Artist Interview with Pat Presley

Meet Pat Presley, a San Francisco-based illustrator who has had an artistic hand in many franchises, including Star Wars, X-Men, the fighting game Injustice 2, and many more. Read about his views on being a professional concept illustrator, his piece in our upcoming show Parallel, and his fascinations with the Apocalypse below!  

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Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you go to school? What brought you into the art world? What kind of work do you do? 

I was born in Bangkok, Thailand. I spent most of my childhood there dodging traffic and taking in a steady diet of movies, comic books and ghost stories. My formative years were in eastern Kansas where I got my degree in Interior Architecture and Product Design from Kansas State. Initially, I was studying to be a Psychiatrist because I wanted to make loads of money, but I almost flunked out because I'd rather be hanging out in the Billiard hall and playing Street Fighter. Then one day, I accidentally walked into the College of Architecture's gallery and thought "Hell, I can do this!" 

Architecture didn't exactly work out as a career either. It was stressful and I like sleeping too much. So I moved to California looking for a different path. I got my first break with a game studio, Factor 5. My first project was a PS3 game LAIR, which was considered one of the "Top 10 Most Disappointing Games of the Decade". Hard to top that accolade! After that I spend over 5 years with Lucasfilm in Marin County working on several Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars and Rebels, as well as a few other SW related projects. 

Another project I've worked on is Subnautica, a Sci-fi underwater exploration game developed by Unknown Worlds. It was a refreshing experience working with an indie developer on this unique project.

Now I am a freelance concept designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, working in Film, Animation and Games. I have done work for Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, and Disney Imagineering, among others.

What does your workspace look like? What creates the perfect creative space for you and your practice? 

We have a tiny apartment in The Bay Area, a hallway really. Because I like to work in a cave, my workspace is in the darkest corner of the place, and is boxed in by a large bookcase. Most of the time it is really messy. I feel like a little chaos creates a good workspace: things on the walls, books and papers piling everywhere, etc. Usually my desk looks like it's just about to spin out of control.

What is your process when approaching a piece? Do you have any favorite resources, materials, or research materials? 

My main approach, which is typical for my professional work, is through problem solving. It's a simple idea of identifying problems that need visual solutions. For example, if the client asks for "a spaceship", then you start asking various questions that are pertinent to that. What is the function of the ship? What is the type of speculative technology at work? What are the story elements that take place here? What is the history? Sometimes I ask those questions to the clients, other times I just ask myself those questions. It helps me to identify a clear target. After you identify the "problems", you start doing research, which usually means collecting tons of references relevant to those questions. These early steps of the process are pretty crucial but the important aspect is to have fun with it. I draw spaceship and fantastic cities for a living, I can't take myself too seriously.

What's it like to be in the concept art industry? How do you maintain your artistic voice when working in a group of people, or is the collaborative atmosphere something you find exciting? 

It is a lot of fun and very challenging at the same time. Because of my Architecture background, I find concept art to be very similar since it deals with solving problems visually. My "artistic voice" isn't so much an expression of self but a communication of ideas. It is done in a community. When you come together behind an idea or a narrative and answer to its needs, it becomes part of the satisfaction.

A lot of the work you do involves machinations, futuristic environments, and amazing structural detail. Are these things you've always had an eye for? How do you invent things for worlds and realities that have rules and cultures totally different from our own?

I guess you can blame it on my love for architecture and science fiction. Also, I’m a bit enamored with a sense of place and how it can affect you. So I end up painting things I want to see. 

I can't create out of a vacuum. My output needs a lot of input. Most of the work is a reflection of things I see in the real world, and I either look at it sideways or add a twist to it.

What's your dream locale? You've spent so much time creating and exploring these new worlds, is there a specific environment that you yourself would want to inhabit? 

I’ve always wanted to be on earth when it ends. I have a recurring dreams of the end of the world. So I would love to have an opportunity for a front row seat to the apocalypse. It would be really terrifying but it would be so impressive to see such a rare cataclysmic event that you can only experience once...literally. Unfortunately I think that we are in the most boring corner of the universe where not much happens.

Crop of Presley's piece The Floodplains; See the full piece at the opening of Parallel! 

Can you tell us about the piece you created for Parallel? 

This is a piece I recently created and thought it would be fitting to submit to Parallel. The piece is titled The Floodplain, and it's actually the second piece from a series of paintings called Postcards from Asia. It's a visual travelogue of an alternate universe. I was having fun with the idea of how we are increasingly defined by our surroundings and more importantly, water. It's an imagined life in this flood area, including the strange machines and technology necessary to live in that zone.

What are some of your favorite pieces of media? What inspires you? Who are some of your favorite artists right now?

I draw a lot of influence from film and architecture. These two mediums are, in many ways, a nexus of various art and science. I also have great respect for comic artists, animators and the art form of visual storytelling. People like Moebius, Hayao Miyazaki, Otomo Katsuhiro have transcended the medium and took it to places you didn't expect. 

On favorite artists front, I will always have J.C. Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell, John Singer Sargent, Moebius, Ralph McQuarrie, Syd Mead and many others. 

That said, there are many other bright spots out there currently. I love Nicolas Delort's work and the way he's doing things. When I first saw his pieces The End of the Road and A Rumor of Angels, I was blown away by how elemental they are. His work is classical and fresh at the same time. 

I also enjoy Sterling Hundley's illustration work. His work is one of those rare breeds where it serves its function as communicator of ideas, but is also able to move you on emotional level. Somehow he is able to find that balance.

What would be an absolute dream project for you? 

Outside of drawing and designing, films and reading are my little happinesses in life. Making a short film or writing a book (or a comic book) would be an absolute thrill.

Can you talk about any of your upcoming projects? Anything you’re working on that you’re really excited about? 

I recently finished concept work on one of the "X-Men" films in production. I was working directly with the wonderful production designer, Molly Hughes. They’re shooting the film right now. As an artist, you're always curious how much of your work survives the final cut, so I am very excited to see that.

Anything else you’d like to add? Where can people find your work? 

Thank you for allowing me to share a bit about me and my work! You can find more at www.phattro.com, and you can follow me on instagram at @phattro

Artist Interview with Evan Kang

Meet Evan Kang, a Pennsylvania-born connoisseur of the splashy, colorful media of the late 20th century. Although very illustrative, much of Evan’s 80’s-tinged work exists in 3-D space, in the form of models and dioramas. Read more about his interests, processes, and how he creates these playful worlds below, and check out his piece in our upcoming show, Parallel! 

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Tell us a bit about yourself! Where did you go to school? Where did you grow up? Where do you currently reside? What brought you into the art world? 

I grew up in and am currently back in my hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It’s the state capital, but nobody's heard of it! That’s for good reason though, it’s a small and quiet town with not much to do, and I’m only here temporarily to be closer to family.

I was briefly in the illustration program at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, with the prospect of refining a more conceptual approach to image making (working with abstractions, coding, etc). It was a bit of a struggle, because my process doesn’t really mesh with what was being taught. In art school I feel like you’re supposed to fit a certain mold, at least to an extent, and that just wasn’t happening for me. Even so, the overall experience has been invaluable, and I definitely came away from it a stronger illustrator.

Working with models and dioramas have been my primary focus lately. Miniatures have this sort of allure and charm that I find really attractive, so I’d like to push my work further in that territory.

What does your workspace look like? What creates the perfect creative space for you and your practice? 

I’m currently sharing a studio space with my partner (who is also an illustrator), which is actually just a tiny extra bedroom. We have a pretty standard setup: a desktop computer, scanner, printer, and an extra desk for analog projects. In between the two desks is a little tube TV with an N64 and Sega Genesis, for those quick but frequent breaks… The responsible thing to do would be to move the games into another room, but that’s just not going to happen. There’s also some shelves and bookcases filled with toys, comics, and lots of reference material.

