Artist Interview: Chris Hajny

Artist Interview with Chris Hajny
by Lindsay Nohl


Meet Chris. He’s the stealthy part of Light Grey Art Lab—the behind-the-scenes guy. He works for Paper Bicycle LLC and Light Grey Art Lab, and spends his free time playing video games, making artwork, petting pets, and hanging out with friends. He is a funny, quick witted, and super tall guy.


Chris, can you describe what you do at Light Grey?

I am the photographer, podcast producer, press contact, dog walker, errand boy, Dungeon Master, and IT support. I also move all the heavy things that need moving and reach all the high things that need reaching.


What are your other claims to fame? (What else are you doing with your days?)

I’m not sure fame is the right word, I try to keep a pretty low-profile. I work as a product designer at Paper Bicycle with all my bestest buds (both of them!). That consists of concepting, design, illustration, pattern making, and production-work.


Tell me a little bit about the art you make? Any favorite subjects? Materials? Themes? Do you have some defaults?

I love drawing, although everything I do ends up digital in the end. One thing I’ve found, which took some time to actually come to understand and appreciate, is that I value mark-making and spontaneity over refinement and precision. I don’t differentiate between sketching and a finished rendering; it’s all just drawing. I try not to treat anything precious. Material-wise I don’t really have any special tools, I’ll draw with (and on) whatever I can find.




Conversely, I also love working with illustrator, where I mainly use the pen tool and mouse. It’s obviously a very different experience than putting pencil to paper, but I enjoy them both.

Subject-wise I tend to make things that are very cute or very ugly, but lately I've been really into on-site observational drawing. People, architecture, nature; it doesn't really matter. I find it soothing and rewarding, which is only odd because I didn't enjoy it much in my younger days.


When you travel, what do you like to do and where do you like to go?

Traveling is a love-hate relationship for me. I hate to plan ahead and think about the bad things that can happen, and all the work I’ll be falling behind on while I’m gone. So getting out the door is the challenge. But once I’m there, I usually fit in and get lost in the experience pretty quick.

I’ve traveled a fair bit and there’s definitely a theme to what I like. I like cold climates. I’ll take mountains, glaciers and bulky jackets over beaches, oceans and swimsuits any day. I also don’t like schedules and plans. I’ve been to Japan a couple times, and I spent my days on the trains without much of a plan (apart from hitting all the arcades) which was great. In Iceland, we rented a car and hit the road with no plans or places to stay. My favorite thing about vacations is discovery; coming across things you didn’t know existed, and you feel like you might be the first to ever see it (even though you are most certainly not).


One of the things that I think is really interesting about you is that when you get into something, you get really into it. For example, the podcast. Or D&D. You also have an encyclopedic knowledge of what’s going on in the videogame industry and encyclopedic knowledge of movies before 2000. How often do you find a new obsession? What kinds of things have you obsessed over in the past?

I’m not sure. I don’t find a new obsession often and I don’t actively look for them, either. I don’t have enough time to spend doing the things I love as it is, so adding more to the mix isn’t something I usually seek out.

But when I do find something I actually care about, I tend to research and learn as much as I can about it as fast as I can. It’s not something I consciously do, I just can’t help myself.

Previously I've been obsessed with Printmaking, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Film & Video, Street Fighter, Hip Hop, and musicals.


I also know that you are a pretty good dancer. How did that happen?

It did not happen. It is a gift. I do not dance, I am but a conduit for the jams to express themselves visually.

What is your favorite song to sing in karaoke?

It was ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ by Poison, and that song still holds a special place in my heart. But it’s so cliche that some karaoke places won’t even play it. So I guess Meatloaf’s ‘Paradise By The Dashboard Light’ or RUN DMC’s ‘Tricky’ if Ryan Michlitsch will duet with me. Or anything from any musical ever.

Name something that is intense.

Camping. Circuses. Boners.

 

Thank you, Chris!
You can see more of Chris's artwork on his hilariously out-of-date website here and follow his slightly more up to date blog here. 

Artist Interview: Francesca Buchko

Artist Interview with Francesca Buchko
By Chris Hajny

Meet Francesca Buchko. She is a talented watercolor and digital artist, an avid book reader, and a sketchbook lover, as well as a great colleague and friend. Francesca graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with Illustration. She works as a product designer at Paper Bicycle LLC and and a curator and assistant at Light Grey Art Lab. She is one fascinating lady!




