Photo Diary: Spiral Jetty, Utah

After a month of road tripping throughout the American South West, I am finally back home in good ol' New York. Although I'm still in the process of completing a daily blog narrating my experiences on the trip for HY.GEN.IC, I thought that I would share some of my personal photographs with A Hit of Sarah readers. Our first destination on the trip was Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, one of the Land Art movement's most well-known works. It was located at an environment unlike any other, boasting beautiful views of the sparkling, Great Salt Lake and encompassed by flowered covered mountains. Set far away from the city, it truly is a place to escape and appreciate nature for all it's beauty and serenity. Read about my experiences there on PromoteandPreserve.com/land-art!

Finding Beauty in Normality

Brooklyn based artist, Paul Wackers, has worked as a painter in a handful of American cities. Hailing from Connecticut, he initially chose to go to the nation’s capital in pursuit of fine arts. Although a great city, Washington DC is not normally a place that many artists flock too. Admitting it as an odd choice, he still claims to have found amusement in the experience. But that’s Wackers, he can find amusement in almost everything. Along with his artistic capabilities, that is his unique skill. He can find diversion within predictabilities. That skill becomes even more apparent when discussing the subjects of his work- messy book shelves, plants in his studio, and even, cat furniture. Paul Wackers can take daily regularities and turn them into beautiful works of art. Using acrylic and spray paint, his pieces are one of a kind. Colorful, interesting, unique, but interestingly enough based off of the most common of things. With recent exhibition, “Almost Somewhere”, Wackers discusses his art centric upbringing, city hopping and wide-ranging inspirations. 

How did your interest in art begin to develop? How has your family assisted or influenced you in becoming an artist?

I grew up in Connecticut just outside of New Haven; I think art was always just something that was around. My mother was very interested in photography when I was born. She had a black and white darkroom at home for a while, which was something I resurrected for a time while I was in High School. She also worked in some local galleries so I would hang out there when I was a baby. Both of my parents have the arts of some kind in their families. My uncle on my father’s side is a painter and sculptor; his name is Ruudt Wackers. He is still working and making things in the south of France, where he lives. My mother’s brother was in museum administration in various forms. I was always around art, either just in my parent’s home or a studio, museum or gallery. Growing up with it always around made it seem like the thing I was just supposed to follow, it never seemed out of step. 

Why did you initially decide to go to art school in Washington DC? What was the art scene like over there?

I ended up in DC for school at the Corcoran college of art and design, but also because I had a few friends that moved there a year or so before who were a big influence on me. They were very active in the music scene in DC at the time, in bands like Cranium and Orthrelm from ‘97 until when I left in 2002. It was a very interesting time to be there, but strange as well. It had a very reactionary feel with all of the politics, but it also felt kind of like a bubble since it was so removed from the major cultural hubs on the east coast.  It was just awkward and a little disconnected and hard to really quantify.  Great museums there though.

After leaving Washington DC you went to San Francisco. How did moving there impact your work?

I really needed to get out of DC. The politics were not cool especially after 9/11; Bush was making it feel so shameful to be there. I needed to see another part of the country and I got accepted into the San Francisco Art institute so off I went. I really did not know what to expect. I had never really been there and I didn’t know anyone living there at the time.  Regardless, I think it was just perfect. There was a lot of energy and a great community of artists and musicians working there. People just seemed to mix it all together and things just kind of happened. I met some very inspiring people that taught me how to make and keep making art. Also, I think being in a smaller scene like San Francisco was a great place to figure out what I wanted to do. I did not have to compete with the hype of New York or Los Angeles, but I could still feel connected to it. That I think was the best thing about San Francisco back then. You could still live there and be broke and survive. Today, the city has been overrun by the tech community (or something like that). The move showed me how to breathe after growing up and living on the east coast where things get really tight. 

How do you create one of your pieces? Take me through the process.

The process of making a painting really changes with each one. I tend to start with a general sense of how I want some thing to move or present its self, be it a tangle of plants or a presentation of bowls or rock as if in a display at a museum. Then I try to build up the background or setting to set the mood, to get the tone correct. This part I struggle with the most and often repaint this step many many times with only slight variation.  After that is set I put in the meat of the painting and this is when I usually throw out my first idea and go with something else completely. I like being open to all sorts of changes and moments I can’t rationalize I think it lead to paintings that are more genuine instead of something that feels like its been forced into a shape its not comfortable with. Once that starts it’s really just a fluid build up of responding to what’s in front of me or seems to be missing. I always try to hold onto some sort of tension or balance within the image. It’s hard to get into specifics on how I make them since it seems like an always changing process.

