www.aiquarterly.com
coming spring 2010
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The quarterly magazine from students at The Art Institute of Charleston
CONTENTS
AiQ WINTER TEAM Editor-in-chief, founder Russ Bratcher russ@aiquarterly.com
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Executive Editor Stephanie Schultz photography Cyle Suesz cyle@aiquarterly.com
ROBERT LANGE The Genius Painter PHOTO BY CYLE SUESZ
PHOTOGRAPHY Josh Capeder 6
EDITOR’S LETTER
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Calendar of Events
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PRESIDENT’S LETTER
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SIGHTINGS Style File with Meg, AiQ fashion editor
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GALLERY ART Showcasing Ai student art work
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PIONEER Local fashion designer Sarah Maxwell
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HISTORY Why I will keep a Promise
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CHRISTOPHER LEE Illustrator shares his life experiences
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PURPLE KANGAROO Getting past Creative Block
Fashion editor Meg Ellis fashion@aiquarterly.com FASHION EDITOR Monique Araujo GRAPHIC DESIGN Jean Piot GRAPHIC DESIGN Tara Moore Copy Editor Terry Fox tcfox@aii.edu
ABOUT AiQ The Art Institute Quarterly is a quarterly publication covering all the majors offered at AiCSC along with community stories for students by students at The Art Institute of Charleston. We reach an audience of over 700 students, staff and faculty and the surrounding Charleston, SC community. This unique publication is one of its kind in the Ai community. AiQ is printed in-house at The Art Institute of Charleston’s own print studio. All models, designs, photographs, contributors, events and team management are produced by students at AiCSC. This publication is for educational use only and is not intended for financial gain. Reader Services Letters, AiQ welcomes your letters and comments. Send letters to Russ Bratcher, editor-in-chief at russ@aiquarterly.com Writing Opportunities We are always looking for fresh voices and stories for our AiCSC family to enjoy each quarter though our publication. Please send queries and/or suggestions to the editor. Published by The Art Institute of Charleston 24 N. Market Street Charleston, SC 29401 ©2010 AiQ www.aiquarterly.com Facebook search: The Art Institute Quarterly Twitter search: AiQuarterly2008
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AiQ Artist: Meg Ellis, Russ Bratcher, Monique Araujo, Jean Piot, Cyle Suesz, Josh Capeder (Stephanie Schultz and Tara Moore not pictured)
winter 2010 volum e 3, issue 1
Cover: Pioneer by Cyle Suesz
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AiQ EDITOR’S LETTER
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his issue was inspired by one word. Pioneer. I was inspired by this vernacular I heard from Cyle Suesz for our fashion spread in this issue. Although the name of the spread is Pioneer (on page 18), I wanted to take it further and see what this could mean for me, you, and any other student at The Art Institute of Charleston. We printed a poster for this issue that is displayed in the halls of our Market Street
campus.To the left is the quote we used on the poster and the rest of the quote. I really believe in what this says. Our theme, Pioneer, exists for all of us on all sorts of levels.The know that what you say and do matter. It matters to yourself, your classmates, your school, family and community you live in. Stop being a mouse and give your voice life through your work and design. Be a Pioneer. I have never felt the need to stress more than ever the importance of our journey here and after we graduate. Every connection, every human, all the lessons learned here at The
Art Institute will mold you into a better student, artist and designer. I believe our school wants us to be thinkers and planners, not mere decorators who make things look pretty. Yes, you must have talent and drive, but please keep educating yourself even if it means skipping the party or
Pioneers are a special breed of people. They take the world as it exists and
losing that one extra hour of sleep. Now is the time and
begin to transform it into what it could become. It requires confidence in
it is all you have to be your best ever. Education is the
one's unique perception, vision, or hunch (which detractors call madness),
freedom to over come all fear. Keep your nose in a book
the courage of one's convictions (which detractors call stubbornness),
sometime. Our library is filled with the most amazing
perseverance, persistence, and 'stick-to-itiveness' (which detractors
books hand-picked just for us. You can never take away
call pigheadedness), and confidence in one's ability to succeed (which
the experience of going from page to page either. Get off
detractors call arrogance).
