Dan Murphy - Illustrator - Painter

Lovecraft

Dan Murphy

Name: Dan Murphy
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email:artisaweapon@gmail.com
Website: http://murphycommadan.com
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dan.murphy.39566905
Twitter: @ellecirka

Bio~ Dan Murphy grew up in the Twin Cities and recieved a BFA in Illustration from the College of Visual Arts in 2000. He has done freelance work for Milkweed Editions and The Rake Magazine, and is a contributing artist to CrowdedComics http://crowdedcomics.com.  He has exhibitied at Altered Esthetics, Soap Factory Gallery, FoxTax Gallery, and the Minneapolis Indie Xpo. He also plays guitar in the Irish/folk/bluegrass group The Double Dollars.

Elle Cirka

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
I primarily enjoy working with the figure and portraiture, whether it's within painting, illustration or cartooning. I'm currently working on a series of mini-comics titled "Elle Cirka", a semi-autobiographical story about running away to join a bizarre circus. I'll compile them into a larger graphic novel at some point. It's different from past projects in that it's the largest sustained narrative I've ever worked on, but it's fun to explore that world as I create it.

How did you decide to become an artist?
At age 10 or 11 I started really enjoying art classes in school and would draw all the time. Through middle and high school, there wasn't anything else that made me as happy as making art, which led me to attending to the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. where I found being around other artists incredibly inspiring, which continues after art school with so many artists around the cities it really drives you to keep making art. It's a supportive community but it keeps you on your toes to keep improving. At this point in my life, I can't imagine not doing art, and wonder what "regular" folks do with themselves.

Mugshot

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?To keep moving forward, to understand your mistakes and keep going, and not be afraid to scrap it and start over. And also knowing when to walk away from a piece, accept that it's finished and you'll only ruin what you were going for if you keep messing with it.

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?I've mostly been selling my work at places like the Minneapolis Indie Xpo and SpringCon & FallCon, and the occasional commission, but plan to market myself more online as well as at my websitehttp://murphycommadan.com .

Sketchbook

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
Alex Kuno http://www.alexkuno.blogspot.com/

Danno Klonowski http://staplegenius.wordpress.com/
Kevin Cannon http://kevincannon.org/
Britt Hammerberg http://brittch.com/
Lance Ward http://tatertotdiaperman.wordpress.com/
Matt Kriske http://www.matthewkriske.blogspot.com/
Athena Currier http://actionathena.com/
Lupi McGinty http://lupiloops.wordpress.com/
Chris Mars http://www.chrismarspublishing.com/
Sarah Morean http://smorean.com/
Steve Stwalley http://www.stwallskull.com/
Dan Olson http://bewilderedkid.com/
Ryan Dow http://ryandow.com/ic/

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?The Walker and The Minneapolis Institute of Arts of course, but also galleries like Altered Esthetics. But I tend to remember the artists I see more than the venues I see them. Occasionally seeing some small indie films/docs at the Lagoon/Uptown or the Trylon Microcinema.

Paige

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

These days I tend to find out about new artists via other artists I follow on Twitter/Facebook and podcasts, not really any centralized source any more. But for mostly indie comics stuff I go here:

The Comics Journal http://www.tcj.com
Drawn & Quarterly http://drawnandquarterly.blogspot.com/

The Comics Reporter http://www.comicsreporter.com/
Inkstuds Podcast http://www.inkstuds.org/
Lutefisk Sushi Podcast http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/sushipodcast/

Paige / Blue

What can we expect to see from you in the future?
I'm participating in Creative Property at Altered Esthetics In September 2012.The show opens Friday September 7, 2012 from 7-10PM, and there is an artists' discussion on Saturday September 22 from 1-3PM.

Other than that, I'm not sure what one should expect from me, I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life like Lucian Freud or Egon Schiele, in a paint spattered studio with good light, painting portraits of people I find interesting. In any case I'll be out there creating stuff that at least interests me, and if others like it, I'm ok with that.

Dan Murphy

Altered Esthetics

Website

LAI Gallery Profile

Athena Currier - Cartoonist

Athena Currier

Name: Athena Currier
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Website: http://actionathena.com/
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/
Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/ actionathena
Twitter: @actionathena
Tumblr: actionathena.tumblr.com

Bio:
Athena Currier grew up in Northfield, MN and is a graduate of Hampshire College.  Her senior thesis project at Hampshire was a comics magazine called Burn Book  , each issue of which was devoted to analyzing a different stereotype or label (Slut, Hick, Hipster, and Geek).  Athena received a DART (Design, Art, and Technology) grant to help fund the first print run of Burn Book.

After graduating from Hampshire, Athena returned to Minnesota, where she has continued to work on comics.  She has exhibited at the Twin Cities Zinefest  and the Minneapolis Indie Expo, and her art has been featured in many places, including Altered Esthetics Gallery,  City Pages’ Annual Comix Issues,  MPLS.TV,  Broken Pencil Magazine, Sunoikisis.org,  and the Sketchbook Project.  

