An Honest Lie, Vol. 1 authors Meet & Greet
From left: Erin Marissa Russell, Melissa Cantrelle, Alyssa Cooper, Rhia Johnson, Eric Trant, Jon C. Forisha, ME Johnson
Way back in July of this year, several of the Dallas-local authors of An Honest Lie, Vol. 1 met with publisher and fellow author Debrin Case and editors ME and Rhia Johnson at Liberty Hall to rub elbows so when we have events things won’t be all awkward. Also because we are an incredibly talented lot, and it’s always good to share drinks and discussion with a table of authors, editors, and publishers.
You can read Eric Trant’s musings on the evening at his blog, Digging With the Worms.
I’d like to say, before you read Eric’s blog and start wondering, that I only carry batteries in my purse (both AA and AAA) because I usually need them for my digital camera or voice recorder. I have another job as managing editor at the Brookhaven Courier, and it’s the end of the world if my voice recorder runs out of batteries.
From left: Erin Marissa Russell, Melissa Cantrelle, Alyssa Cooper, and Rhia Johnson.
At the time, I was an artist for An Honest Lie- Rhia Johnson was the junior editor as well as an author- and it was fascinating to hear the authors talk about their stories. I’d already drawn the illustrations, based on a scene Debrin had described, but I didn’t know who the people were, what was happening, or even what the stories were really about. The authors had a lot of fun hearing about one another’s work, too.
Don’t forget to support your favorite contributor to An Honest Lie, Vol. 1 by doing one or both of the following:
* Leave them a comment by clicking their name on this link: http://ahlvol1vote.debrincase.com/. A comment earns them one point toward a book deal with Open Heart Publishing.
* Purchase An Honest Lie, Vol. 1 through their portal by clicking on their name here: http://ahlvol1vote.debrincase.com/. A purchase earns them 500 points toward a book deal with Open Heart Publishing!
Also, there are only 95 days left to work on submissions for An Honest Lie, Vol. 2: they’re due March 15, 2010. Read over the submission guidelines here: http://anhonestlie.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/its-that-time-again/
Featured Artist- Eric Carbrey
We’re here with artist Eric Carbrey, who did interior illustrations for “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of Your Inner Child.”
Eric, people often say art is a metaphor for life. How do you feel this applies to your own craft?
I feel as though my art reflects my inner self and thoughts. That what I put down on the paper has always been in me, waiting for the right opportunity to present itself to the world. Art is a reflection of a person in a given time.
In that way, your art could be said to be a chronological image of you as a person. How far back does your record go? When did you begin as an artist?
I have been an artist my whole life. I remember being a youngster, I spent a lot of my time drawing and painting, coloring in color books, never within the lines. I have always been interested in what art is and what art has to offer, the more time passes the more it consumes me.
So you’ve been at it a while. Have you chosen a favorite medium?
I enjoy all mediums. If I had to pick one I would say painting. But so often in my work the line between mediums has been blurred. I enjoy the fluid aspect of painting, things seem to keep going with or without you.
Tell us about the art you created for “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of Your Inner Child.”
The works I completed for An Honest Lie were a bit taxing. They did require an afternoon or two of brainstorming with my thinking cap on tight.
So you’ve mentioned drawing and painting … what other areas of the arts do you explore?
I really enjoy learning about new mediums and techniques, different ways to do old things, old ways to do new things. Right now printmaking has my interests piqued.
Eric, do you believe in magic?
Magic? Ummm maybe. I am pretty sure that someone can not make a helicopter appear out of thin air without some sort of smoke and mirrors, but I would have to say that there are things that cant be explained and maybe for the better. Is that magic? Maybe.
Definitely. How about this: Have you ever considered suicide as an alternative to procrastination?
Suicide as an alternative to procrastination, I think not, I have that whole procrastination thing down, and need no alternative.
Good answer. And what do you feel about quantum mechanical theories involving cats in boxes or rather sharp razors?
It seems like to me the deeper you get in to quantum theories the more the scientists sound like old tripped out hippies. As far as my thoughts on the quantum mechanical theories that involve cats, boxes, and rather sharp razors, I remain blissfully ignorant.
Back to reality, then. What other projects are you currently working on?
Always continuing my art, and pushing myself in my craft.
Ah, the neverending project. And who or what would you say inspires you as an artist?
I am inspired by the things I see and experience. I look at things and think about them, narrow in on the simple shapes, colors, and feelings in my life.
And a really important question. What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?
Sometimes I think that the meaning is that there really is no meaning. Or perhaps your life, and living it to the fullest is the meaning, I am pretty sure that the meaning is a personal thing that is different for everyone. I think that people seek answers and cannot accept that sometimes there are no answers, so they make things up so that their questions will be answered.
And who would you say is your personal artistic hero or heroine, and what does this person mean to you?
Small time artists that are hanging their works in local coffee shops and galleries are usually the ones that I find inspiration in. Also any sculpture that is done on a large scale.
And finally, Eric, how do you encourage the delinquency of your inner child?
By making sure that I do not listen to any sort of supposedly “reasonable voice” in my life that is contradictory to what I really want to do.