the computer once and a while. Thank you. Pioneers always face resistance: from those not sharing their convictions,
Christopher Lee (page 30) is an artist in California who
those whose beliefs are being challenged, those with a financial interest
has worked with large companies and has developed a
in maintaining the status quo, and those who would steal their work. They
very unique style of illustration. I found his website in a
have to have personalities able to deal with this resistance. Those who do
magazine that I read at the book store, contacted him and
not share a pioneer's understanding or vision must first be made to see. This
brought you his answers to my questions. Please email
is one of the pioneer's tasks. To expect support before having convinced
him and let him know your thoughts. Being nice to AiQ
others, just because one is convinced, is an unrealistic expectation that
and responding to our query was amazing and we thank
leads to failure and bitterness.
Christopher greatly! Perspective. If you hold a dime very close to your eye, it blots out the whole
A special thing about life is once your path has crossed
world. Ideas can also do that. Narrowly focused on a new idea or invention,
with another you are connected forever.Thank you for
one can lose perspective. Pioneers may think that others should see what
picking up our issue to look through and read. We are
is obvious to them only because they've dwelled on it. Absorbed in the
bringing you our best in 2010 and hope you will too.
beauty of their ideas and their effort, it can be disappointing and painful to get no credit for insights and accomplishments. Pioneers often have difficult
Russ Bratcher
personalities. It goes with the territory of pioneering in at least two ways.
Editor-in-Chief
In pursuing a hunch, they spend many hours alone and socially isolated. In
russ@aiquarterly.com
addition, their personal quirks and neuroses may have led them to such isolated pursuits in the first place. A great need for recognition, one such neurosis, leads to feeling deprived when that recognition is not forthcoming. —Udo Erasmus, Author of Fats that Heal Fats that Kill
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PHOTO BY CYLE SUESZ
main point for me was to tell you to believe in your leadership skills or work on them and
Write that down!
Charleston Calendar of Events
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Spring Graduate Portfolio Show
March
AiCSC, N. Market Campus, Atrium March 25, 2010
Copper River Bridge Run
March
March 27, 2010, www.bridgerun.com
Young Contemporaries 2010: 25th Annual
April
Juried Student - Exhibition and Salon des Refusés Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, (843) 953-5680 April 1-27, 2010
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It’s in The Bag! Purse Auction
April
Center for Women, www.c4women.org April 30, 2010
Modern Masters from the Ferguson
April
Collection Gibbes Museum of Art, (843) 722-2706 April 30 – August 22, 2010
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Dining with Friends
May
Lowcountry AIDS Services, www.aids-services.com May 1, 2010
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AiCSC Spring Cook-out May 2, 2010
Red Cross Blood Drive
May
AiCSC, N. Market Campus May 6, 2010
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The French Quarter Art Walk
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Spoleto Festival USA
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Piccolo Spoleto Festival
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May
James Island County Park
May
May 7, 2010
Cory Oberndorfer
May
Redux Contemporary Art Center May 14 – June 6, 2010
May
May 28-June 13, 2010 www.spoletousa.org
May
May 28-June 13, 2010 www.piccolospoleto.com
“Call and Response: Africa to America”: The Art of
May
Nick Cave and Phyllis Galembo Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art May 27- July 16, 2010
Calendar dates prepared by AiCSC Student Services Department
CONNECT WITH AiQ Facebook Search: The Art Institute Quarterly
Search: AiQuarterly2008 7
AiCSC PRESIDENT’S LETTER
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hope everyone is having a productive winter quarter. As you read this article, The Art Institute of Charleston will be involved in a number of exciting community activities. On February 21st
our culinary students, and Chef Chris Stallard, will be involved in Chef’s Feast, an annual event that benefits the Low Country Food Bank. Our team has been asked to prepare desserts for all those who attend the event. was judged among the best of all the food that was served. I know they will do an exceptional job again this year. The first weekend of March we celebrated the 5th annual Charleston Wine and Food Festival. We are proud to be major sponsors of this event again this year. Our involvement has been almost school wide. A team of our interior design students have created the demonstration kitchen tent, which will be a major addition to the festival. They have also created the design for the celebrity chef’s tent. Our photography students have created images for several of the festival tents. Our film students will be working with a local television studio to film the event. We will again join with Charleston magazine to sponsor Bubbles & Sweets, a