Artist Interview with Junyi Wu

Meet Junyi Wu. Junyi is an illustrator living in Los Angeles. Her illustrations are composed primarily with pencils with which she blends multiple layers of color to create a moody and dreamlike sensibility. Junyi graduated from the Art Center College of Design, and her illustration has been featured in a number of galleries and publications, including Gallery Nucleus, QPop Shop, Juxtapose, Design Work Life, and American Illustration.

Junyi is one of the current exhibiting artists in the Stacks Show. We are thrilled to celebrate her work, concepts, and contributions to the show. You can read the full interview below, and more of Junyi's work on her website and blog here.

Hi Junyi. Can you tell us about your background? How did you find illustration?

I studied Biology at UCSD for a year before transferring to Art Center for Illustration. Since graduating, I've been working doing graphic design during the day and do all of my illustration projects under the cloak of darkness and on weekends. It's been a good balance so far -- the variation keeps me motivated. My first encounters and love of illustration came from books and animations.

What is your experience with the art/illustration scene in Los Angeles? Inspiring? Intimidating? Other?

It's been a good experience so far! There are some nice galleries and shops out here that support local artists and I like going to events like the LA Zine Fest, Patchwork Show and Unique LA to see the work that's there. I see a lot of familiar and new faces so it seems like it's a pretty good community for new and established artists alike. The artists I've met have been very nice!



Tell us a little about your practice. What is your work space like? Do you have any "studio essentials"

My work space is a desk in my room. My usual setup consists of: my laptop, colored pencils, acrylic gouache, a stack of copy paper, and the books and images I find relevant or inspiring for what I'm currently working on. I like copy paper for sketching because sometimes I'm lucky enough to bang something out in one go, but other times I need to go through stages, figuring out a piece of it with each attempt. I throw out a lot of drawings during my process and there's something satisfying about being able to crunch things up and try again. I do most my finished pieces on vellum bristol or Rives BFK. To stay focused, I usually listen to one or two songs on repeat or play a movie I've seen before in the background. It's always fun to go out and eat/drink/draw somewhere with friends too.



Your work has a sweet, gentle, lovely aesthetic–it's clear to see how Studio Ghibli is a favorite of yours! Is there anything in particular that drew you to those films? What are your other sources of inspiration?

One of my favorite qualities of Studio Ghibli's animations is how gracefully they blend magic and whimsy with quiet, poignant moments. Each aspect strengthens the other to make the stories very organic and keep the characters' struggles and triumphs relatable. I also like how Ghibli animations are always blurring a very fine line between the everyday and fantastical worlds, similar to a daydream.

For inspiration, I like to scroll through Tumblr and see other people’s work and resource photos. I also enjoy compilation books with big pictures -- landscape photography, fashion designs, diagrams, paintings, etc. I like reading about history, psychology and mythology and I really like opinion pieces and KCRW's UnFictional podcasts. I LOVE listening to people tell stories. My other main sources of inspiration are song lyrics and moments I remember from daily interactions and activities.



Could you talk about the development of your texture and color process? Was there a lot of media exploration?

Yes, I guess for me, if I can blend something I will! The tactility of different media really appeals to me- I like to get dirty. So I'll go in with my hands and push things around when working with pencil, charcoal or acrylics. The different results you can get from playing around with scale are also cool. I think media exploration is important because the different ways of working really come to inform each other. With my general way of working, I fill in and knock back a lot of layers to create the textures and color fields I want.

There is a really healthy balance between digital and traditional media in your finished work. How did that come about?

Thanks! I guess it's a reflection of the art I like. I have equal respect for artists working in digital and traditional media, and it's always inspiring to see what different artists bring to each and how far they take it. Working with the tablet is a lot newer to me than working with a pencil, but working digitally has encouraged me to push shapes more across the board. Personally, I still keep some stylistic distinctions between the two methods so, unless a client specifically chooses one, I go with the one that will help me achieve the image I'm going for. I like the flexibility of working digitally and the process of working traditionally.

