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Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

Here are some of our favorite pieces for this edition of “Curator’s Picks”. All three of these images are gorgeously done with a floral theme just in time for spring. They are definitely worth a second look! First up, is “The Empress” by Kevin Jay Stanton. It’s a beautiful ink and acrylic piece that part of the artist’ Botanica series (which reimagines The Tarot as plants and herbs). Then be sure to check out “Study 37” by Tran Nguyen. Tran paints with a delicate touch to create emotive and textured experimental portraits. And our third Curator’s Pick is by Ashly Lovett. Her recent drawing “Peony” is a spectacular use of chalk pastel that is developing a spectacular color palette and style that is all her own.
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The Empress

by Kevin Jay Stanton

An Ancient Flower

The Empress embodies Mother Nature. It is a card of powerful creativity and fertility, and of the magic in the world we live in. The Magnolia is one of the Earth’s oldest flowers and as a result of continental drift it is spread across almost every corner of the world. Its glamorous blooms and sweet fragrance have inspired many cultures for centuries.

(From Botanica, my series of paintings for an upcoming tarot deck featuring magical herbs and plants)

6x8x.5″ on wood

ink, acrylic

$200 $200

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Out of stock

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Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.








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Peony

by Ashly Lovett

Chapter 2: The Garden of Live Flowers – Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

“Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite seemed to take her breath away. ”

Read more

$350 $350

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No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.






Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

We have had another exceptional month at EDO with lots of new members on our mailing list and lots of new collectors picking up great pieces. Here are some more of our favorite pieces from the past few weeks, three pieces that are definitely worth a second look! First, be sure to check out a fiery new oil painting from David Palumbo. Next up we have a mixed media drawing by Randy Gallegos, along with process footage below. And last but not least, we have a magical painting from Elliot Lang featuring wizardry and travel.

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Phoenix

by David Palumbo

6×8 inches
Oil on Panel

$500 $500

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







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Glossai Pyros

by Randy Gallegos

A study in my Glossai Pyros series of paintings.

See a time-lapse of the creation of this piece here

$175 $175

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







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Entrance

by Elliot Lang

Entrance is an original 8×10″ oil painting on illustration board, framed.

$425 $425

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No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.






Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

We have had another exceptional month at EDO with lots of new members on our mailing list and lots of new collectors picking up great pieces. Here are some more of our favorite pieces from the past few weeks, three pieces that are definitely worth a second look! First, be sure to check out a new oil painting from Ryan Pancoast, which is a portrait study with video and process footage as well. Next up is a beautiful mixed media painting, by the ever experimental Scott Fischer. And last but not least, we have a mixed media drawing by Daria Theodora entitled “Magnolia”.

And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, sign up for our mailing list!

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Summer Meadow

by Ryan Pancoast

A small oil study for a future book project. Watch Summer Meadow being painted here.

$150 $150

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







Artist Interview: Bud Cook

Bud Cook creates stunning acrylic paintings, and makes portraits that almost come alive. You can spot a Bud Cook painting miles away because of the luminous color palettes and bold and sculptural brush strokes. Read our interview with Bud, as he talks to us about his works on Every Day Original, process, and his personal creative journey. You can view his entire body of work on his website or follow him on instagram.

 

artistinterview Bud Cook

1. You can always spot a Bud Cook on social media, no matter the media. Pen, pencil, coffee stains, paint, one look and “Yep, that’s Bud.” You have such a unique voice. How did you find this voice? How would you describe it to others?

 

Let me start by saying thank you for the opportunity to answer these questions – I’m honored to be asked.

I’ve struggled with this idea for a long time; arriving at a personal visual voice. I love mark making, no matter the medium – so I make and show work with a great variety of styles/approaches, and this can dilute one’s voice, at least in the eyes of the audience.  I believe our visual voice is inside of us, waiting to get out.  The more art you make, the more defined and unique your voice becomes.  Additionally, our visual voice is not concrete, for me it is an ever evolving part of my visual identity. As far as describing it, my friend Tommy Arnold described my figure paintings as a “cleverly abstracted and stylized realism”.  Simple and straight to the point, I’ll take it. 🙂

 
 

2. You have such a specific undeniable Bud Cook color palette too, but rarely the same. How do you determine what kind of colors you will use for a piece?

 

I like to work with a fairly limited palette. In college, I learned to paint with oils and had a very traditional, earthy palette – today I enjoy buying new colors that I’ve never had before, so I have a wide variety of choices to start with. I’m always working from some form of photo reference, so I let that speak to me a bit regarding how I choose my colors.  But I also like to deviate from the reference in that I tend to see colors comparatively – so while the local color in my piece may differ some from the reference, I’m comparing new colors I mix to their difference from the original color (warmer, redder, bluer, etc).  I hope that makes sense.  For example, if a shadow color looks particularly purple then I will mix a straight-up purple to start with as a base color, and then go from there as the painting progresses.  Sometimes these early colors survive through to the end because they work value-wise, if the value relationships are working throughout, then I love to leave these patches of saturated color when I can.

