Martin French

Martin French is an illustrator, designer & educator who lives and works in Portland, Oregon. The grandson of an Italian Cowboy, he grew up in the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area soaking up the graphic language of DC and Marvel comic books, dreaming that one day he would grow up to be either a super hero or an artist, preferably the former. He chairs the illustration department at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, directs the Exile Poster Project, and seeks to make art that explores the wild story that for short we call life & culture.

One of the things that he said that really stood out to me, was "I made a decision to be true to my artistic voice, whether or not it made a lot of money". This is such a hard thing: to develop the willingness to be faithful to your artistic language and follow your passion; especially when you aren't seeing tangible benefits. But he really encouraged me to continue doing what I am passionate about.

Today we went on a little field trip to Chehalem Cultural Center with our Senior Thesis class, and we kind of talked about the same thing. We talked about the need to be humble after graduation, willing to take on jobs outside of our immediate mediums and that maybe wouldn't make a whole lot of money (perhaps even lots of volunteer work). In doing this we are being faithful to our artistic vision, because we are gaining experience that will one day help us do what we are truly passionate about!

I am such a fan of Martin French. Not necessarily because I want to be an illustrator, but because I want to take the truths of scripture and the darkness of life and mesh the two together, creating conceptual pieces that reflect the idea that God's presence is with us in all circumstances. He said the following about his art and faith journey, which I thought was amazing!

"...the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters and over the chaos. I love the imagery, the sense of His presence. His constant presence in our lives, in our daily stories, in the chaos, in the storm, in the darkness. The sense of energy, motion, and movement that is generally noticed in my work is centered around this idea. Illustrating life in the midst of the holy wild."

Wow! "Illustrating life in the midst of the holy wild." Love it!

Below is the rest of the interview, as well as some of my favorite Martin French illustrations.


Inscape


Prophet


Wrestling With God

How did you become an Illustrator?

I studied illustration and graphic design at ArtCenter. After graduation I took two consecutive full

time jobs, one with Atari and then with Microsoft. Both positions were in digital media – animation, character development, interface design, game concept development, etc. Ultimately, I became a director. I used my evenings and weekends to create experimental new work, continue investigation of new medias and techniques, and free-lance illustration projects – all the while knowing I would open my own studio at some point. During this period of my life I learned a great deal about experimental digital media, and ultimately formed my artistic vision. 10+ years after graduation, I did. I had a good financial foundation so I was not desperate for any job that came in. I was selective, and made a decision to be true to my artistic voice, whether or not it made a lot of money. I began by entering many of the juried shows, was fortunate enough to gain some attention and things grew from there.

Who/What are your influences and inspirations?

-My kids.

One is from a Gypsy village in Eastern Europe, the other from a Mayan village in Guatemala. Their cultures and creative spirits have influenced my art deeply. Combined, they are my artistic "muse".

-Poster art. The underlying idea of art in the streets, communicating messages relevant to our day-to-day lives. The motive of the poster is not to escape the everyday, but to help us take a plunge into its complexities. Specific artists and movements - Revolutionary Posters from Latin America / WPA / Tom Purvis (British poster artists from the 20's-30's).

-Jazz in general, but specifically John Coltrane. Extreme connection to the fundamentals of

music form and theory, allowing for extreme exploration and improvisation.

-The Blues in general, but specifically Blind Willie Johnson, a Blues artist from the 1920's. His

work was a convergence of his personal beliefs with the Blues idiom, and spoke with a very

distinct and powerful voice.

-The writings of the Prophets found in the Old Testament. A mind-blowing collision of

imagination, creativity, passion, faith, and real life issues.

-Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins

-The Swedish Graphic Designer Dan Jonsson

-Batman

-Jazz by Henri Matisse.

-Chapelle du Rossaire de Vence (Murals + Décor + Vestments by Matisse)

-Aaron Douglas. One of the leading visual artists from the Harlem Renaissance. A commercial artist working with a very personal voice and a deep connection to his own culture.

-And old Daredevil comics drawn by Gene Colon.

Do you consider yourself a commercial artist?

I've been accused of being too commercial by some people, and too much of an artist by others. I suppose I’m an artist who isn't afraid of having commercially viable work. I feel the distinction between fine and commercial art is a false premise ultimately. Making art in a commercial context where the needs of the client and an awareness of your audience are of equal importance with personal expression is a challenge. But, I’ve always been energized by the demands of commercial work, “working against a hard edge” as illustrator Philip Hays put it. With that in mind however, the need to have a clear artistic vision, beyond a visual style, is essential for sustaining a professional illustration practice. There should always be a sense of the artist’s agenda apparent in the work. Any commercial assignment in one sense builds a cage around us. Our job is to plant ideas within the cage that extend past it’s bars, and in some cases, causing the cage to explode. The constraints often times lead to the most profound ideas and vibrant personal statements.

What is your process for creating work?

I create quite a few thumbnail sketches – more for myself than the client, just to make sure I've explored all of my options. After exploring multiple ways of presenting the idea or subject, I’ll send the client my rough sketches. Once a visual direction has been agreed on, I’ll then shoot reference images, collect whatever visual research necessary and create the final drawings. I do color and composition studies before going to final usually in traditional media. I can work fairly quickly if necessary, but I like having time to workout the nuances of an image (don’t we all!). From there, I move to the computer, working with all of the scanned drawings to create the final image in Photoshop.

What is your technique and what medium do you work in?

Everything I create is done traditionally with ink, acrylic, graphite, and charcoal. Much of the

imagery you see – brush strokes, textures, figurative drawings, splatters are all done separately.

I’m keeping in mind the final composition as I create each separate element, but they all take on

an identity of their own. Imagery is then scanned into Photoshop and I use the digital media as a

place to compose and design. I’m not really painting with the digital tools. Photoshop just allows

me the ability to explore visual relationships. Often times, I print the piece out on different types

of paper and draw and paint back into it. The mixed media approach allows me to explore fluidly

throughout the creative process.

Explain your style of art.

Well, one book critic described it as a neo Jazz-Age comic book pastiche, which I kind of like. I’d

call it graphic expressionism – an interplay of chaos and order. Visually, I’m looking to push a series of diverse contrasts: Flat graphic areas to textural, organic rhythms; distinct light and dark patterns; elegant curved lines against straight hard strokes; the simplification of form vs. fine detail. A graphic sensibility with a love for aggressive, primal mark making.

Here is a video that will give you more insight into Martin French, especially in regards to his faith walk:

http://vimeo.com/83885132