In 2010, Athena was nominated for a Lulu Award (presented annually to honor women in comics) in the category of “Best New Talent.”  Athena has been posting new autobiographical comics to Action Athena every Mon/Wed/Fri for over four years.

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I am working on a few different things; I seem to work better when I’ve got a bunch of balls in the air.  I’m making a minicomic for Lutefisk Sushi (I love this project, and have contributed to past editions).  I’m making a short comic to submit to an anthology.  And, as always, I’m making three comics a week for my website, Action Athena.

One thing that’s changing about my work is that I’ve begun to use a font that I made of my own handwriting.  It’s not perfect (it still looks a bit “computer-y”), but it’s okay, and it saves a lot of time, and allows me to focus more on the drawings.  Another change is that I am trying to make myself work larger--on bigger pieces of paper.  This generally makes the art look better, but I am often too lazy (or too stuck in bad habits) to bother with it!  I need to fix that.

How did you decide to become an artist?

I have always liked drawing and writing.  I used to think of myself as more of a writer, but I’ve always liked comics.  I started to really fall in love with comics in high school, and then fell more intensely in college.  In the early days of my webcomic, I didn’t think my drawing skills were very good, but it was still so much fun to draw.  That energy is still there today.  The idea of just writing something often seems too serious and overwhelming.  But drawing a little comic always feels approachable and fun.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 

You don’t have to listen to everyone.  Every person is going to have different things they like and dislike about your work.  Stop worrying about whether someone’s critique is right or wrong, and just listen to the parts that feel right to you.  It’s your art.  Not everybody is going to like it, and that’s fine.

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?

I make very little money as an artist.  I am paid for my Broken Pencil comics, and the comics I’ve done for City Pages.  I have a store section on my website.  I sell Burn Book through Indy Planet, and my big 340-page Action Athena collection through Lulu.com.  The minicomics I just ship out myself, with personal letters!  I also sell all of my comics at the conventions I go to, and have sold some at local bookstores (Boneshaker Books and Yeti Records).  I mostly market myself through my website (Store Link), and other social media sites.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

There are about a million cartoonists in the Twin Cities, and I feel incredibly lucky for that.  Nordeast in particular is full of them.  It would be an impossible task to name them all, but I will list off a few: 

Zander Cannon http://www.bigtimeattic.com/ 

Kevin Cannon, http://kevincannon.org/ 

Steve Stwalley, http://www.stwallskull.com/

Danno Klonowski,http://staplegenius.wordpress.

com/ Dan Murphy, http://murphycommadan.com/ 

Dan Olson, http://bewilderedkid.com/ 

Ryan Dow, http://ryandow.com/ic/ 

Britt Hammerberg,http://brittch.com/ 

Britt Sabo, http://www.bsabo.com/ 

Lupi McGinty, http://lupiloops.wordpress.

com/
Ken Avidor.  http://www.roadkillbill.com/


Ken.html  

There are also some other important supporters of comics, chief among them Jamie Schumacher http://www.purenoumena.org/ and Sarah Morean. http://smorean.com/ 

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

We would definitely stop at Altered Esthetics Gallery because that place (and the Q.arma Building as a whole) is always full of wonderful stuff.  All of the buildings in Nordeast that get featured during Art-A-Whirl are great.  I also love the MIA and the Walker.  But since I’m a cartoonist, I have to admit that my biggest art inspirations come from the library--the new Northeast Library, which opened in spring of 2011, is fantastic.  The Minneapolis Public Libraries have a great comic collection.

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.

com , where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I read a lot of webcomics.  Some of my current favorites are Sauceome, http://www.sauceome.com/  Octopus Pie, http://www.octopuspie.com/ and Stop Paying Attention.http://comics.lucyknisley.com/

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I have received the Dean’s Fellowship to the Sequential Art MFA program at the Savannah College of Art and Design.  So I will be living in Georgia for the next two years!  I can’t wait to see what changes the program will bring about for me and my art.  But I know I will be back in Minnesota eventually.  I love it here, and the community and support among artists in the Twin Cities cannot be beat.

Lance Ward - Painter/Cartoonist

Lance Ward

Altered Esthetics Featured Interview for

Comic Cookbook

Opening Reception
Friday, August 5, 2011 - 7pm-10pm
Artists' Discussion
Saturday, August 20, 2011 - 1pm-3pm

Lance Ward
St.Paul Park, MN
wardfamilyfun@msn.com
http://Tatertotdiaperman.wordpress.com

BIO: Lance Ward, age 43, father of three.
Lance Ward is a strange case. He never went to art school. He never went to college. He spent most of his twenties in and out of mental hospitals and group homes, giving tattoo's to his friends for cigarette money. It was only after a heart attack and subsequent near-death experience that he was motivated to use his talent to leave a legacy for his children. He has since become a locally syndicated editorial cartoonist appearing in the South Washington County Bulletin, the Woodbury Bulletin, and on occasion the Hastings Star-Gazette. His graphic novel "Stovetop" is being published by Creator's Edge Press and will see national release fall 2011. If that's not enough, he also hosts "The Geek Report", a podcast featuring local artists discussing popular geek culture.