Both character and place have prominent roles as the subjects of your work. What draws you to your subjects? Do you find there are parallels between your illustrations of characters and environment?

In some way, I'm always drawing the way I relate to a story or remember a certain scene. The things that resonate most with me are emotional experiences, color, and the way things contrast from one another visually or characteristically. With characters and environment, there are plenty of opportunities to play with all of these by making one or the other the focus.

What are you working on currently? Any dream projects?

With my personal work, I'm doing some new pieces in preparation for a couple of upcoming events. I'm excited to be sharing a table in a couple months at CTN with my friend and fellow illustrator Jon Lau (we also shared a table with earlier this year at ICON) and we're doing a few collaborative works. Stay tuned to find out what they're going to be! I'm trying out some new things, including some apparel designs and a comic, and illustrating a children's book is still up there on my list of dream projects!

Thanks Junyi!

You can find Junyi's work for the Stacks Exhibition on the Light Grey Shop and permanent online gallery here. You can also follow her work and website: junyiwu.com and junyiwu.tumblr.com.

Artist Interview with Andrew Kolb

"I started off as a designer with illustrative sensibilities, but now my work is illustration informed by design."

Meet Andrew Kolb. Andrew is a Canadian Illustrator and Graphic Designer. His portfolio is filled with colorful imagery, personality, and interactive and mobile characters, seen as greeting cards, gifs, books, illustrations, gallery works, and more! We have had the pleasure of including Andrew in several past Light Grey Art Lab Exhibitions, such as the Night of the Exquisite Corpse, Macro + Micro, Rolemodels: the Battle for Vyk'Tornaahl, Great Personality, and the current Stacks Exhibition.

We are always impressed by the breath of his artwork, motivation, and enthusiasm to take on new projects. In this artist interview, we look forward to celebrating Andrew's work, thoughts on illustration, and some of his resources. You can also find more of his work on his website and blog here.

Hi Andrew. Can you tell us about your current studio practice?

I work from home and have a dedicated room. I'll sometimes doodle and sketch elsewhere but that's only for the casual stuff. I've found that keeping work contained to a specific space helps with staying focused and to step away when I need a break.

I work at all hours, but my usual schedule is to email/invoice/quote first thing in the morning and after lunch for half an hour or so. After that, I can focus on drawing without distractions by little requests. I also try to leave an hour of the day dedicated to personal projects or just doodling. With all of that said, there are some days that just become sending one email while three come in and the cycle never ends. As structured as I try to pretend my freelance life is, it's all very fluid.

We are always impressed by the amount of creative projects you participate in. Could you talk about the difference in creative for freelance, personal projects, greeting cards, exhibitions, etc.?

You're too kind! I'm not sure if there's toooooo much method to my madness. My client and professional work gives me the chance to meet the needs of others, so I use personal projects and gallery work as the opportunity to meet my own. With personal projects, I typically try to avoid pandering with popular and trendy ideas- the public is smart and will see right through this approach.

I think personal projects should be done because you truly believe in it! If you're satisfied with an image on a personal level then, hopefully, you can get past whatever response it's met with. I mean it's great if others like what you do, but I think personal projects are just that...personal, and expecting any interest beyond your own is purely bonus!

Do you have favorite materials, prompts, or subjects?

I love the flexibility of working digitally. With that said, I always have to start with a pencil sketch. For that, there's nothing better than a cheap BIC mechanical pencil (not sponsored, I promise). They're great! Always sharp and thus you don't have to waste precious drawing time with pesky sharpening; it's the perfect world.

Subject matter is often vaguely directed by the client/gallery/etc. but I do try to focus on the characters and their stories. I try to plot out a background narrative even if it's a simple character portrait. It may not be super complex, but it does help to inform the decisions I make like setting, body language, and so on.

Teeny Tiny Trip Through Time

Could you tell us about the project you chose for the Stacks Exhibition? Why was this subject important to commemorate and what was it like reliving that year?