In terms of perfect spaces, I’m not too picky. All I need is to put on some background noise and to have my partner working in the same space (so it doesn’t get too lonely). Throw in a bit of ambient or natural lighting and I can get into the “zone” pretty quickly!

What is your process when approaching a piece? Do you have any favorite resources, materials, or research materials? Does your 3D work require different processes than your 2-Dimensional illustrations, or do you find that they actually come from similar places?  

My process is a little backwards and probably counterproductive. I’ll typically lie down, shut my eyes, and try to visualize a scene/narrative in my head without actually putting things on paper. Pretty off the cuff stuff, and I don’t recommend working this way, it just happens to work for me. Now and then I’ll make some chicken scratch notes or incoherent scribbles, but I mostly wing it. It’s sort of like image making improv. This approach is the same whether I’m working in 2D or 3D, model-making just requires a little more trial and error because there’s some engineering involved.

For research and reference I’ll usually look up things through online sources or I’ll snap my own reference photos for a very specific gesture. Pretty straightforward. Occasionally, I might revisit a movie or video game to make mental mood boards.

The materials I like to use most are Evergreen sheet styrene, Super Sculpey [modeling clay], and Vallejo model color paints for all 3D pieces. Most of my 2D work is digital, so my ancient Wacom Bamboo tablet has been my go to. 

What brought you to the idea of creating your characters and spaces in model form? Did the techniques required to create these models come fairly naturally to you?

Growing up with Nintendo Power magazines: the covers would sometimes feature models or clay dioramas that always made a big impression on me. I loved that these pieces were specifically crafted just for a one-off image! I’m also a big toy collector and drawn to all things miniature, so the desire to build in model form has been there for a long time. 

As far as the techniques I use, I find that there’s a lot of overlap in skills between working in 2D and 3D. Model making is just drawing in a 3D space. You’re still thinking about planes, forms, and overall composition, but with an added technical aspect of physically puzzling pieces together. Kind of like a jigsaw.

Crop of Evan's piece Garbage Day; full image coming soon! Parallel opens September 22! 

Can you tell us about the piece you've created for Parallel? What kind of world did you want to create? 

The piece [is] a physical diorama composed and then photographed as an image titled Garbage Day. It’s set in an off world trash heap. I wanted to create an environment that could take place at the end of an 80’s sci-fi/action movie. A lot of these films have their climaxes take place in these run down, industrial backdrops. To capture that mood but then combine it with a mundane and unflattering job performed by martian-like characters seemed really funny to me. Civilizations produce waste and it needs to be handled by someone, what would it look like in another dimension and what kind of pests do they have to deal with?

Was there anything new that you wanted to try with this piece? 

I’m really aiming to shoot everything in-camera and have all the pieces be physical objects. Usually, I’ll edit in a photograph to use as a background or use digital tricks to finish an image, but I’d really like to make this piece as tactile as possible. It’s going to be a real challenge!

What are some of your favorite pieces of media? What inspires you? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? 

Bad sci-fi movies like The Stuff, R.O.T.O.R., and Robot Jox in addition to the classics like RoboCop and Terminator have a large influence on the work I make. There’s sort of an endearing quality to bad movies, and the special effects are always fun to look at no matter how terrible they are. I grew up watching these films and I often subconsciously pull from these sources when I’m working.

Sean Chao is an artist that I really look up to. He creates incredible dioramas with clay, cut paper, and found objects that are just full of character and charm. His work is meticulous, look him up!

Do you have any other hobbies that you enjoy? Is there anything you've always wanted to get into but haven't yet? 

Video games and collecting are two of my biggest hobbies. Nostalgia is something that influences my artistic practice and personal interests. Over the years I’ve collected some of the consoles I played when I was younger, as well as some of my favorite action figures (like G.I. Joe, as an example). 

In my practice, I’d really like to explore the techniques and capabilities of 3D printing. I’ve done some freelance and personal projects using digital 3D modeling and would love the take that to the next level. There are a lot of interesting things being done with 3D printing, so I’d love to learn more about it for myself.

What would be an absolute dream project for you? This can be personal or commercial! 

Eventually I’d like to launch my own toy line in the same vein of franchises like G.I. Joe, complete with TV show or comic book tie ins. Things like that were highly influential to me as a kid, so as an adult I’d like to bring my own stories to life in a similar way. I started a project called Rad Warriors when I was at PNCA that included my first experiments in designing and fabricating my own action figures. I created the figure itself as well as the packaging for the finished piece. It was immensely challenging working out the kinks but also hugely rewarding to hold the finished project.

Can you talk about any of your upcoming projects? Anything you’re working on that you’re really excited about?

I recently finished a cross country move and I’m still settling in, but I’m working with my friend and fellow artist Anthony Anello to crossover the characters from my Rad Warriors series into his comic series, Fallguy and Car-man. 

Anything else you’d like to add? Where can people find your work?

You can check out my work over at my personal site www.evankang.com and follow me on instagram @therealevankang

Parallel Opening Reception

Light Grey Art Lab will be showcasing four new exhibitions that feature scientific alien words, repeating timelines, far flung fantasy, and limitless imagination with the launch of Parallel, Crossroads, The Magic Fish, and Then | Now: Childhood Revisited, all of which open Friday, September 22nd, from 7-10 PM.

Parallel
Theoretical physicist Dr. Michio Kaku once asked, "Is it ever possible on any scale to perhaps flip between different universes?" It’s an idea that’s been explored over the years via thought experiments, scientific studies, and a plethora of science fiction. The very concept of an alternate dimension has a way of instantly capturing the imagination - ranging from slightly skewed takes on the status quo to unrecognizable foreign alien worlds, the permutations are limitless. This vast trove of inspiration sits at the heart of Light Grey Art Lab’s newest exhibition, Parallel.

Parallel is a group exhibition featuring over sixty artists from around the world, all coming together to explore the concept of ‘what if?’ Each participant was asked to create the vision of a world or dimension that could be, creating a unique and engaging peek into a parallel universe. For the launch of Parallel, these fantastic landscapes will come together as a series of large format panoramas, each a window to an alternate dimension, turning Light Grey Art Lab’s main gallery into the nexus of the multiverse.

Crossroads by Matt Rockefeller
In conjunction with the Parallel exhibition, Matt Rockefeller will be exhibiting a body of new work, Crossroads. Rockefeller is an illustrator and comic artist known for work that is rich with details that provoke a strong but unspoken narrative, who’s created work for Harper Collins, Cartoon Network, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Random House/ Penguin, and DC Comics.

Crossroads is a series of wordless comic pages from the world of Rockefeller’s own story, Dragonfly Holiday.  Set in an alternate fantasy America, the story centers around an epic road trip and the relationship humans have with nature and urban sprawl. Each piece will tell a smaller narrative within the world, depicting pivotal moments and revelations through image alone.

The Magic Fish by Trung Nguyen
Old stories have a habit of finding new life in new places. Themes and conflicts repeat themselves again and again throughout time and across worlds, which explains why we might seem to already understand them deep in our bones. This idea is at the center of a new collection of work titled The Magic Fish by comic book artist Trung Le Nguyen, aka Trungles, who has contributed work for Oni Press, Boom! Studios, Limerence Press, and Image Comics.

The Magic Fish is a collection of drawings, comics, and zines that aim to explore classic stories and folklore through a new lens. The titular story, The Magic Fish, is based on an old Vietnamese fairy tale, Tấm Cám, who could be considered a morbid ancestor to well-known story Cinderella, and explores themes of the heroine being reborn again and again.  