fun Saturday evening highlight of the festival. To cap everything off, we will sponsor the festival’s cooking competitions, where local chefs cook off against visiting chefs. A new feature this year will be two of our culinary students competing against one another, and having as their sous chef a local and visiting celebrity chef. What an exciting few days this should be! On March 16th Charleston Fashion Week begins. This year we again will be the title sponsor of this event. And again we will try to involve as many of our academic programs as possible in all the excitement that is fashion week. Last year our photography and fashion students helped make this week a success. This year we hope to involve our film students as well. And certainly one of the high points of the week will be the runway show on Friday evening produced by our very own faculty member, Ashley Reid, and a group of her students. This quarter will also see our involvement in Charleston’s burgeoning film scene, as we take part in the first of what has now become two film festivals in Charleston. We’ll be a sponsor of both of these festivals. As you continue your studies with us this quarter, I hope you have found the time to welcome our new Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Esther Kramer, to our campus. I know you will find her to be very student-focused and accessible. We are very happy that she is with us. I also hope you all had the chance to take part in our efforts to help the citizens of Haiti recover from the terrible tragedy that struck that country. I want to especially thank Ryan Collins for all his leadership and efforts in this. Ryan is the kind of student that makes us all proud to be part of The Art Institute of Charleston.
Rick Jerue AiCSC President rjerue@aii.edu
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photo by Obed Danjoint
Last year our culinary team prepared a lamb dish that
STUDENT NEWS
HAPPENINGS IN STUDENT SERVICES AIGA, Charleston
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The role of Student Ambassador for the college is to provide service to the college as official hosts and goodwill ambassadors at functions where
he Art Institute of Charleston now can boast of its third and fourth
it is desired to have students welcome guests and visitors. The Student
fully registered student organizations: a chapter of the AIGA (American
Ambassadors also provide service to the administrative offices of the
Institute of Graphic Arts), which has dubbed itself as “the professional
college as needed in carrying out official functions. Ambassadors are
association for design”, and Simply Digital, a digital filmmaking club.
awarded a scholarship each quarter based on the successful completion of all requirements.
The months of hard work and planning in spearheading this registration by Carla Holzer, graphic design faculty member and club advisor, have at last
In addition to the above-named students, the “veteran” Student Ambassadors
paid off.The officers of our AIGA are: Jonathan Keller, President; Jacqueline
for the campus are Tierra Ravenell, Kristin Taylor, and Obed Danjoint.
D’Amico, Vice-President; Margaret Watson, Secretary; Anna Burnett, Treasurer; Rica Walton, Director of Communications; Officer;and Nicole DeMinter, Membership
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Officer.
Institute of Atlanta.
Tatum Krupen-Fromerth, Programming charleston
Ai Students attend a Leadership Academy
With a mission statement which reads,“Our mission is to empower creatives and
n February 26-27, 2010, a group of students from our campus will once again be attending the annual student Leadership Academy at The Art
This year our representatives at this training will be the Resident Assistants
advance design initiatives through advocacy, education and the exchange of ideas
from our housing program: Deanna Whisman, Patrice Plowden, Cyle Suesz,
within the local community”, the AIGA launched itself with a very successful
and Marcus Williams. These students will be accompanied on their junket
campus-wide “Meat and Greet” in the Atrium on February 11, 2010.
to Atlanta by LaShanda Scott, Director of Residence Life and Housing.
Simply Digital, a film club
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For more information contact: Terry Fox
oslin Smith, digital filmmaking faculty member and club advisor, has done
Director of Student Services
a masterful job in quickly guiding her students through the registration
tcfox@aii.edu
process. The officers of Simply Digital are: Xander Martin, President; J.T. Hooper, Vice-President; LaTrice Langston, Secretary; and Dakota Smith, Treasurer; Ryan Holderfield, HR; Jon Richards, Scheduler; Felix Cooper, Marketing Vice-President; and Brad Philpott, Marketing. Simply Digital’s mission statement has these dual thrusts: “To guide the digital program and its students to create a library of independent student features that will further prepare them for the field ahead” and “To unite the various classes and students within the digital filmmaking department by working together to create at least one student film per quarter.” The two other current officially registered campus organizations are Ai Un-Filtered, the photography club, and The Message, a non-denominational faith-based organization.