Tell me about your work. What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
Before I can answer this question properly, you need a little back-story. You see, my parents never really encouraged me to focus on my artistic talent as a career. My mom wanted to get me a factory job when I turned eighteen, work my whole life and retire at 65. My Dad really care what I did for my life, as long as I was out of his house after I graduated. So I had to work, I had to move out after high school. So I cooked. And did construction. And a bunch of other empty jobs just so I could afford to maintain my unhappy life. This was made even worse by the fact that I suffered from depression and horrible anxiety. I spent my nineteenth birthday in the locked unit at Abbot-Northwestern hospital. Committed by my own mother. I tried to overcome my depression by trying to work a little bit, but I kept ending up back in the psyche unit. My drawing was the only thing that remained a constant. I drew every day. Meaningless drawings with no rhyme or reason. A friend of mine bought some tattoo equipment and I would use it on my friends for extra money, mostly to buy cigarettes or the occasional bag of weed. In 1995-97, I did a series of comic strip ads for The Root Cellar record store, which ran in the City Pages and other local papers. That was it until after my heart attack. My heart stopped in the hospital and I saw the portal to the other side.

The nurses and doctors revived me, but I was forever changed. The doctors gave me five years to live. I decided to give cartooning a try, so I came up with a daily newspaper strip called "Starship Down". I sent it out to two places, and was rejected both times. This sent me into a depression for two years. I just lay in bed and waited for the five years to be up. I didn't even pick up a pencil. It was only after my wife gave me sketchbook did I begin to crawl out of that hole. I wrote and drew in that sketch book the whole summer of 2009, until it was out of paper. The five years was up and I was still alive. I figured that I was still alive for a reason, to leave a legacy for my kids, so that they would know that there dad wasn't just some depressed loser. I had the confidence to give it a try again, and it worked. I stuck with it to great success so far. So, what am I working on? Everything. Everything that I can think of. I have to make up for a life of wasting time.

I have completed six graphic novels. I have completed a huge autobiography of my life (which has been quite interesting). I am 124 page into an epic sci-fi story. I am working on a sequel to my graphic novel "Stovetop", which is being published by Creator's Edge Press out of auburn Washington, in addition to my weekly duties as editorial cartoonist for a few of my local newspapers. And I paint. Sporadically, but I love it.

"What is art" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?
As far as my cartoons are concerned, I just try to entertain. But I want to do it through the use of emotion, as opposed to big flashy action panels or people standing around trying to look good. I like to tell the story on the faces of my characters instead of trying to draw every bit of the action or hammering you over the head. My paintings are the same essentially, except a get one chance, one piece of art to get the entire story across. How quickly we can see what is going on by the reaction of fear, or joy!

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
In 1985, I was given the opportunity to show some of my cartoons to Greg Howard, who drew a daily newspaper comic called "Sally Forth". He was very impressed at my talent at a young age, and he gave me the the single most important piece of advice I had had up until that point. He said "Go out and experience life. Take every opportunity to do new and interesting things. Even if you don't ever go to college, the experiences you have and the relationships you make with other people are the most important thing to making you a great writer, as well as a great artist." It was profound. Here was a man I respected and the first cartoonist I'd ever met, telling me that it would be okay to not go to college. that I could be great without it.

Tell me about your workspace and your creative process.
I felt that I needed a private place to work, so I took some of the scrap wood in our garage and a bunch of old shelves, and I built a private little studio in my basement. It has become my bedroom as well. It is my hole. I stay in it a lot. As far as my process goes, I force myself to sit at the table and start to draw. I have to make myself draw everyday or the depression will surely take hold of me.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
I love Alex Kuno's weird little kid paintings http://alexkuno.blogspot.com and I love Lupi Mcginty's illustrations! So good! http://lupiloops.com and I also have been loving Nick Straight's absurd comic "Infinity Wall" http://infinitywallcomix.com.

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
I am kind of a recluse, and I don't really go out to see art very much. But I will mention some large Minneapolis art project that you have probably never heard of. If you go to Bloomington Avenue right off of Lake Street in Minneapolis, and travel north two blocks, you can see a little dirt path leading from the bridge down to the railroad tracks below. Don't go alone. If you take the tracks West, towards Hennepin Ave., along the way you will see the most fantastic graffiti paintings in the city. Under every bridge and all along the concrete embankments are paintings and tags. It is truly amazing! It's dangerous, though.

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally or otherwise?
Well, I use facebook as a great networking resource, and the International Cartoonist Conspiracy has a great sight with upcoming events http://cartoonistconspiracy.com and you can always check out my podcast website for the latest goings on. http://theblatshow.wordpress.com

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I am in Comic Cookbook at Altered Esthetics which runs from 8/4/11-8/25/11. Opening reception is Friday 8/5/11.

You can check out what I've been working on at http://Tatertotdiaperman.wordpress.com