BY STEVEN HELLER
Steven Heller interviews four young artists in Mapping the Terrain Varoom 07 – the Norman Rockwells of the 21st century – showing how American editorial illustration is developing in the hands of a new generation as they wrestle with the traditional questions surrounding commercial and personal image making. Here we feature some recent work not published in the magazine article from all four artists.
Some old-school critics argue that these minimalist illustrators are rough and raw because they just don’t know how to draw. That is a fallacy. The notion that traditional drawing skills have atrophied and are no longer valued by those who teach or purchase illustration couldn’t be more ridiculous. Drawing will always be a virtue. However, classical rendering – realism and surrealism – is no longer the standard on which to judge art. And illustration, which sometimes serves as a marker of where art is headed, has simply adapted. Below is a chance to form your own opinions, with work and a short biog of the four featured illustrators.
See issue 07 of Varoom for the complete article.
Tamara Shopsin
Born: April 1979
Residence: New York City
Tamara Shopsin is a cook, designer and illustrator. She splits her time between New York City and Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times and The Walrus. Her illustrations have also been featured in Paper, Good, and on Jack Spade paper goods. Recently a book of her line drawings was published, titled C'est le Pied.
Oliver Munday
Born: October 1984
Resides: Baltimore, Maryland
Oliver Munday is a graphic designer/illustrator living and working in Baltimore, Maryland. With Bernard Canniffe and Mike Weikert, he co-founded Piece, a socially-based design collaborative. Piece believes that ‘designers can play a significant role in positive change and social justice.’ Munday's work has been recognized by many of the major design publications including PRINT, CMYK, TDC, Communcation Arts, and he was recently featured as one of STEP magazine's 25 freshest minds in design.
Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch
Born: April 1984
Resides: San Francisco, California
Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch was raised in a photo lab darkroom called Photo-Blow Up, and his parents’ art studio in the suburbs of Lemon Grove, California. Holyoke-Hirsch’s work deals with ideas of ‘struggle, building something from nothing, loss, poverty, impossibility, spirituality, addiction, progression and love.’ He currently lives and works in San Francisco. Clients include The New York Times, Hefty Records, The Walrus, Virgin Records, The Stranger, Nylon Magazine, The Yes Men and Fantagraphics books.
Jeremy Traum
Born: June 1978
Resides: Brooklyn, New York
Jeremy Traum was born and raised in New Jersey. He stowed away on a Corellian freighter destined for Alderaan, and likes half-sour pickles, enjoys cooking, crafts and crocheting. He has been published in The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, The Progressive, Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, The Walrus, The New Yorker and LA Weekly.