to play scales until it is automatic and you don't have to think about which note you’re playing. I want the same mastery in my drawing and painting, so I remove all the difficult parts that may keep me from practicing.
Environment and community is important as I found that it’s easier to be motivated around people who are also working hard to get better and love what they're doing. Also surrounding yourself with artists of different talents, view points and education can be incredibly valuable. There are a few places that inspire procrastination and I try and limit how often I am in situations like that.
Exposure and education is also incredibly valuable. I try to see as much as I can and collect images from sources wherever I can. Museums are a great place to learn and libraries are incredibly valuable. I've scanned whole books to keep on my hard drive and searched for valuable pieces of information regarding some of my favorite artists. There is a whole era of work written by great artists and great art educators that is out of print and sitting on the shelves of America's libraries, waiting to be rediscovered by the current and future generations. But even as I say that, I am terrible at reading. I'm slow to pick up books and slow to continue, its something I need to work on.
Does your life affect your art directly, or do you manage to split the two?
Life will always try to ruin whatever it is your trying to do. I've struggled the past few years with financing my education, relationships, living arrangements, and just trying to eat. How I work has adjusted to be more manageable no matter what happens in my life. Keeping things simple and making sure I work a little every day keeps me hungry and manages all the difficulties. Some people make work because it’s fun but I make work because it mitigates all the struggles. It has also forced me to distill what I do often into its purest elements. I draw a lot because drawing is where it all begins and it is my purest expression.
The majority of your works illustrate the human body. What do you like about drawing people?
My earliest exposure to art was comic books and those are all filled with people. I recognized early on that people were the hardest subjects to draw and so it was always my goal to master drawing humans. I've learned all the properties of crafting an image by drawing people. I've learned science about our world and our biology by drawing people. Humanity is certainly at the center of our universe, at least to humanity. So people will always be challenging and relevant.
I also believe that representation is important. And while some in the art world see the term "realism" as a four letter word, there is still a lot of work out there that speaks to a limited perspective. I can’t say I've achieved a unique perspective or that what I'm creating now is new or cutting edge. I am not exactly on the forefront of the human experience or currently taking heavy risks with my subject matter but I don't believe we are finished transcribing the human experience. There used to be illustrators that were more like journalists. While photography has replaced a lot of those opportunities, it still is a fascinating way to record time and events. Genuine people and experience will always inspire me.
What are you favorite lines of the human body?
I find backs to be incredibly valuable when I am trying to loosen up and get the kinks out. There is just something about the angles of the shoulders and the hips and how every thing connects. It could be that the back of a person is perhaps the least personal? Most people don't identify with their scapula as they do their eyes or other pieces of anatomy. Sometimes when you're drawing you can get hung up on likeness and end up making a really forced drawing. But when a person is turned away from you, all the identifying features are limited and you just have to worry about forms moving into other forms.
How do you feel when you are painting?
My time painting is limited when compared to how much time I've invested in drawing. However, painting is a skill I am the most motivated to improving. I love looking at paintings but color has eluded me for the longest time. I've learned, rather recently, that I never really thought in color and when imagining or considering my own work it was always expressed in value in my mind. It has been a challenge but I have been happy with the continued progress. There is something about the way light moves through oil and how paint lays down that is magical. I'm fascinated by how old painting is and how some have survived for centuries. I can’t fathom crafting something and having it last for hundreds of years.
As an artist, do you sometimes doubt yourself and your skills? If so, why?
All the time and it’s quite easy to doubt yourself when you're at an institution surrounded by people who are incredible. There is always going to be someone "better" or who has more followers or gets more work. I just worry about myself and that I am happy with what I’m doing. As long as I continue to make work that is close to me and that I continue to work towards my own goals, I rarely get hung up on doubt. Some times I have a bad day where I see my work as shit but then there are some days where I look at other peoples work and I feel validated in my own. Everyone struggles with it, you just need to remember to keep on working. Also keep in mind that work, like people, is different. I know some artists who can conceive a project and spend months completing it to the tiniest details. I know other artists who can pull amazing things from their imagination but they can’t convincingly draw something from observation. I myself hate noodling work until its perfect, so my goal is to achieve the expression in the moment.
In your opinion, how can an artist evolve and improve her/himself?
Practice is always key to performing any skill. Drawing and painting is much like an instrument in that you gain a certain amount of muscle memory from consistent practice. There is a certain amount of immediacy and ease that regular execution brings. I believe many creators can attest to a certain amount of rust after a long vacation away from the grind.
Experience, as there is just no substitute for going somewhere and really taking in the environment. The internet is an incredibly useful tool but it cannot wholly reproduce reality. This is obvious but it seems far more regular that people are content with the results from Google searches rather then investing in the time it takes to go somewhere and really experience something. Postcards were created to remind us of our time in paradise, not to replace the real thing. So when I draw someone or something, it’s all distilled through my language. It’s a post card of notations, editing, and it is this human element that is important. And whether I am trying to render the tiniest detail of a scene or loosely represent a figure, it’s all created with stuff. Stuff that is alive as much as we are. Oil paint lives long after it sets, drawings are made of burnt sticks and trees, photography is capturing light and chemical reactions, and sculpture is crafted with the foundations of the earth. It can be quite romantic but the point is there is no substitute for the real thing.
I don't believe that everyone needs to earn a degree from a higher institution but education is incredibly valuable however its achieved. Education has revealed to me how much I just don't know. It has forced me to listen, ask questions and to pay attention to not just art but also life. In Art, education provides context that will often open up new avenues of inspiration. In life, I found that I listen and observe a lot more effectively. I am continuously inspired or energized to keep working because of my education and it helps me to connect the dots between artists, time and industries. Whether it is the contemporary world or the past, Art is no different from the rest of humanity; we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors for better or for worse. It is a big idea but often represented in the smallest ways and it’s all those small moments that add up into something greater. Just like practicing every day to get better, your mind is a muscle too. I cant say it is the sharpest of all my tools but if I keep testing it then it'll get stronger.
What would you like to do after your school? Would you like to work in a particular industry, or follow your own path?
I don't have a particular path I'm striving for. There's very little opportunities I won’t entertain but really I won’t have any idea until I try whatever comes my way. There are advantages to working in a studio and there are advantages to freelancing. Gallery work is enticing and I'm open to teaching as well. I believe more in teaching the skills rather than teaching the industry. However, I am certain that I would love the opportunity to travel. There is much more of the world out there than what’s in LA and I would like to see more of it.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Do whatever you want, doing things the way other people do or what you're "supposed" to always hurts more than it helps.
To finish, what is for you, the most beautiful thing?
Love, it seems to be quite elusive and, like art, everyone seems to know what it is even though they can't define it.
Thank you John!
To find more about the artist:
website
