Canadian artist Marco Cibola is another Poketo for Target contributor, known for his clean lines, subtle textures, and low-key colors. Below, Marco gives us a short and sweet interview, along with a sampling of his awesome work.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
Depends on the day. Today it’s half full.
Where in Canada are you from and what’s the best part about it?
I grew up in Montreal. The best part about it is being out of the house there. There’s always something to do and always somebody you know to hang out with. Just a fun place all around.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
Hanging out with my wife and daughter, these days.
If you weren’t an illustrator what would you be?
If I wasn’t making pictures for a living, I’d probably be making music or food.
What’s your spirit animal?
According to Jeri Smith-Ready (the first online survey I took), I’m a swan. I’m not sure I’m buying into this “spirit animal” stuff yet. It’s making me look bad.
What’s your best and worst habit?
Clearing my throat. It’s great because it feels good and feels kind of necessary, but I’ve been told that it’s annoying to listen to. I didn’t think it was a habit, but it’s probably turned into one.
While it’s still in stores, check out Marco’s Poketo for Target camera case design. You might remember it from our Poketo Middleton Plates. The camera case is available in Target stores nationwide!
We are long-time fans of Pietari Posti, an artist whose work is filled with bold linework and lively colors. Pietari was born in Helsinki, and is currently based in Barcelona. He worked as a graphic designer for mere months before taking the plunge into full-time illustration in 2005. He has consistently been making beautiful images since. The following is what Pietari calls a perfect day in Barcelona, and it seems pretty perfect to us!
An aerial view of Pietari’s workspace
Perfect day starts with great coffee, at studio this time.
After coffee a walk in the city.
Then catching a train to San Pol de Mar. First relaxing at the beach then lunch in the village or at the beach:
After a while at the beach, head back to the city, escape the heat to (well ventilated) Cosmo Cafe and gallery
After a bit of siesta and when the dark comes, it’s time for dinner…at Routa, you can’t get bored of this place, although your wallet might have something to say, it’s not cheap!
After dinner, maybe a mojito at Rey del Mojito, porque no?
…and the finale of the night, catch a concert in some of the many venues in Barcelona. Maybe, Nick Cave at Casino of Poble Nou?
Thanks to Pietari for sharing a slice of his life with us! Be sure to ogle His Poketo for Target Ipod/tech case design. You could really use it for whatever you want, camera, iphone, secret treasures… whatever.
Russian-born artist Oksana Badrak is long time collaborator; her artwork has graced our limited-edition Poketo wallets (now out of print) and plates, and now Poketo for Target. She cultivated her talents at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and continues to live and work in Los Angeles. Using a computer-savvy combination of traditional and digital media, she creates surreal landscapes that are distinctly her own. Below, she discusses her varied influences, from Russian animation to theater, her creative process, growing up in Moscow, and much more!
What is your fondest memory of your childhood in Moscow?
I loved growing up in Moscow. The excellent subway system and lingering notion of communal parenting made it possible to explore the city on my own when I was very young. My mother taught me how to use the Metro when I turned 8, and from that moment on I owned the city. Being able to take the underground to the Red Square after school was wonderfully liberating. It was the best place to people-watch.
Especially fascinating were the groups of smiley foreign tourists, dressed in casual colorful clothing, clicking their futuristic-looking cameras, listening to a nerdy Russian tour guide proudly inform them that the weight of each ruby star crowning the Kremlin Towers is one ton. I could feel time collecting, among architectural relics of czarist and communist Russia, filling the air with friction. Now I travel to find places that make me feel the same way, and when I do, I feel at home.
What influences have shaped your aesthetic?
My mother was a theatre designer, and my father a choreographer. Much of my childhood was spent among sets, props, costumes, ballerinas and anxiety. These theatrical influences might be responsible for the more contrived qualities in my work.
When I was growing up, we had a small, boxy TV set encased in red plastic, and I was allowed a brief but meaningful nightly seance in front it. We named that TV “Elektron,” after its brand name. Every evening at 8:45 PM, one of two Russian TV channels broadcasted 15 minutes of animation to soothe the children in all 15 Soviet republics before bed time. This ritual exposed me to animated shorts from the Russian and Eastern European masters, who worked with traditional and stop motion animation. It has definitely influenced my aesthetic. “Elektron” showed me Yuri Norstein’s “Hedgehog in the Fog”, and in hindsight, I wish we were nicer to our red plastic friend when it was replaced by “Sony.”
