Ross Von Rosenberg- Contact with industry.

I have spoken to Ross Von Rosenberg via email many years ago now, in order to find out about the ideas behind his paintings and the materials he used, and his reply was was friendly and helpful. I have stayed interested in all of his work over the years, watching him adapt to many areas of design, and viewing the new works he uploads on to his website.

I recently emailed him again with a few questions, with the hope that he would have the time to reply, and once again he did with the same enthusiasm.

First of all, Although I initally became aware of you because of your paintings, you do produce a lot of work using digital technologies. Does this provide an easier working method for you in terms of the time it would take to produce a piece? And would you say the digital images you produce help to provide more work for you?

Yes, I use digital technology almost every time I create something. Of course for my graphic design profession the applications are self evident, but when painting I do as well. For example when I need to make a stencil that is something that I will create in the computer. Also often I will collage my own photography into a piece, which is of course shot digitally. Also often times, when painting, I work from an existing reference photo or photos, and I often will work out my pieces composition of the dominant visual elements in the computer prior to go to going to canvas as I found it saves loads of time rather than just starting a painting blind (at least in the style I often work in now) only to get half way done an realize the composition or balance doesn't work and you have to paint things out and start over. So yes digital technologies help me immensely.

As an illustrator I mainly work for a specific brief and drawing for the sake of drawing doesn't necessarily happen so much anymore. It has been a huge discussion point at university recently, and we feel as though illustrators have lost their own ideas and opinions within their work, simply because we're already given somebody else's idea and we then make it 'look pretty'. What are your thoughts on this? And do you think that portraying your own opinions contributes to creating your own brand?

To your second question, I do think the demands of client work is breeding out originality in art a bit and definitely in design. I think as a creator it is important to have a sense of self, and visual style and opinions that constitute your brand as an artist. I think if we don't hold that dear to at least some degree then we will all be turned into, for lack of a better term 'art robots' that lack personality. One thing I think is important, is that you may now work for a specific brief for paying work, that you still need to do art for the sake of itself and for your personal expression on your own. This will not only help you develop your technical skills but it will help you find your voice, and once you find that voice you can start working that voice into your pay work, and make it your brand, that then people will not pay you just for your technical skills but they pay for you because you are you, if that makes sense. I say always try and make the client bend to you at least a little, by bringing them that unique sensibility that your voice brings to your work that they can only get from you. The more you will be able to do this the more freedom you will gain not just in your personal work but in your client work.

Have you ever adapted your work to a completely new environment for example, window displays?

Yes in my design job I work in retail POP so the designs have to modular in order to work in several different formats. As for my paintings, no. They are what they are.

Finally, what do you think about the current design industry? Do you think it is more competitive than it has ever been and do you feel as though everything is beginning to look the same?

I do feel the current design industry is as competitive as ever in certain aspects. Mainly that more people are getting into design as a career, and as digital technologies advance the computer is beginning level the playing field for people that have truly great visual talents and sensibilities versus people that do not but know how to use programs like photo shop well. I also think this competitiveness kind of cheapens what we do to the client cause as these technologies become more and more consumer friendly there tends to be a growing thought that, 'well I know how to use photo shop, I can be a designer, that all there is to it.' Which is complete BS but that is the perception often. As to the second part, I do think this effect and other are contributing to a broad 'sameness' in the design industry. With the amount of visual media on the internet today more and more clients I think are out there looking at existing visual communications and styles that worked before, and then come to people like us with a print out and say I want something like that. And we will do it, because hey, we get paid money for it.

There was a really interesting article in Spin magazine about the recycling of genres of music as the decades have worn on, starting from the early 1900s. It's interesting to see how genre recycling really begins to balloon as you work up to the modern era. A good example of this is how some one like Amy Winehouse was essentially doing a modern spin on old motown soul music of the 50s and 60s, or how a band like Mumford and Sons is basically doing a kind of power pop mash up of bluegrass and 60s folk. I bring this up because I think it is the natural effect of the more stuff out in the world the more things influence and or rub off on each other. It is the great difficult question for the modern artist and that I think of as painter or designer everyday. What out there is truly original, and how can I do something that will be truly groundbreaking? Not that there is anything wrong with homage, put into the blender and packaged in a new way, especially if it is coming from a place of honest love and sincerity and is not just tossed out as a gimmick. For example I enjoy those musicians I list above, because I believe they take (or took) their craft very seriously and that their work comes from a genuine place.

But yeah, a good example of sameness is to look at movie posters these days. All horror movies posters look a certain way. If you are a quirky indie film your poster has to have some kind of simple illustrative handcrafted look to it that screams 'INDIE!' But yes I do think things are beginning to look more and more the same, and it is a shame.

Anyway, I hope that I answered your questions effectively, and feel free to ask me anything else that pops in your head, I'm always glad to help. I hope your career is going well, and remember, always try and make time to do art for yourself, find your voice, cause in the world of ridiculous client demands, at least for me, getting to do my art for it's own sake, helps me find my sanity as well lol. Take care Jadine, and stay in touch.

A huge thank you is due to Ross Von Rosenberg for taking time to answer my questions with such in depth responses, I couldn't possibly have wished for more!