Our Synesthesia project with Yours Truly is under way! I’ll be posting letters written by musicians to visual artists who’ve inspired them, and YT will be posting letters from visual artists to musicians (confused?). It will all make more sense if you check out a letter from illustrator Tom Edwards to Panda Bear, here.
(photo by Alaska B)
Working in music the last few years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with some rad people behind the scenes: filmmakers, engineers, graphic designers, writers – those individuals whose art it is to facilitate art. I had the opportunity to sit down with La Blogotheque filmmaker Derrick Belcham before he sets off en route to establish a La Blogotheque HQ in New York. We met in a Toronto diner to discuss how he got to be where he’s at, what Jeff Tweedy smelled like up close (ok, not really), the myth of the “Moon Man”. Derrick emerged from the corporate world, returned to his experimental roots and gave up the handsome paychecks to invade the personal space of many of our favorite artists. I quickly realized that Derrick’s success can be attributed to a specific ethos: always be curious, always be in awe, and always be grateful. It’s a sentiment that permeated throughout his stories. His liberal use of adjectives will attest to it. He makes me feel like there is still life in these mediums, yet.
Yesterday Scout Magazine ran a little interview with me and I wanted to share it with you. It was fun to answer a lot of questions I never get asked! You can read it here.
PS – Yes, this photo is from the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo.
Thomas Campbell sat down with the folks at The Standard to talk about his latest work. I like his point about making work for the fun of it.
Watch the video below!
Daniel Eatock talks about his recent work “Felt-tip Prints”.
Watch the video below!
I’m still putting together posts covering my trip to Israel but in the meantime I thought you might be interested in a mini interview with Israeli illustrator Tomer Hanuka.
I also have a giveaway copy of his new book “Overkill” which contains over a decade of his work. If you wanna snag the book, read to the end of the interview!
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TOMER HANUKA INTERVIEW / OVERKILL GIVEAWAY
It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Vancouver, although it’s now mid-afternoon and I’ve been inside all day working. Can you describe where you are right now?
I’m sitting at my desk looking out the window. It has a view of the building right next to us — a wall of bedroom windows so close you can jump straight into those tenants lives and pick up where they stopped. This is the east village, in New York. It’s calm, gray, just rained.
Last week I had a little online chat with Toronto-based illustrator Jessica Fortner! Back in July she blew me away with two different submissions to our project with Poketo, so this is long overdue!
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An interview with Jessica Fortner
It’s a rainy day here in Vancouver so it feels nice to be sitting in my apartment with a cup of green tea. I’m listening to Jose Gonzalez and spying on people out my window. Can you describe where you are?
I’m sitting in my studio (a.k.a. my apartment), and as of now am listening to Jose Gonzalez. It’s grey and rainy out, so I’m glued to the computer working on my new project/website Tangled Fingers. Behind me are two drafting tables, one mine the other my boyfriend’s, stacked with drawings, sketches, books, comics, and magazines. The room is tiny, but has a big window looking out on downtown Toronto.
I have fond memories of Toronto, I used to go out there every summer (and many winters) to visit my grandparents. Do you have any inside information about the city? What is something most people don’t know about Toronto?
Toronto has the best comic book store in North America. It’s called The Beguiling. The people who run it host the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) which brings together a ton of talented artists every year.