3. You seem to be comfortable with many different media. When starting a budcook_tereseportrait, how do you select the right media for the job?

 

With commissions, the media is largely set by the customer – and because most of the portrait work I show is acrylics – that’s what I end up using most often.  For personal work and experimental fun stuff, deciding on a medium can be based on my mood, how crazy experimental I’m feeling, whose work I have looked at recently that has blown my mind, stuff like that.  I love to play, so sometimes it’s a simple as “what do I have right here that I can paint with now”.  My studio is a mess, every new project means clean up and reorganization – not necessarily the way I’d like it to be but it’s a practical constraint.  So I may have a bunch of materials out and just decide one night to see what happens when I combine charcoal, gesso and yellow ochre with a brush and a roller.  Fun discoveries sometimes, crash and burn sometimes as well.

 
 

4. You consistently use acrylics for your paintings. What is it about the medium that resonates with you? Why not oil?

 

I learned how to paint in college using oils exclusively.  My migration to acrylics was another practical decision.  My studio is in my basement and I paint standing next to my furnace which has an open flame.  I therefore stay away from any flammable materials or anything with dangerous fumes.  Having said that, the fact is that the two mediums are just worlds apart, considering dry times, cleanup, blendability – and with the constraints of acrylics I have learned and developed new tricks over the years with the medium to achieve the look I am going for.  I would LOVE to get back to oils at some point in the future.

5. You use lots of different surfaces. Why? Do you have a favorite? When you’re going from one surface to the other, how do you think about the shift, are there rules to how you use each?

 

I mentioned earlier, I love mark-making, and different surface textures can mix with the chosen medium to produce exciting and sometimes unplanned results.  For example, when I work with canvas, the texture of that surface will play a much larger role in concert with the paint than a Masonite panel necessarily would.  I am very deliberate with what surface I choose when it comes to commissioned work, but love to experiment when making personal work or just playing.

 
 

6. What do you mutter to yourself while you paint?

 

This can get seriously weird, fast.  When things are going well, the mutterings are usually positive, but when the work goes awry, or when it is in the ugly mid-stage, that’s when the mutterings can be bad.  I try to avoid negativity as much as possible when I’m working, but when it’s all going wrong the pressure builds and I will sometimes let out a single, loud “FUCK”.  Then a concerned voice will call down to me “you okay?”, which is returned with a terse “fine”, then the pressure is gone and the corner turned.  Most often I will mutter “just keep painting, just keep painting” in the vein of Dory’s “just keep swimming”.  That keeps me on course and helps to get me through the tougher stages of a piece.

 
 

7. How do you determine what you plan to paint each month for Every Day Original?

 

So many factors weigh into that decision.  What did I sell recently on EDO, that’s a big one – or even what type of work other EDO artists are selling?  Not necessarily the subject matter, more like what size piece combined with what material, plus price.  Every time I think I’ve got the audience figured out, I’m wrong and the new piece doesn’t sell, back to the drawing board.  The object obviously is to sell, and it’s really a bit of alchemy to figure out the perfect formula of subject + medium + size + price, in order to make the sale.  Music really motivates me while I work, so I love to paint some of my favorite musicians as subjects.  And to appeal to a large audience sometimes I will pick a favorite character of mine from movies as a subject – keeps the work fun, and people can connect in personal ways to the chosen subject and the finished piece.

 
 

budcook_jp8. Does that experience bring anything to your creative voice?

 

For sure, just that fact that I have to create a new piece each month – it sounds silly but that’s a good bit of pressure right there to keep me working on new, personal stuff.  Every EDO piece is really just another personal piece, not like commissions – really just up to me what I want to paint, so it’s a great incentive to make more work, and like I mentioned previously, this helps to define that personal visual voice.

I’m assuming you use photos as reference for your work, if not then we’re ending this interview and I’m going back to evil-genius school so I can invent a brain swapper.

 
 

9. What makes you say “This one, this photo has what it takes to be a Bud Cook?”

 

Great question, important to me for sure.  Sometimes I’ll paint characters from films, a scene that was particularly poignant or that has personally affected me.  In this case I generally pick my reference carefully by making just the right screenshot from a film.  I almost never find stills directly from a Google search for this type of work, the reference has to capture the exact moment when the emotional impact is there, or when the subject is truly revealed.