Ah...The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. So I suppose the best thing to do is quote the small introduction that's on the inside flap of my zine:

"The year was 1998. I’m sure a bunch of really important stuff happened but I was 12 so what stood out to me was a video game. For Christmas that year i was given The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and it was awesome. Looking back I appreciate so much more than the plot or the graphics. I mean everything about the game is still great, but there’s something more that left such an impression on me. Around this time, I’d never heard of a Zelda game and my parents rarely took chances on something so expensive. The serendipity of them making such a great choice, without any prompting or research, just doesn’t happen anymore. In the age of previews for movie trailers, it’s hard to come by genuine surprise and I appreciate that this game provided me with that. Discovery is what the franchise is all about and I couldn’t have had a truer experience than with this installment. That’s why I still love it to this day. So to commemorate the year of its release I wanted to take this teeny tiny trip through time. Enjoy!"

Mused on Tattoos Series- Young Guns of Print art show at Hero Complex Gallery.

What are you currently making? What can we look forward to seeing?

Well I've just gone back and revamped my personal project: The Silly Rally where I illustrate and animate goofy racers and their vehicles. I'm regularly updating and you can expect lots of "silly" from the series.

Oh but the BIG thing that's coming up is my first picture book! I haven't really talked about it that much yet but it's now available for preorder on Amazon so I should probably start promoting it, right? So it's called Edmund Unravels and it's about a little ball of yarn who adventures despite getting smaller as he goes and the importance of surrounding yourself with those you care about.

Other than that, I suppose there are more gallery shows and fun projects in the queue but all of those secrets are still kept under lock and key.

What is the best project you have ever worked on and why? (Personal or professional)

Like a good parent and their children, I'll never admit to having a favorite!

Tattoo It Yourself Cards

What are your favorite resources/ inspiration?

My big-picture inspirational people are the likes of Mary Blair and Mike Mignola. While they're of a different time, aesthetic, and content, they both approach their work with a simplicity that quickly communicates tone and content. I'm always inspired by those who are visually efficient and If I can be half as effective as the likes of them, I'll be on my way.

Outside of the art world, I'm an avid reader and love seeing how pictures are crafted with the written word. In the same way, I'm amazed when an author can take two relatively simple sentences and immediately paint a vivid mental picture. I don't have any direct examples to source but I'm reading "Neuromancer" by William Gibson right now and he's definitely concise in his writing.

Thanks Andrew!

You can find more information about Andrew's work for the Stacks Exhibition on the Light Grey Shop or permanent online gallery here. You can also see his process sketches and upcoming works on his blog and website!

Artist Interview with Rosena Fung

Rosena Fung is an illustrator and comic artist hailing out of Toronto. She began her path to visual narrative a little differently–she attended the University of Toronto and received her Masters in Anthropology, intending on becoming a research professor. She spent so much time drawing while attending UToronto that after finishing school there, she went to OCAD University to study Illustration. She finds it is one of the best things she has ever done.

Could you tell us about your current studio practice? (Your physical space, the kinds of projects that you make and subjects?)

My current studio space is fairly limited: a desk, with a drawer of supplies in my room, and I am learning to adapt to a downsized space as I prepare to move. I have discovered that I'm a social artist, and work best in the company of other artists, so hopefully at some point I can work in a shared studio space.

My main projects are illustrations (from concept-driven to dense and detailed worlds) and comics (both shorts and longer narratives). I learned how to screenprint recently and have been making prints and book arts ever since. I also really love hand-drawn typography.

Catch of the Day

What are some of your biggest sources of inspiration? (travel, subjects, materials, etc. )

I love eating, so food and the experience of eating (dining out, as a social activity, as a metaphor, etc.) is one of the mainstays of inspiration and subject matter. Besides that, other sources of inspiration include daily life, especially the really mundane stuff, and conversations, comics, fiction and non-fiction books, and drawing really late into the night—that's when the world seems to open up.

Makeup

You do many different kinds of projects, including comics, illustrations, drawings, personal and client based works. What are some of the biggest differences between your process while making completing these projects?

