Artist Proof Interview with Artist: Shaun Gordon

Global Location: Warsaw, Poland

URL:  http://www.shaungordon.blogspot.com

Shop:  http://www.zazzle.com/shaungordonart

Shaun Gordon is an illustrator/design-type person originally from Cornwall, UK but currently residing in Warsaw, Poland with his girlfriend, dog and two rabbits. Art was the only thing he was good at that really interested him. Apart from drawing, skateboarding and surfing was all he ever did……. And drink coffee!…… And cider! He attended Plymouth College of Art and Design and gained a BA (Hons) degree in graphics and from then on was determined to get his work on the products he used. The alternative and majestic doodling bring him endless joy, and the two are tied nicely together in his professional career with recent collabs with Dragon Alliance, Fenchurch, Palmer Snowboards, Atticus and many other great folk. He loves the things he’s doing at the moment and just wants to carry on doing them.

AP: How long have you been making art for and what lead you to start?

SG: I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Art was my favorite subject at school and although I was pretty good academically, nothing else really interested me. I remember being mega young and drawing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on my friends head in biro, hoping that they’d still be there when he was old and bald.

AP: Where do you currently  live and work ? And how does this influence your work?

SG: I currently live in Warsaw, Poland with my girlfriend, our dog and our two rabbits. To be honest I don’t go out as much as I should so I don’t think Poland has a huge effect on my work. Perhaps the isolation does though. I sound like a hermit!……. I’m not though. Promise. My girlfriend always jokes that the animals I draw are getting angrier and angrier! We’ll be leaving soon though. Back to the joys of the North Yorkshire where we can run free and be merry! My drawings will be much happier there!

AP: Did you have formal training if so what? If your self taught can you tell us what you prefer about being a self taught artist vs having formal training?

SG: I left academia at 16 and attended art school in Plymouth, UK, which is close to where I grew up. This was a great move for me. I gained a BA (Hons) in graphics and just took it from there.

AP: Can you tell us about where you make your work is it in your house, a studio etc.. and how it effects your work?

SG: I work from home on my dining room table at the moment! Not so jazzy. Nice table though! I’m currently sorting out some studio space so I’ll have more room and be able to experiment with more mediums. Cover myself in paint and roll about maybe?

AP: What are some of you favorite design projects/exhibitions you have worked on to date?

SG: I haven’t been involved in many exhibitions to date, but that’s something I’m planning on changing. Project wise, I’ve been having a lot of fun recently. My work has been gaining momentum and my style constantly improving. I recently finished an art series for UK clothing brand Fenchurch where they gave me very few brief limitations so I could just go with my mental ideas and just see what developed. Always good.

AP: What is your medium of choice?

SG: At the moment its doodle an idea in biro on any piece of spare paper lying about and then just get straight into Illustrator to create it.

AP: What is the relationship between technique and content in your work? 

SG:  I don’t think my techniques really affect the content of my work. I guess me working in Illustrator constantly affects my style though. Sometimes I just want a sketchier look but | always think my work ends up being too clean.

AP: In what direction would you like to see your work going over the next five years?

SG: Well when I get my studio sorted hopefully I’ll have more room to experiment and get more hands on with things. I miss working on a large scale canvas or paper, just getting some random techniques out. I haven’t done an actual collage with glue and scissors for a long time. More exhibitions, more mag/art book entries. I’m really into snowboarding and skateboarding so it’d be great to do some more work for brands within those sports. I’ve done a few but I’d like more. More, more, more! Ha! This answer is very ‘more’ heavy! I would love my work to be recognized in the same way that Todd Bratrud’s or Michael Sieban’s is. We’ll see I guess?

AP: What forth coming projects and or exhibitions do you have scheduled for 2011?

SG: I’ve just finished an art series for Dragon goggles which I’m stoked about and I’m just starting a project with Eastpak which is pretty cool. Its snowboard design time soon and there’s a few things in the pipeline there. Should be a good year.

AP: Take us on a guided tour through a day in your life as an artist.

SG: Ha! My days aren’t so glamourous! I get up later than I should, feed my pets and then get a cup of coffee and go through my emails and check out what’s going on in the world. By the time I’ve had breakfast and walked my dog it’s about 5pm!…….. And that’s around the time I get to work! A lot of the guys I work for are in the US so it makes sense to be on their clock! I keep telling myself that anyways! Then I work through until the early hours and repeat.

AP: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions.