Welcome back, I always enjoy your presence here. There's lots of stuff on the internet, so I'm pleased to see you back! I appreciate you :D
I’m really pleased to be posting this interview- Jennifer Romita has recently made the shift from Graphic Design to full-time artist, and doing whatever it takes to be awesome at it. I really admire her process and her work, and I think you will, too.
You have a number of interesting projects on the go right now. What are they? What are you working on right now?
My most recently completed project is a 2-part painting series of close up details of a cat. The idea started with some macro photographs I shot of my cat, all the tiny little details I picked up with the camera and a play on words connected to the internet phenomenon of Cat Macros. When I started painting, I considered calling the series Cat Macros. I suppose that is an accurate description, but having these large paintings of a cat in macro view around my work and living area has changed the whole sense of the space I operate in. The contrast between the large paintings and my small feline muse is really quite striking, especially when she decides to hang out while I’m painting. Given the way this series has altered my personal environment, I’ve decided that they describe the domestic landscape with a domestic cat, and so I call them Cat Macro Landscapes.
My next series of work will involve a lot of bodies and faces, and I haven’t had a lot of practice using people as subject matter over the last few years. To remedy this, I started an ongoing drawing project called the West Coast Drawing Marathon. I decided that this would be a great way to get myself into shape while having the opportunity to visit a number of cities on the west coast for drawing opportunities. I’m excited about it because it’s the perfect in-between step that prepares me for my next major body of work, while creating a body of work on it’s own.
Who is Powder Romita?
Powder is my 13 year old mixed breed cat, and she’s the subject of the 2 paintings I recently completed. I’ve lived with many felines over the last 10 years or so, but Powder has been the one constant in my life for at least the last decade, and she’s been present for the most significant changes I’ve experienced in my adult life so far.
What is your process like?
My process … that’s a good question. I’m not sure that I have one just yet. My way of generating ideas is a bit abstract. I seem to have a knack for the stream of consciousness, so I guess that combines with my love of language and wordplay, and my general observations of life and human behaviour.
I end up with a long list of ideas to work from, and I record all my ideas in a book so I can focus on one at a time. I can’t recommend this enough for anyone who feels overwhelmed by too many ideas or projects. I used to be more impulsive and want to start everything I came up with, but committing the idea to writing helps get it out of my head, make it tangible somehow, and unblocks me from getting real work done on projects I’ve already started. It also allows me to go back to old ideas and consider whether or not they’re really as “brilliant” as I thought they were when they first occurred to me.
Where my painting process is concerned, sometimes I’ll start by drawing out a quick thumbnail sketch on paper before I commit to marking up a canvas. It’s usually for figuring out composition, but I usually have a strong visual in my mind so I’ll typically start with that. I don’t spend a lot of time (hardly any) with preliminary sketches on paper, but I often start with pencil sketches directly on the canvas. It’s hard to say how much of this is necessary. I think it’s probably different for each piece. Once I’m finished with the sketching, I push it a bit further by plotting out colour patches using acrylic washes. I guess that, in a way, this is a way of adding to the sketch because the pencil is still visible, it disappears as heavier paint is added.
I always take a break from a painting before I start working on the fine details and blending. Sometimes it’s a couple of days, sometimes it’s a couple of weeks. Usually I’ll work on another piece during this time or do some writing. The purpose of the break is to give my eyes a break from what I’m looking at. It’s so much easier to see areas that need improvement after some time away from an image in process.
What are your favorite materials and combination of?
I’m really enjoying acrylic paint and gel mediums. These are my first acrylic works, and I’ve never taken a painting class, so there has been a significant learning curve, but I’m feeling much more confident with them as time passes and I get more work done. When I feel that I can make them do what I need them to, I’ll probably put aside acrylics to start working in oils and see which one I prefer. I’ve tried oils once before, and it was a long time ago when I had a lot less patience for drying time than I do now.
What influences you?
So many people, places and things. I’m not sure I know how to answer this question. I think it goes back to the earlier part of how I described my process for generating ideas. If I had to distill it a bit though, I’d say that human behaviour, beliefs and psychology as well as popular culture – all these systems play a big part in what influences me.
What are five artists you think everyone should check out?
1. Chuck Close has been one of my favourite artists for many years. He worked in a hyper-realist style up until a spinal artery collapse in 1988 caused him to be almost completely paralyzed from neck down. In spite of this challenge, he developed a new method of painting his work continues to amaze me.
