Art with an EDGE  

 

In this issue, you’ll find the stories of artists from inside and around Philadelphia, who illustrate that art, created by and for young adults, is very alive in the region.

 

The Heads of State

Multimedia duo skirts politics for serious indie cred

 

name:             Jason Kernevich / Dustin Summers

age:                27 / 27

located:          Philadelphia / Seattle

Web home:     www.theheadsofstate.com

 

Admittedly, The Heads of State don't know much about statesmanship, but make up for it in the self-described "art of fancy picture making."

With tongue-in-cheek humor, Philly natives and art school graduates Jason Kernevich and Dustin Summers make up The Heads of State, a bi-coastal art and design "studio" that specializes in designing posters, packaging, logos, and so on, for some of the biggest names in music and entertainment, and a wide variety of other industries. The Heads' clientele includes R.E.M, Wilco and Modest Mouse, among other acts, along with corporations such as Southwest Airlines, Capitol Records and Virgin Mobile.

How does a two-man operation, whose principals are separated by thousands of miles, work?

Via internet, e-mail and "large phone bills."

"Over the last two years it's become obvious to us that having an office, a staff and a dedicated address isn't nearly as important as being creative and happy," says Kernevich.

Why art?

"We weren't good at much else," he says. "Art picked us. We probably wanted to be in rock bands but that is an even bigger crap shoot than art. Also, there weren't many open positions for 'deep-sea explorer' or 'big game hunter.'"

When asked if their wry sense of humor has had any effect on their craft, the duo said it's helped.

"It's important to get your personality out there and let people know what you can bring to certain kinds of projects. It also helps to keep out the stuffy projects," Summers says.

Stuffy office jobs weren't cutting it for the duo, either.

"We started doing these posters out of a need to be more creative," says Summers. "Sitting in a nine-to-five job isn't always the best thing for that side of your brain, no matter what the position."

Since making The Heads of State their full-time occupations, the duo has even started lecturing to students about their craft.

"[We're] showing these kids that design doesn't have to only be about laying out a three-page brochure," says Kernevich, "and giving them an idea of what it takes to run your own shop. Maybe it's just that we feel like it's not what we take away from the lecture, but what the audience takes away. Maybe the student walks away with a sense that they can really do whatever after graduation and make it work."

When designing their own work, these perfectionists try to make every project flawless. "You always come to the table trying to hit a home run, and when you ground out there might be a bit of bat throwing. But if it's a success, and we're proud of it, it's a very satisfying feeling,” Kernevich says.

"If anything sets us apart," Kernevich says, "it's that we always put idea before style. It doesn't take much to fancy up a piece of paper, but for us, it’s about the message that someone takes away from it."

-Josh Barr / Philly EDGE Correspondent

 

Nadir Balan

Reigning wrath via pencil lead and reared head

 

name:             Nadir Balan

age:                25

located:          Jenkintown

Web home:     www.page8productions.com

 

Before logging long hours in a studio stained with pencil lead, Nadir Balan spent time between continents, as he was raised in New York City and lived in Istanbul until he finished high school. With diploma in hand, Balan returned stateside to attend Alfred University, where he would join a club called The College Comic Illustrators (CCI). This club would birth an artistic alliance called Page8Productions that would become the backbone of Balan's current art world endeavors.

"[The College Comic Illustrators] finagled some space in the upcoming yearbook to produce a stand-alone comic book," says Balan, "which we used to spoof various curriculums. As with any good story our script called for a huge explosion."

That explosion happened to land on page eight.

"A good friend, and active College Comic illustrator, Maki Naro, and I decided it would be a fun tongue-in-cheek selling point to advertise the book with a ‘Hey kids! Don't forget to check out the cool explosion on page eight!’ disclaimer right on the front cover." Balan says.

"From then on at meetings, we would joke about how every single comic we ever produced would have a cool explosion on page eight. This, of course, is not an intelligent idea but somehow the phrase ‘Page 8’ struck a chord."

Balan explains the group talked of how in any normal 22-page comic book the meat of the story is usually reached by page eight, and that something exciting always happens right around there.

CCI wanted to express that idea of excitement when they formed their new group years later.

"Page8Productions used to be any collaboration between Maki Naro and myself," says Balan. "But now (it) serves as a group that supports close friends' artistic endeavors while keeping us unified and giving us an identity.

"[Page8Productions was] sort of like a fraternity, but without all the beer or chicks, or fun," says Balan. "We even have a secret gang hand sign," says Balan. "I'd show it to you, but you'd probably go out and flash it on the streets, and well, that's just dangerous."

Dangerous like the storyline for one of Balan's current projects, the comic book sequel to the feature film Clash of the Titans: Wrath of the Titans. In Wrath, Balan revisits, in print, the magical, mythical world of fantastical monsters and angry gods special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen (King Kong, Sinbad) first brought to movie screens in the 1981 MGM release.