The differences in the process depends on the nature of the project, and who it's for. For most illustrations I approach in a very controlled sort of way. It's actually a lot of writing down ideas, symbols, associations, etc., that happens before I begin drawing, or even thumbnailing. There's definitely a very structured approach that follows a specific sequential process, especially so when working for a client.

I approach comics with more of a free hand in terms of subject matter, visual approaches, and story-telling. They remain deeply personal and less constrained by notions of what something should look like or abiding by certain conventions. When I work on a comic, I think about the kind of story I'd like to tell and why it's interesting, and go from there, without specific expectations of what I think it should be. Sometimes I'm surprised by the direction they go in, and it's a lot like watching a film play out in my head and I'm just documenting it.

While the processes are very different, they work for the each particular project so I can't say that one way is better than the other. A lot of the creative process is about adapting to each project in any case and remaining open to ideas, influences, and ways of working,

You are one of the participating artist in the Stacks Exhibition. Could you talk about your year, zine, and the behind-the-scenes work for this particular piece?

My year for the Stacks Exhibition is 2013. For my zine, I depicted my trip to New York City, the first time I had ever gone. I went with some friends to attend the Society of Illustrators' Student Scholarship Show and it was four days of the most fun I've ever had in my life with such an amazing and talented group of people. I fell in love with the city, its energy and people. When I came back, I wanted to capture its effervesence and the immediacy of each moment as I experienced it.

What are some of your most important moments in the past thirty years for your creative career? (The year you decided to go to school? The time you saw... The first time you picked up a material, etc. )

In Grade 7 a friend brought in a Calvin and Hobbes collection, It's a Magical World, and I read it for the first time. I think that was one of the most seminal moments of my creative career. I had been drawing comics before that, but they took on a concrete form from then on. I really started to seriously look at sequential art and storytelling as a compelling medium for art and writing.

Going to OCAD University was a crucial part of my creative development. I learned so much in such a short period of time, not just about image-making, but in terms of self-development and the program really instilled in me a stringent work ethic. I met some of the most brilliant, talented, and generous people at that school, whose work I greatly admire and who have helped me so much in my own work.

First Period

The Stacks zines are not only presented in the gallery, but also given to each of the contributing artists. Did this add additional pressure, inspiration, motivation?

The nature of the Stacks exhibit and project was inherently personally motivating. I love zines so much; they can be raw and honest, and really heartbreakingly beautiful. The idea of authenticity is often ridiculed and debated in the context of postmodernism and irony, but zines are one of the very few things I can say feels very authentic; regardless of the motivations of the creator and its influences, there is still something very honest and personal about zines. Knowing that I was part of a project of this scope was amazing.

Instant Ramen of Self-Loathing, page 1

There seems to be an inherent sense of community built into the world of comics. Could you share your experiences with collaboration, sharing projects, and conventions?

In the past few months, I've started discussing with other friends about different collaborative projects. Working solitary for your entire life and suddenly opening up your personal creative process can be intimidating, but also incredibly rewarding. We shall see how it goes, but I'm pretty excited about the prospects!

Zines and comic fairs are very fun: they are full of great collective energy and you meet really awesome people. Last year I co-organized a zine fair last year, and I attend as many as I can in the city. There's something special about the comics and zine community: if you're doing it, it's because you love it, unequivocally. And so meeting other comic creators and their fans is like a homecoming.

Pizza Pie Wars, page 2

What projects are you currently working on?

I've got a few projects on the go right now. I'm currently working on a compilation of autobiographical comic shorts for a new zine, as well as writing a longer comic story that I want to risograph. I'm also working on a new illustration and typography portfolio: I'm very excited to try new media, expand my visual vocabulary, just try new things out.

What are some of your favorite resources? Best places, books, movies, website for inspiration?

