Junior Jr. Riso

We are so honored to have Al printing with us and at zinefest once again! Here is their supercool interview. 🙂

When and how did you become an artist?

I became an artist as many artists do, by being given tools to draw at a young age and becoming “drawn” to the act (for lack of a better word). I had an obsessive relationship with illustrating and would often fill the margins of my homework with anime eyes and worlds of my own invention, much to my teachers’ annoyance. I often told myself growing up that it was something I’d never seriously pursue as an adult for a career due to the hardships of making it something lucrative and a delusion that there must be something else in the world that suits me better. Years later, after acquiring a Bachelor’s of Science in illustration and graphic design (aiming to earn an MFA to boot), I’ve accepted reality. My fellow artists and creators know that when you choose to pursue life as an artist, it’s because there’s something inside you that you just can’t shake (even if you try really hard) that compels you to do so.

What is your process like?

My process is something that I’m still working to discover daily and is in a constant state of flux. Typically I start any project by relying on my trusty sketchbook. I am a firm believer in the art of thumbnails and will go through several small compositional arrangements before committing to starting a larger image. There have been instances however where the perfect idea pops into my head and I can’t do anything else until I get it on paper (whether or not it always works out is a different story). I tend to cross through physical and digital media and intersect the two when possible and am always looking for new ways to explore this- such as collaborating with an awesome independent riso studio for the first time!  My M.O. has been printmaking (particularly screenprinting), which has proven to be a fantastic way of creating wonderfully graphic and eye-catching work that is not just practical to make “copies” of, but also fun. Additionally, the process of screenprinting lends itself well to transforming a drawing done digitally into a piece of art that is tangible. 

How do you describe your art?

My art has always been of an obnoxious nature and only relatively recently have I begun to pride myself on that. During my time in undergrad studying at the University of Southern Indiana, I became entrenched in a world of political caricature and satire, which quickly became an outlet to express my frustrations with the incompetencies tightly woven into USAmerican life. Despite my desire to lambast the current administration, I also take my breaks from the madness by illustrating the beauty of the mundane world. Subjects I enjoy drawing for a placid cool-down vary between delicious fruits and vegetables displayed at the market, people standing in lines for coffee, or local flora. These easy-going drawing exercises inform my political work by increasing my  repertoire with a wide variety of settings and objects.

What is the single greatest unsolved mystery of your life?

The greatest mystery of my life so far has to be who the hell projectile vomited on the bathroom floor at my 3rd grade birthday party. At the time, my best friend and I promptly initiated an investigation and privately interviewed every single guest who stayed the night – which in retrospect probably created a mortifying ordeal for the spewer. But I know you’re out there. It’s time to come clean once and for all.

What is exciting to you about working with a Risograph?

Working with riso has been an aspiration of mine for a couple years. The textures and unique “imperfections” you can get from this form of printing are unmatched, and the unique color gamut leads to innovative combinations that are always so striking. I hope someday I will be able to learn how to use a machine myself and then someday acquire my own to forward my studio practice.

What inspires your artwork?

My artwork is heavily inspired by work created in the Underground Comix period, satirical illustrations throughout history ranging from magazines such as Puck to Mad, the autobiographical work of Harvey Pekar, and much more. I also take inspiration for the content of my work through my love of reading – works such as Slaughterhouse-Five (or anything by Vonnegut for that matter), The Three Musketeers, The Divine Comedy, and Don Quixote are all wonderful examples of novels that shape the content of my illustrations.

Has your art changed in the past few years? Do you see it changing as you move forward?

I briefly touched on this in a previous answer, but my work is constantly in a state of changing. I feel that I have recently been shifting away from making political commentary in the last few months due to difficulty expressing the humor of the state of a country that is on fire. While I am absolutely not abandoning this (as my strongest work is usually when I am making political commentary), it is also important to create what calls to you and fills your cup. So for a little bit, I’m going to keep indulging an unexplainable fixation on drawing still-lives of fruits and veggies while I consider the best ways to satirize a nation that already completely satirizes itself without my help.

Who are currently some of your favorite artists?

Some of my favorite artists are R. Crumb, Egon Schiele, Edgar Degas, Kathe Kolwitz, Amos Kennedy, Cyril Vilx, Rebecca Leveille Guay, Paul Heaston, my former colleague Inka Kobylanski, and my former printmaking professor Brett Anderson. The latter 6 can all be found on instagram. The work of these artists have a special place in my heart for different reasons and I would list even more, however these are the artists that resonate with me the most at the moment. 🙂

Describe your perfect day from waking up to going to bed. 🙂

My perfect day would be waking up in a beautiful but quaint log cabin somewhere tucked away in the Appalachian mountains but not too tucked away to the point where I can’t get a delicious diner breakfast with a decent black coffee. I’d go kayaking or canoeing with a loved one and enjoy a picnic on a sandbar. Afterward, I’d love to have an afternoon nap and go exploring in a nearby town. I’d sit down at a bar and draw strangers passing by as quickly as I could in a futile attempt to capture the moment in time. After enjoying a delicious normally VERY expensive cocktail that has been given to me for free for being the one millionth customer, I’d head back to the cabin to sit around a fire for some smores and star gazing. There would be no mosquitos because on this perfect day all of them in a 50 mile radius of me died (and went to heaven obviously I’m not a monster). One big slice of tiramisu for dessert and I’m off to bed settled into a soft quilt and drifting off to sleep to the sound of a nearby river babbling.