Eric Carbrey currently lives in Wichita, Kansas along with his lovely wife of five years, and three of the finest dogs Kansas has ever produced. Eric spends most of his time living his life, and making art. He is only a couple of semesters away from finishing up his BFA from Wichita State University. One of Eric’s biggest hobbies is eating homemade sandwiches in very busy public places. “There is a very gratifying feeling of having a homemade sandwich in public. I often think that people are jealous, or at least are wondering about my sandwich and how good it looks when I am eating them in public. You should go ahead and try it out, that way you fully understand what I mean.”
Featured Artist- Sarah Freeman
Cover artist for “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of Your Inner Child,” Sarah Freeman, is here to talk about her art.
Sarah, you know the saying, “Art is a metaphor for life.” Indeed, your still life and interior paintings are so realistic they are almost indistinguishable from real life. How do you feel this adage applies to your own work?
You have to be in the right frame of mind if you want it to turn out.
Definitely true in life as well as in art. You began showing professionally at the stunning age of 18- how did you begin as an artist?
I used to make birthday cards for family members and knick knacks out of pipe cleaners.
It sounds like you were resourceful in procuring materials. Assuming you graduated from pipe cleaners, do you have a preferred medium now, and what do you like about it?
Oil paint, because it has depth.
That makes sense, since you studied with realist Jeremy Lipking. In addition to creating beautiful visual art, Sarah, what other areas of the arts do you explore?
I like to read and write, and I enjoy foreign languages.
Some of the stories in “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of Your Inner Child,” have a magical or mystical aspect. Do you believe in magic?
No.
That’s terrible. You must be so sad. Have you ever considered suicide as an alternative to procrastination?
Only when I’m on a deadline!
Well, that’s when magic would come in handy. On a somewhat related note, what do you feel about quantum mechanical theories involving cats in boxes or rather sharp razors?
I think they teach us not to take life too seriously, because the very particles our world is made of act according to chance.
Someone’s been reading up on vacuum fluctuation.
“If it is true that our Universe has a zero net value for all conserved quantities, then it may simply be the fluctuation of a vacuum, the vacuum of some larger space in which our universe is imbedded. In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.” – Edward Tryon
Let’s talk some more about you, Sarah. What projects are you currently working on?
I’m working on a series of monochromatic oil paintings that are portraits of imaginary people. You can see them on my website at www.sarahfreemanart.com.
Imaginary people! That’s brilliant. Who or what would you say has inspired you as an artist?
Light, space, and life.
Those are sources of inspiration that will never run dry. And what individual would you consider your personal artistic hero or heroine, and what is it about them that you admire?
Daumier, for his ability to capture people’s expressions.
Good choice. And finally, how do you encourage the delinquency of your inner child?
By eating dessert first.
You can see Sarah Freeman’s art at her website: http://www.sarahfreemanart.com/
Sarah Freeman is originally from California, but currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a BFA and has shown in several galleries. She has also won many awards on a national level, including the Editor’s Choice Award in the Pastel Journal’s Annual Competition, and has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. This is her first book cover, and she is excited to be branching out into the world of illustration. In addition to making art, she enjoys reading, hiking, and watching cartoons.
Featured Editor and Featured Artist- Erin Marissa Russell
One of the tasks of being a junior editor is interviewing the artists, so today I’m interviewing myself, Erin Marissa Russell. Erin is junior editor of Open Heart Publishing and did interior illustrations for An Honest Lie.
Erin, art has been called a metaphor for life in so many different ways. How do you feel this is relevant to your own craft?
Well, Erin, as you know, art couldn’t be anything else. Everything I create is going to be a metaphor not just for life, but for my specific life. It’s almost impossible to get out from behind my own perspective. Every painting, song, or story is only me trying to explain myself. I don’t think there’s a better way to figure out how someone else views the world than by looking at their art. Or interviewing them.
Ha-ha. How did you begin as an artist?
I always wanted to do visual art, but I was very frustrated with what I produced when I tried. When we were both still teenagers, my friend Eli Browning told me to draw an eye. I drew a sort of almond shape with spiky eyelashes sticking out of it and showed it to her. She said, “Look at my eye. It doesn’t look like that. It doesn’t have an outline. It’s light and shadows and shapes.” I started over and drew eyes all weekend. Many years later, I’m still learning to look at things.
Is there a certain medium you’ve come to like more than others?
I love working with charcoal, because the more you work with it, the more detailed the drawing becomes. Some things, like oil pastels, if you go too long you end up with a bunch of waxy gray mess on your page. That breaks my heart. I also love the mess of charcoal dust. Charcoal’s so un-final. If you make a charcoal line and hate it, you move it. But if you make a line in Sharpie and hate it, you have to start over, and I hate starting over.
What can you tell us about the piece(s) you completed for “An Honest Lie”?