I love hanging out at the public library, Toronto has probably one of the best public library systems, ever. My favourite resources for inspiration are comics, but it would be impossible to whittle down a list of favourite creators. Anything by Jillian Tamaki would top that list though, for both illustration and comics. Also a fan of Wes Anderson and Charlie Kaufman movies, and anything written by David Foster Wallace. I also enjoy looking at a lot of different design and illustration blogs, plus I am religiously addicted to Sam Weber's podcast Your Dreams My Nightmares. I'd say a lot of the people around me are the greatest resources I have—the community of other illustrator- and artist-friends who are in it with me together. They are great and I love them!

Thank you, Rosena! If you'd like to see more of Rosena's work, or follow her artistic activity, you can check out her website, blog, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Stacks Opening Reception - Recap

A huge thanks to everyone who made it out to see the Stacks opening reception! It was a wonderfully intimate evening of nostalgia, smiles, and introspection as visitors poured over each of the 60 zines featured in the gallery.


It's an amazingly intimate show to take in, as each zine represents a sneak peek into the lives and mind of the artist from their chosen year, as well as the opportunity to handle the physical, hand-made pieces created by the artists themselves. There was a sense of preciousness as each visitor gingerly picked up a new zine and started reading, head bowed and eyes darting back and forth taking it all in.


You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Light Grey Art Lab Flickr set, and you can buy a copy of the limited edition zines on the Light Grey shop! The participating artists each got a copy of every zine in the exhibition, so in total there are only 15 copies available of each to purchase. If there's one you want, grab it soon!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!

Stacks- Opening Tonight!

Join us tonight from 7-10pm for the opening reception and celebration of Stacks! We are thrilled to release the collection of 60+ zines that line the gallery walls. These zines commemorate the past thirty years of memories, experiences, culture, and politics: 1984-2014.

Buffy 1997 Zine by Karina Rehrbehn, includes a cutout paper doll and stickers

You can see previews of all of the zines and purchase these limited edition work on the Light Grey Shop here! Each artist only has a couple zines available and are handmade, signed, and editioned. You can see the variety, techniques, and special extras here! You can also view all of the works on the Stacks permanent online gallery.

2013, New York Sketch Blog (By a Toronto Tourist) by Rosena Fung

You will be taken back in time, as you read the adventures of Totoro, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Pokémon, and Jurassic Park. You will remember what it is like to be a teenager in New York City, growing up in the suburbs, or exploring your old neighborhood. This show is about the experiences, moments, and places that shaped who we are today- it is our recent history of the world!

2014, Look Closely, What do you see? by Lindsay Nohl. This zine includes a handmade, painted porcelain necklace.

You can find the entire collection on the online gallery and Light Grey Shop here.

Thanks, City Pages! STACKS opens tomorrow! 7 - 10pm.

Hey! Look, you guys!
Jimmy Malone's STACKS zine was featured on in the City Pages A list! Thanks so much to the awesome staff of the City Pages, and Jessica Armbruster, for telling everyone about what we're up to! Some of the other awesome excerpts by Jimmy Malone, Julie Boehmer, Adriana Bellet, and Andrew Kolb) from the STACKS zines are shown on the online article here.



"Long before online blogs, Facebook rants, and Tumblr communities were ubiquitous, zines were a form of communication created for the people, by the people. These little handmade booklets are made by artists and activists to disseminate in coffee shops, bookstores, college campuses, and other hot spots. Their purpose varies. Some are intended to educate and pass along information, others feature political rants, some have great art, while others are about celebrating underground culture. The zine and its rich and ongoing legacy will be celebrated in Light Grey Art Lab's latest show, "STACKS." For the exhibition, over 60 artists from around the world have created zines designed to take viewers through time, from 1984 to 2014. Each work takes on a tone and theme personal to the artist, and includes things like childhood memories, influential moments in pop culture, pivotal decisions in politics, and more. There are celebrations of teen angst, explorations of '80s hairstyles, thoughts on Legend of Zelda and Pokemon games, and trips through the streets of New York City. These pieces come together to create a timeline of sorts, but they are unlike any history book you will ever read. There will be an opening reception from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, August 1.)" --Jessica Armbruster, City Pages



If you guys can, try to stop by and see them in person!
STACKS
opening reception

THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st!
7 - 10pm
Runs through Sept 5th
118 E. 26th Street #101
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612.239.2047

Questions? Give us a call or send us a note!
hello@lightgreyartlab.com

Getting ready for Stacks! Pardon our mess!

