Eric Tan. The Creative Mind behind the Work
I waited an hour before I was able to get in. The place was packed.
Fans of his work buying up his art like hot pancakes.
Eric Tan
Graphic
Designer/Illustrator
I am very
fortunate to have met Eric. It was actually a complete happenstance. I was
following a lead for my next article next door the gallery the day he had his
show. I happen to chat with his friend April and she told me about him and my
interest immediately peaked. There are three compelling reasons to chase him
for an interview. First and foremost, even before I saw his work I couldn’t
help but notice the line of people buying his art. Second, he is my Kababayan, my countryman from the
Philippines. Third, his work rocks!
His work on display at that time in Gallery
1988 in Los Angeles, that went on in June 28th through July 20th, are his travel
posters, his unique take on the places he has been. To give you a better
understanding on what I am talking about here is an excerpt from his blog:
“Let me dust this crazy blog off! I haven't
posted in forever because I've been hard at work on a solo show which debuts
this June at Gallery1988 in Los Angeles. When the fine folks at the gallery
approached me a few years ago for a show, I never really could fathom
committing to one because: A) my day job saps up too much creative energy (in a
good way) rendering me sleepy after 6pm, and B) I just didn't have any exciting
ideas that I could sustain over a series of pieces. Over the past few years,
I've been fortunate enough to travel to a number of cool places around the
globe. I would always have my sketchbook in hand to capture what I saw and
write down funny observations I noticed about each place that was uniquely
theirs. Whether it be some food everyone went crazy over, or an iconic
something that everyone took pictures of, I'd either jot it down or do some
weird sketch of what I witnessed. A few years ago, at one of Gallery1988's
Crazy4Cult shows I had created a 'travel poster' based on my favorite movie of
all time 'Back to the Future'. I've also gotten to create travels posters at
Disney for films like Up and Cars - and for characters like Mickey, Minnie,
Donald, and the rest of the gang. The graphic designer in me loves the
structure and typography of these types of posters and the illustrator in me
loves drawing each element within them. When it came to coming up with an idea
that could work as a series for a solo show, my travel sketchbooks and all the
travel posters I had created for other things came to mind. Instead of creating
film-inspired posters, like the Back to the Future one, I decided to use the
actual cities I visited. Cities new to me like Hong Kong, Paris, Barcelona, and
London - and ones that were very familiar to me like Los Angeles, San
Francisco, New York, and San Diego. Hopefully everyone who either lives in
these cities or has visited them will relate to the humor I tried to convey
with each one.”
It was a
really brilliant, and pretty bold, pieces of artwork. The thing is, at least
from my point of view, an ultra-sensitive person from the country that his
travel posters had featured could have easily accused him of stereotyping his
country. One example is his poster about London featuring a pint of beer front
and center. But, and this is a very big “but”, I think only people that don’t
have a good sense of humor are the ones who are at risk of being ridiculed
because Eric’s work carries truth and are nothing offensive. Besides, Eric’s,
work, especially the “Travel Poster” series are very tastefully done. It is
really hard to explain it but for some reason his works kind of reminds me of the
brilliant pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Since I love Lichtenstein’s work it goes
without saying I love Eric’s work as well. I could see Eric’s original prints
going as high as $5000 in a year’s time. Well I don’t know…I’m really not an
art speculator but I could really see big things happening for him.
Anyway after
a brief email exchanges I was able to forward him some questions and here are
his answers for our Q and A:
1. Where did
you study?
I went to
art school at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where I studied Graphic
Design & Branding.
2. Where are
you currently working?
I currently
work at Disney Consumer Products in Glendale as a Designer/Artist. I've been
there for almost 14 years now.
3. What
inspires your artwork?
I'm inspired
by many things including artwork from my favorite artists, websites I'll come
across, and especially the coworkers I see almost every day. The talent level
at Disney is amazing and I learn new things from those people every day.
4. What
tools do you use with your artwork?
I usually
sketch ideas out with a pen in a notebook. Then I'll do the final art in
programs like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. I also sculpt quite a bit.
5. What
advice can you give to other artists?
My advice
would be to create art because it's fun and it's something you love, don't get
into this career to get fame or make an excessive amount of money. If you're
good and original, then those things will probably come but I just feel very
fortunate to be able to create art and pay my bills. I'm always trying to get
better too, I never feel like I'm actually good or have everything figured out.
If you're self-motivated and always pushing yourself to improve, it really does
help to sustain this as a career.
6. Do you
have a website where my readers can follow you?
My instagram
is erictanart. I also have a blog (erictanart.blogspot.com) and a site (www.tannerairlines.com)
Listen to
Eric. Create your art because you love it. There shouldn’t be any other main
reason but that alone. And always remember what he says about “pushing yourself”…there
should always be room for improvements and do not let your ego get in the way
of your work. Eric is a very gentle and humble man. A man of his talent could’ve
easily turned into an art prima donna. Our
brief conversation during his show left an indelible impression on me for
the rest of my life.
All Photos
and Article are copyrighted.
Copyright
2013 RG Los Angeles Stories
Note: Pardon
for any typo. I had been seating on this piece for a while now since I got
caught up with my other works and I suddenly felt the urge to get Eric’s story
out as soon as possible.