I drew these illustrations first in Sharpie and then painted with diluted India ink. It creates a clear outline, but still allows for subtler shading effects. I was inspired by comic book art and Quentin Blake’s illustrations for books like Roald Dahl’s Matilda. I love old fairy tale illustrations, too, like Arthur Rackham’s or Harry Clarke’s. The pieces were really fun to work on because I didn’t have the full story, just an image. So the whole time I worked on them, I wondered what the stories could be about- all the different scenarios that could lead up to and away from this scene. It’s going to be fun to finally read them and see if the way I felt about the characters or scenes when I drew them still holds true.
Stepping away from art for a minute, you’re also the junior editor of Open Heart Publishing. How’d a nice girl like you end up in a place like this?
Well, I’ve done some freelance editing since I started college. I took a News Publications class over the summer, and they asked me to start as copy editor of the Brookhaven Courier. Editing on a regular basis made me realize I really enjoy it. In arguments, people often accuse me of getting caught up in semantics. I can’t help it! It’s just how my brain works. But it comes in handy for the work, and I love to read too. So when I heard about the editorial position, I couldn’t tell Debrin I was interested fast enough.
So, you’re an artist, an editor … what other creative outlets do you have?
I’m a writer myself, actually. I write poetry and short stories that are occasionally published. I founded a literary journal at Brookhaven last year, the Moulin Review, which I co-edit. I also sing and play instruments. In the past I’ve been in bands called Poor Wendy, Teenage Symphony, and How to Photograph Wildlife. Now I’m in The Lewis Family Singers and another project that I think is going to be called The Lavenders. I like to sew my own clothes or upcycle vintage. Unfortunately, I can’t dance.
So what do you like to write about?
I like to write about emotional things. Tiny things with enormous implications. Magical realism, with a fairy-tale influence. I tend to take a whole lot of my own experiences and a few things I made up and kind of chop them up and put them back together until they mean what I want.
Fairy tales and magical realism … do you believe in magic?
I believe in everything, especially magic.
Have you ever considered suicide as an alternative to procrastination?
I’m considering suicide as an alternative to answering this question.
Don’t get testy. What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned as a writer or artist?
Everyone says this and I didn’t ever listen until this year, but get a small notebook and write everything down. Every phrase you think is pretty that might become a poem, and every sketch of an idea for anything. Everything you overhear someone say that instantly brings a whole character to mind. A voice recorder is handy, too, especially if you’re in the car or if you’re trying to remember a song.
What do you feel about quantum mechanical theories involving cats in boxes or rather sharp razors?
I’m inclined to the many-worlds interpretation for the cat, on no real grounds other than it appeals to me the most. I don’t understand the need for a rule like Occam’s razor. Although discussing it encourages thinking, if it was proven we could just make a computer program to think for us and we would all get dumb.
What other projects are you currently working on?
I’m in my second semester at Brookhaven College, taking Drawing 2 classes as well as some others. I’m always writing and editing for the newspaper, and I’m planning a collection of short stories. We’re working on Moulin Review: Volume II and accepting submissions for Volume III. And I’m working on having my art matted and framed to take to all our events this winter and next year. I also attempt to maintain some semblance of social relationships, but it isn’t easy with all these things to do!
Who or what has inspired you as an artist?
J.D. Salinger’s work, particularly his characters the Glass family. Sylvia Plath, Neil Gaiman, Kate Chopin, Walt Whitman, J.M. Barrie, Wes Anderson’s movies, Harold and Maude, Mary Poppins, Flannery O’Connor. And looking at things around me every day. It’s easy to walk around not noticing anything.
Okay, since you’ve been paying attention: What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?
Long answer: That everything is connected to everything else. That the whole world is there, outside your door, waiting for you to step onto it. That there are forests you can put a tent in and stay at for free. What happens in the meadow at dusk.
Walt Whitman’s answer: That you are here–that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.
Short answer: 42.
Who is your personal artistic hero/ heroine, and what does this individual mean to you?
Edith Bouvier Beale. Her entire life, down to her perception of herself, was a work of art. She was a cousin of Jackie O. and was one of the subjects of the documentary Grey Gardens. If you watch it, I think you can tell that she’s completely in her own reality, and completely thrilled by it. I think she had a wonderful life.
And finally, how do you encourage the delinquency of your inner child?
“Off we skip like the most heartless things in the world, which is what children are, but so attractive; and we have an entirely selfish time, and then when we have need of special attention we nobly return for it, confident that we shall be rewarded instead of smacked.”
— J. M. Barrie (Peter Pan)
I’ve always been too sensitive for delinquency. But I encourage my inner child by feeding the ducks almost every morning, eating ice cream sandwiches, playing dress-up, not wearing shoes, whistling to birds, and playing in dirt.
Erin Marissa Russell is a 26-year-old who studies art and writing in Dallas, Texas. She is the founder and co-editor of Moulin Review, a literary journal staffed by students at Brookhaven College. Her short story “That’s What It’s All About” won first place in the National League for Innovation in the Community College Contest in 2009. She is also copy editor of the Brookhaven Courier. In addition to writing and making art, Erin enjoys singing with The Lewis Family Singers and working on a new project, as yet unnamed.
You can visit Erin’s blog at: http://erinmarissa.wordpress.com
or her art at: http://erinmarissarussell.com