When I shoot my own reference for a portrait, I’ll sometime take dozens of photos.  The selection process at that point for me quite simply is to find the shot that “is” the person, to me.  If I am doing a portrait of someone I don’t know, I will review the reference that has been sent to me and try to identify the one that I feel visually has the most personality.

I feel like the reference has to speak to me in some way in order for me to be truly engaged with the painting.  When there is a strong, personal impact from a reference photo then not only do I enjoy painting it more, but also can create a better piece in the end.

 
 

10. Why portraiture? Why not dogs or farmhouses? Did any of your past teachers/mentors help you find this focus?

 

I’ve really only been into painting portraits as personal work in the last few years.  There’s a very specific problem to solve with portraiture; get the likeness correct.  All the rest can be very personal, but first you’ve got to nail the likeness – I really enjoy that challenge.  This focus came with my first solo show in 2014, the show was titled “TRIBE – Portraits of a Community”.  I painted portraits of people in my creative tribe; peers, professors from college, mentors and a couple of my role models.  It was a good deal of pressure I put on myself, because I was painting about a dozen portraits of my painter friends.  It took a little less than a year to create the work for this show, there were about 25 pieces in the show total, but 12 of the pieces were showcased together and were all the same size. It was during this time that my style shifted to a slightly more abstracted approach with the paint and I feel like I turned a corner creatively.


 
 

11. You do killer portraits, almost sculptural in quality. The logical question here is “have you ever sculpted,” but I wonder, do you have another job other than art? Have you always?

 

I have sculpted, but just a handful of times and really just for fun.  I met a local sculptor who casts his own bronze pieces right at home and last year I started a project with his assistance, and it has been cast in bronze but has yet to be finished (never enough time for fun side-projects).  I really enjoy sculpting, but don’t have as much time to play around with this art form as much as I’d like to.

To answer the last part of that question; up until November of 2013 I worked in the corporate world as a webmaster, graphic artist and multimedia designer/developer.  I did that work for a little over 20 years and was largely creatively dormant during that time (paint-wise) – long time in the cocoon, I have wings now.

 
 

Dylan_Tangled-Up12. Could you tell us more about you? What does a typical day look like for Bud Cook? Do you just do art, or is art just part of the picture?

 

Coffee, coffee, coffee.  I teach during the school year, just one class each semester at Quinebaug Valley Community College, but it takes up a surprising amount of time.  I don’t have an organized daily schedule, though I do like to do my communications in the morning with my coffee – and a coffee sketch if I can as well!  I am a father, husband, homeowner, pet-owner, etc. – these parts of my life are integral with being an artist now that I am a self-employed freelance artist – so the key to keeping it all together is BALANCE, and that’s a constant challenge.  When I have a gallery show on the horizon, then there is a good deal of studio time in my work week.  The words “weekend” and “vacation” are not a real thing anymore, not that I’m complaining – integrating work with life is still new to me, but something that I think has way more potential for everyday happiness.  And illustration work is in there too, though I am still trying to grow my clients in that area so it’s only a small portion of my work week.

 
 

13. You paint and draw quite a few musicians. Does music play a big part in your illustration process? If you can could you describe what the soundtrack of your paintings would be?

 

I love this question, I can talk about this one all day.  Music all by itself moves me deeply – but the combination of music and paint can transport me to another state of mind.  There’s no way I could describe a soundtrack of what I listen to, it’s so all over the place.  Music is a vehicle for me, it takes anxiety away and can turn a sour mood around 180 degrees.  When a specific musician’s work affects me, I feel a strange connection to that person – like they know something about me, or that we have similar life experiences that make their work so relatable for me.
Lyrics especially move me, so I am a fan of the “singer-songwriter: Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Jackson Browne, Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, Colin Hay, I can’t possibly name enough artists here.  Music as mood is important too, so am I looking to be uplifted while I paint, or do I need a darker louder vibe, or do I need someone to really burn me down?  The voice, oh man, this is the one that can really send me; Eddie Vedder, Sinéad O’Connor, Chris Cornell, Dolores O’Riordan, Greta Svabo Bech, I seriously can’t begin to mention enough names.  I can go on and on – let it suffice that music is transcendent for me.

 
 

14. Favorite Album and why.

 

Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” got me through the high school years; still love that album to this day. Pearl Jam has been my groove since their arrival on the music scene, so final answer; probably Pearl Jam’s “Ten”.

 
 

15. Here’s a broad question, where are you taking your work? Where is it going next year, five years, ten?

 

I’m excited to announce that I just recently signed a contract with an Illustration Agency; Sullivan Moore – and I am looking forward to growing my illustration client list with their help.

I’d like to move toward doing more gallery work.  I’m in a 3-man show in September at Krab Jab Studio in Seattle, and another 2-man show next spring in Massachusetts.  Alas, the gallery work is wonderful to have, but doesn’t necessarily represent any income – and can even at times mean a loss – but it’s the work that is most my own, so most enjoyable to create.