Then | Now: Childhood Revisited Launch
Despite the fact that we were all young once, children have imaginations most adults can’t begin to comprehend. It’s almost as if kids can see details that exist on another plane, creating characters, narratives, and worlds whole-cloth in an instant. But what if you could visit the world you once knew existed, and bring back an updated, high-resolution glimpse for everyone to see?

Then | Now: Childhood Revisited is a new book that asked thirty artists to dig through their attics and archives to unearth some truly bizarre and endearing artwork from their early days, and reinterpret and recreate it with the tools and abilities gained after years of professional practice.

A published collection was successfully funded on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter earlier this year, and creators Adam Hoppus and Bob Rissetto are prepared to release the outrageous Then | Now: Childhood Revisited to the public. This launch will be the first time most of the world will get to see all the artwork from the project, and get their hands on a copy of the book, hot off the presses.

Opening Reception
The opening reception for Parallel, Crossroads, The Magic Fish, and the Then | Now: Childhood Revisited launch is Friday, September 22nd from 7-10 PM and will remain on display through October 21st. The opening reception is free and open to the public and features artwork, music, and refreshments.

RSVP Via Facebook Invite

Huldufólk at American Swedish Institute

While Wanderlust was showing off work from the 2016 Iceland Residency, one of our favorite places in Minneapolis, the American Swedish Institute, invited us to show a special collection of work from Huldufólk, our 2015 Iceland Residency exhibition. 

A huge thank you to everyone at the American Swedish Institute for allowing us to showcase the incredible to a whole new audience! If you've never been, do yourself a favor and get over there, for amazing food, art, culture, and fun! 

You can see all the work from Huldufólk on our website, and check out more photos from the American Swedish Institute on our flickr page! 

LGAL Iceland Residency - Team Tern

LIGHT GREY ART LAB ICELAND RESIDENCY Mini-recap (2 of 4)
TEAM TERN

This year we explored with four unique groups of exceptional creatives from all around the world - with backgrounds in animation, design, advertising, photography, academia, visual development, and much more. 

TEAM TERN explored the Southern coast of Iceland  climbing along pouring waterfalls and remote mountain vistas. They searched for puffins and hidden wreckage on the basalt beaches, sketched and napped in the mossy fields, and become fast friends over late night workshops, car karaoke, and heat-to-heart conversations about creative endeavors. This team had an affinity for exploration, a love of landscape painting, and a huge sense of adventure that brought us all together to explore, make work, and reflect amongst the dramatic background of Iceland.

TEAM TERN: Anna Filbert, Carisa Swenson, Emily Lubanko, Heidi Unkefer, Sishir Bommakanti, Syd Weiler, Tiffany Turrell, Zackary Filbert, Rafael Mayani, and Zoe Persico, led by Jenny Bookler, Lana Crooks, and Claire Hummel.

The topics we discussed included:

• Icelandic Folklore and geographical importance
• creative problem solving - seeking diverse solutions
• exploration and visual language in landscape painting
• personal growth, seeking new projects, and art limitations
• dolls as sacred objects in history and culture
• conspiracy versus good storytelling - dreams and the subconscious
• creating moveable paper dolls
•color, light, and shapes of emotion in background painting
• personal symbology in the tarot
• passion projects, collaboration, and reinvention
• overcoming obstacles -- when your art has a life of its own

...and much more.

We'll be updating with the other teams as we edit photos! 

Thanks to TEAM TERN for being amazing team-mates on our adventure in the SOUTH.

NEW CALL FOR ARTISTS: SWARM

CALL CLOSED! Thanks to everyone that submitted! Details will be posted shortly for the final participating artist list! Check back in a day or two for the roster, and keep an eye on your email! Thank you!

SWARM
BEAUTY IN THE GROTESQUE
Opens October 27, 7-10pm
Light Grey Art Lab
118 E. 26th Street #101 - Minneapolis, MN 55404

The underside of this rock breathes the way water ripples to the shore on a windy day. Pulsating figures writhe in the dark, sliding across the surface - a mitosis of little bodies merging. Folding over one another, slipping past each-other, with a kind of sensual movement. Hidden from the light of day, they come alive to do their delicate job. 

In the dark, the soft sounds of wings conjure visions of etherial entities. Specters who drift to and fro between the naked branches. And in the moonlight, small spirits skirt against the still surface of the pond, the click-clicking of their static voices barely audible. 

This October, we are asking artists to fill the gallery with an exquisite menagerie of real-life creepy critters -- legs, claws, wings, pincers, eye-stalks, and more will proudly be displayed as we celebrate the beauty of all of the decomposers, poisoners, swarmers, transformers, night-dwellers, and much more.

We are looking for artists to glamorize the unique creatures that are overlooked because they're underfoot, lurking in the shadows, or slipping silently through the air in the still of night. 

Our cabinet of curiosities could contain a still life with silk moths. Scientific references of reticulated reptiles. Tap into the elements that trigger our phobias of the strange and unfamiliar, and help us elevate the beauty in their existence. So imagine dangling your limbs into dark water, or your skin crawling at the thought of spiny legs scurrying, and look again at the creatures that make us shiver.

If you're interested in be a part of the show, all you have to do is comment in the comments section with your name, email and a link to your work online like this by September 4th:

Lindsay Nohl
hello@lightgreyartlab.com
lindsaynohl.com

(Please do not send any emails with your info because they get lost in my in-box! We want to make sure your entry is included!)

The call for art closes September 4th, and at that time we'll be jurying, selecting the group of participating artists for the exhibition and sending a big email out to everyone involved with specifics, dates and details! We will send information about selling work / editions and file guidelines in the artist sign-in email!

Like many of our exhibitions, we print the exhibition piece for free for all digital artists so that we can make it easier for people to participate from afar! 

Dates & Details!
Call for art closes on September 4th
Participating artists emailed and public announcement posted September 6th
Artwork files & art info due to the gallery on October 6th
Opening Reception October 27th!

We're excited to announce that we'll also be hosting new work by Zoe Keller and a curated show by Teagan White, called CALAMITY: Hexes, Plagues & Prophecies during the same timeframe, and the whole month will be a celebration of nature's mysteries! We're inviting you to come out to the big party and enjoy some amazing work! Hope you can make it!

We're looking forward to this exhibition so much! Questions? Send me a note at hello@lightgreyartlab.com.

LGAL Iceland Residency - Team Merlin

LIGHT GREY ART LAB ICELAND RESIDENCY Mini-recap (1 of 4)
TEAM MERLIN

Every year we head to Iceland for an incredible adventure that changes us for the better. Iceland is a magical place with a long history, a fanciful mythology, and an abundance of breathtaking natural wonders.This year we explored with four unique groups of exceptional creatives from all around the world - with backgrounds in animation, design, advertising, photography, academia, visual development, and much more. 

TEAM MERLIN explored the Northern-most coast with us, bringing with them a wealth of perspectives. We found out that we have a lot in common - many of us having been instructors in our past (or in addition to our current practices), many of us have had a thirst for adventure that has taken over our lives in the last few years that could only be satiated by traveling to crazy corners of the earth, and many of us continue to battle balancing all of our creative desires and ambitions -- trying to push ourselves further, faster, better. 

TEAM MERLIN: Adam Davies, Anne-Louise Erambert, Avner Geller, Britton Robert Snyder, Gabriel Garza, Ingrid Kallick, Isabella Mazzanti, Jeff A. Menges, John DeLucca, Justin Oaksford, Meg Hunt, Mike Freeman, Rory Phillips, Francesca Buchko, and Vitor Lima Mazon.

The topics we discussed included

• stop-motion armatures
• creative embroidery
• creative character design and people-watching
• changing courses and following one's true passions
• building worlds and making work inspired by culture
• evolution and change as it pertains to ourselves and our work
• creating moveable paper dolls
• the golden age of illustration and why it's important to archive for future generations
• movies as inspiration for illustration  - lighting, cinematic composition, and storytelling
• making independent video games from scratch
• progressing beyond one's perceived boundaries and infusing one's practice with new inspiration
• RPG character building
• The growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset and how we create our own limitations
• Instant photography and capturing etherial moments

...and much more.