2. Damien Hirst is a British artist who has developed a strong body of work as a conceptual artist, and has a reputation for being a bit of a prankster. I’ve often found that I enjoy most of his work because I enjoy the attitude with which it was conceived. I’ve seen photographs of his recent work (as of late 2009) — paintings he did with his own hand, without the aid of any of his assistants. In my opinion, it’s absolute shite. In spite of it’s poor quality, I think it’s still important work given the context of how his previous work added to our cultural understanding of what art is, isn’t or could be. But only within that context.
3. Audrey Kawasaki: Her work is excellent, and it’s become very popular with a young audience in the last few years — especially online. I’ve seen a lot of younger artists trying to replicate her style and subject matter. I think that everyone should check out Audrey’s work, enjoy it, and be inspired by it, but focus on developing their own style and creative voice.
4. Feng Zhengjie: I love his enormous paintings of women. The colours he uses are electric and his work has such a strong and persistent presence. I’ll leave it at that and let your readers seek him out on their own so they can have their own reaction.
5. Patrick Nagel: Everyone knows his work, even if they don’t know his name. His images defined the 1980s, and his minimal reductive style was a primary influence of mine. I’d go so far as to say that looking at his work taught me how to draw faces at a very young age. Nagel died before his time, and I often wonder how his work would have evolved if he were still with us.
What are some of your favorite successes? Even small moments!
Recently, I figured out when to stop working on a painting and take a break, and for me, that point is just before I feel like I’m going to wreck it beyond recovery. I used to think that pushing through a mistake or a creative block was the best thing to do, and sometimes it is, but sometimes it’s better to take a break and work on something else. I think that was an important lesson to learn.
I feel I’ve been successful every time someone expresses their reaction to my work. Whether they love it or hate it doesn’t matter as much as the fact that it moved them somehow.
I should also add that I recently launched my online print store, and I hope this will help extend the reach of my work and put it in the hands of people who feel a connection to it.
How long were you in Graphic Design for and why did you leave?
My background is in graphic design. I studied design for 4 years at NSCAD University in Halifax, and worked in the field from the time I was in school until mid-2007. There are so many reasons why I left the industry. The short version of that story is that I left graphic design because I was tired of lying to myself about job satisfaction and tired of pandering to values I didn’t agree with.
What was the tipping point to make the transition?
The last freelance job I completed for an in-house client required 2 all-nighters over a single weekend to meet a deadline imposed by an inexperienced junior account manager. It was difficult and exhausting, but I got the job done. When I was faced with a sudden family emergency a week later and needed a bit of time off as “next of kin”, the director was unsympathetic. Rather than allowing some time off between projects, he decided that the company no longer required my services, and that they wouldn’t be paying me the full balance of my final invoice for the work I completed.
Even though I recognized that I hadn’t been happy with what I was doing for a couple of years, I always got the job done regardless of challenges or obstacles because that’s what a professional does. Somehow though, it also seems that professional behaviour doesn’t allow for these types of stories to be told, but that’s bulllshit. I think it’s vital to speak up about such things because no one should be treated in such a horrible manner. It’s simply not worth it.
What would you say to other Graphic Designers ( or your past self) looking to follow your example?
In a nutshell, I think that life is too short to spend so much time doing something (anything) you’re not truly happy with, and that it’s important to make contentment and personal fulfillment a priority.
If you’re like me, you’ll find it difficult or even impossible to do client design and personally driven art at the same time because they’re very different beasts. Don’t expect the switch to be automatic or fast — it can take a while, and in my case it took over a year to make a complete transition from on to the other.
What things came together to make this possible?
I’m not sure if anything came together, because at the time, it seemed more like everything was falling apart! But I think there’s a lot of good that can come from that sort of chaos if a person has the right sort of attitude about finding positivity when it seems most scarce. Sometimes it’s just best to let the pieces fall where they may.
On a more practical note, I have an incredibly supportive spouse who offered to back me in the first few years of this adventure. That’s an enormous help, and I doubt I’d be making much progress without his generous support.
Do you attend any arts events? If so, what ones? Do you participate?
I haven’t attended many events because I’ve been mostly focusing on my own work, but I love visiting galleries and public installations. I’ve participated in a number of photography projects, and will continue to help out wherever I can so long as I have the time.
Where would you like to see your artistic practice go in the future?