Student Ambassadors
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he following students have been added to the roster of Student Ambassadors for the college beginning with the winter quarter: Triela Williams, Anna
Picone, Patrice Plowden, and Marcello Garafalo.
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SIGHTINGS
STYLE FILE WITH MEG ELLIS Any resident of Charleston knows just how fickle our winter weather can be, often times, making the routine of picking out an outfit in the morning quite the guessing game. However, these six Ai students seem to have mastered that challenge. The girls stay right on trend for this winter wearing patterned tights, leather jackets, and knee high boots.
Nichole Rath (Interior Design)
Andrea Joseph (Graphic Design)
Kaitlin Craver (Fashion & Retail
Hat: Gifted
Jacket: Charlotte Russe
Management)
Coat: Thrifted
Dress: Charlotte Russe
Scarf: Target
Shirt: Thrifted
Tights: Target
Wrap: Target
Tights: Gap
Boots: Charlotte Russe
Sweater: H&M
Shoes: Bakers
Bag: TJ Maxx
Leggings: Ulis Boutique Boots: Urban Outfitters Bag: Santa Fe local artist
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SIGHTINGS
The boys represent both ends of the spectrum with Dustin opting for a sharp shouldered blazer and more tailored look, while Brad displays urban living at its finest with his beanie, Ray-Bans, and plaid shirt. Undoubtedly, these six students have chosen their wardrobes wisely as they all display items that will easily transition into the warmer months of winter and the spring days that will soon be headed our way.
Dustin Barnhill (Fashion & Retail
Brad Hutchinson (Photographic Imaging)
Malik Caldwell (Graphic Design)
Management)
Hat: Urban Outfitters
Cardigan: Izod T-Shirt: Alador & Smith
Blazer: Ralph Lauren
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban
Shirt: Ralph Lauren
Shirt: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Flea Market
Jeans: Levis
Jeans: KR3W
Jeans: Polo Ralph Lauren
Shoes: 1960 Vintage Florsheims
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Nike
*Style File Captured weekly exclusively for AiQ Contact Meg Ellis for details. fashion@aiquarterly.com Photo by Cyle Suesz
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winter 2010 GALLERY OF STUDENT WORK student gallery • photographic imaging
Ever wonder what is coming out of the next classroom? Now you can know through our new student gallery featuring works from all majors at The Art Institute of Charleston. Please enjoy!
Photographic Imaging, Matt LeGault, After-math
CHARLESTON art * culture * history
Graphic Design, Jean Piot, Charleston - art, culture, history
student gallery • graphic design
experience
student gallery • fashion retail management Fashion Retail Management, Stacy Evans, Charleston Museum Wedding Dress Exhibit
student gallery • web design & interactive media
Web Design & Interactive Media, Christine Marquardt, The Walker Phenomenal Spirit Award
student gallery • interior design Interior Design, Holly E. Spake, Aging in place Ohio House
student gallery • film & video production
Film and Video Production, Xander Martin, Director; Ryan Holderfield, Director of Photography, Night of The Pariah
Want to see your work here? All majors at AiCSC welcome to submit. Submit your best work at 300 dpi to editor-in-chief, Russ Bratcher, russ@aiquarterly.com Deadline for submission in spring 2010 issue: April 9, 2010 or the end of the first week of every quarter.
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pioneer x Local fashion designer, Sarah Maxwell teams up with The Art Institute Quarterly for a winter fashion shoot. All models and images were created by local students from the Charleston, SC area.
photography by Cyle Suesz • hair by Nicole Hyer Geary makeup by James Mitchell
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dandelion dress Long ivory metallic linen, $374
g
Ivory metallic linen dress, $310 Black metallic linen skirt, $165 Ivory dandelion, $176
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Black open back dress with tie belt, $287 Biz Dress Black leaf print, $276
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Black remix top, $176 Studded tartan skirt, $182
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credits
Fashion provided by Sarah Maxwell www.sarahmaxwelldesign.com
Modeling by (from left to right) Chanel Gordon, Devin Jones, Elise Yardley, Monique Araujo, Mandy Warholic
Speical thanks to Des’ola Gunter
HISTORY
WHY I TEACH AT AiCSC — I MADE A PROMISE Some of the faculty and staff at The Art Institute of Charleston have been here since day one (April 3, 2007). Some just joined us this quarter (winter 2010). Whenever their journey began, they each have a tale. Mrs. Mildred Keith shares her journey to our campus.
