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Spraygraphic Interview with Wolfgang Hametner
By Spraygraphic | February 11, 2008
Spraygraphic Interview with Wolfgang Hametner
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
WH: Hi, I´m Wolfgang. I think this name was pretty famous in the country I come from (especially in the late 60s I guess, for I don´t know anybody younger than me with this name). It was the name of a well know musician, a poet and a bishop. A British 3years-old used to call me Mr. wolfpack, which is not that bad, isn´t it?
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
WH: I live now in Zurich, Switzerland.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
WH: I have my pencils, my ink pens and my computer. These are the main ingredients. Sometimes I add some old paper or things that I find in my apartment or in the basement to make it more spicy.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
WH: The funny thing is that the process is often done before I go and get my pencils. It´s like following invisible lines on the paper, like executing something that is already there.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
WH: First, I´m swearing which, as is generally known, doesn’t help. After that, I get on my bycycle, put my earphones on and go for a ride, listening to music that is an absolutely no-go at home until I´m completely exhausted. And - here we go - there is a new idea or not, but I feel much better anyways.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
WH: I love watching people. And I love details that are not visible at the first sight. It´s like when you turn off the sound on your TV, you´ll concentrate more on what can be seen. Sometimes it’s a story somebody told me, sometimes it’s the memory of my childhood that brings up new imaginations.
SG: Can you please tell us a little about your submission to the LICC, Her Letter.
WH: Oh, that´s easy. My girlfriend worked as an au-pair in Paris back then. Stupid as we were, we decided only to write letters to each other, no phone calls, nothing. So, everytime I got a letter from France, I felt like inhaling every single word. True story.
SG: How did you get into being an freelance artist for clients like Kraft, GE, EMI, etc.
WH: I think I´m working real hard to get “into business” and make my work and my name known. Thousands of e-mails, folders, phone calls, portfolio presentations at advertising agencies and publishers which is of course worth doing. Sometimes it´s only luck.
SG: What kind of deadlines do you work within when producing this kind of work?
WH: Most of the time customers want my work to be done the day before they offer me the job. So I am used to working quickly using illustration styles I feel absolutely confident with and to experiment and to suggest new styles when I am given a little bit more time.
SG: Do the companies come back to you and say “change this” or “change that?”
WH: I concentrate very much on the briefing and try to figure out what customers really want. But of course changes at customer´s option are common.
SG: How much are you willing to change? Is there some kind of negotiation process you go through?
WH: You know, as an illustrator I consider myself both, craftsman and artist. Patience and understanding for the customer´s needs is part of the process as well as the bill I can write when my work is done. But you´re right: I packed in my job once in a while.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
WH: There have been two exhibitions of children´s book illustration in 2006, one in Vienna (Austria, Romulus Candela Price), the other near Frankfurt (Germany, Der Meefisch Price), where I took part in. There was another one in 2007 by Design Austria
SG: Where will it be seen next?
WH: Well, probably in London at the Alma Enterprises Gallery, there is no official date announced yet. And at the UPdate, Salon fuer Fotografie, on April 11th and 12th 2008 in Berlin, Germany.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
WH: Illustrating a Rolling Stones CD-cover must be like heaven, still…
SG: What is your favorite color?
WH: Blue
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
WH: Maybe Jay Leonhard. He is a bass player, the lyrics of his songs are special, none of my friends really like him, and since I bought his record in 1985 I think I played it 10.000 times (at least).
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
WH: It´s a Norwegian novel called “hekseringen”. Reminds me of the time I lived there and worked together with 4 outstanding Norwegian illustrators.
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
WH: You can watch one part of it on my website, the other part is hidden in the dungeon of my computer´s hard disc.
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
WH: I still like the “Tribuene Krieau” in Vienna, Austria, where I spend whole days reading newspapers, drinking coffee and listening to the slight noise of the city.
SG: Any final words of advice?
WH: No advices, just good wishes. Thanks for the interview.
Topics: Artist Interviews, International-Art |
May 9th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Awesome illustrations. Your work and this interview fires me up to grind that much harder on my own bidness! Stay up!
May 9th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
thank you thank you…the artists do all the work…I much indebted to their creativity!