Interview with Junko, Artist/Owner from Nicki Nicki

 

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Hello everyone, sorry for not being able to post many artist interviews over the past few weeks. School has kept me super busy. Enough with that, though. I'd like to introduce to you all Junko, from Nicki Nicki! Junko sells some of the cutest artwork I've possibly ever seen. You can checkout her Etsy shop here, and make sure to like her Facebook page! Also, if you're more interested in her portfolio, you can click here.  And let the questions begin! 

• Is there any kind of story behind your business's name "Nicki Nicki"?  

     "I started my own business called "nicki nicki" to sell prints of my original oil paintings at local galleries and gift shops in 2010. The name "nicki nicki" comes from my four-legged best friend, "Nicki".  Nicki is a rescued dog and has become such an important part of my life over the past four years.  Similarly, a few years back when I left my corporate job to pursue my art, it was almost like rescuing a part of me that had been hidden in a dark locked up room for so many years. That is why I named my business "nicki nicki".  I wanted to rescue my art and cherish it for the rest of my life.  Nicki is also my business model.  He is such a happy and funny dog that he can bring a smile to anyone's face.  And that is what I wish to do through my art - bring warmth to your heart!" 
  

 

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• The animals you paint almost seem to have human and childlike characteristics, which is very impressive and may be hard for other artists to do. Did you have any art training before you started painting that helped with painting these images and if not, how did you develop this talent?   

     "I am a self-taught artist. I have taken some art history classes, but I have no formal training in either drawing or painting.  I have always loved doodling and creating ever since I was young, but until I took a paint brush up for the first time a few years ago, I didn't even know what linseed oil and turpentine were for.  All I  knew was that I loved art and I wanted to paint as good as academically trained artists, so I made a ferocious commitment to learn how to paint on my own.  I am a very passionate person especially when it comes to something I love. For the first two years, I practiced, practiced and practiced. There are many nights (or mornings) that I went to bed when the sun was rising.  I also watched other artists paint, often visited museums and galleries, and looked for any helpful resources that I could find in books, magazines and on the internet."    
   

  

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• Are there any artists in particular or other people (could be anyone) that play a big part in inspiring you and your art?  

     "I like the kind of art that instigates my imagination and takes me to a different world.  I love looking at the romantic paintings of Maxfield Parrish, Waterhouse, Alma-Tadema, Bouguereau, Klimt, etc.  I don't think I have any particular artist who greatly influenced me, but their paintings are definitely inspiring. I was strongly drawn into fantasy art when I started painting. I think you can see some influence from them in my earlier work, which can be viewed on my portfolio site. I truly wish I could paint like them!" 

 

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One of Junko's favorite songs at the moment: 

Madeleine Peyroux - Smile

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P.S.~ Don't forget to checkout the art giveaway going on one post below this one! Also, if you're an artist that wants to be interviewed please leave a comment below with the link to your Etsy shop or your Facebook page. If you want to be on my blog but don't want to be interviewed, you can get a free ad space by clicking on the "Sponsor" tab above.

An Interview With Writer/Illustrator Kevin King

Make sure to visit Kevin King at his Bluecanvas  and his website! 

-Can you give me a short background on yourself? Or it could be longer…w/e. 

I don’t want to make myself out to be a special of any sort, but as far as I know, I am the only baby to have been delivered by a Pekin duck at the OB/GYN. It’s a rather remarkable story, considering hospital policies preventing animals from being in hospitals. But this duck was very career minded and a real go-getter.

I distinctly remember my first thought when I was born- “I’m not getting a job.” And I decided at that moment to become an illustrator. But becoming an illustrator right off the bat is not without obstacles; mainly the drooling and the diaper thing for the first few years. I have since overcome the drooling- it’s a problem that can easily be licked.

My childhood was quite unremarkable- I invented the color “Sleem”, which is mostly beige with cat hair. I wore plaid pants and shirts throughout the entire 5^thGrade, (and was not beat up). In art class I spilled paint down the back of the pants of a fat girl with a yellow tooth, (and got beat up). And as that I am on the subject of art classes, I was quite fortunate to have a mother that was an extraordinarily talented artist. What she could not teach me, she provided private tutors, Art Professors, to school me in the classical arts. Some music virtuosos are sitting at the piano bench at five tinkling out Chopin on the ivories, I was sketching still lifes of bowls of fruit. And by Providence and the talent I honed, I became an editorial cartoonist for a local newspaper when I was fourteen. This opportunity defined and shaped my future.

The next many, many years I did nothing but dedicate myself to dutifully cartooning and illustrating for panoplies of newspapers and advertising agencies. (Of course, I had bathroom breaks during that time.) One of the most important skills you learn in the newspaper and ad agency business is- meeting deadlines! Another, and if not more important skill you learn as a cartoonist is to be able to tell a joke, impart a political comment or tell a story in a single panel that can be understood by the 100,000 or more people a day who will see it.

Eventually, I became rather worn out from the industry and went on a long sabbatical. Somehow, through an odd chance meeting, I found myself in a very niche field of creating art to be sandblasted on glass that was installed in mega-yachts. After some time I grew tired, or bored of that, and decided to begin illustrating for- me; which is where I am at nowadays.

-How would you describe the art you make?

I don’t see myself as an artist, but an illustrator. And as an illustrator- I tell stories. To describe what I produce is probably best defined as- a perfectionist exercise in line and negative space with bits of watercolour. 

 

-Your work is so fantastical and full of narrative, every single piece I look at makes me want to know the story behind it. Where do your ideas and inspirations come from? 

Hypnagogia is certainly the wellspring of many of the images and characters, I am overwhelmed, deluged I reckon, with imageries and creatures that seek to be birthed by my pen the next morning. Many of the ideas are born through doodling. And as they emerge onto the parchment I begin to know their disposition and story and I am deeply compelled to tell their history. No doubt I too was deeply influenced from rich the illustrations and engravings from the scores of old children’s books I profusely read as a youth.

 -Do you have any advice for aspiring illustrators or artists?

My advice is very simple- stay away from puerile social commentary. I see so many young artists, (and too many older artists), that want to give an opinion on the “World Condition”. The only condition you should have any concern about is hair conditioner. Avoid drawing celebrities…there is only so many ways you can illustrate Marilyn Monroe or P-Diddy. And somebody has already drawn them better than you. But first, you must really know what it is you want to do with your art…your purpose behind the pen or paintbrush. 

Are you working on any upcoming projects?

I am working on a manuscript, a children’s fairy tale of sorts, which I am in long process of writing and illustrating. It has taken me a while to remember…but my“purpose behind the pen and paintbrush” is to write and illustrate my own works. 

  

His favorite music at the moment: 

Chopin - Prelude Op.28 No.15 ('Raindrop')

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Crystal Chan

 

Clearing Clouds 

Artist➵ Crystal Chan 

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A little bit about Chan:  

"Chrystal Chan was born and raised in the Bay Area, California. Being fascinated by the spiritual world since the age of seventeen, most of her works present subjects in metaphorical situations that are derived from visions, supernatural experiences, and beings. Other works are reflective of feelings and situations placed in the everyday life. Each piece states facts of the physical or the supernatural." (link)

Jess Cross

 

(From her Goddess Series) 

Artist➵ Jess Cross 

Her online Portflolio 

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Ivan Alifan

 

Tears of the Moon 

Artist➵ Ivan Alifan 

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Agnes Cecile

 

This Thing Called Art is Really Dangerous  

Artist➵ Agnes Cecile 

Buy a print➵ here 

Like her on Facebook