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.

Leeonna Colter

Name: Leeonna Colter
Website: leeonnista.weebly.com

What do you do?
I am a Multi-media artist, who mainly works with acrylic paint.

Where can we find your work?
You can find my work on my website; Leeonnista.weebly.com or on facebook profile name acryliclove.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I think what inspires me is what inspires everyone; I want to have an affect on the environment that affects me. It’s the human urge to express one self and have that expression acknowledged. 

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?  
I don’t think you can judge an artist by their process or technique. The finished product is the most important element in most areas of art; each piece must be able to stand on its own. The artist will not be able to explain to every viewer their intent or intended content.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
I am more inspired by ideas than I am individual people.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
If I could be any fictional character, I think I would be the character Lireal from the Abhorsen series.

When do you get your best ideas?
Most of my best ideas are just highly developed concepts of ideas that weren’t so great. I think with work any idea can potentially be your best idea.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I mostly work with acrylic paint and molding gel on Canvas.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I began painting on my own and later in life I became formally educated. I think formal education doesn’t make an artist better or worse. What it does do is push those who are serious about art and exposes them to concepts and ideas they may have not been exposed to otherwise. You also get the rare opportunity to do projects with other artist and form bonds and connections.

What would your creative work taste like?
If my creative work had a flavor it would be deep fried banana with chocolate Ice cream on the side, sweet and filling.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
When I’m not painting I like having adventures.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
When I am creating, it’s a process, almost like an evolution. While working on a piece, how I feel about that piece changes gradually as I get closer and closer to finishing. But like anything when you put your all into your work you feel confident in your abilities.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
Be brave and just start creating, go to art events and talk to people.