Avery Palmer

Website: www.averypalmerart.com

What do you do?
Painting, drawing, ceramic sculpture

Where can we find your work?John Natsoulas Gallery (Davis, CA), Kaleid Gallery (San Jose, CA)

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I'm inspired mostly by looking at other peoples' art that I like and by being around friends with
creative drive. Working in different media and in different sizes helps to keep me from losing motivation too much. For example: if working on a painting is feeling like a daunting task I can always just do some sketching or do a quick, small painting where I can be more playful because it's not as big of an investment. This can help to get me more excited about creating when my level of inspiration is low.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I lean toward technique and process as being more important. My philosophy is that if you learn the
techniques that allow you to successfully make things work visually without a lot of struggling, concepts will automatically materialize—provided that you can find things that inspire you. For me, art is essentially about the process of growth. The continuous improvement of my ability to explore and express my imagination is infinitely more valuable to me than any finished product, no matter how well it turns out.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Remedios Varo, Salvador Dali, Odd Nerdrum, Mark Ryden, Dr. Suess, Heather Nevay, and many more.

When do you get your best ideas?
My ideas come to me most strongly when I am looking at art that inspires me. When I see a painting that really has an impact on me I try to bring myself into the world of that painting and let my imagination play.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Lately oil paints.

Are you self-taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I have a BA and MFA. My school experiences have been very valuable in exposing me to certain ideas and providing a stimulating and supportive environment, but I think that most of my development as an artist has come from my independent efforts to teach myself the skills I knew I wanted to have.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
When not making art I enjoy dabbling in music-making and BMX bicycling.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I've always had a strong creative drive since as long as I can remember. I would draw a lot of cars and airplanes and things as a young boy and liked to try to make toys for myself. Getting older and having to think about having a career, I knew that it was important for me to do something where I would be able to keep that creative part of myself happy, so I started working hard to develop my drawing skills. Also I have had very supportive parents and teachers.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Make your creativity a high priority—if not your highest priority. Discipline yourself to learn skills that will help you (drawing is a good one if you are in the visual arts). Look for art that inspires you and think about the choices the artist has made that gives the work the power that it has. Use your imagination. Be persistent.

David Canavese

Name: David Canavese

Website: www.otherlifeart.com

What do you do?
A bit of everything, including painting and drawing, but I’m primarily a sculptor of welded steel, paper, and mixed media. My steel sculptures could be seen as abstract, but are definitely inspired by coral, other undersea creatures, and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. My hyper-detailed paper sculptures depict gigantic technology (architecture and spacecraft) in a tiny scale.

Where can we find your work?
My website (www.otherlifeart.com), my Etsy store (www.etsy.com/shop/OtherlifeArt), and my DeviantArt (satchelmarr.deviantart.com).

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
The desire to be a creator just wells up from inside of me.  I’m not truly happy unless I’m making something. Most of all I enjoy building worlds, and imagery allows me to share my imaginings with other people far better than words alone could.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
It’s difficult  to pick just one, but my works in particular are very process-driven. Often I create straight out of my head without sketching or planning, so it often feels like “the process” is another artist I’m collaborating with. Welded steel and paper behave in certain ways, but I also enjoy trying to stretch the limits of that I can do with them.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
I really enjoy the work of concept artists like H.R. Giger and Ralph McQuarrie. For conceptual architecture I’d pick Dan Slavinsky. Escher was clearly a bit of an obsessive artist and I can really identify with that. When it comes to sculpture, I like Greg Brotherton. Lee Bontecou is also amazing and might be my favorite artist.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
It’s hard not to want to be Han Solo, sightseeing the width and breadth of the galaxy while trying to make a quick buck!

When do you get your best ideas?
Usually while I’m working on a project. My metal and paper sculptures are very time-intensive, so I have a lot of time to think as I work.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
A MIG welder for my steel pieces, and paper products (copy paper, index card, mat board) and white glue for my miniature papercraft works. I don’t use a tweezers or any magnification (at least, not yet!).

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Both. I trained myself in papercraft (starting at age 8) and have experimented and refined my craft continuously since then. I studied studio art (fine art) at Santa Clara University (with an sculpture emphasis). My instructors taught me that art is problem-solving. Long before I ever heard Tim Gunn say, “make it work!” I was hearing the same thing from my teachers.