You’ve said that films and newspaper articles inspire your work. What specific films or articles have you drawn inspiration from?
I can’t really say what specifically influenced me, but I used to watch an insane amount of films (I worked at a video store for almost 10 years, shout out to Lost Weekend Video). I was in love with the way images would get placed into this rectangle, the different ways to frame things and the bizarre perspective that some filmmakers would play with.  I watched a lot of 70’s and 80’s horror movies, like Friday the 13th,thhthat had a real barebones and DIY kind of approach, where what ever worked was the answer, but not always the right one. I think of my paintings as composed with a more cinematographic quality, or at least I did.  Things have changed a little bit. 

What other types of things motivate your paintings? How did you come up with the series "Almost Somewhere"?
The other things that creep into my work are just my surroundings. I have a lot of plants in my studio and they always find a way into my paintings. Lately, I have been working in more of a still life sort of format, finding bigger themes in a narrower focus than before, often repainting like objects to see the big differences in small variations.  That’s where a lot of the work from the show I did at Narwhal Art projects for “Almost Somewhere” evolved.  It was looking at the things around me and seeing where they could take me, but also finding new things to investigate by focusing on what was right in front of me. Even though I think they reflect more than just personal spaces. 

Are you inspired by any other artists? 

That list is almost too big and I keep adding to it every day. 

So here is a quick one off the top of my head: Lesley Vance, Tomma Abts, Peter Doig, Luc Tuymans, Peter Shire, Jonas Wood, Shio Kusaka, Chris Johanson, Paul Outerbridge, Matisse (of course), Anthony Caro, Aaron Curry. So many more I really can’t name and all for different reasons. But these are some of the ones I often return too to get excited.  

You utilize spray paint, but your work seems so structured. Do you use stencils? How do you create a full piece using acrylic and spray paint?

I do use stencils and other masking methods.  I try really hard to build that structure. It is something that sometimes fails spectacularly or just works effortlessly. I can never really tell which is which.  The spray paint is mostly something used to accent things the bulk of the work is all paint on a brush.  

What can we look forward too in your next series? 

I’ve been doing some research into cat trees (cat furniture).We will see where that takes me….

Read the original interview in spanish on Pull the Metal
Photos courtesy of Paul Wackers & Heather Culp

My Experience as a Rain Room MoMa Cop

If you're a fan of contemporary art or better yet, if you're addicted to instagram, chances are that you've probably heard of the Rain Room. The highly publicized installation took the starring role at MoMa PS1's Expo 1 this summer. Even as I type this, the thought of explaining what the Rain Room is makes me cringe. Imagined by London based studio, Random International, the Rain Room offers visitors the experience of controlling the rain. Inside of a black box gallery, a field of falling water encompasses most of the space and it pauses whenever a human body is detected. Moreover, you can walk through this field of water and leave it remaining completely dry. It is something quite amazing to experience. However, this exhibition lead me to develop a new perception on technology and it's role in our generation. Even though many people visited the Rain Room- many of them did not actually experience it.

This observation was something that I often spoke to my co-workers about and sometimes the rare visitor picked up on it too. I thought about it for a while and came to realize a few different things. Technology is wonderful, we wouldn't have the Rain Room without it nor would we have the means to photograph it. However, I've found that our generation no longer really does things to experience them anymore. Instead, they would prefer to capture the moment on their cellphones and upload it onto social media outlets to share the event with their friends. It's great that we are able to do that, but since that has now been the priority, we are no longer stopping to smell the roses, we're just instagramming them. This issue of wanting to go to the Rain Room only to come out with a cool photograph lead to immense wait times. When I say immense, I mean that people would come to the museum at 8am and wait up to thirteen hours to get in. Those people received mere seconds inside the installation, even after waiting all day to see it. It is as ridiculous as it sounds. 

In reality, you do not need more than five minutes inside of the Rain Room. That is how much time you need to slowly walk from one end to the other, stand in one place for a moment, look around you, and feel and experience the installation. Yet, the average time spent in the Rain Room was above that. Most people stayed for around twenty minutes, and at that point we would have to remind them to be courteous of the multiple hour long waits behind them. Why would you need that long in the rain? That is beyond me, but I also did not understand why people felt the need to take hundreds of photographs inside of it.