I’d like to see my practice become self sustaining. Beyond that, I’d love to show more of my work at home but especially in galleries abroad. I love traveling and experiencing other cultures, and I think it would be great to show my work in the different contexts that international exposure makes available.
For more Jennifer Romita:
WWW.ROMITA.CA STORE.ROMITA.CA
BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK
CHAT ON TWITTER
Jennifer Romita brings the RAWR to Acrylics
I’m really pleased to be posting this interview- Jennifer Romita has recently made the shift from Graphic Design to full-time artist, and doing whatever it takes to be awesome at it. I really admire her process and her work, and I think you will, too.
You have a number of interesting projects on the go right now. What are they? What are you working on right now?
My most recently completed project is a 2-part painting series of close up details of a cat. The idea started with some macro photographs I shot of my cat, all the tiny little details I picked up with the camera and a play on words connected to the internet phenomenon of Cat Macros. When I started painting, I considered calling the series Cat Macros. I suppose that is an accurate description, but having these large paintings of a cat in macro view around my work and living area has changed the whole sense of the space I operate in. The contrast between the large paintings and my small feline muse is really quite striking, especially when she decides to hang out while I’m painting. Given the way this series has altered my personal environment, I’ve decided that they describe the domestic landscape with a domestic cat, and so I call them Cat Macro Landscapes.
My next series of work will involve a lot of bodies and faces, and I haven’t had a lot of practice using people as subject matter over the last few years. To remedy this, I started an ongoing drawing project called the West Coast Drawing Marathon. I decided that this would be a great way to get myself into shape while having the opportunity to visit a number of cities on the west coast for drawing opportunities. I’m excited about it because it’s the perfect in-between step that prepares me for my next major body of work, while creating a body of work on it’s own.
Who is Powder Romita?
Powder is my 13 year old mixed breed cat, and she’s the subject of the 2 paintings I recently completed. I’ve lived with many felines over the last 10 years or so, but Powder has been the one constant in my life for at least the last decade, and she’s been present for the most significant changes I’ve experienced in my adult life so far.
What is your process like?
My process … that’s a good question. I’m not sure that I have one just yet. My way of generating ideas is a bit abstract. I seem to have a knack for the stream of consciousness, so I guess that combines with my love of language and wordplay, and my general observations of life and human behaviour.
Where my painting process is concerned, sometimes I’ll start by drawing out a quick thumbnail sketch on paper before I commit to marking up a canvas. It’s usually for figuring out composition, but I usually have a strong visual in my mind so I’ll typically start with that. I don’t spend a lot of time (hardly any) with preliminary sketches on paper, but I often start with pencil sketches directly on the canvas. It’s hard to say how much of this is necessary. I think it’s probably different for each piece. Once I’m finished with the sketching, I push it a bit further by plotting out colour patches using acrylic washes. I guess that, in a way, this is a way of adding to the sketch because the pencil is still visible, it disappears as heavier paint is added.
I always take a break from a painting before I start working on the fine details and blending. Sometimes it’s a couple of days, sometimes it’s a couple of weeks. Usually I’ll work on another piece during this time or do some writing. The purpose of the break is to give my eyes a break from what I’m looking at. It’s so much easier to see areas that need improvement after some time away from an image in process.
What are your favorite materials and combination of?
I’m really enjoying acrylic paint and gel mediums. These are my first acrylic works, and I’ve never taken a painting class, so there has been a significant learning curve, but I’m feeling much more confident with them as time passes and I get more work done. When I feel that I can make them do what I need them to, I’ll probably put aside acrylics to start working in oils and see which one I prefer. I’ve tried oils once before, and it was a long time ago when I had a lot less patience for drying time than I do now.
What influences you?
So many people, places and things. I’m not sure I know how to answer this question. I think it goes back to the earlier part of how I described my process for generating ideas. If I had to distill it a bit though, I’d say that human behaviour, beliefs and psychology as well as popular culture – all these systems play a big part in what influences me.
What are five artists you think everyone should check out?
1. Chuck Close has been one of my favourite artists for many years. He worked in a hyper-realist style up until a spinal artery collapse in 1988 caused him to be almost completely paralyzed from neck down. In spite of this challenge, he developed a new method of painting his work continues to amaze me.
2. Damien Hirst is a British artist who has developed a strong body of work as a conceptual artist, and has a reputation for being a bit of a prankster. I’ve often found that I enjoy most of his work because I enjoy the attitude with which it was conceived. I’ve seen photographs of his recent work (as of late 2009) — paintings he did with his own hand, without the aid of any of his assistants. In my opinion, it’s absolute shite. In spite of it’s poor quality, I think it’s still important work given the context of how his previous work added to our cultural understanding of what art is, isn’t or could be. But only within that context.
