Hi! Thanks for dropping by today! May was a rough month for me and it was interfering with my creative output. During this time I realized I was ready for some change and that included the next phase of my artistic journey. Although there are things in this world we can’t control, I wanted to focus on the things within my power. After a lot of pondering, I was able to pull out of my mashed potato brain and find some creativity! Let’s talk inspiration, change, and get energized by our interview with the artist of the month!
Inspiration can sometimes come in mysterious ways and it looks different for everyone. A couple of months ago I treated myself to an art book from one of my favorite late artists Jean Giraud, also known as Moebius. He was a well-known illustrator from France, creating graphic novels and working on iconic films such as Alien, Little Nemo, and The Fifth Element. I have admired his work for years after reading The Incal, and over time I started to see the commonalities between his work and my other favorite artists such as HR Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski. Detailed textures, transparent objects, wires, and unsettling barren landscapes are what I saw as common threads and inspired me to make something that incorporates some of these elements!
Aside from artists like Moebius, many of my illustrations are heavily influenced by videogames, and I often include references to them in my work. My most recent artistic experimentation involves combining elements that I was drawn to in Moebius’s work and side-scroller shoot-‘em-ups, or SHMUPS like R-Type to create this squirmy wormy monster (below, in progress). I currently have two distinctive artistic styles—my cartoony illustrations and my more detailed, surrealistic works—and I’m continuing to experiment as part of this evolving phase in my art.
Another area that I will be experimenting with involves my business. In my last newsletter, I talked about tariffs and how fellow artists can adapt and diversify their income. I plan to take those suggestions and apply them to my business. After 10 years working as an educator, I’ve been ready for change and have been applying for a new job. In anticipation of my day-to-day schedule changing, I plan to be a lot more selective about the events that I table at and instead focus on other areas—like consignment (did you know you can find my art at comic shop A Shop Called Quest in Redlands CA?), promoting the commissions I’ve been doing for a while but rarely advertise, and teaching more colored pencil classes over the summer (TBA). All the while I want to continue focusing on my portfolio and finishing my comic Kitcool and Bohner. I’m really excited and I hope you’re inspired to make some small changes too!
Upcoming Events:
Riverside Artwalk 6/5, Pomona Artist in the Alley 6/14 (anticipated) all in Southern California
With all this talk about inspiration let’s get inspired with this months…
Artist of the Month!
Artist: Freckhellz @Freckhellz
What mediums are your favorite and why?
Oh no, don’t put me in a cage of mediums! I want to use it all [Britney Spears Pepsi voice I really do] Recently, I went back to colored pencils, ink, and markers after a long few years of only creating digital work. The transition was easy because I started tiring of looking at screens.
If I limit myself to one medium, I end up feeling very trapped and my creativity collapses on me. So, my favorite is none and all and very circumstantial.
What advice do you have for new artists?
There are no rules. The moment I put boundaries on what I’m making, all my inspiration runs away from me. It’s funny, but it takes a lot of discipline to create with no rules.
My advice: don’t let yourself put on this heavy weighted cage that’s going to restrict your vision. It doesn’t matter if it hasn’t been done before OR if it has, just do it. It feels better to get it out, let your hands work. Read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and apply the principle to your own art.
Does music inspire you? Who are you listening to?
In another life, I’m making music videos. Music is such great fuel to my vision. I find myself listening to certain lyrics and envisioning a whole scene, a whole other life, in my head.
But it’s hard to even think of an answer to this question when one second I’m listening to MCR’s “The Ghost of You” to “Palmdale” by Afroman to the score for Pride and Prejudice to Gaga’s new album…I cannot seem to stay in one place. Much like my art I’d say.
What fuels your creativity?
Absolutely everything. The whole world. The minute details to the large picture. Everything is so eye candy. If I can’t find the inspiration in the most mundane daily acts of life, what am I here for?
Do you have any art supplies/tech that you’re really into rn? How did you find it, why are you hyped about it, and how do you apply it to your work?
Yesssssir, I’m super hyped about recycling materials. I’m working on some new pieces that are an amalgamation of all mediums plus trash. It was eye opening when I realized how much plastic I was throwing away and I hated the feeling. Little toy appendages leftover from kids’ messy rooms, glass jars leftover from the pasta sauce no one eats, shipping cardboard boxes, keychains I wish never broke, busted jewelry bits that scream, “don’t put me in the trash!” The list is truly endless. These items could have a second life, and I want to give it to them. I use containers to hold art supplies, and I use all these bits and pieces to bring life to an art piece. It’s free and mama earth friendly. I’m about that.
Also, free programs/apps for editing are where it’s at. I’m a firm advocate that great art doesn’t always come from expensive quality art supplies; it comes from within and everything around you.
As always, thank you for taking some time out of your day to check out some art! I hope you feel energized and inspired to make some changes in your life—big or small. If you would like to support the artist of the month Freckhellz, you can reach out via Instagram. If you would like to support my work and this newsletter check out the shop or you can tip a cup of yummy tea! See you next month :3