So we're just a week and a half away from our really exciting August exhibition! We wanted to share some preview photos with you from some of the zines that have come in. One thing I'm really enjoying about the preparations from this show is the unique install that we've got going on.





When Jenny and I came back from ICON8, we had a massive stack of boxes waiting for us from all of the artists. Unwrapping each one was really exciting. Each artist has something really different. Paper choices, printing techniques, special features, items they've added -- the each of these are truly unique.

Becca helped get everything sorted and we are in the midst of listing everything on the shop, taking documentation photos, and preparing the STACKS documentation gallery on the Light Grey website.

Besides all that, we had a bit of an engineering challenge. Many of our shows have been relatively 2d, and with a book format, we wanted to consider the experience of reading, absorbing and displaying the work. So, with a bit of thought, we put together a shelving system that is going to be perfect. Our concept is to have the whole gallery be a physical timeline of the years between 1984 and 2014, so you could move throughout these space, seeing how time progresses -- from the point of view of the artist in each year.


Right now Jenny is in the process of working on finishing and painting the shelves and we'll soon have them up on the walls.

We'll keep you posted with the updates as the exhibition gets closer including what the final "Stacks" look like, our process of shipping them all off, and some of the great documentation we're doing for the project.



Thanks to all of the artists that have participated so far. This will be really great to see everything in on space and we're really looking forward to the exhibition.
More information about the STACKS show can be found on the Facebook event page here.

Stacks
A Limited Edition Zine Exhibition
August 1st- September 5th
Opening Reception August 1
7 - 10pm
Light Grey Art Lab

118 E. 26th Street #101
Minneapolis MN 55406
612.239.2047

Stacks Preview

We are just TWO weeks away from the opening reception of STACKS: A limited exhibition zine exhibition and creative project! Coming August 1st, 2014, this unique show commemorates the past thirty years of memories, experiences, cultural phenomenas, and global changes! It is a celebration of our recent history and the moments that have shaped us all!

"The Poké Life", 1996, Preview by Matt Rockefeller

The show takes viewers on a journey through time, 1984-2014, seen through the eyes of sixty creatives. Topics include an illustrated story of the Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Back to the Future, Lost, hairdos of the 80s, wondering the streets of New York, bad decisions, childhood crushes, and more.

"Free Reign", 2008, Preview by Jaime Willems

We are thrilled to present this project and all of the perfectly crafted pieces. Zines are made in a variety of formats with screen prints, foil covers, full color pages, fold outs, ink drawings, and more. The zines are limited edition and hand signed by the artists. There are only a couple of zines available! They will be here at Light Grey Art Lab and available on the online shop by August 1st.

"The Phoenix Lights", 1997, Preview by Ashley Huebner

Each of the contributing artists are given all of the zines from the exhibition. They are able to keep the entire timeline and collection as an opportunity for future collaboration, communication, and to enjoy our shared experiences.

"Scarred for Life", 1990, Preview by Adriana Bellet

We hope you join us for this epic event and project! You can find more details about the opening reception on the Facebook Event Page here! There are more previews and details to come!

STACKS- Opening August 1st!

Mark your calendars for Light Grey Art Lab's newest exhibition and project, STACKS, coming August 2014! We are honored to present this incredible and clever collection of artwork, limited edition zines, and handcrafted works!

Preview of work by Barbara Dziadosz (Year 2002)

STACKS, invites you on a journey through time, as artists commemorate and revisit the past 30 years 1984-2014. This collection and visual timeline, celebrates the history, politics, pop culture, personal monuments, and childhood memories throughout these significant years and drastic decades.

Preview of work by Julie Boehmer (Year 2007)

This project is made possible by the contributions of 60+ artists from around the world. Each of the artists have selected a year of focus, illustrating, printing, and creating limited edition zines based on an important topic from that year.