What would your creative work taste like?
One artwork would be metallic and a bit rusty, but another would be quite pulpy.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
My other career is teaching ballroom, latin, swing and salsa dancing, so I enjoy getting out and cutting a rug.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Creativity has always been a part of my life, but as an introverted person, maintaining a public presence and promoting my artwork has been a real challenge. I still struggle with trying to sell my artwork. But I do enjoy getting direct feedback from people. That’s the rewarding part.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
I know my art won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m absolutely fine with that, because there’s lots of artwork that I appreciate, but there are only a handful of artists whose work grabs a hold of me and won’t let go! At the end of the day, I’m trying to make art that fills a void in my head when I’m looking around at the world. If there was a lot of stuff out there like mine I’d feel redundant and probably wouldn’t feel the same drive to create. Find what’s missing from the world (from your perspective) and find a way to bring it here!

Andrew Marchbank

Name: Andrew Marchbank
Website: www.2elevated.com

What do you do?
I am a young aspiring artist with a focus in graphic design, painting, drawing and running my clothing brand; 2elevated. 

Where can we find your work?

www.2elevated.com

www.youtube.com/user/IITHINKII

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I am inspired by the things I see everyday from packaging on wrappers to formations in nature. I am particularly motivated to design for my clothing brand. Everyone’s individual style is expressed in what we wear everyday out into the world. I want to make clothes that express my style and will inspire people to care about what they wear. I have huge ambitions and have always been very self motivated. It is my goals I have set for myself that motivate me. The level of success that I have planned for my brand and myself require me to think big and to work hard at what I do. There is no time to stop when things get tough.

When and how did you first become interested in creating? How long have you been doing it?
I have always had a desire to draw even as a young kid. Things went to a different level for me when my parents gave me a book on San Francisco graffiti for Christmas in 2008. I immediately fell in love with the different styles and color combinations that made up these cool urban works of art. I was intrigued by the edgy artistic expression and the diverse nature of graffiti. I learned everything I could from YouTube videos and books. Graffiti lead me to drawing with a bigger purpose and eventually moving on to more elaborate paintings using oils and acrylics on canvas. From there I launched my brand 2elevated in 2010. I’m a young artist with confidence but humble enough to know that I have a lot to learn and am excited about my future.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
Both are important however I am more about the content/finished product. I enjoy the process, yet at times I get frustrated, as I am incredibly impatient with my work. I tend toward clean lines and clear messages in my graphic design. My paintings and drawings have a bit more leeway as some of my creations are very imaginative and can be “busy”.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Well my favorite artists are Greg Simkins, Alex Pardee, and James Haunt. These artists are extremely unique with their style. Their level of creativity inspires me to dig deep to find my own unique style and creative expression. Scott Sasso (10 Deep), Nick Tershay (Diamond Supply Co.), Jonas Bevacqua (LRG), Ryan Mante and Christian Lilleland (Breezy Excursion), all inspire me with their brands and how they created something so wonderful and passionate out of nothing. I can only hope to reach their level of success.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Tony Stark, a.k.a. Ironman. Just cause who doesn’t want to fly around in a metal suit and fight crime?

When do you get your best ideas?
In class mostly. In fact it was in my sophomore English class where I created the first 2elevated logo and everything developed from there. Doodling on the sides of assignments and back of worksheets is where some of my best ideas are formed. 

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
My macbook is probably the tool I use the most. From Cinema 4D to photoshop and illustrator I use it for all my graphic design needs.  

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
For graphic design I am self-taught. I started to first work on Photoshop a couple years ago messing around with effects and trying to make logos. Later I started to use illustrator and by looking up tutorials online and through trial and error I have made all the logos for 2elevated, our website, and other local companies. By doing it this way it forced me to find out new things on my own to better develop my style. As for drawing and painting I had two art classes in high school so I got to learn more about colors, values, and more concrete things like that in a traditional way. However, I hate drawing still life and boring things for assignments even though I know they will make me a better artist in the long run. 

What would your creative work taste like?
I would assume like a pear because I like the finished product to be crisp with clean lines. I am also a perfectionist and that can be both a good and bad thing, but it makes my creations come out as clean and solid as possible, like a pear. 

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Spend time with my friends mostly. Going to the beach, movies, barbeques, parties, or any other social gatherings. I also enjoy snowboarding and biking.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Once I started creating and getting positive feedback my confidence reached a new level and so did my art. Whenever I get a complement on my art or clothing designs it pushes me to continue to create and share with more people. My confidence comes from the people around me and I cant thank them enough.

