Artist Interview

Justin Maller (ekud)

Hey Jeff, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Jeff Huang (realm)

My name is Jeff Huang, I'm a Chinese-American whose been living in NYC since I was 7. I was always interested in art, and wanted to become an "Artist" ever since I was 7. Back when I was a kid, I'd get compliments from teachers and classmates on how "good" I drew, which definitely motivated me to draw even more. I breezed through elementary and junior high school like an ordinary kid really, but my art was to boost when I applied for Art high school.

I had the next 4 years in Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of the Arts and Performing Arts; those 4 years of art most definitely upped my skills and artistry. What was great was that we had to learn everything, from foundation drafting class, to watercolors and oil painting, to art theory and color classes, to art history, print making, photography, pretty much anything you can think of, I took. I can definitely say that the 4 years of art high school was one of the biggest boosts for me as an artist.

Of course I cannot doubt, the other biggest boost for me is when I found digital art back in 2004. DeviantART was where it was at, 3D Abstracts were what hits the spot back in 2004. I just had myself looking at these things until I finally got myself a copy of Bryce 5, and started to experiment as a newbie. I never submitted anything to deviantART until September of 2005. Since then, I started to become more active and made lots of new friends and inspirations. The fast road of excelling was where I was at, thanks to friends and of course hard work, in December '05 I managed to get into depthCORE, which was to break another cap in my artistry. Being in dC is surely something amazing, I believe all artists here can say that in here, you can find inspirations easily with the quality and innovativeness of the artwork. Another thing is that since you are in such a quality group, you'd always have the motivation to take it to the next level, I know that sounds like a game or competition, but it's really just a way of excelling.

As of today, October 2006, I'm a sophomore at the School of Visual Arts, here in NYC, majoring in computer art. Let's see where the next and last 2 years will take me in the future. Well I guess that's all I can say, I don't want to write a chapter book here.

Justin Maller (ekud)

Your work has strong aesthetic ties to urban street art. Does this influence figure strongly in your creative process?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Most definitely. Urban street art, and without a doubt graffiti dominate a good part of my art style. Urban street art in general, has a strong emphasis on the quality of line, shapes and color, and most of all, style. I believe that's what makes urban street art so appealing to me, rarely would you see 2 identical pieces, every artist has their own design sensibility and style. I myself am a lover of color; part of my every day routine is to observe colors. Everywhere I go, I'm looking, seeking for killer colors and combos and I must say that a good 50% of the time, the color combos I find are from graffiti which I see while passing by a fill or burner, or a bombed truck drives by my sight.

The reason why urban art, especially graffiti inspires me is because of the fact that the elements that make a successful piece are one and the same as a abstract design. The way that one delivers shape, line, color and visual appeal will make the viewer's mind boggle. Like abstract designs, sure you may not know what a graffiti says or what it is, but you would think to yourself "wow that's awesome" simply because the artist's delivery of design elements.

Justin Maller (ekud)

Graffiti aside, what else inspires and influences your artwork?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Everything and anything man. I get inspired by life itself. I could very well be walking down a city block on my way to work, and something I see could jolt me, and I'd have the concept stuck in my head all day. Ofcourse that doesn't happen everday, but what I'm saying is that inspiration for me comes in all forms; past experiences, something I see on the street, a song, and certainly other artists.

Justin Maller (ekud)

How important has your education been in your development as an artist?

Jeff Huang (realm)

My education from art high school on, has helped me as an artist, tremendously. I learned everything from everything foundation art to the more in depth specific studies. Being in art college now majoring in computer art, I get a lot more technical things fed to me (and a loads of work), which I cannot say I hate because it does help me excel for the better.

Justin Maller (ekud)

What was the turning point in your development that began to transform art and design from a hobby to a career?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Well the thing is, I've always knew I wanted to be an artist for a living ever since I was young, that dream job of mine never changed. But to answer the question, I was more certain of it when I began to meet successful digital art friends online, especially people here in the depthCORE family whom are doing great in this field. And now in art college, my teachers constantly tell us about the successful companies/firms and people whom are in this field, so that certainly boosts the confidence I have for my career.

Justin Maller (ekud)

What plans do you have for your art?

Jeff Huang (realm)

In terms of my artistic style, I simply cannot be sure. I'm a guy who gets bored of a single style for too long, that's why I always experiment and try new things. Trying new styles and techniques not only allows you to be better, but also allows you to integrate what you liked from what you just experimented with, and blend it into what you already know in your previous artworks. I believe sooner or later, I'll start to blend in more traditional mediums into my digital medium, I'm going to just let it flow, wherever my style takes me.