The problem with people being more concerned in taking photos than taking part in the actual exhibit also catapulted into another issue- the amount of people coming to see the Rain Room. Every day thousands of people flocked to the exhibition’s gates and although the show received tons of press- that wasn't what enticed them to come. In actuality, The Rain Room did not get good reviews in the papers. The New York Times wrote an awful (and exaggerated) piece on how the Museum of Modern Art handled this exhibition. If anyone had based their decision to go through a publication's review of it, I guarantee they would of thought twice of attending it. Most of these people came because they saw a cool picture on instagram, facebook, or twitter. This fact alone is a huge statement on how powerful social media is. Perhaps, people are more intrigued by what they see on social media then what they see in a publication. That's incredible and it only backs up the reasons tumblr and instagram went for a billion dollars, while The Washington Post only went for a quarter of that amount. 

All in all, the message that these artists attempted to send was stronger than most people perceived it to be. It was a social experiment with an unfortunate result. People waiting for hours to enter a room only to see rain, saddened because they traveled long distances and the lines were already at capacity by the time they arrived. It only escalated their frustration when others spent too much time inside the space. The irony? These same individuals spent that same amount of time inside the space themselves. The list goes on and on. I just hope that some people left the Rain Room with something other than a cool instagram picture. Photographing an event to retain its memory is a wonderful thing, but what is a photo if you don't even have the memory to begin with?

A Hit of Sunny Gu; Lively & Talented Fashion Illustrator

In recent news it was reported that The Washington Post was purchased for an underwhelming $250 million dollars. It's interesting to note this when considering that not much earlier this year, short form blogging platform, Tumblr, was bought for a staggering $1.1 billion. With those numbers in mind, it's very easy to identify the direction our media is going in. Although it's unfortunate to some, twenty years from now garnering your news solely from the internet will be something our entire population complies with and thus be completely normal. Though, it is hard to imagine the world without print newspapers. It's even harder to fathom a fashion magazine without any photographs in it. Yet, less than a decade ago that was the norm. Before the 1930's, if you picked up a copy of Vogue you wouldn't see a perfected photograph of one of your favorite celebrities, instead you'd find a beautiful illustration. Inside the magazine everything would be illustrated as well- the editorials, the advertisements, everything. Fashion Illustration plays a huge role in the history of the industry and has been around for nearly 500 years. Ever since clothes have been in existence there has been a need to translate a thought or an image into a fashion illustration. As Nicholas Drake mentioned in his book, Fashion Illustration Today, "not only do fashion illustrations show a representation or design of a garment but they also serve as a form of art. Fashion illustration shows the presence of hand and is said to be a visual luxury."

Still, pursuing a career in illustration is discouraged even more so than a career in journalism. Jobs are few and rare and the competition is incredibly steep. However, those statistics don't keep people from dreaming and for the braver creatives, it doesn't keep them from doing. That notion is what attracts me to fashion illustrators. The talents behind the art form aren't doing it for the money, they can't. They are doing it because it is something that they absolutely love to do and technology isn't going to stop them from creating. In illustrator Sunny Gu's case, technology, only assisted the artist in her chosen career path. A few months ago, I noticed Gu's drawings on a fashion blog and was immediately drawn to the vibrant colors, attention to detail, and creativity her work expressed. Shortly after, I looked her up and found out that she had a facebook fanpage, which she consistently updates with every new drawing. I became a fan and every now and then I would see her latest project and find myself ogling it. She seemed very active in her work and her clients also seemed quite major. Not too long ago the illustration above was featured on Swide, Dolce & Gabbana's online magazine. I was both curious and amazed by her. She is talented, completely humble and clearly very driven. I was interested in getting to know more about how Gu became an illustrator and how she turned her dream into a reality. Today, I invite you to explore her work and learn more about woman behind the illustrations. Take a hit of Sunny Gu.

How did you first get into illustration? How did your upbringing influence your career path? 

I have always loved drawing and painting! Making art has been my favorite hobby since I was a child! I still remember when my kindergarten friends enjoyed their free time playing outdoors, I was so satisfied spending time at home with a handful of colorful crayons and a little sketchbook. In the beginning I was just doing it for fun. It was my high school photography teacher who encouraged me to apply to an art school. That was the first time I seriously thought about turning my hobbies into a professional career. So I worked hard, put together a portfolio and got accepted to my dream school, Otis College of Art and Design in California. I started working as a freelance illustrator when I was studying there. There are many hard choices and challenges along the way, I’m always very grateful to have very supportive family and friends who give me the courage to keep chasing my dreams. 

What did you study in college? How has going to school there benefited your work? 