Paint-wise, I have grandiose ideas about where I’d like to take my work, but it’s never real until I put the brush to the surface.  My latest work for the upcoming Krab Jab show is a bit of a departure from my work to date – I’m intrigued with where the work is taking me.

budcook_geisha-5

 
 

16. Where else other than EDO can people find your work? And buy it?

 

As I mentioned in the previous answer, I will be in a 3-man show at Krab Jab Studio in Seattle this September, with new paintings that I am currently working on.  I also show my work in a local gallery near my home in Northeast Connecticut; the Silver Circle Gallery (http://www.silvercirclegallery.com/).  I don’t have a store on my website (http://www.budcookstudio.com/), but always welcome inquiries about purchasing work that appears on the site. My basement is FULL of unsold work, so really any work that I’ve posted on social media or my website may be available.


 
 

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Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

We have had another exceptional month at EDO with lots of new members on our mailing list and lots of new collectors picking up great pieces. Here are some more of our favorite pieces from the past few weeks, three pieces that are definitely worth a second look! First, be sure to check out Jeremy Wilson’s oil painting, Queen of Bialya, with its gorgeous orange color palette and interplay of painterly and graphic brush strokes. Next up we a compelling and haunting graphite drawing from Travis Lewis, entitled “Put Your Demons Behind You”. And last but not least, we have the continuation of David Palumbo’s “Monochrome Woman on Red” series.

And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, sign up for our mailing list!

 



Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

We have had another exceptional month at EDO with lots of new members on our mailing list and lots of new collectors picking up great pieces. Here are some more of our favorite pieces from the past few weeks, three pieces that are definitely worth a second look! First, be sure to check out Kristina Carroll’s blue and golden goddess, Nyx. Next up we a compelling and romantic piece from Jennifer Hrabota-Lesser, entitled “Kiss”. And last but not least, an Elven color pastel portrait, “Evangeline” from the one and only Ashly Lovett.

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Nyx

by Kristina Carroll

5 x 7

Oil and Gold Leaf on illustration board

$375

View more process videos and tutorials on my Youtube channel.

$375 $375

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www.odera.net
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Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







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Kiss

by Jennifer Hrabota-Lesser

$250 $250

EDO now offers installment plans.
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www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







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Evangeline

by Ashly Lovett

“This is the forest primeval.”

 

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.






Artist Interview : Stephanie Inagaki

Stephanie Inagaki creates hauntingly beautiful black and white drawings collaged with Washi Paper. Join us, as we delve into her world, offering insight into her fascination with Ravens and Crows, and how she alchemizes her multidisciplinary art into her own distinct vision.

