Reina Cottier

 

 

 

Ambrosia Arts – Tell us how you got into this style of art and how long have you been at it?

I started painting about 3 years ago after not doing any art since high school. (and that was very many moons ago! ) This style has evolved over that time, however from the very start I was obsessed with color and shapes flowing together.

 

Ambrosia Arts -  Who was it that introduced you to art originally? Do you still know them?

Well originally it was my mother, she was, and still is, the most craft obsessed person I know, :) but 3 years ago I decided to take an art class with Maria Fowler, called “Awaken the Artist Within”, a class which did not show one how to paint, but more how to bring out what was inside and express that onto the canvas. I still keep in touch with Maria, she is ia good friend.

 

Ambrosia Arts – Do you have any current muses or mentors? What inspires you?
Not currently, I have been too busy, but there have been plenty over the last few years.
Life inspires me, different experiences, cultures, vibrancy, colour, energy,  the ocean, nature, mother earth in all her glory.

 

Ambrosia Arts – What was your first medium in the world of art and how have you progressed from there?
Pencil drawings was my first big thing, at school. I never painted at school. There is no progression, more like a leap sideways :) Now, I dont sketch, maybe only very occasionally to make sure an idea will fit onto the canvas proportionally.

 

Ambrosia Arts – Can you describe the feeling behind your work for us- How it drives you and why?

I had to really ‘think’ about this, its difficult to answer with words, when its all about feeling,  a creative feeling, I want to create something beautiful, something, that to the viewer, prompts some type of connection within. For me its about aligning with an inner quest for a greater understanding of life  expressed with amazing colours and flowing shapes. It always starts with colour, I then get inspiration for the shapes to follow from that... I never know what is going to happen.

 

Ambrosia Arts – When did you first realize that this was more than just a hobby of sorts? Or do you still feel that way?
When I had painted 30 paintings I thought, hmm Id better start getting rid of these, Im running out of room! - so made a Facebook art page and website, started selling them, and the rest is history.

 

Ambrosia Arts – What all mediums have you experimented with? Is there anything you want to try next?

Have used, Paint, Pencil, Crayon, Ink, (crayon & ink together-love!), chalk, collage.

Would like to try more mixed media, only problem is I am such an ‘immediate results’ person, Im not sure I can be bothered with all the fiddly-ness. lol!

 

Ambrosia Arts – Is there a certain feeling or message you want portrayed in your art that you would like to share with us? (closing question)

Well I would like my art to evoke inspiration and positivity in the viewer. If they connect to something within that makes them feel good, then this is why I paint. There is no ‘message’ as such, more an experience of being uplifted, or pulled in, its a feel good thing! :)

 

A little about the artist… (bio)

I was born and raised in beautiful New Zealand feel totally blessed to be a part of this amazing land. I have travelled extensively over the years which has had a huge effect on my creativity. Im deeply influenced by different cultures & how they interact with our Mother Earth. in particular our oceans.  As a mother of two vibrant and feisty girls, I’m kept real and grounded every day. . I also do a little hairdressing (this was my career of choice when I left school and I owned my own salon for 9 years). But my first love is art, and this is what I prefer to be doing as much as I can, and with the total support of my wonderful partner, I am able to do this almost every day. Lucky  me, living my dream. :)

 

Please provide any links you wish to include.

Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/reinacottierart

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/reinacottierart

Instagram: www.instagram.com/reinacottierart

Blog: www.reinacottierart.wordpress.com

Website: www.reinacottier.com

 

Aaron Hazouri

Ambrosia Arts - Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well, my name is Aaron Hazouri, and I'm a freelance illustrator. I am also bald and I enjoy cheese and coffee, though generally not at the same time.

Ambrosia Arts - What inspired you to become an artist, how did it come about in your life?

My dad is an artist, and I've been drawing since I was a kid (like most artists, I think). I've always liked drawing more than things like watching TV, socializing with other humans, and so on...

 Ambrosia Arts – What would you call your style?

I tend to vary my style, depending on the job, but when I'm drawing for fun or for my own projects, I have a very broad cartoony style. More than a few people have said my style looks like something out of an old Looney Tune (which I THINK is a compliment!).

Ambrosia Arts – Where all have you had your work published, use commercially? What kind of art was used?

I've done freelance work for a wide range of clients, from large corporations to small start-ups, and I've produced art for everything from animation art for television commercial producers to t-shirt designs for small family reunions. Most of my pro work is cartoon illustration though I have done a bit more realistic-style work lately. Years ago, I had a comic strip running in the University of North Florida newspaper. All I remember about it is it was late every single week.

Ambrosia Arts – Is there a message in your art? What does it mean for you?

I don't think of what I do as "art" so much as "craft." The artwork I create is generally to serve a purpose, so if there's a message present, it's something the client is looking for. My personal work usually takes the form of comic strips or graphic novels, where the message is one of anger and frustration at the ultimate futility of life... I guess!