Hi Francesca! What you do at Light Grey Art Lab?
Hey! I do a lot of odd things! I update the Light Grey Tumblr. I have been doing artist interviews lately, too–it’s been great getting in touch with artists. I am at all of the shows, often manning the sales table and cutting fruit, sometimes I help edit writing, or I’ll make a sign if we’re missing one, or I’ll take a picture if we need one and there isn’t anyone doing that, and on a rare occasion I’ll stay in the gallery for gallery hours. I might be a professional intern.

It’s rare to see you without a sketchbook in hand, how long have you carried one? Do you use it as a dumping ground for ideas? To test out techniques? Or is your sketchbook precious, and you think of it as a whole? 
I’ve had a sketchbook since I was sixteen–my first one was a present from a coworker. After that, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t kept a sketchbook earlier, because it’s exactly the thing I needed. I use it for everything—drawing from life, drawing characters, writing down the name of a song or a story idea or someone’s number. I guess it’s kind of like a journal, but it’s mostly pictures.






What about your more finished artwork? Any favorite subjects? Materials? Themes?
I really have been into painting lately. Watercolor and gouache are my favorite media right now, though at some point I think I need to reinvestigate digital. I loooove drawing people. I didn’t realize it until fairly recently, but I love drawing places, too. People in places is probably my favorite subject. I draw a lot of cats in my sketchbook.


 
Francesca at a Light Grey Lock In.


If you didn’t make art for a living what would you do instead?
I don’t even know if I’d be doing anything! When I was little I wanted to be an artist, a ballerina and a vet. I like to think that there is an athletic alternate universe version of me somewhere that is a stellar dancer. I imagine she would work very hard at it. 

What hobbies do you have outside of making art? 
Hm. HMMMMMMM... I like reading a lot, and biking around (though I am by no means a biker) and exploring. I also spend a considerable amount of time on the phone, thanks to having a lot of really good friends and family out of town. I really really like eating.

Your love of Minneapolis is widely known. If you had to choose ONE aspect of Minneapolis as your favorite, what would it be and why?
It’s the people! Aside from the fact that this is where my closest friends are, there are so many cool things here because there are so many cool people. Every awesome gallery and bike trail and coffee shop is thanks to a dedicated group of folks and some really devoted patrons. Those guys are my favorite.




And if you had to choose one thing you hate the most about Minneapolis? 
Hah! I wish it was harder...a year ago and I would have said not a thing. Sometimes it’s too snowy. Or a little too hot. Hate is pretty strong, but I might hate that snow.

Have you ever been anywhere amazing? Is there anywhere you just have to visit in your lifetime? 
I haven’t been out of the country yet, but I’ve been to a lot of places in the U.S. that were pretty incredible. I’m always blown away by mountains. When I was a kid I really wanted to see the ocean, and even though I love the ocean, the Rocky Mountains might be my favorite land feature I have seen. As weird as it is, I want to see cities. Maybe to compare to other cities? I love that a city is like a person that has been built out of a million people. I’m really curious about San Francisco. I mean, with a name like that, why not?

(This question was answered last week, before their trip to Iceland! I look forward to hearing how this answer changes- what her new favorites places and cultures are. )

 Do you have a favorite artist? It could be a visual artist, writer, director, musician?
It’s really hard to pick just one. I have mini art crushes. A little bit ago it was Mark Gatiss, a British writer/actor/producer (he wrote a few episodes of Doctor Who and Sherlock). I was listening to an audio commentary with him and I was impressed by the way that he talks about his work. He’s definitely a nerd—he’s writing for things that he obsessed over as a kid—but he has great integrity about it. I think that’s really difficult to do.

You always play a Ranger/Hunter in games. Why is that your go-to choice? 
I think that skill is cool; to just be so good at something that you can just pick it up and go. I also feel good about slowly whittling away at something. It suits my real-life strategy—pick a stance and be devoted to it.

If you stumbled across a bazillion dollars what would you do? 
I would for real pay off loans. Good thing they’re less than a bazillion dollars! After that I would set up retirement properly and put a good chunk of away. And then I would go on sabbatical, all around the world. And I’d eat everything.






Describe your perfect day.
It would be 67 degrees and sunny, I’d wake up at 7:30, go to a coffee shop for a hour of writing. Then I’d go home, clean, call my fam, eat lunch at 11. Take a bike ride to a bookstore or library. Draw outside for awhile–by this time it would be 75 degrees–then go to United Noodle around 3-4, buy a bunch of imported snacks and possibly dinner ingredients. Bike to your (Chris & Lindsay’s) house to visit for a couple hours and share some snacks. Then we’d call up the rest of the friends, go out to eat around seven and talk there for a couple hours. Then I’d go home and work on comics until bed. 

Thanks, Francesca!

You can see more of Francesca's work here and follow her blog too.