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hen I graduated years ago, my first real job was teaching. Being young and materialistic, compassion for others are lost in the things you want for yourself. Industry called and I took advantage of the opportunity to leave the teaching profession.When I told my mother of this great opportunity, the look of disappointment in her eyes was unmistakable. It was then that I was made aware of mom’s dream to be a teacher and that she was living that dream through me.
Text and images provided by Mrs. Mildred Keith. Photo caption: (starting at top left) Mrs. Keith (1-3, 4) Mrs. Keith and her daughter
It was only at that moment that I realized that mom had dreams and goals that were never achieved. It became clear why all of her children were forced to become educated, something she declared
“Every student who decides to attend this institution has made an investment in us.We in turn must make the same investment in them.” no one could take away. I took her hand and said I will teach again. All of the years spent in industry never took away the promise. Consistently through the years, I tutored anyone who needed it and with organizations that adopted “at risk” schools. At the end of my industry career, time had come to fulfill the promise. My compassion for others and the desire to help had long returned. Over the years, documented evidence had shown a steady decline in math. My experience showed that most people are afraid of math because they believe they’re no good at it. No one instilled in them that anything is possible. In 2007, The Art Institute hired me to teach math. The classes were small and capped at twenty students, so success for everyone was inevitable. In a short period of time, reality of the situation was evident. Many of the students would need additional help to be successful. At that moment, I made a commitment, “any student coming to The Art Institute of Charleston” and willing to put in the work would be successful in math. Ham Fat Harry, my imaginary “math” pig and I stand committed to keeping our promise. Every student who decides to attend this institution has made an investment in us. We in turn must make the same investment in them. If the time comes when that personal commitment can’t be met, that will be day I present my resignation.
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INDUSTRY
SO, YOU THINK YOU WANT MY JOB? Christopher Lee is no stranger to the design world. His list of clients include Nike ACG, Coca Cola Canada, Target and Disney. AiQ Editor-in-chief, Russ Bratcher, contacted Christopher for an interview exclusively for our AiQ readers.
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ell us a little about yourself. I’m 27 years old and I was born in Sacramento, California. I graduated from California State University Sacramento (CSUS) in the summer of 2006 with a BA in graphic design. Over the past nine years I’ve worked with a variety of studios and clientele. In 2000, I landed my first internship at a small design firm that worked with mainly non-profit clients. This was my boot camp. Here I learned the process for working with real world clients, the true meaning of deadlines and how a studio was managed. I stayed there for four years before going on to work at the Department of Design at my college (CSUS). While there I worked with a couple other staff students on collateral for school events. After graduating in 2006, I moved to Los Angeles where I was hired as an art director for a skate and street culture magazine called Vapors. I handled all the design and pre-press duties for the publication. I left Vapors at the end of 2006 for an opportunity at a motion graphics studio named Buck (www.buck.tv). I served as one of their art directors for the majority of my three and a half year stay. I left Buck last October to pursue my own career as a freelance illustrator and have been happy with that choice ever since.