If you'd like to join us for next year's Iceland Residency Program, please check out the program details here. Applications are open through August 15th! 

Check out all of the photos from the program here! We'll be updating with the other teams as we edit photos! 

Thanks to TEAM MERLIN for being amazing team-mates on our adventure in the North!

Light Grey Game Night: Love & War

When you think of war in gaming, you might think of a table full of grunts, clashing over a contested capture point. And you could be right. But there are tenuous political alliances, supply chains and logistics, brave heroes and bold personalities, friends, foes, and drama, as well. And we'll be exploring them all, so if you're ready to gear up for battle, it must be time for another Light Grey Game Night! So mark your calendar for Thursday, August 17th from 6:30 - 9:30 pm!

As you might remember, we're attaching a theme to each night to help people narrow down what games they might want to bring (although you're still welcome to bring whatever you'd like!). This week's theme is Love & War!

Brave the physical and psychological hardship of war with your brothers in arms in the WWI coop The Grizzled, strategize troop deployment over a map of feudal Japan in Samurai, create a colorful cast of brave heroes in Roll Player, among plenty of others! If you have a favorite board game, bring it!

So grab your friends, family, or favorite stack of board games, and come play with us! RSVP via our Facebook event, and feel free to share! The more the merrier!

Artist Interview with Sishir Bommakanti

Meet Sishir Bommakanti, a current MCAD MFA candidate, Ringling alumn, dream enthusiast, and lover of oddities. When he's not creating visually stunning depictions of chaotic neverwheres, he's exploring the subtleties of his favorite films and spending quality time with his oddly characteristic cat, Alfe. 

Read more about his processes, work, and current Light Grey exhibition below!

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Tell us a bit about yourself! Where did/do you go to school? What brought you into the art world? What kind of projects have you worked on recently, or what projects are you currently working on? 

I am currently a canidate at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design MFA program. I am focusing on Visual Studies, however my main line of work is illustration and painting. I got my BFA at Ringling College of Art and Design (class of '12) in Illustration, and I currently live, study and work in the city of Minneapolis.

My illustration work is focused on editorial, publishing and everything in between, but within my own practice, I tend to focus on "the fringe" and the odd corners of our world. This ranges from the paranormal, supernatural, and mythological to other weird areas that people tend not to look into.

My process is wide-ranging: from pen and ink to mixed media, painting, glitch distortion and so forth. Depending on the project or context, I adapt my process to a specific structure. Most of the individual elements I create end up becoming assets for collages, so I can build a narrative using individual shapes, textures and lines.

Recently, I worked on a major project with Popular Mechanics, creating a series of images about everyday objects that can kill you. I also recently worked with the VCU [Virginia Commonwealth University] Communication Arts Department on a cover illustration for their student run comic anthology. Currently, I am working on a series of spot [illustrations] and a full wraparound for an independent publisher, as well as finishing up a series of drawings and paintings for my solo show [The Sleep of Reason] at MCAD's Gallery 148. 

What does your workspace look like? What creates the perfect creative space for you and your practice?

My workspace is part study room, part editing station and part traditional painting studio. Although I am a messy person, I still tend to organize that mess in its own rows and columns. I initially work traditionally, and most of my experimentation tends to be within the traditional application, so I have a large part of my studio dedicated to drawing and painting. I have another part of my studio dedicated to editing, composing and processing things digitally. Finally, I also have a nice little couch where I can chill, read and ideate for new projects or images.

A perfect creative space for me is one where i'm most comfortable. Too often, previous iterations of my studio have been incredibly messy, unorganized spaces, which inhibited my work process. I've been learning and appreciating how important it is to have at least some form of organization within a studio space to allow for a more stress-free environment. 

What is your typical process when approaching a piece? Do you have any favorite resources or materials? 

When approaching a piece, I start with a bit of research, drawing and thumbnailing. Although my process is generally reactive, I still build a 'container' that will allow me to limit my process. After building some structure, or getting a 'general idea', I start reference gathering, often trying to find various angles of certain subjects. This allows me to build upon my thumbnails, but still limit myself to the shapes and elements that I already decided on. Finally, I draw the elements out individually using traditional media, scan them, and composite/collage them into an illustration as a simple line drawing that can then be colored and pushed further via digital processes. 

My favorite materials are pen and ink! I also use a range of brushes: nice clean ones to damaged ones that I use for textures. I have an Epson v700 scanner and spend a lot of time scanning in various textures I've made at incredibly high resolutions to create my own unique and personal library of assets. Another favorite resource is collecting old black and white photographs, both in real life and through online sources. I don’t necessarily use them for any major reference, but they work as interesting compositional materials, especially since older, analogue photography involved a reasonable understanding of composition and value. 

Can you tell us about a little bit about your current show up at Light Grey? 

The series featured within Light Grey’s Fairly Dark exhibition includes a series of my illustrations and drawings that lean towards the abstract. The illustrations provide a good summary of imagery I often repeat, such as ghosts, demons, rotting creatures and other surreal elements stitched together as if they were a set. However, my drawings are more experimental. They were a ritual of reaction: drawing one element at a time, I reacted to each image to see how the composition would work once the entire page was filled up. 

For me, emotions such as stress, anxiety, mania and other psychological ailments are what I consider demons from the darkness. Each image is meant to provoke that feeling of being overwhelmed or in a panic, like the initial shock of having a hundred things go through my mind when dealing with a situation. It's an interesting phenomenon we all deal with, some more than others. The ritual of drawing, for me, would then be an act of sealing these demons, so they can’t bother me again, at least until the next time. 

The work in this show and much of your other work seems to draw from dreams, chaos, and the surreal... Do you do a lot of research when approaching your subjects, or does it come more subconsciously?

Definitely a mixture of both. My illustrations are more research-heavy, in order to create an image that can compliment the article, story, or idea that I’m given. My personal work operates within this same process, but I get the opportunity to be a lot more esoteric and layered with my approach and execution. Personally, I like layered narratives, like those incredibly subtle references within movies, stories and video games. 

With my work, I want to be able to provide a clear compositional narrative, while allowing the layers of content to become an opportunity for the viewer to look into the image even more. I guess I’m kinda haunted/bothered by the quote, "You spend more time with your work than your viewers." [Creating these layered works] is a way to extend the viewing time of an image, and allow the opportunity for dialogue whenever possible. 

What draws you to these themes in the first place? Do you feel like it's just a natural part of who you are? 

My upbringing. I'm glad I had the opportunity to grow up in India with a good family that allowed for diversity in my beliefs. That's often not the case where I came from. This opportunity allowed me to ask questions about religion, science and history without being criticized or ignored because I was a child. I grew up around grandmothers reciting Hindu prayers, cousins studying science, my father explaining the structure of the universe while fortunetellers were explaining astrological charts. I find the surreal, the spiritual and the sublime very fascinating because of how weird and interesting legends, folktales, and dreams can be; yet the historical, scientific world we live in is equally or even more stranger than fiction. 

I would like to, as an illustrator, bring some of these concepts I’ve been researching into an environment where people can be introduced to something new or surreal. Currently, my interests are focused on dreams and their limitless potential as a from of storytelling. I think our contemporary culture has fallen out of favor with allowing dreams to be part of our lives; they have become peripheral events that are meant to be dismissed in order to function in society. With my work, I hope to be able to rekindle this conversation with people.

What are some of your favorite pieces of media? What inspires you? Who are some of your favorite artists right now?

