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Spraygraphic Interview with Artist Jahaziel Minor
By Spraygraphic | June 30, 2008
Spraygraphic Interview with Jahaziel Minor
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
JM: I’m 23 years old and one of five in my family. I was born in Mexico, but we moved to Baytown, Texas in 1996 when I was 11, and I recently graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati on May 17th with a BFA in Illustration.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
JM: I’ve lived in Cincinnati, OH for the past 5 years. I’m a portrait painter, so I’m currently trying to make a living with my art.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
JM: About 2 or 3 years ago I started using oil paints, and ever since then I’ve dedicated a majority of my time to getting a better understanding of the medium. Most of my work from these past two years consists of primarily oil paintings and graphite drawings. From time to time I work with charcoal, colored pencils, and sometimes I do some digital work.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
JM: I prefer to do preliminary work before starting a painting. I sometimes start with a sketch and a drawing (value study) before attempting to paint, it eliminates most drawing and value problems that could come up with the painting. Then I transfer the drawing to the canvas (or linen), and begin the painting from there. I don’t always have the time to do this, so sometimes I’ll just go straight for the painting, and if time is an issue I might even use a photograph as a reference. But I do everything possible to not use photographs at all.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
JM: I haven’t had that problem yet. I think that nature has way too much to offer for me to run out of things to paint. I prefer to paint from observation because of the beauty of nature its endless possibilities; it is what inspires me to paint.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
JM: I feel that a lot of modern and post-modern art is based on absurdity, but I keep going back to the realist painters who were inspired by the beauty of nature. I’m inspired by artists such as Ives Gammell , Joseph DeCamp , John Singer Sargent , Frank Duveneck , William Merritt Chase , and other’s who had discipline and a true commitment to their work.
SG: Can you please tell us a little about your experience with Stephen Cefalo ?
JM: When I said that I started painting a couple of years ago, I failed to mention that it was during Stephen Cefalo’s figure painting class at the Art Academy that I started. His paintings and his approaches to painting were what initially convinced me to take up oil painting. He is the one inspired and influenced me to begin painting.
SG: What was the single most important thing you took away from that experience?
JM: I feel that I’ve come a long way since taking his painting class, I was still trying to figure out how to use oil paints when he was teaching me, so it was difficult for me to show how much I was learning. But after becoming more familiar with oil paints, I’m starting to remember and use some of the things he taught me.
SG: Can you tell us a little about the Manifest Gallery show?
JM: I first heard about the “Rites of Passage” juried exhibition show from Constance McClure. She’s a materials and techniques professor at the art academy, but she is also very close to the Manifest crowd. She told me that I should submit some work to the show, because she thought I had pretty good chances of getting in, but at the time I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough time. Well, I decided to do it, and I got a great response from Jason Franz who is the director of the gallery. I feel that the work at the show is very strong and well balanced, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was very pleased with everything that was selected.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
JM: As I already mentioned, Constance McClure told me to submit something for the Manifest show, and that was about the fifth time she had told me to submit my work to a show. I had been postponing showing my work for a while; I believe that one of the reasons contemporary realism isn’t as appreciated as it should be is because of all the poor art that is being done today as a consequence of photography. I made a decision early on that I wouldn’t show my work until I felt that my work was good enough to be shown. So to answer your question, I have only shown in the Art Academy about three times, in Manifest gallery once and I currently have a drawing at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles Missouri.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
JM: I recently submitted work to the artist’s magazine and will be submitting work to the Art Renewal Center at the end of the summer. But as of now, I would prefer to focus on continuing my training instead of focusing on showing work.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
JM: I’ve always enjoyed being able to do whatever I want. I believe that if you do something you enjoy working on, you’ll achieve great results, but if you do something you have to do, your results might not necessarily be the best due to lack of inspiration.
SG: What is your favorite color?
JM: Ha ha, I’ve always said that my favorite color is blue, but I really like different variations of all colors.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
JM: I don’t think I can just name one artist, but I can name a group of artists. I would have to say the Boston Painters are definitely on the top of my list. Jean-Leon Gerome is probably my favorite at the moment.
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
JM: I’m currently reading Ives Gammell The Boston Painters. It’s a great book; I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in oil painting.
SG: Ever do a self-portrait? Where is it now?
JM: I’ve done a few self- portraits. One of my first decent paintings was a self-portrait, another one belongs to the Art Academy of Cincinnati but is currently hanging at the Manifest Gallery, and my most recent one is currently hanging at the Art Academy.
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
JM: I’m not sure if I have a favorite place to hang out. I spend most of my time at home with my wife. I try to do most of my set-ups at home, unless the painting requires a different setting.
SG: Any final words of advice?
JM: I don’t feel that I’m experienced enough to give out much advice. The only thing I can suggest is to do whatever you enjoy doing the most, that way you can always stay motivated.
ART: 1.Deb, 2. Not All Play, 3. Nude, 4. Wyn, 5, Expectations, 6. Reading, 7. Self-Portrait, 8. Kriss, 9. Jenna, 10. David
Additional Links:
Links:
http://www.carlsamson.com/
http://www.richardluschek.com/
http://www.millergallery.com/searchresults.php?artistId=10001732
Topics: Artist Interviews, International-Art, Paintings |
One Response to “Spraygraphic Interview with Artist Jahaziel Minor”
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July 4th, 2008 at 3:05 am
YOU ARE INCREDIBLE