Yuri Norstein’s “Hedgehog in the Fog”
What themes do you like to explore?
Despite of surviving a Jumping Cholla cactus attack I continue to seek close encounters with plants and animals. If I wasn’t an artist I would want to be David Attenborough.
A lot of my work is created for editorial, and the themes I explore vary tremendously. One day, I could be working on an assignment about “Television in the Era of Bush,” and the next day I could be illustrating about Western-style law firms in Japan. I enjoy the challenge because it keeps me on my creative toes.
Do you have a preference between working digitally or with traditional mediums? How does your creative process differ with each?
I do not separate the two. I use traditional mediums alongside a computer to create each piece that I make. The computer is just another tool that allows me the freedom of having multiple versions, more happy accidents and moving on more quickly without significant consequences. In my work, the line is blurred between the digital and the hand made, and I embrace the ambiguity.
Elements of Hokusai’s waves are present in this piece
Are there certain things you find yourself going back to for inspiration?
Some things inspired me when I was in art school and now they do nothing for me. Japanese woodblock prints are not in that category. This particular way of making an image has been a great source of inspiration since I was exposed to it as a student, and I still look to it with reverence. Just saw a great exhibition of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints at the Honolulu Art Academy. Beautiful.
What’s the most rewarding part about being an artist?
Experiencing the pure joy of creating.
Many thanks to Oksana for this illuminating interview. The awesome Bowler Bag you see above can be yours at Target stores nationwide, and you can see more of her work at Badrak.com!
Artist Silvia Portella is originally from Barcelona but now calls Berlin her home. Her work in character design and illustration, which demonstrates a love for kind and gentle creatures, inspires warmth and happiness in us! We invited her to share her Berlin with us, enjoy!
It has been three years since I moved to Berlin. I didn’t think that I’d stay here this long! While this city’s huge size, language, and poignant history intimidated me in the beginning, it turned into a second home, where my dream of making a living from drawing has become a reality.
I enjoy many things about Berlin, but I especially like the lifestyle. Living here is about having space to develop your passions, and being productive in a peaceful environment. I’m impressed by the love and respect Germans have for nature, and how important it is to cultivate it. The city is full of beautiful trees and flowers, and green pops out wildly from under the street tiles and the buildings. There are more bikes than cars, few advertisements, and many small shops. Galleries and workshop spaces are favored over huge malls. It’s understandable why Berlin is considered an eco-friendly city and so appealing to many artists from all over the world. Living in a place with few distractions and a connection to nature nurtures my creativity.
Checking out what other people do is one of my favorite things. Ateliers in which people work and sell their goods are all over the city. You can see paintings, jewelry, and dresses, observe the whole creative process, and meet the creator all at once. I’m also fascinated with peoples’ tendency to turn their homes into open galleries, open to everyone. You can find yourself in a stranger’s private space, filled with paintings, sculptures, and projections in the living room. It’s weird that you’re invading someone else’s space, but exciting.
As for my favorite spots in Berlin, I never get tired of visiting the Kaiser Wilhem Memorial Church, located in the west city center. This church was destroyed by a bombing and preserved as a reminder of the destruction of war. Despite its scars, or maybe because of them, it is beautiful and powerful. One look can tell you a million stories.
For nice treats, I love the Treptow flea market in Southeast Berlin. You can always find treasures like old photo cameras, toys, retro kitchenware, and amazing books.
I couldn’t be happier in Berlin’s Tierpark, a nature reserve built during the 1950′s in the former Berlin of the DDR. Amazingly, the animals are uncaged; you can observe tigers having a bath in a lake, pet fluffy lemurs, or visit baby elephants’ kindergarten, cutest thing ever!
Take home Silvia’s special brand of cuteness with her Poketo for Target key charm design. The coolest things about these charms, you can put them on keys, zippers, bags, phones, make them into necklaces… just about anything.
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