You can view her entire body of work on her website or follow her on instagram.
Stephanie Inagaki interview
1. You describe yourself as a multidisciplinary artist, could you tell us about each of those disciplines and the type of work you do?
I have two full time careers being a fine artist and metalsmith which is under the company name, Miyu Decay. I have both my BFA and MFA in Sculpture but my career path has led me to predominately create drawings. I would love to get back into large scale sculptures but it’s been difficult finding galleries for that. (I’m putting the word out there universe!) My sculptures and drawings have always been influenced by personal experiences. There has been quite a bit of trauma so making art is the best way to synthesize those moments from my life. I also make my own costuming as I have been a Middle Eastern dancer for almost half my life and performing necessitated costumes. I sell some of my costume headdresses and fascinators through my jewelry company.  My jewelry is a mixture of the macabre, Old World, and tribal. Most of my pieces are originally hand carved.
2. What does the typical work day look like for Stephanie Inagaki?
Coffee is the first thing that gets made every day! My mornings are spent answering emails, on my social media, and working out. Lunch generally happens next and then I get into the studio for the rest of the day. I usually only focus on one thing at a time so it’s split between spending the day working on jewelry orders or drawings for upcoming shows. I take breaks in the afternoon to tend to my garden and play with my zoo menagerie. My boyfriend already had an older white cat, Cotton. When we moved in together we rescued two kitten sisters (Cowboy and Bebop) and two puppy sisters (Klaus and Nomi.)
3. We hear, and even recommend, specialization. Focus your work, break through, then expand. Did you do this? Why or why not? If not, how did you make it work?
I certainly feel focused but I don’t necessarily think I’ve broken through yet, conceptually or careerwise. It has just felt like a constant uphill battle with slight plateaus of regularity. I’ll feel like I’ve broken through to some extent when I don’t have to worry about monthly bills. Then onto the next part of this massive mountain! Being a creative as a career is difficult but so rewarding in many different ways. It feeds the soul. I am humbled that I can do this full time and that there are people who appreciate my work. I can’t thank my friends and loved ones enough because this isn’t easy.
I do agree to some extent in specialization as some days I feel like I wish I could just make fine art. But then I end up missing metalsmithing. I’ve always had my hand in many pots! I do specialize within each discipline though.
Stephanie Inagaki 1
4. How do these disciplines influence the sort of art you do for EDO?
I love the Old World. I amalgamate vintage and antique fabrics, patterns, and jewelry pieces that come from around that world for my costuming that I sell an also incorporate those patterns into the jewelry I sculpt. Since I was buying vintage kimono fabrics, it was a natural transition to buy washi paper that has similar patterning.
5. You’re very active, and open on social media. How do you approach social media like instagram and facebook? Do they each serve a purpose?
I had initially kept my Miyu Decay jewelry, art, and personal life separate on social media but I am all those things so I find that it’s important that I integrate it, especially since I am my own brand. It all defines who I am and the kind of artwork that I create. By seeing who the creator is, it makes the work more accessible and personable. I’m naturally introverted so having social media has helped me connect with other artists that I admire and respect. I don’t think I would have had the guts to approach them in person. Because of this, I make effort in answering any comments on both social platforms.
6. Do you consciously balance the personal vs professional shares you make?Inagaki_Tempest
For the most part I do. The only completely private social media account I have is my personal Facebook profile. I’ll repost silly animal gifs or social and political posts on that one. My professional art page on Facebook mainly has posts about my art, jewelry, and exhibitions that I am in. Instagram encompasses my career and personal life. It’s been more streamlined in that sense.
7. Do you have a general strategy about what to post and when? How did you come to this?
I loosely follow the weekly hashtags like #tbt or #fbf to post older works or detailed crops since not everyone who follows my work has seen it. It’s good for the numbers to be consistently posting as well. I’ve done some research as to what time is best to post too but occasionally it will be sporadic. I tend to be working Friday nights and those posts get a lot of views surprisingly.
8. A lot of your work on EDO features ravens and crows, what draws you to them and their mythology?
They are brilliantly fantastic creatures. One of my past residences had a murder of crows that would always hang out in the parking lot by my house. I’d talk to them and they’d talk back. Sometimes they would sit on my chimney and I’d heard them cackling through the hole, leaving a warm fuzzy feeling inside my heart. I love that they mainly mate for life. If a human or another animal does something good or bad, they’re intelligent enough to tell their murder for subsequent generations about those deeds. They represent love and loyalty to me. Crows and ravens, being carrions by nature are directly associated to death. I’ve always seen life and death as cyclical so death isn’t necessarily a negative thing because it leads back to growth and renewal.
9. I’ve noticed some of your pieces focus on Japanese lore (Ningyo, Nami,) and then use materials like Washi paper. Could you tell us more about that context and relationship to Japan and how it affects your work?
Since I’ve been creating my own mythology with my self portraiture I was looking to find other influences in my life that I could draw from. Harkening back to my cultural roots seemed like the most natural step since my parents are from Japan. I grew up watching Miyazaki films and other Japanese TV programs that always involved myth and folklore. I watched a lot of horror and sci-fi because my parents never censored what my brother and I wanted to watch. It was great.
On a design standpoint, there is always something so graceful about washi paper design. I use a lot of negative space in my drawings and I find that washi paper can act the same way. I was taught by a traditional paper seller how to sculpt flowers when I told her that I meticulously cut out the patterns but I have yet to make the flowers myself. I love the subtly in the golds of the printed flowers and flatness in color that contrasts my stark black and white drawings.
Ver10. On your website you mention returning to your roots in LA, studying abroad in Italy, and living in various US cities. How has this travelling influenced your outlook creatively and personally?
I think everyone needs to travel and see the world. Studying abroad should be a requirement while in school. I was able to live in different parts of our vast country and experience the unique histories that comes along with each city. It was the same abroad. I learned foreign languages which allows a person to understand the world in another conceptual lens other than English. I was able to see incredible art pieces in person that has forever changed me.
11. Favorite restaurant in the world and why.
Union in Pasadena, CA. My boyfriend, David took us there last year for our anniversary. It’s now been our go to for special occasions. Everything is freshly made and delectable, the service is always fantastic, and the biggest plus side is that they’re extremely careful about his food allergies. He can even have their desserts! They have the best meatballs that are perfectly crisp but succulent on the inside.
12. LA is a hotbed of great artists, too many to list here, and you are friends with many of them. Do you ever work with, or even near them? Tell us more about that, and what it brings to you and your work.
I’m generally solitary when it comes to working but occasionally I will take my drawings with me to work at friends’ studios. It simultaneously works as a time to catch up but still be productive as everyone tends to be on deadlines. Mind you, I can only do this with a few friends! It’s a bit reminiscent of art school where I had to share studio spaces with friends and colleagues. I am fortunate enough to have a solid group of creative friends that I can still get similar feedback from.
Collaboratively I’ve worked with Allan Amato on his Temple of Art project and a few other subsequent drawings for myself that came out of that process. Integrating his photography into my work opened up a whole new creative language for me to not only collage with Japanese washi paper, but to add acrylic and watercolor into my predominantly black and white charcoal world.
13. What is your process like for creating your pieces for EDO? (How much is spontaneous vs planned? How do you choose a subject matter? How do you determine pricing? How and when do you share what you’re working on?)
I do a fair amount of driving since my parents live close by, but far enough that it warrants an hour drive one way. My framer and printer, Museum Quality Framing is also in my hometown where my parents live. I usually think of my EDO drawings on these drives. It’s really meditative for me and when I’m having a creative rut, these drives help me focus in. My drawings are planned. My sketches are extremely rough but I tend to have a solid idea of the composition. I think I’m more spontaneous with placing the washi paper.
Each of my EDO drawings are tiny visual phrases of my overall themes of life/death and living, which involves feeling love and pain. I feel like I still have a lot to explore with integrating color and washi paper so I tend to still focus on crows or folklore.
My pricing is usually determined by the size, but if I spend more time and detailing on a similarly sized piece, I will raise the price.
I’ll share details of my EDO drawings when I work on them which can be the week before or even a few weeks prior to my release date depending on when I feel inspired or have the time. They are shared on IG and Facebook.
14. Any final thoughts for our readers?
Thank you for taking the time and interest in my interview and work. I can’t do it without you all!
 stephanie inagaki 2