Music has been a major influence in my work. I can't listen to music when I'm working because its direct influence is too distracting, but while taking walks or just in my room, I like to create associations with imagery, narratives and made up movie scenes when I'm listening to something. I’m mostly interested in the more abstract, ambient and instrumental music of Tim Hecker, Stars of The Lid, Dead Texan, Matthewdavid and Arca (just to name a few).

I often find my biggest inspirations to be media completely unrelated to my line of work. Currently, I’ve been obsessed with photographers such as Daido Moriyama, Joel-Peter Witkin, Sally Mann and Weegee. Also, experimental filmmakers such as David Lynch, Bill Morrision, Andrei Tarkovsky and more recently, The Vasulkas. An all-time favorite for me will always be the film Decasia by Bill Morrision. 

Within the realm of Illustration, I keep looking at Kathe Kollwitz, Hannah Hoch, Dean Cornwell, Harvey Dunn, Barron Storey, Robert Weaver and Mucha, to name a few. 

Is there anything significant or process-changing you've learned recently? Something that you feel really pushed you in the direction that you're going? 

Repetition. My fear was always that repetition would cause my work to lose its evolution, so for a while I was working with a variety of media using a variety of approaches. This was both a good and bad experience: the good being that I learned a lot, the bad being that I had no general direction, and I was throwing away potential processes before they could bloom into something substantial. There was no real improvement in my work. 

Through my MFA studies, I’ve started to embrace this concept of repetition. The biggest thing I’ve learned recently is that repetition will allow for evolution. Like studying, doing a specific process, approach or style over and over will allow you to understand it better, and eventually discover more efficient ways to approach an illustration or image. It’s a process that allows one to build upon and then divert to a different direction. The Horror Vacui drawings done for Fairly Dark are a good example of me embracing this process of repetition. Drawing similar subjects over and over, but in a diverse manner, allowing me to find new ways to say the same thing. This process has not only helped me push my drawing and compositional skills, but also to begin to create a consistent body of work.

Can you talk about any of your upcoming projects? Anything you’re working on that you’re really excited about?

I'm currently finishing up a body of work for a solo show [The Sleep of Reason] at MCAD's Gallery 148 in Minneapolis. I’ve spent the summer working on a series of images that relate to a dream journal that I created in 2011. I've been using that journal as a point of inception to build narratives and imagery related to reoccurring dreams, nightmares and other liminal states. I wanted to create a show and environment where I can have a dialogue with people about dreams and their potential application in the waking world. Hopefully I will be able to have those conversations during the opening on August 31st! Tell your friends! 

Do you have any dream projects that you’d like to work on, either personal or commercial?

I had a dream project that was recently corrupted by the Great iMac Crash of 2017. However, a few days ago, I discovered that the main files for it were backed up in a corner of my dropbox! I've been building a fantasy world full of its own culture, history, and geological landmarks. I wanted to take all the research I've been doing in history and mythology to inspire and allow me to create my own world. It’s the slowest, most inconsistent, and most ever-changing project ever, but I'm totally ok with that. It's a corner of my own creative world where no one can ever bother me, and I'm free to create as I wish, knowing that the only deadline is my own mortality. As a child I would create my own world and narratives (as I’m sure a lot of us did), and this project is meant to maintain that child-like imagination whenever I get the opportunity. Needless to say, I never get bored during long lines. 

Anything else you’d like to add? Where can people find your work?

You can find my work over at www.sishir.com

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @cadmiumcoffee

My tumblr is Cadmiumcoffee.tumblr.com

Artist Interview with Kathleen Jennings

Meet Kathleen Jennings, a Brisbane, Australia-based illustrator and writer who creates playful, fantastical worlds and characters. Most recently, she has illustrated Kij Johnson’s upcoming book The River Bank, which will be out in September via Small Beer Press. 

Check out our interview below to learn more about Jennings’ literary interests, artistic process, and the work she currently has up in the gallery!

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Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background, recent projects, etc.?

I was raised mostly on a cattle property (aka a cattle station) in Western Queensland, Australia. It wasn't incredibly remote, but far enough from town that I did most of my schooling through School of the Air (over-the-radio schooling using a Royal Flying Doctor radio) and spent the last two years at a boarding school. I then went to the University of Queensland in Brisbane, where I still live. I didn't study art – I studied English literature, German, and Law, and practiced for a while as both a translator and a lawyer.

I've always drawn and written, but when I was working as a lawyer I decided to make a point of drawing every day (using the website Illustration Friday as a source for prompts), as well as putting something on my blog every week. It was through that – and contacts from writing circles – that I got my first book cover job from Small Beer Press, with whom I still frequently work. 

I've always worked on the literary end of science fiction and fantasy publishing for adult readers (more grown-up books need pictures!), but lately I've been moving into young adult and children's books. Kij Johnson's The River Bank is coming out from Small Beer Press this year, and I’ve also been working on upcoming projects within the publishers Little, Brown and Simon & Schuster.

I've recently spent six weeks in the USA, attending the Illustration Master Class at Amherst and Nico Delort's workshop at Light Grey, as well as Readercon in Boston and publisher visits in New York, so I'm just setting up my studio again now.

What does your workspace look like? What creates the perfect creative space for you and your practice?

What it currently looks like is both predictably untidy and unnervingly not a cascade of paper for once. I currently live alone, so my studio is usually set up where the living/dining room would otherwise be. I had some friends house-sitting while I was travelling, so I had to tidy it all up, and then I bought a new sit/stand desk that I can (hopefully) also use as a drafting table. I'm just getting properly unpacked again as we speak. 

The perfect creative space for me and my practice is in the middle of everything. I like being surrounded by life – sometimes I'll do thumbnail sketches at the café or bar, and I love rambling with a sketchbook. I know more people in my usual haunts now, though, which makes it harder to concentrate. I also like being surrounded by other people quietly working, so sometimes I will round up a few friends and we'll set a timer and work between conversations. 

If I could do anything to my house I would put a deck on the front so that I could see and wave to my neighbours while working there. 

What is your typical process when approaching a piece? Do you have any favorite resources or materials? 

Most of my work is based on stories written by other people, and all of it has a strong narrative basis. My first step is to get a handle on the story presented to me. I'll read the manuscript while making little visual notes – drawing on a printed copy, flagging up a book, or taking screenshots if it’s digital (which ends up being the most unwieldy of the three). If it's a new story, or my own version of a fairytale, then I'll draw my way into it more – sketching characters into costumes or turning events into interesting compositions. 

Pinterest is very useful for rounding up references and inspiration, even if I don't refer back to them when working on the final piece. I don't usually draw from a reference directly, but I do spend time drawing references until I feel out a visual shorthand I can use. I try to work out the quirks of the animal or the tailoring or the line of movement which expresses a particular vehicle. Then I can use this to more usefully do my own thing. 

An indirect type of research is reading a lot of old non-fiction – memoirs and obscure older histories. They capture the human idiosyncrasies of their subjects and writers so beautifully and are a reminder to put that into my illustrations, as well as being a frequent source of stories of high adventure and romance. Regency memoirs and early aviation anecdotes are my current favourites. For the same reason, I like to go out and about sketching people walking and working. It gives me a visual library of motion and expression.

My favourite tools are fairly simple ones – black paper and a knife, a dip pen and ink, scratchboard, pencil and a faint tint of watercolour, flat digital colour. When I'm sketching from life, I use markers so that I have to draw confidently and commit.

Can you tell us a little bit about your current work up at Light Grey?

Light Grey invited me to bring art to the gallery when they heard I was visiting Minneapolis. I was already travelling, but fortunately I had just attended the Illustration Master Class in Amherst, Massachusetts and had also left some illustrations with Small Beer Press the last time I passed through. So my current work at the gallery is a mixture of work from this recent trip and forthcoming publications. The work includes ink and wash illustrations I have done for Kij Johnson's new book The River Bank, which is coming out from Small Beer Press this year. It's a genuinely delightful sequel to The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame , and I highly recommend it. It was a delight to draw. 