3. Audrey Kawasaki: Her work is excellent, and it’s become very popular with a young audience in the last few years — especially online. I’ve seen a lot of younger artists trying to replicate her style and subject matter. I think that everyone should check out Audrey’s work, enjoy it, and be inspired by it, but focus on developing their own style and creative voice.
4. Feng Zhengjie: I love his enormous paintings of women. The colours he uses are electric and his work has such a strong and persistent presence. I’ll leave it at that and let your readers seek him out on their own so they can have their own reaction.
5. Patrick Nagel: Everyone knows his work, even if they don’t know his name. His images defined the 1980s, and his minimal reductive style was a primary influence of mine. I’d go so far as to say that looking at his work taught me how to draw faces at a very young age. Nagel died before his time, and I often wonder how his work would have evolved if he were still with us.
What are some of your favorite successes? Even small moments!
Recently, I figured out when to stop working on a painting and take a break, and for me, that point is just before I feel like I’m going to wreck it beyond recovery. I used to think that pushing through a mistake or a creative block was the best thing to do, and sometimes it is, but sometimes it’s better to take a break and work on something else. I think that was an important lesson to learn.
I feel I’ve been successful every time someone expresses their reaction to my work. Whether they love it or hate it doesn’t matter as much as the fact that it moved them somehow.
I should also add that I recently launched my online print store, and I hope this will help extend the reach of my work and put it in the hands of people who feel a connection to it.
How long were you in Graphic Design for and why did you leave?
My background is in graphic design. I studied design for 4 years at NSCAD University in Halifax, and worked in the field from the time I was in school until mid-2007. There are so many reasons why I left the industry. The short version of that story is that I left graphic design because I was tired of lying to myself about job satisfaction and tired of pandering to values I didn’t agree with.
What was the tipping point to make the transition?
The last freelance job I completed for an in-house client required 2 all-nighters over a single weekend to meet a deadline imposed by an inexperienced junior account manager. It was difficult and exhausting, but I got the job done. When I was faced with a sudden family emergency a week later and needed a bit of time off as “next of kin”, the director was unsympathetic. Rather than allowing some time off between projects, he decided that the company no longer required my services, and that they wouldn’t be paying me the full balance of my final invoice for the work I completed.
Even though I recognized that I hadn’t been happy with what I was doing for a couple of years, I always got the job done regardless of challenges or obstacles because that’s what a professional does. Somehow though, it also seems that professional behaviour doesn’t allow for these types of stories to be told, but that’s bulllshit. I think it’s vital to speak up about such things because no one should be treated in such a horrible manner. It’s simply not worth it.
What would you say to other Graphic Designers ( or your past self) looking to follow your example?
In a nutshell, I think that life is too short to spend so much time doing something (anything) you’re not truly happy with, and that it’s important to make contentment and personal fulfillment a priority.
If you’re like me, you’ll find it difficult or even impossible to do client design and personally driven art at the same time because they’re very different beasts. Don’t expect the switch to be automatic or fast — it can take a while, and in my case it took over a year to make a complete transition from on to the other.
What things came together to make this possible?
I’m not sure if anything came together, because at the time, it seemed more like everything was falling apart! But I think there’s a lot of good that can come from that sort of chaos if a person has the right sort of attitude about finding positivity when it seems most scarce. Sometimes it’s just best to let the pieces fall where they may.
On a more practical note, I have an incredibly supportive spouse who offered to back me in the first few years of this adventure. That’s an enormous help, and I doubt I’d be making much progress without his generous support.
Do you attend any arts events? If so, what ones? Do you participate?
I haven’t attended many events because I’ve been mostly focusing on my own work, but I love visiting galleries and public installations. I’ve participated in a number of photography projects, and will continue to help out wherever I can so long as I have the time.
Where would you like to see your artistic practice go in the future?
I’d like to see my practice become self sustaining. Beyond that, I’d love to show more of my work at home but especially in galleries abroad. I love traveling and experiencing other cultures, and I think it would be great to show my work in the different contexts that international exposure makes available.
For more Jennifer Romita:
WWW.ROMITA.CA STORE.ROMITA.CA
BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK
CHAT ON TWITTER