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Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

We have had another exceptional month at EDO with lots of new members on our mailing list and lots of new collectors picking up great pieces.
Here are some more of our favorite pieces from the past two weeks, three pieces that are definitely worth a second look! First, be sure to check out Samuel Araya’s newest fantastic and mythological mixed media painting, “She is the Northern Star”. Next up we a piece from Grant Cooley, “Solace”, which experiments with the texture of the wood grain and paint to create a Nymph portrait. And last but not least, Naomi VanDoren has created a romantic and whimsical watercolor piece “Perfect Company”. Check out all three of these Curator’s Picks below!

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She is the northern star.

by Samuel Araya

Omae wa mō shindeiru”

-Kenshiro

$400 $400

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Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







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Solace

by Grant Cooley

“Solace” is the first in an ongoing series of images that I “excavate” from a textured surface. I approached this painting with a loose concept of what I wanted to create, but then explored the surfaces of several birch panels to find some naturally converging lines that created an aesthetic of their own. After doing a loose drawing, I carved and sanded the board following many of these natural lines and allowed the painting to grow from there. The horns allow much of the stained wood grains to show through with only a few painted highlights to emphasize the curves. The painting/sculpture is very light weight and can be mounted directly to the wall, in a shadow box or in a raised border-less frame.

$100 $100

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.







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Perfect Company

by Naomi VanDoren

A still moment in time.

 

5 x 7 inches

Watercolor and colored pencil on watercolor paper
Matted and framed.

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.






Curator’s Picks

Did You Miss These?

We have had another exceptional month at EDO with lots of new members on our mailing list and lots of new collectors picking up great pieces.
Here are some more of our favorite pieces from the past two weeks, three pieces that are definitely worth a second look! First, be sure to check out Jeremy Wilson’s newest Lord of the Ring’s inspired painting, “Riders of Rohan”. Next up we have Ashly Lovett’s newest chalk pastel drawing “Aurora”. And last but not least, we have a fiery feline with Andrea Sipl’s “Sun Guardian”. Check out all three of these Curator’s Picks below!

And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, sign up for our mailing list!

 



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The Sun Guardian

by Andrea Sipl

“The Sun Guardian”

Oils on paper, measuring 7″x 5″

Ornate gold Frame 9.5″ x  8.5″

$290 $290

EDO now offers installment plans.
No interest for 6 months.
Just click Paypal Credit on the cart page.

Out of stock

www.odera.net
www.patreon.com/odera

Odera Igbokwe is an illustrator and painter located in Vancouver, BC by way of Brooklyn, NY. Odera loves to explore storytelling through Afro-diasporic mythologies, black resilience, and magical girl transformation sequences. Their work alchemizes color, movement, and queer magic to weave together ancient narratives with afrofuturist visions. You can also find Odera as manager of Every Day Original, curating and collaborating on zines, or combo-breaking the internet.






Artist Feature: Rebecca Yanovskaya

I’ve known Rebecca for a number of years now, and it has been nothing short of inspiring to watch her work evolve. She has come from SFF roots, like many here, and has pushed her subject matter and scale to epic proportions. What you may not know is that these incredible works are done in large part with a bic pen. You read that right. Her commitment to her art and her media is something we can all aspire to. So it gives us great pleasure now to reach inside Rebecca’s head and see what makes her tick.
 
Rebecca is known for her masterful use of ballpoint pen and goldleaf to create moody and atmospheric illustrations. These works harken back to classic epics and mythology while maintaining her own distinct vision. In our conversation with Rebecca she talks to us about process, artistic growth, and personal reflections. It is always such a treat to see what she creates for Every Day Original, and now you can experience some of the words and wisdom behind those creations.
 
You can view her entire body of work at www.rebeccayanovskaya.com or follow her on instagram.
 
rebecca_artistinterview
 
 
1. We met at the Illustration Master Class, and I feel like I got to see your artistic evolution personally. There was a point where you really levelled up, figures were getting nailed, an emotional quality was in every piece, and around this time you started working with leaf. Can you tell us what happened?
 
That evolution was a process with a few steps that I can remember. The first hurdle I remember was taking my health and confidence in hand — I came back to the IMC that year after really jumping into exercise, and that really helped me come to terms with myself and care less what people thought of me. Hand in hand with that came a resolution to stop trying to ‘be’ things I didn’t enjoy. I realized I didn’t want to work with paint, or digital, or watercolour, and that was okay. The second big thing that happened was a mentorship with Pete Mohrbacher that began right after IMC. He worked with me to focus my path in a way I found fulfilling, and also helped me with some technical, mechanical skills I was unsure about. And finally, a very influential trip to the MET cemented to me the type of work I wanted to do (where I became reacquainted with Klimt and his gold leaf). I reconnected with my artistic idols and the genre of art I wanted my work to fall into, and I now strive to emulate the feelings I had when I saw their work in every new piece.
 
 
2. How can someone else have the same kind of breakthroughs you’ve experienced? 
 
I think it’s important to do a lot of self reflection, and to figure out what really makes you create as an artist. Some people need a sherpa for that, others can do it themselves, but often going back to your childhood and remembering what artist/product first inspired awe in you can help. What was the first thing that you wanted to copy as a child? That’s usually where your passion lies.
 
 Rebecca_Yanovskaya_Descent
3. Let’s step back, when did you know you wanted to be a professional artist? Did you have role models in your life, artists or no, who helped get you here?
 
 I can’t think of a time in my life when I didn’t draw in some capacity. I was very lucky to have a mother that fully encouraged me, and so was able to surround me with art teachers who could give me the skills I needed. I think the first time I actually wanted it to be my profession was watching animated cartoons as a kid. The skill it took to create them blew my mind. I eventually realized that though I admired animation it wasn’t exactly my calling, but it definitely opened my mind to the possibility that someone out there was creating art and getting paid for it!
 
 
4. Could you tell us about your process and if there are any differences between your pieces on EDO vs personal pieces versus commissioned work?
 
I am really grateful to EDO for providing a consistent stimulus, which has helped me streamline my process considerably. There’s not much difference between the process for EDO and personal work, just an extra step of showing my finished sketch to the client for commissioned work. EDO has helped me have confidence in my ability to take very rough pencils to the finish without wasting time doubting my skills. My process for EDO is a lot about “what I feel like doing that day”. I start by taking a look at my stash of reference photographs and seeing if anything catches my eye in gesture or subject matter. I then push and pull them in Photoshop to get my desired composition. A commissioned piece will start in reverse, from the idea I need to get to, working backwards to the reference I will need to make that happen.
 
 
 
5. A lot of us will say how limitations help us do better work. Finding creative solutions around restrictions is a defining characteristic of a successful artist. You work in ball point and gold leaf, limited in palette, stroke, and overall look. How have you stretched the limits of these materials to create your work? Do you secretly add thin layers of paint when nobody is looking?
 
I definitely agree that limitations can help us do better work. I am quite lucky in that people know the end look of what I produce, and don’t try to push me into other directions. However, I never want to be stagnant with my own work, so I try to push the boundaries of what ballpoint can do. I think it also helps that I strive to recreate an image I have in my head, and any experimenting I do is in aid of that goal. I don’t use paint at the moment, though I have definitely thought about it and am not opposed. I don’t like experimenting for the sake of experimenting, however, so I want to have a purpose to the decision when I finally take that step.
 
 
 
Rebecca_Yanovskaya_Death_Dealer1
6. Gold seems to be the color of the decade, and a lot of artists are picking it up. You use it very successfully, and it’s always interesting to see what you “golden up” and what you leave in pen. How do you choose what to make gold? How do you think about the gold in the piece, what does it add? What does it take away?
 
