Interview with Ana Galvan
q) Let’s start with the basics; what’s your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?
q) Do you have any formal training?
a)Yes, I went to a Secondary School of Art. I studied Fine Arts in Valencia and in Southampton also.
q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?
a)Maybe, but I’ve never been aware of that. I was born in Murcia, in the south of Spain, where, although you can find sea and mountains, landscapes are quite desertic. Perhaps I’m recreating those landscapes in my drawings. Who knows?
q) How do you come up with your concepts?
a)Most of them come up from real life, mainly self experiences. Others come up from music, films or TV.
q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?
a)Well, some vitryolic humour and some personal feelings.
q) What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?
a)I want to explore comic structure and strict "Black & White" deeplier.
q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment — maybe the right mood?
a)I like to work in the morning, quite early. I need so much concentration that I can’t abide hard noises, just music.
q) What are your artistic influences?…and …generally who or what influences you the most?
a)I love comics, and I admire authors like Daniel Clowes, Charles Burns or Chris Ware, who have the courage to look deeply into abstract concepts, inherent to the human being, and therefore, quite difficult to express.
q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?
a)Here there are some of my favourite “artists”: Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Allan Moore, Sidney Lumet, Billy Wilder, Will Eisner, David Lynch, Matt Groening, Joss Whedon, Joon-ho Bong…
q) What is your next project? Exhibition? Collaboration?
a)I’m working in a serie of illustrations for an online publication about graphics arts: www.magaezine.es.
q) What are your plans for the future?
a)I’m planning to quit my current work and find out any other that lets me enjoy free time to work on personal projects.
q) Are there some web sites that You would like to recommend? Artists, art communities, xxx,…!?
a)Sometimes I visit communities like "Illustrators Friday", "Illustrators Mundo" and "Comic Space". Also, I would like to recommend a site where you can find interesting Spanish authors: www.edicionespeo.com
q) What sort of music do you listen to?
a)Pop music, mainly. Nowadays I listen to Josh Rouse, Arcade Fire and Charlote Gainsbourg.
q) Do you collect anything? If so what?
a)No, I don’t
q) What do you do for fun?
a)Be with friends, read comics and books, watch TV series and films, listen to music and make drawings.
q) Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?
a)Yes. Don’t be afraid to show your work.
a)Ana Galvan
ana@anagalvan.com
www.anagalvan.com
elmyra-duff.blogspot.com