Artist Interview: Lindsay Nohl

Artist Interview with Lindsay Nohl
By Jenny Bookler

One of my favorite things in the world is getting to know new people. I love to sit down, grab a coffee, and talk about all of their thoughts and ideas. I have had the honor of getting to know several of you through artist interviews, online conversations, and in person, and I am always blown away by the breath of artwork, enthusiasm, and interesting personalities- you all are great!

So many of you ask, who runs Light Grey Art Lab? how many of you are there? what do you do? where do your inspirations come from? Well, to answer all of those questions and to return the openness you have shared with all of us, we will be conducting artist interviews within the Light Grey team!

To start this series of interviews, I want to introduce Lindsay Nohl, founder and owner of Light Grey Art Lab and Paper Bicycle LLC and Illustration Teacher at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.  Lindsay is one of the most talented, kind, and hard working people I know, with unlimited enthusiasm and big ideas. I sat down with Lindsay this week to ask about her thoughts, motivations, collections, and upcoming projects:

You are the founder of Light Grey Art Lab, but how would you describe all of the things and parts you manage everyday?
Whoa. I don’t even know where to start. Well -- I come up with a ton of the exhibition and project ideas for Light Grey. (But I definitely couldn’t keep them going without everyone else, that’s for sure.) I usually write most of what people see on the internet. I’m in charge of the Twitter, Facebook and the calls-for-art on the blog.  I suppose I’m the marketing person (Is that even a thing we do?) and I’m the all-around ‘starter’ of things. I usually plan our trips to different places, and often bug the crap out of everyone else here with my “what about this!” ideas, and “let’s put this on the pile!” attitude. I’m really lucky everyone’s always so nice about it. I am totally a brain-stormer. I love brainstorming.

You are often coming up with new ideas and projects to start. What is your primary motivator? or inspiration for new projects?
I have an extremely short attention span, but a really wide array of interests. Plus, I get obsessed with things easily and tend to devour topics like I used to devour bubble tea. For some reason, when I’m hot on something, I’m super hot on it and my obsessions tend to be top-of-mind for me until I’ve somehow satiated my hunger for them. Sometimes I’m motivated to do a project because it’s challenging, other times it’s because I’ve convinced myself that I couldn’t live without seeing an idea come to fruition. Most times I’m inspired by totally serendipitous things like, for example, stumbling upon all of these amazing Sci-fi paperbacks in a local comic shop. I bought 13, then 20 more... and that’s when I was hooked. And Station Zero was born.

Oliver, one of Lindsay's cats, guards these precious Sci-Fi books

Where is your favorite place/atmosphere to make artwork?
I’m all about coffee houses. In fact, I’m also all about different places. I like to be where people are when I’m working. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I just feel energized. I had a corporate design job for a couple years right after school and when I decided to go off on my own I spent the next couple years loitering at coffeehouses all day / night. It was seriously the best. I’m sure I looked like a pack-mule with all of the stuff I hauled around with me, but I LOVED it. And when I’m not working there, I just really like being upstairs in my home studio. It’s super chill. I put the jams on and sing while I’m working. You can’t do that at a coffee house.

It's common for Lindsay's work-space to have everything and anything on it at all times. Here, you can see her prized possession, a white tiger lamp from Francesca. A gift to remember.

What are some common themes and subjects you like to draw?
I’m also an impatient creator, so if I’m trying to do something quick, I usually do one of two things. For the last couple years I’ve been drawing portraits of people - face only. (Or even more specifically just noses and mouths.) or patterns. Most of the things that I’ve shared in my personal portfolio / online are my patterns. I make them at work all the time, but I also make them for fun. I had a project a couple years ago called Daily Pattern for our blog.paperbicycle.com - where each of us in the studio did a pattern a day for 8 months. That’s a ton of patterns. And recently I’ve been creating patterns once a week (give or take!) for a similar project called 101florals. It just ended a bit ago, so I'm eager to start on a new project where I draw things. I have been tossing around a couple new ideas. If there's anyone out there that wants to collaborate on a sketch project, hit me up.

A sketch from one of Lindsay's sketchbooks. Venus Fly-trap!

Tell me about your favorite thing you have ever made. 
Well, I’m one of those artists that hates everything they make a day after they finish it. I revel in my projects for as long as I can, then I get all weird and self-conscious and move on. I’m sure that’s normal, right? So, to answer your question. I’m not su--- WAIT. THAT IS NOT TRUE. My favorite thing that I’ve made so far is Light Grey. (Didn’t see that one coming, did you?)