Some of the zine subjects include hairstyles from the 80s, teenager angst, the Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, personal anthologies, roaming the streets of New York City, romance stories, and more. Each zine is clever, humorous, and insightful look into the recent history and our experiences of the world.

Preview of work by Ian Densford (Year 1998)

We invite you to celebrate this project, all of the artwork, and the memories of years past! You can find out more information and see all of the participating artists on the STACKS facebook event page here. You can also check out the STACKS webpage, and keep an eye out for previews on our blog and tumblr.

STACKS artists announced!

Thank you to everyone that submitted for the STACKS call for art! We're proud to announce the list of participating artists for our upcoming timeline of the last 30 years!

STACKS
A zine exhibition
Opening August 1, 2014
7 - 10pm
Light Grey Art Lab
118 E. 26th Street #101
Minneapolis, Minnesota



PARTICIPATING ARTISTS / YEARS:
1984 Chris Visions
1984 Andy Brinkman
1985 Junyi Wu
1985 Jimmy Malone
1986 Kyle Harabedian
1986 Xanthe Bouma
1987 Erica Rier
1987 Swati Addanki
1988 Taryn Gee
1988 Savannah Schroll Guz
1989 Kelsey Dusenka
1989 Leonard Peng
1990 Adriana Bellet
1990 Catherine Ho
1991 Alexandra Beguez
1991 Cat Rocketship
1992 Evyn Fong
1992 Kim Ku
1993 Taylor Kristan
1993 Rebecca Olene
1994 Brenna Lindblad
1994 Christopher Hegland
1995 Kelsey Henderson
1995 Jenny Bookler
1996 Mildred Louis
1996 Matt Rockefeller
1997 Ashley Huebner
1997 Karina Rehrbehn
1998 Andrew Kolb
1998 Ian Densford
1999 Evan Palmer
1999 Shirley Liang
2000 Melissa Ling
2000 Angela An
2001 Yelena Bryksenkova
2001 Kate Thomas
2002 Luke Rusch
2002 Barbara Dziadosz
2003 Kyle Coughlin
2003 Annie Stoll
2004 Francesca Buchko
2004 Katrina Castillo
2005 Anna Bongiovanni
2005 Anna Rose
2006 Maximillian A Queripel
2006 Patsy Chen (patabot)
2007 Janna Morton
2007 Julie Boehmer
2008 Jaime Willems
2008 Hannah Kennedy
2009 Drew Schmidt
2009 Erin Lux
2010 Vanessa Port
2010 Salina Trevino
2011 Chris Kindred
2011 Leigh Luna
2012 Esther Hong
2012 Mary Rothlisberger
2013 Ashley Hohnstein
2013 Rosena Fung
2014 Lindsay Nohl
2014 Jo Yeh

Watch for more information about the exhibition and show soon! We'll keep you up to date about the show in the coming weeks!
Thanks again and congratulations to all involved!

CALL FOR ART: STACKS: Zines about the way we spent it.

CALL FOR ART:
STACKS: Zines about the way we spent it.
Opening August, 2014

EDIT: 3.29.14 -- THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT SUBMITTED THEIR LINKS! WE'LL BE POSTING THE LINE-UP AND YEARS FOR WHO GETS WHAT IN THE NEXT WEEK! THANKS AGAIN, GUYS! SIT TIGHT!

We are hosting a HUGE exhibition and zine swap this summer and we are looking for comic artists, narrative creators, writers, book artists and anyone that's ever wanted to make a zine!

When I was a sophomore in high-school the world was a different place. I sat in the basement of my parents house lighting opium-scented incense and writing novel-length letters to my pen-pals about my love for Pennywise and NOFX... I spent countless hours on America Online chat rooms, running up the charges and getting kicked off of our old-school dial up connection every time my parents wanted to make a phone call. Those were the days that I wished I could be Tank Girl, and I was making comics all day, every day, instead of doing my math homework. Instead of eating lunch, I saved my lunch money and spent it on the weekends going to $5 punk rock shows.