Wrath will be a four-issue mini-series beginning in May from Bluewater Productions, where Balan currently works as art director. Apart from his work, the series will have a section of art by Harryhausen himself.

"Wrath of the Titans was a great opportunity to put my interpretation on a timeless piece of cinema, as well as work with Ray Harryhausen, the master of monsters,” Balan says.  “It has been a real learning opportunity, and it's very exciting to draw those characters."

-Josh Barr / Philly EDGE Correspondent

 

 

Ryan McLelland

Immortalizing Philly one page at a time 

 

name:             Ryan McLelland

age:                31

located:           Ewing, NJ

Web home:     www.myspace.com/phillythecomic

 

Whether writer Ryan McLelland realizes it or not, his life is imitating art.

Like Clark Kent "changing" into Superman by more or less discarding his glasses, McLelland undergoes a similar metamorphosis with a simple wardrobe addition.

"I could walk by EVERYONE," McLelland admits, "and no one knows me from my Grandma Flo. But when I have a name tag, I can't go a couple feet without someone stopping me to talk (about comics)."

Since starting his "Your Indy Weekly" column for Newsarama, a popular online destination that covers the comic book industry, McLelland has become one of the most sought after industry contacts for those trying to get their independent comics noticed. "That feels like quite a responsibility sometimes," says McLelland, "that my mentioning of someone's comic book can suddenly cause their sales to go up."

McLelland hopes sales for his most recent undertaking take off as well. The Arcana Studios project, titled Philly, is a comic book that follows the continuing story of the superhero team known as The Trio. With super strength, speed and fire powers, the three defend the City of Brotherly Love. Hilarity, chaos and awe-inspiring feats ensue.

The first issue is scheduled to hit comic book stands at the end of April, and is a product of McLelland and penciler Jim Hanna's Evolution Studios. Rounding out the five-man team for Philly are inker Ralph Hedon, colorist Jim Reddington and editor Sean O'Reilly.

Keeping the crew gelling would be easier if the five men lived on the same continent. McLelland, also Philly's director and producer, says his crew is from “all over the world." Despite this inconvenience, McLelland is still confident.

"Philly looks great," says McLelland. "Those living in Philadelphia might not see things they recognize at first, but as the series goes on, it really begins to get that great Philadelphia feel to it." McLelland says. "It's nice for Philadelphia to have their own great superhero team - as imperfect as [the team] might be."

While his superheroes are saving Philly, McLelland himself is playing with the stars.

"From Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada telling me he likes my writing to comparing lip sizes with Angelina Jolie, to several run-ins with Margot Kidder," says McLelland, "I've had many pleasures others haven't."

Kevin Smith may be McLelland's favorite celebrity. Seeing Smith's Clerks at the age of 20 was a "revelation," says McLelland.

"Here I was working at a video store and here was a movie about twenty-somethings working cash registers in New Jersey. Not only that," says McLelland, "but it was done by a guy who had worked the store and self-financed his movie, and then sold it for millions. It made me say, 'Hey, he can do it; so can I.'

"So the guy who worked in a video store who wanted to write because he saw a movie by a guy who worked in a video store about two guys working in a video store became a writer," says McLelland. "and I'll never forget that one person who made me want to be who I am today."

-Josh Barr / Philly EDGE Correspondent

 

Benjamin Marra

Philly transplant waxes philosophical about art and werewolves

 

name:             Benjamin Marra

age:                30

located:          Philadelphia

Web home:    www.benjaminmarra.com

 

Canadians are different. Their bacon is different, they're good at hockey, and they use something called the "metric system" (me'trik sis'tem).

Illustrator/designer Benjamin Marra, a native of Canada, is different too.

Case in-point:

"Some people look at a beautiful landscape, or a beautiful woman, and are inspired to paint," says Marra. "When I watch ’60’s movies about werewolf motorcycle gangs, that's when I get psyched to draw."

While some may be lost when it comes to Marra, some pretty big names are on the same page. Or should we say, Marra is literally on their pages: Marra's work has been featured in Playboy, The New York Times and Paper magazine. Marra's also making a name for himself overseas as well, having been featured in Russian, Belgian, Australian, German, English and Dutch magazines.

When he's not watching movies featuring werewolf motorcycle gangs, or gracing the pages of magazines across the globe, Marra works as a designer for The Bucks County Courier Times (whose parent company, Calkins Media, also owns Philly EDGE-btw).

Behind his artwork is a man and philosophy just as interesting. He claims to be made of  “lots of coffee, cheeseburgers and beer, dust, lapses of needless worry, thousands of piles of comic books, hundreds of hours of bad movies, jars of ink and stacks of notebook paper."

