Alex’s work embodies everything we love about the modern-retro movement in art and design. Sexy. His use of 3-D in his work helps it stand out amongst the sea of people doing similar styles. Check out more of his work ///here///
-theAG-
We see that you incorporate photographic and 3-D rendered elements. Walk us through your processes.
It’s actually all 3D, unless you consider texture photos themselves a photographic element. Everything in my work is essentially digital with the exception of a piece called “A Single Shred of Proof” that included some impromptu photos of myself. Because of this, 90% of my ideas start in 3ds max, the application I use to generate the foundation of my imagery. Once the desired scene or object has been modeled and rendered, I bring it into Photoshop where I usually combine it with something typographical or otherwise vector-based and apply a rather convoluted chain of color modifications, levels adjustments and texture layers. I like that worn, yellowed, retro look, so post-processing is an essential part of my workflow.
What’s your go-to source of inspiration outside of art or music?
I’m a native to the Bay Area, and San Francisco has been driving my creativity since my youth. Cities fascinate me to no end, and my work is a testament to that obsession. From the towering orthogonality of the buildings themselves to the lights and signage plastered across every available surface to the teeming culture and human presence, it’s hard to imagine a modern artist that wouldn’t be overwhelmed in one way or another by such an environment.
What are some of your influences as to your style?
Like I said, the city itself has been my strongest aesthetic source, with the zeitgeist of the design community coming in a close second. The retro revival thing has been going on for years, really, and while I’m obviously nowhere near its vanguard, I am doing my best to represent it well and explore it in my own slightly unique way. It’s hard to point to any one person or thing that represents this style best, so I’d say it’s very much a cumulative thing.
What’s your personal favorite piece of work you’ve created?
I started my current body of work in 2008 and have been working nearly non-stop since, so it’s hard to point to any one particular thing as being my favorite. My Urban Cartography series, however, is probably the single best thing I’ve done, both in its conceptual depth and the ambition of its execution. I’ve honestly spent more time working on those 9 pieces than anything else in my portfolio. I recently spent a far shorter time on a new project entitled Pavement Loop, however, and the first piece in that series, which I’ve included, is a definite contender for the #1 spot in my personal list of favorites.
What blogs or magazines do you turn to for creative inspiration.
I occasionally catch up on print publications like How, Communication Arts and the like, but Behance is by far the most useful source of inspiration I know of. It’s constantly being flooded with new work, and the sheer volume of talent is mind-blowing.
What ‘s your all-time favorite piece of art or design. (*not created by you)
I can’t even begin to imagine answering that question, so I’ll instead share a tradition I’ve started passing around since hearing it from a friend of mine on New Year’s Eve: rather than asking someone about their resolutions, which are usually cliches that won’t last more than a week anyway, ask them what their favorite album of the year was. Not only will this yield a far more interesting discussion, but it’s a good way to get to know someone at a party. If their answer is even tangentially related to Nickelback, for instance, you know it’s time to fake a phone call from an ailing grandmother or set off a fire alarm. If the answer is something you’ve never heard of, you can assume they’re hipper than you and pretend its your favorite as well. In our case, I think we both went with Manners by Passion Pit. We’re extremely cool people. And in all seriousness, I’ve drawn an immense amount of inspiration from that album.
What’s your current creative obsession.
My goal is to put out a self-published book of my art by September of this year. I’ve done the majority of the work already, but have a decent handful of big ideas left to complete. I’ll be working more or less around the clock until then to get it finished, and plan on carrying my urban retro so-and-so style through the remainder of the pieces. When it’s all done I plan on taking a good, hard look at myself and deciding what comes next. My intent is for it to be considerably different.
Thanks Alex. We can’t wait to get your book. Keep on rockin’ it.
-theAG-