There are also a few gouache pieces I worked on at the Illustration Master Class in Amherst this June – a relatively new technique for me – and some cut paper silhouettes.  One of those silhouettes is an illustration from Light Grey's TOBEYOU exhibition, and is about growing up on fairytales in western Queensland. The others are bats, because they're so much fun to depict.

Oh, and if it's still up, I have several watercolour pieces in the Wanderlust exhibition: illustrations for a fairytale based on Light Grey's Iceland residency, which I attended last year. 

Your work seems to draw a lot from fairy tales and fantasy, what draws you to these themes? Are there other themes or subjects that you find yourself consistently drawn to? 

I've always liked fairytales. It was probably the illustrations that first drew me in – beautiful ones from an Italian publisher, if I recall. But growing up in the country, surrounded by trees, fairly isolated and with rather primitive technology at the house, the stories seemed to seep into reality more than they might have otherwise.

Fairytales are also a wonderful vocabulary (almost an alphabet) of storytelling among people who know them. You can use fairytale elements to build entirely new stories; images that work as independent pictures and narratives for viewers and readers who are new to them. But once that audience becomes aware of the depth of history and the ongoing conversation that is happening through all those layers of tellings and retellings and reimaginings, there is a splendid depth and resonance you can access. 

I also find myself drawn to Regency stories and history. There's a wild energy and a sly delight in their communication and a very particular visual vocabulary associated with that time, and the possibilities of clothing and drapery within storytelling are generally attractive to me as an artist. I also love the adventure and romance of the early stages of many technologies (railways, aviation, etc), although as I don't like drawing straight lines I'm still working out how to incorporate those elements into my art. 

What are some of your favorite fairy tales, and why do you feel like they're so strong?

Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Ravens/Swan Princes school of stories are two to which I frequently return. Both have a lovely balance of action (birds, questing sisters, twining vines, seven-league boots) and beauty. Tam Lin, for the sheer energy and malevolence and bold efficacy of the story (my Iceland illustrations are for a story that draws in a lot of Tam Lin themes, as well as a bit of Cinderella). 

But the one I come back to most often is Little Red Riding Hood. There are so many versions and nuances in that story – [Charles] Dickens constructed the sprawling, gorgeous Our Mutual Friend around them, and I refuse to believe it wasn't deliberate. The paths of needles and pins, the washerwomen helping the heroine in her flight, the balance of threat and safety: I think it is a very useful tool to use when keying in emotion in a story (whether drawn or written). 

Who are some of your favorite artists, or favorite pieces of media right now? 

You're making me pick favourites? There are so many amazing artists out there, and many of them friends! But for resonance with my own storytelling sensibilities, I really love Rovina Cai's work – an intense beauty, but never saccharine, and with a constant sense of movement. 

Most of the books I've been reading recently haven't been published yet, so here's an old one (apart from Our Mutual Friend): Time Was: The Reminiscences of W. Grahame Robertson. He was a Victorian/Edwardian theatre set designer and friend of the Pre-Raphaelites, and it's just charming as well as being fascinating for artists and dramatic types. 

Is there anything significant or process-changing that you've learned recently? 

Yes! Stacks of things – I've been on a six week study tour, after all. But one of the many lessons I learned was to commit to an angle and push it further: Choose a particular emotion for a piece? Go over-the top. Want to play with scale? You're not playing nearly enough with it. Identify a compositional weakness? Try doubling-down on it. It was a theme at several of the workshops and conversations I was part of. I'm naturally inclined to compose safely, so I consider myself challenged! 

Can you talk about any of your upcoming projects? Anything you’re working on that you’re really excited about?

Many are still on the quiet. However, I'm completing an MPhil [Degree] on Australian Gothic literature, and I'm illustrating my written project for that. I'm looking forward to getting those images together: I'm going back to my old home town and also to Hanging Rock (as in: Picnic at) as part of the research. There's a Hokusai and a Dior exhibition on in Melbourne at the same time, so I'm planning sketching trips with some of my art and writing friends.

I'll be able to announce some big projects for several young adult novels soon, and I have a few projects on foot with British and World Fantasy Award winning author Angela Slatter, as well – we work together a lot.

I also have a number of smaller projects on foot through my Patreon, mostly focused on the monthly calendar I illustrate.

Do you have any dream projects that you’d like to work on, either personal or commercial?

I'd love to be turned loose on Pride and Prejudice or Time Was or Harriet Wilson's Memoirs or Cold Comfort Farm – or some new classic-to-be, like Naomi Novik's Uprooted or Megan Whalen Turner's Thief series – to simply draw my way chattily through it, catching the movement and humour and humanity. Oh, and to illustrate a theatre set, like [Edward] Gorey's designs for Dracula.  Or illustrate a published script for a play, e.g. Liz Duffy Adams' Or, and do the art for a board game... so many things.

I'd also like to spend more time officially drawing at events. I've been the Artist at Large at the Brisbane Writers Festival and got hooked – it would be great to be engaged to formally sketch people at work or having fun at, oh, an exhibition or air show or behind the scenes at a theatre.

Anything else you’d like to add? Where can people find your work?

You can find my portfolio at kathleenjennings.com and my blog at tanaudel.wordpress.com. I'm on Patreon at patreon.com/tanaudel, and am tanaudel most places, including Twitter, Instagram, Redbubble and Spoonflower.

Fairly Dark Opening Reception Recap

Thank you to everyone who came for our opening reception of Fairly Dark, a collection of solo exhibitions featuring new work from Nico Delort, Sishir Bommakanti, Natalie Hall, and Kathleen Jennings!

The night kicked off with an artist lecture by Nico Delort, who discussed his intricate and intensive scratchboard process, his inspirations, and his path as a visual artist, surrounded by the amazing work from the Fairly Dark exhibitions! 

Following that, we cleared space for a massive Drink & Draw, hosted by our friends at THE VACVVM.  Visitors spent the night getting to know one another with friendly discussions, comparing sketchbooks, and cold beverages! THE VACVVM even provided a set of prizes which were raffled off during the night, and some lucky participants walked away with some amazing pieces of art! 

Thanks again to all the artists who participated and to everyone who came to see us!

You can see the artwork from the Fairly Dark exhibitions on our website: 
Nico Delort -- Sishir Bommakanti -- Natalie Hall -- Kathleen Jennings

And find more photos from the event on our flickr page.

Parallel Artists Announced!

PARALLEL
Universes by Design • Alternate Dimensions • Futurist Concepts
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Opens September 22, 7-10pm
Light Grey Art Lab
118 E. 26th Street #101
Minneapolis Minnesota 55406
612.239.2047

Thank you to everyone who applied to the upcoming exhibition, Parallel! We are excited to announce over sixty artists that will be joining us in the project and exploring alternate dimensions, futurist concepts, and otherworldly universes! 

Parallel opens on September 22nd, alongside new work by Matt Rockefeller and Trungles. The whole month will be a celebration of story, narrative, and world-building! Stay tuned for more details! 