Jon Landry

Name: Jon Landry 

Website:  www.facebook.com/JMLART22

What do you do?
In terms of just artwork I like to draw & paint.  In terms of being an artist, I like to imagine that the choices we make in life are like the choices made on the canvas; sometimes we go here, sometimes we go there, sometimes we fuck up - but in the end it's the finished product that's judged.  Being an artist is more than just painting - to paint
is simply a profession. Art is changing your life.

Where can we find your work?
The easiest answer would be www.facebook.com/JMLART22 - but I'm not hard to find. My work has been displayed in a number of places across Chicago, San Diego, & finally back home in San Jose.  Really grateful to a lot of good people I’ve met in the SJ Artisans community for early opportunities.  Keep it in the hood, y'all.

What inspires you to create & how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Being an artist is the ultimate rebellion - it's flipping off society with both kickstands & defying a life centered around consumption. It's choosing a life according to the cry of your heart, regardless of how the chips may fall.  Personally I'm still learning about the
message, but what inspires me to create is the fact that the only time I can really find peace is when I'm drawing.  I need that time to myself in the lab, I need that time for reflection.  It's therapy for me, it's an obsession.  The thought that I don't have to live a life around a commute & a paycheck - that's pretty fuckin' inspiring.

My grandmother had a simple mantra for when things get tough - 'so what?'  Life is a constant struggle; things are always going to get tough, there's always gonna be a monkey wrench thrown into your plans, & shit is always gonna happen.  But so what? How are you gonna handle the inevitable adversity life throws your way?  You can't just crumble underneath it - you've got to roll with the punches, you've got to be able to perform under pressure.  I like to remember that I’ve got all my fingers & toes, I'm not in the hospital or in jail, I can speak English perfectly fine & I’ve really got nothing to complain about.
Keep moving, keep fighting, & keep getting better.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
You could make legitimate arguments either way, but both hold their own intrinsic value.  I don't know that either is more important than the other - honestly I think it's all just one big kickass experience.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My mother was hands-down the strongest person I’ve ever known – my sense of will, determination, tenacity & perseverance all come from her.  My father on the other hand was hands-down the wisest person I’ve ever known - "If you open your mind to the realm of possibilities, that which is impossible - happens."  Without the influence of these two individuals I would never have had a chance. There's really no close second, but I suppose I could round out the top five with Banksy, Harry Chapin, & John Madden.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain
That being said, I'd go with Batman.  Definitely Batman.

When do you get your best ideas?
3:00-7:00am.  At home, drawin' pictures, of mountaintops.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Pencils, erasers, & a whole helluva lot of sharpies.  Acrylic paints on canvas, detail brushes, & high-gloss varnish.

Are you self taught or formally educated?  How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Self taught - I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid but just started painting about five years ago.  Learning as I go has it's pros & cons just like anything else - it's exciting to find new tools o or techniques as I learn, & then there is of course the whole 'Sinatra'
factor.  But it can be debilitating too; ignorance is crippling, knowledge is power, so it's a constant search for learning, whether you're in school or not.  "There's more than one way to an education, & maybe I prefer the one I got." - Benny Binion

what would your creative work taste like?
Pork chops & whiskey.  And no fancy-schmancy shit either - maybe a little apple sauce but that's it.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I like meeting other artists & just stand-up genuine people in San Jose.  I like finding opportunities to help people & thinking about how I can be an asset for my community & how I might be able to make things better (even if just a little).  I like to meet my neighbors & explore the city, find the old spots & check out the new ones.  But there is absolutely nothing - I mean nothing - like tailgating from 5:00am at the Oakland Coliseum on game day.  I love that shit.  Go Raiders!!!

How did you learn to access your creative talents & gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
To be honest, I kinda just backdoored into this.  From the beginning I’ve had trouble taking credit for my work because I never felt that this was something that I did - this wasn't something I aimed to do or studied for or accomplished - this was something that happened to me. Through a set of meaningless circumstances, I made a drawing for
someone, & other people saw it, & it took off from there.  People gave me a lot of positive feedback, but I can't say I really needed the extra confidence - it's still so new to me, & I still just love it so much, I'm gonna do what I do regardless of what people may think."Don't think about making art.  Just get it done.  Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, if they love it or hate it.  While they're deciding, make even more art." -  Andy Warhol

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
It's about substance, it's about meaning, it's about will.  Be true to yourself.  Follow the cry of your heart.  Stay focused.  Keep getting better.
Commitment.  Sacrifice.  Discipline.

