Interview with Neil Tropel

JB: do you want to be a painter? I saw you had photographs as well? Do you have more interest in one then the other?

N: yes I do, but I also like do photography because I like taking pictures and work on photo shop. Photography allows me to get out there and take picture of reality and for the money

JB: have you ever had thoughts of being a graphic designer?

N: sometimes I have thoughts being graphic designer

JB: when you talk about photography making you money...would you be a fine arts photographer or something more practical like photojournalism?

N: I would be a fine arts photographer

JB: when it comes to your paintings do you like working with specific themes? I noticed some themes of realism and beaches? I also noticed some portraits which looked like family? Is there a specific focus you think you will gravitate towards?

N: yes, the beach scene paintings and paintings of Philippines are my earlier works from high school. It was my first time painting but I stop painting those scenes. It helped me practice my panting technique like the use of color.

JB: what’s your primary focus now?

N: My focus is on the human body and machines like engines and stuff.

JB: is that something you would consider dealing with in your thesis project?

N: yes

JB: with that said...I guess my final question would be do you have any ideas for more develop concepts for your thesis. If so what are they, if not what are the problems you’re having?

N: yes I have some ideas and did a lot of sketches and trying figure out how to present my ideas into a painting. There’s this one painting that i'm still working on

Not finished yet

N: When did you first start painting? Is painting the only medium you do?

JB: I started painting in high school I took studio art classes, but I didn’t get serious until sophomore yr? I have taken photography, but my concentration is in graphic design. I have interest in all of them and sometimes try to incorporate all of them together.

N: cool me too

JB: yea I think that you can take information that you learn from other disciplines and incorporate into others whether it’s indirectly or directly

N: Looking at your paintings does prefer working from life or from photos or imagination?

JB: I find you trap yourself a little bit when you work from photographs. I feel when you work from real life there’s something more there

N: true

JB: when painting from photographs it can come off flat. There’s a dimension in object that exists in front of you but I do think photographs can be valuable resources when painting. I just don’t think you should copy them directly

N: cool.

What made you decide to take graphic design?

What or who inspired you?

JB: honestly I wanted to do something more practical at first, wanted an easier career but after practicing for a couple years I really enjoy it for the problem solving aspect. That can be applied to all art though the best art comes from solving problems, you create a problem for yourself and then try and solve it. I have always had interest in painting and drawing as well as being an illustrator but it would be on the side while working as a graphic designer. I will always want to be involved in art no matter the format.

N: cool

N: What are some of the important themes you prefer or concentrate in your paintings? I saw some of your painting that deal with abstract forms and geometric shapes. Do have any ideas what you are going for in your concentration?

What do you see yourself in four years from now?

Have you ever considered in taking advertising because I saw a lot of logos and ads in your work?

JB: I am doing graphic design by necessity, I would have done painting and graphic design but I don’t have the credits. In regards to themes your spot on I lot of my graphic design and illustration habits carry over into my paintings. I try to meld the flatness of graphic images with the three dimensionality of painting. Much of the work has a geometric quality, I sometimes find myself tightening up, but recently as off last year have tried to become a little looser.

Four years from now I hope to have a successful job in graphic design, and build a career as a painter on the side.

The logos and ads our projects for graphic design, I enjoy doing them, and I have considered working for an advertising agency, but would rather work within a independent design firm that is hired by companies to do advertising campaigns

N: Last Question, after looking at your work. Do have any sense of idea for your thesis going to be? Do have any problem of thinking about what are going do for your thesis? Are you going to show works of paintings and graphic design work or just graphic design work?

JB: Right now I guess you could say I have a sense of where I want my thesis to go but not of what I want to do exactly. I am trying to apply the same tactics I used last year in painting to extract from myself something that interests me that I can make design work about. I would like to find content that I can utilize both graphic work and painting in something that will allow me to combine the two; I wouldn't want them to remain separate. I want to combine what I have learned in graphic design and what I have learned in painting into one grand final piece you could say. So well see where the road takes me.

N: That’s good