interview: dewey saunders
︎Artist, Collage, Interview
︎ Ventral Is Golden
interview: dewey saunders
︎Artist, Collage, Interview
︎ Ventral Is Golden
︎ Ventral Is Golden
"Music for me is rather like the sea" proclaimed Kafka… "I am overpowered, wonderstruck, enthralled, and yet afraid, so terribly afraid of its endlessness.
I am in fact a bad sailor."
In an effort to aid our navigation through the endless waves of information, the act of making art and poetry with such immediacy, given to us firstly through the printing press and then the internet, not only represent the sails of our craft, but also our point of departure towards a memory of a repetition, an origin. We caught up with Dewey Saunders, a Graphic Designer and Collage Artist, who's visual vocabulary provides us with the perfect mental weather conditions for such a journey. In turn, making us all better sailors.
I am in fact a bad sailor."
In an effort to aid our navigation through the endless waves of information, the act of making art and poetry with such immediacy, given to us firstly through the printing press and then the internet, not only represent the sails of our craft, but also our point of departure towards a memory of a repetition, an origin. We caught up with Dewey Saunders, a Graphic Designer and Collage Artist, who's visual vocabulary provides us with the perfect mental weather conditions for such a journey. In turn, making us all better sailors.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and where you’re from?
I'm from South Florida, born and raised around Boynton Beach. I was inundated with surf and skate culture at a young age and grew up in a very creative environment. My parents were pretty hippie-ish and I think a lot of the lifestyle along with the music influenced me at an early age.
How has your environment influenced the style of work you create?
Coming from a sub tropical location definitely influenced my work, I'm really attracted to sunset gradients and soft beachy pastel color palates. I'm based in Philly now, but I think my work still maintains a Cali - Florida kind of vibe.
What is it you love about collage?
Collage is really fluid medium that has endless possibilities. Over the years, working with collage has been a process of refinement with many discoveries and techniques along the way. Lately, I have been loosening up quite a bit almost with a Dadaist type of approach and letting chance and spontaneity dictate where the pieces end up. Collage is my preferred medium right now because you can create mind bending compositions fairly quickly.
Can you tell us about your creative process? What techniques do you try to cultivate when making your pieces, and how do you avoid turning them into old habits?
My creative process varies from day to day, sometimes I will spend an entire afternoon cutting images and making little piles of related pieces and the next day start assembling or "sketching" out ideas with the paper cut outs. Lately my technique has been cutting smaller and more abstract cuts and painting with the paper cut outs to create movement. I like to experiment with smaller pieces and even make a lot of un-glued compositions on my scanner to get unexpected results. I think new ideas are constantly coming out of the work process, so I try to keep busy and let things take their course.
Music seems to play an important role in moulding your graphic design perspective.
Have you worked with many musicians in the past?
Music is really important, I've always been an avid music collector from hip hop to reggae, indie rock, jazz, pretty much everything. Album covers have always been a big piece of the music experience. I've worked with musicians ever since I started to make artwork, and have always provided friends with imagery. The natural progression has been working with bigger artists and labels to create covers/packaging and fully integrated brand campaigns. I also feel like I understand what its like to be a musician because I have just grown up around so much of its influences. Working with Anderson .Paak or Chronixx, for example, I had to cultivate an understanding of their sound. Living with their music was essential to translating the music visually and texturally.
My creative process varies from day to day, sometimes I will spend an entire afternoon cutting images and making little piles of related pieces and the next day start assembling or "sketching" out ideas with the paper cut outs. Lately my technique has been cutting smaller and more abstract cuts and painting with the paper cut outs to create movement. I like to experiment with smaller pieces and even make a lot of un-glued compositions on my scanner to get unexpected results. I think new ideas are constantly coming out of the work process, so I try to keep busy and let things take their course.
Music seems to play an important role in moulding your graphic design perspective.
Have you worked with many musicians in the past?
Music is really important, I've always been an avid music collector from hip hop to reggae, indie rock, jazz, pretty much everything. Album covers have always been a big piece of the music experience. I've worked with musicians ever since I started to make artwork, and have always provided friends with imagery. The natural progression has been working with bigger artists and labels to create covers/packaging and fully integrated brand campaigns. I also feel like I understand what its like to be a musician because I have just grown up around so much of its influences. Working with Anderson .Paak or Chronixx, for example, I had to cultivate an understanding of their sound. Living with their music was essential to translating the music visually and texturally.
What was the creative relationship like when you were working with Chronixx.
Did you have much creative freedom?
The creative relationship with Chronixx was great because I had a lot of creative freedom. The direction and vision was team effort, Che Kothari, Chronixx and I worked together on the conceptual aspect and general creative direction. I had complete freedom within the main vision we developed and I was allowed to do some really experimental work paired with super clean and crisp design. All together, the campaign consisted of single artwork, album artwork and packaging, tour poster series, t-shirts and all over social media application.
Did you have much creative freedom?
The creative relationship with Chronixx was great because I had a lot of creative freedom. The direction and vision was team effort, Che Kothari, Chronixx and I worked together on the conceptual aspect and general creative direction. I had complete freedom within the main vision we developed and I was allowed to do some really experimental work paired with super clean and crisp design. All together, the campaign consisted of single artwork, album artwork and packaging, tour poster series, t-shirts and all over social media application.
What are you exploring through 'Subtle Studies'? Is this a personal project or collaboration?
Subtle Studies is an exhibition in collaboration with sculptor & designer Bohay Gold. This was actually our fourth show together, and we created a body of collages and sculpture with heavy themes of psychedelia, illusion, holographic universes and camoflauge/patterning. I did a series of collages with sprayed gradient backgrounds which were also applied to some of the octopus sculptures in our exhibition. Super trippy stuff!
Subtle Studies is an exhibition in collaboration with sculptor & designer Bohay Gold. This was actually our fourth show together, and we created a body of collages and sculpture with heavy themes of psychedelia, illusion, holographic universes and camoflauge/patterning. I did a series of collages with sprayed gradient backgrounds which were also applied to some of the octopus sculptures in our exhibition. Super trippy stuff!
“I like to do a lot of reading and research but at the same time the creative process is a pretty free zone and I like to step back and let it happen. “
What are you trying to communicate through your artwork?
I feel like most of my work is generally about the process of self discovery, magical moments of life, everyday enlightenment, studies into the nature of life and humanity. I like to do a lot of reading and research but at the same time the creative process is a pretty free zone and I like to step back and let it happen.
What can we expect from your future projects?
I'm working on a bunch of single and album artwork for a number of artists/labels. You can expect an evolution and constant progress, always trying to out do myself and satisfy my desire to do something fresh and original. Can't say too much about who I'm working with but definitely keep in touch!
I feel like most of my work is generally about the process of self discovery, magical moments of life, everyday enlightenment, studies into the nature of life and humanity. I like to do a lot of reading and research but at the same time the creative process is a pretty free zone and I like to step back and let it happen.
What can we expect from your future projects?
I'm working on a bunch of single and album artwork for a number of artists/labels. You can expect an evolution and constant progress, always trying to out do myself and satisfy my desire to do something fresh and original. Can't say too much about who I'm working with but definitely keep in touch!
“I feel like most of my work is generally about the process of self discovery, magical moments of life, everyday enlightenment, studies into the nature of life and humanity.“
Further Reading ︎
Artist website
Artist Instagram