Welcome to my monthly interview feature! I’m so
excited to be interviewing all the fabulous artists, illustrators and designers
I’ve meet over the years (both personally and virtually!) and sharing their
artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets Worm. Look for a new interview on the
first Tuesday of every month.
This month, I’m catching up the
sophisticated talent, Illustrator/Designer, Brian R. Williams! Brian and I first
become friends back in our art school days, having gone thru the Illustration
program at the Columbus Collage of Art & Design together. These days, Brian
is a freelance Illustrator/Designer working in Columbus, Ohio, who is obsessed with
both art crimes and sasquatches. His artwork has been featured in ARTnews
online, Audubon Magazine blog, and Juxatpoz Magazine online (among others!). He
has also exhibited in numerous galleries and his work is held in several
private art collections. You can view more of his gorgeous artwork here.
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| Brian & his creature creations. |
Q: For many
years you represented yourself as an Designer, but recently signed on with art
rep group, IlloZoo. (Congrats, by the way!!!) Tell us about your decision to
become represented
and the pros and cons of going at it solo vs. having representation.
A: Thanks! I decided to seek out an
illustration agency because I felt like I needed help getting access to
prospective clients. Since college, I have focused most of my energy in
building my graphic design resume, but last year I started thinking
that I would like to change directions and see what I could do as an
illustrator. Illustration is my first love—it was my major in college—but I
have no experience looking for and working with clients, so that's why I
thought that teaming up with an agency would be beneficial.
My relationship with an agency is still
so new that I haven't encountered a downside yet. But I like that I have the
freedom to part ways with them at any time if I ever feel like it's not
working. In other words, I still have autonomy over my career, and that's
something that I couldn't live without.
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| Great Auk. |
Q: You have an
obsession with famous art crimes, having even taken graduate-level courses in
the subject. Dish with us about your fascination and THE art crime that you are most obsessed
with.
A: Art crime is the art industry's dirty
little secret. I'm fascinated with the idea uncovering stories that
museums, auction houses and wealthy collectors would rather be kept secret.
Aside from that, I believe it is a serious concern for anyone who works in the
industry. Art theft is frustratingly common; good-faith buyers may
unknowingly purchase stolen property, and, depending on where they live, they
may be on the hook for returning it at their own financial loss. Art forgery is
also a concern. It's the more insidious of the two crimes, I think,
because it's so much harder to detect.
There are so many individual cases
that fascinate me, but the Getty Museum is among my favorites. The
Getty is an object lesson for "what not to do" when it comes to
responsible museum practices. In their frenzy to amass a world-class
antiquities collection, they have purchased at least one multi-million-dollar
forgery, as well as several dozen ancient artifacts that were
illegally excavated from sites in Italy and Greece and then smuggled into the
US. Italy came after the Getty a few years ago and forced the museum to return
many of the artifacts. Their curator of ancient art was put on trial in Italy
for her role in the smuggling case, as well as the two men who sold the
artifacts to the museum.
For an institution that professes to be
in the business of preserving the world's cultural heritage, the Getty did
quite a bit of damage by knowingly buying artifacts that were dug out of the
ground by tomb robbers, thus encouraging even more plunder. It's not just
the Getty though; the Met in New York City, the Louvre, and the British
Museum are also on the list of museums that have behaved badly.
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| From Brian's Fearsome Creatures Series. |
Q: You recently
contributed to the redesigned the children’s Wonder Room at the Columbus Museum of Art. Tell us about the game you designed from beginning concepts thru
completion.
A:
The idea for the game was thought up by Merilee Mostov and Jeff Sims, the two
employees in the museum's Education Department who redesigned the Wonder Room.
They contacted me with the basic premise of the game in mind, but I had
complete creative control over the game's design. The game is comprised of 100
square wooden tiles. On each tile I painted a section of road through the
wilderness—sometimes it's straight, sometimes it's curved, and on some tiles
the road forks into 2 or more new paths—and the object of the game is to
connect the tiles and tell a story about your adventure through the wilderness.
Players follow the road through woods, fields, deserts, across rivers, past
lakes, over obstacles, through secret passages, and they encounter many
different fanciful monsters.
It
was one of the most fun freelance projects I've ever done. When I turned it
into the museum, I was sad that it was done! I've been back to the museum
several times to play with it.
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| Laughing Owl. |
Q:
Your bird drawings are stunningly gorgeous! Tell us about your inspiration and
process for creating them.
A: Thanks! For the "Extinct
Birds" series, I wanted to personify various species of birds that have
gone extinct as a result of human interference. I decided to dress them in
clothing that was fashionable during the year that they went extinct in a
effort to humanize them and portray them as a casualty of their time. I
expected them to be whimsical, but for me, they're somewhat depressing! They
remind me of how fragile all of our existences are on this planet.
I think I love birds for their names as
much as for their beauty. "Molokai Creeper." "Choiseul
Pigeon." "Lord Howe Swamp Hen." I think they get the best names
in the animal kingdom. Before the "Extinct Birds" series, I did a
series of drawings of birds whose names could also be used to describe people:
Cuckoo, Booby, Chick, Loon, etc.
Q:
In addition to being an Illustrator/Designer, you are also an Art Instructor at
your alma mater, the Columbus College of Art & Design. What advice do you
give your students about how to develop a successful career as an Illustrator/Designer?
A: I think I emphasize professionalism
the most. In an over-saturated market, I think the young people who know how to
present themselves and their portfolios in a professional manner will stand out
in the crowd.
I also like to tell them that they
don't have to wait for someone to hire them. As artists, illustrators and
designers, they have the skills to employ themselves—by freelancing, by taking
commissions, or by simply creating the work that they love to do and finding a
market for it. It's tough work—anyone who tells young artists that it's easy is
a liar—but I believe that if they love what they're doing, if they continue to
find joy in hard work and if they stay focused on their goals, then they will
find success.
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| From Brian's Fearsome Creatures Series. |
Q:
Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: A sunny spot in a coffee shop with
my drawing pad and some close friends.
Thank
you, Brian, for catching up with us here at Bird Meets Worm! XO