In terms of where I'd wish my art can go, literally, sure it'd be an awesome experience to have my work in a gallery or exhibition, or better yet, have my work in my very own gallery or exhibition. But then again, I'm sure that's one thing on every artist's top 10, I want to do list. One thing is for sure, I believe digital art and/or digital abstract artwork does not get enough recognition in the design world. In my dream, there will be a depthCORE spotlighted exhibition in the MoMA, Museum of Modern Art, here in NYC. That would certainly put a smile on my face for a while...

Justin Maller (ekud)

We've seen abstract and digital art evolve massively in the last twelve months with the introduction and integration of photographic elements with digital artwork; what do you see as the next big step?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Ah, most definitely the photographic integration into digital art became a great asset. But since we're talking about the next step, I'd say in general that the next step would be to integrate even more traditional elements into digital art; though many elements can now be emulated by digital programs and tools. In terms of digital abstracts, I'd love to personally integrate more traditional elements into my own, perhaps a painting, some carving and sculpting even? I think it's all about taking that extra step, experimenting and just thinking out of the box. I believe that sooner or later some genius is going to come up with something fresh to innovate the game again, those are the people that keep art moving. I'm also one of the artists who are waiting on yet another art movement.

Justin Maller (ekud)

Which artist (visual or otherwise) do you feel best accompanies your unique design aesthetic?

Jeff Huang (realm)

That's a easy question, without a doubt my buddy here on depthCORE, Mr. Jerico Santander. I've known Jerico since I joined dC almost a year ago, and let's just say that him and I make a killer combo. First and foremost, we have a mutual respect for one another in both artistic outlooks and conduct as a person. There is rarely(if any) any time where he and I would have opposing favors in a piece of art that we're working on since we both have pretty much the same eye in this field. Another thing that definitely helps is that Jerico and I are buddies, though I have never met him in real life(soon will though), I can most definitely share any thought with him. He's a Spanish guy who was raised in the Canary Islands, I'm a native Chinese New Yorker, but damn, It feels like I should have known this guy all my life, he's really a great friend.

Justin Maller

What advice would you give emerging and developing artists?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Haha, I don't know if I can say much really, because I'm a emerging and developing artist myself, I am in no condition to tell others what they need to do to be successful. But what I can say from the firm experience I have now, that an artist should really be themselves. We are all individual artists for a reason, what I mean is that you should never ever produce art just because it's trendy, it looks good, or it sells. If that's your mindset, I believe you should go into the advertisement business. Be yourself, influence is something that's commonly mistaken for the act of taking someone else's style; you are a poser if you simply do this and call it "art". Inspiration and influence is something you absorb from another artist and blend it into your very own style, not something you snatch from another artist and call it your own. And last but not least, if you want to be good, you simply cannot slack, it's that simple. Take all the time you need to experiment, learn, and observe, and practice. Patience is also a key thing, do not expect to get astonishing artwork in a matter of 20 minutes or even 2 hours (though they do happen sometimes). But like I said, most importantly, just be yourself, ok? People will love you for you, if you are simply a poser, you're lying to yourself.

Justin Maller (ekud)

What are your favourite all time pieces of traditional and digital art?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Hmm let's see here. For traditional artwork I can say that I adore a lot of Surrealism, most works by Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte or Max Ernst are my favorite traditional pieces. I'd hate to point out specifics since I love them all so much, but some mentions off the top of my head would be, "The Son of Man" by Rene Magritte, "Persistance of Memory" by Salvador Dali, "The Human Condition" by Rene Magritte, "Two Children Frightened By a Nightingale" by Max Ernst. In terms of digital artwork, it's even harder for me to point out specifics since I respect and love so many artists' works, so let me just give shoutouts to artists I really enjoy. Off the top of my head are: Jerico Santander, Pete Golibersuch, Nik Ainley, Eric Sin, Davi Mondou-Labbe, Justin Maller, Josh Dutra, Christian Jehle, and pretty much the list goes on and on.

Justin Maller (ekud)

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Any final messages for the horde?

Jeff Huang (realm)

Well, first of all, thanks to you Justin for this interview, and thank you the audience for taking your time and viewing this interview. I'd just like to say thanks to everyone whose been supporting me all this time, everyone here at the dC family, my old friends over at deviantART, you guys are amazing. And yea, that's pretty much it, I'll keep doing my thing and I hope you guys will continue to support me and my artwork. In the meantime, you can always visit me at my portfolio www.thefifthorder.net or here at dC. Thanks again, and peace out.