Parallel Artists Include: Adam S Doyle, Aldy C. Aguirre, Alexxander Dovelin, Allen Panakal, Allison Carl, Allissa Chan, Alyssa Van Hulle, Amber Ma, Angela Rizza, Anita Tung, Ashley Nicole DeLeon, Benjamin Currie, Bryan Paul Patterson, Candice Broersma, Charis Loke, Chelsea Beck, Chelsea Harper, Christina Chung, Christina Rycz, ciaran, CJ Walker, Cleonique Hilsaca, Cornelia Li, Courtney Brendle, Cynthia Cheng, Ejiwa Ebenebe, Erik Krenz, Evan Kang, Gica Tam, Iris Monahan, Jackie Ferrentino, Jasmin Dreyer, Jenna Andersen, Jordan Burby, Joshua Zentner, Kayla Harren, Kira Night, Lauren Wuornos, Lee Ann Dufour, Leigh Ann Gagnon, Liam Andrew Cura, Lilian Crooks, Lily Nishita, Liz Pulido, MÄ Harel, Madeline Haynes, Madison Tessera, Micaela Dawn, Nick Nazzaro, Pat C Presley, Piya Wannachaiwong, Rafael Mayani, Reiko Murakami, Rory Carson, Sarah Jaques, Selena Picque, Shannon May, Victoria Skellan, Wenting Li, and  Živko Kondić Zhillustrator.

Sketch Cinema Recap

Last Friday we held our first Sketch Cinema event! Sketch Cinema is a new monthly series of casual movie-and-draw nights. We were very glad to see new and familiar faces alike, and we hope everyone enjoyed our taste in fine films. 

Each Sketch Cinema event is a double feature, and this month we showed the 1995 films Hackers and Johnny Mnemonic. People filtered in, bought some snacks, readied their materials, and enjoyed the lighthearted 90's flair of Hackers while they sketched and conversed with the people around them. 

During the hard-edged cyberpunk cult classic Johnny Mnemonic, we held a themed drawing challenge called "Help Keanu" in which the participants drew items and ideas that would, as the title suggests, help Keanu's character in the film. Results included a Steve Jobs robot, the classic Matrix character Morpheus being transported into this film to help Johnny just as he helped Neo, and a collection of ideas by artist Iris Monahan that included a Keanu-centric reinvented childhood. Their ideas ultimately won them the prize, including a VHS copy of Mnemonic and the William Gibson classic Neuromancer. 

Sketch Cinema will continue in August with Utopia/Dystopia, a screening of the surreal animated features Gandahar and Angel's Egg. You can find the event info HERE. 

Hope to see you there! 

NEW CALL FOR ARTISTS: PARALLEL

EDIT: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT ENTERED THIS CALL FOR ARTISTS!
WE ARE CURRENTLY JURYING AND WILL ANNOUNCE THE PARTICIPATING ARTISTS SHORTLY!

PARALLEL
Universes by Design • Alternate Dimensions • Futurist Concepts
Opens September 22, 7-10pm
Light Grey Art Lab
118 E. 26th Street #101 - Minneapolis, MN 55404

Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, describes human consciousness as "a level at which we can plan, anticipate and visualize the future," which puts us in a category all our own -- separate from reptiles, plants, and other mammals. He describes his theory of consciousness as "the number of feedback loops required to make a model of your position in space with relation to other organisms and finally, in relationship to time."  -- Futurism.com

So, our ability to consider what the future might look like is quite easy... if we put together a series of considerations and say "what if..."

Brian Greene, an American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and string theorist, talks about the Multiverse as a place where there are unlimited universes, each with their own set of parameters. Our universe abides by it's own laws, but that doesn't necessarily mean that other universes would as well, if we were to devise a way to analyze them.

Dr. Michio Kaku also asks, "Is it ever possible on any scale to perhaps flip between different universes?" and describes deja vu as a hypothetical scenario of that occurring. Things seem vaguely familiar... somewhat identifiable... but still strangely different. So, when we look beyond our current realities into scenarios of the future, or to dimensions outside our own, what do we see?

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This September, we are asking artists to visualize another universe, where things are a little... different.

We are looking for artists to build worlds beyond our own in this incredible landscape show!

Show us what would happen if we were to tap into these dimensions and be able to view the landscapes, cityscapes, atmospheres and ecosystems so different than our own. Would they be familiar, and call to mind a skewed take on our daily life and surroundings? Would they be completely alien, difficult to even comprehend? Do they resemble our concepts of the future? Or veer off into unforeseen tangents?

If you're interested in be a part of the show, all you have to do is comment in the comments section with your name, email and a link to your work online like this by August 5th:

Lindsay Nohl
hello@lightgreyartlab.com
lindsaynohl.com

(Please do not send any emails with your info because they get lost in my in-box! We want to make sure your entry is included!)

The call for art closes AUGUST 5th, and at that time we'll be jurying, selecting the group of participating artists for the exhibition and sending a big email out to everyone involved with specifics, dates and details! This show is a print-show only, and we will send information about selling work / editions and file guidelines in the artist sign-in email!

Like many of our exhibitions, we print the exhibition piece for free so that we can make it easier for people to participate from afar! 

Dates & Details!
Call for art closes on August 5th
Participating artists emailed and public announcement posted August 7th
Artwork files & art info due to the gallery on September 8th
Opening Reception September 22nd!

We're excited to announce that we'll also be hosting new work by Matt Rockefeller and Trungles during the same timeframe, and the whole month will be a celebration of story, narrative, and world-building! We're inviting you to come out to the big party and enjoy some amazing work! Hope you can make it!

We're looking forward to this exhibition so much! Questions? Send Chris a note at chris@lightgreyartlab.com.

P.S. note from Lindsay -- (I'll be off in Iceland for our 4th Annual Light Grey Art Lab Iceland Residency Program! If you haven't checked it out, definitely take a look at the applications for next year's program HERE. We are currently looking for fun creative people to join us on an adventure of a lifetime to Iceland next year!)

Thanks again and talk with you soon!
--Lindsay

Light Grey Game Night: Cat & Mouse

When is the last time you felt the thrill of a narrow escape? Or alternatively, the rush of stalking your clueless prey, efficiently and silently gaining ground? The classic cat and the mouse relationship, cunning and fierce versus quick and wily, is an age-old dance of constant pursuit, near capture, and daring escape. If you can relate to the classic pairings of Batman VS The Joker, Jimmy McNulty VS Stringer Bell, Tom VS Jerry, or Itchy VS Scratchy, it must be time for another Light Grey Game Night! So mark your calendar for Thursday, July 27th from 6:30 - 9:30 pm!

As you might remember, we're attaching a theme to each night to help people narrow down what games they might want to bring (although you're still welcome to bring whatever you'd like!). This week's theme is Cat & Mouse!

Survive as a team of stranded explorers as an unknown entity hunts you down in Not Alone, use teamwork and mutant powers to ferret out the infiltrating agent in Specter Ops, or traipse across Europe in a search for none other than Dracula himself in Fury of Dracula, among plenty of others! If you have a favorite board game, bring it!

So grab your friends, family or favorite stack of board games, and come play with us! RSVP via our Facebook event, and feel free to share! The more the merrier!

Sketch Cinema: Digital Zone

Sketch Cinema: Digital Zone
Free Admission
RSVP here!
FRIDAY, July 21st @ 6:30 - 9:00pm
18+

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Movies and drawing go together like popcorn and seasoned salt, so join us for a back-to-back double feature of both classics and not-so-classics. Grab a sketchbook, a few friends, and your best film appreciation glasses and hang out with us! Each month will have a different movie theme and a different creative challenge with big prizes. 

This month, we’re entering the Digital Zone. These 1995 classics revolve around the world of computers from both the past... and the future. We’ll start our journey with Iain Softley’s Hackers, a story about corrupt corporations and the teens that take them down. Hackers stars Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller, and is rated PG-13 for strong language. Run time: 1h47m

The second film, Johnny Mnemonic, stars a young Keanu Reeves in a race against time… and the internet of 2021. During this showing we’ll also have a special drawing challenge that will be announced at the event. Johnny Mnemonic is rated R for Strong Sci-Fi Violence and Language. Run time: 1hr47m

•••••••

Sketch Cinema is a low-pressure movie and draw night hosted at Light Grey. The event happens every 3-4 weeks, and if drawing isn’t your thing that’s ok! Feel free to kick back and enjoy the rotating cast of hand-selected flicks. 

