Interview with Chris Pell

q)Please introduce yourself.

a) hello my name is Chris Pell.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I currently live in Brighton, UK and I work in my studio at university.

q) How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a) A bit of fantasy, some occult references and some ancient mysticism thrown in.

q) How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a) I didn’t like where I lived and I enjoyed drawing since I was primary school so I guess it made sense for me to apply for a few loans and move down to the south coast to study illustration. I feel pretty excited by the prospect of making a living doing this.

q)What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)Depends what im working on though. I enjoy playing around with a lot of different mediums to get my idea out there but most of my work comes down to a pen and pencil.

q)What/who influences you most?

a)I got heavily into fantasy artwork when I was growing up, so I keep taking my work back to that now and again but I think im influenced by all sorts. I like a lot of different types of music and I enjoy film. Although im persuing a career in the arts its not often i’d look in that direction for inspiration.

q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)Well i’d probably get up late and feel guilty and then head into my studio. I usually spend most of the day and evening there drawing, scanning or on photoshop. Or in this case sitting at the studio computer avoiding work and answering interviews.

q)Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your

career as an artist?

a)As long as I can earn a comfortable living with what im doing now, I think thats the best possibile situation for me. I had a few really crappy jobs and the thought of being able to pay rent, food and a little savings from drawing etc is perfect.

q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)I’ve kept an eye on the San Francisco art scene, I love some of the stuff being broadcasted on fecalface.com. I think its a very popular choice to go into illustration today, its good that a lot of people want to do this a career because it broadens the definitions of what an illustrator is. On the other hand it can be quite suffocating at times and you often find yourself gettino bogged down with being labelled one.

q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Usually how big the piece is, I can do a photoshoot in a day but then take 4 days doing line work for a large scale drawing.

q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)Its not often I sell originals, I have been selling screenprints and digital prints of my work, which obviously arn’t heartbreaking to give away. I did however send a painting for an exibition that was called “Wham City”, if it wasn’t for the fact that it was for a good cause I would of been gutted to give it away.

q)Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)I reckon its important when im drawing. I love a bunch of different stuff. I’ve been enjoying some soca and dancehall recently, perfect for the weather. I’m also listening to artists like zomby, Hot Cross and Goblin.

q)Books?

a)Not a massive book fan, reading one hundred years of solitude at the moment though.

q)What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)Not sure really, It’s different for everyone. I just have fun and make sure i’m doing what I want, I think thats important.

q) What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)Partying

q)Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)I have a degree show which im quite excited about on the 6th of june at Brighton University.

q)Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)I usually don’t over indulge in art scenes, I enjoy fecal face like a I mentioned before but apart from that I dont follow much.

q)Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)Isn’t it about time to treat yourself?

Yes, I think it is.

q)Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Don’t get bogged down with what everyone else is doing.

q) Where can we see more of your work online?

a)I have a website www.chrispell.co.uk which is going to be updated very soon and also a flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/chrispell