Ambrosia Arts – When you draw comics, are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Every comic story I do is at least semi-autobiographical. I don't think I can help it.

Ambrosia Arts - What are your current projects?

Currently, in addition to freelance work, I'm self-publishing The Strange Adventures of Toaster Guy - a four-issue miniseries distributed across three continents with a fan base numbering into the dozens! I'm also working on a short story for a horror comics anthology, Skin Crawling Comics, featuring a number of other writers and artists. My story, "Wesley," is by author Sabrina James Riley and it's fantastic!

Ambrosia Arts - Who is your favorite artist and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

My favorite artist is the famous cartoonist Chuck Jones. In his prime, he was probably the greatest animation artist who ever lived. One of the only artists I know of who can elicit laughter with a rough pencil sketch of a cartoon duck's twisted beak.

Ambrosia Arts – What is your favorite piece and why?
 

My favorite piece is a cartoon, The Rabbit of Seville, directed by the great Chuck Jones. The drawing, the posing, the writing - everything was top notch in this cartoon.

 

Ambrosia Arts - What made you fall in love with drawing?

In school, reading comics during lectures was forbidden. Sleeping was frowned upon. But drawing looked enough like note-taking that I was able to get away with it! Until instead of having notes to study for tests, I found myself staring at a misshapen Ninja Turtle scrawled all over a crumpled sheet of notebook paper.

 Ambrosia Arts - What do you do when you are not drawing?

I weep for myself and my lot in life! No, actually, I watch cartoons and eat unhealthy cereal. Frosted Flakes are like crack.

Ambrosia Arts - Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans?

 

I don't think I have any fans, but if I do and they're reading this, send boxes of Frosted Flakes!

Ambrosia Arts – What’s next on your agenda?

Next is wrapping up Toaster Guy and Wesley and working towards the next gig!

 Aaron Hazouri lives and works out of his small studio, where his wife and dog occasionally open the door and allow him the sweet taste of sunlight." I can be reached at cartoonistaaron@comcast.net or on Facebook. Pricing is on a per-project basis, depending on the complexity and timeframe.

 Aaron Hazouri

Cartoonist • Illustrator

www.aaronhazouri.com

cartoonistaaron@comcast.net

Lydia Burris

Lydia Burris Interview

Ambrosia Arts - So tell us how you got started in art originally. How and when did it begin for you? Was it an immediate passion? A lifelong love affair?

Lydia Burris –  Absolutely. I came from an artistic family - both parents were artists. My mother was a main inspiration. She used to debate with my aunt who gave me the first crayon in my highchair. As a kid, I was always drawing and getting distracted by doodling. Mother also had a morbid sense of humor, and loved horror movies. She would always let me watch horror scenes, and we would have scream contests (living out in the country, this was ok) - I remember being very very short when she first showed me Hieronymous Bosch's scenes from “HELL”. She has since passed on.

Ambrosia Arts – So sorry to hear that. It's wonderful when an artist is born into such a supportive nurturing family. Did she teach you mostly or were you more self-taught? Have you had professional schooling for your development of craft?

Lydia Burris -  Thank you. She passed in February of 2011. Mother provided the inspiration and the tools, the horror and fantasy movies, the paint brushes, the canvas, the words of wisdom, but let me do my own thing, and move at my own pace. I did get training. First there were the art classes in HS of course, some occasional private inspirational workshops with artist friends of the family, but I did go on to focus on art in college - I did a double major - one was 'fine arts' and the other was an independent major that I called 'illustration of mythology' and eventually my MASTERS of FINE ART, at a school in Norwich England. a full intense 1 year program.

At IUBloomington (undergrad) I was trained how to paint from life. flesh tones, light and shadow... but they poopooed my interest in fantasy and illustration. I hid my scary drawings in my sketchbook. Then to England where I learned how to defend my work with words, but they didn't really get interested in my work till I put the paints down and began to make installations. I often tell people 'I entered England as a painter and left as an artist"

I had to retrain myself before I felt comfortable getting my favorite subjects onto canvas

Ambrosia Arts - Truly an experience. So your art has literally taken you places. Explain how you did that, retrain yourself.

Lydia Burris -  After getting trained in so many different directions, I had the skill to paint, and the confidence to create in any media, including 3D environments.... But 'fantasy' and 'horror' was always seen as 'sub' art or 'cheesy', not as 'valid' as other fine arts. This is bullcrap of course, but it’s an opinion that still persists in many circles - although in the last 10 years, dark art, illustrative and narrative, fantasy and horror have really risen in level... Anyway, I felt this pressure, almost GUILT that my fantastic subject matters were somehow less valuable. Even though I knew this, it was like a muscle memory left over from school. It took a few years to shake this off, and experiment with subject matter, and getting my odd drawings onto larger formats and out of the sketchbook.

I just kept forcing myself to let my imagination take the foreground.

Every time I got my 'oil' paints out, I was compelled to use a visual reference, I felt blocked from painting directly from my imagination. I just had to keep trying it and eventually I was able to merge my imagination with the skills I had acquired.

Using other mediums sometimes helped. I am a huge fan of mixed media these days.

Ambrosia Arts - So what do you feel thus far as an artist has been your greatest experience or greatest moment?

Lydia Burris - There have been a few moments. Traveling overseas to commit to a year in England on my own (2004, 2005) My First Convention in 2007 where I truly found my creative family, (Wizard World Chicago), The day I was able to quit being a waitress and move to all art related jobs in August of 2009. Another great moment was this past GenCon, August 2012, realizing that I truly have fans.

Also, receiving a residency to get a free studio for a year in downtown Indianapolis was a pretty exciting moment in my professional/independent art experience.

Ambrosia Arts – Wow now that is incredibly exciting. Tell how you feel about your art. While you’re creating, the message you send through your pieces, what you feel you portray to the viewer.

Lydia Burris - Usually for my own personal art - not a commission, not a fan inspired piece, etc, I begin randomly. I tend to have 2 methods, both begin automatically.

Method 1: super experimental - I begin with emotions and colors. These can change as the work develops. I add shapes and sometimes layers of text. I rub away colors and add more in. I write words and cover them up. I use an unexpected array of colors. Eventually I decide to add figures or faces, or found poetry.

Method 2: tree people: I begin automatically with shapes and subdued colors - eventually forming part of a face and/or body - I let the random shapes extend outward to form branches and roots. Eventually I end up with tree people.

Sometimes I try to combine these methods, and something’s the 1st method changes depending on what medium I am using. I love to experiment and not know the outcome of works. I love mixed media, and I love to combine reality and the abstract. A face from life that extends into abstraction.

Ambrosia Arts - As far as personal aspirations go, there is no greater feeling to me, then when you have the freedom to do what you absolutely love in life to its fullest

Lydia Burris - I always think of the 'bohemians' from Mulin Rouge - Truth , Beauty, Freedom and LOVE! True words for an artist, the most important thing, but it is definitely a HARD PATH. A struggling path. a Financially uneven path.

Freedoms of the soul at the expense of the pocketbook sometimes. But I am confident that if I stay on this path and go full speed ahead (as much as I am able) then after a while, I won't have to worry about the money

*I'd rather not be making tons of money from something I love than not making tons of money from a job I hate.*

Ambrosia Arts – Where do you see yourself and your work in the next five years? Is there anything else you would like to try professionally? Another medium you may be exploring? Do you have a dream goal to reach with your art? A special gallery you'd want to get into perhaps?

Lydia Burris - I would LOVE to get into film, and I am currently working on my own graphic novel. I have tried narrative work in the past with others and (quite frankly) failed. Things were left incomplete. I was never satisfied. I am trying my OWN project and vow not to try any 'comics' until I do my OWN. I have also written a script for a short film. I want to get into stop motion animation (I have played with this) - I am always open and willing to try new mediums and find that father time is a CRUEL master.

In 5 YEARS:

I see myself doing similar to what I am doing now, but with more success in sales, bigger projects under my belt, and a few books published at least. Art books, but also writing. Another medium I play with, but I do not share as much.

My goal is to have the freedom and ability to travel with my work without as many worries. I want to work with big names. I used to think that meant the big names of now, but if you look at those big names, most of their partners started at the same place: the bottom. - so I look to people in my same situation as partners and accomplices - there is so much creative energy in the air, so much potential - I say to all my creative friends and partners in crime: Let us grow into greatness together. Don't stop, don't give up. Someday we will look around us and see that we have already made it.

And one of my favorite quotes: Dive off the cliff and build your wings on the way down. This is how I view my art career.

Ambrosia Arts - Well you are one we will certainly all be watching for great things to come. Including your novel, could you give us any insight into it or any other big projects you have coming up soon?

Lydia Burris - Projects coming up: I am currently working on book covers for Nathan Squires's Crimson Shadow series, Creating my own graphic novel about madness, and a slew of new dark fantasy artworks for a show in August called 'Conjure' - details to be announced at a later date. My convention and gallery show schedule can be seen here: http://lydiaburris.com/updates.html

http://lydiaburris.com/2012mixed.html

http://zyphryus.deviantart.com/gallery/

Closing thoughts from Lydia Burris: I'm honored to share myself and my art with this interview, and I make a plea to all the dreamers to keep dreaming, and to keep creating, and to keep reaching. We inspire each other - and by our lights, we find each other. Stay bright friends!

 

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