Inside Sam Weber’s studio
by We caught up with New York-based artist Sam Weber recently to get the inside word on where most of his creativity is unleashed: his studio space. In regards to your workspace, what are the props for your daily inspiration? ‘I wouldn’t say there is anything specific, although I am fairly particular about where I like to work, and what sort of stuff I like to have around me. There are things that I look at often, a book of Max Ernst collages, one on Yoshitaka Amano, and a big stack of clippings from magazines and the Internet that I will periodically leaf through to get inspired’.
‘I do like to work with some music in the background. I don’t really have all that much artwork hanging up, mainly because of scarce wall space. Just having my materials lying around and some drawings underway is usually enough to get me motivated and working. Having a studio is a nice luxury’.
Are you usually working on a series of paintings or illustrations at a time, or do you work on one until it’s finished and then move on?
‘I wish I could work on only one thing at a time, but inevitably projects overlap and I find myself juggling many things at once. It’s unfortunately something that comes with being an illustrator. It’s less frustrating when it comes to my own work, as for the most part a deadline isn’t hanging over my head. I fantasize regularly about one day only working on one picture at a time, from start to finish. C’est la guerre’.
Is there a time of day in your studio when you generally feel most productive and creative?
‘I love early mornings, that is definitely my favourite time to work. I love starting early and getting into a project before the phone starts ringing and other things begin to demand my attention. I used to work a lot at night, but the early morning suits me much better I think’.
What’s your studio missing that it could do with right now?
‘A ping pong table and more plants’.
[photos by Reynard Li]
Tagged: New York artists, sam weber
- 9
- 3
RELATED
Sam Weber’s Illustrated Lord of the Flies
Brooklyn-based artist Sam Weber recently collaborated with the Folio Society and the William Golding estate to create an illustrated edition of Golding’s classic novel, Lord of the Flies. Copies are currently available to Folio Society members only, but they’re still sure to sell quick. Read more
Illest of Ill illustration book
Those amazing illustration seniors from The Ringling School have outdone themselves with their beautifully designed book, Illest of Ill. The book was created with the intention of selling it to raise funds for their senior show. They contacted various illustrators and asked them to contribute an illustration based on the classic Gibson Girl or Arrow Shirt Man (myself included). The book includes some fantastic work from illustrators Sam Weber, Nathan Fox, George Pratt and Sterling Hundley, among so, so many others. Read more
Bonnie Durham’s long necked artwork
I’m loving New York painter Bonnie Durham’s new work. Evoking the long-necked beauties of Mannerists and the highly stylized work of the Surrealists, Durham seems also to have tapped into a strange cross between J.J. Audubon’s spirit and the ghost of an 80s era gutter-punk (think gorgeous birds and drip-painting). Just coming down from the high of yet another solo show, Bonnie is currently gearing up for an inaugural group show next month at the Six by Six Gallery in Manhattan.
Also by ZOLTON
Ok, so I’m wearing this t-shirt right now. It’s by Singapore-based fashion label Hooked Clothing, and it’s just about my favorite tee at the moment. Why? Why not. Tees are fun and Hooked has me hooked. Read more
Following on from the People of Walmart website, comes People Of Public Transit: ‘The public bus and subway systems are littered with amazing photo opportunities. Many of us have been sitting alone witnessing something amazing and only wishing we could share the experience with our friends. Well now you can!’ Read more
Milk and Honey necklace by Stephanie Simek
Milk and honey, an indubitable pair. In this necklace by Stephanie Simek, a golden honeycomb beeswax pendant is encased in plastic and hangs from an oxidized sterling silver chain. The links are interwoven with a milk protein-based fiber. We have it for sale in our online store.
YOU'RE SAYING (3)
JT said | 29 August, 2008
Your link to the photographer’s website is broken.
His name is Reynard Li, and the website is reynardli.com
Sam Weber — Lost At E Minor: For creative people said | 20 November, 2008
[...] some awesome new work up on New York-based illustrator, Sam Weber’s website, including this one above which is did for the Soulpepper Theatre. We asked him a little while back [...]
HAVE YOUR SAY
The very funky Lindsey Kuhn designed Classic Poster Tin contains fifteen hand-printed handbills of posters, along with a six color signed and numbered four piece serigraph.
Wow! This song — More Childish Than In A Long Time — from Swedish teenage twins Taxi Taxi! just burst into my headphones like the first welcome glare of a mid-morning sunshine, stinging my ears wickedly with its coarse, repetitive beauty. The forlorn, introspective lyrics and melody tease and shimmer, sending a fleeting and not-so-subtle tap on the shoulder to hit repeat, repeat, and soak it all up again.
Personally, I think it’s difficult for family photos to not be a bit stilted and weird, but Awkward Family Photos manages to post truly baffling images of badly dressed, strangely posed, and generally weird-looking clans as they wish to be remembered. Read more
Herzog and de Meuron, the Swiss architects, have led the way with this re-use of the existing building fabric of CaixaForum in Madrid. Rather than being slavish to the existing openings, the building has been cut away for a contemporary practicality. We think this is an example of heritage not getting in the way of progress. Check out a similar concept of a previous post re-using the city fabric, where we were dreaming of such thing.
Ten Masked Men are a British parody band that does death metal covers of famous pop songs by Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, and many others. One of my favorites is their cover of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’. It’s epic.
Cheap Monday are arguably one of the biggest revolutions in denim since Levi’s. They’re pretty much the uniform second skin for the music totin’, cons scuffin’ youth of today. Read more
As someone who thinks more about traveling than actually gets to do it [damn, it should really be the other way around], it was good to come across the latest batch of Wallpaper* city guides the other day. Living vicariously through the pages of the Berlin edition at least made my next choice of holiday destination that much easier. Read more
WE'RE RESPECTING
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Forget battery powered vehicles. Cars made from ice are the future of transportation: no pollution, no honking horns, no painful rap music blasting out of souped up stereos. And if they melt, they melt. You just swim the rest of the way down the slipstream.
Yum, yum, cupcakes are fun. These creations are so clever, so arty, so damn bizarre that it would almost be a shame to eat them. Almost! Read more
Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more
Charlie Immer’s pastel-pallete sometimes obfuscates the gory violence in his surreal images. At other times, it heightens the gut-wrenching and visceral effect of his work. Read more
Illustrator Timothy Karpinski sews painted paper together to create his images, giving them a classic look. Read more
Wolfmother. Rock n roll. Mystical lyrics. Heavy riffs. They have a new album out, Cosmic Egg, and we have five copies to giveaway, along with their debut album. To enter, tell us your favorite Wolfmother song and the city you live in. Yo! Two fingered salute. Read more
These Prosperity earrings by Australian designer Karina Jean are cast in sterling silver, finished by hand and swing on hand-formed silver ear hooks. They are available for purchase through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it’s not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
Melissa Kojima - Artist in LA LA Land said | 8 August, 2008
I love Sam Weber’s work. It’s great to see some photos of his work space and to hear a little about his creative process. Thank you for sharing this.