Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Student Spotlight: Julien Nicholas



Julien is a junior art major at Roanoke College.


VIA: How long have you been creating artwork and/or involved with the arts? 
Julien: I’m not even sure I can recall how far back I began drawing and painting. I have been immersed in the arts from a very young age.

VIA: What is your medium of choice for creating your work? 
J: I am a mixed media artist. I find it difficult to narrow down my medium of choice, however, I find myself using alcohol based markers more frequently than others.

VIA: What style or period of art inspires you as an artist? Who are some of your favorite artists? 
J: Modern art and pop art are my main influences. Some of my favorite artists are Yoshitaka Amano, Audrey Kawasaki, and in photography, Richard Avedon.

VIA: What is your leading inspiration when you create your work? 
J: My biggest inspiration in creating my work is music. Music influences the messages behind my work, the emotions they convey, and the overall themes. I am driven by music and use my favorite artists’ songs as my muse.

VIA: Are there other passions or interests you have that tie into your work at all? 
J: One of my biggest passions has been and always will be fashion design. Having a background in costuming from a young age, I found myself very interested in design and construction of costumes and garments. My biggest influences being Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh, I am drawn to the odd and unique. These interests tie into my artwork in that my aesthetic strays from the ordinary and reaches for the unique and extraordinary.

VIA: What are your plans for after college? 
J: After college I hope to move to New York City and continue my education by enrolling in FIT’s graduate program, in order to fuse my love for art and fashion.


This article was originally published in the September/October 2012 issue of VIA Noke Magazine.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Student Spotlight: Megan Phillips




Megan is a rising sophomore and attends Burton Center for the Arts.


What is your medium of choice for creating your artwork? 
My medium of choice varies on what I’m doing usually, to be honest. If I have an idea that I think would look better painted, I paint, or if I think it would look better in graphite, I use pencil. My most used medium would probably be ink and ballpoint pen; I really enjoy working with ink. 

What style or period of art inspires you as an artist? 
A mixture of art from different time periods inspires me as an artist. I really love older works of art from the 1800’s and from the Renaissance; they’re big inspirations for me. At the same time I am inspired by a lot of more modern street art. I’m still learning so I try to draw inspiration from all time periods and styles of art! 

Who are some of your favorite artists? 
Since I first got started in art after looking at artists on the Internet, I have hundreds of favorite artists from different sites! When it comes to local artists, Toobz is my biggest inspiration. I adore his work; he’s really someone I look up to. 

What are your plans for after high school? 
I want to be a sort of Renaissance woman, by being established in various fields. My passions are art, music/piano, and history. I have a lot of plans for after high school. I would like to become a professional artist, pianist/muscian and plan to go to college to learn as much as I can about these subjects. If everything works out eventually settle down as a history teacher. It is a pretty ambitious plan but I’m going to try my best to get to my goals by starting to work on them now! 




This article was originally published in the September/October 2012 issue of VIA Noke Magazine.