Marra admits he's a junky for art.

"…Making art makes me feel more connected to myself," says Marra. "That might sound lame, but I think it's true. There's a sort of high when you're making something. You shut off from everything else and you exist inside what you're making.”

Where other artists seek to create something polished, Marra strives to make something unpolished.

“My stuff is different because it seeks to create a world that is perfect in its imprecision, where failures and successes in total equal something perfect, like in life,” he says. "In everyone's life there are errors and accomplishments, and they all add up to make one's life, which is perfect unto itself… That's what I try to recreate."

Marra says these unpolished pieces are inspired (aside from werewolves) by comic books, exploitation cinema, heavy metal music and other bits of pop culture.

"I intentionally don't plan anything out ahead," says Marra. "I use ink directly so I can't erase. The ink forces me to be bold and confident with the marks I choose to make," Marra says. "It's the struggle against my fear of making a mistake that guides the pen."

Humor always guides his pen.

"The humor in my work is ever-present," says Marra, "I can't get rid of it. What I think happens is, the things I draw I love very earnestly and take very seriously," says Marra. "But I think that earnest seriousness is humorous, if that makes any sense, and the things that I love are pretty humorous themselves."

Marra admits he has questioned his career choice.

"There have been times when I was so frustrated with making art that I thought about becoming a cop or carpenter or mechanic or welder or working on ships," says Marra. "Those phases never lasted, and I'd always go back to drawing or painting."

-Josh Barr / Philly EDGE Correspondent

 

Cojo

Hijacking hearts and spearheading hysteria

 

name:             Cojo

age:                29

located:           Montclair /New York City

Web home:     www.cojoart.com

 

Like the fashion tycoon Mugatu (played by Will Ferrell) in Zoolander, artist Cojo "is so hot right now he could take a crap, wrap it in tinfoil, put a couple fish hooks on it and sell it to Queen Elizabeth as earrings." 

Boasting an ever-growing client list of well over 80 big name entities, including Sony, HBO and MTV, Cojo is basking in the spotlight of the upper echelon of the NY pop art elite. Basking, but never resting.

"I keep drawing long after the competition has hit the sheets," says Cojo.

If you don't recognize his name, you most likely know his work. It's been featured in Rolling Stone, Vibe, XXL and King magazines. He's done Fat Albert art for FUBU, Black History Month art for Nickelodeon and Air Force One art for Nike. The Montclair, New Jersey-born artist's signature, vector-sharp, thick outline drawing style is quickly blurring the line between pop and urban art.

His "A Day In The Life Of" pieces for Maxim, which he writes and draws, are full-page strips depicting the “average day” in the life of celebrities like Eminem, Kevin Costner and Dick Cheney. These panels give millions of readers a laugh, while allowing Cojo to express his self-described "politically incorrect, celebrity-bashing humor." To date, he's been published in Maxim nearly 100 times.

Still, many of his favorite assignments are self-assigned, including the year-long drawing-a-day experiment he started on his 28th birthday, a project whose sketches will be compiled and collaged into 10 giant on-canvas masterpieces.

Cojo got his start at 14 as an intern for Marvel Comics in Manhattan. By 16, he was professionally coloring The Punisher, Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four characters. All the while, his own style was developing, borrowing elements of both his parents' strong points. He took his cartoon-ish drawing skills from his father, a journalist / painter / syndicated political cartoonist and mixed it with the graphic, street-y edge from his mother, a graphic designer and art director.

Since then, he's also done fashion design for the DNA StyleLab clothing line, painted commissioned portraits for A-list hip-hop clientele like Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Usher, and been involved with charity events for 9/11 victims and AIDS research.

Currently, he's working on commissioned portraits for former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson and director Kevin Smith.

What’s next?

"One of the goals I'm actively pursuing in 2007 is to become a personality on VH1's Best Week Ever," says Cojo. "I'm gonna send VH1 this article and maybe a few bite-sized Snickers, a Rubik's Cube and a PEZ dispenser. They love that retro shit over there… VH1, call me."

Still, Cojo says he tries not to take the whole "celebrity" thing too seriously.

He loves doing interviews, getting fan mail and VIP invites, but tries to remain grounded and approachable. When it comes down to it, Cojo says he's just a normal guy.

“Only difference is if you cut me, I bleed pencil lead, I piss turpentine, sweat pure acrylic, and my pubes are made of the finest Kolinsky sable.

"Every generation or movement in art has a historical figurehead, an artistic carrier of the torch representing his time in pop culture, visual art visionaries like Picasso, Andy Warhol, Peter Max, Jean Michele Basquiat. Our generation doesn't have one yet... I'm working on it."

-Josh Barr / Philly EDGE Correspondent