I choose the gold portions based on what best services the composition. If a form needs accenting or contrast to stand out, I will usually accent it with gold. I also use it (hopefully successfully) to make the eye move around the piece. For me, gold is my contrast to the dark of the ink. Before I started using gold I thought my illustrations lacked a certain something, and I think the gold has filled that purpose nicely.
 
 
 
7. What’s the hardest part of the artistic/illustration process for you?
 
For me, the hardest part is in the middle, after I have traced out my sketch and I’m starting to fill in the midtones and basic ground values. It’s at this point that the piece looks hideous and I start to doubt that I’ll be able to pull it through to something beautiful. This also happens if I don’t have very good reference of whatever I’m trying to draw, and I start to doubt my ability to use my previous experience. I am lucky that I am dogged enough to get through these phases, but it is painful every time.
 
 
 
8. Take us through a typical day for Rebecca Y. Do you have practices or systems you use to organize your day? Do you just do art 9-5 then relax? Tell us more.
 
I like to start by eating well and taking care of daily tasks, so I am emotionally ready for the art portion of the day. I have tried to make lists of tasks, but I don’t think it is really ‘me’, as I am naturally a ‘grazer’ but for art. One of the reasons I enjoy ballpoint is that I can work a little bit, put it down, do something else, and come right back to it without skipping a beat.
 
 
Rebecca_Yanovskaya_Funeral9. You work focuses alot on the figure and detailed anatomy. What draws you most to the human figure, and what does it communicate in your work?
 
I’ve always been fascinated by humans’ ability to communicate nonverbally. Body language is a very powerful tool, and I try to have my characters show their personality traits through their gestures and bodies. I’m also fascinated by the intricate shadows I get to draw in all the different gestures we can make. Beyond that I just think human bodies when shown at the pinnacle of their capabilities are beautiful.
 
10. You’re also a woman doing fantasy art. At EDO we have a strong team of women, and proud of it. But this was not always a point of pride for an art gallery, and we’ve seen more and more female-focused galleries, books, and shows. To what do you attribute this evolution?
 
I am very happy that there are more opportunities for women, though as a competitive person I am always striving for my work to compete with the best of the best, regardless of sex. I think the evolution can be in part attributed to the rise in popularity of genre artwork. Because fantasy and sci-fi have been under the radar of the traditional fine art world, more women have been able to rise to positions of leadership and inspire young artists. Had they been fighting against the established art world there might have been much more backlash. I think also in fantasy art, it’s much more about the finished product than the personality behind the work, and that greatly helps minorities stand out and be recognized for their skill.
 
 
11. Did you ever experience any kind of missed opportunity or discrimination because you were a woman? Can you tell us about that experience?
 
It is possible I might have, but I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at the time. I am much more likely to attribute a failure to my own lack of preparation or skill, than to an outside force like that. I have experienced discrimination outside of the art realm, but within art I have thankfully seen skill take a higher place.
 
12. Your work is incredibly detailed, and I’ve watched you labor on these huge pieces in a tiny bic pen. What solutions/tips have you discovered that allow you to create such time consuming work? Do you meditate, listen to audiobooks, plan on never having a social life? How do you do it all?
 
For better or worse, I have a bit of an obsessive personality. It definitely helps when creating such time consuming work. I like to listen to e-sports streams/world championship competitions when working, as well as some movie analysis panels. Add to that, disgusting amounts of reruns of my favourite TV shows. Basically, any kind of audio stimulation with multiple voices. The best solution I’ve found for myself is to avoid large areas of colour fill. It’s must more interesting for me to do detail work than fill in areas with tone, even if it’s harder or more time consuming.Rebecca_Yanovskaya_Ascent
 
 
13. What are some exciting projects on the horizon that you can tell us more about?
 
I have some new personal pieces I’m planning for IlluXcon that I hope will be received well. As well I hope to make my new EDO pieces more intricate and powerful, stretching boundaries, similar to Death Dealer. Some other big news I have, I can’t talk about for a while, but I am excited to see the reaction when I can. My Gilgamesh illustrated book will be coming out soon and I hope it will launch a new direction in my career, where I can illustrate all the classic epics.
 
 
 
14. Parting words, do you have any advice for artists out there who want to create the kind of emotionally impactful work that you do?
 
I think what I’d like to tell past me is that it’s okay to do the same thing you love over and over again, if it’s based on a passion goal. I want to say that you don’t have to force yourself to do things you think you “should”, based on the industry or peer opinion. It rarely ever works and wastes a lot of time.
 
 
 
15. Where else other than EDO can people find your work? And buy it?
 
My website has links to my prints sales, or I can be emailed at any time to discuss my catalogue of available works (ryanovskaya@gmail.com)!

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