The Professional Christopher Lee, photo provided by artist
“Not everyone with a black portfolio and some drawings will be able to make it and sometimes, it’s downright ruthless.” —Christopher Lee
Why did you want to become a freelance illustrator? Like most artists and designers out there, I probably knew when I first could hold a pencil and scribble on a piece of paper. I was able to translate my imagination into quirky characters and crude art. Drawing had always ignited a spark of excitement for me as I was growing up.Also my parents nurtured my talent and never told me that I should be a brain surgeon or a lawyer. Although there was a point when I was convinced I’d be a marine biologist, but that’s another story. If a student wants to become a freelance illustrator, how should he best prepare? You should know what you want to do and attack that goal full force. This industry does not wait for lazy artists and designers who think that the world will come to them. You have to show passion in your work. Ask yourself daily “how badly do you want it?” In the beginning of your career, no job is too small or insignificant. Even the simplest jobs that you take on at the start of your career help plant the seed that will eventually grow forever. Those early projects help you establish the discipline and work ethic that you’ll need when you tackle Interview by Russ Bratcher, Photograph provided by Christopher Lee
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Caption: Typography poster by Christopher Lee
the big fish later on in your career. If I think back to how it all began and if I took out just one link in the chain of events that have transpired over the past nine years I think things would have been different. For example, this article (which was prepared so generously by Russ Bratcher) would have never come to light if he had not picked up a magazine at Barnes & Noble and read a small article that mentioned my work as a source of inspiration. That said, the journey should be the most rewarding thing to look back on as you progress through your career. What sets a candidate apart from others when he’s seeking an illustrator position? A strong, individual, yet marketable
style. If you’re trying to work in a commercial design field but your style lends itself more towards fine art, you’re going to have trouble finding a job. A good art director or creative director is able to recognize instantly if a person has the passion and the “eye” just by looking a few pieces in their portfolio. What the average starting salary for a freelance illustrator? Salary really varies depending on which creative industry you decide to leap into. For example, a lower level job at a motion graphics studio will normally pay more than say, a higher position at a print firm. Sometimes, it’s the complete opposite. It’s really subjective and based highly on how much experience you 31
have, the style you can bring to the table and your demographic. Jobs in Los Angeles can pay more, but the cost of living is higher so you’re always playing a balancing game. Are there any misconceptions that people have about the job? I think the biggest misconceptions come from people who don’t know much about the industry. If I try to tell someone I’m a “freelance illustrator” who isn’t exposed to the creative world, I get an apprehensive nod of approval. Like an “ooooh, that’s cool.” Even though the general public looks at good design and illustration everyday, it is often taken for granted. I think it’s great when people understand that what we do is not easy. Not everyone with a black portfolio and some drawings will be able to make it and sometimes, it’s downright ruthless. What is the work/family balance like? Up until October of this past year I was living a double life. I worked full-time during the day and then came home to work on my freelance jobs. Thankfully, I have a very loving girlfriend who understood how I had to distribute my time. I finally threw in the towel and decided to pursue a full-time freelance career which has left me with less time to do all the things I thought I’d be able to do while working from home. I have plastic models that are halfway built, video games gathering dust and a motorcycle weeping in the garage. It’s a double edged sword I tell you!
Childhood Christopher as a little artist in 1989
Colorful Creations 32
Christopher Lee’s extensive character creation. Check his web site out for more art work and even a glimpse into his art process.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is to find your own visual voice in this field. You want to get noticed.” —Christopher Lee What is the best part of the job? The best part of the job is being able to work with world renowned brands and agencies knowing that I am creating something just for them. It’s my responsibility to make my clients look their best no matter the job at hand. Whether it be a national campaign for Coca Cola or an illustration for an independent publication, the level of importance is the same. What’s the hierarchy like in the design industry? How does one “move up” in the job? It really depends on your personal goals. Some people are content at a junior designer position while others won’t stop until they are the principal of their own firm with 20 employees to lead into the fray. There are so many hats to wear in the design field that it’s hard to say that one is the end-all of your career. As a freelancer, “moving up” to me is landing that next big job and then the next and the next. It’s a ladder with
infinite rungs. If I decide that I want to take a break, then last job I did was the highest point in my career. Any other advice, tips, or anecdotes you’d like to share? I cannot stress enough how important it is to find your own visual voice in this field. You want to get noticed. Find artists and things that inspire you. Apply that inspiration to your own work and put in the time. If you pay your dues life usually finds its ways to reward you.
Check out Christopher Lee’s other work and web site at: : www.thebeastisback.com
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MY WORKING LIFE
THE ROBERT LANGE STORY “Your imagination should be nurtured with the utmost care. For it is the tool of liberation from the bonds which ties down on this existence. We can be anything we are capable of imagining, do anything we are able to visualize. For the images we construct in our minds will inevitably lead us to the world that affects their realization.”