Frances Marin

Name: Frances Marin
Website: www.francesmarin.com

What do you do?
I mostly paint and draw, but also sew and print.

Where can we find your work?
You can see my art on my website www.francesmarin.com. I show at libraries, bars, galleries, shops, wherever. I’ll have work in an upcoming group show at Empire Seven Studios (http://empiresevenstudios.blogspot.com/). The opening reception will be Friday, January 13, 2012 at 7pm. Also, I’m in a group show at On the Corner on January 27th.

I recently did an illustration for a magazine called Made in San Jose
http://www.madeinsanjose.com/ and I designed a t-shirt
http://www.kfjc.org/fundraiser/store/girlieshirt_2006.html some years back for the best college radio station, KFJC. It’s available still. I think?! I also just finished a zine with my boyfriend called Ladies and Gentleman Quarterly. You can buy it at The Arsenal for $2. We are hoping to make another issue around February or March of this year. I want to do a silkscreened cover and sew the pages together this time.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Both manmade and natural things inspire me: stacks of records and books, animals and their symbolism, buildings, plants, patterns, structures, history. I like aged colors and using scraps of wood to paint on. I am a very nostalgic person and I think that shows in my work with the colors being diffused and unsaturated, like a faded photograph.

It feels easy to stay motivated in my small and crowded studio. There’s so much to look at and think about.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I love the feeling of being done with a painting, but the process is when I’m zoning out, doing a lot of thinking and figuring out. I love that part.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Tania Aebi. I read her book when I was 15. She dropped out of high school like me, but unlike me, sailed a boat by herself around the world with her cat. I hope to get a boat and learn to sail someday.

I love artwork that is loose, carefree or kind of slanted like the illustrations of Miroslav Sasek or drawings of Mingering Mike and Ben Shahn. These artists put a lot of feeling into their work and it shows. A lot of the art I like looks effortless or like it was really fun to make, like Karin Mamma Andersson, Peter Doig or Egon Schiele. I also like art that tells a story like the work of Pieter Bruegel, Raymond Pettibon, or Los Carpinteros.

I also have incredible friends with incredible talent and they’re pretty influential.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Brian Sweeney "Fitzcarraldo" Fitzgerald. I admire his determination. Plus, I can relate to his questionable decision-making. He’s the main character, played by Klaus Kinski, in the Werner Herzog movie.

When do you get your best ideas?
When I’m left alone. Also, on road trips.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Ink, paint, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil, paper, thread, wood. Lately, it’s mostly scraps of redwood or pine and acrylic paint.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Educated. I have degrees in art and library science. Words and images are fascinating to me, so it was perfect for me to study those two things. My education was kind of spotty, I dropped out in my freshman year of high school and was on and off again for years with college, mostly because I was more into music. It’s funny, the reason why I went back to school for art was because I was sick of my job at a record store and when I started looking for other work, I didn’t want any of the jobs I saw…so, school it was!

Art school was confusing for me. Sometimes it makes you think too much because you start to contextualize everything. I’m now about 5 years away from it and it feels good. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot about sculpture, photography, printmaking, drawing and painting, it’s just that it’s more pure when you aren’t getting graded for it. Still, it was good because it made my work more dimensional and layered.

What would your creative work taste like?
Kale, bread and butter, rice and beans, persimmons and coffee.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Read, listen to records, camp, walk, bike, and take photos. I love coffee. I love drinking it alone or with people close to me.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I was really creative when I was young and never outgrew it. When I could I would fake being sick to stay home from school to draw in bed all day. I would draw anything and everything:Garfield, horses, fashion, lizards, cars. I also made my own books, embroidered, crocheted, knitted.

When I was in college early on, I had a professor, Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, tell me I should pursue painting. That definitely got me going. I’ve done shows since I was in school, but am working a lot harder at it in the last year.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Learn about everything you can, not just about “art”. Be disciplined and selfish with your time. Stop making excuses. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR IT! Don’t be too attached to the work you make. I recently gave away a ton of old paintings and canvases for friends to paint over. That felt great. I know they’ll improve whatever I had on there.

Portrait by Bryan Lopez

David Mejia

Name: David Mejia
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mejia-Arts/122796911150958?ref=ts

What do you do?
I love to paint watercolor portraits of people. I write, draw and publish my own web comic called “BALLMAN”, and contribute artwork to local galleries. I will often draw portraits for people at the MejiaArts booth at local arts and crafts venues.