THINGS TO BRING:
A sketchbook and your preferred tools

This event is open to the public and free, so feel free to bring a friend! The event is 18+ 

Feel free to RSVP online on our Facebook Event Page HERE

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We will be planning more Sketch Cinema events for the summer and fall seasons and beyond! Stay tuned for more!

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Young Mystics: Carl Jung - Inner and Outer Worlds

Young Mystics - Carl Jung: Inner & Outer Worlds
$5 / free for students (just bring your ID) — drop ins welcome!
RSVP here!
THURSDAY, July 20th @ 6:30 - 9:00pm

•••••••

Join us for an evening lecture and discussion on Jung's theories of awareness, perception and consciousness. Jung defines the inner world as the way our perception colors everything outside of ourselves. Our realities are shaped by how we percieve -- So how does one begin to see what's beyond one's self, and what benefits come from expanding our sphere of consciousness?

This is one in a series of workshops / meet-ups at Light Grey that take a look at psychological, mystical, or esoteric themes. Look for more upcoming Young Mystics classes and related make-and-take workshops this year! 

Join Young Mystics instructor, Calvin Bauer, in exploring many of the concepts in "The I and the Not I" by Mary Esther Harding - a book on the "Jungian concept of ego development and Jung's theory of personality structure, the the collective unconscious, animus, shadow and archetypes." -- (a quote from Amazon) 

This meet-up is for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of Jungian theory or looking for a space to reflect, learn, and develop their understanding of their own inner and outer worlds. We will have a part-lecture, part discussion with time to reflect and enjoy exploring new theories with like-minded people.

•••••••

No knowledge of Jung or the topic is necessary to join! Come for the discussion and stay for the coffee and tea! 

THINGS TO BRING:
Bring a notebook and writing utensil to take notes!

This event is open to the public, so feel free to bring a friend!

Class is $5 / Free for students (just bring your ID).

Feel free to RSVP online on our Facebook Event Page HERE
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We will be planning more Young Mystics meet-ups for the summer and fall seasons! Stay tuned for more!


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About Young Mystics:

Light Grey Art Lab's Young Mystics meet-ups allow curious minds to explore metaphysical and mystical concepts with an enthusiastic and encouraging community of individuals with backgrounds in art, symbolism, philosophy, Tarot, and other esoteric interests. Classes are held every two-three weeks at Light Grey on a variety of rotating subjects! Check the Facebook page for upcoming events. All events are drop-in and open to the public! Everyone is welcome!

Light Grey Game Night: Cyberpunk

There are autonomous drones buzzing overhead, riots are broadcasted in real-time, high-resolution streams directly to social media, Virtual Reality headsets are a dime a dozen at the local Target, and we're all carrying more tech in our pockets than the average gargoyle from Neal Stephenson's iconic sci-fi novel Snow Crash. Real talk; the dystopian Cyberpunk future we've always dreamed about is here. If you're ready to jack in your implants and hack the system, it must be time for another Light Grey Game Night! So mark your calendar for Thursday, July 13th from 6:30 - 9:30 pm!

As you might remember, we're attaching a theme to each night to help people narrow down what games they might want to bring (although you're still welcome to bring whatever you'd like!). This week's theme is Cyberpunk!

Use your synthetic humanoid technology to break into mega-corp CyberSolutions Inc. and commit futuristic larceny in Android: Infiltration, put together a crew and take on some questionable 'freelance' in Shadowrun: Crossfire, or suit up for the day job in a struggle for sinister corporate domination in New Angeles, among plenty of others! If you have a favorite boardgame, bring it!

So grab your friends, family or favorite stack of board games, and come play with us! RSVP via our Facebook event, and feel free to share! The more the merrier!

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And if you're a fan of cyberpunk, movies, drawing, or FUN, then check out Light Grey Art Lab's newest extracurricular activity: Sketch Cinema! Sketch Cinema is a reoccurring night to visit the gallery for an evening of classic movies and drawing! Sketch Cinema: Digital Zone is the first event, and will be showing two 90's films from Cyberpunks heyday, Johnny Mnemonic and Hackers! 

Fairly Dark + Artist Talk + Drink & Draw

Fairly Dark Opening Reception / July 7th
Artist Talk - 7-8 PM
Drink & Draw hosted by THE VACVVM - 8-10 PM
Facebook Invite

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As Minneapolis plunges headlong into summer, the sun may stay out longer each day, but the nights are still plenty dark. With that in mind, Light Grey Art Lab will be unveiling Fairly Dark, a collection of solo exhibitions featuring new work from Nico Delort, Sishir Bommakanti, Natalie Hall, and Kathleen Jennings that explores all things mysterious, shadowy, and beautiful. 

Nico Delort creates narrative-focused, intensely detailed drawings using the reductive medium of ink and scratchboard. Combined with Delort’s patience and dedication to craft, this medium gives his work a uniquely classic style which could easily live alongside etchings from eras long past. Known for his meticulous craft, time-honored aesthetics, and a dramatic approach to light and dark, his evocative black and white drawings create mysteries from stirring environments, cinematic compositions, and fantastical characters. Delort creates drawings, illustrations, and limited-edition posters across a variety of industries and his clients include Lucasfilm, Penguin Books, Mondo, and Blizzard Entertainment.

Sishir Bommakanti’s works exist on the fringes, exploring the corners of the weird, ancient, paranormal, morbid and everything in-between. His illustration work is a synergy of abstract narrative and experimental media and often feel halfway between consciousness and waking from a nightmare. Bommakanti is always creating, sketching, drawings, painting - and these dark and frenetic images are layered and recomposed to create mood and narrative. The separate elements have been drawn from a variety of references throughout time and space, all clumped and collaged together to produce some form of narrative apophenia. Sishir has created work for publications such as Popular Mechanics, Broken Eye Books, Nautilus Magazine, Narratively, UNRB, and The Pitch.

Natalie Hall’s gorgeous, gestural drawings could be mistaken for drawings pulled from an explorer's journal after an ill-fated expedition into a dark and fantastic land. Filled with gothic characters, monsters that can be simultaneously grotesque and graceful, and mystical symbolism, Hall is known for her luscious and gestural sketchbooks and will showcasing several during Fairly Dark for visitors to pour over. Hall is an LA-based tattoo artist and illustrator who has created work for Dreamworks, RIOT Games, and Guillermo Del Toro.

Kathleen Jennings is an award-winning illustrator and writer based in Brisbane, Australia whose work has roots in the past, with characters and details that would not seem out of place in a century-old illustrated book. Her mediums of choice lend themselves to this aesthetic, working in pen and ink and cut paper silhouettes that can seem effortless and charming, but often reveal a sometimes dry and morbid, Gorey-esque sense of humor. Drawing heavily from folklore and fairytales, Jennings' work feels at once modern and timeless. Over her career, Jennings’ has illustrated for clients such as Tor.com, Small Beer Press, Subterranean Press, Tartarus Press, Ticonderoga Publications, FableCroft Press, Odyssey Press, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild.

The opening reception for Fairly Dark is Friday, July 7th from 7-10 PM. The evening kicks off with an open and frank discussion artist talk followed by a Q&A session with the audience. A Drink & Draw will immediately follow the artist talk, and visitors are invited to pull out their sketchbooks, grab a seat, and join members of the international illustration collective THE VACVVM as they create, converse, and share a laugh over drinks around Light Grey Art Lab’s banquet tables. Panel participants and local creatives will be on hand for conversation and art-making in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by the new work featured in the Fairly Dark collection. Light Grey Art Lab will have refreshments of all varieties on hand, so visitors of all ages are invited to participate. The work will remain on display through September 1st. The opening reception is free and open to the public.