I studied Communication Arts-Illustration at Otis College of Art and Design. I gained basic illustration knowledge and built my foundation skills during my study in there. The illustration major at my school was very broad, we were focusing on critical thinking skills and how to use different mediums. The most precious things I got from college are the people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I learned to have a strong work ethic from my professors and classmates. I built friendships with like-minded passionate people who share the same dreams as I do. It’s a bliss to have amazing people around you who always make you want to be a better person, personally and professionally.

How did you develop an interest in fashion? Who are some of your favorite designers? 

I have always been interested in fashion. I developed a strong interest in fashion illustration when I came across some fashion illustration books during college. Some of my favorite designers are Raf Simons, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Prabal Gurung and Mary Katrantzou.

How do you create your work? Is it done completely by hand or do you also enhance it digitally? What do you enjoy most about the process?

I create illustrations completely by hand first, scan, and then adjust some minor details in photoshop if needed. For most of my illustrations, I paint them in watercolor. I love the vibrancy and unpredictable nature of watercolor. Occasionally I use graphite or acrylic paint to render some special textures. Sometimes the process is different depending on the illustration. If I’m creating an illustration with a very complex composition for a client, I normally paint the characters, certain textures and background separately to make it easy when any edition is requested by the client. What I enjoy most is the magical process of making an idea, story, illusion, imagination into a reality!

Is this your full-time career? If so, how did you get the word out and start working with other companies? 

Yes, it is my full-time career. I have a few online portfolios and maintain an active blog and print shop. I update them frequently with new illustrations and designs. I really believe in rapport and the power of word of mouth. I always try to deliver my best work to all of my clients and customers. I build friendships and trust with the people I do work for as well. Offer help and advice to others. A little kindness and generosity can go a long way. I’m always on the look out for new promotion and collaboration opportunities. Connect with prospective clients and other talents. The most important things to do in order to build credibility and start working with more companies are to prioritize quality and great customer service.

What types of things inspire your art work? Are there other illustrators who you admire or have influenced your style?

I find inspirations from simple things in life: sunshine, smiles, a blooming flower. I get inspired by artists, designers, fashion trends, people and artifacts from different cultures. Yes! There are too many! I especially love the works done by great fashion illustration masters René Gruau, David Downton and Bil Donovan.

 What advice would you give to other artists & illustrators in order to succeed?

Don’t wait for opportunities to come knocking on your door, create your own opportunity! Believe in yourself and keep chasing your dreams.

All images courtesy of the artist. To see more of Sunny's work make sure to check out her website, facebook, and blog. You can purchase one her original works on etsy and stay up to date with her on twitter.

Yago Hortal

What is the most important part of a painting if it's not the colors that propagate it's composition? In art, darker colors tend to invoke sadness, mysteriousness, and dark feelings, while warmer shades always seem to induce happy and positive sentiments. So it should be to no surprise that most art aficionados are immediately drawn to the vibrant works of Spanish painter, Yago Hortal. With the powerful strokes of his paintbrush the Berlin-based artist creates bright bursts of vivid color that formulate into beautiful pieces of eye candy. Any of Hortal's paintings could certainly liven up a room and add sunshine on a gloomy day in an instant. My own thoughts, as a writer more attracted to clothing over stationary visual art, envisioned these colorful strokes smeared across white column dresses, tailored slim fitting pants, and neat button downs adding intensity to simplicity. I would absolutely love to see Hortal collaborate with a fashion designer in the future. I find his brilliantly colored works to be quite alluring.

A Hit of Scream Colour by Illustrator, Humberto Cruz

I've found that passion is very often confused with financial success. In actuality, passion is exemplified through loving an activity enough to do it without any form of reimbursement, wether that compensation come monetarily or in the form of accolades. However, it's our society that tends to highlight the million dollar business man over the starving artist and as a result we also prefer stacks of bills over the blood, sweat and tears they came from. Still, real passion lives in the people who sacrifice their time and sleep for the sole reason that they really enjoy doing whatever their personal affection may be and that's really all they need to keep doing it. Illustrator, Humberto Cruz, is an excellent example of an artist with this type of immense passion.

Every night when Cruz returns from his full-time job in San Diego, California, he goes home to spend evenings with his blending markers and fine tip pens. As a child, Cruz, began teaching himself to draw- sketching his friends and family members along with his own made up characters. After High School, his affinity for creativity lead him to enroll in the graphic design program at the Art Institute of California. However, despite being well educated in computer applications that could enhance and digitalize his work, he still prefers a simple pen to paper. With time he began developing his skills and personal style and chose to progress by illustrating his favorite pop culture and fashion icons. Later he added pieces of his collection of stickers, as well as drawings inspired by them, to amplify and distinguish the backgrounds of his final products. His work is characterized by bright colors, an air of fun, with a strong youthful spirit in it's conception, but it wasn't until recently that his work began to become widely recognized.