Besides Light Grey, I think it might be the projects I do for other people. If I'm making something for someone else, I find it so much more exciting. I adore giving gifts and I love the creating something for someone else.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever made (either by assignment or personal)?
Oh man. I have made a few that are mention-worthy. One time I made an illustration of Corey Feldman picking up dog poop. Another time I made 60 gouache paintings of  ‘bad things that people do’ , including pushing people’s faces into water fountains, spitting in people’s food.... but that was in school. I also made a wire sculpture of an opossum for some reason. We all do weird things in college, right? Just recently I did a project where I had to make a pattern out of meat. That was for a very reputable client. (and it was not my idea.)

If you could learn any new skill, what would it be?
Speed reading AND retaining the information. I can read pretty fast but I have a memory like a sieve. I adore books but I have the problem of digesting them and then confusing them with others.

What are your vices and things you cannot live without?
Currently? Eating bell peppers like apples. I’m all about cats. Actually, I’m all about all of the animals. I’m totally a tea person. Lately I’ve been adding lattes to my daily ritual because I drag in the morning. I am a night person, so that also means that I wake up horribly late. Collecting things. I am a hoarder of things. Specifically old paper things like vintage greeting cards, old books, and old wrapping paper.

What do you like to do in your free time?
…. free time. That’s a concept. I teach in my free time? I talk about projects and then do projects? I talk to my parents? I don’t even know anymore. I often have everything so packed in there that I’m not sure I actually have free time. I have a sliver of time when I’m eating at night after I come home from teaching and that’s usually when I put on an episode of something and pig out with Chris. Besides that I like to throw a much needed vacation in the mix and go on adventures to places there are no lines -- where you can crawl on everything, and be the only person for miles around. I also like the days when I sit down in a small space with someone and have heart-to-hearts. I love one on one conversations like nothing else. I'd always make time for those.

Lindsay teaching about succulents

What is your dream place/landscape?
I think everyone in the universe has heard that I want to retire when I’m 40 and move to Iceland and wear the same wool sweater all day, paint and read books in my 2 story library. Maybe I’d have a duck as a pet. All while with my back to a glacier and my face toward the sea. I’m sure it’d weather me as quickly as the first season of Man vs. Wild grizzled up Bear Grylls, but I’d be willing to take that chance.

In an alternate reality (which I only talk about when I am feeling frumpy) I'd live in an a creaky, four-story, turn of the century tudor-style house on a wooded corner of town. I would grow my huge hair out until it was long, grey and gnarly. The children would ride their bikes past my overgrown iron gates and they'd shriek when they saw my silhouette in one of the ivy-framed windowpanes. I would have taken up wood carving and topiary making, and my yard would be strewn with my endless 'projects'. Inside, you'd find me slowly shuffling through secret passages, or pondering my cabinets of curiosities. Stacks of my 'collections' would litter the hallways. Not as much a hoarders-situation as an ill-kept museum. At the back of the house I'd have a huge leaded greenhouse where finches and other songbirds kept my plants company. I'd have a crow for a famili-- I mean, a crow for a pet. My house would be drafty but my 6 cats would keep me warm at night.

What is the best advice you ever received?

My dad has the best sayings. One of them, (which I quoted in the Happiness & Success lecture) was in relation to allowing one’s self to pursue goals that are ambitious or far-fetched. He says “If it doesn’t work out, no one is going to take you out back and shoot you.” to which I say “Good point!” So we might as well just do the things we’re excited about without the fear of failing. I’m not even sure that failing exists. I’m not sure why people stop themselves from doing what they love, or going for something they want. I totally live by that idea and that particular shred of wisdom has given me all sorts of guts to try things I never thought I’d be able to do. It’s also given me more hope that I can do all sorts of other things if I keep trying.

Lindsay and her Dad, Victor.

If you could teach a class on any topic in the world what would it be?

I’d love to teach a class on collaboration, specifically. Now that I think of it, I’m not sure why I’ve never done that before. Think of the possibilities!

What is one of your life aspirations?

I’d really like to visit Europe one day and meet some of the amazing people I’ve met through all of our projects in person. Maybe couch surf my way around, eat all of the delicious food and enjoy myself for a couple weeks. I’m thinking that this might be a possibility some time soon. Might as well try, right?

I’d also like to learn how to meditate. Like, for real. I’d like to remember my dreams. I’d like to author a book about patterns. I guess you only asked for one aspiration. Whoops.

Do you have any guilty pleasures? Things you know you should not do, but do anyway?

I have many pleasures, but I do not feel guilty about any of them. :)

Thanks, Lindsay!

You can see more of Lindsay's artwork here and follow her blog here