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Spraygraphic Interview with Fernanda Cohen
By Spraygraphic | July 9, 2008
Spraygraphic Interview with Fernanda Cohen
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
FC: I’m very bubbly, or so they tell me. I grew up in Buenos Aires, with what I now see as no limits, and moved to New York in 2000 to study illustration at SVA .
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
FC: I live and work between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
FC: Pencil, gouache and ink.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
FC: I think about the concept A LOT. In the shower, while I walk alone, on the train, and before I fall asleep. Then I sketch the idea, ink up the outline, and fill it in with color.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
FC: I go for a walk, or try to fall asleep. I also look at pieces I’ve done in the past that I really like and try to figure out why they’re successful.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
FC: Social behavior, subway rides and people like Saul Steinberg and Steve Heller.
SG: Can you please tell us a little about your War of the Words series?
FC: War of Words focuses on the dynamic behind ten different universal arguments: politics, love, childhood, sports, customer service, religion, parenthood, protests, friendship and self. In the history of modern human communication we’ve always argued about the same issues in all kinds of different cultures and languages.
SG: Can you please tell us a little about how you got into illustrating China?
FC: If I could, I’d brand just about anything with my work. I landed my own collection of porcelain china thanks to a friend of my brother’s, who owns a reputable kitchenware store in Buenos Aires, Reina Batata , and loves my work.
SG: And Windows?
FC: When I was in college in NY, a shoe-designer friend of mine in Argentina, Marcelo Rios, asked me if I would rep fashion designers from there in NY. I said sure, and started going into stores to sell the merchandise. I became friendly with the owner of the chain of stores The New York Look, and when I told him I was not doing clothes anymore, he asked me what I did. I said I was studying illustration, and he asked me if I would illustrate his stores’ windows. I said sure, again. The first store he gave me was on Fifth Avenue and 45th Street, which has 8 huge windows. It was a great challenge for me, but I did it and he loved it. He gave all the stores after that, including SoHo, Lincoln Center, and Broadway.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
FC: The New Yorker, MTV, Sony, Continental Airlines, Target, Time, The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Scholastic, Doubleday, Harvard Business Review, Money, Fast Company, W Hotels, Soho House Hotels, Creative Time, Paper, Flaunt, Nylon, New York Magazine, Herman Miller, The Oprah Magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Independent, Gardasil, and Sex and the City among others.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
FC: I recently drew shoes at the Sex in the City premiere in Manhattan (5/28/08), as part of the movie’s advertising campaign. I’ll be illustrating a line of wallpapers for Pop Cling , and they will also be producing my line of kitchenware here in the States. I just finished illustrating a poster campaign for Gardasil , the vaccine against cervical cancer, which should be coming out soon. I recently finished three pieces for a show with dublab, a radio station based in LA. I’m painting a skateboard for a group show at Third Ward, in Brooklyn, where I also teach an illustration course. I illustrate a monthly column for 7 x 7 magazine. I’ll be illustrating my second campaign for the England-based brand Mama Mio , which makes beauty products for pregnant women. I was interviewed by my friend and fellow illustrator James Jean for 3×3 magazine , which did a 16-page feature on my work that should be coming out this summer. The NY-gallerist Jen Bekman will be selling more of my prints. I just launched my line of handbags Lilah Bags™, which are sold on my Web site. I recently illustrated a line post-it notes called "Les Filles" for La Plume de Louise, which are sold in France and Japan. I expect to continue to work for The New Yorker and The New York Times.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
FC: Tough question, there is so much I want to do….I’d like to do designs for Louis Vuitton , and illustrate a line of my own for Marimekko .
SG: What is your favorite color?
FC: I’m so used to saying green that I don’t know anymore. It was my brother Seb’s when we were kids, and I just stole it from him. I think it’s cadmium red now.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
FC: Saul Steinberg , because of his brilliant ideas.
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
FC: The New York Times Magazine.
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
FC: Yes, it’s for sale at Almacén de Belleza in Buenos Aires. It’s also on my Web site, it’s called "Coming Soon…"
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
FC: My studio.
SG: Any final words of advice?
FC: If you’re going to do it, do it well.
Images: 1. CoChin 1: "Having a Ball" - Self-Promotional piece, 2008, 2. Hot Dog and I: Hot Dog and I" - Personal Series, 2004, 3. Mama Mio: Ad campaign for Mama Mio, UK, 2007. 4. MTV: for mtv.com, 2007, 5. War of Words: "War of Words on Love" - Personal Series, 2007, 6. CoChin 2: "Rolling High" - Self-Promotional piece, 2008, 7. Fernanda’s Art Supplies, 8. Fernanda at work
Topics: Artist Interviews, Independent Films, Women Art |
2 Responses to “Spraygraphic Interview with Fernanda Cohen”
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August 1st, 2008 at 9:31 am
Hola Fernanda tantos años dibujaste conmigo en Bs.As.antes de irte a estudiar a n york me recordas? me hace feliz ver tus trabajos progreso y trayectoria y la calidad de artista que sos FELICIDADES.Te recuerdo con todo cariño
August 1st, 2008 at 9:36 am
me gustaria me escribieras cariños