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alking east along Queen Street, it is easy to miss the unassuming storefront of Robert Lange Studios. But if you step inside, you will be well rewarded with an eclectic collection of art featuring the work of 12 local artists from Charleston and around the country as well as the personal works of Robert Lange. The gallery shows the works of artists similar to himself; they are young, art school trained, of strong character, and have a unique, consistent style. He wants artists who’s style is so strong that if you lay out a thousand paintings in a room, you should be able to pick out the one that is by the artist he is showing just on it’s style and character. Featured artists such as Charleston locals Nathan Durfee and Fred Jamar have varied styles, but all are captivating.
Lange’s photorealistic paintings juxtapose exotic images from nature with modern elements like chrome bowls, running shoes, and iPhones. Although he doesn’t paint bowler hats, his style is reminiscent of the surrealist master Rene Magritte, yet uniquely his own. The painting “This is not an Orchid,” features an exotic orchid displayed on an iPhone which has been taped to the canvas demonstrating his ability to naturally blend disparate elements in an inventive way while maintaining a historical context.There are many images like this in the gallery, trompe l’oeil pieces that show various objects taped to the canvas. Repeating subjects or themes is a way of continuing to develop his skills. like He often incorporates the same theme or object in many paintings until it is completely exhausted. “Every painting is an experiment,” he says, speaking of how he will make changes in how he composes each picture, changing the underlying colors, or trying out different brush stokes, continuing to hone his technique and evolve with every new painting. He says that he paints every day, and that dedication to his craft is the key to being his best. Lange modestly admits that his skills were only average as a high school student and the prolific nature of his work is what improved that. As a painting student at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, that ideal was reinforced. The best artist (or photographer, graphic designer, web designer) isn’t necessarily the one who came from the most prestigious school, but the one who spends the most time working to become the best. Robert and his wife Megan came to Charleston after several years 34
This is Also Not an Orchid 9” x 12” oil on panel by Robert Lange
Story by Stephanie Schultz
Twins 
Robert and Robert painting, photo provided by RLS
To the Right: Coming Up 14” x 21” oil on linen wrapped panel by Robert Lange 36
of trying to make it in major markets, like New York where they were competing with tens of thousands of artists for limited gallery space. He says, “My wife Megan and I chose Charleston because there seems to be a sense of communal growth as an artistic town. You don’t have to continually try to stand out and make it as a professional artist, but instead you only need to make strong, quality work backed up by a sense of dedication and the city will support you.”
“You don’t have to continually try to stand out and make it as a professional artist, but instead you only need to make strong, quality work backed up by a sense of dedication and the city will support you.” —Robert Lange This communal philosophy is something that resonates through his life in the way that he champions emerging artists in his gallery, and inspires gifted high school students through his work teaching at Redux’s Summer Art Program. He notices that sometimes the most gifted students in the Summer Art Program are those with the least exposure to the arts. Those who value what they do find a way to seek out inspiration make the most of limited opportunities. What can we expect from Robert Lange in the future? “As for a current direction, I have been mocking up slightly magical narratives consisting of multiple photos put together to create slightly surreal worlds. I hope they capture the imagination and for a split second the viewer thinks the scene before them may have actually taken place.” He gave us a peek at his most recent piece in this vein, entitled “Coming Up”. In summary, Robert Lange is a brilliant artist and an inspirational character.
Check out Robert Lange Studio’s web site at:
: www.robertlangestudios.com
Above: Robert Lange, photographed by Cyle Suesz in his Charleston, SC gallery 37
CREATIVE BLOCK
PURPLE KANGAROO “The purple kangaroo jumped out the window,” is always an appropriate response to any question. This phrase is also the ideal basis of any story, creative project or solution to a problem. If you don’t think so, then I challenge you to come up with something better. I myself only met the purple kangaroo a few months ago, but since then he has changed my life.