Where can we find your work?
You can email me at mejiaarts@yahoo.com. ‘Ballman’ appeared online at www.drunkduck.com/BALLMAN/. My latest art pieces are on display at Kaleid Gallery 88 So. Fourth Street, San Jose, Ca. My work can also be viewed on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Mejia-Arts

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I have a relentless passion for drawing, which keeps me working, even on bad days.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The process is the most important part. My mind must be balanced and fluid.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My uncle who is also an artist inspired me, initially. My mother and grandparents always encouraged me. Today, my wife encourages me. I was also inspired by notables like Charles Schultz, of Snoopy fame, Joseph Campbell, who studied mythology, and Jim Morrison, the Lizard king.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
If I could be any fictional character I would be Clint Eastwood character from the Spaghetti Westerns, because he always cool and focused.

When do you get your best ideas?
My best ideas come when I’m alone

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use simple mechanical pencils, paintbrush, and paper, watercolors, micron pens and calligraphy pens. Some times I’ll use the computer.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I took some school for art, however, I’m mostly self taught. This has made me strong in some areas like tribal designs, and rendering what I see, but not in things like oil painting, or silk screening.

What would your creative work taste like?
If you could eat my work, it would taste like ink and wood pulp.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love hiking, dancing, philosophizing with friends, making fun of movies, and reading.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I learned to access my creative talents by isolating myself from the big confusing world, putting on my favorite music and drawing, drawing, drawing, for years. I’ve gained confidence at drawing for the public by making myself draw at parks and coffee houses.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
My advice to anyone starting out in art is, “To hell with other peoples' opinions. Draw what you want.”

Jade Empress

Katrina Marie Loera

Name: Katrina Marie Loera
Website: N/A

What do you do?
I am an art teacher at LeyVa Middle School in Evergreen School District in San Jose.

Where can we find your work?
I participate in a few local art shows per year.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I am inspired by all of the talented people around me… and of course, my students J When things get tough and I need motivation, I try to spend some time around as many art events and artists as I can…the work of others motivates me more than anything!

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I love content…I want my art to speak to you…it is an opportunity for me to have a voice in a positive way.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Those who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place…I know that’s vague, but there really isn't one specific person. Most of the people who inspire me are not celebrities or well known in any way…they are just ordinary people who do whatever they can to promote a positive change in the world!

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Wow…tough question…there’s a character in a young adult book called Stargirl…she carries around an ukulele and sings songs at lunchtime… she carries her pet rat on her shoulder, and dresses in dresses from years in the past…her favorite pastime is to give random gifts to strangers or go for walks in the desert and watch the sunrise and set…she appreciates the world around her for what it is with no complaints…she’s pretty awesome…I’d like to be her J

When do you get your best ideas?
I hate to admit it but my best ideas come when I’m alone and there are no distractions. When I am out for a run or ride in the mountains…alone in the wilderness my creative thoughts come pouring out. I cherish this time in nature and it seems to stimulate my creativity.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I love to sketch. I never get tired of pencil and paper. I love most mediums that I have tried but I do most of my pieces in oil. If I want to produce more pieces in less time, I will resort to acrylics and I am beginning to appreciate them more and more. My favorite medium with my students is tempera and cardboard. It’s amazing how beautiful these paints can look when applied to recycled cardboard!

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I consider myself mostly self-taught but I guess you could say I was formally educated through the classes I took over the years for my credential. I really wish I could have had the opportunity to attend an art college. There are areas in which I struggle to learn technique. But in some ways, that struggle has made me the artist that I am today.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
Duh…Chocolate (vegan of course)

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love to play sports: Ride my bike, play basketball, soccer, snowboard, surf, you name it! I’m an adrenaline junky! But I also love to write poems and stories, sing and play music, perform…so I guess you could say I’m an ARTS junkie as well. Sports and the ARTS are my life!

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Hmmm…that wasn't easy…I mean I’ve always done art…but not until I was asked to do a mural for the city did I feel confident in my talent…After weeks of having people visit me at the wall, I was okay with sharing my art…I guess I never thought my art was worthy of public viewing until that experience. I realized that it wasn't about how well I could draw or paint, because art speaks to everyone in a different way and people connect to each other through art…it’s an amazing thing! Since that experience I had the confidence to begin to seek out small local shows to display and sell my art. I hope to do more in the future.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Do it for you, not anyone else…Don’t try to create what’s popular, or what you think others will like…take risks…the best art is raw…unjudged…it is your interpretation of your world…so go at it without restraints…