••••••••••••••

You remember the good old times, don't you?
So get ready to bust out the photo-copier and make a zine about it.

This show categorizes the last 30 years in the way we love to remember it -- full of the ways we spent our time, our money, and our energy. It's a show about the characters, music, properties, wishes, secrets, food, or people we used to pine for. Remember all those good old things that shaped you as a person?

Well, we are creating an exhibition / massive zine swap where we cover the last 30 years : from 1984 - 2014 in a timeline-like fashion. Across the walls of the gallery we're building a actual, physical timeline. So you'll walk in, and be able to reminisce about each year from the perspective of a different person. The specifics of that year are up to you -- for example, if you got the year 1994, you could talk about how all of your friends mourned the loss of Kurt Cobain, or maybe you want to list your tv crushes from that year and draw pictures of all of their hair (I'm looking at you, Boy Meets World, Shawn Hunter.) This can be collaborative, so you could find all of your friends that were born in that year and draw their alter egos. Maybe you want to rank best to worst boyfriends during 1994 and make a zine out of all of their stats and quirks. All of these things are fair game. You could even make a whole zine about Darkwing Duck if you wanted to, as long as that show originated in your year!

As long as you tell us about that year, we're up for anything.

If you decide to do a fanzine, just make sure that the theme you pick STARTED in that year. If you need to do a little research, go for it! Once all of our participating artists are selected, we'll be building a shared google doc for everyone involved so that you can see what other people are doing and we hope you guys chat with each other!

HOW IT'LL WORK / DEADLINES / INFO AND ALL THAT:

Once we finalize the list of artists, we'll make sure every year is covered. Once the call is up, we will reach out with a list showing who got what year and we'll start making! We are shooting to have at least two people per year, so don't fret!
Then, we'll be asking all artists to make a limited edition of 75 zines, signed and numbered. 60 of those will go out to the other participating artists.

The way you make your zine is up to you.
All zines should be between 8 pages and 32 pages (max), no bigger than 8.5" x 5.5"
Color or black and white, processes, paper or special treatments are all up to each artist.
As long as they're easily stackable / mailable, anything goes.


So! If you're involved in the exhibition, you'll receive a box full of every zine from the entire collection. The whole stack will be mailed to you along with a special Light Grey surprise :)

The first zine from each edition will be displayed in the gallery during the exhibition so people are able to view / open / peruse / read / absorb your secrets from your year. The rest will be available on the shop for the duration of the exhibition!

The rest of the month will be jam packed full of interviews, content and other fun stuff revolving around zines, comics and artist books.

Please do us a big favor and only respond to the call for art if you are absolutely certain you can follow through with the above parameters. Since we jury down to a very specific number, we want to make sure that everyone that claims a spot is in for the long haul! Thanks for understanding!

If you have any questions at all about the parameters or anything else, feel free to send me a note and I'll be happy to help!
hello@lightgreyartlab.com

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So here's how to be involved.
First, put a comment below with your name, your email and your site/ blog.

THEN, tell us which years you'd be up for. (Make sure that you have a year from the 80s, another from the 90s, and one from the 00-10s.)
You can rank them in order of which years you want most, to least. And if you have no year preference, you're welcome to say that, too!)
We're looking to have each year represented, so we'd love to know if you're flexible.


Here's an example:

Lindsay Nohl
hello@lightgreyartlab.com
lindsaynohl.com

1. 1988
2. 2003
3. 1994

I am also open to any other year!

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Please submit your portfolio links, email, blog or site and your preferences below in the comments!

Submit by MARCH 28th to be involved!

We'll be jurying soon after and will announce the final list of artists by the first week in April so you have plenty of time to make your zines! The final deadline for shipping the zines will be sometime during the summer :) More info for our participating artists after the call ends! Once we have the final list of artists, we'll make sure to post the details on the blog!

Thanks again, guys, and we're totally looking forward to finding out how you spent the last 30 years!

XOXO
---Lindsay
Questions? hello@lightgreyartlab.com