All 5 art pieces are by Jeb Burt.
When I look at Jeb Burt's art I immediately think, this is what Toulouse-Lectrec's artwork would look like if he created Film Noir illustrations. Some of the pieces do not have that chiaroscuro light contrast that film noir has, but it is not needed because the essence is there. What I love about his art is that it always looks like there is a mysterious story behind the drawing, it is not just a sketch. I am happy to share Jeb's art and this interview. Enjoy!
1. Who are your biggest artistic influences? (Jel Ena? Vincent Van Gogh, Charmaine Olivia, Gustav Klimt?)
I like Goya, Beardsley, Ensor, Burchfield, Siqueiros, Blake, the Surrealists. If I were good enough I’d be influenced by them.
2. What is your favorite art medium? (Photography, Paint, Pencils, Pastels, Musical instrument, etc…)
Charcoal
3. What inspires and motivates you to create? (Emotions, experiences, other people's art, going to an art store, etc.)
Negotiating confusion.
4. Do you have an art routine? (Every Saturday morning? Late at night when everyone is asleep?) Life makes it hard to have a consistent routine, but mornings for writing and evenings for sketching, and work between.
5. What value does art provide to the world? It uses living lies to kill boring lies.
6. If you experience a creative block, how do you overcome it? (Visit a museum? Take a walk? Social Media Break?)
Repetition until repetition becomes so unbearable I have to do something new.
7. What is your favorite quote about art? (There are so many good ones!) I believe in the power of the imagination to remake the world, to release the truth within us, to hold back the night, to transcend death, to charm motorways, to ingratiate ourselves with birds, to enlist the confidences of madmen. -J.G. Ballard
8. What would your art dream project be? (Create Street Art? Collaborate with a fav artist? Sketch in every country in the world?) To have painted some of Kate Meissner’s paintings.
9. What would be the dream art patron? (Beyonce? Francoise Bettencourt Meyers? Julia Koch?) Peggy Guggenheim, naturally.
10. Is there an art medium that you would like to learn one day? (Film a movie? Oil Painting? Sing?)
Sculpting.
11. Do you have any rituals to get you in the mood to create? (For instance: Lighting a candle and playing your favorite music? A certain time of day?)
No, I just work when I can. 12. What is an art hack that you learned or discovered that was a game changer in your art practice? (For instance: Using cornstarch to improve cheap paint quality if on a budget. Using a scale divider to achieve accurate proportions in a drawing, etc.)
Shadows make lines better than lines make shadows. But then, I’m not very good at lines. 13. Tell us about the art you create and what you want to achieve with it. (For instance: To relax? Art activism? To make someone smile?)
I write fiction mostly and do art on the side. If I were a better painter I wouldn’t have to write. Fiction and art with imagination disturb because they loosen ossified beliefs. If not done with imagination they strengthen them. I like work that eats away at the cheap certainties the world seems to rely on more and more.
14. Do you have any announcements you would like to share? (For instance: Show coming up? Published?)
I have a new story online at Propagule (https://www.propagule.co/fiction/a-new-sister). I also run a figure drawing session in Washington Heights (@uptown_drink_and_draw). Other fiction, art and translations can be found at my website, oidil.com, and my Instagram (@jeb_burt).
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