Once again Maine College of Art illustration seniors visited CloudKid in Boston, an award-winning studio specializing in children’s media.
Founder and Creative Director Dave Schlafman gave an entertaining presentation on his formative obsessions and artistic development.
An enthusiasm for pop culture, toys, and games drives their work, and they often declare Story Jams to brainstorm ideas. Characters begin on paper, quickly fleshed out in a sketchbook, before taking a long path to the final version. Dave offered priceless advice to eager students: upon getting out of art school as an illustrator, don’t limit yourself, be ready to do storyboarding, try animation, take on anything; on getting started (show your work!), how to behave in the field (be a nice guy), and keep drawing like crazy, don’t fall out of practice! He introduced his team, all working amidst sweet collections.
CloudKid enjoys a splendid view of Boston, where we headed next.
At the ICA, we marveled at Nick Cave’s Soundsuits. Seeing is believing.
All the current shows shared a spellbinding physicality. A World of Glass by Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, merged an unsettling combination of tinkling sound, luminous sculpture, and disturbing claymation.
In Eleanor Antin’s “Selves” illustrative pieces stood in the Eleanor Nightingale narrative, in which she nursed soldiers in the Crimean War.
In Expanding the Field of Painting, this work by Summer Wheat gives new meaning to the idea of face paint.
For illustrators, the most fun can be found in the gallery shop.
I spied a mobile that reminded me of CloudKid’s Negative Nimbus. Forecast: rain!
We left with our eyeballs full.
Thanks to Marty Braun for driving, and to CloudKid and the ICA for one swell Boston swing!
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