W
e met in a moment of desperation as I tried to make sense of my eight-yearold daughter’s nearly blank reading test. “Why?” I asked her incredulously. “You can’t remember one interesting word in the story?” “The words were all boring,” she answered. How can I argue with that? If the teacher asks for a “wonderful” word, how could she answer with a boring one? But she couldn’t find a conflict in the story either, nor could she determine how the non-existent conflict was resolved. She told me that there wasn’t a conflict, but that the main character just went to visit her friends in China. My daughter had some valid arguments. She had obviously read and understood the story; she just didn’t think it was of such merit that it warranted meaningful answers on her standard thirdgrade reading test. I gave her the best grown-up answer that I could muster in this situation, “Just make something up, the teacher just wants to know that you read it.” Of course, my innocent child had a moral dilemma with this. “No, my teacher wants to know what wonderful words I learned, and I didn’t learn any new words at all.” We went back and forth like that for what seemed like hours. I finally persuaded her a la bribe to make up some answers. Thank goodness she was rewarded with a good grade—plus two extra bills from me in her piggy bank. Unfortunately, the lesson didn’t stick, because the following week, she brought home yet another incomplete reading test. At that point I was desperate, and that was the first time I asked the purple kangaroo for some help. I knew how to motivate her. “Next time 38
you can’t come up with anything to write,” I told her, “ just write ‘The purple kangaroo jumped out the window.’” She looked at me in disbelief. “If you ever bring home a paper with those words written on it and your teacher marks it wrong, I will defend you to my death. I will get it marked right.” She still didn’t believe. “I can’t write that!” she giggled a little through her indignant protest. “Sure you can, but if you can think of something better to say, write that instead.” I saw the gears starting to turn in her head, so I continued with a few sample questions. questions to
start creativity
Q: What happened that was interesting to you in the story? A: The purple kangaroo jumped out the window.
answer any question in reference to “The purple kangaroo jumped out the window.” EXAMPLES IN
math problems
Q: If Johnny has four apples he gives one to Janie, how many apples does Johnny have left? A: Two because he had to use one to lure the kangaroo back into the house. EXAMPLES IN
geography
Q: What continent are panda’s from? A: Australia. (okay, it’s wrong, but there is a one in seven chance of getting it right if you don’t know the answer.) Q: What continent is also an island? A: Australia. (Ha! You would have missed that one if you left them all blank!)
Q: What was the conflict of the story? A: The kangaroo didn’t want to be inside.
EXAMPLES IN
Q: How was the conflict resolved? A: He jumped out the window.
Q: Where are you going today? A: To catch a rogue kangaroo that jumped out the window.
Q: What wonderful words did you discover in this story? A: Purple and kangaroo. Q: What is the setting of this story? A: Inside and outside of a window. In Australia.
small talk
Q: How did you sleep last night? A: Great, I hardly noticed the purple kangaroo in the yard.
Q: What did you like about this story? A: I didn’t know kangaroos can be purple.
Believe it or not, the point of the purple kangaroo is not to come up with a silly answer. The point is to get your neurons firing. You start with the purple kangaroo, and then you figure out what you know could work better.
This can work for other subjects, too. Just
Story by Stephanie Schultz, Illustration by Jean Piot
Figuring that out is the easy part, because nearly anything is better than a purple kangaroo in most situations! Once you take that first step, you will realize that you knew what to do all along, you just weren’t seeing it right.
I always like the word hamburger for some reason. Even if I was drawing a scene featuring astronauts in outer space, “hamburger” would still make it on my brainstorming list.
BUILD THAT Being a non-linear thinker and a creative professional, I count on the kangaroo often to get me on the right path. Let me tell you about a few of the other tools he carries in his yellow tool belt (I just made that up, his belt isn’t really yellow). START
writing
If I don’t know what to write I start with a stream of consciousness essay on the subject I want to write about. From that I can figure out what holes I have in my knowledge and develop a rough outline (or maybe I will decide it was a dumb idea to start with). USING
visual arts & illustrations
web design
Yay!! Documentation! If you don’t know what you have or what your goals are, you can’t make a site. Start with a good old-fashioned creative brief. I dare you not to have any ideas after you write a good one. Sometimes elements of my exercises make it into the final product, but often they don’t. It doesn’t matter either way because all I needed was to get rid of that blank screen or piece of paper that was intimidating me. To use an analogy, I needed a little grain of sand to build a pearl around, and my kangaroo has a lot of awesome sand.Yours can, too. If you don’t believe me, ask my eight-year-old daughter. She has not brought home another half empty reading test since we met the purple kangaroo.
For an illustration I might start with a few words and some stick drawings. 39
coming this spring 2010
the future
of
fashion
AiQ covered this year’s 2010 Charleston Fashionweek. Look for our review in the next spring issue on who was hot
PHOTO BY CYLE SUESZ
this year at the tents!
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