Today it's hard to under estimate the power of social media. Many of our nation's favorite contemporary entertainers were derived from popular videos seen on youtube. In Cruz's case, it's  instagram. I first noticed his work on the instagram of a Jeremy Scott creative team member. I absolutely loved it and explored his account for more of his adorable illustrations. After weeks of consistently pressing the ♥ button I knew it was time to email Cruz some appreciative words. Happily, I found that I wasn't the only one. After starting an instagram, tumblr, and twitter, Cruz has been able to gauge the interest of many far and wide. He has recently done collaborations with other talents such as Luca Finotti and Marley Kate, and I am confident there will be many more in his future. I'm so happy to be able to share both his illustrations and his story because I am always inspired by those who never cease to pursue their true passions no matter what limitations they have to face to do so. I'm also lucky I was gifted with an I Scream colour original of myself in a favorite hot pink vintage Balmain look!

For more of Humberto Cruz's amazing illustrations be sure to check out + follow him on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

Leonid Afremov

It's rare that an artist today is able to make a living from their original artwork without exhibiting at galleries or collaborating with other brands, but Leonid Afremov was able to do it. Like his way of selling his work, the type of pieces he produces are also unlike any other modern contemporary artist. Inspired by artists like Marc Chagall, Picasso and other 19th Century Impressionists, Russian-Israeli Afremov is a modern impressionistic artist who works mainly with a palette knife and oils. His painting are comprised of heavy brush strokes in rich color and emotion. They are incredibly beautiful and a pleasure to look at. Today, Afremov sells his artwork on the internet. You can see more of his work on his website and easily purchase one straight from your computer screen.

 

Agenda NYC 2013

Last week I had the pleasure of attending Agenda, one of the most notable street wear trade shows in the states, to support the artists of HY.GEN.IC. Along with viewing HY.GEN.IC's two live art installations from start to finish I also had the opportunity to discover the latest collections of numerous amazing brands. 82 Mercer was filled with snapbacks in a variety of styles and colors, interesting graphic t-shirts, amazing printed pull overs, trousers, and an array of unique accessories. The overwhelming amount of cool apparel was paired with installations with both viewing and mental stimulation. It was definitely a good time for everyone there.

This trade show season HY.GEN.IC featured two live installations curated by their new Director of Artist Relations, Andrew Wheeler, with creative direction from Andy Song. The first, an amusing black and white mural orchestrated by artist, Nathaniel Dam. On the first day of the trade show Dam had began his installation by carefully placing and lining up tape and perfectly covering empty spaces with black paint. The second day threw the Agenda crowd for a loop as the perfect lines and rectangles on Dam's installation were soon accompanied by the nonchalant, graffiti-styled words: "very rare steak." The collaboration of the two unique styles created a very distinct looking mural. Many of the trade shows attendees enjoyed watching the installation evolve between the two days, which I think had a very interesting affect on the overall live installation.

HY.GEN.IC's second installation featured a very different piece of art work. Sweet faced photographer, Sarina Saletta, stood smiling with her polaroid camera and asked passer by-ers if they'd like their photograph taken. Right as she snapped photos she would ask strange or uncomfortable questions to her subjects which resulted in very interesting reactions and looking photos. The installation she coined "The Reaction Project" featured ten of these personal weird questions and ten subjects per question resulting in one hundred very different photographs. It was a favorite amongst Agenda attendees and many had wished they had taken up Saletta on a photograph when she initially asked.

The HY.GEN.IC team had a great time supporting both Dam and Saletta. Check out some of their behind the scenes photos on their newly launched instagram.

Of course Agenda's main attraction is the street wear. I honestly have never seen so much swag in one place. My favorites were the wooden accessories like Shwood's wooden sunglasses and another brand that sold wooden iphone cases. I've recently fallen in love with Two Guys Wooden Bow Ties so I've really been noticing and into this wooden accessories trend starting. I'm also not really someone who normally wears hats, let alone snap backs, but Flexfit being a main sponsor for Agenda, I saw hundreds of caps and many that I wanted in my possession. There were also a lot of cool graphics, accessories, and apparel. I will be posting more photos from Agenda on my tumblr so stay tuned.

Keep up with HY.GEN.IC. and their coverage of the Agenda Trade Show by liking them on facebook!